Friday, June 29, 2012

How To Tell The Difference Between Love And Lust

In a relationship it's very important to be able to tell the difference between love and lust. You have to define your own priorities first in order to judge your partner's intentions. Love is profound, deep and infinite. Lust on the other hand is a temporary longing, a shallow feeling and one-dimensional craving. Relationships based entirely on lust are often very short-lived. Physical attraction is also the basis of love, so telling them apart sometimes becomes difficult.

Love is defined as an emotion which drives you to sacrifice everything you have for the person you love. You can test your partner by placing him/her in a compromising situation and seeing their reaction. Love is based on complete trust and mutual understanding. If the two of you argue a lot and then don't make any conscious efforts of making up afterwards, then chances are your relationship was merely based on lust and there was no love involved. Love has a positive effect on a relationship and even after fights your relationship strengthens because you come closer in making apologies and doing everything in your control to make each other happy.

Positive Attitude

Because a relationship based on lust is temporary, both partners will eventually start looking for other people to satisfy their needs. Lustful relationship could be fulfilling for a short time but they are disastrous in the long run. There are fights to no end, arguments over nothing and no respect for each other. Another noticeable difference between a loving relationship and a lustful relationship is that the latter starts with a much more passion. There are phone calls and dates that last all day long and in the beginning it seems as if there's nothing separating this couple. However, as time passes this passion dies down and their supposed love for each other gets forgotten and they start having fights and eventually break up.

How To Tell The Difference Between Love And Lust

People who are truly in love base their relationships on respect for each other, compromising behavior and selfless attitude. They are ready to sacrifice anything for their partner. Lustful relationship brings two people close only to have fun and both of them are selfish in their demands. They don't have any respect for their partner and don't have any commitment plans in their minds.

In order to save yourself from getting hurt you have to understand your partner's real intentions behind going out with you and showering you with gifts. Make sure you two have good plans for your future life together and that both of you stick with those plans in order to realize them.

How To Tell The Difference Between Love And Lust

George Wood is a successful webmaster of many popular sites including online dating [http://www.datingshare.com] and dating forum [http://forums.datingshare.com] site. If you want to read more about relationship, click over to George relationships advice site.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Self Esteem Overview - Positive and Negative Effects

Our self-esteem is the internal knowledge that we are capable of handling anything that life throws at us. Self-esteem is a feeling of self-worth and an understanding that we are capable human beings that are strong and resilient. People with a high level of self esteem are confident in their abilities; handle stress and problems well and are able to hold their heads up high and feel good about them even when they screw up.

People with low self-esteem are the complete opposite. They often sport a negative outlook on life and themselves; tend to fear new experiences because they lack the feeling that they can accomplish or handle anything outside of their normal routine; use a lot of energy to maintain a false positive image of themselves; and tend to worry excessively and be overly sensitive to criticism,

Positive Attitude

Our self-esteem is how we feel about our abilities and ourselves. It can have a drastic effect on our motivations, attitudes and behaviors with those around us. It built from an early age), often toddler hood, when a baby tries something new like standing or walking and either succeeds or fails.

Self Esteem Overview - Positive and Negative Effects

It really doesn't matter as much whether the child continually succeeds as it does how the people around the react to them. A child who manages to do everything right the first time, but who is not praised for their accomplishments or are belittled in some way may grow to have a very low self esteem; while a child who rarely succeeds but is praised for their effort may have a high level of self esteem.

This is an important fact for parents to remember when dealing with children of all ages. Healthy self-esteem is reached when the right balance is attained between the child's ability and the parent's interaction.

Our self-esteem can fluctuate as we grow and experience new hurdles in life. Teenagers are more apt to suffer low self-esteem as they struggles to handle changes in their bodies, world and even personality. This is a time when these young adults are struggling to figure out if they are capable enough to handle what life will throw at them in the future.

Adults may experience bouts of low self-esteem when faced with unexpected obstacles or hurdles they don't know how to handle. New parenthood is a common time for adults to find themselves questioning their abilities as caregivers. The goal here is admit that you are finding a new situation more challenging than you can handle; accept your limitations; and ask for help.

Those with too much self esteem can become arrogant, believing that their way is the only way and that everything they do is perfect, while those who suffer low self esteem may find it difficult to conquer new challenges and find themselves stuck in unhappy jobs and relationships because they lack the courage and strength to move on to something better.

Finding the right balance is essential to becoming a well-rounded person who feels good about themselves, their abilities and exudes the power to succeed in every aspect of their lives.

Self Esteem Overview - Positive and Negative Effects

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Monday, June 25, 2012

How to Cope with a Spouse's Negative Attitude

Is your spouse a negative person? Does he or she consistently zero in on what's wrong with you and the marriage while overlooking the many positives?

If so, it's also quite possible that your spouse is just a negatively-oriented person about most things--work, the marriage, other people, the future, and life in general. Perhaps as time goes by, your spouse is becoming even more negative, critical, and complaining.

Positive Attitude

When I first talked to "Leigh" (not her real name), she was ready to leave her marriage because of her husband's constant negativity. "Al" was a master at finding fault with Leigh's decisions and suggestions. He had a sharp wit and could deliver zingers without batting an eye.

How to Cope with a Spouse's Negative Attitude

If Leigh suggested a picnic, Al responded with complaints about the perils of fire ants, killer bees, and sudden thunderstorms. Whenever she made a suggestion, Al would discourse on what was wrong with the idea and why it wouldn't work.

If he did agree to go along with one of Leigh's ideas or suggestions, he always expected the worse or talked about the negative aspects. In addition, Al was very critical.

The restaurant they tried was "too expensive," the dinner conversation with friends was "too boring," the movie was "too long," the weekend camping trip was "too much work," a gift from a family member was "stingy," and the people at the church they visited were "hypocrites." His boss is "an idiot," his job "sucks," and his life is "the pits."

Since a negative attitude is highly contagious, it was challenging for Leigh to be around Al and not lose her normally positive orientation. She often felt drained and deflated in spirit after her interactions with Al. When she realized that he was becoming more negative the older he got and that she was starting to resent his attitude, she consulted with me.

Eight Steps to Overcome Negativity

If you're in the same situation--married to a spouse with a negative attitude--I would give you the same recommendations that I gave Leigh. Here's what you can do:

1. Deliberately cultivate friendships with other individuals and couples who have positive attitudes and who are fun to be around. Try to expand you and your spouse's circle of friends to include couples who would be good role models for your mate and spend time with those couples.

Cut back on spending time with friends who encourage your spouse's negative comments and attitude and slowly over time try to add individuals and couples who are strong positive influences.

2. Be sure that you have friends, activities, hobbies, and interests in your life that "feed your soul" and help you stay on a positive track. If things in your marriage aren't what you wish they were, then you need to find satisfaction and joy in other areas to keep you centered and balanced emotionally.

Listen to inspiring songs and read inspirational books. "Feed" yourself a diet of positive messages that encourage and motivate you.

3. Monitor your moods to be sure that you're not getting tangled up in what are commonly called "co-dependency" issues. That's when you let your mood be determined and set by someone else.

An example would be if you were depressed all day because your spouse was in a bad mood at breakfast. Just because he's in a funk doesn't mean that you can't have an enjoyable day. You don't have to let your mate's mood determine your mood or spoil your day.

Don't give away your personal power. Take responsibility for creating your own happiness instead of being so influenced by your spouse's negative attitude.

4. Keep a gratitude journal where you list what you're thankful for each day. Form the habit of sharing with your spouse things that you're thankful for. At dinner, for example, you might talk about how helpful the clerk at the grocery store was or tell about the favor a co-worker did for you that you appreciate.

If you're thankful for seeing a beautiful bird or a lovely flowering tree, share your feelings. If you feel blessed by the kindness of a friend, share that. Even if what you say doesn't impact your mate, you need to hear yourself expressing gratitude and appreciation for the gifts that you've been given. This helps you to keep focused on what's right with your life instead of what's wrong with it.

5. Try not to judge your spouse or make him or her "wrong" for being so negative. There are many factors that can influence a person's attitudes: the attitudes they learned from their parents, their experiences growing up, low self-esteem, intense stress, clinical depression, a habit of negative self-talk, life disappointments and discouragement, and lack of hope.

Sometimes individuals who are negative think they are being "realistic" or helpful by "calling a spade a spade." Others may think they are witty for delivering clever "zingers" and criticisms.

6. Schedule a time to talk to your partner about your concerns. Without sounding judgmental or "preachy," give some specific examples of how her (or his) negativity has impacted you significantly. Perhaps your spouse is not even aware of just how negative she has become, or perhaps she is feeling depressed and needs to talk to her doctor or a counselor.

If your spouse reacts in anger, stay calm and non-defensive. State that you'd rather share your feelings now than have them fester underground and cause even more problems later.

7. If nothing changes after your talk with your spouse, write him (or her) a letter outlining your feelings and concerns about your reactions to his negative attitude. State that you want to look forward to your interactions and time with him, but you're afraid the constant negativity will eventually affect your feelings.

In the letter, tell your spouse how much you value him and your marriage and that you love him deeply. Ask your mate to go to marriage counseling with you so that your marriage will stay strong and satisfying for both of you.

8. If your spouse is not willing to address the problem by talking with you or going to counseling, then make an appointment to see a counselor by yourself. You'll need support and help in determining just what the next step needs to be--trying again to communicate verbally or in writing, or trying to adjust and live with things as they are, or in an extreme case, considering a temporary marital separation.

You'll need a deep commitment to staying positive and upbeat to be able to withstand the strong negativity in your marriage relationship. The encouraging news, however, is that according to Robert H. Schuller, "It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts."

How to Cope with a Spouse's Negative Attitude

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-creator of Overcome Control Conflict with Your Spouse or Partner, available at http://www.ControllingSpouse.com She is also co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says "I don't love you anymore!" which is available at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com, as well as a free weekly Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine . Dr. Wasson offers telephone and email coaching to individuals and couples who want to overcome relationship problems and create a rewarding, loving partnership.

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Saturday, June 23, 2012

Are There Alternatives to Insulin Injections For Type 2 Diabetics

Of course there are alternatives to insulin injections but the keywords here are; dedication, perseverance and faith in yourself. It is no easy road to learn to control your sugar levels without the use of both oral or injection drugs but as thousands and thousands of real world examples, testimonials and success stories have shown, it can be done.

