Better Thinking, Better Results in Six Simple Steps

I wanted to share this video with you because I was intrigued, inspired, and humbled by the ideas that were presented and how Mr. Mistry used information, his know-how, and resources together to put his ideas into action. Many of us will go through our lives accomplishing things that are less dramatic than what you see here, however, we can use the same methods to create success.  This reinforces in my mind that any successful strategy for accomplishing a goal begins with knowing what we have to work with and then implementing a plan using what we have learned.
Since my daughter turned eighteen we get together every Tuesday for breakfast to discuss her goals, strategies and tasks as part of her resolve to, "do my own thing," as she puts it.  Recently, at a breakfast following her first real world job interview, I felt that it was important to reinforce some key points that had come up in our conversation the day of the interview.  That day I called her to find out how everything went. She had concluded that it was, "bad."  Wanting to be positive and productive in my approach, I began to scan my mental database for something appropriate to say. I had done my "homework" and the conversation was successful in that it accomplished my objective with positive results.

"I needed to call in reinforcements."

In the days leading up to our meeting I happened to have been reading articles on success and failure, discussing it with friends and writing about the topic. Recognizing that I needed to be somewhat diplomatic, allow her to feel as if she was handling the situation well on her own, and yet drive home a lesson that would prepare her for future let downs, I needed to call in reinforcements and gather more information. So I began resourcing people I respected and knew I could trust. My conversations about how to guide her through this jungle resulted in some very usable information to keep her focused on what she was learning and how to apply it to future interview experiences. The key was to get her to ask questions that would lead her to connect ideas and draw on the information she had gathered to improve her confidence in future interviews.

"Fear is the twin brother of failure and can become an enemy to success unless used constructively."

As my daughter and I talked through the situation I began to ask her questions like, "Why do you think that is?" and "How can you use this information to improve your next experience." The point that caught her attention and seemed to make the most difference for her was how empowering information could be when collected and used properly. We discussed how successful people are resourceful and that information was one of their most powerful tools. After a calm and productive conversation I felt that she had what she  needed to take the world on by storm, okay, maybe not that far, however, it certainly seemed to change her confidence level going forward.  Which leads me to the reason I wanted to share this with you. My daughter was able to see that fear was extinguished with information, and information could be gathered by asking questions about an experience, which, would lead her to use the information to her advantage the next time a similar situation arose. Many fears have reared their ugly heads throughout the course of my business experience that have shaken my confidence and tested my resolve. I recognize that fear is the twin brother of failure and can become an enemy to success unless used constructively.

"How we use information can be the difference between success and failure"

While growing a business, information about the many facets of business as well as our competition and customers can fuel our desires to take our products to market. How we use information can be the difference between success and failure. Information is something we have in spades. With access to information from all over the world at our fingertips we need only to identify how to collect the information we need and then put that information to work for us. Consider the questions and answers that fueled Mr. Mistry's ideas and how he used information and resources to develop his ideas into real applications. Practice methods that help you to build good critical thinking skills and will lead you to the information you need to accomplish your goals. According to the work of Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul of the Foundation for Critical Thinking you can develop the quality of your thinking and in turn the quality of the information you collect by practicing some simple principles.

1. Clarify your thoughts. Be specific. Create a statement that begins with, "I think..."
2. Create a chain of questions and answers that develop a single idea. Ask: "How is this connected? How is that connected?"
3. Ask questions for clarification about things you do not understand.  Ask, "What information do I need to answer this question?"
4. Ask questions about a subject in more than one way. "Is there another to look at this question?"
5. Be flexible in your views and willing to change your mind as you build your understanding of the information.
6. Recognize when destructive  modes of function; thinking, feeling, acting, or sensing are holding you back from discovering something.

Friday Faves and Raves #elleeyre #droz #health

See the full gallery on Posterous

Health Information You Can Trust

After a brief hiatus Friday Faves and Raves is back with a fave I know all of you will love as much as I do. The Dr. Oz Show. Dr. Oz and I were first introduced through Oprah, on TV of course. I found that as a heart surgeon Dr. Oz provided some valuable information about the organ systems and often showed up with actual organs when he was one of Oprah's guests. Now that he has his own show the information is not only informative but fun as well. You know me, I am all about information and filtering it correctly so I love it when I get information I know I can trust, and this is it. Combining holistic methodologies, practical applications with western medicine and science, The Dr. Oz Show offers the most well rounded information found on TV. His model for educating his viewers bridges the gap between alopathic health care and alternative health care which I appreciate and know you will to.

Touchdown! Fall Fitness in 6 Easy Steps #elleeyre #diet #fitness #fall

Fall is upon us and Americans are preparing for another October obsession. As much as I like football season I am not talking about an obsession with who will take the Lombardi trophy home after the final battle on the gridiron. I am talking about the obsession American's have with fat, too much of it around America's mid-sections, an obsession that stems from our cultural adolescence. With its growing pains, competitiveness, and clear desire for freedom to do what we want when we want, our culture tends to breed ideologies that are fresh and new that separate us from old ways of thinking. Hind sight is 20/20 and Americans are gradually catching on to the wisdom of ancient worlds.

