By Andrew May & Matt O’Neill

When it comes to fitness, Australians love to walk! More than 2.5 million Australians report that walking is their favourite recreational activity. That’s no surprise, considering that walking offers such great health benefits. Even better, it’s free, safe and easy to do for almost everybody. There are no expensive memberships or equipment required, just a sturdy, comfortable pair of shoes and the determination to make a change.

Walking can boost both physical and mental fitness. It’s a proven stress-buster and you don’t have to knock yourself out to get lasting benefits. For example, a comprehensive US study of more than 70,000 American women showed that walking the equivalent of three or more hours per week at a brisk pace was as significant in reducing the effects of coronary heart disease as vigorous exercise, which makes walking a great habit to build into your life, no matter what your age or fitness level.

If you’ve found it difficult to fit more physical activity into your life, you’re not alone. Advances in technology have all but eliminated the need for any of us to move. We use remote controls to open the garage and change channels on the TV, and mobile phones, e-mails and the internet mean we no longer need to get up to answer the telephone, post a letter or do the weekly shopping.

While technology is certainly making some things easier, it’s also contributing to a lack of physical activity, which is causing our waistlines to expand, and leading to more serious health problems such as high blood pressure and adult-onset diabetes. The good news is that relatively small bursts of activity, like making regular walks a part of your day, is enough to replace much of the movement lost thanks to modern technology.

To turn your life around, don’t let modern conveniences do all the work for you. Instead, think about how to make your life more inconvenient! That’s right – make changing your attitude to movement your first positive step towards a more active and healthier lifestyle.

Ten good reasons to walk to health

Here are ten good reasons why walking is the best exercise to put into you day – every day!

1.      You can easily start with small amounts - ten minutes each day.

2.      You can catch up on the latest gossip with a friend.

3.      You don’t have to be co-ordinated to walk.

4.      Walking offers a wide range of health benefits.

5.      It’s low-impact, so there’s less stress on your joints.

6.      There are no excuses with walking - you can do it anytime, anywhere.

7.      It makes you more efficient - you can do errands and get exercise at the same time.

8.      You get to see the sites - walking is the best way to get around on holidays.

9.      You can start walking at any age.

10.    You save the environment when you walk instead of drive.

The health benefits of walking

Fitness

Physically fit people improve the ability of their body to carry oxygen around the blood supply. This translates into more energy and ease of getting though daily tasks like shopping, vacuuming or putting out the garbage.

Stress relief

When you are stressed, your heart rate increases, blood pressure rises and fats are dumped into the blood. Going for a walk is not only a way to get away from the “stressor” (eg: your partner) but can help release mood-elevating chemicals that can help you feel less anxious.

Strong bones

The mechanical loading of weight-bearing exercise helps prevent the loss of bone minerals that leads to osteoporosis later in life, especially for women. While walking doesn’t have as much effect on bone strength as weight training, it’s an important part of keeping weight on your bones. Walking may also help with co-ordination and postural stability that is important to prevent the falls that often break bones in our elderly years.

Immunity

Moderate exercise can enhance the immune processes, so walking may provide some benefits.

Blood Pressure

During a walk, your small blood vessels dilate and take pressure of your arteries. This persists even after you stop moving. Regular walking may help reduce the natural tendency of blood pressure to rise with age.

Diabetes

Walking, like all aerobic activity, improves glucose tolerance by enhancing insulin sensitivity. After a bout of physical activity, insulin sensitivity can be elevated for up to 48 hours. Active people are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Cholesterol

Although not a powerful effect, regular walking may cause a small increase in HDL (good cholesterol). Even a small increase in this component of your total cholesterol is associated with a large decrease in the risk of heart disease.

Osteoarthritis

Walking may help build leg muscle strength and increase the range of motion in the knee and hip joints. Just feeling more active can also have a psychological effect. In some cases, walking may aggravate knee pain, so check with your doctor.

Matt O’Neill is a top Australian nutritionist and regular on Channel 7’s Sunrise program. You can subscribe to Matt’s free email newsletter, download useful tools or enrol in a course at his website at www.SmartShape.com.au

By Andrew May

It has been another 12 hour day which is at least less hours than you worked yesterday. Your other half is upset (again) that you missed dinner - again. Your kids can’t remember what you look like. The dog barks every time you walk up the drive way. You’re exhausted and after the 1,000th time you’ve heard ‘why don’t you get support in the office?’ But now what? How do you even begin trying to figure out what someone should do? Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as you think. Below are 4 steps with specific actions to take to ensure you find the right person and get the most bang for your buck.

Paddy Reynolds, one of my mentors once told me ‘do what you do best and outsource the rest’. This is a great mantra to have when it comes to boosting productivity and output. Spend the majority of your time doing what you do and making great money.

