Learn From Great Leaders: The Benefits Of Responsibility And Dependability

Responsibility and dependability are two things that carry a lot of weight. When you are responsible for someone or something, you are the overseer of it. It is your job to take care of it until that responsibility is shifted away from you.

 

When you are dependable, others can count on you to keep your word and follow through with your actions. While these two things require a lot of work and effort, they also come with some benefits. A quick look into history can help demonstrate the benefits that came with the addition of responsibility and dependability for one man.

 

Before the United States was its own country, it was a group of states that was still ruled by Great Britain. During this time, George Washington was starting his life on his own. He began his military experience by serving and being a commander in the French and Indian War.

 

Years later, he ended up becoming an integral part of the Revolutionary War through his previous military experience and political position. After being named commander in chief of the Continental Army, he began the long task of gaining independence for the states.

 

History.com discusses Washington and his history. It says that “Washington proved to be a better general than military strategist. His strength lay not in his genius on the battlefield but in his ability to keep the struggling colonial army together...His leadership during the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a testament to his power to inspire his men to keep going.” When the war ended, Washington was declared a national hero. 

 

After signing the peace treaty, Washington gave up his position and returned to his home, excited to get back to his crops and plantation. However, the new country had different plans. 

 

Washington had become so popular during the war that he was the first choice for the new presidential seat. He eventually took the position and served two terms as president. After serving as president, he finally returned to his home where he lived the rest of his life, dying just a few years later at 67 years of age. 

 

Throughout Washington’s life, he carried a large amount of responsibility and showed his dependability. 

 

Because of how well he led the soldiers to victory and independence, he was given the benefit of the first choice for the presidential seat of the new country. Had Washington done poorly during his time in the war, this would have not been the case. 

 

Because of this, he is now a highly regarded individual in the United States. As the first president, his face is on our currency both paper and coin. There are many buildings and other monuments dedicated to his name. He is celebrated on his birthday every year and he is studied in all history classes. 

 

While being the first president wasn't what Washington originally intended to do with his time after the war, it ended up being a great reward for his hard work during the war as well as providing an increase in responsibility that has led to him being so revered.

 

While taking on responsibilities and being dependable in your own life will probably not lead to monuments being built in your name, there are benefits to showing and acting on these good qualities while you are leading. 

 

Washington is just one of the many examples of great leaders who show that you reap what you sow. When you put in the work and take your position seriously, good things will come out of it. 

 

The Best Leaders Thrive Through Struggle And Adversity

It is easy to be a leader in the good times. When there are no problems or conflicts there is nothing challenging you or forcing you to change and grow. However, the best leaders are able to thrive through struggles and adversity. 

 

A great example of a leader that thrived in struggles and adversity is Nelson Mandela. 

 

The nelsonmandela.org website discusses his life and influence. Mandela was a great leader in South Africa who worked to help the country get out from under the previous government’s hold. He was very involved in the country's politics and he consistently worked to begin the necessary changes. He helped with protests, strikes, and led an armed struggle.

 

For his actions, Mandela was jailed multiple times with the final time being for twenty-four years. Once he was finally released, he immediately threw himself back into the political field. 

 

Four years after leaving prison, Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Quote by Nelson Mandela from his speech from the Dock on April 20, 1964.

 

A large part of what made Mandela such a great leader was all the troubles his country was going through. If there had been better leaders in power, he might not have gotten into politics or made it as far as he did. 

 

Even after being in prison for a large part of his adult life, every time he was released, he would be in the midst of things once more, attempting to make positive changes. Mandela's motivation to make things better for his people was his driving force but the trials that he went through only amplified his results. 

 

In your own life, you will witness many leaders. Most of them will go through struggles and adversity. Some of the problems will be because of their leadership position while other issues could be caused by personal or other problems. The best leaders will thrive and make it through these tribulations while the weaker leaders will not. 

 

In your own life, while you are in the midst of troubles, it can be very tempting to quit or give up. 

 

However, consider those in your life who need you to be strong and continue on. Your family, friends, and coworkers rely on you, to some degree. If you are in a leadership position, it is especially important that you continue on. Use the tribulations to your benefit. Allow them to inspire you to keep working and press on harder.

 

When looking at history, the most revered leaders were noticed in times of trouble. Wars and other political problems help bring out the best leaders to the foreground as they deal with problems that have possibly never occurred prior to that moment. 

 

Mandela is a great example of this. In different circumstances, he might have been just a normal guy. The world might have never known his name. 

