Monday, January 23, 2012

2012 is already a busy one

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I don't know about you, but 2012 has jumped on me like a spark on dry grass.  A day hasn't gone by where I'm not juggling more demands than I care to admit. Getting up earlier to find more time in the day has it's limits.  A friend of mine recently told me that there are "24 Hours in the day...then there is the night." While he was joking with me about my attempt to find more time in the day, it makes a sarcastic point when it comes to the short-term productivity spike of just not sleeping.  No sleep only seduces you into thinking you are more productive. So what now? My demands aren't going away, but in actuality are they all really do at the same time? No. The key is to be present minded with each waking moment so that those folks who are depending on you can have your best. So how do we do that?

Information without application just tends to add to the clutter. While great information may trigger us for short-term action, it usually winds up in a fizzle since there isn't any practical planning for the change. Today I came across an article regarding a new book titled "Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life," by Margaret Moore and Harvard psychiatrist Paul Hammerness.  In it, the book outlines a practical plan for de-cluttering our brain for follow-through action.

While we may feel like life has got us boxed in, our brains are still driving us. Having a method of organizing our thoughts, in order to attain a more functional and effective position, is key to managing the moment. Moore and Hammerness have taken the discoveries of neuroscience and created a plan that appears to  the give the reader an action orientated mental map for arriving at a place of mental focus.  After reading the plan, it is apparent to me that the work of neuroscience is maturing to the point of producing applicable and practical information for the real-life tasked and time crunched folks like you and me.  Like any other behavioral adaptation, this plan takes some change equity. However, the cost of reorganizing our thoughts appears worth it after reading the article. See article here.

Win Today!

Victor

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Getting ready for a new beginning.

Once again, we've crossed the threshold of a new year. While 2012 has been predicted to be full of apocalyptic events, you may want to plan on still be here in 2013. The end of the world is a one time deal. If it does happen, there's not a darn thing that you and I can do about it.

Now that we just freed up some of our limited mental energy for more pressing matters, let's take the opportunity that each new year brings, which is a willingness to change.  Every new year brings resolutions. Seeing a need to change is powerful, since it is the energy behind every great evolution. Understanding how to harness the full potential of that energy is the next step.  Wanting to change is good, actually taking the steps to change is great! To understand the wall of opposition that is inevitably facing us all, we must first take a look at some science.

The law of conservation of energy asserts that we are constantly reverting our activities towards the most efficient state. Hence, our window of opportunity to succeed with a lifestyle change is limited.  Odds are the purchase of the new gym membership will most likely only serve to change our bank account instead of our physical appearance, unless we grab the concept that change is inefficient. Don't be shocked by just how hard it is. You and I are no stranger to this idea, since we've been experiencing it our whole lives. We learned to walk by many falls and we learned to drive by many stalls. The constant for both examples was our passion to achieve the new reality. Passion is the fuel for change. Spend it wisely by planning out your change, and or by identifying a change marker that is attainable.  In order to learn more about the challenge that the law of energy conservation presents, here's is a video clip from that great science show, Regis and Kelly. Move the cursor to the 2:35 mark for the "spiked ball" demonstration. Happy New Year!  Let's make it great.