Heart Disease remains the number one cause of death in the U.S. among both men and women. Part of the problem is it is truly a silent killer. There are few warning signs of a heart attack and the signs that are there dont necessarily make us feel bad. The good news is there are many lifestyle changes you can make to significantly decrease your risk of heart disease. Here are 9 simple steps to make over your diet for heart health.
1. Use the right fats: The good fats are found to preserve HDL (protective cholesterol) and lower LDL (Bad Cholesterol) levels. The good fats are found in foods such as olive, canola, and peanut oils as well as nuts, avocados and olives.
2. Decrease the Saturated Fats: These fats tend to increase the cholesterol made by your body. They can increase your total and LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as dairy, poultry (especially the skin), meats, butter and cream based sauces and dressings. It is not necessary to omit these foods, just choose leaner options and have the higher fat foods once in awhile.
3. Remove all Trans Fats from your pantry! : Trans Fats are oils that have been hardened by the hydrogenation process, such as stick margarine and shortening used to make commercial baked goods, chips, and fast foods. Like saturated fats, these fats increase total blood cholesterol and LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels and may even lower HDL (Good) cholesterol levels. Food labels will be required to list the amount of Trans fats in a food product by 2006. Until then, if the ingredient list on the food label includes the term hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated, it contains Trans Fats. Avoid these products!
4. Increase Your Fiber! : Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood by binding to cholesterol in the intestine so it cannot be absorbed by the body. Good food sources of soluble fiber include beans and legumes, oranges, apples, prunes, broccoli, carrots, oat bran, oatmeal, and some cereals. Use whole grain products in place of their white counterparts. Eat at least 20-40 grams of fiber a day. (Most Americans only eat around 12 grams of fiber a day.)
5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids every day: Omega-3 Fatty Acids are essential fatty acids meaning we have to get them from our diet. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of blood clotting, decrease inflammation, lower triglyceride levels, normalize heart rhythms and improve the immune system. Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids daily may reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death by 50-70%. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in: fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, lake trout, halibut, and sardines. Other sources include ground flax seeds, soybeans, canola oil, and walnuts.
6. Five To Eight Fruits and Vegetables a day: Eating fruits and vegetables can help to decrease your risk of heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and can help to lower blood pressure. Fruits and Vegetables are loaded in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. The more fruits and veggies you eat, the more antioxidant activity in your body.
How do antioxidants work? Every day we are exposed to free radicals from our diets, sun, chemical exposure, pollution, etc. These free radicals promote the plaque build up in our arteries leading us to increased risk of heart disease. Antioxidants work by neutralizing these free radicals before they can cause damage to our bodies.
7. Folic Acid: High levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood have been associated with damage to the blood-vessel walls, increased blood clotting, and overall increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Folate is a B vitamin which has been shown to decrease these homocysteine levels in the blood. Good food sources of Folate include green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, beet greens, and chard as well as legumes, asparagus, broccoli, oranges, orange juice, whole and fortified grains, walnuts and peanuts.
8. Add some almonds! Studies show that eating an ounce of almonds a day can help to lower your cholesterol. A matter of fact, a recent study published in Journal of the American Medical Association found that eating a diet that included plant sterol margarine (such as Benecol or ProActiv), soy products, almonds and increase fiber was able to lower cholesterol levels as much as the statin drugs and in just 2 weeks time! Have an ounce of almonds as a snack, or sprinkle them in your cereal or salad.
9. Have a little soy: Soy has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels.
Using soy on a weekly basis is a great step towards protecting your heart. If you are not a tofu fan, try soy milk or yogurt, garden burgers, edamme (soy beans), or soy sausage patties. There are all kinds of ways to include soy in your diet!
