Countless misforunes, including illness and much needed surgeries, has left Cliff Garstka in serious turmoil. Like everyone, Cliff has hopes and goals, but his may never be met.

Cliff was once a vivacious hardworking man. He spent over two decades in the medical research field before he was forced to retire due to his crippling arthritis, which was caused from his numerous surgeries. Cliff, in his early 50s, relocated his family to Albuquerque, New Mexico in hopes of bettering his health and family’s well-being.

As a therapeutic refuge, Cliff began acting and posting his demos on talent Web sites. He found a passion and his niche once again. When the Garstkas finally thought their bout with bad luck was over, Cliff’s wife, the family’s breadwinner was laid-off from her office management position. Cliff’s hobby has now turned into his family’s sole means of income.

As Cliff auditions for roles, he uses talent sites as his his interactive resume. Cliff’s demo of The Deal, which can be viewed in his media, has landed him an acting agent. He has also been featured in films and TV shows. Cliff’s most notable appearance can be seen in the movie Sunshine Cleaning, featuring Steve Zahn and Amy Adams.

Since the money market has begun to fail, the employment rate has plummeted. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics from April of 2008 until May of 2009 (present standings) there has been increase in almost every month, except for June 2008 and April 2009 for unemployment in Cliff and his wife’s age bracket, 45-54 years-old. There does not seem to be an end in site for unemployment for Cliff’s family. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also notes that the older the individual is the risk of unemployment is greater.

Now, according to CNN Money, New Mexico ranks 6th among the states for unemployment (including the District of Columbia) with a 4.3 percent rate. This is one of the lowest rates in the country, as compared to Michigan’s 9.6 unemployment rates. Cliff and his family live in one of the most affluent cities in New Mexico, so you may ask how is it possible for someone to still be unemployed. The answer may never be known, but speculations can be made agreeing with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the older you become, the less chance you have of securing a job. This is very likely the case for the Garstkas.

Many people are living a life of sadness, despair, fear and anger, as if they were living in a basement with a very low ceiling. A cold, damp ceiling of dense concrete, keeping them down. There are no windows in this place, no sunshine coming in, no birds singing, no nightingales, no voices of children playing, no affection, no tenderness. Instead there are tons of misery, illness, sadness, anger, depression, fatigue, anxiety, doubt and low self-esteem.

How can you leave these gloomy quarters? How do you go back to the gentle sunlight? All you need to do is take a few steps up the staircase, and there you are: on the first floor, where there’s lots of light, love, abundance, joy, well-being and plenty of sunshine even if it’s raining outside. All of this is just one floor away! One floor up, in fact.

Why is it so hard to leave the basement, to wake up from this nightmare, and to reach that place where you long to be, when it is just a few steps away? Because “they” have told you that this murky basement you’re living in is all there is, and you have taken their word for it. Who are “they” ? They are your parents, your teachers, people around you, TV shows you watch, newspapers you read, and so on.

You think this sad life in the basement is reality, and that love and excitement is the stuff that dreams are made of. My dear, you are living an illusion! You are living a huge misunderstanding, for it is exactly the other way around. It is the darkness that is the dream (a nightmare in fact), and Love and Light that is real.

Unfortunately, “they” never told you that real life is happening just a few steps up. They never told you that you are living in a nightmare. Why didn’t they tell you? Are they that sadistic? Didn’t they want you to be happy and healthy and abundant? Oh yes, they did! So why didn’t they tell you? Because they simply don’t know themselves! They too believe, and have believed for their whole life, that the lies they are living are the truth, that the nightmare is real. And so they couldn’t have told you anything else than the lies they themselves take for truth.

This handover of misunderstandings and lies has been going on for a very long time, generation after generation. Do you really want to stay under that ceiling, cramped and swamped in darkness and misery? Do you want your children to fall for these lies, “living” a “life” of discontent, heaviness and chronic disease? Or do you want to live one step beyond, a few steps up, being showered with love and feeling the sunshine on your face?