It is natural behavior to take inventory of life in the Fall; early humans took inventory of food and supplies to prepare for winter months when these item would not be easily accessible.   The rhythmic pulse of the earth informed our rhythm or cycle. It was obvious to move with these cycles when we grew and hunted for our food. The earth gave us what we needed when we needed it and our behaviors followed.  In many cultures around the world they continue health practices that are in sync with the change in season. In a country where the year round availability of food and 24 hour gym access can mask the signals our bodies give us to transition our diet and exercise lifestyles with the seasons, it is vital to be aware of the body's natural rhythms and choose strategies that support the body.

The leaves are changing, its time to change our routines. As we calibrate our thermostats for warm days and cool nights, bring the sweaters, coats and jackets out of storage, winterize our cars, and usher in the season of football, hot drinks and warm socks, let's winterize our bodies as well.  To begin your lifestyle assessment define the difference you see between what you see in nature in the Spring and Fall to discover the clues nature provides about your body's needs for Fall.

Success in attaining any goal takes a simple formula that consists of:

• An objective.
• Strategies, and
• Tactics to support the objective.

Transform an obsession into a plan for success:

1. Define your health objective for fall.
2. Imagine life in fulfillment of the objective. Enlist all of the senses to build a three dimensional experience.
3. Identify strategies that support your objective, such as changes in diet and exercise routines, and an accountability partner.
4. List three specific actions that move you toward accomplishing your goal each week.
5. Assess your progress weekly, and
6. Reset your action list, rinse and repeat.

The quickest route between two points is a straight line. The cause of so many failed or slow to manifest desires is the winding path between the beginning and the end. Straighten the path to your desired results with a clear picture of the end result and decisive use of knowledge, skills, and talents. By using your imagination to create a three dimensional version of your outcome you are able to evaluate your plan, make adjustments and add resources where necessary before you begin. Enlisting all of the senses to create your mental model defines the desired outcome clearly and decisively to the mind and body. These two key elements increase the success rate of any goal. Football quarterbacks have greater success once they get into their rhythm on the field. Synchronizing your life rhythm with nature's rhythm quickly turns obsessions into healthy lifestyle habits that flow free and easy with a touchdown every time.

 

Effective Parenting is as Easy as 1-2-3 #elleeyre #children #parenting

A “good” athlete observes and models other athletes who are getting the effect they which to achieve. “Successful” professionals also study and model others they find to be successful and then model their strategies to attain the results they desire. All of the parents I know have the desire to be ‘good’ ones. Each parent is challenged with factors that affect how they approach parenting. The closest and most apparent model two people have as parents is their parents. Evolution encourages us to continually improve and progress which is very evident when interviewing parents about their style of parenting in comparison to their parents. With each couple on the path of parental evolution a large amount of information has surfaced about ways to be a ‘good’ parent.

Children are an expression of two individuals and they way they desire to impact the world through this expression. Objectives reflect the overall effect a parent desires to have on the world through bringing their children to adulthood. Effective parents consider what their objectives are for raising children and base their actions upon what they plan to achieve as a parent. Effective parents measure the success of their methods by observing how their children respond to their world. Effective parents teach their children how to function constructively, encourage their children to express themselves and adjust methods that are not working.

Three easy steps to becoming a more effective parent are:

1. Define your objective as a parent. Brainstorm what qualities you desire to see in your children as adults. Create a statement that reflects your objective.
2. Consider the overall impact you will have on the world by accomplishing your objective through raising your children.
3.  Define the tools your children will need to have to develop the qualities you desire to see.  Manage situations using these tools and in a way that supports your objective.

There is one more gift effective parents give their children:

Freedom. Freedom to express themselves, freedom to experiment with the tools they are learning, and freedom to trust their own inner knowing.

The results speak for themselves. You can measure the results by observing how your child handles decisions and position themselves in social situations at home or around friends. When someone needs to have their voice heard they express it in many ways behaviorally, verbally or through self-defeating behaviors. Children who receive tools that are helpful to them and cause them to be successful in their lives as they live it tend to seek and take parental guidance more often. Preparing a child to handle their thoughts, emotions, and physical expressions constructively is what parents are for.

Effective Parenting is as Easy as 1-2-3

A “good” athlete observes and models other athletes who are getting the effect they which to achieve. “Successful” professionals also study and model others they find to be successful and then model their strategies to attain the results they desire. All of the parents I know have the desire to be ‘good’ ones. Each parent is challenged with factors that affect how they approach parenting. The closest and most apparent model two people have as parents is their parents. Evolution encourages us to continually improve and progress which is very evident when interviewing parents about their style of parenting in comparison to their parents. With each couple on the path of parental evolution a large amount of information has surfaced about ways to be a ‘good’ parent.

Children are an expression of two individuals and they way they desire to impact the world through this expression. Objectives reflect the overall effect a parent desires to have on the world through bringing their children to adulthood. Effective parents consider what their objectives are for raising children and base their actions upon what they plan to achieve as a parent. Effective parents measure the success of their methods by observing how their children respond to their world. Effective parents teach their children how to function constructively, encourage their children to express themselves and adjust methods that are not working.

