Just One More Spoon...

One of the aspects of my life that I really appreciate is that I started my journey of personal development before we had our kids. And one of the reasons for this is that my kids now benefit from it two. They are 22 months and 7 months. Coupled with that, my sister discovered the Glenn Doman method of teaching my niece from a young age. It open up a world for her from a very young age and her mind, to this day, fires on all cylinders. At age 25 she has done a Masters in Theoretical Physics and is in her second year of studying to become and actuary. This also raised the bar for my sister who taught her higher grade maths, herself having failed lower grade maths for her high school graduation. The forerunner to all this being my grandmother who raised eight, very forward looking children. One of them, of course, my mum. So in this short paragraph alone, we can see how one person can cause effect to generations.

But that's only part of the point of my post. Being a product of the product that is the cornerstone of my business, one of the key things it has taught me is to keep my own promises. Now, this may sound like a very simple notion but I think you'll find it's something that many overlook. They are happy to let things slide because 'it's only' for themselves. I remember the first major promise I kept to myself. It wasn't easy because all my friends were going in that direction and, seeing it coming, I had already promised myself that I wouldn't. IT FELT GREAT. As I became better at keeping promises to myself, the by-product was that I became more resolute and my word truly was my bond. It's a great thing to be able to say 'my word is my bond'. It's even better when people realise this to be true.

An off-shoot of this is that I have a great relationship with my children. They trust me to be direct, truthful and factual. I don't point and say that's a dog, I point and say that's a dog, it's called a doberman pinscher or that's a bird, it's called a blue tit. And when we're eating and I say 'Just one more spoon...' they eat it becuase they know I won't push any more on them.

To acquiesce to your child's desires does neither party any favours. One of the great things about the company I work with is that when all the distributors meet up at the live events, they all being products of the product too, there is resolution and positivity. Stephen Covey in his brilliant book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, points out that the best relationships we have are with other independent people. Interdependence through independence. As Barbara Streisand correctly point out in her song, people who need people are the luckiest people... I'd add the caveat "Don't make people a priority if they only make you an option".

Activation Energy - Keep It Simple

I like the simple life. By simple I mean uncomplicated. I like it when things work the way they should and I like my path unobstructed and unencumbered. For my business, I like my marketing to be 'set and forget'. I get deals for 3 months at a time or if I'm handing out flyers, you either take on or you don't. My door keys hang from a belt ring from my jeans on a snazzy looking climbing hook and there are only the three that I need. I hang the keys in the same place in the house and leave my sunglasses in a place of their own too. The nappies/diapers, cream and wipes are always kept in the same place and so are the kids. Ok, I'm kidding about that last part.


There's a reason for this and it's not laziness. Keeping things simple allows you to get more done. It frees up your time and your memory to concentrate on other accomplishments. Once a habit is formed (about 21-30 days), it stays with you. It requires little or no thought on your part to make it happen. This also the case with 'muscle memory' or arc reflex. Professional boxers and tennis players alike can perform feats that defy our belief system simple because they are constantly working scenarios that may occur and then coming up with the response. It becomes pretty much automatic. I studied Kenpo Karate myself for years and if someone were to come at me a certain way, before my brain has time to respond, hey presto, my body has already kicked in to action.

I digress slightly. I had the pleasure of hearing Prof. Shawn Achor, major exponent of positive psychology and personal development, speak on a couple of occasions, once in Rome, Italy and once in Kona, the big island of Hawaii. One of top things that I came away with was his story of learning to play the guitar. He noticed that there was a certain scenario in which he practiced more than others and that was when his guitar was in the cradle as opposed to when he had to get it out of the case (next to the cradle). The couple of seconds extra that it would have taken him to take his guitar out of the case tipped that decision.


It's called 'activation energy', the energy required by you to get a task done. To get up to go to the fridge to get ice-cream during a good movie, low energy require. To get up and put on a wash when a good movie is on, high energy required. But let's say, in some situation, you're watching television in the laundry room? Low energy require there, right?


So here's the thing, if you would like to start a new, good habit or skill, make it easy for yourself. If you'd like to eat healthier, fill your presses with the good stuff so it's to hand. If you'd like to be more fit, put your trainers near the couch... You get the picture. We all have high and low activation energy activities but we can tip the energy ratio in our favour by making it easier on ourselves.
 Don't struggle, keep it simple!


Good for a laugh and educational. Prof. Martin Seligman, 'father' of positive psychology.

http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html