How do you get there? It’s right there!

You will have to stretch yourself a little bit to get there. You will have to take a serious look at your belief system and carefully examine the core beliefs that all of your thoughts are built upon. Then you will need to decide whether you will continue believing the lies they told you, or whether you will abandon those limiting ideas, make up your own mind, and take a shot at living in joy and excitement.

Stretch yourself, step out of your comfort zone. You will have to quit some bad habits and leave behind some of the people you used to hang out with. You can no longer dwell in negative energy vibrations once you have made up your mind that you want to live on a positive vibe.

How can you go one floor up and step back into the light? There are several things you can do! Take a walk in nature, listen to some uplifting music, read an inspiring book, attend workshops to develop your talents, discover your inner truth and your true nature in moments of silence, take your dreams serious and do whatever you can to realize them. Nurture your passions: sing, dance, paint, draw, make love with your loved one, connect with your guardian angel, look into the eyes of a child, play with your pets, make friends with the Universe, have a conversation with God (and with the neighbors), follow your own path, lift your vibration with therapies like Bach Flower Therapy, and so on. In a nutshell : surround yourself with people, objects and activities that have a high energy vibration and that makes your energy flow in your body. There is so much to enjoy!

There is so much you can do to uplift your energy vibration, that there is absolutely no excuse to stay underground. Unless you consciously choose to be loyal to those who tell you there is no fun in life, that this misery is just the way life is, that you have to accept it, and that the basement is the only room in the house. You have a choice to make: or you make it your priority to uplift your energy, or you stay where you are. It’s totally up to you! You have the freedom to choose. Since everybody can go upstairs, since access is denied to nobody, there really is no excuse not to go there…

You should do every day things that make you feel happy. It won’t happen by itself. Make a list of what makes you feel smiling and what uplifts your energy, and start doing at least some of these things every day! You can, nobody withholds you!

Consider this: the effort needed to go up that staircase is no bigger than the effort needed to stay under that low ceiling, carrying a heavy load on your shoulders. The effort is the same but the results are vastly different! Staying where you are is wallowing in misery and pain. Going upstairs is telling the world you really believe you and everybody else deserve a life filled with light and enthusiasm! Your life is waiting for you! Go up there and get it! Don’t wait for it to happen by itself. Stand up, move your body, take action and do what makes you feel better!

Why not go up? The difference is enthusiasm!

Universal Studios, one of two amazing theme parks at Universal Orlando in Orlando, Florida, boasts the largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans – complete with a live concert series that features a diversity of musical stars, colorful parades full of floats (plenty of beads will also be thrown around!), elaborately costumed characters and delectable “Big Easy” cuisine such as jambalaya and shrimp gumbo.

In addition, Mardi Gras at Universal Studios features live performances from some of the French Quarter’s most talented musicians through the “Celebrate the Music of New Orleans” program. New Orleans musicians scheduled to appear include Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, T-Broussard and the Zydeco Steppers, Brian Lee and The Blues Power Band, Billy Iuso and The Restless Natives, Lil’ Malcolm and The House Rockers, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers, Chris Klein and The Boulevards, Lil’ Brian and The Zydeco Travelers, Soul Project and Mem Shannon and The Membership.

Known as the “ultimate street party,” Mardi Gras at Universal Studios takes place nearly every Saturday night from early February to mid-April. Admission to Mardi Gras at Universal Studios is $44.95 plus tax. Live concerts in the Universal Studios Mardi Gras Concert Series begin at 8:30 PM.

“This yearly event is a wonderful addition to the dynamic rides and shows at Universal Studios Florida. Both locals and visitors alike enjoy the nationally recognized musical acts that headline the Mardi Gras events,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing for HotelsCorp.com. “In addition, Universal CityWalk hosts an official Mardi Gras after-party that includes free admission to select nightclubs, including Pat O’Brien’s, the official Mardi Gras Headquarters of CityWalk.”

