Have Big Problems
"Small problems demand small efforts and yield
small rewards. Big problems demand big efforts
and yield big rewards. Have bigger problems."
Challenging yourself – deliberately setting big
problems (perhaps too big) in front of you – is
a key to moving faster than change. Small
challenges never lead to big successes.
Challenge yourself with big problems, big
issues.
The level of challenge you establish sets the
level of risk you are willing to take. It sets
the level of effort you are willing to put
forth.
Do
small problems inspire you? Of course not – they annoy you. They bog you
down and take up your time. Who would risk much for a small problem and
its small reward?
Big
challenges call forth the best in you. The changes you must make in rising
to meet those challenges can cause an important shift in the world and
help people to be their best. There’s more at stake. More to lose. More to
gain.
For some people,
rising to the challenge is itself a powerful reward. Rising before dawn
and getting a whiff of the frosty air before a cold morning’s run is in
itself compensation, and makes the run that much more meaningful. The
challenge adds its own joy and power to the project or programme.
People want to rise to the
challenge – it gives them energy. It makes things more fun.
Ask yourself these questions about your
business:
- Is this venture a big enough challenge?
- Have we bitten off more than we can chew? If
your answer is yes, that’s good. If not – bite off more!
What would make this a real challenge?
- Have we thrown down the gauntlet and dared ourselves
to succeed?
- What would add drama and scope?
- What would make it exciting, maybe even somewhat
threatening?
- And finally, what would make it important?
© Paul Lemberg
2002-05
Book Review:
Startlingly, we get 80% of our results from 20% of our
effort. The trick is identifying which 20% it is and this book identifies
the characteristics of ‘stars’ reaping 80% of the rewards:
*Stars are ambitious
*Stars love what they do
*Stars tend to do one thing extraordinarily well
*Stars know a lot about a little
*Stars think and communicate clearly
*Stars evolve their own success
formula
1. Take good care of yourself. It's much easier to be positive when you are eating
well, exercising and getting enough rest.
.
2. Remind yourself of the things you are grateful
for. Stresses and
challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding
yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a
day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.
.
3. Look for the proof instead of making
assumptions. A fear of not
being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what
others are thinking, but our fears are usually out of line with reality.
If you fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something
you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you
turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you
did something wrong unless you have proof there is something to worry
about.
.
4. Refrain from using absolutes.
Have you ever told a
partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call
me!” Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes
the situation seem worse than it is, and programmes your brain into
believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.
.
5. Detach from negative thoughts. Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you
don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach
from it, witness it, and don't follow it.
.
6. Squash the "ANTs." In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr.
Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are
the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are
laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It
must be bad!" When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are
nothing more than ANTs and squash them!
.
7. Practice loving, touching and squeezing (your friends
and family). You don't have to be
an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact
with friends, loved ones and even pets is an instant pick-me-up. One
research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers
on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from
these customers than from the ones she didn't touch!
.
8. Increase your social activity.
By increasing social
activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy
people and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!
.
9. Volunteer for an organization, or help another
person. Everyone feels good
after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money or your resources.
The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will
receive in return.
.
10. Use pattern
interrupts to combat rumination. If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop
it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something
completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something
negative. It's never productive because it's not rational or
solution-oriented; it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical
environment - go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend,
pick up a book or turn on some music.
Jennifer Koretsky,
jennifer@addmanagement.com
webtopten.org
a service of CoachVille.com
Copyright 2000-2004 CoachVille, LLC.
May be distributed if full attribution
is given and copyright notice is
included.
Eating
disorders, one of the last taboos?
The word sabotage
comes from the French word saboter meaning wilfully to
destroy.
Approximately 90% of
people admit to self-sabotage, citing food as their method of abuse.
Tangible side effects include loss of time, energy, money, esteem,
well-being and a perspective of what’s realistic, normal and
healthy. Sadly, addiction knows no boundaries, it’s oblivious to
class, it happens to regular people like you and me.
Stephen King
rationalised his addictions by saying “creative
people tend to be prone to addictions”.
When I came to coaching several years ago, I didn’t think about
specialising in the area of health, let alone supporting clients with
eating disorders. However, the clients came, maybe because of my own
experiences, or my genuine concern for what constitutes a healthy mind,
body and spirit.
Sometimes it takes a
lot of discipline, but I tend to spend my mornings writing articles,
conducting research on the web or interviewing case studies for my
book. As a long-standing ECI volunteer, I’m often also sourcing
potential material for the monthly newsletter. I spend my afternoons
and evenings coaching. I’ll also tune into a teleclass if something
appeals; if not, I’ll listen to or read some self-development material
(brain food).