1.  Create a job description before they start

The biggest mistake I see over and over again is business people simply hiring someone and throwing them at the problem. This is like just grabbing any plug to try and stop a leaking bath. You need to make sure the plug is the right fit. If you are not clear about what you want this person to do for you, how are they supposed to know? Your great new assistant anxiously wants to help out, but can’t because you have no clue what to ask them to do. With a little planning, you can be prepared to answer the magic question, “what should I do right now?”

Your actions

Start by creating your own job description. Make a list of everything you are currently handling. Things like writing proposals, making phone calls, sending out invoices. Once you have your complete list, circle or highlight the things that only you can do. The rest are items to add to your assistant’s job description.

Tip

It will take time to get use to delegating. You have to get over the mind set that you do everything best – you don’t! Great support staff are much better at typing, organising, filing and many other follow up duties. Invest time putting together a specific job description and you will save hours, days and months in the future.

2. Show me the skills!

Now that you have this comprehensive list of tasks and responsibilities, break it down into the skills needed to perform those tasks. For example, if you need someone who will be making lots of phone calls, you will be looking for someone with a good phone voice. Maybe someone who has telemarketing experience.

Your actions

Define what skill sets you are looking for, not just skills such as typing and budgeting, but ways of thinking, and personality traits such as honesty, integrity, creativity and being a self-starter. Write a list of opened ended interview questions and at the end of your interview look to see if the person has the skills and traits you are looking for.

3. Write an ad that sizzles!

Turn your wants and needs into an ad. You are more likely to get the kind of candidates you want if you specify what you are really looking for. An ad that reads, “Admin Assistant” is liable to get a range of results from someone looking to work full time for $50K per year to someone looking for $10 an hour part-time gig. If you are looking for someone to work 5 hours a week for $20 an hour, make sure you state that. If you don’t specify these details, I guarantee that the perfect candidate will be in your pile. But, they will want a whole lot more time and money than you can afford.

Your actions

Create a clear ad that includes what the job is, how many hours, the approximate pay, where the position is and what you are looking for. Place the ad in your local paper. You might also want to try recruiting agencies. I have found these very helpful in sourcing high level candidates with a varied skill set. But you will have to pay anywhere between 12 and 18% of annual salary as a recruiting cost (meaning if you employ a PA on a $60,000 p/a package, @ 12% you will pay the recruiting company $7,200).

4. Create an atmosphere of success

Now you’ve got the right person. Set them up for success. Create the behind the scenes processes you want them to follow so that you know they are completing things the way you want it done. And remember, document, document, document, (did I say document?) what they are doing. Setting aside time each week to create and sharpen systems is a habit worth getting into. I honestly save my self at least half to a full day every week by having great systems in the office.

You never know when an emergency is going to come up. Save yourself time, energy and frustration by capturing all that they do so that it is easily passed on to a replacement. You will have turn over - count on it. But it won’t be a big deal if you set yourself up for success by having documented processes and systems. This results in not having to recreate the wheel every time you bring a new person in.

Your actions

Create systemised, documented processes and procedures that can be followed and passed on should your new person not fit the bill or choose to leave. Better still have simple checklists that explain clearly what needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly.

Before you actually start paying someone, check with accountant to make sure you are paying the person correctly. There are specific regulations regarding the difference between independent contractors and employees. Good luck and happy hiring.

Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.

By Dr. Tom Buckley

Runners will tell you the energy they derive from running in the spring meadows is powering them on and “fuelling them with energy”. Aromatherapy practitioners will tell you that smell is “the most direct route to the brain”. Certainly that seems true for man’s best friend, the dog, but for us mere humans, is it all just in our heads? Given that it’s reported that 60% of visits to general doctors are stress related, perhaps it’s time we did “wake up and smell the roses”.

I remember reading recently about a study that demonstrated that a group undertaking a maths test in the presence of flowers, compared to another group without the flowers, scored significantly higher in their test scores. Hard to believe, I hear you say, and I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that too! If we believe these results to be scientific fact, then how do we justify them? Most likely, the pleasant looking environment may have resulted in a better sense of wellbeing and consequently contributed to their better performance. We are all the product of our environment - this I can attest to every time I tidy up my office! But is there a body of consistent research supporting the marketing hype around not just looking at the flowers, but smelling them (AKA aromatherapy).

I first became interested in complementary therapies when I was studying for a health science degree in the early 1990’s. At that time, little scientific evidence was available to really convince me that aromatherapies really do influence a person’s physical wellbeing. But then you will struggle to find quality scientific evidence to support about 80% of mainstream health practices. However, emerging scientific evidence today is beginning to support the theory that the scent of certain plants and flowers may have a positive effect on our wellbeing.