Sample Heart Healthy Meal Makeover:
Sample day
Before:
Breakfast:
- glass of orange juice
- 2 fried eggs
- 3 slices of bacon
- 2 slices white bread with 3 tsp butter
Lunch:
- roast beef sandwich on white bread
- potato chips
Snack:
- 1 cup Cheez It crackers
Dinner:
- fried fish strips
- 1 cup mashed potatoes cooked w/whole milk and butter
- cup corn
Diet make over:
Breakfast:
-glass of calcium fortified orange juice
- scrambled egg beaters
- 1-2 slices of whole grain bread with 1-2 tsp Benocol or
ProActive spread
- 1-2 slices soy bacon or sausage links
Lunch:
- turkey, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich
- 1 cup vegetable soup
- 8 oz vanilla non-fat yogurt with 1/3 cup of berries added
Snack:
1 ounce almonds
Dinner:
- 3 ounces baked or broiled salmon
- cup broiled red potatoes with olive oil
- cup broccoli
- 1-2 cups of salad with cut up pears and toasted walnuts with 1TB olive oil vinaigrette salad dressing
Results:
Day 1 = 2300 calories and 114 grams fat; 98 grams sat fat; 45% calories from fat
Day 2 = 1800 calories and 58 grams fat; 14 grams sat fat; 29% calories from fat.
Making small changes can go a long way to improve your heart health! What changes can you start making?
© Meri Raffetto, 2005
About the Author
Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She has developed two online weight management programs, The Mini Diet Makeover and The Ultimate Diet Makeover, which focus on a healthy, non-diet approach to weight loss. For more information or to sign up for our free newsletter, visit http://www.reallivingnutrition.com
Rhinoplasty, commonly called a nose job, is a type of cosmetic surgery designed to repair or reshape the nose. As one of the most prominent features on your face, your nose has a large bearing on your appearance and can impact how you feel about yourself. Individuals who are displeased with the size or shape of the nose can benefit from rhinoplasty because of the opportunity it offers to completely alter the appearance of the nose. Rhinoplasty has the ability to increase or reduce the size of the nose in its entirety, removing a bump, altering the shape of the bridge or the tip of your nose, narrowing the nostril openings, and modifying the angle between your nose and your lips.
Rhinoplasty cannot be successfully performed until the nose has stabilized and nasal bone has stopped growing. This typically occurs around age 14 to 15 in girls and age 15 to 16 in boys. Any surgery performed before this point runs the risk of having to be redone once nasal growth has ceased, since the nose has the potential to continue to change and develop until that point. Rhinoplasty is occasionally performed on younger children in the case of severe trauma to the face, so that the nose can be restored as close as possible to its original shape and size.
Most rhinoplasty procedures are performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. There are exceptions to this rule, though. Patients undergoing severe reconstructive surgery may be monitored overnight to ensure that no complications arise. Individuals seeking to have their nose “set” after a bad break will occasionally receive local anesthetic only.
During the procedure the cosmetic surgeon makes an incision either inside the nostrils or through the columella, the external strip of tissue that separates the nostrils. The skin is then separated away from the framework of the nose itself so the doctor can access the underlying cartilage. In order to reshape the nose, the soft flexible cartilage and bone are manipulated into the proper position and shape. Depending on the desired results, tissue may be removed or added to change the angle or contour of the nose. A chisel or file may be used during the procedure, most frequently to remove a hump from the bridge of the nose. Once the nose has been sculpted into the desired shape, the skin is resituated and the nose is splinted to protect it. Nasal pads may be used for the first few days following the surgery to pack the nose and protect the delicate septum.
Rhinoplasty, as with all other surgeries, is not risk-free. In addition to the standard bruising and swelling, patients should be aware of a number of potential side-effects that could result from the procedure. These include an infection of the nose, nosebleeds, numbness, scarring, and a reaction to the anesthesia. Some patients report the bursting of small blood vessels on the surface of the skin and hematomas, or collections of blood that pool under the skin. The possibility also exists that a follow-up procedure will be necessary in order to remedy an over-correction or under-correction of the nose.
When successfully performed by a highly-qualified surgeon, rhinoplasty can dramatically improve the appearance of your nose and improve your self-confidence. If you are considering rhinoplasty and would like more information about this procedure, contact a reputable cosmetic surgeon in your area and arrange for a personal consultation.
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.
