Best Advice Ever | Jim Rohn

(Starts at 15 seconds)

Jim Rohn (September 17, 1930 - December 5, 2009) was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. His rags to riches story played a large part in his work, which influenced others in the personal development industry.

"Always do more than you get paid for, to make an investment in your future."
"If it's raining you can't fix the roof.  If it isn't raining, it doesn't need to be fixed."
"Review your performance."
"Face all your fears: that's how you can conquer them."
"Exercise your willpower to change your direction."
"Pick a new destination and start going that way."
"Use your willpower to start the process."
"Admit your mistakes!" 
"Refine your goals."
"Believe in yourself. There isn't a skill you can't learn..."
"Ask for wisdom ... that creates answers."
"Don't wish it was easier: wish you were better."
"Invest your profits."
"Protect your family.  These are troublesome times."
"Conserve your time."
"Live with intensity.  Invest more of you in whatever you do."
"Put everything you've got into everything you do, and then ask for more vitality, more strength and more vigour."
"Find your place... if you've got a lousy job, do the best you can: that is your best way out."
"If you work on your gifts they will make room for you, they will make a place for you."
"Demand integrity from yourself."
"Welcome the disciplines... Disciplines create the reality."
"Fight for what's right!" 
"I fought a good fight... and I kept the faith!"

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Weekend workouts can benefit health as much as a week of exercise, say researchers | Ian Sample

Risk of early death is as low for those who meet recommended activity targets in one or two sessions a week as it is for daily exercisers, study shows.

People who cram all their exercise into one or two sessions at the weekend benefit nearly as much as those who work out more frequently, researchers say.

A study of more than 60,000 adults in England and Scotland found that “weekend warriors” lowered their risk of death by a similar margin to those who spread the same amount of exercise over the whole week.

The findings will reassure people who find it hard to make time for a daily exercise routine and opt instead to break a sweat once or twice a week in the hope of keeping fit.

“Millions of people enjoy doing sport once or twice a week, but they may be concerned that they are not doing enough,” said Gary O’Donovan, a physical activity researcher and author on the study at Loughborough University. “We find a clear benefit. It’s making them fit and healthy.”

The UK’s National Health Service recommends that to ward off an early death, people should spend 150 minutes a week performing moderate exercise, or 75 minutes a week doing vigorous exercise. As a rule of thumb, moderate exercise can be done while maintaining a conversation, whereas during vigorous exercise talking at the same time is too hard.

In the study, those who met the physical activity target by exercising through the week had a 35% lower risk of death than the inactive adults, with cardiovascular deaths down 41% and a 21% lower risk of cancer death.

But the weekend warriors also saw substantial health benefits if they met the physical activity target too. Their overall risk of death was 30% lower than the sedentary adults, with the risk of cardiovascular and cancer deaths lower by 40% and 18% respectively.

“Weekend warriors are people who meet the recommended volume of physical activity each week through only one or two sessions. There are doing a large proportion of vigorous exercise and that makes you fitter than moderate exercise,” said O’Donovan. Men and women benefited equally, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine.

The results are based on medical data gathered for 63,591 adults aged 40 and above between 1994 and 2012. Nearly 9,000 of the study participants died in the period.

For those who have resolved to get fit in the New Year, O’Donovan recommends to start with moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, and then to set realistic, incremental goals to boost confidence without running the risk of setbacks due to injury. “A middle aged or older person should do as much as 12 weeks of moderate exercise before introducing vigorous exercise,” he said.

Ulf Ekelund at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo said the study emphasised what researchers have found time and again: that even a small amount of regular exercise wards off death. In the study, those who exercised a little had a 29% lower risk of death than those who did no exercise at all. “The novel finding is that it appears the duration, and possibly the intensity, of leisure time physical activity is more important than the frequency,” Ekelund said.

“My take home message is that the greatest risk reduction and the greatest gain for the individual and for public health is if those who are physically inactive take up some activity,” he added.

Please let me know what you think below.