Several studies have indicated that essential oils can reduce anxiety and increase alertness. Others have clearly shown that inhalation of lavender or essential oils help with reducing restlessness, with an increase in our peripheral blood circulation for good measure (a bonus effect I say!). In addition, a group of researchers from the University of Lancester, demonstrated in 1995 that lavender may be a good sleep inducer for people with difficulty falling asleep (AKA insomnia). This study, despite a small research sample, did get mention in a very reputable British medical journal and many mainstream healthcare professionals now use lavender therapeutically to induce sleep.

So, given that essential oils and lavender may be the missing ingredient in your busy and stressful life, where should you start? Probably the best place is by taking a visit to a good health food store and seeking advice from the people in the know. Better still, in my opinion, invest in yourself and go straight to the experts themselves by making an appointment with an aromatherapist for a personalised formula. If this takes too much energy to organise, then consider trying what I stumbled upon recently when reviewing the literature:

Mix two drops each of basil, lemongrass and lavender oil with one teaspoon of vodka or full-fat milk in the bath. (mixing the oils with a carrier such as vodka or milk ensures the oils disperse throughout the water)

(published in Natural Health, Sep2004, Vol. 35 Issue 8, p18)

Then all that’s left to do is sit back, relax and prepare for your best night’s sleep and a fresh sun smiling the next day! Oh, and the next time you can’t think at work, sort that office décor out and order some flowers.

Tom Buckley a University lecturer and researcher in the field or Health Sciences whose doctoral studies focused on physiological responses to stress. Author of several peer reviewed publications and supporting author of Flip the Switch, his current research interests are in human factors related to performance and wellbeing

By Dr. Tim Sharp

It’s important to recognise that no-one has 100% control over their lives. Even if this were possible (which it isn’t), it’s probably not even desirable as it would mean a very boring existence. What we do have, however, is the ability to change some things that would be better changed, or at the very least, change the way we think about things that cannot be changed.

This fact sheet is aimed at helping you make decisions.

Although there are no simple answers, the following steps should help you take a sensible and practical, as well as relatively structured approach, which will markedly increase your chances of making positive progress and effectively dealing with, or even overcoming the presenting problem.

1. What really is the nature of the decision you have to make?

This is not always as obvious as it might sound. Stop and think about what you’re really trying to determine.

2. Consider all of the available options… and I mean all of them!

Too many people only ever think about, and thereby try one alternative. The more options you consider, the greater your chances of finding an effective solution.

3. Weigh up the pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of each option

Do so in a calm and balanced manner. That is, try to think as realistically as you can about the consequences (good and bad, short- and long-term) of implementing any of the options you’re considering.

4. Assess the options again and choose the best one

When you’re trying to decide which option is best, you need to ask yourself which one is best for YOU, NOW. This might not be the best option for someone else, and  it might not even be the best option for you in twelve months’ time (or twelve months ago).

5. Do something

Once you’ve made your decision, act on it. Effective decision-making is more than just a contemplative process. It needs to lead to action (in most cases) or else little will change.

6. And finally, review the outcome

Making a decision is not, in many cases, the end of the process. In fact, it’s often just the start, as one decision will have consequences which will often then require further decisions. For a really great outcome you need to assess the efficacy of your actions and then repeat the process (starting at steps one, two, three, four or even five, depending on your assessment).

Note: this approach is most effective if conducted with pen and paper

That is, instead of trying to do all of the above in your head (where issues can easily become muddled and confused) write down your answers/responses to each of the above questions/steps.

Additional tip: don’t always feel you need to do this on your own

Decision-making can often be made easier by involving a trusted friend, colleague or family member. In more significant cases, you might even consider seeking professional help. Remember… a problem shared is a problem halved!

Dr. Sharp is one of Australia’s leaders in the exciting new science of positive psychology and happiness. In short, he is one of this country’s leading Executive Coaches, a highly qualified consultant on matters relating to human behaviour and psychology (particularly the application of positive psychology principles within organisations and teams) and a sought after public/corporate speaker. For more information please emailinfo@thehappinessinstitute or visit The Happiness Institute

By Maya Anderson

Looking for something that will offer you guidance, teach you inner strength and tolerate others? Perth-based psychotherapist Katie Altham’s book on archetypes could be the tool you need. Maya Anderson investigates and gets her personality profiled.

When Perth-based psychotherapist, inspirational speaker and author Katie Altham agreed to analyse my personality for this story, I was intrigued to see how a stranger would analyse and describe me. Secretly, I mused that perhaps to strangers I came across as an enigmatic figure; dark, silent and mysterious… possibly wearing a cape. But when Ms Altham sent me her reading, I was flabbergasted. How could a woman I didn’t even know read me so well? It is because of my archetypes.