 

Life will always provide difficulties and new problems.

 

The best thing to do is to keep moving forward and working hard. Look at the leaders in your life and see how they deal with struggles. What do they do when new problems arrive? Some people have more experience with handling difficulties but it can always be good to see what others would do in your place and how to strive through struggles and adversity.

 

Strategic Thinking 101

Being strategic is all about planning ahead, focusing on your goal, and taking steps to get to it. It is important to consider all angles and their possible negative outcomes. Being prepared for anything to go wrong and having a few backup plans is always helpful. 

 

By focusing on strategic thinking, you are making a strategy to get to an end goal. Throughout history, some of the most revered strategic thinkers were political or military leaders. Some examples of some strategic individuals include Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Jeff Bezos. 

 

Let’s consider an example to explore strategic thinking. You are a high school student and you are planning to sell cookies at the school bake sale. You want your cookies to be the preferred choice and sell more than any other item. Now that you have a goal, you need to get your strategy together. 

 

Consider your assets. You need to have good cookies. If your cookies only look good, you might get some sales but no return customers. In order to have good cookies, you need to either make or buy good cookies. 

 

This means that you might be spending some time improving your cooking skills by taking classes, seeking out a tutor, and practicing. Not only do you need to know how to bake them, but you need good ingredients. By buying very good baking products, your cookies will taste better. Once you have determined the best time to make the cookies before the sale, your assets are covered. Now to consider the next part.

 

Consider your consumers. What type of cookies are the most popular amongst the students and staff? If you cook some really great oatmeal cookies, but no one likes oatmeal, you won’t get very many sales. Do some research to figure out what product might be best. You can ask your peers or have them sample a few of your cookies to see what they like. Take their preferences into consideration. Once you know what cookies they like, you need to market. 

 

If the bake sale is not already well marketed, you will need to help it out. It is very hard to sell cookies if no one is there to buy them. Putting up some flyers, talking about it to your friends, and posting on social media is a great place to start.

 

Bring a few sample cookies around and inform everyone who tries them that more can be purchased at the sale. As you finish preparing for the sale, you could consider your competitors, your presentation of the cookies, how to handle rescheduling dates, and more. Now you are ready to sell those cookies. 

 

In the previously explored exercise of bake sale cookies, there are many things to plan out and many steps to take in order to increase the possible positive results of the high school baker. This is just a small-scale glance into strategic thinking. 

 

Napoleon Bonaparte’s strategizing was most likely very different from Jeff Bezos.’ Every situation will be different when coming up with a strategy but every part of it is based around planning and action. Strategies involve having set ideas in place that can be followed in certain circumstances.

 

When coming up with your own strategy, make sure to consider all angles. You are forming a road to your goal and you want to make sure that you get there. Anticipate your opponent’s moves, plan for reactions, and counterstrategies.

Take plenty of time to think through your plan and ideas. Don’t rush or get distracted when working on your strategy. With plenty of time and practice, you can become a master at creating strategies. 

 

When Knowledge Knocks, How Do You Answer the Door?

A proverb aptly written said, “Knowledge knocks at the door of action. If it receives a reply it stays, if it doesn’t it departs.” When was the last time you answered the door to knowledge and put it into action in your life? 

 

We are bombarded every day with knowledge. Most of it is beneficial or useful and we read it and appreciate its wisdom. Often however, our busy lives drown out the useful information we learn and we forget it before we have time to put it into action in our life. We miss many useful like skills when we fail to action our knowledge and its worth taking a few minutes to think about knowledge that is beneficial and can even improve our quality of life.

 

In your journal, take time to think about ten concepts or ideas that have recently captivated your imagination and interest. It can be something fictional or non-fictional, something current or something from history. As your curiosity is excited when you think or write about these things, take time to explore them and dig deeper into learning about them. Don’t waste the spark interest, but let it ignite thirst for knowledge and personal growth. 

 

The potential for gaining benefit in doing this extends much further than just in identifying what interests you. If you believe that what you are learning would benefit you or your family, and then try to put them into action immediately in some way in your life. 

 

In your journal, consider exploring the things that interest you in a broader way. Identify any common concepts that might connect each area that interests you. Are they health related, or are they parenting related? As you look for the common connection, you will discover where your natural interests lie, and these may guide you to explore courses or other options to turn your interests into something that may turn out to be financially useful. 