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BrainGym

This 6 minute video outlines a "Brain Gym" exercise routine designed to increase the cross over between left-brain and right-brain activity, to enable whole brain activity.  This counteracts the effect of brain dominance, and causes hemi-sync where you are engaging logic and emotions simultaneously, which results in a phenomenon known as super learning.

To find out more about this please watch yesterday's video post by Dr Bruce H. Lipton called "Using 100% of your brain".

Included in the routine:
 - brain buttons
 - cross crawl
 - ankle touch (in front)
 - step touch
 - elbow to knee
 - ankle touch (behind)
 - bend and reach
 - hook up and breathing

Any one of these activities can be used to counteract stress, lethargy, memory loss or feeling overly emotional in the moment.

Have a go, and let me know how it goes below.

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Holiday Priorities | Jane Urquhart

The Christmas holidays are upon us, and for some it can be the most stressful time of year, juggling home and work, demands increasing from all sides and we don't know what to do first. Here are a few helpful ideas:

1. LIST all the things that need to be done.

2. PRIORITISE  number them in order of priority, remembering that there can be a difference between something being important and something being urgent.

3. DUMP the things that really don't need doing (these could be things that can wait until the new year).

4. DELEGATE what you can to a willing volunteer; give them detailed instructions and an opportunity to ask questions, and agree on a time that you will check they are managing with this task.

5. DELIVER on the jobs that you still have!

Still stressed? There are 3 things you need to do:

1. Breathe: if you focus solely on your breathing you will be giving your brain a chance to rebalance and recover from the stress.

2. Feed yourself: you may not have time to sit down for a full meal, but keep grazing on healthy snacks like banana chips or almonds. And don't forget to drink lots of water!

3. Exercise: you need to regain some balance, and the best thing is to take yourself off for some exercise, be it walking the dog, an exercise class or a bit of Tai Chi in the park.

Wishing you a stress-free, peaceful Christmas and a  Happy New Year 2017!

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Spurts of Enthusiasm and Lack of Interest? | Remez Sasson

"Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit." - Gordon Parks -

Do you sometimes feel enthusiastic, motivated and energetic when starting something new, but after some time lose your enthusiasm and interest?

This can happen when practicing a self-improvement program, studying a new subject, dieting, exercising, or doing anything else.

Though you understand the importance of what you are doing, know that it will help you, still, you let laziness set in, as well as lack of motivation, lack of enthusiasm, and lack of enough willpower. This makes you feel that what you are doing is some kind of a burden.

Often, people start practicing concentration exercises, meditation, self-discipline exercises, or any other program relating to self improvement or spiritual growth, but if they don't experience immediate and spectacular results, they stop and give up.

Everything in life requires some work, effort and time, and self-improvement or spiritual growth methods are no different.

• What to do when interest and enthusiasm wanes?
• How to persevere when there isn't enough willpower and self-discipline?

The program or goal might seems worthwhile, but there isn't enough inner strength to pursue them. Self-defeating habits, negative programming, and lack of inner strength stand on one's way.

This is why people buy books, attend classes, courses, and workshop, and yet, find they are not making enough progress. This is why enthusiasm and hopes are replaced by depression, self-pity and lack of self-esteem.

Often, after reading a book or an article, after listening to a lecture or watching a movie, there is a burst of enthusiasm and a high energy level, but this often does not last long.

What can you do to keep enthusiastic and motivated?

Short spurts of enthusiasm or motivation are not enough to accomplish anything of value. You need to keep your desire and inner flame alive and focused on your goal. So what can you do about it?

1. Devote 10 minutes a day to reading and thinking about the benefits of what you want to do or accomplish.
2. Every day, read about people who achieved success by being tenacious and persistent.
3. Every day, find a quiet place, and for several minutes visualize yourself acting with enthusiasm and motivation.
4. Every success requires dedication, time, perseverance and tenacity. This means that you should not give up quickly.
   