Don’t write, rewrite
The old axiom “throw away the first draft” is one hundred percent spot on. What the axiom is really saying is split creative from critical thinking.
a) Creative thinking and critical thinking are two separate and distinct processes. The idea is to first produce, then edit.
b) Creative thinking is daring, uninhibited, free-spirited, imaginative, unpredictable and revolutionary. The use of creative thinking fills out the pages of the first novel or screenplay. It creates an idea pool full of a variety of ideas, diverse ideas and novel ideas.
c) Critical thinking is reductive, logical, focused, conservative, practical and feasible. That first draft screenplay is now refined by cutting, pasting and rewriting. That idea pool is looked over by a number of people with the required competencies to select the most valuable ideas.
One the most valuable ideas are selected, they go into development, where the BEST ideas are chosen. The Economist (2003b) states that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes for new products. And four such development programmes are the minimum needed to stand any chance of getting one winner.
These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/
You cannot create a photograph without using light. Light paints the image. Light gives the image depth and movement. It can also ruin an image.
The amount of light that creates the image is important. That is why we have different shutter speed and aperture variables - too much light causes over exposure: underexposure is the result of too little light.
But other factors are important too. Where is the light coming from? If from behind the subject you could create a silhouette. If from the front, the subject could appear flat and washed out and human subjects may have to squint.
Angled lighting gives depth and shadow detail. Great for texture and a 3D effect.
Flash can give a harsh rendition to the subject - almost bleached sometimes and the amount of light may need altering (if your camera has flash exposure compensation, use that).
Morning sunlight is rich and orange and casts long shadows. The same goes for the end of the day. Midday light is intense and harsh and not very flattering. Moonlight is soft and romantic.
Diffusing the light - for example using netted curtains at the window or a cloth over flash, gives a more romantic and softer effect and the use of coloured gels or filters can make a normal subject appear unusual and exciting.
Whatever light you have, you need to use it to its potential to get the best images
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, when I was first starting out as an apprentice engineer, I was told to sit next to Jack.
Jack was the longest serving Draughtsman in the organisation and he was one of the most lazy people I have ever met. However, I earned something very important from Jack…
Jack gave me a small project to prepare a technical drawing of a simple part for a machine. I can’t remember what the machine was but I made a mess of my first attempt and hurriedly tried to rub it out before anyone spotted my mistake.
“Listen to me lad” says Jack, “just you remember that you get paid just as much to rub out as you do to draw in the first place, so don’t you be frightened to make a few mistakes.”
What a relevation! I had just left school, where the philosophy was very much about getting all your answers right, it was about high marks and passing exams. And, now here I was being told that making mistakes was OK, it was acceptable to mess up from time to time.
During my entire business life I have never forgotten that lesson. I have learned far more from my mistakes than I ever could from my successes. Knowing that you have permission to get things wrong means that you can try alternatives you can test different approaches.
How else can we make progress, how else can we improve our skills, knowledge and experince?
What is it that sets the successful online entrepreneur apart from everyone else? The answer is really very simple, they keep testing new ideas, alternatives, different approaches.
The truly successful online entrepreneur is willing to take risks. But their risks are measured and the results are evaluated and they will embrace improvement then seek even more.
Just like every successful athlete, they record their performance, they seek ways of gaining another small advantage. But every small incremental improvement contributes to their record breaking performance.
What have you tried to improve today, this week, or even this month? Are you happy with your sales conversion rate? Are you signing up as many new subscribers as you would like? Is your Pay Per Click campaign achieving the highest level of click throughs?
Thanks to Jack, my technical drawing ability improved leaps and bounds because I wasn’t limited by my fear of failure. Everyday I look for opportunities to test and tweak some part of my sales process to improve my profitability.
My next test on my http://www.test-and-track.com web site will be a price increase. My eBook is currently priced at only $34.97 and I am going to put the price up to see if my sales volume drops. I hope you are reading this in time to grab a bargain!