 

Don’t forget to review what you are learning regularly so you don’t forget what you have read and what you have learned. Add to it regularly and keep records of what you do with that knowledge. Share the knowledge you gain with friends, even if you choose not to formally study it. Wisdom is described as applied knowledge. Knowledge that is not applied is wisdom lost and is wasted knowledge. 

 

Experience Your Emotions; Don’t Be Led by Them

Jackie M Johnston once asked her audience. “Have you learned to tell the difference between “experiencing your feelings and being led by them”? The answer to this question is very individual and one each of us must ask ourselves. We cannot become holistically whole people if we don’t answer this question with an instant “yes”!

 

We cannot begin to act and think positively until we have learned to experience and deal with our feelings, without being pulled down by them. Most people are led by their “gut instincts” when making decisions. How people feel about something often dictates whether they do it or not, or enjoy doing it or not. They may even choose not to do something because of how they feel about it. 

 

The issue with this type of reaction is that it is deeply rooted in the emotions and not in logic, although logic and our feelings may lead us to the same conclusion. This is what is meant by “experiencing your feelings” Have you learned to tell the difference between “experiencing your feelings and being led by them? .Experiencing your feelings, enables you to rise above consider your feelings about something, but then logically decide what action to take. 

 

This is particularly important if have an argument with a spouse or teenage child. It is very easy to be led by feelings as the argument becomes more heated. A wise spouse or parent, on recognizing and understanding the increased feelings of frustration and anger welling up inside them, will suggest time out to give each person time and space to think and respond logically rather than emotionally.

 

Learning to differentiate between our acting on our feelings and understanding how they can help or hinder our actions and our reactions is essential to achieving positive thinking. Negative feelings can hold us hostage to ourselves and to never achieving anything in our life. We don’t feel happy or contented with what we have, so we strive for more. We feel depressed so we isolate ourselves from others or we over eat. We feel angry so we take it out on in our attitudes with our children or our spouse. 

 

As we learn to channel our negative thoughts and feelings into more positive decision-making, we are able to use them to help us choose behaviours but we don’t let them dictate our actions without first challenging them by thinking through alternative options that can affect positively on our lives and the choice we make. 

How to Know the Real You

To a very large extent knowing yourself requires you to understand aspirations both physical, the spiritual values, the emotional values and even understanding of the spiritual and knowing how you can attain all these life requirements. If you come to an understanding of all these aspects of life, then you are on the path to self-discovery. This is what brings lifelong peace in our lives, making it a joyful life and you will be contented in all aspects. 

 

We all at one point in our lives get knowledge, develop our talent and skills that in one way or another make our lives comfortable. In spite of all these we stand ignorant about what we need spiritually. We tend to ignore the spiritual bit of life which is always hidden though it is of great essence. This can largely be attributed to the reason of our unhappy and disturbed life.

 

The first step to self-discovery is by having a look at the needs of the soul and try feeling its need. We need to come to terms with the fact that self is not the physical body that we are seeing each and every day. It is but the inner us comprising of our soul. Since time immemorial we have always been told of our soul being immortal and it tends to pass from body to body.

 

Always remain in connection with yourself by trying to draw attention to what lies on the external. Avoid distractions from the outside. On a number of occasions we tend to focus our attention to meeting of external desires which to a large extent are insatiable. Satisfaction of one leads to the coming of another. Our lives are deeply engrossed to our lives, we are always busy with the hustles and bustles of life and at the end of the dour we remain malnourished from the inside. Our soul is starved. 

 

Consider taking time to meditate. This practice can make us come to terms with our true essence. It can bring light to our real self. Ensure that you are always connected the soul by simply drawing away from external and material desires.

 

Another way to self-realization is having contentment in life. When we are contented we tend to get some time to or have an ample time to have a deep insight in to our lives. We drift our attention and start focusing on such aspects like love, honesty and life sacrifices. We become contented by having love with others. When we start sacrificing ourselves for others, sharing other people’s worries and anxieties and having them as our own.

 

Enjoy Your Life: Change Your Point of View

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts 

 

If you’ve placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again? 

 

In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

 

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

 

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

 

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.

 

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

 

Optimists expect the best

 

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault. 

 

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case. 

 

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

 

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

 

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles. 

 

People respond positively to optimists

 

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with. 

 

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavourably. 

 

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice. 

 

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher 

 

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

 

They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

 

Optimists are healthier and live longer

 

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.

 

Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts. 

 

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

 

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavours? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side? 