However, when I have
clients sharing my good life (they are usually established clients by this
stage), it’s my responsibility to be available to support them throughout
the day. Most clients are searching for the optimum ‘diet for life’,
fed up with being on a diet. So coaching starts over the breakfast
of their choice (usually the juice bar) while exploring why addictions start.
Clients are
encouraged to spend the morning writing in their journals using various
exercises and techniques for rescripting their lives: dealing with past
issues, creating future visualisations and exploring plans around
achievement.
Over a raw lunch (and
often a food preparation discussion), our coaching session
continues. We explore and analyse the impact addiction has had on
their relationships, in particular the one they have with
themselves.
Afternoons are
generally spent relaxing with holistic treatments and imagining themselves
living the life they desire most. In the words of Joseph Campbell
(no relation) “We must be willing to get rid of the life we
planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for
us”.
Depending on the
length of their stay, we have sessions concentrating on reframing beliefs,
values and changing habits; healing the child within; developing and
maintaining a positive mental attitude; learning to be assertive and the
importance of self care. Towards the end of their stay, we always
have a goal-orientated coaching session.
Once clients are back
home, I continue to support them with telephone coaching as
necessary. Working with clients, watching them regain their health
both physically and mentally is extremely rewarding. I just wish I
were wealthy enough financially to open a retreat and hold workshops
benefiting many more people than I do now.
Dawn Campbell
© Rainbow
Promise 2005
dawn@rainbowpromise.co.uk
Wherever you go, there you are.
There’s no escaping it - your world is a reflection of you and if the view
in your mirror doesn’t elicit a certain spark, perhaps it’s time to
question the underlying assumptions.
It always surprises me in my work
as a personal trainer and holistic health counsellor, dealing intensively
with the body, when clients don’t do the things that would clearly make
them healthier. When I look a little closer, I see they’re still ‘out
there’ looking for what is only found ‘in here’. Pursuit of fulfilment can
certainly lead to a never-ending spiral of wanting and a maze of
improbable options. However, unless you nourish the source of your renewal
– your own being – you will always look for the next diet, gadget, guru or
solution.
The answer to your quest is not
out there somewhere. It resides within you. The quality of your answers is
dictated by the intention of your questions. Why is self-care at the
bottom of the totem pole? Why is making money more important than making
life? Finding the expression of what lights
your fire is what gives your world it’s meaning. Primary food – feeding
your soul, your essence - is your raison d’être.
The best kept secret – and we all
know it – is that self-care is all about self-love. If you still believe
that something out there - making $1,000,000 a year, finding the partner…
– will bring you happiness, you’re in for a rude awakening. There will
never be enough ‘out there’ to make you feel satisfied ‘in here’. That’s
not the way it works. Self-nourishment brings outer nourishment. If it’s
been a while since you’ve felt this level of vibrancy and vitality in your
daily life, it’s helpful to look at the signposts that may indicate you’re
off track. What are these indicators?
· Life
feels flat or dull and you're not fully engaged with work or
play
· You
feel chronic stress, you compartmentalise things in order to manage
your life
· Your
relationships lack depth, your work is boring, your body is out of
touch
·
You’re not expressing your
passion
· You’re
mostly in a state of doing rather than being
· You’re
very busy but you don’t have a sense of meaningful
accomplishment
Does this sound like your world?
Who are you right now? Does your work excite you? Do your relationships
nurture you? Does your body please you?
Remember a time when you were
fully engaged and passionate about your life. Who were you being? Being
fully alive is about savouring the juicy-ness of here and now. Life is not
a spectator sport. Many of us make choices everyday that deaden our
experience of life, when we could be making choices that make us come
alive! What’s the solution?
Consider that when you’re fully
alive, you’re energised, aware and doing what you love. You are fully
present, creating your life with joy and excitement, while you navigate
the dynamic content of your world. You surf the wave of change, tune in,
assess and take your next step. You are here now, fully engaged,
ready:
to embrace your intuitive nature
and enhance your mind/body connection
to identify your limiting beliefs
and where you’re holding out
to discover your energy drains and
realign with your intentions
to design a self care program that
fits your unique needs
to develop a spiritual practice
that sustains you
to identify exercise and movement
that feeds your body playfully
to enhance the quality of energy
for work and play with ease and joy
to tap your passion and assist you
in incorporating it into your daily life.
© Adela Rubio 2005
www.adelarubio.com
info@adelarubio.com
Why eat healthily?