What then is the game plan to insulin alternatives? To put is simply, your entire attitude towards food must change and we are not talking about laying off the odd cookie, we are talking about stripping every unnecessary item of junk from your diet and severely restricting the levels of foods that directly affect blood sugar levels.

Positive Attitude

These foods are known as carbohydrates and form pretty much the most common food groups. They are so common that most people are probably eating them and not realizing it. If you are eating anything other than dark green veg (root veg doesn't count), pure protein (meat, cheese, eggs etc) and fats and oils, then the chances are, they contain carbohydrates.

Are There Alternatives to Insulin Injections For Type 2 Diabetics

Forget the whole low glycemic approach as well, carbohydrates are carbohydrates period. Of course, any low glycemic carbohydrates such as nuts, oats, pulses and whole grains, will go a long way to keeping your levels down but they will still raise blood sugar levels regardless. It is just that low glycemic foods convert to glucose much slower so that your body will have a fighting chance at combating them.

All in all, a diet with little or no carbohydrates will show a massive improvement on blood sugar control but it doesn't stop there.

The eradication of bad fats; trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are among the worst of the bunch. Stick to natural plant oils, avocado, olive, walnut, macadamia, coconut, flax seed and even to an extent saturated fats such as pure butter or animal lard. your body can deal with these much better and it will also use them not only for fuel but will also use them for cellular rebuilding. Fats are important, do not underestimate both their positive effects and harmful potential.

The true weapon and turning point of finding alternatives to insulin injections is reading the contents of packaging. This sounds menial but it is of immense value to the type 2 diabetic. Knowledge is the key to recovery.

Are There Alternatives to Insulin Injections For Type 2 Diabetics

To find alternatives to insulin injections visit http://www.type2diabetesreversal for key articles on reversing type 2 diabetes through nutrition.

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Positive Attitude: How to Develop One

One of the most critical things that you can do if you want to achieve your goals is to have a positive attitude. A lot of people have a hard time doing this however, mainly because they have been taught that it is best to expect the worst. Learning to develop a positive attitude is not all that hard and it will help you to achieve all the things that you want to in life.

The most important thing to developing a positive attitude is to understand that you are in control of your destiny. One of the biggest reasons that people have a negative attitude is that they believe that they have no control over what happens to them, this is rarely in fact the case. Admittedly there will be times when things that you can't control do happen but for the most part you are the one responsible for what happens to you. Once you realize this it is a lot easier to have a positive attitude since it is easier to believe that things will work out the way that you want.

Positive Attitude

Another important step to developing a positive attitude is to try to be around other people with positive attitudes as much as possible. The attitudes of the people around us tends to rub off on us. When we are surrounded by people who have positive attitudes we usually feel the same way ourselves. Conversely you are going to want to avoid people who have negative attitudes since that will rub off on you as well.

Positive Attitude: How to Develop One

Another good way to keep attitude positive is to read books about people who have done the things that you want to do. There are few better ways to convince yourself that your goals are attainable than to read about other people who have attained them. Once you believe that you can attain your goals it is very easy to maintain a positive attitude.

One last tip that will help you to keep a good attitude is to keep in mind that there is opportunity in change. A lot of people get discouraged when things don't work out the way that they hoped and this usually leads to a negative attitude. If you keep in mind that even when things don't work out the way that you planned there is still an opportunity to do something else it will help your attitude. You will be a lot more willing to try things if you go in knowing that even if they don't work out the way that you hoped things will still work out fine in the end.

Positive Attitude: How to Develop One

A positive attitude is critical to being able to achieve the things that you want to in life. One of the best ways to develop the belief that you can achieve anything that you want is through positive affirmations.

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Monday, June 18, 2012

A Good Work Ethic: What Is It?

Having a good work ethic can take you a long way in your career.

I've seen numerous references to the historical meaning of phrases like "good work ethic" and rather than getting bogged down in various interpretations of what it means, the reality is that employers tend to look favorably on staff who are considered to have a strong work ethic.

Positive Attitude

People often refer to someone as having a good work ethic when they work hard however I think there is a lot more to having a good work ethic than just this.

A Good Work Ethic: What Is It?

I've found that showing your colleagues and superiors that you care and have a good attitude with regards to your work can help you build a good reputation that carries you far.

To me, having a good attitude goes hand in hand with having a good work ethic.

I've found that it can be easy to exceed the expectations of others simply by being someone who is reliable, diligent and professional. Conversely, having the opposite of these traits can be your quickest way to being seen as a lazy employee who is not held in high regard by others.

These days, companies often get by with fewer staff doing more work so being seen as someone with a good work ethic can really help to distinguish you from others especially during periods of downsizing or conversely when it comes time to promote someone.

To me, having a good work ethic in a modern sense refers to being professional, diligent and caring about your work and the people you work with.

Completing your work on time, not wasting the time of your colleagues, sending professional emails without typos, offering your help to others when they require it. I think these are all hallmarks of people with a strong work ethic.

A positive attitude goes a long way, too.

A Good Work Ethic: What Is It?

Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter who wants to help you find your dream career.

Visit Carl's website to separate yourself from other job searchers: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com

Sign up for The Effective Career Planner, Carl’s free 5-day course: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com/effective-career-planner.html

Ezine editors/Webmasters: Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website. Please don’t change any of the content and please ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URL. If you would like me to address any specific career topics in future articles, please let me know.

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

The Right Attitude to Work

Everyone works at some job or another, be it the labourer, the office worker, the professional or even the housewife - and all for different reasons: Some because they have to work, some simply for the pay packet, some because they feel the need for something to do. Wives and mothers feel it is their duty! But not everyone does work for the "love of it".

In all cases, the latter should be their primary motive, for it is the least arduous, less laborious and after all the most rewarding! There is nothing wrong with earning ones pay "enjoying what one is doing".

Positive Attitude

The key to the secret begins with the realisation that everything is a matter of "attitude", which can be best explained that, like everything else, it too is "all in the mind".

The Right Attitude to Work

When one faces work, is confronted with a task, or performs ones household duties, it is advisable "to take pride" in ones accomplishments by doing ones utmost towards best results and a "geared mental attitude" that is unaware of disliking the job but only aware of a product aimed at a perfect finish. With such accomplishment there comes enough joy and satisfaction to last for the right approach next time, another task or another job with like results. And the beginning and end of this is "all in the attitude of the mind"!

No one works well at a task or job he hates, or finds too heavy and cumbersome, or is simply to lazy to even start! Let your mind overcome these "success - stoppers" and reward you with an occupation that is pleasant to do and rewarding with - besides a pay packet - personal pride and satisfaction! Consciously "talk yourself into" that you like what you are doing, take deliberate care of doing it well, and the end result will reward you with a feeling of a "job well done", that it was not so difficult after all, and that you would not "mind doing it again"! This keeps you going with the right attitude for the next and every other task.

Keep also in mind that a happy worker is a more successful worker, easier to get on with and liked by his job mates, his or her family and those are he comes in contact with; and those intrigued by such cheerfulness inclined to follow his or her example.

Remember: A labour of love is better than a job one hates.

The Right Attitude to Work

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Thursday, June 14, 2012

4 Simple Techniques for Positive Thinking

How to improve your life forever

Have you always wanted something ? Have you always felt that something was missing but you didn't know what ? Have you aimed for goals and fallen short. Like many of us you have probably fallen into a depressive slump and given up any hope of improving your life. The subject of self improvement is a vast one, and there are many things to learn. Yet, it is those first early steps that give the most back and provide the most improvement to our lives. Therefore, it is important to start out with a technique that gives you the best grounding to work from and will be fairly easy to master. If someone offered you such a system, would you follow it through or abandon it half way ?

Positive Attitude

The power of positive thinking is something that is widely known, although often forgotten about. Apparently depressive people see the world in a much more realistic way when considering the present. An optimist does not have a realistic view. Where the depressive looes is the point at which they take their depressive view of 'today' and expand it out to the future. A depressive creates an uncompelling view of the future - one in which they make reasonable demands and expect a large amount of disappointment. Like a self fulfilling prophecy they are usually right.

4 Simple Techniques for Positive Thinking

The optimist, using techniques for positive thinking, sees the potential in everything. He creates a compelling future that drives him forward and provides motivation. He gives himself clear, inspiring goals and desires that fuel his actions. He is stretched by the challenges of what the depressive would call ' unrealistic goals'. This challenge forces growth, a key factor in true happiness, further empowering the optimist on towards his goals. When he does get beaten, he realises that he is merely being told 'try again but be more inventive'. Fueled by his imagination, the optimist creates his own future.

As we can see the power of positive thinking is a valuable tool, one which can be used to change lives and make dreams reality. Yet, as with many things, there are surprisingly few basic, down to earth practical sources of information on how to master positive thinking. I am sure you do not want to be without the advantages it can bring and no doubt you have encountered, vague, imprecise guidelines to positive thinking that you have quickly abandoned. For those who feel that they can stick to four basic principles for at least a year they will be astounded at the changes that such simple techniques can bring. I now present to you the four basic principles of positive thinking:

1) You are not your personality.

Your personality is not you. You were probably different as a child than you are today. Sure, there will be a kernel of similarity, but much of what you do, day to day, is not your personality, even though you may call it that. Instead, your so-called personality is a collection of habits formed out of experiences as a defence mechanism for coping with day to day life. Your imagined personality can hold you back in life because it defines what you will do and what you are unwilling or incapable of doing. A woman may feel she cannot be an effective public speaker because she has been shy all her life. This is simply not true, she merely needs to learn what makes an effective public speaker and adopt those mannerisms herself.

To be truly effective in terms of positive thinking you must accept the notion, that whatever age you are, you are not a fixed concept. You can be what you want to be. OFten we want to do things that seem at odds with what we feel comfortable with. We tell ourselves that we could never go skydiving or such like. These contrary desires are so important. You should take hold of them and make them reality. They are your mind's way of trying to increase its exposure to new things, to break out of the prison you call personality.