Copyright 2004 John Taylor
About The Author
John Taylor is the author of “Learn over Twenty ways To Improve Your Conversion Rate and Multiply Your Profits” - A Special Report that contains a wealth of information on professional testing and tracking techniques that can boost your conversion rate and generate increased profits. To learn how testing and tracking can boost your profits click this link now: http://www.test-and-track.com
Acid Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common disease which affects approximately 5-7% of the population. It occurs when acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus, a long, thin, muscular tube, which connects the mouth and the stomach. This often causes a constant burning sensation behind the breastbone, which is commonly known as heartburn. Long-term or persistent heartburn should be evaluated by a doctor, as heartburn can imitate the symptoms of heart disease.
Once you have been properly diagnosed as having Acid Reflux Disease, there are a variety of treatment options available to you. Many doctors recommend over the counter medications, developed to reduce stomach acid, such as antacids or prokinetic agents. Some patients who are unable to control their symptoms with non-prescription medication may either choose prescription antacids or surgery, or opt for a combination of the two.
There are other options available, however, to help you manage your symptoms. Many patients are able to control their disease by simply by making lifestyle changes. Here are a few tips, to get you started.
Probably the most important lifestyle change that you could make to help you manage your GERD symptoms is the simplest- avoid the foods and drinks that make you uncomfortable! While this may sound like common sense, many sufferers find it difficult to make dietary changes. Try replacing fatty, deep-fried foods with healthier options, such as tasty summer salads and steamed vegetables. You should also try to limit your intake of caffeinated beverages, as caffeine is a known contributor to GERD, so opt for decaf teas and coffees instead.
Stress reduction is also key to the management of acid reflux disease. The body manufactures more stomach acid when under stress, so it is important to learn to relax. Meditation is a very useful tool for effectively reducing stress levels, so incorporating one or two short meditation sessions into each day can help you to relax. Likewise, yoga is also recommended as being an effective way to manage stress, so try to find a class near you.
By incorporating simple changes into your life, you can not only better manage your GERD symptoms, but also enhance the overall quality of your life.
Carl Spanier is the founder of Acid Reflux Causes a website that allows consumers
to quickly and easily get acid reflux
information.
Most diseases of the human body are caused by auto-intoxication or self-poisoning. The flesh of animals increases the burden of the organs of elimination and overloads the system with animal waste matter and poisons. Chemical analysis has proved that uric acid and other uremic poisons contained in the animal body are almost identical to caffeine, nicotine, the poisonous stimulating principles of coffee, tea, and tobacco.
This explains why meat stimulates the animal
passions and creates a craving for liquor, tobacco, and other stronger stimulants. Excessive uric
acid resulting from meat-eating also causes diseases such as rheumatism, Bright’s disease,
kidney stones, gout, and gall stones. Meat proteins cause putrefaction twice as rapidly as do
vegetable proteins. The morbid matter of the dead animal body is foreign and uncongenial to the
excretory organs of man. It is much harder for them to eliminate the waste matter of an animal
carcass than that of the human body. Moreover, the formation of ptomains or corpse poisons
begins immediately after the death of the animal and meat and poultry are usually kept in cold
storage for many days and even months before they reach the kitchen.
Another powerful influence tends to poison the flesh of slaughtered animals. As is well known,
emotions of worry, fear and anger actually poison blood and tissues. Imagine the excitable
condition of animals after many days of travel, closely packed in shaking vehicles - hungry,
thirsty, scared enroute to the slaughter -houses. Many die even before the end of their journey.
Others are driven half dead with fear and exhaustion to the slaughter pans, their instinctive fear
of death augmented by the sight and odour of the blood shambles.
Flesh is often a carrier of disease germs. Diseases of many kinds are on the increase in the
animals, making flesh foods more and more unsafe.
People are continually eating flesh that may
contain tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Often animals are taken to the market and sold for
food when they are so diseased that their owners do not wish to keep them any longer. And
some of the processes of fattening them to increase their weight and consequently their market
value, produce disease. Shut away from light and pure air, breathing the atmosphere of filthy
stables, perhaps fattening on decaying foods, the entire body now becomes contaminated with
foul matter.
To learn more about the energy principle in healing, please read:
Cost-free Miracle Asthma Cure
Overcome Type I Diabetes and Type II Diabetes Naturally
Alternative Treatments for Incurable Diseases made easy
Getting a personal coach can be the single most important decision in a person’s life. For many, it’s like having a second chance at growing up — except they get to choose their teachers this time.