2007 Mardi Gras Concert Schedule

• Donna Summer – February 10, 2007

Known as the “Queen of Disco,” this Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter’s slew of hits include “Hot Stuff,” “Last Dance” and “She Works Hard for the Money.”

• Huey Lewis & The News – February 17, 2007

The quintessential ‘80s rock band, Huey Lewis & The News charted frequently with such classics as “I Want a New Drug,” “Do You Believe In Love,” “Hip to be Square” and “If This is It.”

• Taylor Hicks – February 24, 2007

Winner of the fifth season of American Idol, Taylor Hicks recently released his debut album, which has proven a big hit with his hardcore fan base – known as the “Soul Patrol.”

• Wynonna – March 3, 2007

Award-winning country music singer Wynonna Judd (daughter of Naomi and sister of Ashley) boasts several No. 1 hits, including “I Saw the Light,” No One Else on Earth” and “She is His Only Need.”

• The Doobie Brothers – March 10, 2007

A classic rock band, The Doobies continue to entertain audiences of all ages with such tunes as “Takin’ it to the Streets,” “Black Water,” “Listen to the Music,” “It Keeps You Runnin’” and “What a Fool Believes.”

• The Temptations & The Four Tops – March 17, 2007

Two legendary groups from the Motown era combine for a one-of-a-kind concert experience that will feature such classics as “My Girl,” “Get Ready,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “Baby, I Need Your Loving,” among many others.

• Sean Paul – March 24, 2007

An extremely popular and talented Jamaican dancehall reggae artist, Sean Paul has reached the charts with such hits as “Gimme the Light,” “Get Busy,” “Like Glue” and “Temperature.”

• Daughtry – April 7, 2007

Although Chris Daughtry finished fourth place during the fifth season of American Idol, the rock singer formed his own band Daughtry and released an album (full of hits such as “It’s Not Over” and “Breakdown”) that has already reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts.

• KC & The Sunshine Band – April 14, 2007

Founded in the early ‘70s, KC and the Sunshine Band scored a number of disco hits such as “Get Down Tonight,” “Shake Your Booty” and “That’s the Way (I Like it).”

Pop-turned-country-music singer Jessica Simpson has had one incredible year in the spotlight as a standout performer and all-around superstar, and her recent switch in music tastes has proven to be a huge success with her debut country album Do You Know. Recently, Simpson was inducted into the Nashville scene even more by being tapped as one of several legendary country music acts to be included at the 2009 Florida Strawberry Festival.

Simpson was catapulted into the country spotlight earlier this year with her hit single “Remember That,” and now she will croon the catchy single onstage at Plant City, Florida’s biggest country event of the year, acting as one of the headlining performers alongside other country music legends such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, George Jones, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Lorrie Morgan and also country music newbies like Julianne Hough, Kellie Pickler, Jake Owen, Rodney Atkins and Taylor Swift. The festival will take place February 26 to March 8, 2009 and will also feature bluegrass shows and classic fair festivities, so get tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/jessica-simpson-tickets to enjoy all the biggest country acts under one roof.

This year’s inclusion of Jessica Simpson in the all-country lineup is a giant step forward for the singer in terms of acceptance into Nashville’s country music clique, marking the third genre switch in Simpson’s career. Before the talented vocalist was even considering the country music scene, she was a teenager growing up in Dallas, Texas and aspiring to be a contemporary Christian music singer, finally breaking into the business as part of the Christian Youth Conference circuit. Simpson’s first musical twist came in the mid-1990s, when the blonde crooner came onboard the teen pop scene amid other teenage sensations such as *NSYNC, 98°, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Boasting her innocence and pure vocals, the sugar-coated pop tart emerged onto the pop scene with the smash singles “I Think I’m in Love with You” and “I Wanna Love You Forever,” making her debut album Sweet Kisses one of the year’s hottest commodities in 1999.