 

You Are a Part of the Environment, Not Apart from the Environment

Whether or not we identify with those who call themselves ‘greens’, all of us are becoming increasingly aware that our natural world is hurting and that all are responsible for its care and health. The current discussions on how to reduce carbon emissions is an indication of the fragile relationship that exists between humans and the environment. I am certain that, like me, you too are becoming increasingly aware that you are a part of the environment not apart from it.

 

We often act with no thoughts of the consequences of our actions. We are creatures of habit and convenience. Our busy lives and indulgent life styles often create blindness to the adage that ‘every action has an opposite reaction’. Actor and environmentalist Ed Asnor described it like this:

 

"We all moan and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our ecology, and yet each one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It is time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved mother deserves.”

 

We are increasingly realizing the impact that the accumulated consequences of hundreds of years of industrialization, is having on the environment. If we are aware of our relationship with the environment, we will actively change our lifestyle and habits to protect the fragile world we live in. 

 

In the past, the ancient indigenous cultures of our world learned how to live in harmony with the environment. They learned to use its resources for their needs and not their greed. They learned to protect its resources and live in harmony with the seasons by only taking resources for personal needs at a time when those resources were naturally in abundance. They lived in harmony with the environment and the environment lived in harmony with them. 

 

Somewhere in time, we lost the concept of being a part of the environment and not apart from it. We, as a human race, began to see ourselves as somehow separate to it and our lifestyles focused on what we could take from the world around us and forgot what we should give back to it. The price of our actions is not only the destruction of the environment that we are a part of, but also potentially our own destruction. 

Weight Loss: The All Natural Way Without Gimmicks

If you type up Weight Loss in a keyword tracker tool or in a search engine like Google, you will be alarmed to see how many searches in a day are being done on this subject alone. Take www.submitexpress.com for example, put ‘weight loss’ in their word tracking device; you will see that on a daily basis, more than 5000 searches are being done on how to lose weight. 

 

However, this shouldn’t be alarming, I mean the average person does have the desire to be liked, sought after and popular. This might explain why we are so captivated with celebrities and perhaps why we at times blindly follow whatever fad or trend they might propagate in the quest to lose weight and be slimmer, sometimes at the cost of our own health.

 

An observation of Nature will show that no animal free of captivity is upholstered with excess weight and are oft times very fit, agile and sharp. This is because unlike man, all animals adhere to the simple laws of nature to maintain health which include eating the right foods for your type and getting adequate exercise. Well these are the basic laws, others might include getting sufficient rest, getting sunshine, interacting with others.

 

There are so many myths and fads that promise to aid you in losing weight that when they are intelligently dissected will make you wonder what ever made you think to give them a shot, which is part of the reasons why I am writing this to inform you that as the slogan of my site on drugless healing says: “if one way is true, it is the way of nature”.

Moreover, Nature bows at no alter, seeks neither praise nor applause, she only asks for a hearing, my friends.

 

For weight loss, your best bet will be to embrace the three limbs of Naturopathy:

• Proper Exercise

• Proper Diet

• Positive Thinking

 

Now I will explain each one in brief detail:

 

Proper Exercise

 

Now, there was a time, like almost everyone, that I assumed big and inflated muscles meant fitness and health. Wrong. Maybe it might depict strength-to a degree and that, for only a while, but you ask anybody about one of the greatest martial artists of all time, Bruce Lee, here was a guy who was said to do a thousand (1000) push-ups and other feats of strength and any picture of him shows he was not a blown up mass of muscle waiting to atrophy and deflate as is the case with most fitness experts and body-builders using artificial supplements, I mean look at the agedness depicted across their faces most of the time. 

 

This leads one to conclude that for exercise, basic Aerobic-with oxygen-exercises (such as walking, jogging, and dancing) and Anaerobic-without oxygen-exercises (such as push ups, pull-ups, dips, using the ab-wheel and weight lifting for body builders) can be sufficient without the use of synthetic products. For those who want an exercise for the mind as well as the body, Yoga definitely is unmatched. 

 

From my experience, if you were to do the Sun Salutations (hailed in Yoga, Martial Arts and African Wrestling as the ‘best exercise for humans’) which have been passed down from centuries with a proper and sensible diet, which I will be explaining soon, you are well on your way to weight loss and strength.