But how do you make such a choice? How do you know who will best serve you as a personal coach? Accreditation? Degrees? Gender? Age? Location?
My suggestion is this: Perspective. Let me give you an example about perspective from the world of psychology.
Somewhere during my undergrad Psychology training, I became acutely aware that my Cognitive Psychology professor thought such and such was due to X, while my Neuro-Psychology professor thought the same such and such was due to Y. Each had good reasons for what they thought. But they both couldn’t be right. Could they?
I asked my Cognitive Psych prof about the discrepancies I was noticing from prof to prof, wondering what to think about it as a student of Psychology. He boiled it all down to perspective by saying:
1. Psychologists, like all people, try to make sense of life.
2. Different psychological perspectives make sense of life in different ways (e.g., Cognitive Psych is thought-based, Behavioral Psych is conditioning-based, Social Psych is relationally-based, etc.).
3. When psychology students decide how they’ll make sense of life, they look at all the different psychological perspectives available, and then pick whichever one seems to make the most sense to them.
If points #1 and #2 seem solid and practical to you, while point #3 seems kind of weak and impractical (if not downright flimsy), then you’re not alone. That’s exactly how I felt when I first heard it. You just pick whichever perspective seems to make the most sense? Is that really how you make sense of the world?
But as time passed, and as I took more courses from more profs across different psychological perspectives, I realized my Cognitive Psychology prof was right. Each perspective has its own way of making sense of life. And not only that, I also realized that this “perspective thing” didn’t just apply to psychology.
I started realizing that people were approaching every aspect of life from different perspectives. Yes, I already understood that not everybody thought the same thing, but perspective goes deeper than that.
Each perspective on life (or subset of life, such as politics, religion, sex, marriage, etc.) acts as a model for making sense of life. Each perspective comes with its terminology, its rules, its methods, its advocates, its bumper stickers.
And when we, as students of life, decide how we’ll make sense of life, we look at all the different perspectives available, and then pick whichever one seems to make the most sense to us.
Or at least that’s how it would work best. Which brings us back to getting a personal coach. When we find our perspective on life, or on a subset of life, no longer seems to make the most sense to us, that’s the time a personal coach can be of great benefit.
The personal coach can stand outside your perspective in order to help you make the transition to a new perspective. That much is clear. But the question we began with was how do you choose which personal coach to go with.
And my suggestion, again, is perspective. Do all you can to find out the perspective of the coach in question. As mentioned, we’re all making sense of life through different perspectives. No two coaches have the same perspective. No two counselors have the same perspective. No two therapists have the same perspective.
Some coaches might tell you it doesn’t matter what their perspective is, that they’ll simply help you get where you want to go. They may help you get where you want to go, but their perspective will determine the way they go about doing that.
Some coaches might tell you they don’t have a perspective, meaning they don’t adhere to any formally recognized school of training, thought or belief. They may not have a formal perspective, but they have a perspective. And you can find out what it is by asking them about their personal background, their heroes, their values, pretty much anything.
Again, perspective colors all other aspects of life, so look at everything you can see about a coach, then ask yourself what it tells you about their perspective.
Remember, coaches try to make sense of life. Each coach makes sense of life through a different perspective. Your job is to look at all the different perspectives represented by the coaches available to you, and then pick whichever one seems to make the most sense to you.
Once you’ve found a coach with a perspective that makes sense to you, you can expect to see yourself taking on that same perspective, or your personal version of it anyway. And since your personal perspective will shape your life, taking the time to investigate your personal coach’s perspective first is well worth the effort.
Copyright (c) Grant Pasay 2005. All rights reserved.
You may forward this article in its entirety (including author bio/links) to anyone you wish.
Grant Pasay is a professional website copywriter, advertising copywriter, and SEO copywriter serving clients in Vancouver, BC and everywhere. Grant is also the author of the FREE e-book, “The Internet Is Like A Refrigerator.”