The early 2000s were full of television shows and celebrity cameos for Simpson, who married longtime boyfriend and 98° frontman Nick Lachey and starred in the MTV reality show Newlyweds. Singles “With You” and a remix of “Take My Breath Away” propelled Jessica Simpson into a full-blown superstar by 2004, but rumors started to fly in 2005 when Simpson and Lachey divorced, ending the reign of the television show she was so famous for (remember the tuna/chicken fiasco?). Simpson continued dominating television screens sans Lachey through the mid-2000s, appearing in the Dane Cook movie Employee of the Month and also Dukes of Hazard while working on her 2006 album release Public Affair. The album didn’t score on the charts as well as some of her previous works, and the pop star reinvented herself as a country music darling in 2008 with her most recent release Do You Know. Since the album’s release, Simpson has been playing the Nashville circuits while waltzing onto the country music scene. If you haven’t seen her new and improved country image onstage yet, get Jessica Simpson tickets to one of her concerts and watch the newly-christened country artist and her designer boots as they stomp across stages around the nation.

As you no doubt already know, the sun is already out in time for the Queensland Spring Vacation, and the truth is; there is simply no better place to spend the school holidays than the Sunshine Coast.Not only are there plenty of things to do and many places to see, but there is also ample Sunshine Coast accommodation available. However, with the famous Coolum Kite Festival scheduled to take place on the 3rd and 4th of October, visitors should make sure they book their Sunshine Coast accommodation well in advance in order to avoid disappointment.

Essentially, the Coolum Kite Festival showcases some of the most magnificent and most unusual kites you could ever imagine, and of course this year won’t be any different, in that there is just so much happening during the festival weekend. Also, this year will see some of Australia’s top kite surfers competing with each other for a position on the podium. Whatever you do; make sure you find your spot on the beach to witness this spectacular event.

If you’ve ever been under the impression that kites are small toys which young kids play with, you’re sadly mistaken. Instead, you’ll get to see small kites, giant kites, weird kites and funny kites. In fact, you’ll see some which are quite literally a marvel in their own rights. Of course, over and above the kite festival, there is also so much else happening on the 3rd and 4th of October, which is why you should make a point of visiting the Sunshine Coast at this time. The great thing is that the kite festival is a perfect event which the whole family can enjoy. Let’s face it; who wouldn’t want to relax on the beach to watch the kite surfing competition in full swing. If kite surfing doesn’t quite rock your boat, you could of course choose to chill out and listen to some great talented musicians instead.

Even though the kites will dominate the air for some period of time, that’s not all you’ll see in the heavens above. Instead, you should also make sure that you’re there to see the Ramblers Skydivers in action. This crazy bunch of daredevils will perform a number of death defying stunts and displays during the course of the weekend. In fact, if you think you have what it takes, you can even book a tandem skydive with one of the Ramblers. Who could blame you if you feel you’ve had an amazing day, but be warned, because the night event is just as thrilling. In fact the night event is more often than not the most intense event of the weekend, and if rumors are anything to go by, this year’s event will be like nothing before. All things considered, you need to book your Sunshine Coast accommodation now or else you may end up missing out.

If you’d rather not take part in a tandem sky dive, but instead, you’d like to try your hand at flying a kite, then you should consider booking a place for you and your family at the kite making workshop which is at the Kenilworth Community College on the 27th of September. For a fee of just $6, you can have an opportunity to build your very own kite which of course you can end up flying yourself. If you’d rather not build a kite, you can simply stand back and watch Tony rice, a master kite builder, at work.

It’s not without reason that the Sunshine Coast has become so immensely popular between people looking for an ideal Spring vacation. Considering you’ll be in the heart of a world famous kite festival, kite surfing championships, and even a spectacular skydiving event, there are not many other places apart from the Sunshine Coast which you need to be considering. The sun is shining, the ocean is shimmering, and some of the very best Sunshine Coast accommodation is awaiting you.