Well, it is estimated that one person in three will contract cancer in
their lifetime (Cancer Research UK), and the World Health Organisation
predicts an increase to one in two by 2020 (www.who.int). In the
UK, the number of people diagnosed as being obese has tripled in twenty
years, and if this trend continues, over a quarter of adults will be obese
by 2010. A recent National Audit Office report outlined the cost of
obesity in 1998 as follows:
- sickness absence:
18 million days
- working life lost:
40,000 years
- 30,000 deaths
(9,000 before state retirement age)
- cost to NHS: £0.5
billion
- indirect costs to
the economy: £2 billion
Are you one of the
millions on a diet? Why? If you are hoping to be better accepted by
others, do you assume a slimmer body brings that acceptance? Why do diets
fail? One reason is that dieters concentrate on excess weight. The key is
to change the focus from food to yourself. Do not allow yourself to be
controlled by food or anything else for that matter. You take control of yourself. The better you feel
about yourself, the more you will be in control and your body will
benefit. We often focus on external causes of ill health: but we are
concentrating on what to avoid, rather than designing a positive, healthy, high
quality lifestyle. “Give rather than give up” could perhaps be our motto.
“Breakfast like
a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper”, the saying goes. The
less food the body has to process at night, the healthier it will be. We
can also eat food we know to be good for us, natural and unprocessed. Most
of us want to eat more healthily but don’t know how to go about it. To
change a bad ‘habit’ permanently, we need to practise new ‘behaviour’ for
thirty days or more. Following a healthier diet is a relatively easy habit
to change, and the long-term reward might be longevity rather than
premature death.
Overweight is excess
body fat, stored as energy. So the good news is that you have lots of stored energy to do all
the things you want to do. It’s your energy; you’ve bought and paid for
it, so why not use it. Worry less about losing
weight, think about using it.
A healthier lifestyle
could be achieved through organic food; it is better for the planet, for
the farmer, livestock and you. Good nutrition is basically eating a varied
and balanced diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole grains. By
choosing organic food, you avoid colouring, flavouring, preservatives,
emulsifiers, stabilizers and artificial sweeteners, as well as residues of
pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.
Food grown in rich,
naturally fertilized soil offers higher levels of vitamins, minerals,
trace elements, and beneficial plant nutrients that help protect us
against heart disease and cancer. 0rganic vegetables often taste much
better. Eating natural, locally grown food is ideal. Produce grown in poor
soil, picked unripe and kept in cold storage loses much of its nutritional
value. Highly processed, pre-packaged convenience foods contain even less.
There is at present
an explosion in the demand for organic and healthy food options Organic
baby foods now outsell conventional brands in many areas. Iceland
supermarkets guarantee that all their own brand frozen vegetables are
organic and cost no more than branded non-organics – a sign that organic
eating is no longer an elite option. Increased demand for organic and
natural food will encourage increased supply and prices will continue to
drop.
A study in Britain in
2000 provided evidence of benefits of organic production to biodiversity.
Organic farm fields contained five times as many wild plants, 57% more
species, 25% more birds around field perimeters and 44% more in the fields
during autumn and winter, three times as many butterflies and over twice
the number of small insects that provide food for birds. There was
surprisingly no increase in undesirable butterfly varieties compared to
conventional farms. Fitter you, fitter planet?
For further
information and details of a 41-page programme for your physical,
spiritual, mental and social development, please contact
Bernard.
Stress, tension and burnout are common in modern
society. I have come to the conclusion that people
want to stay stressed! Why?
Stress helps you seem important. Anyone as stressed as you must be working very hard
and is probably doing something crucial.
Stress helps to maintain personal distance and avoid
intimacy. Anyone as busy as
you certainly can't be expected to form emotional attachments. And let's
face it, you're not much fun anyway.
It helps you avoid
responsibilities. Obviously you're too stressed to be given any more
work. This lets you out of mundane chores; leave them to someone else.
It gives you a chemical rush. Stress is a cheap thrill; you can give yourself a
"hit" anytime you choose. Be careful, you might become addicted to your
own adrenaline.
Stress helps you avoid success. Why risk being successful when simply staying
stressed can avoid all that? Stress can keep your performance level low
enough that success won't ever be a threat.
Stress lets you keep your authoritarian management
style. The authoritarian
style of "Just do what I say!" is generally permissible in crisis
conditions. If you maintain a permanently stressed crisis atmosphere, you
can justify an authoritarian style all the time.
Are you worried now about how to stay stressed? You'll
have no trouble if you practise the following clinically proven methods:
Never exercise. It wastes a lot of time that could be spent
worrying.
Eat anything you like. If cigarette smoke can't cleanse your system, a
balanced
diet isn't likely to, either.
Gain weight. Work hard at staying at least 25 lbs overweight.
Take plenty of stimulants. Caffeine, nicotine, sugar and cola will do just
fine.
Get rid of your social support
system. Let the few friends
who still tolerate you know that you concern yourself with friendships
only if you have time – and you never have time. If a few people