Three easy steps to becoming a more effective parent are:

1. Define your objective as a parent. Brainstorm what qualities you desire to see in your children as adults. Create a statement that reflects your objective.
2. Consider the overall impact you will have on the world by accomplishing your objective through raising your children.
3.  Define the tools your children will need to have to develop the qualities you desire to see.  Manage situations using these tools and in a way that supports your objective.

There is one more gift effective parents give their children:

Freedom. Freedom to express themselves, freedom to experiment with the tools they are learning, and freedom to trust their own inner knowing.

The results speak for themselves. You can measure the results by observing how your child handles decisions and position themselves in social situations at home or around friends. When someone needs to have their voice heard they express it in many ways behaviorally, verbally or through self-defeating behaviors. Children who receive tools that are helpful to them and cause them to be successful in their lives as they live it tend to seek and take parental guidance more often. Preparing a child to handle their thoughts, emotions, and physical expressions constructively is what parents are for.

Friday Faves and Raves #elleeyre #livinglifeempowered #quora #scriptopus #writing #writersblock

This week you get an extra special bonus rave for writers or aspiring writers. Whether you write becuase you have to, like it or love it there are probably times when you would do anything for the writing gods to shine down their rays of inspiration without any luck. We call it writer's block, I call it being just plain stuck.

I shared one of my latest addictions with you last week when I wrote my rave about Quora.com, a place I have found fountains of inspiration and information for my own writing projects. This week while in the throws of being stuck waist deep creatively I found myself perusing Quora for a ray of inspiration. I followed many questions until I ran across one addressing the very state I was in, good ole writer's block. The suggestion in one of the answers to the question "What are the best ways to overcome writer's block?"  became my angel of mercy, www.scriptopus.com. Contributor Stephanie Saulter had mentioned that writing a mere 15 minutes everyday was an excellent practice to keep those creative juices flowing and suggested that readers try http://scriptopus.com.

The rest is history, I popped on over to the site and started writing with a technique that differed from my normal projects. Usually I suggest that when someone gets stuck they should engage in something that seems completely unrelated. The remedies for mental stuckness do not include more thinking, and being stuck in action can be released with a change in though or perspective. This time all it took was to write under different circumstances, creative writing had become the key to open my mind and get the words flowing again.

The things that I love about Scriptopus is that it is timed, it gives you as many as a thousand words to use, and you can choose to start a story or develop a story. I am in love and it has turned out to be part of my morning writing routine. Check it out and see how it works for you.  http://scriptopus.com/stories/66

 

Untill next time....happy writing,

Elle

5 Quick Tips to Determine if You Are Truly ‘Stuck’ #elleeyre #livinglifeempowered #personaldevelopment #creativeblocks

Energy moves with you, through you, and around you. Being stuck indicates that there is no movement.  Consider that at these times the movement may not look the way you planned it, the way you expected your results to appear in your world and so you feel 'stuck'. When it seems that you are reaching countless dead ends take a step back and feel where the energy is moving you.

I have found evidence over and over again of something that arose during a conversation with my mother once, “Be careful about what you ask for because you just might get it. If you ask for more patience, you may find yourself in the center of situations where you have the opportunity to practice patience until you have mastered it or gone as far as you can go.” I have found consistent results that are congruent with this subject across many different types of situations in my life and in the lives of others as I have looked at them closely.

When you choose to have more money the energy may move you to reconcile lingering money matters. When you choose to have the perfect partner come into your life you may find yourself in situations to clean up your relationships. Whatever you dream or desire the energy is moving you into alignment with it and providing you opportunity to reveal the results you are looking for.

Are you really stuck or are you experiencing the results of energy moving you into alignment with a desire or dream? I am offering some questions that will guide you to find the answer to your ‘stuckness.’

1. ·         What seems to be the dominating situation, (this can be a thought, feeling, action, circumstance or situation), that you have found yourself in lately?
2. ·         What occupies your dreams or conversations which you would consider wants or desires, (good, bad, or ugly).
3. ·         Taking into account what you have been asking for recently (and often, not too recently), can you find evidence that shows you are given opportunity to clean up, reconcile, or adjust your thoughts, feelings, and/or actions toward the object of your desire?  
4. ·         Destructive thoughts are remedied by seemingly unrelated action; destructive actions can be countered with seemingly unrelated thoughts and feelings. What thought, action, or feeling would disrupt the destructive expression of the energy?
5. ·         What would happen if you let go of the label on these feelings of “stuck” and allowed yourself to simply hang out In the energy of change?

Identifying what you are feeling and accounting for what you have asked for lately offers perspective to your situation and allows you to make choices about what to think, feel, and do about it in a constructive way. This is a form of self-responsible conflict resolution. Imagine how different life would be as you reduce the energy surrounding seemingly adverse situations or circumstances. Imagine how effective you would be in your life and work without the fear of unexpected circumstances lurking around the corner waiting for just the right moment to rock your boat.  As you master techniques of interpreting the energy you feel around different situations of life you make room for an increase of happiness and joy.

 

Here's to re-framing our 'stuck-ness'

Cheers,

Elle