First defined by Carl Jung, archetypes are compulsive personality traits with both light and dark, or ‘shadow’, characteristics. “We’re born with them, though how we’re nurtured greatly impacts their expression in our lives,” Ms Altham says. “Every archetype has two sides, one with light traits; our gifts and talents, and the other our shadow traits; our challenges, self-destructive patterns and lessons.” These may include bossiness, obsessiveness, sulking or suspiciousness. “Our shadow traits are all the things we wouldn’t mention on the first date or put on our resume for a job!” Ms Altham says.

She lists 108 archetypes in her wonderfully detailed to me Who Am I? – An Archetypal Quest. “From that selection, everyone chooses their unique combination of 13 that names every aspect of their personality.” You can discover yours by answering yes or no to questions in the book – if you answer yes to four of the questions for that prototype, you probably have it.

Types range from leaders, romantics, athletes, parents, artists, arrogants, hedonists, nurturers, philosophers, foodies, geniuses and spiritualists, to name just a few. “We all know what a princess, queen, teacher, mother, soldier, manager and gypsy are like – they’re archetypes,” Ms Altham says. “Children from as young as six years understand them. They’re in every book, TV show, drama, movie and myth in life.”

According to Ms Altham, I am a storyteller (fitting for a journalist), Artemis (the animal and nature lover), Apollo (the ambitious perfectionist) and the master slave (oops, perhaps my workaholic tendencies shone through.) She’d described me to a tee. But why learn what archetypes you have?

“Understanding who we are, warts and all, helps us to let go of trying to be people we’re not,” Ms Altham says. “When we learn that our shadow represents what we’ve come to learn in life, we judge ourselves and others much less harshly.”

Archetypes can provide you with a sense of self, direction and confidence and help you recognise inner talents. “They name our soul’s DNA, life purpose and validate our dreams.” Depression and addictions are often symbolic of people who have lost their sense of self – “soul sickness”, Ms Altham calls it. “To be happy in life we need to know who we are and have a focus or purpose.”

Discovering your archetypes can also aid with relationships and parenting. “To recognise who our friends, partners and children are means we stop trying to change them to be what we want them to be,” Ms Altham says. Being able to recognise your child’s archetypes means you can understand them better and help them form a stronger sense of identity.

Personality profiling can also help in the workplace. Ms Altham is currently sharing her knowledge with recruitment agencies and human resource managers to work out individuals’ innate talents and strengths and better match staff to jobs that fully utilise their skills. “The happier we are, the more efficient and motivated, and the more likely we are to show initiative.”

When we become trapped by the shadow parts of our archetype and don’t know where to turn, the light sides can provide faith or advice for how to deal with unpleasant situations. Her book contains a body, mind, heart and soul map that can be used with your unique set of archetypes to answer difficult questions.

Want to discover your archetypes? Check out Ms Altham’s book Who Am I? An Archetypal Quest or visit her website www.archetrek.com.

Why learn your archetypes?
-    Enhance sense of self
-    Judge yourself and others less
-    Discover your potential and talents
-    Improve confidence and self-understanding
-    Provides advice when in bad patches
-    Find a job that suits you

Maya Anderson is a full-time freelance journalist who specialises in health, fitness, nutrition and wellbeing issues. To contact Maya, email maya.anderson@hotmail.com

By Rosemary Marchese

You know you should exercise but you can’t be bothered…sound familiar? Well, why should you? If you don’t have any motivation to exercise, I’m sure that will be your answer! Motivation provides purpose and direction to behaviour. If the ‘behaviour’ you want to achieve is exercise, then you better sort out exactly what your purpose and direction will be!

When I speak to people unmotivated to exercise I liken it to a job that they’re stale in…they don’t like what they do every day yet either don’t know how to, or lack the motivation to, change. Imagine continuing on that path for the rest of your life! Do you really want to get to the end and say ‘life’s too short’ or ‘I should have done more with my life’ or ‘I have heart disease and wish I had exercised when I had the chance’? Well, finding the motivation to exercise is in essence no different. It’s time to GET EXCITED about exercise!

Yes, that’s right…get yourself excited about the act of exercise and excited about how you will feel with the results you will achieve! Set yourself daily, weekly or even hourly goals. ‘I will walk for 30 minutes every day’, or ‘I will exercise four times this week’ or ‘I will get up from my desk every hour to move my legs and walk around the office’. You have to find something that suits your lifestyle. As a busy mother I like to aim for four to five workouts per week rather than have strict days each week. With little children I acknowledge that my weeks need to be flexible and fitting in exercise becomes less stressful with this approach.
Next, in order to get excited about it all you have to be confident that you’ll get results. If you’re one of so many people who have committed to exercise before but with little or no results here are some things to consider:

• You can’t spot reduce fat! Just get moving, and then move a little faster so that your intensity rises with your fitness levels. Always challenge yourself - believe me the fat will move!
• You can’t eat what you want and expect to get results just because you exercise. Unfortunately exercising does increase your appetite and many people mistake this to think that they can indulge in some extra calories. While I’m all for some treats and a bit of a relaxed diet with some limitations, if you start over consuming you wont lose weight, in fact you may even put on a few kilos!
• Women don’t bulk up on muscle overnight! Weight training is great for toning muscles and increasing your metabolic rate. You’ll burn more fat at rest as a result – that’s right, imagine being a fat-burning machine while sleeping! The thought of becoming too bulky can be a turn off to weight training for many women but the truth is women don’t carry enough of the male hormone testosterone for this to be a problem. Adding some weights to your exercise sessions can often speed along some of your results.
• You don’t have to spend a fortune to get results. Gym memberships can be hard on the budget, especially at the moment. Try being creative at home and tap into free (but reputable) resources on the Internet to help give you tips and ideas. Check out www.fitforlifeonline.com.au to help you get started. Home exercise DVDs are also worth the investment to add a bit of variety.
• Take care with your choices of low fat food. These foods are often riddled with artificial sweeteners and preservatives – all bad for your health and your health and weight loss campaign. Choose natural and wholesome foods wherever possible, just watch your serving sizes!
• Check in with your doctor and your fitness trainer regularly. Sometimes there are other reasons for not achieving results, such as illness.
• Lack of time is no excuse! Yes, you heard me and I’m happy to argue with you on that one! If the ex-Prime Minister of Australia found time for a daily walk, then you can too! Are you running the country? Is the world going to fall apart if you take a 30-minute break for a walk? I severely doubt it, sorry! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve often used that excuse but I make sure it’s short-term only. I use the threat of what will happen to my body if I don’t exercise, as a motivator during extra-busy periods in my life!
• It’s time to change your attitude, and truly get excited about exercise. Get yourself mesmerised by the changes that can happen to your body and how good your will feel during and after. The results will come; you just have to find the motivation first!

Rosemary Marchese is the Editor of fit for life online www.fitforlifeonline.com.au, a site dedicated to reliable and accessible health, beauty and fitness – a site for everyone; the individual, the family, an expectant mother or an elite kid.

As a registered physiotherapist with over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry Rosemary brings to fit for life online a wealth of health and fitness writing and editing experience.  She has published a best-selling fitness book and is also a former Editor for Ultra Fit magazine.  Rosemary is a fit and healthy mother of two young children dedicated to helping busy mums achieve their health and fitness goals.

By Tony Wilson

We like to improve.  You might not realise, but being able to achieve is a major factor in your happiness at work.  Research from Harvard Business School suggests that one of the pervasive elements of a miserable job is when people are not allowed to achieve and develop and progress.  Our first thought is to blame our managers, but, as strenuous as this may sound, you should actively look for ways to improve if you want to enjoy your job a little more.

It is so true - all you need to do is look at a child’s development years from one to six years old to see that we are learning machines.  And what’s more, learning is fun – just look at the delight in the eyes of that very child who has just caught a ball for the first time, or just realised how to get the square peg into the square hole.  What about the last time you went travelling?  Didn’t you just love learning about the intricacies of the culture, the history and (possibly) the language?  We like to learn and we like to achieve.

Why does learning seem boring?

We are conditioned to believe that learning is boring.  A few years ago I went back to University to do my MBA.  There I was, first day back, desperate to get into it, full of energy and enthusiasm.  The lecturer introduced himself, the lights went down, the PowerPoint presentation came up………….and I started falling asleep.

The content wasn’t bad, and I wasn’t overly tired, but I have been conditioned from an early age to believe that this environment is boring.  Something inside of me switches off automatically.  You would be hard pressed to find a teenager in school who thinks that learning is fun, right?  There is some research to suggest that our rate of learning and our ability to learn declines dramatically a couple of years into school.  Isn’t that odd?  The very institution that is supposed to be teaching us actually contributes to the decline in our learning.

Why Learning Sucks

When we are developing as children, learning is fun.  It is unstructured and it is done on our own terms.  But then we begin learning in a structured environment, which doesn’t seem like much fun at all.  Despite the efforts of most well intentioned teachers, they are not professional speakers, and while they try to impart their knowledge the best way they know how, it is rarely engaging.  You can probably count the teachers you really liked on a couple of fingers and I bet you they were engaging – either naturally or self-taught.  The bottom line is, after a couple of years of doing this every day, we decide that learning and developing is boring.

What’s more, achieving is hard work, not fun.  We are told this every day and again it is what we believe.  Getting better, finding ways to do our job more efficiently and trying new things is hard and they are only for crazy people or that Energiser Bunny that sits in the far cubicle.

But the fact remains, that we do like to achieve.  Even if you know someone who doesn’t care about their job or how they perform, even if you are sure they just turn up every day to go through the motions, I will guarantee that they get some satisfaction out of crossing things off their to-do-list, or clearing their inbox, or getting a “well done” from the boss.