For copy that captures your business message without any of the hassle, go to http://grantpasay.com/
Check out Grant’s FREE e-book at http://grantpasay.com/refrigerator/
Mad Cow NOT Bad Cow!
I don’t know which of the biggest headlines are being read right
now… Mad Cow or New Diets for a New Year (but I have my
suspicions!).
HOWEVER ~ let’s look a little further at REAL statistics… and do a little “common sense” comparison here… (by the way, common sense seems to have disappeared completely in this great land of ours)!
We look at the number of deaths in the all-out Mad Cow “epidemic”, if you will, in Britain… number of deaths connected to it… approximately 130. Shall we just mention here the
deaths that we are suffering RIGHT NOW from diabetes and obesity?
So… let’s have a little closer look at that big animal in those green fields, contently chewing his cud and rolling those big, brown eyes…
Some of you will get to this part of this article and toss it… so have a nice day! Some others of you will be curious and continue to read…
How much do you know about our friend “the cow”? I’ll bet not
much except that you prefer rib eye steak over NY Strip and that you buy hamburger when it is on sale and, and, and…
Do you know the nutritional value that the “cow” brings to us? In addition to proteins, iron, zinc and vitamins B6 and B12, beef contains omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for life and
gives us strong protection and immunities from vascular diseases!
Our friends, the cows, were designed to eat grasses and grains that were also designed for our diets!
HOWEVER ~ our Creator made the COW very special! What do you know about a cow’s stomach?
Did you know that a cow’s stomach contains four rumination pouches that secrete many kinds of bacteria in digesting the grasses and grains that a cow eats?
You say, “who cares”?
Well, let me tell you that we should care and why… these bacteria in the digestion process in the cow are competing during the process for nutrients, nutrients, nutrients! In this miraculous process harmful bacteria is crowded out… parasites are destroyed… viruses are obliterated… and nasty toxins are literally knocked
out BEFORE they reach the very flesh of the COW!
The awesome design of the digestive system of the cow brings to
us “flesh with purified nutrients”!
In turn, our consumption of COWS that have been range-fed, organic and chemical free protect us from harmful effects of triglycerides and cholesterol!
Now I am REALLY going to lose some readers… as most of us know, in nutrition, meats are great sources of complete protein. However, because hormones, antibiotics and pesticides enter the picture of raising beef the Great Design of the Creator is
altered. This is NOT the way it was meant to be.
My message to you: Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!
I found a great quote from What the Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell, MD, that I would like to share with you:
“Maybe it’s time to get off our rump roast and eat more of everything God created for food.” ~ Rex Russell, MD
Jan McCracken
http://lowcarbcookin.com
Author, Low Carb Christmas Cookin’
COMING SOON: Low Carb Everyday Cookin’
jan@lowcarbcookin.com
Jan McCracken is author and self-publisher of 39 gift books and cookbooks. Born in the Midwest and former owner/innkeeper of a country bed and breakfast in Branson, MO, she has been cooking since she was 17 years old (she won’t tell us how many years that is)!
Jan has been living the low carb lifestyle for 8 years. Her
long-term goal is helping people understand that food is truly
the great medicine, prevention and healer of disease.
Article Title: How to Jump for Joy after Joy Leaves Your Party
Author Name: Doug C. Grant Contact Email Address: doug @dougcgrant.com Word Count: 873
Category: Motivational/Inspirational Copyright Date: 2002
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Publishing Guidelines: Thank you for publishing this article in its
entirety including the resource box. When possible, please notify me
of publication by sending either a website link or a copy of your
ezine upon publication via email to doug@dougcgrant.com
————————————-
HOW TO JUMP FOR JOY AFTER JOY LEAVES YOUR PARTY
By Doug C. Grant
Ever hear this one?
“Man…this growing older stuff is the pits. Teeny bobbers own the world. I mean you ever see an ancient of days hustling soft drinks or flashy cars on TV? No way. Once you get past ‘young’ you might as well hang it up. Joy is over.”
Yeah, I know. You don’t believe that. You don’t ever want to believe that. And there’s no reason why you should. But you may well have to perform a constant tune-up on yourself once you start losing speed. Otherwise, you could find yourself permanently parked in the pits.