Today, pick one thing that you have never done but have always been curious about. Make a list of a months worth of activities that you feel you may not be capable of. Run a marathon, join the local drama club, spend a whole day outdoors without checking in with the office. You will be amazed at how empowered you feel - and it will give you further motivation to push back your so called identity.

2) Learn how to motivate yourself.

Many of us feel that we are at the whim of the day. On a good day we will do well, and on a bad day we will be unmotivated, will procrastinate and achieve little. You must accept the concept that your day is yours to control, you are at the whim of circumstance only in so much as you choose to respond to circumstance. Planning ahead, can provide security through contingency plans to deal with the so called unexpected. For those issues that keep coming up, see if there is a way to solve them permanently. Once you have reduced circumstance as much as possible you must then identify the next largest area of de motivation.

For many of us, particularly those new to self improvement, our emotions are what control our day. Or rather, our lack of ability to direct our own feelings. Motivation comes from knowing we have a task that will challenge us, is not insurmountable, and will provide a valuable outcome. By ensuring all of your major tasks fit into these categories you will help to unleash the motivation found within your daily activities.

Secondly, arrange your office in such a way as to cut down on distractions. Have a ready supply of water nearby, fresh pens and pencils and paper. Ensure that there as few distractions as possible. Once you have done this, you can focus on ways to improve your own mood - perhaps have a play list of your favourite uplifting songs. Have a to do list of your day's tasks, that are prioritised, and tick them off as you progress though them. Having a written record of your completions is a great way to build confidence in being able to finish tasks.

Once you can plan work for the day ahead and use the power of those tasks to motivate yourself you will feel much more in control in your work environment. This extra security will help build your self confidence and help you to see things more positively.

Make a list of tasks today and see how you can drive your motivation.

3) Be confident of who you are becoming.

Sometimes people may ,knowingly or unknowingly, put you down. They may make you feel self conscious about your spelling, your weight or your lack of confidence. At the time these insult may sting and cause deep pain and ruin your day or maybe even longer. They lower your perception of your own self worth and cause a negative spiral that sabotages any positive thinking. Rather than focus on why the other person did what they did, I would like you not to be a victim and to focus on something else. Being a victim can never ever create a positive outcome. It embodies feelings of helplessness and being subject to the whims of others. If there is any way that you can avoid feelings of victim hood and use the criticism in a positive way you should.

You are probably thinking - thats easy to say - but what is positive about being called 'insert insult'. I think that you should use such criticism as fuel, fuel to prove the other person wrong - to understand that who you are today doesn't have to be who you are tomorrow, or next week or next year.

If you yourself are unhappy with what they criticised, then decide if now is the time to do something about it, and to dwarf the critical negative person with the strength of your own personal power. People who criticise often love to feel that you will always be whatever be afflicted by whatever problem they perceive or 'want to perceive'. If you can change it shows to yourself and to the world that you can become whatever you want to be. Don't let others or yourself define you a static unchanging being who will always be burdened with the same afflictions.

4) Create the future - commit to yourself.

Imagine its a month from now. You have worked on the three ideas above and are seeing results. Now that you are learning to tackle you own problems, can motivate yourself to an extent and can push your own boundaries - its time to create your own future. A future that is so far from where you were a month ago, or even today, that to contemplate it before would have been unthinkable. Perhaps you would like to be a model, lose weight, or greatly increase your income. Maybe you want to walk the stage of some famous theatre, or begin an acting career. Look twenty years in the future, and decide where you would like to be, regardless of feasibility, or outrageousness. Then fix this vision into concrete statements, such as I will weight twenty pounds less, or I will drive an Aston Martin.

Now take these facts and visualise in your mind a scene, which illustrates all of these things. Imagine your future self in the scene, looking radiant and happy. Now make the image bigger, and the colours brighter, smile to yourself, and press your thumb and forefinger together. Do this visualisation technique every day, as many times as you remember to. Always press together your thumb and finger as you smile and imagine yourself stepping into the image and it coming to life. By doing this, we are anchoring your desire for the future to a physical action. From this point on, whenever you feel insecure or demotivated, press your thumb and forefinger together and you will get a surge of energy and happiness.

The next step is to plan out how you will achieve you goals over the coming months and weeks and years. Take a look at when you want to achieve your goal and then step backwards adding key points that will mark your progress. These point should contain sub goals that will help bring your major goal to life.

If you follow these four simple steps, and repeat them day in day out, for a month, you will rapidly begin to see changes in your life. When I did these things myself several years ago, I began to see changes in my life that were for the better. Bizarrely, I did not associate these positive changes with the daily actions I was taking. Looking back, it was the daily repetition of the above tasks that really helped turn my life around.

If you can master these techniques for positive thinking then you will have gone a long way to creating the life that your want !

4 Simple Techniques for Positive Thinking

Written by Steve Peters, the controversial success blogger: [http://www.stevesgoal.com]

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Setting The Tone For A Positive Learning Environment

Every teacher has a responsibility to provide a healthy learning environment for his or her students. Over the years, volumes of research have been conducted to help teachers determine what works best for the students. There is a wealth of methods and techniques that, through research, have been proven to improve the quality of the learning environment. Many different aspects of the learning environment should be considered.

A positive learning environment is one in which school staff, students, and parents build safe and peaceful environments where people feel accepted and respected and where learning is the main focus (Stratman, n.d.). Therefore, a positive school climate exists when all students feel comfortable, wanted, valued, accepted, and secure in an environment where they can interact with caring people they trust. A positive school climate affects everyone associated with the school, being the students, staff, parents, and the community. It is the belief system or culture that underlies the day-to-day operation of a school. "Improved school climate is a goal to pursue. Educators need to constantly work toward improving their school climate, culture, and conditions so that student learning is improved" (Noonan, 2004 p.64). How Teachers Can Set the Tone for a Positive Learning Environment

Positive Attitude

There are many things a teacher can do to make his or her classroom a safe and positive place for students to learn. First and foremost, a teacher needs to be enthusiastic about her or himself. They must come in with an energetic attitude. They must be positive because it radiates. How the teacher feels and appears it will affect the classroom. The teacher is the facilitator, the teacher sets an example, and the teacher is the role model. Attitude goes a long way.

Setting The Tone For A Positive Learning Environment

When teachers come to work stressed-out, it can be damaging to the students. A study conducted by Yoon (2002) investigated whether or not teacher stress, negative affect, and self-efficacy would predict the quality of student-teacher relationships. Findings suggested, "negative teacher-student relationships were predicted by teacher stress. Significant correlations were found among negative affect, teacher stress and negative relationships"(p.486).
The teacher should also share with the students the importance of an education and the importance of being independent. So if they see a teacher enthused about learning and ideas are shared, then the students will feel the same as well. Teachers can also help create a positive environment by simply caring for the students and showing each of them that they are special. Furthermore, they should be taught to respect and care for each other.

Teachers should regularly conduct research to stay up-to-date on the best practices and methods to use in creating a positive learning environment. Freda Glatt, a retired teacher who firmly believes in the benefits of a positive learning environment has shared some tips on creating a positive learning environment through the Sandral Sensations website (2003):
Make sure each child knows that he is important to you as an individual. Give eye contact and a pleasant greeting to every child each morning. Look and sound enthusiastic when a child makes progress on a skill he is finding difficult. Anytime is a good time for a smile.

Teach students to help rather than to laugh. It takes a lot of bravery to participate when you are unsure of yourself. Bring that to your class' attention by doing some role-playing. Ask how they felt when their classmates laughed at them. Remind your pupils that everyone is human and makes mistakes...but that it is okay and expected. You do not want them to fear being ridiculed if they ask a question or answer incorrectly.

Take note of your students' strengths and let them help you throughout the year. Make a positive statement before giving a correction. Your reaction when a child gets an answer wrong is also important. "A positive statement, followed by a negative one, helps to soften the blow and you remind students that you care" (Burnett, 1999, p.3).

George Stratman of the San Diego County Office of Education (n.d.) has created a useful list of "10 Subtle Ways to Create a Positive Learning Environment", which can be a useful guide of elementary school teachers:

1. Begin your week by "nesting." Students need time upon arrival to become familiar with and comfortable in their new surroundings. Take time during your first class to discuss the week and what they will be doing and to answer questions they may have.

2. Use the students' names. They will feel that you know them and care about them.

3. Catch them being good. Praise the group and individuals when they do well. (Be careful not to over praise an individual. Telling the other students that they should behave "just like Suzy" can be counterproductive--and not necessarily appreciated by Suzy.)

4. Dignify wrong answers. If a child gives a wrong answer, give him or her credit for trying, and if possible, relate their answer to the subject matter. For example, if you are asking the students for an example of a decomposer and a student answers "manzanita," you could respond by saying, "the manzanita is a vital part of this ecosystem, so you're on the right track. However, I'm looking for a living organism that would help break down the manzanita into soil after it dies."

5. Give students a second chance to answer correctly. You could follow-up on the situation above by giving all the students an opportunity to share with their neighbors some examples of decomposers. Once it is clear that everyone has an answer, tell the student (above) that you will give him/her another opportunity and then, after you've taken an answer or two from other students, call on that student again.

6. Don't "zap" students. If a student is misbehaving, try and redirect the behavior in subtle ways such as moving closer to that individual, utilizing his or her name in a sentence during instruction (such as "let's say we were walking on the trail and Johnny came across a deer track..."), or a gentle hand on the shoulder. If you must address the child directly and aggressively, pull him/her away from the group. If you overtly discipline a child in front of the group, others may be afraid to participate for fear of the same treatment.

7. Phrase your questions in a manner that is non-threatening. It is better to ask, "who would like to share with the group..." than to ask "who knows the answer to..." as the latter implies that if you don't raise your hand, you don't know.

8. Allow for thinking time. After you ask a question or give instructions give the students time to process. If you give instructions and ask for questions but do not provide wait time, children who process slower than others may not understand and will feel lost once the activity starts. Students who are not given adequate time to consider when answering a question will similarly feel left out.

9. Don't repeat answers. When a student makes a comment, let his/her comment stand on its own. If you repeat the answer, the students will be trained to listen only to the teacher and you will steal some of the "thunder" away from the student. If you think the others did not hear, have the student repeat the answer. (Note: this technique may not work when addressing 200 people, but is very effective with a smaller group.)

