Your Potential Is Unlimited

You are a remarkable person, possessed of incredible untapped potentials and abilities. Whatever you have accomplished in life so far is only a shadow of what is truly possible for you. There are virtually no limits on what you can do, be and have except for the limits that you impose on yourself with your own thinking.

Of all creatures, only human beings can reprogram themselves and alter the courses of their lives. You can decide, right now, to take complete control of the shaping and sculpting of your self-concept, and turn yourself into the very best person you can possibly imagine yourself becoming. By releasing your subconscious brakes, your fears of failure and rejection, and by building your selfesteem and self confidence through positive self-talk, you can unlock your potential and accomplish any goal you can set for yourself.

By taking complete control of the development of your self-concept, you lay the foundation for the development of the Million Dollar Habits that will enable you to accomplish more in the next few years than the average person accomplishes in a lifetime.

Action Exercises:

1. Identify the primary causes for the effects in your life. Why are you where you are and what could you do differently to get different results?

2. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you feel that you are in control of your life? What could you do to increase your feelings of control?

3. What do you think about most of the time? What should you focus and concentrate on to improve your life?

4. What are the values, qualities and attributes of other people that you most admire? What actions could you take to incorporate those values into your personality?

5. How much do you like yourself? What are the experiences that give you your greatest feelings of self-esteem, and how could you create more of them?

6. What are your greatest fears? How would you behave differently if you had no fears at all?

7. What can you do, starting today, to feed your mind with more of the thoughts, words, people and pictures that are more consistent with the very best person you could be, and the most important goals you want to achieve? 

“Man becomes a slave to his constantly repeated acts. What he at first chooses, at last compels.” (Orison Swett Marden)

Read More

Health tips from Tib Al Nabawi (Medicine of the Prophet)

12 favourite foods of Rasullah (s.a.) (as mentioned in AL Tib-al Nabavi book)

Rasullah’s (s.a.) life had been most comprehensive and perfect and can serve as an ideal for men and women of all ages, at all times.

His habits and advice have been absolutely perfect and shows moderate way of life and meets all the needs of man.

Barley: Good in fever, use in a soup form.

Dates: Rassullah (s.a.) said that a house without dates has no food. It should also be eaten at the time of childbirth.

Figs: It is a complete fruit and a cure for piles.

Grapes: Rasullah (s.a.) was very fond of grapes - it purifies the blood, provides vigor and health, strengthens the kidneys and clears the bowels.

Honey: Considered the best remedy for diarrhea when mixed in hot water. It is the food of foods, drink of drinks and drug of drugs. It is used for creating appetite, strengthening the stomach, eliminating phlegm; as a meat preservative, hair conditioner, eye soother and mouthwash. It is extremely beneficial in the morning in warm water.

Melon: Rasullah (s.a.) said: "None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon will fail to produce off spring that is good in countenance and good in character."

Milk: Rasullah (s.a.) said that milk wipes away heat from the heart just as the finger wipes away sweat from the brow. It strengthens the back, improved the brain, renews vision and drives away forgetfulness.

Mushroom: Rasuallah (s.a.) said that mushroom is a good cure for the eyes; it also serves as a form of birth control and arrests paralysis. Not all mushroom are edible.

Olive Oil: Excellent treatment for skin and hair, delays old age, and treats inflammation of the stomach. Good in patients with heart diseases.

Pomegranate: Rasullah (s.a.) said it cleanses you of Satan and evil aspirations for 40 days.

Vinegar: A food Rasuallah (s.a.) used to eat with olive oil. [That\'s now a fashion in elite Italian Restaurants]

Water: Rasullah (s.a.) said the best drink in this world is water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps, gulping produces sickness of the liver.

Read More

City Life and Entertainment

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city and in a small town/village? Support your opinion with specific examples.

2. Choose any two kinds of public transportation and compare their pros and cons. Which is more expensive, convenient, fast, etc.? Which do you usually use? Which is more popular?

city3. One of your friends plans to move to your town/city/village. Tell him/her the positive sides of living in your town as well as mention something he/she might not like. Explain, why.

4. A new big shopping center is planned to be built in your neighbourhood. Do you like the idea or not? Why or why not? What are the perspective good and bad sides of the issue?

5. A new cinema is going to be built in the area where you live. What do you think about such a plan? Do you think people in your neighbourhood will support or oppose such a decision? Why? Why not?

6. What are the main pollution-connected environmental problems in your city/town? Suggest the ways to improve the situation. Who should take care of the environment? Do common people have any chance to contribute to the nature preservation in their own area of living?

7. Your city council decided to built a monument in honour of a prominent person of you country. In your opinion, who deserves such recognition? Why?

8. City life may at times be very stressful and tiring. Suggest several ways to fight back tiredness and combat stress.

9. If you were unexpectedly given a piece of land, what would you do with it? How would you use it?

10. What is volunteering? How can it improve the conditions of life in your city or town? Who should become volunteers and should such a practice be present in our modern world at all? Back up your answers with concrete examples.

11. How can teenagers have a rest in your city? Where can they go and what can they do? Are there enough facilities and/or group organizations to make young people interested?