   There is a well known story about a gold prospector, who, after digging to some depth did not find anything, gave up and went away. Then someone else came, and after digging just a few inches more, struck gold.
   
   You need to be patient and persistent, even if you see no progress, because success might be just a few inches away.
5. Keep repeating affirmations that empower you and inflame your enthusiasm and motivation.
6. Never condider what you are doing as drudgery. With a little thinking and few changes you can turn it into a pleasurable activity.
7. Once you decide about anything, go on with it, even after you lose enthusiasm and desire. Don't give up, even if what you are doing seems to be like a burden and drudgery. Don't give up, even if you feel bored.
   Keep telling yourself about the benefits of what you are doing, and keep thinking and visualizing, how it will be like after accomplishing what you have set to do.

Remember, this is your own life, and you are responsible for it. Why succumb to laziness and negative programming? This might not be easy, and there might be obstacles on the way.

Keep thinking about how happy you would be after achieving success. Visualize how your life would change, if you overcome laziness, negative thoughts, negative programming. Just keep your mind on the goal, no matter what.

Don't rely on spurts of enthusiasm to carry you to your destination. You need to stand up, not give up, and awaken the dormant powers that are within you.

Never give up, but keep going on, even if the going is tough and you want to quit. If you keep going, and use affirmations and visualization, soon your desire and enthusiasm will grow, and the progress will become easier.

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One Quick Exercise For Planning Your Life | Marshall Goldsmith

My friend, designer Ayse Birsel, recently taught me an incredibly powerful way to be more successful. Of course, as you know success is defined by the person who wants to achieve it. Success could be a new job, a better relationship with your spouse, a great school for your kids, a bigger salary, or all of the above. Everyone is different. This exercise will work for anyone! For me, success is achieving my mission: helping successful people get even better.

According to Ayse, our point of view informs how we think about something. Last year I was ranked the #1 Leadership Thinker and the #1 Executive Coach in the World. My book, Triggers, was a New York Times #1 bestseller. I have definitely achieved a high level of success in my mission! As a coach and executive educator, I am helping many successful organizations and leaders be more successful. As an author whose books reach millions of people, I believe I am helping many people achieve positive, lasting change for themselves.

Ayse suggested that I try a little exercise to expand my point of view, to look at myself and what I do and see differently. Of course, I did as she asked and the result has been phenomenal!

Why don’t you try this exercise now? (This exercise is Adapted from Design the Life You Love: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Meaningful Future, by Ayse Birsel, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.)

Ayse says, “Here inspiration is a key tool. When designing your life inspiration takes the form of other people. I call them heroes—real or fictional—people we know personally or know of.”

“Just write your hero’s name, draw an icon for them, and list their qualities. You can have one or many heroes—list as many as you’d like and continue to add as new heroes come to mind. These heroes tell us something about our values, beliefs, and the kind of life we aspire to live. Many things can change in life but our values are a constant. They are the foundation of our life design.”

Now cross out your heroes’ names and put in your own name. To the degree possible, be a leader, manager, coach, person just like that, and you will be more successful!

In doing this exercise myself, I found that all of my heroes are generous teachers, like Buddha, Frances Hesselbein (former Girl Scout CEO), Alan Mulally (former Ford CEO), Peter Drucker (Father of Modern Management), and Paul Hersey (Co-creator of Situation Leadership®). Reflecting on what I learned from my heroes, I made a decision. I decided that just like my many teachers before me, I will give to others what has been so freely given to me.

How will I do this? With my new project 15 Coaches. 15 Coaches is my legacy project. I am going to teach 15 people everything I know, for free! This is my chance to honor the many wonderful teachers and heroes that I have had over the years and to give to others as they gave to me. If you would like more details, please go to http://www.marshallgoldsmith.com/15-coaches/.

Triggers is a #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller! Order it at Amazon. See The Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50 Video Blog for more of this video series.

Source: http://www.marshallgoldsmith.com/articles/an-incredibly-powerful-way-to-be-more-successful/