10. Give the students choices. Make sure the choices you give are acceptable to you. For instance, you can say "today we are going to climb 'Daredevil Hill,' would you like to do that before or after lunch?" Giving some choice in activities, or at least the order, gives the students some control and buy-in for their week.

How Parents Can Set the Tone for a Positive Learning Environment:

Parents can also play a part in creating a positive learning environment (Muijs, 2004). Teachers should expect parents to work with their child and school personnel to support the learning of their child and the learning environment of the school. The Canadian Education Act 1997) asserts certain expectations for parents. These are to: "meet the basic needs of their child; ensure their child attends school; encourage their child to complete assigned homework; attend to their child's conduct while the child is at school and on the way to and from school; communicate reasonably with school personnel." (Canadian Education Act, 1997, p.1).

Just as the teacher's attitude plays a role in establishing the positive environment, the parents' attitudes also take effect (Ajzen, 1988, p.10). Parents can help by sending the child off to school on a positive note. If a parent smiles as he or she wishes the child a nice day and says "I love you", the child is already approaching the day with a positive outlook and will be more receptive to learning (Ajzen, 1988, p.10).

In conclusion, with the support and dedication of the teachers, parents, and administration, any learning environment can and should be transformed into a positive learning environment. Clearly, everyone has a different role to play and a responsibility to fulfill in order to maintain the positive environment. There are many benefits to maintaining a positive learning environment. "Positive learning environments in schools will maximize the learning of every student; Help children and youth become full participating citizens of society; Help to build a sense of community; Lead to cost savings and economic benefits as prevention is less expensive than incarceration" (Positive Learning Environments in Schools, 2005).

Reference

Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality, & behavior. Chicago: The Dorsey Press.
Burnett, P. (1999). The impact of teachers' praise on students' self-talk and self-concepts. New South Wales, Aus: Teaching and Teacher Education. Retrieved September 15, 2005, from ERIC database.

Canadian Education Act.(1997) Retrieved Sep. 14, 2005, from
http://www.gnb.ca/acts/acts/e-01-12.htm.
DiGiulio, R. (2001). Educate, medicate, or litigate? what teachers, parents, and administrators must do about student behavior.. California, US: Educational Management. Retrieved September 15, 2005, from ERIC database.

Doctor, S. (1997). Creating a positive school climate. Towards Inclusion: Tapping Hidden Strengths, 3. Retrieved Sep 14, 2005, from
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/specedu/fas/pdf/3.pdf.

Glatt, F. J. (2003). Retrieved Sep. 14, 2005, from Reading is FUNdamental Web site: http://www.sandralreading.com.

Johnson, C., Templeton, R., & Guofang, W. (2000). Pathways to peace: promoting non-violent learning environments.. Chicago: Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Retrieved September 16, 2005, from ERIC database.

Muijs, D., Harris A., Chapman C., and Stoll, L. (2004). Improving schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas--a review of research evidence. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 15(2), 149-175.

Setting The Tone For A Positive Learning Environment

Rebecca Schauffele: Teaching is my PASSION. I am fun-loving and really enjoy working with kids. Through my work, I hope to make a difference in the lives of youth and inspire them to dream big and work hard to reach their goals.

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Positive Attitude: The Way to Have it is Words of Encouragement

What kind of word that you use everyday will have a effect on the kind of thinking and attitude that you will have. If you always use positive words and you always give words of encouragement to people, you will not only change yourself to have positive attitude, the person that you talk to will be influence too.

Words are free but the sad thing is that lesser people are using more of the positive word of encouragement. There is a saying the best way to motivates yourself is to motivates other people. This applies to positive attitude too. The more people that you give words of encouragement to, the more you will feel motivated and have a positive attitude.

Positive Attitude

For example, you are the leader of this rock climbing group. The task that this group wants to achieve is to climb a very high mountain. Along the way, you are feeling very tired and you feel like giving up. Then your team leader come and gives you a word of encouragement that you will be able to do it and not to give up. At that moment it might seem nothing extra-ordinary thing has happen. But to you, you will have some motivation and you will start to have a positive attitude. You will suddenly have the extra strength to continue. Then when you start to give word of encouragement to other people, people will be affected by you and they too will have a positive attitude towards solving the problems.

Positive Attitude: The Way to Have it is Words of Encouragement

So do keep in mind to help as many people as you can to help them to achieve their goal so that when you help them and they succeeded in achieving, you will be more motivated and will have a positive attitude towards toward solving your own problem. So you can start to give more word of encouragement and have a more positive attitude for yourself and influence peoples.

Positive Attitude: The Way to Have it is Words of Encouragement

Zack Lim is the owner of http://self-improvement.atspace.com providing information on positive attitude. To get Free “7 Days to Positive Thinking” course, go to http://self-improvement.atspace.com This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the resource link is retained

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Saturday, June 9, 2012

How To Train Your Dog To Walk On A Loose Leash

Leash training your dog is an excellent way to strengthen your position as the one in charge. You need to train your dog to walk on a loose leash, so that you and your dog can both enjoy the walk. A tight leash means a much harder time controlling your dog (unless you are the one that is making the leash tight; in which case you're going to have a much harder time both enjoying the walk, and teaching your dog what you want). Here are five tips to help you leash train your dog.

TIP 1: HAVE THE ATTITUDE OF A LEADER

Positive Attitude

Dogs are experts at reading body language. Use your body to communicate with your dog that you are the one in charge, by holding your body the way a natural leader would hold her/his body, while you are walking with your dog. Hold the thought in your mind that you are in charge. Don't prove to your dog that you are in charge. Instead, communicate to your dog that you are in charge through attitude.

How To Train Your Dog To Walk On A Loose Leash

TIP 2: RELAX

With your dog on your left side, take hold of the loop end of the leash with your right hand.. Grab the leash loosely with your left hand, leaving slack in the leash between you and your dog. A loose grip is essential here as it allows you to stay relaxed, and gives you more freedom to make adjustments as you walk. You should be able to swing your arms naturally while walking your dog. This will reduce both your mental and physical stress levels, allowing you to enjoy the walk. And, the more you are relaxed about the walk, the more relaxed your dog can be, allowing it to enjoy the walk, while still being under your control. Think of your dog as just an extension of your arm; wherever you go, it must go, just as any part of your arm must go.

TIP 3: CHANGE DIRECTIONS OFTEN

By changing your direction of travel when your dog is not expecting it, you will teach your dog to pay better and better attention to you. Changing direction is also the best way to stop a dog from pulling. If your dog is unaccustomed to walking on a leash, it will probably immediately start out faster than you, and start to pull. This is where your timing becomes critical. As soon as your dog starts to get out ahead of you, and before it gets to the end of the leash, quickly back up or turn around. Timed correctly, your dog will get no chance to pull, your arms will stay relaxed, and your dog, as an extension of your arm, will be pulled into a different direction with little effort on your part. Continue to change directions every time your dog is about to pull, and it will soon learn that pulling is not an effective way to get where it wants to go.

TIP 4: USE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

You need to reinforce your dog for walking on a loose leash, and you need to do it a lot. This is how I reinforce loose leash walking: If the dog is walking on a loose leash, and not trying to get ahead, but not really paying attention to me, I praise it heavily. I might even reach out and pat it on the shoulder. I do everything that I can to let it know that it is doing well. I do the same if the dog checks in with me by looking at me, even if it is out ahead a little farther than I would like, or off a little too far to the side. However, what I really want is to have the dog pretty much next to me, and to be checking in with me frequently. So, as soon as the dog is next to me, and it looks up at me at the same time, I tell it "Yes," and pop it a treat, I also often give the dog a pat on the shoulder while giving it the treat. I want to make it feel that walking next to me, and paying attention to me, is the best thing ever.

TIP 5: INITIALLY, PRACTICE IN A DISTRACTION-FREE AREA
Practice the above with your dog in your house, backyard, or garage, repeatedly before taking it out on a real walk. This will give your dog a chance to learn how to walk correctly on a leash without the distractions that it will encounter on a walk. Remember that learning will happen best if both you and your dog are focused on the lesson. Have a conversation with your dog, while you walk, to keep it focused on you. And, walk without the distractions of cell phones and mp3 players. You need to keep your attention on your dog, not on something that is separated from you.

Teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash will go a long way in teaching your dog that you are in charge. Soon, you will be able to really enjoy your walks knowing that your dog is going to walk nicely. You will then be able to notice all of the wonderful things going on in the world around you. Have fun!

How To Train Your Dog To Walk On A Loose Leash

Sue Skiff is a dog trainer, and dog behavior specialist, with over fifteen years experience. For more information on dog training and behavior please visit her information website. This site has dog training tips, information on curbing common behavior problems, and a blog containing training tips and animal stories. If you are looking for a complete guide on how to train your dog so that it will always be well-behaved, you can read How to have a Well-Behaved Dog, Sue's e-book, here.

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

5 Tips on Turning a Negative into a Positive

I thought this was fitting sense I just experienced a huge negative in my life and choose to focus on the positive in the situation. For instance, when I was unable to sign into this program to get to my list of subscribers, I could have taken it in the real negative manner and given up. But instead, I choose to see the positive. And, because I choose to see the positive, I was able to think clearer and was able to enter into my subscription base on another level. But, because of this
negative experience, I have decided to take it as a sign for me to move on to something better, where I have more control over my newsletter.

So, I've decided to share 5 tips that will help you focus on the positive in a negative situation.

Positive Attitude

Tip #1. Don't look for the negative when it isn't present. A lot of us always enter a situation "looking" for the negative. Woman--this is for you. Ever entered into a relationship with the belief that "all men are dogs?" So, you half expect your partner/spouse to cheat on you because you have the belief, that all men are dogs. Even though there is no evidence of him cheating, you search his pockets for phone numbers, follow him in an unmarked cars to see what he is doing when he claims to
be out with "the boyz."

5 Tips on Turning a Negative into a Positive

Or, you might hear there is going to be lay-offs on your job. You automatically believe that you are on the list of "pink slips." You spend your day, watching your boss out the corner of your eye. S/he goes behind closed doors and you are convinced they are plotting to get rid of you.

Or, you walk in a room of your "friends" and they stop talking. You automatically assume they were talking about you, because why else would they stop talking.