Look for ways to improve:

You have the opportunity everyday to engage in unstructured learning on your own terms.  Ask yourself these questions:
“How can I do my job better?”
“What is something that I can change today in order to be more efficient?”
“What are the small things I can do every day to get some sense of achievement?”
“What are the things I hate doing?  Why?  How can I change that?”
I guarantee that if you find just one thing that you can change today - something that will make you better at your job – you will immediately feel the buzz.
And what an amazing by-product………if you find the right thing to change, it will actually make your life easier.

Tony Wilson is the founder of Teamcorp Australia, and has spent over a decade working with elite performers in business and in sport. His ability to help athletes reach their potential and maintain motivation has been a large factor in their success, and many corporate leaders throughout Australia now also apply Tony’s philosophies with outstanding results. Tony’s practical background, coupled with an MBA, give him a unique perspective on personal and team performance.

By Fiona Cosgrove

What is worrying all about?

The very word “worry” makes many of us worried.  We know we have the tendency to do too much of it and we have a guilty assumption that it is a waste of time, at best, and a destructive, confidence-killing habit at best.

What is worry?

Worrying is what we do when we turn things over in our minds and explore different outcomes to situations – we usually fixate on the negative outcome rather than the positive outcome - otherwise it would no longer be worrying.  We then imagine what else (bad) could happen if that negative outcome were to occur.  It’s a way of exploring and anticipating what could go wrong and in a way can help us mentally prepare for the worst!   The words, “but what if..?” are frequently formulated in Worry Time.

The main reason for worrying receiving such bad press is the belief that it doesn’t change a situation and only stops us sleeping or doing something more productive with our lives.

But can worrying be productive?

If you revisit the statement above that contains the word “explore”, we start to see worry in a different light.   Imagine if we were never to worry and managed to block all slightly distressing thoughts from our minds.  When unfavourable events happened (as they do from time to time) we would be ill-prepared to deal with them.  So perhaps we need to refine our worry so that it becomes a something of value to us.  Perhaps a lesson in worrying constructively might be of use?

Sports psychologist  Dr. David Krauss believes that daily practice in worrying is advisable.  He encourages his top athletes to worry “on their terms” rather than being the victim of anxiety. In his book, “Mastering the Inner game” he  suggests setting time aside each day to worry.  Do the job, tick the box and get on with the rest of your day.

So how do we worry constructively?

First, identify the main issue  or issues that are causing concern.  Sometimes we think we are worrying about one thing but it hides something bigger.  If we can identify the value underneath the area of worry, it will help us focus on what the emotions it’s producing – usually anxiety – and we can give it our full attention. So let’s say we worry about not meeting a deadline.  The real fear behind this could be the realization that our motivation to complete the task is not that strong, which could mean that we don’t enjoy our job.  And if we face up to that fact, it might then necessitate some greater, scarier decisions.

Worrie is associated with anxiety.    By recognising anxiety and sitting with it for a while, we avoid blocking the fear with worry.  Worry is a generic, dull feeling and hard to put aside.

Tools we can use:

When we have identified the real fear we can then test its validity.  For example,
•    I am afraid I am going to lose my job?
•    What will happen if I do lose my job?
•    What would that open up for me?  What would I need to do?
•    Is there anything I can do now to either a) prevent losing my job or b) prepare myself for the next action required if I do?

Worry sometimes goes hand in hand with indecision and procrastination

If you find yourself in that uncomfortable place, try coming up with the age-old  list of pros and cons. In coaching we call it a Decisional Balance as it provides a list that highlights the negatives and positives of taking a certain action.  When they are written down, they are often easier to evaluate and assess.  And guess what?  When they’re on paper, they are usually not scurrying around our head in a scrambled (worrying) fashion.  This is a great way of problem solving but worrying is a bit different.  We often worry about things that we have no control over at all.  That is a waste of time unless it produces actions that we can take that will improve the situation.

In our daily worry time we can aim to have an action plan that concentrates on things we can do that will reduce the anxiety.  So change your thinking.  Instead of worrying about how much you are worrying, make your worry work for you!

Fiona Cosgrove has over 20 years experience in the wellness & fitness industry - owning and managing clubs in Australia and Asia, including No 1 Martin Place, NSW Fitness Centre of the Year, 2006. Fiona is the author of Coach Yourself to Wellness and she regularly runs corporate seminars and workshops in the areas of healthy lifestyle, motivation and wellness.

By Dr. Adam Fraser

Why do some people achieve greatness and others get left floundering behind. Psychologists have determined that the ability to get into FLOW is one of the most important aspects of high performance. FLOW is also know as being “In the Zone”, it is a state where everything seems easy, you are very efficient, there is zero stress and you feel invigorated after it.

When I was working with elite athletes at the AIS and in America, special forces soldiers, some high profile people in the entertainment industry and more recently with high performers in corporate organizations, I noticed that these high performers regularly go into this FLOW state.