12. Why is music important in our lives or is it at all?

13. There are plenty of holidays celebrated by people of one country, city, or even worldwide. If you had a chance to make up your own holiday, what holiday would it be? Who and how would celebrate it? Be specific with your examples.

Read More

Writing Topic Type 3: Describe or Explain

In a way, this is the most difficult type of independent essay question because it doesn’t give you an A or B situation. Instead, you have to think of your own subject from a very big pool of possibilities.

“What discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.”

“The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Use examples and details in your answer.”

“What change would make your hometown more appealing to people your age? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.”

“If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what would you choose? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.”

“If you could invent something new, what product would you develop? Use specific details to explain why this invention is needed.”

Because these writing topics don’t give you a yes–no or A–B choice, it’s easy to get stuck in the planning phase. (By the way, planning is incredibly important for writing any standardized test essay; don’t skip it!)

The structure doesn’t have to be very different, though. Here’s a rough idea of how you might organize a descriptive essay:

Intro

Your choice/subject

Body 1

Reason 1 and examples

Body 2

Reason 2 and examples

Body 3

Reason 3 and examples

Conclusion

Why this is significant in the real world

Notice I added one more body paragraph. Because there’s no “other side” to deal with, you have more time to explain the one topic you chose. So why not use that time for another paragraph!

Read More

Writing Topic Type 2: View Both Sides

This is actually very similar to the “choose a side” type of essay subject, but it’s a little bit more complicated because you have to think from two different standpoints. Thankfully, it’s also not as common.

Here are a few examples:

“The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some people think that your community would be a good place to locate the university. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of establishing  a new university in your community. Use specific details in your discussion.”

“Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”

There are a couple of different ways you might structure an essay like, but the simplest one may be the best.

Intro

General statements about issue

Body 1

Advantages and examples

Body 2

Disadvantages and examples

Conclusion

Why this is significant in the real world

Read More

TOEFL Writing Topic Type 1: Choose a Side

This is by far the most common type of independent writing question. These TOEFL prompts ask you to choose A or B then explain your decision. There are a couple of different approaches to writing this type of essay, but the simplest form is the “five paragraph essay.” Usually this is actually only four paragraphs, because you don’t have that much time—the test only gives you 30 minutes to complete your independent essay.

So if you choose A, you might write an essay that looks like this:

Intro

A is better

Body 1

Reason 1 and examples of why A is better

Short contrast with B

Body 2

Reason 2 and examples of why A is better

Short contrast with B

Conclusion

Why this is significant in the real world

Of course, there are other ways to write an essay, but it’s a good idea to use a relatively simple structure for clarity. This is more true for the TOEFL than it is for essays on other tests, like the GRE, because the TOEFL is really a test of communication and how well you can write in English.

Here are some examples of the “choose a side” writing topics:

“Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”

“Some people like to travel with a companion. Other people prefer to travel alone. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.”

“Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.”

“It has recently been announced that a large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer”

There are a few common phrases which you will see in these essay topics, so they’re easy to spot — those phrases are bold in the examples above.

You might also get a slightly more complicated version of the “choose a side” prompt that asks you to compare sides, like this one:

“When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answer with specific details.”

In that case, you could still use the structure I showed above, but you would emphasize the contrasts with “B” and write a bit more about them.

Read More

TOEFL Writing Topics

While the TOEFL is generally a very different type of test from the GRE, the GMAT, and the SAT, there are a few similarities, and the writing section is one of them.

As with most standardized tests, the TOEFL asks you to write an essay. Well, it asks for two essays, actually — one is about a reading and a lecture (which you’ll summarize), and the second is more open-ended.

Let’s look at the questions that you might see for that second TOEFL essay, the “independent task.”

On one hand, there are a LOT of different TOEFL writing topics. You might be asked to write an essay about technology, education, media, family, or some other subject. But on the other hand, there are only a few different types of questions.

ETS does provide a list of TOEFL independent essay questions, and it’s a good idea to look over those. If you practice writing the essay before test day (a good idea!), then you should use an essay prompt from that list. But there’s an excess of information in that pdf—we want to know some more useful generalities! So let’s divide those subjects into types.

Read More

IELTS Writing task 1

IELTS writing task 1 is considered to be a very difficult and confusing task, but in reality it is totally opposite. Students get confused when they look at a diagram or process, but if they follow some simple steps they can score very good marks on the IELTS writing task 1.

First I will tell you about this task:

You will have 20 minutes to complete this task

You will either be given a diagram or a process

You will be required to describe the diagram or process in 150 words (13-14 lines)

You should not write in point form

Your description will be like an essay

You will not require any special knowledge in order to attempt this question

The examiner wants to know whether you can do comparison

IELTS Writing task 1 tips

Manage your time

Do not make opinions; just tell about the things which you see

Use the words (increased by, decreased by, greater than, less than)

Use proper English

Read More

IELTS listening tips

Listen to the entire conversation

Don’t jump to conclusions

Read the questions before the conversation starts

If you don’t understand a question skip it, and try to answer the next questions

The answer is often repeated

The speech is played only once

The duration of the audio is 30 minutes

You will also have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer booklet

You will not get marked if you do not put your answers on the answer booklet

Always remember the (what,where,how,who,when,which)

The questions get harder after the first 15 questions

At least 2 clues are given in the conversation which point towards the answers

Read More