STOP! Don't look for the negative when it isn't a definite fact, because when you seek the negative, you often find it more than not.

Tip #2. Look for the positive. No matter what the situation is, there is always a negative and a positive side of it. Sometimes, the positive may not be easy to see right off the bat, but if you look deep enough it is there.

Let's say, for instance, you are terminated from your job. At first glance, there may not be anything positive you can see in this. But, was this job the best job you've ever had. Was this job "your purposeful career?" Most likely not. Because, generally, when you are working on a career that supports your purpose, you will be so good at it, that you will never be terminated.

So, since the job wasn't "the be all to end all" look on the positive side. This is an opportunity for you to find your purpose, an opportunity to make more money, a job closer to your home, a job that gets you excited. Now, due to your termination from that other job, you have your days free to spend time focused on creating the best life of your life.

Tip #3. Stop negative thoughts in their tracks. Whenever you hear yourself "thinking" a negative thought--STOP and replace it with a positive thought. Instead of saying to yourself, "I'm no good at this." Stop yourself and say, "I am getting better, each and every day."

Tip #4. Change the company you keep. If you find that most of your friends are negative people, find new friends. Birds of a feather flock together. So, if, right now, you are a negative person, chances are most of your friends will be negative too. If you find most of your conversations are gossiping about others, kicking other people's back's in, looking and discussing the negative about every subject, not sharing
in the happiness and good fortune of others, then change your friends.

Have you ever noticed that when you hear of someone that you know who is doing good, you automatically look for the negative? "Girl, did you hear that so-and-so just bought a million dollar home out there in Short Hills?" "Oh, yeah, what does her husband do? He's probably a drug dealer or something?" Or if you hear that so-and-so got a promotion and is now
making 0,000 a year. The first thing you say is, "I know she slept her way to the top. She was as dumb as a box of rocks when we were in school." Then, you are a negative person and need to find new friends. Because if you and your friends are positive people, these thoughts would never come up in your conversations.

Tip #5. Pray. Pray to God to remove the negative thinking from your life. Pray that you always see the positive in every situation. Pray that you become more positive each and every day. Then, thank God, in advance, for taking away your negative thinking. Thank Him for the positive that is entering into your life. Thank God for the flow of posiitive things that is happening for you. Thank God for the goodness and positive things that happen to others as well.

Now, make the decision to be a positive person and work at it each and every day, until it becomes so much of a habit, that you won't even have to think about it again.

5 Tips on Turning a Negative into a Positive

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and life coach who teaches about discovering your life's purpose and turning it into a lucrative career or business. Visit the web site at [http://www.dawnfields.com] and be sure to sign up for Your Life's Purpose newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:yourlifespurpose-subscribe@topica.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Tune in Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST to hear Your Life's Purpose Interactive Internet Radio Show where host, Dawn Fields, talks with others about how they discovered and started living their life's purpose. [http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm]

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

10 Ways to Improve Your Team's Performance and Gain Back Your Personal Time

Are you having trouble getting your team to meet company goals? Is your team lacking energy, creativity and motivation? Are you stressed, overwhelmed and feeling the need to work long hours just to hold your department together? It doesn't need to be that way you can take control of the situation. You can get your team working effectively towards a common goal and you can gain back your personal time. Work is important and you want to exceed company expectations but having control of your time to pursue personal interests is just as important. You want to be there to see the kids grow up and have time for that significant other (Yes honey I meant you and not golfing)... but you also want to have time to shave a few strokes off that handicap as well. Whatever your interests are you need to find balance. Work on implementing these 10 steps and you will improve your teams performance and gain back your personal time.

1) Improve the Atmosphere

Positive Attitude

As a leader you alone have an enormous impact on the morale of the team. You set the example for your team. Not just by what you say and do but also by what you allow. Make it clear to all team members that at the work place everyone needs to be treated with dignity and respect with no exceptions. You need to be aware of how team members communicate with one another. Often their tone and body language say more than the words spoken. It is common to have 3 or 4 team members creating a negative atmosphere for the entire group. They also tend to be the same team members involved in the majority of conflicts. Don't allow it to happen. Often these team members are unaware of their impact and a quick discussion will resolve the issue. If not it becomes a performance issue.

10 Ways to Improve Your Team's Performance and Gain Back Your Personal Time

Join your team in the lunch room whenever possible. It opens the lines of communication when the team members get to know you better and see your personal side. Your title as manager alone is enough to scare some of your team. Spending time with them will help to put them at ease and to feel more comfortable bringing work related problems to you.

Give praise and positive feedback often. Make it a part of every day to recognize the things that your team is doing right and be specific with your praise. As a management person it is easy to get caught up in what needs fixing but if we only talk about problems it is not a very energizing environment.

Morale issues and team member conflicts are unproductive and can waste a lot of your time. As a leader you have direct control of the morale. Take responsibility and make it a priority.

2) Open Communication

Improving communication with your team is key to getting your time back. Always have an open door policy. Ensure that your team knows that they can come and talk to you when they have concerns. Act on those concerns quickly and get back to the team member with the action you have taken. When you do this you will create an atmosphere where the team members feel valued and as it ripples through your team you will find that you are more likely to be aware of the small problems and can take action before they become big problems. You will also see you team start to bring to your attention suggestions and ideas on how they can improve the work place.

Despite your efforts to create an atmosphere where anyone can come and talk to you there will always be some team members who just don't feel comfortable talking to the boss. These team members can still be a great source of ideas or may bring up concerns that you are unaware of. Set up a system to solicit information from your team in an anonymous way. A simple way to do this is through an exercise called a 5-15. Give the team 15 minutes to write the 5 things they like about the company or job and 5 things that they feel need improvement. They do not need to put their names on the lists. This can be done in a group but do not let them discuss their individual responses so that you are getting everyone's input and not just the few that may be more vocal. In just 15 minutes you can get great suggestions to improve the workplace and again find out about those small problems in time to fix them before they are big ones. Summarize your list of needs improvement areas and develop a plan to get them corrected. Hold a meeting with you team to let them know what actions you will be taking as a result of the 5-15 exercise.

If team members feel they cannot bring concerns to management because they won't be dealt with you will have morale issues. When a team member can't bring concerns to management they will discuss it among other members of the team. This creates a negative atmosphere and turnover. If you want to save yourself some time improve the communication.

3) Who Works for Whom?

Often management is frustrated because they see their team as not listening or following direction. Team members appear as if they are not putting much effort into their job and they keep doing tasks incorrectly. Frustrated managers say "this group just doesn't listen or seem to care." Chances are there is a reason your team is not performing at a high level. Your team cannot work for you until you work for them. How do I work for them I thought they were supposed to work for me? As a manager you need to stress the importance of proper training. You need to build that solid foundation for new hires or they will never meet your expectations. As a leader it is your job to give them every chance to succeed.

Put systems in place to ensure training is completed properly and in a timely manner. Often we get caught up in putting out the days fires but you need to follow up on new hires progress. Consider having a "Buddy system" and pair a new hire up with a team member who has a positive attitude and performs at a high level.

Set out clear expectations early. It is a lot easier to train properly from the start than it is to turn around poor performance. Whether you are directly responsible for the training or not make sure you check in regularly.

When you bring a new team member into a positive atmosphere, give them clear expectations and train them correctly you will reduce turnover and improve productivity. The added time put in to get the team member off to a good start will save you time in the long run. More time means more golf and that's a good thing.

4) Attitude is Everything!

We all know as a manager we need to lead by example and come to work with a positive attitude everyday. What we fail to do is expect that same positive attitude from everyone on our team. Whether it is a management person or an hourly team member the expectation is the same. This is part of creating a great working environment. We've all experienced that team member who complains about everything and will never be happy. They are a drain on the morale and usually a source of conflict. You might think that "He does a good job otherwise. That's just who he is." But that's not fair to the rest of your team. They deserve to be in a positive environment. You need to let any negative team members know how they are impacting the team and what your expectation is. You may also need to deal with this as a performance issue. It is easy to look at the results of their work and say they are a great employee but if they can't interact with your team in a positive manner you will be continually resolving conflicts.

When interviewing one of your main goals should be to try to identify whether this person has a positive attitude as well as the skills required. This can be hard as most applicants get prepared for an interview and are on their best behaviour but don't accept general answers when interviewing. Probe as much as possible and get the applicant to be specific.

Because applicants rehearse interview situations you may want to add a few interview questions to your phone screening. The applicants are not as prepared to answer your questions and you may get a more truthful response. Always check work references for applicants. The past often predicts the future.

Remember having a positive attitude is a requirement for all members of your team. You will have a fun and energized team and a lot more time for yourself.

5) Who Knows More?

Often as managers we think we need to be the source of all the ideas. The truth is we just need to get the best ideas implemented and if you are not listening to your team member's suggestions and ideas you not using the best. You probably have people that work in a specific area of the business everyday. They are the experts of that part of the business. This goes back to the open communication. You need to encourage your team to continually think about how they can improve their part of the business and to share that with the management team. When you start to act on just a few of their suggestions you will see the momentum build.

Sometimes we let our egos get in the way but if you can create a culture where the best idea wins and not just those of management your team will be more engaged. If you keep telling them what to do and don't ask for their ideas you will lose out on your greatest resources and that's the thoughts and ideas of everyone at the workplace.

Always make sure you give credit to whoever came up with the best idea. Don't try to pretend to your boss or anyone else that it was your idea. Acknowledge these people in meetings and encourage the entire group to start thinking about how to be more profitable, provide better service, be more efficient or improve the working atmosphere. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

6) You Need Successors

If you want to save yourself time, help build your business for the future and impress the executives you need to have successors. What is a successor? They are the people that you and your management team identify as having potential to advance in the organization but to be successful it goes a lot further than just identifying them. As a manager one of your most important responsibilities is to be able to grow your people. You will stand out from the other managers when you are able to provide qualified people for available positions within the organization.

To be truly successful at it you must be able to give your star performers away with no adverse affects on your department. Many managers hate to give their top performers away but if you have been proactive and have someone ready to step in and fill their shoes it can be one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. The only good way to lose a team member is to a promotion and when you play even a small part in helping that person reach their goal it should bring a smile to your face.

How do I get these successors ready for the next step? If your organization hasn't already done so you need to develop a list of core skills that are required for each position such as confronting direct reports, planning, organizational skills, team building etc.

