MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'goal'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:52:12 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181810&cid=t_103033_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FsuwvoByosDQ%2F Do you work in an emergency department? Or maybe in an ICU? Or perhaps the prehospital environment? Regardless, of where you look after critically ill patients you MUST click on this LINK now! What will you find there? Two things: The first part of a talk by ‘Early Goal Directed Therapy’ legend Dr Manny Rivers on [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181810 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:38:31 +0100 5181810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174885&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2F8KiD7IF0cWo%2F Maybe you’ve got a big goal in your life – something that excites you but also scares you. You might have been thinking about this goal for months, years, even decades. And, even if you’ve made a start on it, you might not have got very far. Your goal might look something like this: Run a marathon Write a novel Pay off the mortgage Get a PhD Become self-employed All of these are big goals – most of them would take years to achieve. And if you really want to reach them, you need to break them down into manageable chunks. Here’s how. #1: Define Your Goal First, you’ll want to come up with a clear description of your end goal. Too many big goals are so vague that it’s hard to start and impossible to finish. For instance, if your goal is “write a novel”, what would finished... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174885 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:58:40 +0100 5174885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174744&cid=t_103033_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fbeyond-iq-series-8-what-is-goal-setting.html Background comment regarding this series Interest in social-emotional learning and resiliency training (click here and here for just two examples) in education has shown a recent uptick on activity. Given this activity, IQs Corner is starting a series to explain the previously articulated Model of Academic Competence and Motivation (MACM), which was a model ahead of it's time (IMHO). The imporance of non-cognitive (conative) characteristics in learning have been articulated since the days of Spearman, the father of the construct of general intelligence. Richard Snow's work on the concept of "aptitude," which integrates cognitive and conative individual difference variables, is the foundation of the Beyond IQ MACM. Non-cognitive (cognitive) characteristics of learners are important for lea... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174744 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:11:00 +0100 5174744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169725&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2Fstay-the-course%2F When you begin any sort of vibe shifting work, such as shifting from a scarcity vibe to an abundance vibe, expect to feel out of sync with your current physical reality for a few weeks. This is challenging to be sure, but it’s a normal part of the experience. As you shift your inner self, you begin exerting new forces on your outer reality. It takes time for the various elements of your reality (your relationships, finances, daily routine, etc) to reveal the cumulative effect of these forces and to shift themselves around to achieve equilibrium with your new vibe. Old opportunities will dry up. New opportunities will begin to appear. Invitations that once attracted you will seem boring, while others will become interesting to you. People will change how they relate to you. Some will ... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169725 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:13:50 +0100 5169725 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182067&cid=t_103033_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F83QTuZxBx3c%2F Obesity linked to Cognition (HealthCanal): - “Obese people tend to perform worse than healthy people at cognitive tasks like planning ahead, a literature review has found, concluding that psychological techniques used to treat anorexics could help obese people too.” - “According to a review of 38 studies on cognitive function and obesity by researchers from the University of NSW, obese people have a tendency toward “reduced executive function”, meaning planning, goal-oriented behaviour and decision-making.” - “Obesity may both cause and be caused by the reduced executive function, said review lead author Dr Evelyn Smith, from UNSW’s School of Psychiatry.” To read article: click Here. To access study: Click on A review of the association between obesity and cognitive fun... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182067 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:09:46 +0100 5182067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169611&cid=t_103033_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F83QTuZxBx3c%2F Obesity linked to Cognition (HealthCanal): - “Obese people tend to perform worse than healthy people at cognitive tasks like planning ahead, a literature review has found, concluding that psychological techniques used to treat anorexics could help obese people too.” - “According to a review of 38 studies on cognitive function and obesity by researchers from the University of NSW, obese people have a tendency toward “reduced executive function”, meaning planning, goal-oriented behaviour and decision-making.” - “Obesity may both cause and be caused by the reduced executive function, said review lead author Dr Evelyn Smith, from UNSW’s School of Psychiatry.” To read article: click Here. To access study: Click on A review of the association between obesity and cognitive fun... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169611 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:09:46 +0100 5169611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169553&cid=t_103033_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgreat-clinical-care-and-excellent-bedside-manner-are-they-mutually-exclusive%2F2011.08.26 The New York Times recently published an article titled, Finding a Quality Doctor, Dr. Danielle Ofri an internist at NYU, laments how she was unable to perform as well as expected in the areas of patient care as it related to diabetes.  From the August 2010 New England Journal of Medicine article, Dr. Ofri notes that her report card showed the following – 33% of patients with diabetes have glycated hemoglobin levels at goal, 44% have cholesterol levels at goal, and a measly 26% have blood pressure at goal.  She correctly notes that these measurements alone aren’t what makes a doctor a good quality one, but rather the areas of interpersonal skills, compassion, and empathy, which most of us would agree constitute a doctor’s bedside manner, should count as well. Her articl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169553 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5169553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159443&cid=t_103033_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fbeyond-iq-series-6-achievement-goal.html Background comment regarding this series Interest in social-emotional learning and resiliency training (click here and here for just two examples) in education has shown a recent uptick on activity. Given this activity, IQs Corner is starting a series to explain the previously articulated Model of Academic Competence and Motivation (MACM), which was a model ahead of it's time (IMHO). The imporance of non-cognitive (conative) characteristics in learning have been articulated since the days of Spearman, the father of the construct of general intelligence. Richard Snow's work on the concept of "aptitude," which integrates cognitive and conative individual difference variables, is the foundation of the Beyond IQ MACM. Non-cognitive (cognitive) characteristics of learners are important for lea... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159443 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:46:00 +0100 5159443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140334&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Feducation-or-a-cognitive-behavioural-approach%2F In this study by Day, Thorn & Kapoor, the two approaches were used with a group of people from a rural area, with relatively low socio-economic status, and a reading grade level of about 8.  Both groups received a group-based programme of 10 sessions of 90 minutes.  They both received a workbook and additional reading material.  The CBT group had home-learning and also participated in behavioural activities such as relaxation in-session, while the education group did not. Interestingly, this study presents qualitative information on how participants experienced the sessions, rather than outcomes measures, so it’s difficult to establish whether pain, disability, mood or acceptance were influenced.  Instead it presents thematic analysis from in-depth interviews of the participa... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140334 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:35:42 +0100 5140334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140359&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2Fhow-to-achieve-travel-goals%2F Are there some places you’d just love to visit? How long have you dreamed of doing so? Years perhaps? When you see movies about visiting certain cities, or hear about people traveling there, does a certain part of your psyche salivate with desire? Do you have the thought, I really want to go there someday. Do you realize that it’s absolutely possible to turn your travel dreams into reality? Those dreams aren’t mere fantasy. They’re the seeds of real experiences. In this post I’ll share with you some lessons I’ve learned during the past couple years as I worked to transform myself from a very infrequent traveler into the kind of person who regularly sets and achieves new travel goals. I certainly wouldn’t label myself an accomplished world traveler ... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140359 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:49:18 +0100 5140359 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107966&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FIGXCdnzwUus%2F This was our fourth theme based week on Success Begins Today. The theme was metaphor, but it really should have been about blogging frequency. The week ended with an important creative decision on my part. Theme: Metaphor The week started out with a fundamental argument on blogging. It boiled down to this. Should I blog every day or should I blog only when I have a profound blog post ready to go. Should I hold off posting until I have something amazing to say. The two sides of the issue can be seen in these two opposing posts Blog Every Day: How I Write Eleven Blog Posts a Week by S. Anthony Iannarino I know a lot of people who blog regularly, and each of them has shared the experience of writing the post they believe is a complete throwaway only to have it draw the most comments and emai... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107966 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:23:20 +0100 5107966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097195&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FSP8xvG2JXkA%2F Before we get to today’s guest post from Rebecca Kellogg I just want to give you the heads up on a couple of things I am about to send out Augusts newsletter and it will be delivered with not one, but two, free self development ebooks! If you’re not signed up, do so now because this will be an ongoing thing and you’ll also get my latest ebook on goal setting. I’m currently busy Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097195 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:08:09 +0100 5097195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5078073&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F8KkdK8uxlSo%2F Have you ever dreamed of planning out your perfect week where every minute of every day is spent in a productive manner? A week where things go exactly as planned. A week where each event brings a smile to your face, and there is no stress. You are in control, and the universe is aligned completely with your task list. I’ve had visions just like this on Sunday night as I write in my calendar for the following week. I set aside a time block here, I put a fun task there, and soon my week is completely full. I go to bed knowing that the coming seven days will be total bliss. As I awake on Monday morning, the sun crawling through the blinds, I look across the room. My day planner is where I left it the night before. There is total quiet in the room. This is going to be a great week, I tell ... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5078073 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:02:28 +0100 5078073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051335&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2Fhow-to-do-everything-wrong%2F While I normally write for people who are interested in improving their lives, I’m aware that many are committed to the opposite path. These people deliberately decline steps that would lead to measurable improvements. They prefer that everything goes wrong — for as long as possible. Sometimes they screw up and accidentally do something right. They’re usually able to sabotage these unwanted successes in short order, but they like it best when they can prevent these positive experiences from ever happening in the first place. If you count yourself among this under-acknowledged and under-appreciated group, here are some suggestions for how you can do a better job of staving off success and ensuring absolute failure till you die. Wrong Road Notice the paths that happy and su... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051335 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:58:49 +0100 5051335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997852&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FAaZ4Q8lKsyM%2F Rather than having a lazy and relaxing holiday weekend like any good Life Coach would have advised. I chose to slave over a hot keyboard making sure I got my latest ebook called ‘How Do I Set Goals That Work?’ finished in time to go out with my July newsletter. And finish it I have. Other than some minor editing and the design work it’s done and presuming you’re signed up for my newsletter Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997852 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:29:33 +0100 4997852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960363&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FvlDnFmCKxCg%2F The following post is an extract from my forthcoming ebook provisionally entitled rather unimaginatively “How To Set Goals”. If you want a free copy when it comes out in the next 4 or 5 weeks, then get yourself signed up for my newsletter because that’s the only way to grab it. I’ve posted a day early this week so that you still have chance to jump on the brilliant 72 hour ebook sales that Continue reading... (Source: Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone :) Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960363 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:36:58 +0100 4960363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960360&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2Fhow-to-defeat-kolrami%2F One of the most potent lessons I’ve ever learned (and would love to impart to you) is just how powerful a seemingly simple perspective shift can be. Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” I hope you realize just how profound that statement is. But just in case you don’t, let me share a personal story about it. During my first 5 years in business (1994-1998), I lost money every year, turning my $20K life savings into $150K of debt. That’s a net loss of $170K, or $34K per year on average. In 1999 I finally went bankrupt when my credit ran out. Every year since then, my business made a decent profit. So I suffered a negative cashflow each year from 1994-1998, and then from 1999 – present (12 years i... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960360 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:22:01 +0100 4960360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953431&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FR21DbF4zpk4%2F ‘There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.’ ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox You want to lose weight, but you keep eating poorly. You know you need to exercise, but you just can’t seem to get moving. You’d like to start that project, but maybe you’ll do it tomorrow when you aren’t so tired. Our dreams and good intentions are powerful, real, and hold the promise of a happier life, a better you, a sense of pride and accomplishment. But when the rubber meets the road, when it’s time to take action, it feels like you are wading waist-high in water with weights tied to your feet. Your heart is willing, but your mind and body resist. The mental difficulty of even the smallest actions can ... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953431 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:46:46 +0100 4953431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945298&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FdS8zniSU9-8%2F If your life is a book, what kind of story is it? Is it an adventure? Is it a mystery? Does it have a good plot? Does it flow well? How are the characters, are they interesting? How about the location, is it cheerful and fun, or dark and depressing? Is there action in your story? Does the story pace quickly, or drag slowly along? If I picked up your book, would I find it interesting? Would I want to keep turning the pages and move quickly through the chapters? Would I like your characters? Would I keep reading, or put it aside? Would I recommend it to a friend? If you could change your story, how would the plot change? Would the characters be different? How about the location, would it be somewhere else? Would things change, or stay the same? You are the author of your life. You get to wr... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945298 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:36:47 +0100 4945298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921796&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2Ffree-life-on-purpose-videos%2F As a follow up to my Living Your Life Purpose post, I wanted to share that Dr. Brad Swift also has a series of 3 short videos that will introduce you to his Life on Purpose process. These videos are free to watch and don’t require signing up for anything. Watch the videos here: A Life That Matters Once you’ve watched the first video, follow the link at the end of the text below the video to view the next video in the series. There are 3 videos in total, and each one is a little over 10 minutes long. These videos will give you a good overview of the more detailed process you’ll experience in the Life on Purpose Virtual Video Coach program that helps you discover your life purpose and begin living in alignment with it. If you feel you’ve been drifting lately and would... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921796 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 22:34:25 +0100 4921796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893971&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2Fliving-your-life-purpose%2F You may recall that a few months ago I did a survey to see what kinds of products people would be interested in seeing me create. Among other insights this provided, it helped me see what the most requested topics are. Where do people need the most help? One of the top requests in that survey was for a product on the topic of Life Purpose. In reading through the many hundreds of comments, it became clear that a lot of people still feel they’re drifting, and they need more help bringing a sense of purpose to their lives, so they can feel centered and at peace with themselves — and so they can feel they’re on a path to making a meaningful contribution instead of being stuck in unfulfilling situations. Another thing that stood out was that people want more than how-to inform... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893971 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:49:25 +0100 4893971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862644&cid=t_103033_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fthe-situation-of-a-winning-attitude%2F From Triangle Business Journal: * * * According to new research, motivation to succeed actually can decrease in people who see others succeed. In an experiment, participants observed others trying to solve a series of word puzzles. On video monitors, some observers viewed the group completing a word puzzle, others observed the group attempt but not complete the puzzle. A control group didn’t view any puzzle-solving at all. All observers were then asked to complete word puzzles of their own. Observers who watched the puzzles being completed were less successful with their own puzzles than those who saw the incomplete puzzles or the control group. The researchers called this phenomenon “vicarious goal fulfillment.” If we see someone else complete a task, we transfer that fulfillment to... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862644 Tue, 24 May 2011 04:01:46 +0100 4862644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848171&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2Fwaking-up%2F What does it mean to wake up and become more conscious?Let me share some perspectives that should make it easier to understand the process of waking up.The Cellular PerspectiveFrom the cellular perspective, you can see yourself as an individual person interacting with other individuals. You’re like a single cell in the larger body of humanity, which is comprised of billions of other people-cells.For example, I could say that I’m a guy (a cell) who’s dedicated to helping people (other cells) live more consciously. I may communicate with many people during my lifetime, but each person is a unique individual, so the impact is different for everyone. We may all be part of some larger body of humanity, but our interactions mainly occur at the individual cellular level.This is... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848171 Fri, 20 May 2011 23:14:40 +0100 4848171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829360&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FXa1FwM8gIfY%2F “Goals” are like “New Year’s resolutions”…frequently made but rarely accomplished. If you struggle to achieve your goals, my good friend Bill Bartmann, the author of “Bailout Riches” and once named by Inc. magazine as “The Billionaire Nobody Knows” gave me an awesome tip to trick your mind into accomplishing exactly what you want to, every single time. “Don’t think of your goals as goals.” Are you scratching your head right now? I know I sure was. Until I saw the white elephant sitting in the room… In our society most people describe a goal as “a lofty ambition,” something to “shoot for,” something to “strive for,” or something to “work towards”… Nothing wrong with with any of that is there? As long as you don’t care about you... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829360 Sun, 15 May 2011 05:11:04 +0100 4829360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803564&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FHedNyR75ap0%2F Over the weekend, I put up a post about organizing your life. It was a combination of three previous posts and designed to be a way to get a head start on your week. While a three step plan can be a good one, sometimes we don’t have time for an elaborate project. We just have 5 minutes and we want to move forward. If that is you, here are three things you can do today that may jumpstart your week. 1. Take 5 Minutes: Just download and print this sheet and take a few minutes to fill it out. You will have done something that 95% of the population will never do… writing down your goals. People that actually take the time to write them down are much more successful than those that don’t. Developing a Marshmallow Mindset may help. 2. Make A Phone Call. Is there someone you nee... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803564 Mon, 09 May 2011 13:11:09 +0100 4803564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803565&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FnBsfqCHr6f4%2F Is your life out of control? Does your desk look like a toxic waste dump? Are you overwhelmed with email, unreturned phone calls, and unfinished projects? Are you looking forward to something better or just mired in muck? Here are three simple things you can do today to take control of your life and start the new week with a better foundation. In less than an hour you can get your desk under control, get some long and short term goals set, and plan your week out for success. The cost… less than $20. Let’s get started… 1. Clean Off Your Desk: The first place to start is your command center. For most people with a work or home office, this is their desk. If yours is a mess and you can’t see the top, you need to take action today. While I’ve tried many solutions,... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803565 Sun, 08 May 2011 13:37:38 +0100 4803565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789665&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2F9g_JdOeLrNE%2F We’ve all heard it. “Be positive” they say. “Focus on the good in life” they explain. “Think, you could be in a much worse situation so you should be thankful for what you have” they command. Well, screw that. I say, forget being positive…being negative has its own virtues. Honestly, I’m not some weirdo who goes out of his way to find things to be negative about.. Nope, I’m not going to tell you that you should be always pessimistic and pissed off with the world. But I am going to tell you that it is absolutely ridiculous to focus 100% on being positive in your life. Being super incredibly uber-positive is detrimental to your health (much like eating lead paint). You see, optimism is a good thing…but blind positivity will keep you from actually changing your l... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789665 Thu, 05 May 2011 04:29:39 +0100 4789665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4759062&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2Fhr5bAq9qgos%2F Conclusion Goal setting can be a powerful source of motivation and it activates universal laws like the law of attraction.  It is a wonderful tool. Try out this exercise and become one of the top 2% in the world. I hope you liked this article and found it useful. If you would like to read more from Daniel M. Wood you can find more at his blog Looking to Business.com. He has a free newsletter “Your Path to Your Dreams” which is an email course that will help you move quickly towards your goals, when you join you will even receive a free copy of his ebook “How to Make Selling Easy”! Join Your Path to Your Dreams Today!   Don’t Forget To Follow Us On Twitter! : How To Increase Self Discipline How To Motivate Yourself (Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Impro... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4759062 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:52:46 +0100 4759062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753992&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F04%2Fare-you-faking-progress%2F One of the big traps in life is believing that you’re making progress when there’s no actual evidence of it. It’s easy to keep learning and studying new ideas, methods, and techniques that don’t improve your results… while convincing yourself that you must be making progress simply because you’ve invested a lot of time and effort in learning and growth.It would be nice if effort equaled results, but it’s very common to apply effort without generating measurable results.Let me share a personal story to illustrate this…Based on my efforts at studying and practicing the game of blackjack, I could make a case that I’m an expert blackjack player.In my 20s I read a dozen or so books about the game of blackjack and a dozen more more about casi... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753992 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:28:08 +0100 4753992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753985&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F26%2Fa-new-way-of-looking-at-coping-maybe%2F One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it. ~Sidney Howard Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal. ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche There are few topics closer to my heart than goals.  This is partly because of my background in occupational therapy, where goals are seen as part of how we live purposeful, meaningful lives – but it’s also because they’re incredibly difficult to help others to do, yet goal setting is seen as integral to therapy. I’ve also been considering the whole topic of coping recently.  What is coping? Which coping strategies are helpful? Is it possible to view coping efforts without also looking at the context in which they’re being used? My current concl... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753985 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:33:35 +0100 4753985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693525&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2Fnaw-OBLcW9Y%2F I had the pleasure of attending the Cre:ate Cruise, with Michael Hyatt, Randy Elrod, Pete Wilson, and Ken Davis, over the last week. During the first sea day of the cruise I had a chance to pitch a book proposal to Michael. It was an amazing experience, and Mike gave me a lot of great feedback. My proposal was based on a book about success topics we cover here at Success Begins Today. Mike helped me refine my ideas and zero in on a specific area for the book. He also suggested that I get an agent to help me interface with different publishers. Overall I left with some great knowledge to move further along in the process. The next day we docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. My wife and I took an excursion to Dunn River Falls, where I attempted to climb to to the top of the cascading 600 foot water... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693525 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:52:43 +0100 4693525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658647&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FyMqnAykcWCg%2F On Monday I sat down with Sarah, an editor friend of mine, to plan out an upcoming e-book. We zeroed in on the STRONG Goals concept for the book and I explained the six different tenets of the program to her. It was interesting actually verbalizing and explaining my ideas that I had written about. I talked about scheduling important items, single tasking in a timely manner and then making sure the goals were realistic. We brainstormed back and forth, trying different ideas and working with words. When I got to the word realistic she stopped me. She said that realistic was a good concept but that she was feeling something different. She liked the word “real” and tried a few variations. Then she said something profound. She looked at me and said, Are you living the real you? Thi... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658647 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:30:07 +0100 4658647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4622520&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FHvktWenpOTQ%2F Hasta La Vista, Baby! Hollywood is really the land of overachievers. There are tons of stories about how actors set impossible personal goals and then make them come true. My favorite has to do with the Governator. Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. When the young “Ahhnold” was ten years old, living in a small village in Austria, he had the dream of coming to America. One of six children in a modest home, it seemed an unlikely dream, so Arnold created a plan. He was confident that if he could become a great bodybuilder and win the Mr. Universe competition, this would be his ticket to the United States. With that goal in mind, Arnold started lifting weights seriously when he was fifteen years old and ultimately became the youngest ever Mr. Universe at the age of twenty. His success grew and h... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4622520 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:34:05 +0100 4622520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615461&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FMWS6tum-sDE%2F When I look back at my life and examine the things that have come along and made a real difference, I’m amazed at how simple most of them have been. When I distill down what actually made a difference, it usually comes down to a phrase, a quote, or a simple action. For example, back in 2004, I heard a speaker at a conference speak four little words that changed my life forever. Four little words made all the difference. I saw a demonstration at a leadership conference on video, that spoke to me in thousands of words. The demonstration was so simple, yet so profound. The result was a life changing shift in the way I do things. I decided one day to clean off my desk for good. I tried a simple exercise that really made a difference. It took a whole five minutes to do, but resulted in a... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615461 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:21:39 +0100 4615461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4581092&cid=t_103033_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-are-drug-users-looking-for-2%2F What are drug users looking for in treatment; abstinence or harm reduction?Within the UK and in many other countries two of the most significant issues with regard to the development of health and social care services for drug users has been the growth of the consumer perspective and the philosophy of harm reduction.These researchers looked at drug users’ aspirations from treatment and consider whether drug users are looking to treatment to reduce their risk behavior or to become abstinent from their drug use.They interviewed 1007 drug users starting a new episode of drug treatment in Scotland. Participants were recruited from a total of 33 drug treatment agencies located in rural, urban and inner-city areas across Scotland.There was widespread support for abstinence as a goal of tre... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4581092 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:13:26 +0100 4581092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4578025&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FrN3MMnAhXgU%2F Regardless of who you are, where you live, how much you make, or even your education, your life is on a certain path — similar to a train on a track. You know there are going to be twists and turns, ups and downs, but you can easily figure out where you’ll end up professionally and personally if you stay on the track you’re currently on. For example, if you continue to save this amount, you’ll end up with this. If you continue to eat like this, you’ll end up like that. If you continue to talk to your spouse like this, well, you get the gist. The hard part isn’t so much determining the future; the hard part is changing it. If you look at the path you’re on and you like where you’re headed, you can sit back and keep doing exactly what you&#8217... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4578025 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 01:13:52 +0100 4578025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545274&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FTRv9qd1FuQw%2F My post 5.5 Self Development Techniques I No Longer Believe In caused a bit of a stir, a few misunderstandings and a handful of death threats. Even though I listed goal setting as one of the things I had lost faith in, I did explain that I by no means meant it was wrong for everybody. The reality is, I happen to think goal setting is veeeeery cool and highly useful for a good proportion of the population and as a Life Coach I am not about to abandon it any time soon, although as I said in my post 5 Myths of Goal Setting, I do think the process can be misunderstood. What percentage of the population it’s great for is the part I’m honestly not sure about. My gut instinct and hands on experience tells me it’s around the 75% mark, but I only have my own anecdotal evidence to support that... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545274 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:30:06 +0100 4545274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507610&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2Fthe-best-guidance%2F In his recent book Manifesting for Non-Gurus, Robert MacPhee contrasts two different methods for making your desires a reality.The first method is to define your outcome and then dive right into massive action. Adjust your approach along the way, and keep going until you get there. This approach is easy to begin, but as Robert points out, you’ll typically run into serious resistance down the road. Very often such goals get derailed long before they’re achieved. Sound familiar?The second method, and the basis of Robert’s book, consists of 5 steps:Ask and answer the question Who am I?Ask and answer the question What am I intending to attract?Ask and answer the question How will I feel (when I experience what I intend to attract)?Let go of attachmentsTake inspired actionWith... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507610 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:44:13 +0100 4507610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478186&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2Fcompletion-vs-perfection%2F There’s a big difference between completing a project and perfecting a project. Perfectionism frequently works against the drive for completion.A final work product doesn’t have to be perfect to produce strong results. However, the project must be essentially complete.A mediocre but complete film script can still be made into a movie. A beautifully crafted but half-finished script is largely worthless.An unpolished but shippable software program can still provide value to customers and generate sales. A feature-rich but perpetually unshippable piece of software will usually generate zero sales (QuickBooks notwithstanding).Completion generates results. Perfectionism delays or kills results.Perfectionism vs. PolishPerfectionism isn’t the same thing as polishing. Polishing ... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478186 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:56:39 +0100 4478186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433342&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FGfMZw5y2afk%2F Are you happy about your goals or are you working for goals that someone else set up for you? Do you have quota goals thrust upon you every month by your employer? How about a weight loss goal that was suggested by your health care provider? Goals like these can be arduous at best and usually have a negative motivational effect. Years ago I worked for a sales company that would set sales quotas (goals) each month. If you reached your quota, they usually would put the carrot a little further out before you received a bonus the next month. Soon people realized that you didn’t want to exceed your quota by much or the goal would be put way out there. Have a really good month and you’ll never see a bonus again. Those kind of goals didn’t work. While we may not have control of the goals t... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433342 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:54:00 +0100 4433342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419479&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F0cqNLdfj7tg%2F They are coming for you. Demanding your attention. Everywhere you look, they’re there. They might be red and flashing, or green and sublime… but they are insidious. They will take your most precious resource and consume it entirely. I’m talking about DISTRACTIONS. It might be your web browser, it might be Facebook. The phone may start ringing and force you to answer. And then there is the king of all distractions… e-mail. Pop… you’ve got mail. Resist if you can… but you know you must see the latest joke, cute puppy picture, or heaven forbid… a free iPod deal!! So there is one answer, if you are ever going to get something done. Yes you know it’s coming Yes you were right… you must… TURN THEM OFF!! But then what… how do you get something done? It’s rather simple r... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419479 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:19:45 +0100 4419479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4406057&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2F3QrU6AjnZK8%2F Every so often I get an e-mail from somebody asking if I offer Life Coaching via e-mail and every time I respond that, not only do I not offer such a service, but I would highly advise the person against pursuing such an idea. Contrary to what some ‘coaches’ are saying I’m not even sure Life Coaching via e-mail is feasible. An exchange of e-mails without any other contact is about as likely to result in a positive outcome (for the client) as me trying to learn to play the guitar by reading a book on the subject rather than picking one up. A few months ago I got a request for e-mail coaching from a person who was suffering from severe social anxiety. He told me that his social anxiety was so acute he couldn’t face talking to a Life Coach via the phone, let alone visiting one... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4406057 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:40:24 +0100 4406057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399841&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F26%2Fpulling-it-all-together-biopsychosocial-assessment%2F Over the past little while I’ve been writing about how a comprehensive pain assessment can be carried out.  Today it’s time to pull that information together to develop a formulation, or set of possible explanations for why this person presents in this way at this time – at least for one or two aspects of his presentation. For example, if the person’s pain is low back pain, where surgery has failed to improve the person’s pain, but he has maintained working in a teaching job where physical demands are reasonably light, but is having trouble with sleep, feels irritable, can’t manage things like mowing lawns, and is very careful not to bend because he was advised after surgery to avoid bending because it may affect healing.   Limited forward flexion, si... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399841 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:00:45 +0100 4399841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361335&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FG3ovEeRhifQ%2F One of the things that makes a strong goal achievable is a sense of competition. This is especially true when it comes to fitness goals. While it’s really popular to challenge a friend or co-worker to a weight loss goal, there are many sanctioned events which also provide a competitive outlet. In the list below you’ll find a list of popular events that are going on somewhere almost every weekend. From the popular 5k to the bucket list Marathon, you’re sure to find something on the list that you can schedule on your calendar and train for. If you are just starting out, many of the 5k events are walk/run, so you can just walk 3.1 miles and have a great time. If you enjoy team sports, the Ragnar Relay provides a long distance race (200 miles) that 12 competitors run as a relay. You com... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361335 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:23:52 +0100 4361335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4352873&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2Fhow-to-achieve-stretch-goals%2F In the previous post, I mentioned that I’d share a method for achieving goals where you aren’t already a good match for the goal. For example, how do you become a millionaire if your vibe is riddled with thoughts and feelings of scarcity? I’ll share that process with you now.If you haven’t read the previous post yet, I suggest you read it first, so you can better understand the context of this one. I know it’s a lot of reading, but it will be worth your while.Stretch GoalsFor the sake of convenience, let’s use the term “stretch goals” to refer to the types of goals for which you aren’t already a good match.Such goals are of course relative to the person setting them. Buying a new car wouldn’t be a stretch goal for someone who can ... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4352873 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 03:45:52 +0100 4352873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343360&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FyPBllxtNocI%2F In my last post I talked about scheduling using Google Calendar. This tool allows you to have multiple calendars overlaid over one another. This allows you to see possible conflicts and to move things around to make things more efficient. The cool thing about using a calendar tool like this is to put down all the things you are currently doing and look for time areas that can be better utilized. Here is an example from my daily calendar that many people have to deal with. Given our busy lives and the way most cities are laid out, many of us have to commute to work. This may be by car or public transportation. For many people this is just wasted time, especially if you have to drive. Additionally, most people have a lunch hour, which can be a time to wind down, but many times is unproducti... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343360 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:31:54 +0100 4343360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338300&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2F8C75ouxXp7g%2F Imagine that you’re on vacation. This couple told you about an awesome little spot. While they give you a general idea of where it is, the directions are vague and you’re completely unfamiliar with the area. How likely is it that you’d be able to find the place without a map of some kind? Probably not very. Yet many of us erroneously feel that we should be able to achieve our goals without making a plan or “map” of some sort to keep us on track. Trying to achieve goals without writing them down is a sure way to get lost along the way, or worse, never getting to where we need to be. Identify your destination & map your route When you’re looking at a map, you look first at where you want to go, right? Then you chart your course from your current location. The same... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338300 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:15:33 +0100 4338300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331276&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2Fj-73EghQGB0%2F How do you feel about setting goals? Maybe you’re not keen on the whole idea – it seems artificial to you, or you’re worried about failure. Or perhaps, like me, you’re really good at coming up with interesting goals – and less good at actually following through on them. Either way, just having a goal in mind isn’t going to get you far. You need to set goals in the right way – setting yourself up for success, rather than half-heartedly aiming for a vague dream. Here’s how to set great goals that’ll get you real results. Step 1: Make Sure it’s YOUR Goal One of the biggest mistakes that people make when setting goals is to choose things which they feel they “should” do, perhaps prompted by family, friends or society in general. If yo... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331276 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:45:51 +0100 4331276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331279&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2Fwhy-some-goals-make-you-run-in-circles%2F Why is it that sometimes you can be really clear about a goal, make a plan to get there, and take action on it, but even after years of pushing yourself, you still have little to show for your efforts?Maybe you made some progress, but perhaps it wasn’t enough to justify the effort. Meanwhile it seems like so many other people are able to achieve similar goals much more quickly. This can be frustrating.What is it that causes you to run in circles?A common goal achievement strategy looks something like this:Define your outcome.Make a plan to get there.Take lots of action.Refine your approach as needed.Persist until you succeed.This method will indeed work for certain types of goals. But for other goals, it will actually cause you to run in circles. You’ll burn a lot of time and e... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331279 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:30:35 +0100 4331279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331273&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FPQlAuOoLV0k%2F One of the major tenets of any goal setting exercise is finding a block of time to accomplish the task. While this may sound easy at first, many goals or resolutions fail due to lack of available time. If you can’t schedule it on your calendar, you can’t do it. The more major the goal, the more important the time commitment. Let’s take a common “Bucket List” goal that many people have of writing a book. To write a book, requires preparation, organization and a whole lot of creativity. Most writers that I know have a set time that they like to write. It may be the early morning, late evening, or just getting up and starting fresh after breakfast in the mid morning. The key thing is having a big enough block of time to let creativity flow. Some writers like to write for an hour, o... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331273 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:57:44 +0100 4331273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309875&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FNiL2AaEiZYk%2F With the New Year upon us, many people create resolutions for the upcoming 12 months. It may be to lose 5 pounds, get more exercise, get out of debt, or become more organized. Unfortunately most resolutions last about 3 to 4 weeks and they slowly fade away. Take a look at the huge crowds in any gym in January and then look at the crowd in April. Most people have given up. So if creating New Years Resolutions doesn’t work, what does? Is there any way to change bad habits and create the life we want to live? I took a look at the latest research by some of the top goal setting experts and came to some conclusions. Some people are getting amazing results while others give up. What is the difference? It seems there are some simple yet overlooked items that can cause the best goal setting stra... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309875 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:53:35 +0100 4309875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4305124&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F03%2Fa-new-years-resolution%2F If you, like me, have struggled to find a post on here – then looked at the Categories list, and sighed at how many posts there are…I hereby renounce my old habit of posting under multiple topic headings and promise to limit each post to three headings max.  Tags, on the other hand, are a completely different matter. Filed under: News Tagged: goal-setting (Source: HealthSkills Weblog) HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4305124 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:27:54 +0100 4305124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302982&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2F2011-focus%2F I seem to have this tradition of making a post at the start of each year to muse about what my primary focus for the coming year will be, so I’ll share some thoughts on what I’d like to explore in 2011.2010 in ReviewFirst of all, 2010 was a year of tremendous growth and exploration. It was one of the most unusual years for me. Some 2010 highlights include:Adjusting to the separation from Erin in late 2009 and working through many details of thatExploring interpersonal relationships (long-distance relationship, polyamory, D/s, new friendships, unconditional love, oneness)Quitting Toastmasters after 6 years of membershipTraveling extensively (on the road for 3 months of the year; visiting many U.S. states, 5 Canadian Provinces, and Puerto Rico)Delivering 4 Conscious Growth Worksh... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302982 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:41:10 +0100 4302982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207528&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FKbbVvJBUn2g%2F I once saw a stat that suggested over 70% of people set at least one New Year Resolution per year. Unfortunately though, the vast majority of these good intentions disappear before the guy next door has packed up his giant inflatable reindeer and unplugged the Pink Floyd light show he liked to call his Christmas decorations. The problem with New Years Resolutions is that people, quite understandably, decide on them during the holiday season. When we think of resolutions we immediately imagine goals like quitting smoking, losing weight, eating more healthily, exercising regularly etc. All of those require willpower and willpower is a finite and fluctuating resource. It literally requires huge amounts of physical and mental energy. That’s the reason why if you are tired or run down you’r... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207528 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:54:40 +0100 4207528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197140&cid=t_103033_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F24%2Fchange-is-hard-but-not-impossible%2F A lot of “Health 2.0″ tools seek to help people change their behaviors to lead more healthy, productive lives. This is an admirable goal, and one I wholeheartedly endorse. Some of the tools are really “gee-whiz” neat! However, many people involved with building Health 2.0 tools have little or no formal background in human behavior. How do you expect to build tools that seek to change human behavior, with no human behavior experts — you know, psychologists — consulting with you or on your staff? That’s like trying to write a piece of software without a programmer. In reply to a query on this topic, and how people change their behavior, I wrote the following over at the Society for Participatory Medicine’s e-patients.net blog. I think it enca... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197140 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:57:57 +0100 4197140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168242&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F30-day-supertrials%2F For years I’ve been recommending the 30-day trial as a way to install a new habit or replace a bad habit. Many people, myself included, have used this practice to successfully make behavioral changes — and have them stick.Now it’s time for the advanced version: The 30-Day Supertrial.[cue trumpets]A Quick ReviewWhen conducting a 30-day trial, you pick one habit or behavior you’d like to change, and you commit yourself to sticking with it for 30 days straight. If you miss even one day, you start back at Day 1.It can be very difficult to change a habit for life, but if you use the psychological trick of telling yourself that it’s only for 30 days, your odds of success increase substantially. And of course once you reach Day 30, the new habit is already installed... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168242 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:07:17 +0100 4168242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168243&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FfrTVa_CXrMs%2F Stop twenty people in the street and ask them what a Life Coach does and my guess would be the majority will have no clue. However, the few that do attempt an answer will probably mention goal setting in some way shape or form. And they would be right, Life Coaches do indeed help people set goals. But what if they’d be better advised not to? Is it possible that for some people setting goals not only doesn’t work, but can be harmful and counter productive? Most industries have their conventional wisdom and it is, to a large extent, a good thing. It would get incredibly tiresome continually having to verify things we know to be true over and over again. However, sometimes conventional wisdom needs to be challenged if we are to progress. Surely it’s our duty if we suspect it may be wron... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168243 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:54:19 +0100 4168243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125288&cid=t_103033_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fis-it-harm-reduction-or-harm-continuation%2F Conclusions This author is of the opinion that what is ‘passed off’ as harm reduction in the UK is, in reality, a process that facilitates the continued use of toxic, psychoactive drugs. Whether or not that is the intention is open to speculation. What is indisputable is the fact that it is simply not working insofar as the rehabilitation and recovery of addicts and alcoholics are concerned – an outcome which includes relinquishing criminal activities, living in a safe and stable environment, and, in the fullness of time through gainful employment, becoming a self supporting member of society. Further, the architects of this disaster persist in hiding their failure by the time consuming and expensive process of producing sanitised statistics (which do not in anyway aid recovery b... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125288 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:31:53 +0100 4125288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125302&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2F01%2Fwords-on-the-value-of-data%2F I’m not known for my immaculate office or my attention to detail – I’m the sort of big picture or conceptual person in a team.  I care about values and finding a way to achieve an end result, but I’m less fascinated by detail.  There is, however, a time when record-keeping and data comes into its own, and I am very grateful to those people who do look after the nuts and bolts.  And today’s post is about why. I work in a tertiary pain management centre in a teaching hospital in a large health organisation with multiple layers of administration and management all wanting a piece of the fiscal pie allocated to us from central government.  Throughout my years in health care, I can’t ever recall being told ‘we have lots of money, let’s go shop... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125302 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:31:47 +0100 4125302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082351&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FsifV7WpR68I%2F One of the simplest things you can do in life is to sit down for a few minutes and write down your goals. Yet over 90% of the population have never done this. The simple act of writing your goals down will multiply your chances of completing them. So… no excuses… right now… download this simple goal sheet and fill it out. In as little as 5 minutes you’ll have done something that the majority of your friends, relatives, and co-workers have never accomplished. When you are done, put this sheet where you can refer to it. Setting goals is really this simple, so take a few minutes now and change your life. 5 Minute Success Form (Free Download in MS Word and PDF formats) Additional Resources Goal Setting Toolkit Goal Notebook Daily Planner Focused Project Planner Focused Fitness Planne... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082351 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:16:58 +0100 4082351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994413&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38608&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FLifeDev%2F%7E3%2F_0nW9wXIa9w%2F Nothing builds excitement for a website owner like a sudden surge in traffic. (Traffic is the number one desire for any blogger or writer, no matter what they tell you.) Some people call it “expanding reach”, others call it “building relationships”, but peel away the jargon and you’re left with what it’s really called: more eyeballs. The idea is that as more people visit your site, then more people are going to be influenced by you. So, if you want to be an influencer (who wouldn’t?), then you need to have more traffic. Simple, right? Yet, every day new and seasoned site owners alike will all make the same mistake: they don’t set or track any goals. They have no goals for site traffic, or new subscribers, or any other metric. They don’t... LifeDev blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994413 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:04:24 +0100 3994413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3983370&cid=t_103033_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fmichigan-state-football-coach-mark-dantonio-recovering-heart-attack-surprise-play-beats-notre-dame%2F Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack shortly after he called a surprise fake field goal play that beat Notre Dame in overtime this weekend. He is reportedly resting comfortably after receiving a stent to open a blocked coronary artery. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3983370 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 06:10:59 +0100 3983370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3960082&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2Fhacking-reality-subjective-objectivity%2F As my 30-day subjective reality experiment concluded last month, I shifted to a different mode of living. I finally got used to seeing the world through a dream lens. It was seriously challenging to hold that perspective at first, but after a few weeks, my subconscious took over, and I no longer had to consciously remind myself that this is a dream. Eventually the dream perspective became my default way of thinking.Freeing Mental RAMUp until that point, holding that perspective was a major cognitive burden. My mind often felt fried at the end of the day. The experiment required a serious conscious effort, a lot of dedication, and perhaps a twist of fanaticism.Holding the subjective perspective required a significant amount of mental RAM. Multiple times per hour, I had to keep refreshing t... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3960082 Sat, 11 Sep 2010 21:12:27 +0100 3960082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3876912&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F18%2Fexercise-questions%2F If there is one finding that has remained pretty solid over the past 10 – 15 years, it’s the one that says being active is a good thing for managing chronic pain.  I’m not sure how many papers I’ve read where ‘exercise’ and some form of cognitive behavioural approach have been found to produce improvements in disability, mood and even pain – and the benefits are often maintained for 12 months or more.  But we have a problem, Houston.  The problem is this – many of these studies treat ‘exercise’ in much the same way as ‘interdisciplinary pain management’ – a black box that no-one really knows exactly what goes on in there, but hey it works. This is a real problem when we come to put the research findings to wor... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3876912 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:36:07 +0100 3876912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872755&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F17%2Fvalues-informing-goals%2F Unusually for me, this post is not associated with a piece of published research.  I have been mulling over ways to help people set goals that are really meaningful to them rather than superficial ones that are all too easily forgotten or avoided, and being informed by ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) I’ve been looking at values clarification as one way of tapping in to this.  At the same time as doing this I’ve been doing a little reading around the occupational therapy Kawa model which uses the river metaphor to describe ‘life flow’, or words to that effect. I’m not a strong advocate of descriptive models really, because I am more concerned about models that help to explain or predict phenomena in the world, but at the same time I use metaphors a lo... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872755 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:35:54 +0100 3872755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858445&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FpDaN_JuBYoY%2F I ran across an interesting book at Costco the other day while shopping. It’s called Transformation, and it’s a follow up work by Bill Phillips to his life changing book, Body for Life, which was published 11 years ago. If you have been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that his first book changed my life. In twelve weeks following the Body for Life program, I lost over 25 pounds and cut my body fat percentage by over 30%. And the muscle that I gained, helped me keep the weight off for years. Bill’s new book is more holistic than his first, covering not just diet and exercise, but also mindset and well being. His weight training and exercise program is a kinder and gentler version of the original but still achieves amazing results. It’s written from the viewpo... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858445 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:03:48 +0100 3858445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3831578&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FOSgH7mxpc_0%2F The key to completing any project or reaching any goal is to work on it in a focused and organized manner. The better the planning, the better the completed project. With that in mind, I would like to introduce the first draft of our Focused Project Planner using our F.A.S.T. system to help you reach your goals quickly. The planner is a free download and comes in two formats. One is completely customizable in Microsoft publisher and the other is a print only PDF version that you can print on any machine that has Adobe acrobat reader on it. Here are the major components… The planner is based around a twelve week time frame, but can easily be expanded with multiple sheets. There is a place for project title, work location and timeframe along with our focused work time, accountability part... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3831578 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:09:14 +0100 3831578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790949&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F2ci_JkFSL0k%2F I just finished up a powerful and insightful personal development book, entitled The Way We Are Working…Isn’t Working, by Tony Schwartz. Michael Hyatt had recommended the book, and I found it to be chock full of great ideas to improve your life. The thing that sets Tony’s book apart from so many others is the real world statistics that Tony includes, from his company’s work with hundreds of organizations around the world. Tony’s company is called The Energy Project and his work is focused on improving workplace and personal life performance. I found this book ties in with many of the things I’ve blogged about here at Success Begins Today. From diet and exercise, to time management, and goal setting, this little book has some practical and workable solutions to many of the ... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790949 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:08:54 +0100 3790949 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3764184&cid=t_103033_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F18%2Farmy-suicides-hit-all-time-high%2F For the month of June, the U.S. Department of Defense reported late last week that the number of soldiers who took their own lives — those who committed suicide — was an astonishing 32 individuals, 21 of whom were on active duty (but only one-third of those on active duty were serving in either Iraq or Afghanistan). This corresponds to the ongoing record-setting of the number of suicides in the past year — 245 who died in 2009 and the 145 who have committed suicide already in 2010. At the rate of suicides so far this year, 2010 will exceed 2009 in suicides. Who does the Army blame for this rise in suicides? Why, the people who commit suicide, of course, and the very culture they work to instill from Day One in boot camp. Tim Embree of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans o... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3764184 Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:30:39 +0100 3764184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3761654&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FdafKY6b0IR0%2F Do you know what you want? If you don’t know what you want then how can you get what you want?  Seems painfully obvious doesn’t it? Unfortunately, I’ve been in enough goal setting consultations so know that most people don’t have a clue what they want. It may seem obvious, but the first step to developing a great plan is knowing what you want.  And how do we find out what we want? Below, I am going to go over a simple brainstorming technique.  You can do it on paper or a text file, but I’d recommend using our free online goal setting tool.  That way, your work won’t get lost or damaged. We start brainstorming by going to the brainstorm module Did you know most people walking around out there don’t even know what they want out of life? Again, ho... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3761654 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:44:51 +0100 3761654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714463&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F01%2Fconcurrent-pain-reduction-self-management%2F I don’t have the answer to this conundrum, so my post this morning is a piece of thinking out loud… For most of my pain management career it’s been a policy of mine not to try working with people to develop self management of their pain while they’re continuing to get ‘on-demand’ pain reduction treatment (primarily injections and infusions).  The main reason for this has been the contrary ends of the two approaches. Pain reduction through injections/infusions (from now on referred to as procedures) is often given to people to see whether their pain will remain at lower levels, and for the patient to use this reduced pain to increase function.  Often people are given ‘reactivation’ during this time, usually from a physiotherapist, consisting... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714463 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:34:19 +0100 3714463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592435&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FcT0oCgN63ck%2F If you’ve been reading personal development blogs for any length of time, you’ll have come across plenty of posts about goals. We’re all expected to have them. We’re told that having goals means we’ll be happy high-achievers, storming through life as we check off yet another item on our to-do list. And yes, setting goals for yourself can help you to stay focused on what you want from life. It can help to counter our bias towards short-term thinking and short-term results. But even if you’ve diligently written down your goals, if you’ve created your vision board or made check-lists galore, you might still have a nagging sense that’s something’s wrong. Here’s why: Writing Down Your Goals Isn’t Magic At some point, you’v... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592435 Mon, 24 May 2010 15:38:26 +0100 3592435 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3570085&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F17%2Fa-dilemma-act-ing-well-living-well%2F In this study, an intervention in which individuals considered their personal values (in other words, what is important to them, what influences the direction in which they take actions) was carried out, and its influence on tolerance to a cold pressor test was evaluated. Two previous studies have shown that low levels of experiential avoidance and high acceptance are reportedly related to higher pain tolerance, conversely one would expect that high levels of experiential avoidance and low levels of acceptance would be related to lower tolerance to pain.  A couple of definitions here: pain tolerance is about how long a person is prepared to ‘put up with’ pain before attempting to move away from it, as opposed to pain threshold which is the point at which the person identifies ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3570085 Sun, 16 May 2010 19:21:00 +0100 3570085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3564262&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FtpUQkxRj1CE%2F The previous post, “Do SMART Goals Suck?’ created some really cool conversation in the comments and some strong opinions and well thought out arguments. Today I wanted to take some time today to dispel some of the myths, or at least what I think of as myths, of goal setting. I think some people quite naturally got wrapped up in what worked for them and that only means one thing. It worked for them. Everybody Should Set Written Goals I know lots and lots of highly successful people that have never written a goal in their life. Goals have a tendency to be the preserve of more left-brained people in my experience. That does not mean creative right-brained types don’t set goals, just that I believe they are less likely to and would probably benefit from using a looser structure. Some peo... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3564262 Fri, 14 May 2010 13:29:43 +0100 3564262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3560537&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2Fpehzz0wGlZI%2F This is a somewhat unusual approach I’m taking today because I’m running a guest post that if I’d read read on Raj’s own site The Positive Life I’d probably be diving into the comments to disagree vehemently with. My initial reaction was to say thanks, but no thanks, but then I started thinking, what if I’m wrong, what if there is value to some people with this approach? It’s not very open-minded to reject an idea just because it doesn’t seem right to me. I’m not going to tell you what my objections are at this stage. I’d ask you to read it, make up your own mind and then I’ll throw my 2 cents worth in at the end. If you think Raj is on the money and I’m wrong, tell me in the comments and I promise not to sulk…much. Why Smart Goals Suck What? You must ... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3560537 Wed, 12 May 2010 21:22:38 +0100 3560537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519759&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FzgmygBLForI%2F Originally submitted at REI Wander free in the men's Vibram FiveFingers KSO multisport shoes, which offer the freedom of bare feet with the grip and protection of a Vibram sole. Vibram FiveFingers KSO Multisport Shoes – Men’s Great to toughen up your running… By Brad I. (Trailrunner, esq.) from Greensboro, NC on 4/30/2010   4out of 5 Gift: No Pros: Well Crafted, Easy to Install, Great for trail running, Quality Materials, Strengthens your legs Cons: Stitching can break, No poison ivy protection, Unattractive Design Best Uses: Jogging, Hiking, Trail running Describe Yourself: Avid Do-It-Yourselfer I have two pairs of Fivefingers so I can alternate days with them. I use them mainly for trail-running and when it’s wet outside, I jog on the road.It took me... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519759 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:08:15 +0100 3519759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515661&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FeVCnhzXA53Y%2F I have never met a client that didn’t hold themselves up to higher standard than they did others, even those closest to them. I don’t think this is simply because I’m a Life Coach and my view is skewed because people come to me to change, I honestly believe it’s about as close to a universal truth as possible. It‘s also probably the single biggest source of human misery. That’s a fairly contentious statement I understand. After all, as a species we’re pretty damn good at heaping misery upon ourselves and seem to have a capacity for self-loathing unparalleled anywhere else in nature. Surely then, setting higher standards is the way out of that? As you know I love huge goals. If you came to me for life coaching I’d encourage you to aim really high, then a bit higher, and then... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515661 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:44:37 +0100 3515661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487413&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FQrraCXtdO-g%2F Since writing my post ‘Dream Big Or Go Home’ for the How To Be Rich and Happy website I have been giving a lot of thought to goals and dreams. I got to wondering how many brilliant discoveries, inventions and breakthroughs the world has missed out on because people were worried about sharing their ideas through fear of ridicule? I’ve had many clients reluctant to tell me their really big dreams, usually by insisting they don’t have any. I’m sure at an unconscious level they by not dreaming big they’ll save themselves from the pain of ridicule and failure. But as I said in that post: ‘The pain of a failed life is exponentially worse than the pain of a failed goal’ When I tell clients it’s not only ok, bit I insist they do they talk about the really big stuff, they often li... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487413 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:56:27 +0100 3487413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3483163&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fthe-past-does-equal-the-future%2F The past does not equal the future is a favorite saying of Tony Robbins.Unfortunately he’s dead wrong.I can understand Tony’s intent in making such a statement. Sure it’s part of his overall sales pitch, but essentially he’s telling people that they have the power to break from the past and use their power to create a new future. In general that’s a positive message to convey. Unfortunately it seems to do more harm than good. Quite often it makes people all gung ho about changes that never quite materialize. The underlying idea that we can escape the past actually wastes a lot of people’s time.I know it feels good to think about the idea that we can somehow break with the past and create a whole new future for ourselves, but how often do people actually ... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3483163 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:15:07 +0100 3483163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463878&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F13%2Fjust-doing-it-behavioural-activation%2F This post is sparked by a pre-print paper I read yesterday, but follows a long time cogitating about the use and value of “just doing it”. Behavioural reactivation is a set of techniques often used for mood management.  It usually incorporates activity monitoring, assessment of life goals and values, activity scheduling, skills training and problem solving, effective communication training, relaxation training, contingency management, and managing things like avoidance. Fellow occupational therapists will probably feel a tad superior here because these are core aspects of the ways in which occupational therapists work with people, but beware troops! The research from psychology is vast, and it’s rapidly gaining recognition as a psychological approach to reactivation. Beh... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463878 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:31:38 +0100 3463878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3449198&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F08%2Fgoals-how-relevant-are-they%2F A few posts ago I discussed a motivational strategy that had been shown to help people be specific about the benefits of exercise and plan to overcome obstacles that may prevent them from engaging in it (Christiansen, Oettingen, Dahme and Klinger,2010). Today’s post relates to this as I read an editorial written by Schrooten & Vlaeyen about that same study in which it is pointed out that goals are a very complex concept, and that to simply identify the pro’s and con’s of a single activity that has been ‘imposed’ on the person might fail to address one of the most important aspects of goal setting – the relevance or context of the goal itself. I’ve written quite often about goals and goal-setting, mainly reflecting that setting goals is a pretty... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3449198 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:38:26 +0100 3449198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3436414&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2Fself-development-video-interview%2F In January Neil Natura did a short video interview with me on self development, blocks to growth, and goal achievement. I thought you might enjoy watching it.Unfortunately the camera was held a bit too low, so the tops of our heads are chopped off throughout most of the video, but hopefully you can look past that and still receive some value from the ideas we discussed.Feel free to share this if you like it. Achieve new breakthroughs in your habits, career, finances, relationships, health, and spiritual development. Register now to attend the next transformational 3-day Conscious Growth Workshop in Las Vegas.Discuss this article in the forums.Make a donation.View a random article from Steve's blog.Get the free newsletter.Visit Erin Pavlina's blog.Steve RecommendsMan Transformation - Attrac... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3436414 Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:56:30 +0100 3436414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3404168&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F25%2Fwondering-does-targeting-specific-outcomes-have-an-effect%2F I’ve recently read a couple of studies of group-based CBT for chronic pain showing that outcomes are both durable and cost effective – and I started to ponder a little, as I do. So far, it seems that no-one can identify the vital ingredients in a CBT approach that ‘do the work’ or create the greatest change.  Despite the various studies that have been done, most of them treat the contents of a programme as some sort of ‘black box’ into which people are  taken, emerging some weeks later having made changes that then last.  But some studies have found that 12 months later the specific ’skills’ that individuals were shown during a programme (and carried on using 1 – 6 months later) have been dropped, but the positive changes in terms of... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3404168 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:30:49 +0100 3404168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374414&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2Fcreating-your-vision%2F When you write down your goals, your primary aim is to create a new vision for what you desire to experience next in life, so that you can begin to make that vision a reality.So what do you do when you sit down to write a vision for your life, and you’re coming up with a lot of blanks that you just aren’t sure about?Guess.It really is that simple. Just take a stab at it. Don’t even worry about making your best guess. Just make any guess that seems remotely reasonable.Now take that guess and run with it. Write 1-2 paragraphs to describe the vision that pops into your mind when you think about that possible direction.Make sure your vision is written with positive, present tense statements. Add some emotion to your vision. Include how you expect to feel (“I’m thr... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374414 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:46:29 +0100 3374414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370719&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2F9ulOMJAB4pU%2F Those of you who have followed Tom Peters over the years know how much he’s contributed to the growth of excellence in businesses worldwide.    His book In Search of Excellence he co-authored with Robert Waterman is considered “the greatest business book of all time” by many and indispensable by most. Well, Tom has a new book called The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE.  I am thrilled and honored Mr. Peters included of my essays as one of the ways to pursue excellence!   Mine is pursuit #50 starting on page 136 about how you have to show up to move up.  You can read my contribution by downloading the Acrobat pdf of it here (posted with permission):  Show Up! (It’s a Start.) My copy of Little BIG Things arrived last week and it is indeed a BIG ... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370719 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:00:49 +0100 3370719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366452&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Fmaintaining-change%2F This study by Christiansen, Oettingen, Dahme and Klinger, shows an extension of the motivational approaches based on Motivational Interviewing, integrates it with traditional problem solving, drags in a bit of goal achievement theory and ties it all together in two half hour sessions – and produces a significant change in functional outcome.  How so? Importance and confidence The two important drivers of action seem to be how important an activity is and how confident a person is to achieve it.  In this study, a group of patients was asked to rate the importance and confidence to ‘improve physical capacity’.  They were then asked to list four positive aspects associated with making this change – eg getting in shape, having fun, distraction from pain.  They were ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366452 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:20:24 +0100 3366452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354611&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FIzaPtwTE38U%2F "Glitch" courtesy of Luiza O.S @Flickr Chances are you've got success on the brain if you're reading this article.  You've set your goals, you're on your way to achieving your dreams.  But they're not coming as fast as you would like.  You're ready for it to all come true right now.  You set a deadline to reach your goal, but it just didn't happen in that timeframe.  And now you feel a little deflated.  Maybe you've even allowed a little doubt to creep in, as you're not sure when (or if) it will ever happen. You know what a missed deadline tells you? It's just a feedback mechanism to tell you that your plans and execution of them weren't correct for the timeline you set.  You're not a failure.  You've just produced a result.  It may not be the result you wanted, but don't fret, be... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354611 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:19:58 +0100 3354611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350620&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2Fmaster-your-workday-now%2F I recently had the privilege of reading the book Master Your Workday Now! by Michael Linenberger. I daresay this is the best book on workflow management I’ve ever read — and I’ve read a LOT of books on that subject.The book just came out this week, and last I checked it was in the top 30 books on Amazon.com (#1 in the Time Management category). I predict that this book is going to be a huge hit and a long-term classic in its field.I met Michael at a leadership retreat in January, and we spoke on the phone for about an hour last week to discuss some of his ideas. He shared what I considered some truly elegant workflow management strategies, so I was eager to read his book and learn the whole system he developed. I’m seldom impressed by time management books these da... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350620 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:40:49 +0100 3350620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322664&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2F9Nw3Z4zZcm0%2F This past week, I announced to my newsletter subscribers a new tool that will help both new and experienced goal setters add more impact to their goal plans.  Appropriately enough titled Achieve-IT! Online it is an online web-app version of my goal setting strategies.  These are the same strategies I’ve used for decades and the same my clients use to get what they want out of life. You can read more about the history of this project here. But where Achieve-IT! Desktop is currently bound to Windows machines, Achieve-IT! online is open to just about anyone with a browser.  So I encourage you to give this new goal setting system a try and let me know your thoughts. There are several levels of accounts.  But for signing up, everyone gets the professional level for free for 30 d... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322664 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:33:15 +0100 3322664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322668&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F03%2Ftapping-the-promise-of-personal-growth%2F The nice thing about working on your personal growth is that when you make a concerted, dedicated effort to improve some part of your life, there’s an excellent chance that you will succeed in the long run. You may have a lot of gunk to clear out in terms of limiting beliefs, and you may be starting from a disadvantaged position, but given enough time, it’s entirely possible to completely rework some part of your life for the better. For example, you have the potential to go from rags to riches, from shy to socially confident, or from unhealthy to vibrant and fit. It may not be easy to make such transitions, but there are numerous successes to model. These are transitions that many, many people have already succeeded at, and they’re often more than happy to help out peopl... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322668 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:46:27 +0100 3322668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311974&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FPBdvnnWK4Ss%2F As a coach, I often work with people on achieving goals. Starting a business. Changing careers. Getting in shape. I’ve learned that under every goal, there is an equation the goal-seeker has made up: If I do x, I will feel y. If I run my own business, I’ll feel a greater sense of control over my life. If I find a job I enjoy, I’ll feel happier and more energetic. If I get into shape, I’ll feel more secure about my health and more attractive. This hypothesis then guides our actions. As a next step, we spend a lot of time and effort on x goal, believing it will be a means to feeling y. Sometimes we are right in our hypothesis, and often not. Research shows that humans are actually quite bad at predicting what will bring us happiness. The more I work with people on their goals, the mo... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311974 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:10:06 +0100 3311974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3307133&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2Fregistration-opens-for-3-more-2010-workshops%2F I’m happy to announce that we’ve finalized the bookings for the remaining 2010 Conscious Growth Workshops. Registration is now officially open for all 3 of them. These workshops will be held at the Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on the following dates: May 14-16, 2010 (Fri-Sun) Jul 16-18, 2010 (Fri-Sun) Oct 29-31, 2010 (Fri-Sun) Feedback was so positive on the first two CGWs that it made sense to commit to doing many more of them. On a scale of 1-10, the average rating from CGW graduates was about a 9. Social Abundance One of the primary strengths of CGW is the social element. I’m still impressed by how much CGW alumni are keeping in touch with each other, both online and in person. Week after week I’m seeing CGWers encouraging each other, supporting each oth... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3307133 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:26:39 +0100 3307133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298644&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FqGBfSuyPPi0%2F Have you ever had somebody approach you with a new product or service that seemed to be “Too good to be true?” What was your response? If you are like me, you probably had reservations and probably wondered what the real story was. I’ve been pitched enough faulty products, unworkable MLM businesses, and million dollar get rich schemes, that I am skeptical about anything that seems too easy or doesn’t require much time and effort. Yet… what if someone handed you a cool new product and wanted you to endorse it… would you have enough faith to do it? This is what heavyweight boxer George Foreman faced when his boxing career was coming to an end. A small little kitchen appliance company wanted him to endorse a little two sided electric grill and put his name on it. The company gave... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298644 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:55:13 +0100 3298644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298647&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FDB4mhD6mKB0%2F Image courtesy of WriterInspired I ran in a race over the weekend and re-learned a valuable lesson. During the middle of the run, I turned a corner and faced a long stretch — the kind that doesn’t seem to end. When I started the race, the thought of crossing the finish line motivated me. But when I was half-way through, out of breath and out of energy, visualizing the finish line didn’t provide me with any “umph.” Instead of focusing on success and reaching my goal, I tried to forget all about the finish line and conquering the long stretch ahead. I dropped my head and looked about three steps in front of me. Every three steps became a new “finish line.”  Forget about everything else, I told myself over and over. Focus on just those next three st... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298647 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:02:33 +0100 3298647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294840&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2Fhow-to-order%2F The universe you live in works very much like a popular restaurant. You go in, you decide what you want, you order it, you receive it, and you digest it. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t seem to know how to order. Some are downright inept at it. They walk into this restaurant, behave like complete idiots, and they end up hungry and disappointed. Then they complain about the restaurant and post negative reviews online, despite the fact that the restaurant has received rave reviews from the most experienced food critics. The Universal Restaurant I can’t tell you how many times I encounter people who set goals like, “I want a romantic partner,” or “I want a stable job that pays more money,” or “I want to lose weight.” I’ve heard enough... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294840 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:17:00 +0100 3294840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3280210&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F17%2Fgoals-and-satisfaction-with-pain-management%2F This study does all of this, and the language used and methods described mean it’s easy to see how they arrived at their conclusions. The findings from this study of 86 people who completed all measures showed that goal attainment scaling was a more sensitive measure of satisfaction than outcomes from any other questionnaires (using multiple regression analysis).   Satisfaction with progress was more stronly related to personal functional goal achievement than to more traditional outcome measures including pain, disability, fear-avoidance, lifting, trunk flexibility and treadmill endurance. Why would we worry about patient satisfaction? Good question if you are only worried about getting someone to go through a process and not as interested in what matters to the person you’r... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3280210 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:34:18 +0100 3280210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3269898&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2Fbroadcast-your-desires%2F Do you hide your true desires from the world? Do you pretend you want one thing while silently desiring something else? For example, do you desire a new lover or playmate while giving potential partners the impression that you’d like to date them first? Do you want to be earning a lot more money while broadcasting that you’re satisfied with your current career? Are you making your true desires abundantly clear, or are you holding them inside while broadcasting an entirely different message to the world? Are you engaging in false advertising, either by broadcasting a false desire or by failing to broadcast your true desire? Consequences of broadcasting your desires Don’t just write down a list of goals for yourself. Share your key goals with others. Let your friends and as... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3269898 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:45:49 +0100 3269898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262938&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F0wu5Ruawse8%2F In my last post, I talked about the power of checklists. They work great for checking off items for a trip, a presentation, or a meeting. But what about life in general? Could we come up with a “Success” checklist? If so, what items would be on it? Here are three quick ones that come to mind from my life experience. 1. Savings Plan. Save at least 10% of what you earn. 2. Set Long Term Goals. Write them down and plan action steps to complete them. 3. Faith. For me, faith in God is so very important. Everything else revolves around it. These are three that would be at the top of my list. What about you? What Items would you include on a Success Checklist? (Source: Success Begins Today) Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262938 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:50:08 +0100 3262938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3262942&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FyHaptNANV4E%2F It is already February in the year of 2010. I wonder how many people are still following through their goals or New Year Resolutions? It is sad to say this but most people have already started to put their gym memberships to waste or have stopped following up on their new business plans. Why is it so hard for people to follow through their goals? How do some people stick to their goals no matter what they face while others falter easily in the face of obstacles? There are certainly some things that those who succeed know that others don’t know. Read on and I will share with you the art of following through your goals. The Art Of Following Through 1. The Power Of Certainty Most people set goals that they want to achieve but it is not impossible to achieve your goals when you have doub... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3262942 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:38:12 +0100 3262942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3259300&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F10%2Fbalance-control-passion%2F Yesterday a couple of colleagues were talking about balance in life, and making it plain that they think people who spend a lot of time and energy on their work are sad.  Their opinion? Work is the means to pay for your ‘real’ life, to spend more on working means less on what is really important to them. And musing on this, as I do, I thought about values and what we bring in to pain management and how this influences our practice.  It also started me thinking about the goals and values of the people we see with chronic pain and disability. One way of looking at the distress and disability associated with chronic pain might be to think of it as a result of conflict between what can be done (resources) and both values (what is important) and goals (how I want to express my val... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3259300 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:46:08 +0100 3259300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236137&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2Fhow-you-give-your-power-away%2F One of the themes that repeatedly came up at the last Conscious Growth Workshop was the problem of giving your power away. Instead of focusing on your true desires, you erect false structures in front of your desires and then feed your power to those structures as a delay tactic. Here are some typical scenarios of how people give away their power in different areas of their lives: Relationships Let’s say that your true desire is to be in love. You want a relationship with someone special. You want someone that you can smooch, cuddle, play with, and make love to. You want to be with someone who totally loves you just the way you are. But instead of focusing your power on creating that, here’s what you do instead. You decide that before you can attract a new relationship, you nee... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236137 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:38:13 +0100 3236137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208731&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FoZhOr4d1ob8%2F My journal about my week 2 with the couch to 5k program – a training schedule designed to help you work up gradually to running a 5k marathon. You can read my notes on week 1 here. These are my two week results including feeling more energetic and how I am keeping motivated. You can read my week 1 plan and goal here. Week two went as well as week 1 for me. One difference I’ve noticed is I have had a few nights where I wake up at 3am and can’t get back to sleep. Overall, I feel like I am sleeping lighter. So, my normally groggy mornings are still groggy. But I am hoping once I get into the full 5k mode, I will not have this problem. My wife reports she is feeling better physically. But that the increase in running time wasn’t as easy for her as it was me. I normally ... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208731 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:29:05 +0100 3208731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3185666&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FdU9WmacHjy4%2F I have always been fascinated with the word Success. I have read countless descriptions and definitions of the word, but I have yet to find a description that is all encompassing. Success means different things to different people. In blogging here at Success Begins Today, we have talked about a myriad of things that lead to success, but it is hard to put into words the exact meaning. The dictionary says Success is the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like. Yet those words tend to imply that success is a destination. If that is true, then it begs the question… are we a failure until we reach the destination? I like Authur Ashe’s definition better… Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is ... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3185666 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:43:42 +0100 3185666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182405&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.persistenceunlimited.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fweb-guru-goal%2F Dear Brad, My name is Dusan and I am living in Serbia. My dream is to become IT professional in the field of network and web. I am in college and I learn computer science. My problem is that I learn only the basic of the programs, nothing advanced. And when I read the blogs of IT I can not discuss because i know only the basic. And that’s killing me. Can you help me? What is the  programs that I must learn ADVANCED to become web guru. Web Guru is my favorite word and I want to feel very good when said that. You are right about college teaching only the basics.  But don’t be distressed.  College is a beginning where you get a taste of many different things.  From there you can decide what you like and dislike.  And then you can focus. Computer science is a huge field with m... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182405 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:03:42 +0100 3182405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182406&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.persistenceunlimited.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fcouch-to-5k-running-plan-review%2F Over the past holiday, my wife and I both felt the Spirit though we ate a little bit too much and exercised a little bit to little. So we decided something had to be done. Together we talked about doing the couch to 5K running plan. Which is a “get up and go” start running plan for new runners.  I always read good things about it, so maybe now would be a good time to give it a try. Both my wife and I are in pretty good shape already. We’ve walked consistently – three or more times a week for years.  And normally eat an above average diet in terms of vegetables, etc.   But this past Thanksgiving and Christmas, we got into trouble. Couch to 5k week 1 Our first day out was mostly fun, but cold. Like most of the United States we are in one of the coldest winters we&... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182406 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:57:40 +0100 3182406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3167488&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FWcxjf2A8NVY%2F In weight lifting, many trainers recommend adding enough weight to the bar to get to the point of failure after 10-12 reps. As you progress with your training and your strength increases, the initial weight you have chosen will progressively get easier and easier. At a certain point, you’ll need to add additional weight to maintain your training routine. The same thing works for many of the goals we set. With repetition things get easier. With the New Year upon us, why not take a look at some of your daily routines and see if they have become too easy. If so, why not take them up a notch? Nothing radical… just a notch. Why not… If walking is your goal, walk a little farther If sales is your game, make an additional sales call If writing is your passion, create another paragraph An... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3167488 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:41:05 +0100 3167488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3160005&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F6EVFnMHvu2U%2F With the new year upon us, many people have taken the time to come up with goals or resolutions. We have all been told to write them down and keep them in a place where we can find them. If you have done this, you have taken the first step for success. But here is the rub, if you can’t see them on a regular basis you’ll soon forget them. The key is to put your written goals in a visible place where you will see them during your day. I have two ways that you can do this. 1. Written Goal Cards: The first is to download our Goal Setting Toolkit and print out the template on business card stock. You take the resulting cards and write down your goals. Once you have them on the cards, you can place the cards in easy view at your desk, in the car and anywhere you’ll see them during your day... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3160005 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:04:43 +0100 3160005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139277&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F0e_5idXU_Zo%2F In life, the unexpected often happens. Jobs come to an end, people get sick, and Mother Nature often comes at the worst possible moment. When unexpected things happen, it can effect the best laid plans. That’s why it is important to have “Buffers.” A Buffer is an “extra” that helps take up the slack until things get back to normal. Here are three buffers that you might want to consider for the new year. 1. Income Buffer: With the ups and downs of the economy and a record unemployment rate, many people have found themselves out of a job or taking a pay cut. When something like this happens it is always good to have a “rainy day” account. Best selling author Dave Ramsey, in his insightful book, Total Money Makeover, suggests putting aside three to six months of income into an... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139277 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:23:53 +0100 3139277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139283&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FXgaFYNLhvz4%2F You’re about to read about what I will almost guarantee is THE Biggest goal you’ve come across this week in an Internet drowning in resolutions, goals and good intentions. So if you like wussy resolutions, such as dropping 25lbs, earning an extra $25k or quitting smoking, then you may want to keep right on moving because this is the big leagues brother (or sister). Several times over the last few days I started writing a post about my own personal goals for the coming year, stemming largely round health. You know the kind of stuff; less alcohol, more trips to the gym, more yoga and less red meat etc. Each time I sat down to start the process something (usually dog related) happened to distract me. When I came back and re-read what I had just written I was underwhelmed with not ... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139283 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:20:11 +0100 3139283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139278&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F7sA94V0QigY%2F With the new year upon us it’s time to think about our goals for the next twelve months. Instead of the usual list, I would like to present a different approach to goal setting that may help you be more successful in your pursuit. Here are five simple action steps that you can take today to make your dreams come true. Goal setting should be fun, so find a comfortable quiet place and spend a few minutes and do at least one right now. 1. Set Time Aside: The first step in setting a goal is to design in some time in your coming year when you can actually take action to complete your goal. I suggest you find a block of time during your usual workday that you can set aside for just this purpose. If you are a morning person, find time early in the day. If you like to stay up late at night, ca... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139278 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:59:18 +0100 3139278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3136747&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2F2010-focus%2F Happy New Year! Around this time of year, I like to decide upon a primary focus for the upcoming year. I’ve held to this practice for several years now, and it’s never failed to stimulate major breakthroughs within the area of focus. I like to blog about my annual focus publicly because it helps solidify my commitment, and I’ve also learned that many of my readers enjoy having a preview of things to come. In 2008 my focus was health, and I became a raw foodist that year, which has yielded many benefits. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had so much as a cold now; eating raw certainly does wonders for the immune system. I still eat cooked food on occasion, mainly for social convenience, but I keep returning to raw foods as my default. Although it was a s... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3136747 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:17:25 +0100 3136747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3136737&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FD720qwufK2E%2F “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” Abraham Lincoln Did you know most people screw up the meaning of New Years resolutions? What does resolution really mean?  A resolution means you have resolved to be different. Resolve is a powerful word. It’s not flighty, it’s not a change of mind, or a pathetic try to do something. Resolve means you are NOT going to do something ever again. Or you ARE going to do something whether it kills you.  Resolve is a firm decision to take actions so you’ll never have to live a certain way again. Enslaved people resolve and then fight to be free. Thus a resolution is two things – a passionate declaration and a fight for change. In the case of resolving to quit a bad ... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3136737 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:36:52 +0100 3136737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126822&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FbR34Eva0n64%2F As the year is winding down it’s time to think about goal setting for the new year. I like to set goals and have found that setting HARD or BHAG goals to be much more fulfilling than setting very specific SMART goals. As I have been reading the new book by Mark Murphy, entitled Hundred Percenters, I have come to some simple conclusions about my goal setting ritual. When setting a goal, it needs to be a “Want To” goal. If I make it too specific, it becomes a “Have To” goal. Let me give you an example. I love to blog and interact with an audience. When I sit down at my computer, I usually have a relatively blank slate. But things in the news, other people’s blog posts, and the general feeling of the day usually lead to a post idea rather quickly. But if I set a specific goal to... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126822 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:56:46 +0100 3126822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3111720&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F11-ways-to-gain-clarity%2F I’m sure you’ve read that clarity and focus are important qualities for success. Decide what you want, and then pursue it with passion and energy. But what if you’re feeling uncertain and don’t have a lot of clarity about your future direction? What if you can’t decide what you’d like to do next? This is a common problem, especially for today’s 20-somethings who are growing up in a world of unprecedented change. Fortunately there are many actions you can take and mental adjustments you can make that will help you shift from uncertainty to certainty. Here are 11 tips for infusing your life with more clarity: 1. Assume 100% responsibility for your own level of clarity. Many people assume that clarity is something that will arrive in good time if they... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3111720 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:18:32 +0100 3111720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089611&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2Fsave-100-on-cgw-through-december-15th%2F The $100 early registration discount for the next Conscious Growth Workshop expires at midnight on December 15th. This workshop will be held January 15-17, 2010 at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Dozens of people have already registered, including many return attendees from the previous CGW, so it’s great to know that we’ll have another amazing international group. At the first CGW, about 1/3 of the participants came from outside the USA. Workshop Details All the workshop details can be found on the Conscious Growth Workshop page, including the specific topics we’ll be covering each day. This will be a very holistic workshop, blending high-level ideas with practical application. We’re going to cover career development, money, health, skill building, habits, productivity,... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089611 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:43:11 +0100 3089611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067340&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FEJd7Jh0x-A0%2F Are you goals meaningful to you? Do they instill passion and purpose… or are they just numbers on a page. When you wake up in the morning, do you have a dream, like Dr. Martin Luther King did, or do you just want to go back to bed, dreading the day ahead? Are you goals a masterful picture in your mind, full of color and animated… or do they simply consist of a number on a black and white spreadsheet? Quick… can you tell someone your goal with passion… or do you have to look up the numbers in a written document in a book somewhere? Goals need to be passionate Goals need to serve a purpose Goals need to lead to an awesome destination Or you simply won’t follow them. Goals need to be from the heart! Here are some tools to get you started… (Source: Success Begins Today) Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067340 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:42:24 +0100 3067340 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056638&cid=t_103033_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.euro.who.int%2FDocument%2FE88086.pdf The following post by Karen Nielsen, President of Nielsen & Associates, LLC, is part of Disruptive Women’s “The Value of Health: Creating Economic Security in the Developing World” series. Karen Nielsen has worked in the health care field for over 20 years, predominately focused on collaborative efforts between private and public organizations. Ms. Nielsen consults with industry and non-government organizations (NGOs) to identify and enable public health-centered solutions. A young girl in Africa awakens early to fetch water for her families’ daily needs. She will need to make multiple trips, carrying the largest volume possible to shorten the task. This daily ritual can take 3 hours or more. For these young girls there will be no school, basic necessities of life a... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056638 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:15:53 +0100 3056638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048404&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FlNyVkIGXgbM%2F As we explore the new book by Mark Murphy, entitled Hundred Percenters, it becomes clear that he has a different view of goal setting than many companies and business leaders in today’s economy. While the contemporary view is that you should set S.M.A.R.T goals These are illustrated by being… Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely His view is that you should set H.A.R.D goals With the following definitions… Heartfelt Animated Required Difficult At first glance the major difference that stands out between the two systems is Attainable-Realistic versus Difficult. Attainable-Realistic means uninspiring and status quo. It means doing what is expected. Fill in the blanks performance. Hardly something that is going to make me want to jump out of bed in the morning. It means hitt... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048404 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:22:13 +0100 3048404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3045065&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F3l2GONUzwag%2F This is simply the difference between setting S.M.A.R.T. goals or going out on a huge limb and setting H.A.R.D goals. Yet this may make all the difference in your life. It may give you the needed push to really make a change. It may give you results better than you ever imagined. But you could fail. People might talk. Wow… Are you willing to take the risk? Stay tuned this week as we explore the new book by Mark Murphy, entitled Hundred Percenters. (Source: Success Begins Today) Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3045065 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:26:45 +0100 3045065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008418&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F19%2Fa-model-of-executive-functioning-and-stress-regulation%2F I’m a visual kind of girl, I need to see a diagram to help me conceptualise how the things I’ve been writing about recently all fit together. I’ve been looking at the various aspects of self regulation, emotions and executive functions and how this affects and is affected by stressors, of which chronic pain is certainly one. Drawing again from Williams, Suchy and Rau, i’m going to try to describe how I think their model of executive functioning might influence the way I look at stress regulation in people with chronic pain. This diagram is sort of upside down to me, but anyway, this is how I interpret it. Initially we all have a genetic inheritance, or the genotype we were born with. This influences the way our neurotransmitter systems, brain circuitry, physiology ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008418 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:58:09 +0100 3008418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008419&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F19%2Fstress-the-final-frontier-executive-functions%2F It’s visceral. Stress – hits you in the guts. Some of us cope well, some of us don’t – some of our stress lingers, sometimes it’s just the little things, those ‘daily hassles’ that end up tripping the switch. And I don’t think anyone would disagree that chronic pain is an enormous stressor. Regulating that stress level, or managing it effectively, has to be the main challenge in learning to live alongside chronic pain. Today’s post discusses executive functions (the parts of the brain that carry out self regulation) and stress. Executive function is ‘… a multifaceted construct comprising a number of basic neurocognitive processes, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, response selection, inhibition, initiation, se... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008419 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:02:18 +0100 3008419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999879&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F17%2Fgoing-with-the-flow-emotion-regulation-and-coping%2F I’m in two minds about attempting to regulate emotions. From ACT, and in particular, mindfulness, I’m learning that trying to control emotions and thoughts is darned near impossible – and unhelpful. From the research on the effect of pain on emotions and subsequently on self regulation, goals and coping, it seems that pain strongly influences emotion and that negative emotions in particular, influence the range of coping strategies and goals we choose – and success or failure in turn generates further emotion, and so on. As Hamilton, Karoly and Kitzman say ‘the primary function of pain is to disrupt other ongoing activities and to direct attention toward the cause of injury or the extent of tissue damage’ – of course, in chronic pain, there may no ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999879 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:29:34 +0100 2999879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2996047&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F16%2Ftheories-of-emotion-self-regulation-and-pain%2F Can chronic pain be a force that shapes how we go about responding to challenges within our environments? Does chronic pain influence how we feel emotionally about daily activities that contribute to overall goals, and perhaps negatively bias the way we think about the process of setting and achieving goals? I’ve already concluded that having pain doesn’t mean people can’t do what they want to do, but it certainly makes it harder and less enjoyable.  Today’s post will briefly look at two theories that link emotion, cognition and pain.  Once again, I’m drawing from a paper written by Hamilton, Karoly & Kitzman (2004). These authors refer to two theories – the first being a two-factor model developed by Carver and colleagues in which it is proposed... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2996047 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:35:42 +0100 2996047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2996054&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FN8iI_rAHfvs%2F Carrying debt can make you unhappy.  It ruins relationships, stresses you out and results in what I’d call slavery.  Here’s my manifesto on why debt is bad and what you need to do about it. Almost daily I read about how banks aren’t loaning money to consumers.  I’ve also read how Citibank (and other credit card companies) are shocking customers by implementing punishing interest rates of up to 29.99% to their customers across the board. While touted as major crisis by the media, I think both of these lending roadblocks are good for you and me. How so?  Because both lead to less personal debt.  If the banks aren’t loaning money, then you can’t acquire debt.  If the credit card companies are levying punishing interest rates, then people hopefully wil... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2996054 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:46:18 +0100 2996054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2989429&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F13%2Femotions-and-self-regulation-in-chronic-pain%2F I posted about the reciprocal effect of emotions on goal content and today I want to look a little further into this. A profound statement in the paper by Hamilton, Karoly & Kitzman is this: ‘If emotional well-being influences the selection and the valuation of a particular goal, then it is likely that the relationship between goal content and affective outcomes is mediated in the social context within which a person pursues his or her goals.…Health goals that depend on cooperation from other people … may set the stage for the experience of personal distress.‘ Emphasis is mine. And don’t we see this so often. Not only in people with chronic pain – those who set goals while seeking social validation (warm fuzzies!) and then don’t get that suppor... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2989429 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:36:27 +0100 2989429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981393&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F11%2Fwhat-do-i-do-when-ive-had-enough-the-effect-of-emotions-on-self-regulation-chronic-pain%2F As soon as read the first paragraph of the paper I’ve used as the basis for this post, I knew I was onto something that resonated with my original occupational therapy values. It says this: ‘Living with chronic pain is a balancing act. People with chronic pain are required to make daily decisions about how best to cope with illness-related demands while managing other role-related obligations. Although some people become overwhelmed by the demands of illness and daily life, many, if not most, remain focused and well-adjusted, and do not require the services of a mental health professional. … Why do some redouble their coping efforts following a health set back, whereas others become demoralised?’ I concur with the idea that ‘most remain focused and well-adjust... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981393 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:15:44 +0100 2981393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977601&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F10%2Fself-regulation-what-it-is-and-what-to-do%2F So, if self regulation is about exerting control over thoughts, feelings, actions and physiology, how does it work? When I skipped through some Google references last night (o font of all knowledge!) I found a good number of sites referring to self regulation and children – but not nearly as many relating to adults, or the long-term results of limited self regulation. Curious in our world where kids get to ‘express themselves’ and are protected from disappointment, have few challenges set (especially those where they have to persist with difficult tasks), and don’t need to think about consequences for themselves because parents and teachers do it for them… Hmmmm When I got to reading though, self regulation really is what much of pain management is all about. ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977601 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:34:33 +0100 2977601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2974243&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38613&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stevepavlina.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F11%2Fhow-to-visualize-your-new-reality%2F This is a follow-up to my last video post on Creating Abundance. In this article I’ll share more detail on how to visualize your new reality so that you become a vibrational match for it. This is an area where people make some critical mistakes when trying to manifest their desires. Slide Into Your New Reality Did you ever see the TV show Sliders? In that show a group of four people would “slide” through a portal between dimensions, spending each episode in an alternate version of earth. For example, they might enter a reality where the Nazis won WWII. Or in another reality one of them might be a famous performer. Another TV show that can give you the right idea is Quantum Leap. In that show a man spent each episode in someone else’s body in an alternative time and ... Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2974243 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:07:04 +0100 2974243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2974233&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F09%2Fim-so-tired-of-coping-self-regulation-executive-functions-and-chronic-pain%2F Changes take energy – that’s nothing new, I know, but perhaps something as clinicians we might forget when we work with people who have chronic pain. I was thinking about this as I’ve had a week away from regular blogging so I could focus on writing and some self care.  Things are busy and as we enter the run up to Christmas, not likely to slow down any time soon – and yes, this takes energy! Adjusting to living with a chronic health problem is demanding, it’s complex and requires people to reflect on what is important to them, how to achieve important activities all the while maintaining a sense of self.  