So how do we get more of it? The good news is that it is not all about talent, ability and potential, it’s more to do with how people execute on a daily basis. One of the most important principles that help you get into FLOW is the ability to focus deeply on the tasks that you perform. When you are deeply focused you have a greater chance of slipping into FLOW.

However as a society we are losing our ability to focus. It seems like the whole world has ADHD. There are three main reasons for this.

1. Attention deficit habit (ADH) - ADH is a condition where the habits in our day are sapping our ability to focus. For example most people leave their email open and every time it alerts us to a new email we stop what we are doing and we go off and check it. Also we leave our phone on constantly during the day even when we are writing a report or meeting with someone. These habits actually set ourselves up to be distracted and train us to have poor focus.

2. Information Obesity – This is the result of shifting from a physical economy to a digital economy. We are overloaded with information and we have so much information coming at us we don’t have to focus on one thing for too long before something else will come and take our attention away. A recent report released by Proud Foot consulting said that information overload was responsible for a 10% decrease in productivity.

3. Multi-tasking - The greatest enemy of focus is this idea of multitasking, multitasking suggests that you can focus on many things at once. Reality is multi tasking is a very inefficient process and in reality all you are doing is focusing poorly on a number of tasks rather than focusing well on one thing. So what is the solution how do we improve our focus?

Well there are three simple techniques we can use to have the focus of a high performer.

1. Control Your Environment. Set up your external world to support focus, turn off the email, turn the phone off, and educate your staff on when you are not to be interrupted. Push back on the environment, don’t be a slave to your environment.

2. Formal Practice. An example of a formal practice is meditation. Years ago I thought that meditation was tree hugging, hippie stuff, however a huge amount of evidence shows that meditation has a beneficial impact on our cognitive ability. In its purest form meditation is about calming the mind and focusing on one task, this ability will translate into work.

3. Be Present. During the day practice focusing your attention on what ever is in front of you. Lose yourself in what ever you are doing. If you are writing a report focus entirely on that report without thinking of the other things you need to do later in the day. Likewise if you are having a conversation with someone totally immerse yourself in that conversation don’t let your mind drift. So often we have conversations and we are not really present. Business is built on relationships, the greatest complement you can give another person is your undivided attention. However we all have a highly tuned BS detector, and we know when people are not truly engaged with us. Some people believe that being present is the key to team building. Companies spend millions of dollars a year getting people to build better relationships within an organization. They usually spend this money on personality profiling, isn’t the first step getting them to engage and be present with each other? In addition some psychologist are now talking about the concept that people are creating fewer and fewer memories. The reason for this is that memories are created in the present and the fact that most people are either obsessing about the past or worrying about the future means that they are not laying down current memories. How sad!

This is the first step towards high performance. Go forth and focus!!!

“Dr Adam Fraser is one of Australia’s leading educators, researchers and thought leaders in the area of human performance! In this time he has worked with elite level athletes, the armed forces and business professionals of all levels. Check out his websites www.dradamfraser.com & www.theglucoseclub.com.au.”

By Michael Licenblat

Do you become stressed when you don’t succeed in achieving what you want?  The very reason why failure and setbacks damages so many egos, breaks so many hearts, and steals so many dreams may lie in how resilient you are to pressure.

Resilience is characterized as being able to adapt to, and bounce back from, tough situations without compromising your objective.  Being able to bounce back quickly from any setback, instead of dwelling in self-pity, allows you to get on with your life and keep working towards your target.

So, how do you develop resilience to the emotional stress of setbacks and failure?

When you cut yourself, your body instantly goes to work to clot the blood, seal the wound and fight any infection.  If you break a bone, you body immediately goes to work on protecting the area with inflammation, healing the bone tissue, and restoring circulation.  Your body is innately resilient and bounces back from setbacks because it adapts itself to restore balance and health.

In nature, the willow is a strong, resilient tree that can tolerate strong weather conditions because it bends easily in the wind without breaking.   It adapts to its environment in order to not just survive, but thrive.

The degree to which your mind is able to adapt, and rise above, your setbacks, instead of getting sucked into self-pity, will determine how quickly you bounce back and get on with your life.  Here’s how you can use your mind to bounce back from any setback with glory…

Focus on the upside

Why does a setback hurt so much?  Is it because it makes you feel like a failure?  Is it because you feel as if you are not good enough, and that no matter what you try you aren’t going to succeed?  No.  Setbacks hurt when you focus your mind on the pain.

Have you noticed how well people can cope with pain or injury well until they see blood?