Once you have a list of core skills you need to talk with the potential successor and find out their career goals and through discussion identify the core skills that this individual needs to develop. Then you can create a development plan which shows what success looks like (ie the skill is fully developed), give them actions or different responsibilities to help them get there and have a way to clearly measure the progress. The manager then has to follow up and have regular check in times to keep them on track with their development but if they are a real successor most of their development plan will be self driven.

If you are working within a growing organization having successors is invaluable. You help the company to grow and your department doesn't miss a beat. You never get caught having to fill in for other positions because you are proactive and that saves you time. Growing successors is rewarding, great for morale, helps to build the business for the future and will get you recognized by your boss. It's a must.

7) Delegate

When you delegate effectively it frees up your time to focus on the big picture aspects of the job and be more effective. It may even allow you enough time to get an extra round of golf in each week. Many managers hang onto to many tasks because they are easy and they feel comfortable doing them, or they think they can get it done faster than someone else. You need to look at what you do on a daily basis and ask yourself is this task something I personally need to do? Does this task add value or could I benefit the organization better by focusing my attention elsewhere?

It is easy to get caught up in the day to day routine but your job as a manager is to be focused on the big picture and make your business more profitable. Sometimes delegating might take additional time in the beginning if you have to train someone but once you're through the training you may never have to complete that task again. Think of the time you'll save. Usually the person you are delegating to welcomes learning a new responsibility. Pick some of your successors to delegate to. It will also help with their development. When people stop learning and growing they look for other employment where they can grow. Delegating new responsibilities to the right people will keep them learning and free up your time.

8) Planning

Even though you have freed yourself up of some of the time consuming daily responsibilities by delegating you still find yourself running from one fire to the next to keep your department going. Now that you have some extra time you can even resolve many of these daily distractions that take you away from the big picture. You need to drill down and find the root cause of these fires that keep popping up. You'll find most of them can be avoided if you dig deep enough and develop long term solutions rather than just throwing a bit of water on it today.

When you are able to stop working on today's problems you can start working on the future. When you are looking into the future you can lead the business instead of the business pulling you in every direction. To be an effective manager you need to be aware of your future business trends, budgets, sales goals and be putting plans in place now to be prepared to meet those organizational goals. Most businesses have seasonal trends and times of the year that are far more profitable. Put plans in place to maximize these peaks in business. This is where most of your opportunity is.

When you give yourself the time to plan effectively and be working in the future you will save your self time, have less stress and maximize your business opportunities.

9) Hold Them Accountable

Holding team members accountable can be the hardest part of the job but it is absolutely necessary. Many managers allow poor performers to continue because they are uncomfortable confronting people but if you allow poor performance to go unchecked you may soon end up with an entire team of poor performers. Other members recognize when people aren't pulling their weight and maybe not all but some will say "if he doesn't have to do anything why should I?"

The key is to stay on top of individual performance issues and address them immediately. First determine that it really is a performance issue that is the team member's responsibility and not failure to train properly or lack of direction. Once you have determined that the performance issue is the team member's responsibility you need to address it. Always remember to discuss the specific performance issue and never attack the person's character. It is recommended to have another management person witness when corrective action is being given and to always take notes.

It is important to be fair and consistent with your expectations of all team members but at the same time you may need to vary your approach with corrective action to match the individual. Everyone has different personalities. Some people get very emotional at the thought of doing something wrong and others may be argumentative. Use your knowledge of your team to anticipate the various challenges you may face due to these individual personalities prior to giving the corrective action. You want to plan your conversation with the end result in mind being they understand the issue and are willing to correct it. Then develop the best approach based on that individual's personality. This is not favouritism. It is knowing your people and taking the right approach to get the desired results. All the time you still have the same expectation of performance but a varied approach may be necessary to reach that goal.

Often just a few team members will drag down the performance of the entire team and waste a lot of your time. Address performance issues immediately to save yourself time in the long run.

10) Have Fun

You want people to enjoy their work by providing a challenging job in a great atmosphere but most people spend more of their awake hours at the office than they do at home so you also need to encourage your team to have some fun. Try scheduling 1 hour a month for a fun activity for the entire team if possible. Have the management team join in. It is a great way for the team to get to know you in a more relaxed atmosphere. This doesn't have to be extra work for you. You can have a fun committee plan each event and even use a successor to plan and organize it to help in their development.

Everyone wins when you have a fun atmosphere at work. As a manager you need to be a supporter of that fun. You'll see improved productivity, reduced turnover and better morale. Usually that means less work for you in the end.

If you can implement these 10 steps into your workplace you will have less stress, better results and more personal time. You deserve to have time for your own hobbies, to watch the kids grow up or spend time with that significant other (Sorry honey this time I did mean golfing).

10 Ways to Improve Your Team's Performance and Gain Back Your Personal Time

I have always been a results-driven person; at the same time, many of my friends and colleagues have commented how "lazy" I am. Being both results-driven and somewhat lazy, I always look for the best and easiest method to reach my goals. This is why I wrote The Lazy Manager. It is a book to help you work smarter and not harder and will help you improve the communication and morale within your team.

Bruce Bell has over 15 years of management experience improving the atmosphere, culture and communication in the workplace as a way to increase morale, customer service and profit. He has consistently taken on problem stores and turned them into top performers. As a trainer and mentor of new and experienced managers Bruce has given them the tools and confidence to be effective leaders in an often very demanding field.

Bruce Bell
Author
http://www.thelazymanager.com

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Monday, June 4, 2012

The Development of Old Age and Related Issues

In traditional Chinese and other Asian cultures the aged were highly respected and cared for. The Igabo tribesmen of Eastern Nigeria value dependency in their aged and involve them in care of children and the administration of tribal affairs (Shelton, A. in Kalish R. Uni Michigan 1969).

In Eskimo culture the grandmother was pushed out into the ice-flow to die as soon as she became useless.

Positive Attitude

Western societies today usually resemble to some degree the Eskimo culture, only the "ice-flows" have names such a "Sunset Vista" and the like. Younger generations no longer assign status to the aged and their abandonment

The Development of Old Age and Related Issues

is always in danger of becoming the social norm.

There has been a tendency to remove the aged from their homes and put them  in custodial care. To some degree the government provides domiciliary care services to prevent or delay this, but the motivation probably has more

to do with expense than humanity.

In Canada and some parts of the USA old people are being utilised as foster-grandparents in child care agencies.

SOME BASIC DEFINITIONS

What is Aging?

Aging: Aging is a natural phenomenon that refers to changes occurring throughout the life span and result in differences in structure and function between the youthful and elder generation.

Gerontology: Gerontology is the study of aging and includes science, psychology and sociology.

Geriatrics: A relatively new field of medicine specialising in the health problems of advanced age.

Social aging: Refers to the social habits and roles of individuals with respect to their culture and society. As social aging increases individual usually experience a decrease in meaningful social interactions.

Biological aging: Refers to the physical changes in the body systems during the later decades of life. It may begin long before the individual  reaches chronological age 65.

Cognitive aging: Refers to decreasing ability to assimilate new information and learn new behaviours and skills.

GENERAL PROBLEMS OF AGING

Eric Erikson (Youth and the life cycle. Children. 7:43-49 Mch/April 1960) developed an "ages and stages" theory of human

development that involved 8 stages after birth each of which involved a basic dichotomy representing best case and worst case outcomes. Below are the dichotomies and their developmental relevance:

Prenatal stage - conception to birth.

1. Infancy. Birth to 2 years - basic trust vs. basic distrust. Hope.

2. Early childhood, 3 to 4 years - autonomy vs. self doubt/shame. Will.

3. Play age, 5 to 8 years - initiative vs. guilt. Purpose.

4. School age, 9to 12 - industry vs. inferiority. Competence.

5. Adolescence, 13 to 19 - identity vs. identity confusion. Fidelity.

6. Young adulthood - intimacy vs. isolation. Love.

7. Adulthood, generativity vs. self absorption. Care.

8. Mature age- Ego Integrity vs. Despair. Wisdom.

This stage of older adulthood, i.e. stage 8, begins about the time of retirement and continues throughout one's life. Achieving ego integrity  is a sign of maturity while failing to reach this stage is an indication of poor development in prior stages through the life course.

Ego integrity: This means coming to accept one's whole life and reflecting on it in a positive manner. According to Erikson, achieving

integrity means fully accepting one' self and coming to terms with death. Accepting responsibility for one's life and being able to review

the past with satisfaction is essential. The inability to do this leads to despair and the individual will begin to fear death. If a favourable balance is achieved during this stage, then wisdom is developed.

Psychological and personality aspects:

Aging has psychological implications. Next to dying our recognition that we are aging may be one of the most profound shocks we ever receive. Once we pass the invisible line of 65 our years are bench marked for the remainder of the game of life. We are no longer "mature age" we are instead classified as "old", or "senior citizens". How we cope with the changes we face and stresses of altered status depends on our basic personality. Here are 3 basic personality types that have been identified. It may be a oversimplification but it makes the point about personality effectively:

a. The autonomous - people who seem to have the resources for self-renewal. They may be dedicated to a goal or idea and committed to continuing productivity. This appears to protect them somewhat even against physiological aging.

b.The adjusted - people who are rigid and lacking in adaptability but are supported by their power, prestige or well structured routine. But if their situation changes drastically they become psychiatric casualties.

c.The anomic. These are people who do not have clear inner values or a protective life vision. Such people have been described as prematurely resigned and they may deteriorate rapidly.

Summary of stresses of old age.

a. Retirement and reduced income. Most people rely on work for self worth, identity and social interaction. Forced retirement can be demoralising.

b. Fear of invalidism and death. The increased probability of falling prey to illness from which there is no recovery is a continual

source of anxiety. When one has a heart attack or stroke the stress becomes much worse.