It’s a sneaky business. Every year you end up doing more things for the last time and fewer things for the first time. One day, you wake up and find that joy has left your party.
Here’s an exercise that will help you recover some of the joy of life.
Consider for a moment that you have been given an opportunity to roll the years back to age 20. Not only does your youth return but with it comes a fat unending bank account. Pretty nice, huh?
But don’t waste the opportunity. On a sheet of paper, list the things you would like to do or learn now that you’re young and rich. Remember, neither age nor money is a problem. Start writing.
Would you like to learn to fly? Climb a major mountain? Take up scuba-diving? Write a book? Start a newspaper? Visit a foreign country?
Pull out all plugs. Soar over all obstacles. If you can think it…write it! Don’t let fear or the ‘I’m just being realistic’ attitude stop you. Go ahead. Be unrealistic. This is dream time, baby. Let it all out.
Don’t take more than ten minutes for this part of the exercise. That should be enough time to list all your major dreams…plus any dreams you might have packed away years ago.
Now…let’s do some dream-scheming
Review your list and draw a line through any dream that is simply physically impossible. For example, if you’re fifty years old, chances are a major league baseball team isn’t going to get excited about having you on the roster.
However, you may discover that you don’t have to scratch off very many dreams because of physical limitations. Particularly if you ask yourself, “In what ways could I make this dream come true based on my abilities today.”
Next, put a star beside your all-time favorite. You know, the special dream that really gets the passion juices flowing. You and I are going to start today to make that dream come true.
For example, maybe you always wanted to scuba-dive. Okay, why not now? You’re in reasonably good health and you can always work on improving your health.
Decide now that you’re going to make this dream a priority. Don’t dwell on the obstacles or what people might say. You’re going to make it happen.
Begin with three small steps.
On another sheet of paper list three steps you could take right now, today, to begin moving you toward your dream. Forget difficult. Forget huge. Think easy and think small. The important thing is to begin.
For example, if learning to scuba-dive is your passion dream, your first three steps might be:
1. Conduct a scuba-diving search on the Internet and begin a Favorites File. 2. Check out a book on scuba-diving from the library. 3. Start a scuba-diving savings account. (Maybe you can only afford to contribute a dollar. Doesn’t matter. Start it.)
What seemed impossible often becomes possible.
When you take your first step toward your dream…your dream will take a step toward you. Don’t ask me why or how this happens. It just does. Call it a law of nature if you want. But it works..
You will meet people, encounter circumstances, receive unexpected monies…all pushing you toward your dream. Your only job is to keep stepping forward with faith and persistence.
And here’s the bottom line.
It doesn’t really matter whether your dream comes true or not. Oh it will. Don’t ever doubt it. But that’s only a fringe benefit.
What matters is that you’re staying in the race of life. You’re hell-bent for a finish line. And when you’re in the race, you’re growing. And that’s important. Because if you’re growing, you aren’t dying. It’s a fact of nature.
Keep adding new dreams to your list.
Don’t ever throw your dream list away. You may have to modify it from time to time but keep it active. Once your first dream is launched, start another. You might have two or three going. Perhaps more. Just leave breathing room to take at least a few action steps toward your dreams every day. You want to maintain a forward momentum. Not create stress in your life.
Once you realize a dream, move on.
Always have a few dreams working and a few more in the wings ready to come on stage. The action steps required to move you toward their fulfillment will add zest to your days, years to your life and JOY to your spirit.
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Get more facts, techniques and information about living healthier, happier and being more productive. Subscribe Free to Doug C. Grant’s bi-monthly e-zine, THE EMPOWERED MATURITY PAGE. It’s directed toward the over 50 Crowd but good reading for anyone wanting to boost their life up a notch or two. Subscribe at: mailto:empoweredpage@smartautoresponder.com
Doug C. Grant retired from a successful career as a nationally recognized business writer & marketing consultant. He now helps members of the ‘Over-50′, crowd (or any age) live healthier, happier and more productive lives throughhis Empowered Maturity Web Site (http://www.dougcgrant.com) and an on-line interactive seminar.