Self regulation is a term used to refer to the ability to alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  In chronic pain ‘[the] demands cross biopsychos... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2974233 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:28:43 +0100 2974233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2899225&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2F_0zTwDJaO5s%2F Last night I was trying to start my dishwasher. It was late. I didn’t want to wash dishes by hand. But for some reason, I couldn’t get the machine to start. I went to check the breaker, flipped it back and forth a few times to make sure it was on. Tried the machine again. No luck. Then I considered a half-hearted search for the manual. But knew I probably wouldn’t find it. I thought, it’s probably not gonna be much fun to pay that bill, but on the other hand it’s pretty late at night. I knew I shouldn’t be worrying too much about it, there was nothing I can do. So I went into the other room and started reading a book, thus do nothing. As I read, my thoughts kept drifting back to the dishwasher. I knew the problem was electrical. I continued readi... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2899225 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:27:51 +0100 2899225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2872102&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FJ9ycI2qHBUk%2F Right now, how many goals do you have? How many big projects and ventures are you involved with? Whether they’re related to your career, your family, your community activities or your personal life, have a quick think through them. If you’re like most people, chances are you have too many goals – and you’re not going to see as much success as you’d like. In general, the fewer goals you have at any one time, the more likely you are to succeed in meeting them all. Limit Your Goals – Don’t Limit Your Potential Most of us have been through times when we’ve tried to do it all at once. Sometimes, this actually works: a health scare encourages us to turn our life around – everything from our eating habits to our career. (Jonathan Fields shares his story i... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2872102 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:33:34 +0100 2872102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2804255&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F17%2Fgoal-setting-again%2F This post is most definitely an opinion piece, because once again I’m struggling with the practicalities of goal setting with people experiencing chronic pain. There is no doubt at all that goal setting is an integral part of pain management – it’s designed to focus the input, make sure the underlying reasons for using pain management are relevant to the person, and it helps the person monitor their own progress (not to mention help the therapists measure outcomes!). The problems are that goal setting is a really complex activity, and to make goals patient-centred rather than therapist-driven involves time, and great communication skills. Here are some of my observations about what makes goal setting difficult, at least in my experience in pain management: many patients ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2804255 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:27:21 +0100 2804255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2772738&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FwRkVgDlXwCM%2F Today I visited a farm with my family. They had goats, sheep, guineas, chickens, peacocks and turkeys to name a few. It was a relaxing tour. But it also reminded me about a time when things were simpler. As someone born in Topeka, Kansas the farm is not alien to me. Although I never lived on one, some of my extended family members did. My grandfather’s neighbor grew potatoes and I’d often go help dig them to pass the time. I’d visit my other grandparents where we’d drive out to the farm and return with ‘bushels’ of corn, peaches and snap beans. Regrettably, I still don’t know what a bushel is. But what is clear about the old way of farming is the work was clear. You shucked corn until every ear clean. You dug potatoes until there are none left to ... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2772738 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:57:11 +0100 2772738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752238&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FoMFe3MJl4v4%2F My sister-in-law was visiting my wife  just a few weeks ago and she mentioned to us a project that she was considering.  She was planning on starting a new club at Louisiana State University (LSU), which is the college she is attending.  She asked us for our opinion on her new project. After listening to her ideas concerning the project, I told her that the project sounded like an excellent idea, I also let her know that we would support her in everyway possible!  Lastly, I cautioned her of three common roadblocks to success.  I said, if you can overcome these three roadblocks, you will be well on your way. The following three roadblocks show up any time you decide to accomplish a major task; you should expect these roadblocks and overcome them.  These roadblocks progress from consid... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752238 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:24:15 +0100 2752238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741427&cid=t_103033_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F28%2Fself-esteem-the-great-weight-debate-acceptance-v-diet%2F Here’s the thing. There are people out there who hate their body for what it is. A lot of overweight people judge themselves in a way they would never judge anyone else. When we get like this, every ounce of our self-esteem is wrapped up in what the scale says. Our lives are measured by pounds lost and gained from day to day, week to week, month to month. At its worst, this way of thinking can lead to a serious, life-threatening eating disorder. But even at its best, self-esteem/weight dependency is not good. Yes, I struggle with being overweight, but I try not to hate myself for it. I am grateful for my body. It’s worked hard to keep me healthy over the years through all my relapses and dealings with chronic illness. God made us the stewards of the earth and our bodies. It&#82... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741427 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:51:45 +0100 2741427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709429&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2F2R75lxX_0jw%2F Image courtesy of Krystal ‘Kito’ Cunningham Yippee! It’s Monday. I am dying to get started with this exciting week. Do you utter these words while making your way out of the bed on Monday mornings? Do you jump out of bed every morning in the state of excitement? If your answer to this is “ Yes” then let me tell you that you are already living a life full of passion. But if you are like most of us who are sleepwalking through life your answer to this would be “No! I would prefer to stay in the state of slumber. My dream world is far more alluring than my real world.” We all go through life dealing with mundane matters. There are times when we feel that there is something missing in life, that there is something more to life. We might even try to dismiss this feeling of... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709429 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:59:33 +0100 2709429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2699918&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FsPUB6hg6vic%2F It’s common for people with big goals to get frustrated, maybe even angry they aren’t going as fast as we’d like them to go. Yesterday, I had an opportunity to discuss this with a friend. He was mad that he didn’t burn enough calories during his workout plan – his goal is to get in shape. First, I asked “What commitment did you make to yourself?”  He said that he hadn’t really made a commitment except that he wanted to get in shape. It may seem like an argument of semantics, but I disagree.  He did make a commitment to take action.  But he may not have been entirely conscious of the commitment. It may have been as simple as “I’ll exercise every day for 30 minutes.”  Otherwise, what is there to be angry about? Let me give... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2699918 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:03:28 +0100 2699918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2695661&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F13%2Fgoals-goals-goals%2F Today I had the challenge of working with a new group of participants in the Pain Management Programme. They’re with us for three weeks, and at the beginning of this time I say to them that if their lives are no different six months from then, it’s not worthwhile attending. Usually they’ll all nod happily in agreement, and I think to myself ‘good, now let’s get on and work out what they want to be different’. After we’ve worked our way through ‘get rid of my pain’ (and I make the quip about the magic wand in my office that’s a self management wand made of plastic), we start to work on goals. My first step is to ask people to go through a list of possible areas that people with pain often want to focus on – things like learni... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2695661 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:33:47 +0100 2695661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688943&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F11%2Fhow-do-you-decide-when-to-stop-doing-something%2F This study by Karsdorp and colleagues, based at the Maastricht University, The Netherlands, manipulates mood and stop rules on task performance. Participants were people with upper limb pain, and were asked to carry out two physical tasks consisting of moving a weighted handle – one with their painful upper limb, and one with their nonpainful lower limb. Just prior to carrying out this task, pariticpants were asked to remember and give a detailed description of a positive or a negative event they had experienced in their life. Their experience was heightened by the interviewer asking for emotion-laden comments and descriptions, and lighting and music were also used to augment emotions. The stop rules were (1) ‘perform the task and ask yourself ‘have I made as many movemen... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688943 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:00:08 +0100 2688943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688953&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2Fz0BHr8FYJWY%2F In many situations in life – especially within a company or within a family – co-operation is a much more powerful principle than competition. We all have a competitive instinct or drive, though, and many games make the most of this to ramp up the level of fun, excitement and involvement. (Sports, multi-player computer games, and board games all have “winners” and “losers”.) As well as enjoying being competitive in game and play situations, we can use our natural competitive bent to give ourselves an edge when we’re trying to make gains in our personal life. I’m going to give just three examples, but I’m sure you can come up with more areas of your life to apply this to (let’s hear them in the comments!) Eating More Healthily Perhaps you and your partner, or you and you... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688953 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:50:46 +0100 2688953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678684&cid=t_103033_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F06%2F8-tools-for-happiness-gretchen-rubins-happiness-project-toolbox%2F As someone who suffers from manic-depression, I have a box of tools that I use to help me stay on the path of recovery and get as far away as possible from the black hole of despair. However, they are not all that different from the eight tools that blogger/author Gretchen Rubin uses in her happiness project. Now Gretchen offers a website, The Happiness Project Toolbox, where she helps you tailor the tools to your own life and, in the process, see what others have to say about them. Her site, the Happiness Project Toolbox, offers eight free tools. Like James Bishop’s Optimism Software, Gretchen’s tools help you become an active participant in your recovery, transferring some of the accountability for serenity to you. And because they involve you in the path to peace, you come ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678684 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:47:48 +0100 2678684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2657926&cid=t_103033_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F31%2Fseeing-people-progress%2F A quick post this morning before I search for some Friday funnies! I saw a few patients this week after having had just over a fortnight off work – and you know how sometimes working in pain management can seem unrewarding, progress can be incredibly slow, one step forward, two sideways… Well here are some progress reports from some of the people I’ve been seeing (names and details changed to protect identities). Hypnosis for intermittent phantom pain First up is a man with a 10 year history of below knee amputation. He wears a prosthesis, is fit and active, and until late last year was working full time. Over the latter half of last year he developed intermittent severe stabbing phantom pain (prior to this he had phantom sensation with some stump pain but never phantom p... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2657926 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:39:40 +0100 2657926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678904&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2FPFZm0BhaNpY%2F I was pondering some goal setting stuff for ‘How To Be Rich and Happy’ this week when it dawned on me that I hadn’t really spent much time explaining goal setting here. Yes I demonstrated the structure of the SMARTER method of goal setting that I use with some clients, but not really tied in the stuff that goes round it. Knowing how to write a goal without knowing how to set it up and implement it, is a bit like knowing how to make the worlds greatest hamburger without access to any utensils, a kitchen or even a cow. It may sound great in theory, but long-term culinary satisfaction is doubtful. The approach I am going to take is a big goal. If you have a goal of losing 5lbs, gaining 100 blog subscribers or getting to the end of the week without punching  your boss, then this will be... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678904 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:04:24 +0100 2678904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2591739&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FyPafO1HjC_E%2F Persistence unlimited turns 4 years old today. It is almost hard to believe we’ve been on the internet for 4 years now.. Here is a link to the original post that kicked it all off. After that, there have been some good times and not so good. But it’s been an adventure either way! I really appreciate everyone who’s been reading for all these years. Photo by Velo Steve (Source: Persistence Unlimited) Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2591739 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:56:59 +0100 2591739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2571316&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2F3RuwesrWtCQ%2F I got a question on twitter today about how to set a daily goal. It’s a good question. Some of my short-term growth goals are a month-long. So a daily goal is almost alien to me. However the question reminded me having a daily goal is important. I have gotten so accustomed to the way I handle my goals and tasks.  I tend to not think of a daily goal but a #1 priority task. So what I am getting at is that whether you call it a daily goal for a top-task isn’t important.   But choosing what you want to accomplish each day is critical. How to Choose Your Daily Goal I recommend picking your goal based on what you want in the future. If your goal is something big like to save up for a new house… okay.  There is a goal you can do today to make that happen.  Maybe your goal mi... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2571316 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:38:52 +0100 2571316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2556406&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAchieveIt%2F%7E3%2FcGhZbdf1Xl8%2F Seems every time there is a recession, I hear some knucklehead pronouncing that rich people will come to the common mans’ rescue. On the bus the other night I heard a guy loudly pronouncing how Warren Buffet and friends will take heart and donate $2.5 million to every household. These donations would end the recession and everyone would live happily ever after. Isn’t that sweet? What insanity. Back in 1998 I had a similar conversation with a coworker who believed Bill Gates would write a check for $50,000 to every American family. After all, Bill Gates could do that. So he would. Like a chain letter gone bad, this co-worker was counting on it. I know it can sometimes be fun to dream about windfalls like this. But smart people should never count on them. When dreaming about y... Persistence Unlimited blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2556406 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:40:45 +0100 2556406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2515316&cid=t_103033_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2FXnYezMryI44%2F In today’s troubled economy it is easy to get sidetracked on longer term goals. The financial and time commitments of worthy aspirations such as an advanced degree, new business, or job certification are often put by the wayside as reality creeps in. I work in a K-12 educational environment in Southern California. The state budget crunch has made things difficult for many people in education. Programs are slashed and continuing education programs have mostly been eliminated. It’s easy to hunker down and put dreams and aspirations on hold. Yet in reality, this may actually be the best time to improve your skills, revise your resume, and set a path to the future. After all, if your competition for that job promotion or business start is now in a holding pattern, it opens many do... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2515316 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:12:23 +0100 2515316