Some persons face death with equanimity, often psychologically supported by a religion or philosophy. Others may welcome death as an end to suffering or insoluble problems and with little concern for life or human existence. Still others face impending death with suffering of great stress against which they have no ego defenses.

c. Isolation and loneliness. Older people face inevitable loss of loved ones, friends and contemporaries. The loss of a spouse whom one has depended on for companionship and moral support is particularly distressing. Children grow up, marry and become preoccupied or move away. Failing memory, visual and aural impairment may all work to make social interaction difficult. And if this

then leads to a souring of outlook and rigidity of attitude then social interaction becomes further lessened and the individual may not even utilise the avenues for social activity that are still available.

d. Reduction in sexual function and physical attractiveness. Kinsey et al, in their Sexual behaviour in the human male,

(Phil., Saunders, 1948) found that there is a gradual decrease in sexual activity with advancing age and that reasonably gratifying patterns of sexual activity can continue into extreme old age. The aging person also has to adapt to loss of sexual attractiveness in a society which puts extreme emphasis on sexual attractiveness. The adjustment in self image and self concept that are required can be very hard to make.

e. Forces tending to self devaluation. Often the experience of the older generation has little perceived relevance to the problems of the young and the older person becomes deprived of participation in decision making both in occupational and family settings. Many parents are seen as unwanted burdens and their children may secretly wish they would die so they can be free of the burden and experience some financial relief or benefit. Senior citizens may be pushed into the role of being an old person with all this implies in terms of self devaluation.

4 Major Categories of Problems or Needs:

Health.

Housing.

Income maintenance.

Interpersonal relations.

BIOLOGICAL CHANGES

Physiological Changes: Catabolism (the breakdown of protoplasm) overtakes anabolism (the build-up of protoplasm). All body systems are affected and repair systems become slowed. The aging process occurs at different rates in different individuals.

Physical appearance and other changes:

Loss of subcutaneous fat and less elastic skin gives rise to wrinkled appearance, sagging and loss of smoothness of body contours. Joints stiffen and become painful and range of joint movement becomes restricted, general

mobility lessened.

Respiratory changes:

Increase of fibrous tissue in chest walls and lungs leads restricts respiratory movement and less oxygen is consumed. Older people more likelyto have lower respiratory infections whereas young people have upper respiratory infections.

Nutritive changes:

Tooth decay and loss of teeth can detract from ease and enjoyment in eating. Atrophy of the taste buds means food is inclined to be tasteless and this should be taken into account by carers. Digestive changes occur from lack of exercise (stimulating intestines) and decrease in digestive juice production. Constipation and indigestion are likely to follow as a result. Financial problems can lead to the elderly eating an excess of cheap carbohydrates rather than the more expensive protein and vegetable foods and this exacerbates the problem, leading to reduced vitamin intake and such problems as anemia and increased susceptibility to infection.

Adaptation to stress:

All of us face stress at all ages. Adaptation to stress requires the consumption of energy. The 3 main phases of stress are:

1. Initial alarm reaction. 2. Resistance. 3. Exhaustion

and if stress continues tissue damage or aging occurs. Older persons have had a lifetime of dealing with stresses. Energy reserves are depleted and the older person succumbs to stress earlier than the younger person. Stress is cumulative over a lifetime. Research results, including experiments with animals suggests that each stress leaves us more vulnerable to the next and that although we might think we've "bounced back" 100% in fact each stress leaves it scar. Further, stress is psycho-biological meaning

the kind of stress is irrelevant. A physical stress may leave one more vulnerable to psychological stress and vice versa. Rest does not completely restore one after a stressor. Care workers need to be mindful of this and cognizant of the kinds of things that can produce stress for aged persons.

COGNITIVE CHANGE Habitual Behaviour:

Sigmund Freud noted that after the age of 50, treatment of neuroses via psychoanalysis was difficult because the opinions and reactions of older people were relatively fixed and hard to shift.

Over-learned behaviour: This is behaviour that has been learned so well and repeated so often that it has become automatic, like for example typing or running down stairs. Over-learned behaviour is hard to change. If one has lived a long time one is likely to have fixed opinions and ritualised behaviour patterns or habits.

Compulsive behaviour: Habits and attitudes that have been learned in the course of finding ways to overcome frustration and difficulty are very hard to break. Tension reducing habits such as nail biting, incessant humming, smoking or drinking alcohol are especially hard to change at any age and particularly hard for persons who have been practising them over a life time.

The psychology of over-learned and compulsive behaviours has severe implications for older persons who find they have to live in what for them is a new and alien environment with new rules and power relations.

Information acquisition:

Older people have a continual background of neural noise making it more difficult for them to sort out and interpret complex sensory

input. In talking to an older person one should turn off the TV, eliminate as many noises and distractions as possible, talk slowly

and relate to one message or idea at a time.

Memories from the distant past are stronger than more recent memories. New memories are the first to fade and last to return.

Time patterns also can get mixed - old and new may get mixed.

Intelligence.

Intelligence reaches a peak and can stay high with little deterioration if there is no neurological damage. People who have unusually high intelligence to begin with seem to suffer the least decline. Education and stimulation also seem to play a role in maintaining intelligence.

Intellectual impairment. Two diseases of old age causing cognitive decline are Alzheimer's syndrome and Pick's syndrome. In Pick's syndrome there is inability to concentrate and learn and also affective responses are impaired.

Degenerative Diseases: Slow progressive physical degeneration of cells in the nervous system. Genetics appear to be an important factor. Usually start after age 40 (but can occur as early as 20s).

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Degeneration of all areas of cortex but particularly frontal and temporal lobes. The affected cells actually die. Early symptoms resemble neurotic disorders: Anxiety, depression, restlessness sleep difficulties.

Progressive deterioration of all intellectual faculties (memory deficiency being the most well known and obvious). Total mass of the brain decreases, ventricles become larger. No established treatment.

PICK'S DISEASE Rare degenerative disease. Similar to Alzheimer's in terms of onset, symptomatology and possible genetic

aetiology. However it affects circumscribed areas of the brain, particularly the frontal areas which leads to a loss of normal affect.

PARKINSON'S DISEASE Neuropathology: Loss of neurons in the basal ganglia.

Symptoms: Movement abnormalities: rhythmical alternating tremor of extremities, eyelids and tongue along with rigidity of the muscles and slowness of movement (akinesia).

It was once thought that Parkinson's disease was not associated with intellectual deterioration, but it is now known that there is an association between global intellectual impairment and Parkinson's where it occurs late in life.

The cells lost in Parkinson's are associated with the neuro-chemical Dopamine and the motor symptoms of Parkinson's are associated the dopamine deficiency. Treatment involves administration of dopamine precursor L-dopa which can alleviate symptoms including intellectual impairment. Research suggests it may possibly bring to the fore emotional effects in patients who have had

psychiatric illness at some prior stage in their lives.

AFFECTIVE DOMAIN In old age our self concept gets its final revision. We make a final assessment of the value of our lives and our balance of success and failures.

How well a person adapts to old age may be predicated by how well the person adapted to earlier significant changes. If the person suffered an emotional crisis each time a significant change was needed then adaptation to the exigencies of old age may also be difficult. Factors such as economic security, geographic location and physical health are important to the adaptive process.

Need Fulfilment: For all of us, according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, we are not free to pursue the higher needs of self actualisation unless the basic needs are secured. When one considers that many, perhaps most, old people are living in poverty and continually concerned with basic survival needs, they are not likely to be happily satisfying needs related to prestige, achievement and beauty.

Maslow's Hierarchy

Physiological

Safety

Belonging, love, identification

Esteem: Achievement, prestige, success, self respect

Self actualisation: Expressing one's interests and talents to the full.

Note: Old people who have secured their basic needs may be motivated to work on tasks of the highest levels in the hierarchy - activities concerned with aesthetics, creativity and altruistic matters, as compensation for loss of sexual attractiveness and athleticism. Aged care workers fixated on getting old people to focus on social activities may only succeed in frustrating and irritating them if their basic survival concerns are not secured to their satisfaction.

DISENGAGEMENT

Social aging according to Cumming, E. and Henry, W. (Growing old: the aging process of disengagement, NY, Basic 1961) follows a well defined pattern:

1. Change in role. Change in occupation and productivity. Possibly change

in attitude to work.

2. Loss of role, e.g. retirement or death of a husband.

3. Reduced social interaction. With loss of role social interactions are

diminished, eccentric adjustment can further reduce social interaction, damage

to self concept, depression.

4. Awareness of scarcity of remaining time. This produces further curtailment of

activity in interest of saving time.

Havighurst, R. et al (in B. Neugarten (ed.) Middle age and aging, U. of Chicago, 1968) and others have suggested that disengagement is not an inevitable process. They believe the needs of the old are essentially the same as in middle age and the activities of middle age should be extended as long as possible. Havighurst points out the decrease in social interaction of the aged is often largely the

result of society withdrawing from the individual as much as the reverse. To combat this he believes the individual must vigorously resist the limitations of his social world.

DEATH The fear of the dead amongst tribal societies is well established. Persons who had ministered to the dead were taboo and required observe various rituals including seclusion for varying periods of time. In some societies from South America to Australia it is taboo for certain persons to utter the name of the dead. Widows and widowers are expected to observe rituals in respect for the dead.

Widows in the Highlands of New Guinea around Goroka chop of one of their own fingers. The dead continue their existence as spirits and upsetting them can bring dire consequences.

Wahl, C in "The fear of death", 1959 noted that the fear of death occurs as early as the 3rd year of life. When a child loses a pet or grandparent fears reside in the unspoken questions: Did I cause it? Will happen to you (parent) soon? Will this happen to me? The child in such situations needs to re-assure that the departure is not a censure, and that the parent is not likely to depart soon. Love, grief, guilt, anger are a mix of conflicting emotions that are experienced.

CONTEMPORARY ATTITUDES TO DEATH

Our culture places high value on youth, beauty, high status occupations, social class and anticipated future activities and achievement. Aging and dying are denied and avoided in this system. The death of each person reminds us of our own mortality.

The death of the elderly is less disturbing to members of Western society because the aged are not especially valued. Surveys have established that nurses for example attach more importance to saving a young life than an old life. In Western society there is a pattern of avoiding dealing with the aged and dying aged patient.

Stages of dying. Elisabeth Kubler Ross has specialised in working with dying patients and in her "On death and dying", NY, Macmillan, 1969, summarised 5 stages in dying.

1. Denial and isolation. "No, not me".

2. Anger. "I've lived a good life so why me?"

3. Bargaining. Secret deals are struck with God. "If I can live until...I promise to..."

4. Depression. (In general the greatest psychological problem of the aged is depression). Depression results from real and threatened loss.