In one study, three groups of participants were asked to soak their arm in a bucket of freezing cold iced water for as along as they could stand it.  During the submersion, the first group watched funny movies and told jokes to each other, the second group practiced a relaxation technique, and the third group just sat there in silence.   Groups A & B were able to increase their pain threshold by 50%, whereas there was no change to the pain threshold of group C.[i]

By refocusing your mind on the empowering aspects of the setback, instead of the painful ones, you will bounce back quickly without feeling drained by the event.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a renowned plastic surgeon, began research into the human mind.  He noticed that with some people, once the bandages were removed after receiving cosmetic plastic surgery, if their internal self-esteem had not changed, then no matter how perfect a job he did, they still felt ugly.  What they focused on, regardless of the reality, is what they experienced as true.

What you focus on, regardless of the outcome of the situation, will determine whether you feel confident and self-assured or irritable and depressed.

Tip: Pay attention to the aspects of the situation that you felt good about.  Focus on the aspects that did go well.  Did you apply yourself well?  If so, then be pleased that you did that!  Were you proactive and used your strengths?  Well, that takes courage, so if you did that then be proud of yourself.    Did you give your best effort?  Then, that’s all you can ask of yourself, so acknowledge yourself for having the confidence to be your best.

Tip: Acknowledge how you feel, but don’t dwell on the setback.  Why waste your time doing focusing on something that hurts?  It won’t get you any closer to what you want.  It sounds harsh (because it is) but you have to tell yourself  ‘Get up - Get over it – Get on with it’.

Is it a disaster or a learning experience?

Dr Rich Allen (Ph.D. in educational psychology) has studied how the brain receives, processes, stores and recalls information.  In a leadership program of 80 participants, a 60-second movie clip was shown of a car traveling down a dirt road and then colliding with a barn.  Immediately after the clip the group was given a list of questions about what they had just seen.  Two different questionnaires were then distributed.  Half the participants were asked ‘How fast was the car moving when the car bumped into the barn?’  The other half were asked ‘How fast was the car moving when the car smashed into the barn?

The group that was asked to describe the collision as ‘bumped’ reported an average speed of 42km/hr.  The group that was asked to describe the collision as ‘smashed’ reported an average speed of 67km/hr.  The alteration of a single word produced a significant change in the participants’ perception of the film clip.

In the same sense, if you describe your ‘setback’ as a personal reflection of your self worth, then you will probably feel like a failure and give up.  Your setbacks feel painful and you feel worthless when you describe them in terms of ‘you’.  Comments like ‘It’s all my fault’, ‘I always achieved what I set my mind to - why can’t I just get the darn job?’, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ is an invitation for self-pity and misery.  Even the word ‘reject’, which is defined as ‘to refuse to accept or use; to throw away; to discard’ conjures up images of worthless garbage tossed away into the bin.   What a ridiculous way to describe a human being!

Putting yourself down reduces the effort you put into your other aspirations.   Research has found that people with lower self-esteem set lower expectations for their performance[ii], underestimate their capabilities and set less challenging or mediocre goals[iii] which leads to putting in less effort than those with high self esteem[iv].   In short, taking rejection and setbacks personally can lead to not trying as hard in your next life challenge.

However, describing the event in terms of the ‘learning’ you gained from it, allows you to feel empowered that this situation will make you either smarter, stronger, and one step closer to a ‘getting what you want from life’.

Look at setbacks is as a stepping-stone that points out the path to where you want to go.  In that sense, the setback is actually a helping hand that shows you the way that didn’t work, so that you can find what path that will work.  Without knowing what doesn’t work, how can you expect to grow and improve?

As a child, you would have fallen over many times before you finally took your first steps.  As I watch my own children grow and learn how to walk, I notice how each failed attempt teaches them how to improve, adapt and overcome.  Each false step is actually a step closer to the right step.  A setback is your arena to learn how to improve, optimize and strengthen so that you can get what you want.

Tip: Describe your setback experience in empowering terms instead of ‘put-down’ language.   Instead of wallowing in self-pity, look at how it is showing you the way to getting what you want.   Ask yourself:

‘What can I learn from this?’

‘How can this situation make me stronger, smarter or happier in my life?’

‘What do I know now, that I didn’t know before the situation?’

‘How will this outcome help me improve in my next challenge?’

Is that being a Pollyanna, pie-in-the-sky optimist who is less in touch with reality?  To a certain degree, yes.  Will being positive and optimistic help you bounce back from rejection faster, keep your self-esteem intact and your motivation strong?  Absolutely!

Becoming resilient to pressure is a choice of how you wish to react to the obstacles and setbacks that life throws at you.  Now it’s up to you decide whether you will let failure and setbacks stop you in your tracks and wallow in self-pity, or whether you will see the positive learning and focus on what you have done well, so that you can keep on trying until you get what you want from life.

It’s your move.

Michael Licenblat B.Sc.(Psych) is a Resilience Expert who helps people in business bounce back fast from pressure, stress and burnout in their work and life. He is a professional speaker, coach and author of three books.