5. Acceptance of the inevitable.

Kubler Ross's typology as set out above should, I believe be taken with a grain of salt and not slavishly accepted. Celebrated US Journalist David Rieff who was in June '08 a guest of the Sydney writer's festival in relation to his book, "Swimming in a sea of death: a son's memoir" (Melbourne University Press) expressly denied the validity of the Kubler Ross typology in his Late Night Live interview (Australian ABC radio) with Philip Adams June 9th '08. He said something to the effect that his mother had regarded her impending death as murder. My own experience with dying persons suggests that the human ego is extraordinarily resilient. I recall visiting a dying colleague in hospital just days before his death. He said, "I'm dying, I don't like it but there's nothing I can do about it", and then went on to chortle about how senior academics at an Adelaide university had told him they were submitting his name for a the Order of Australia (the new "Knighthood" replacement in Australia). Falling in and out of lucid thought with an oxygen tube in his nostrils he was nevertheless still highly interested in the "vain glories of the world". This observation to me seemed consistent with Rieff's negative assessment of Kubler Ross's theories.

THE AGED IN RELATION TO YOUNGER PEOPLE

The aged share with the young the same needs: However, the aged often have fewer or weaker resources to meet those needs. Their need for social interaction may be ignored by family and care workers.

Family should make time to visit their aged members and invite them to their homes. The aged like to visit children and relate to them through games and stories.

Meaningful relationships can be developed via foster-grandparent programs. Some aged are not aware of their income and health entitlements. Family and friends should take the time to explain these. Some aged are too proud to access their entitlements and this problem should be addressed in a kindly way where it occurs.

It is best that the aged be allowed as much choice as possible in matters related to living arrangements, social life and lifestyle.

Communities serving the aged need to provide for the aged via such things as lower curbing, and ramps.

Carers need to examine their own attitude to aging and dying. Denial in the carer is detected by the aged person and it can inhibit the aged person from expressing negative feelings - fear, anger. If the person can express these feelings to someone then that person is less likely to die with a sense of isolation and bitterness.

A METAPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE

The following notes are my interpretation of a Dr. Depak Chopra lecture entitled, "The New Physics of Healing" which he presented to the 13th Scientific Conference of the American Holistic Medical Association. Dr. Depak Chopra is an endocrinologist and a former Chief of Staff of New England Hospital, Massachusetts. I am deliberately omitting the detail of his explanations of the more abstract, ephemeral and controversial ideas.

Original material from 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado 83002,

Phone. +303 449 6229.

In the lecture Dr. Chopra presents a model of the universe and of all organisms as structures of interacting centres of electromagnetic energy linked to each other in such a way that anything affecting one part of a system or structure has ramifications throughout the entire structure. This model becomes an analogue not only for what happens within the structure or organism itself, but between the organism and both its physical and social environments. In other words there is a correlation between psychological

conditions, health and the aging process. Dr. Chopra in his lecture reconciles ancient Vedic (Hindu) philosophy with modern psychology and quantum physics.

Premature Precognitive Commitment: Dr. Chopra invokes experiments that have shown that flies kept for a long time in a jar do not quickly leave the jar when the top is taken off. Instead they accept the jar as the limit of their universe. He also points out that in India baby elephants are often kept tethered to a small twig or sapling. In adulthood when the elephant is capable of pulling over a medium sized tree it can still be successfully tethered to a twig! As another example he points to experiments in which fish are bred on

2 sides of a fish tank containing a divider between the 2 sides. When the divider is removed the fish are slow to learn that they can now swim throughout the whole tank but rather stay in the section that they accept as their universe. Other experiments have demonstrated that kittens brought up in an environment of vertical stripes and structures, when released in adulthood keep bumping into anything aligned horizontally as if they were unable to see anything that is horizontal. Conversely kittens brought up in an environment of horizontal stripes when released bump into vertical structures, apparently unable to see them.

The whole point of the above experiments is that they demonstrate Premature Precognitive Commitment. The lesson to be learned is that our sensory apparatus develops as a result of initial experience and how we've been taught to interpret it.

What is the real look of the world? It doesn't exist. The way the world looks to us is determined by the sensory receptors we have and our interpretation of that look is determined by our premature precognitive commitments. Dr Chopra makes the point that less than a billionth of the available stimuli make it into our nervous systems. Most of it is screened, and what gets through to us is whatever we are

expecting to find on the basis of our precognitive commitments.

Dr. Chopra also discusses the diseases that are actually caused by mainstream medical interventions, but this material gets too far away from my central intention. Dr. Chopra discusses in lay terms the physics of matter, energy and time by way of establishing the wider context of our existence. He makes the point that our bodies including the bodies of plants are mirrors of cosmic rhythms and exhibit changes correlating even with the tides.

Dr. Chopra cites the experiments of Dr. Herbert Spencer of the US National Institute of Health. He injected mice with Poly-IC, an immuno-stimulant while making the mice repeatedly smell camphor. After the effect of the Poly-IC had worn off he again exposed the mice to the camphor smell. The smell of camphor had the effect of causing the mice's immune system to automatically strengthen

as if they had been injected with the stimulant. He then took another batch of mice and injected them with cyclophosphamide which tends to destroy the immune system while exposing them to the smell of camphor. Later after being returned to normal just the smell of camphor was enough to cause destruction of their immune system. Dr. Chopra points out that whether or not camphor enhanced or

destroyed the mice's immune system was entirely determined by an interpretation of the meaning of the smell of camphor. The interpretation is not just in the brain but in each cell of the organism. We are bound to our imagination and our

early experiences.

Chopra cites a study by the Massachusetts Dept of Health Education and Welfare into risk factors for heart disease - family history, cholesterol etc. The 2 most important risk factors were found to be psychological measures - Self  Happiness Rating and Job Satisfaction. They found most people died of heart disease on a Monday!

Chopra says that for every feeling there is a molecule. If you are experiencing tranquillity your body will be producing natural valium. Chemical changes in the brain are reflected by changes in other cells including blood cells. The brain produces neuropeptides and brain structures are chemically tuned to these neuropeptide receptors. Neuropeptides (neurotransmitters) are the chemical concommitants of thought. Chopra points out the white blood cells (a part of the immune system) have neuropeptide receptors and are "eavesdropping" on our thinking. Conversely the immune system produces its own neuropeptides which can influence the nervous system. He goes on to say that cells in all parts of the body including heart and kidneys for example also produce neuropeptides and

neuropeptide sensitivity. Chopra assures us that most neurologists would agree that the nervous system and the immune system are parallel systems.

Other studies in physiology: The blood interlukin-2 levels of medical students decreased as exam time neared and their interlukin receptor capacities also lowered. Chopra says if we are having fun to the point of exhilaration our natural interlukin-2 levels become higher. Interlukin-2 is a powerful and very expensive anti-cancer drug. The body is a printout of consciousness. If we could change the way we look at our bodies at a genuine, profound level then our bodies would actually change.

On the subject of "time" Chopra cites Sir Thomas Gall and Steven Hawkins, stating that our description of the universe as having a past, present, and future are constructed entirely out of our interpretation of change. But in

reality linear time doesn't exist.

Chopra explains the work of Alexander Leaf a former Harvard Professor of Preventative Medicine who toured the world investigating societies where people  lived beyond 100 years (these included parts of Afghanistan, Soviet Georgia, Southern Andes). He looked at possible factors including climate, genetics, and diet. Leaf concluded the most important factor was the collective perception of aging in these societies.

Amongst the Tama Humara of the Southern Andes there was a collective belief that the older you got the more physically able you got. They had a tradition of running and the older one became then generally the better at running one got. The best runner was aged 60. Lung capacity and other measures actually improved with age. People were healthy until well into their 100s and died in their sleep. Chopra remarks that things have changed since the introduction of Budweiser (beer) and TV.

[DISCUSSION: How might TV be a factor in changing the former ideal state of things?]

Chopra refers to Dr. Ellen Langor a former Harvard Psychology professor's work. Langor advertised for 100 volunteers aged over 70 years. She took them to a Monastery outside Boston to play "Let's Pretend". They were divided into 2 groups each of which resided in a different part of the building. One group, the control group spent several days talking about the 1950s. The other group, the experimental group had to live as if in the year 1959 and talk about it in the present tense. What appeared on their TV screens were the old newscasts and movies. They read old newspapers and magazines of the period. After 3 days everyone was photographed and the photographs judged by independent judges who knew nothing of the nature of the experiment. The experimental group seemed to

have gotten younger in appearance. Langor then arranged for them to be tested for 100 physiological parameters of aging which included of course blood pressure, near point vision and DHEA levels. After 10 days of living as if in 1959 all parameters had reversed by the equivalent of at least 20 years.

Chopra concludes from Langor's experiment: "We are the metabolic end product of our sensory experiences. How we interpret them depends on the collective mindset which influences individual biological entropy and aging."

Can one escape the current collective mindset and reap the benefits in longevity and health? Langor says, society won't let you escape. There are too many reminders of how most people think linear time is and how it expresses itself in entropy and aging - men are naughty at 40 and on social welfare at 55, women reach menopause at 40 etc. We get to see so many other people aging and dying that it sets the pattern that we follow.

Chopra concludes we are the metabolic product of our sensory experience and our interpretation gets structured in our biology itself. Real change comes from change in the collective consciousness - otherwise it cannot occur within the individual.

Readings

Chopra, D. The New Physics of Healing. 735 Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado 83002,

Phone. +303 449 6229.

Coleman, J. C. Abnormal psychology and modern life. Scott Foresman & Co.

Lugo, J. and Hershey, L. Human development a multidisciplinary approach to the psychology of individual growth, NY, Macmillan.

Dennis. Psychology of human behaviour for nurses. Lond. W. B.Saunders.

The Development of Old Age and Related Issues

http://www.psychologynatural.com/DepressionBroch.html

Dr. Victor Barnes is an Adelaide psychologist and hypnotherapist. He has also had three decades of experience in adult education including serving as Dean of a Sri Lankan college (ICBT) teaching several Australian degrees. His overseas experience includes studies and consulting experience in USA, PNG, Poland and Sri Lanka.

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