 

Some Indians perform about a 100 plus rounds of this marvelous exercise on a daily basis and have immense fitness, strength, agility and virility. Add some other poses like the inversions (Shoulder-Stand), Forward Bends (Head to Knee Pose), Backward bends, Balancing Poses (arguably the best exercises to tone the arms, abdomen and restore a sense of balance and self confidence in humans who practice them) and you are bound to see the immense results. Speaking of emulating celebrities, well did you know Sting, Madonna, Russell Simmons, Beyonce and Prince all practice some form of Yoga and need I mention how fit and good they look?

 

I could go on and on about Abdominal exercises and Breathing Exercises of the Yoga genre (which in the case of the latter is also EXTREMELY effective for weight loss) but that will be another subject in itself, the bottom line is: in my opinion, exercises that use the body’s weight for resistance such as Yoga, Calisthenics and Pilates are arguably the best for the human body. 

 

Have you ever seen a chimpanzee lifting rocks repeatedly? Yet that distant cousin of humans can rip a door off a car and is easily 8 times stronger than an average modern day human. Still, if we share about 98% DNA with this primate (as well as other apes), its evidence to make one wonder how much healthier and fit we would be by adhering and living as close as possible to Nature’s laws of diet and exercise.

 

Proper Diet

 

• “You are what you eat.” - Anonymous

• “Let your foods be your medicine and your medicine your food.” - Hippocrates, the father of medicine

• “Every herb bearing seed and every tree bearing fruit with seed in it shall be yours for food.” - Gen 1:29

 

From these radical quotes above, it should be plain to see that most modern day meals and mixtures are totally against Nature’s intent for us as humans for fitness, agility and strength. It will be safe to say that if you want to lose weight, re-read these three quotes and the proper diet will stare you right in the face: Fruits and Vegetables.

 

Admittedly, and you can take this from a guy who was a raw vegan for several months, (Now, I mostly fast and eat mono meals of fruit and raw or cooked vegetables every other day) that might be kind of hard to accomplish or adhere to. Well, if you approach it the wrong way, being radical in nature and as with all things that don’t have a strong foundation, you may be bound to fail. 

 

The good news is there are several books on the subject of this kind of a diet and though adequately addressed in the core e-book of my site, you can type up Vegan Diets, Raw Vegan Diets, Vegetarianism in any search engine to be educated-to a degree- on the subject. I have experimented with each of the three kinds of diets and have been on the Standard American diet and am now of the firm belief that the first two and maybe the third if done sensibly and wisely are the best for humans, period!

 

I touched on the subjects of internal cleanliness and non-animal product diets in my article available in my blog and some article directories under the title “Is a Low-Carb, High Protein diet the best for weight loss?” but I will briefly state again that based on the quotes above, and the facts that this diet has been proven countless times to be the best (Ask Bill Pearlman-four times Mr. Universe winner!), without the need for much of an argument, a diet free of animal products is simply the best for humans. 

 

For an idea of a daily menu, you can look for my article “How to Cure Acne in 10 days” in some of the major article directories online, last time Google did its spider crawl, it came up in most of them but I also put in my blog for my readers just in case.

 

I’ll leave you with this factor to consider though on the subject of proper diet, based on the anthropological approach of several authors of Naturopathy, and from simple observations, we as primates, just like our distant cousins, the great apes, are frugivores, eaters of mainly fruits and green leaves and it cannot be a co-incidence that these substances make up the mucus-less or alkaline forming foods that even science has proven to be the best for human life and of course, weight loss.

 

Positive Thinking

 

Some quotes from perhaps the most rugged book ever put together, that being the Bible, bring to mind just how important it is to think positively-and wisely so-in any endeavour one is undertaking. “As a man thinks in his heart; so is he... “ and “Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life”. That stated, what you constantly think over and over is eventually what comes to pass.

 

The mind has such powers that are beyond human comprehension at times, but according to the author of the “Power of Positive Thinking”, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, “You are what you are now based on your thoughts five years ago and will be in five years what you constantly think of yourself now.” 

 

Although one’s thoughts are very important, without taking the steps to act on them (of course when they are constructive and positive) they do end up being a waste, but your reading this article does depict a desire to want to improve yourself be it through weight loss or any other factor.

 

Like with any journey in life, of course, you will have times when you may want to give up, lose faith or focus and consequently get off the path to success, which may explain why most people fail at diets and fads in the quest of losing weight, well, my friend, you will have to literally tune your thinking to be positive so as to overcome the doubts and fears as you go about accomplishing your goals. It honestly will be easier applying the two other limbs of drugless healing above for weight loss as they do go hand-in-hand.

 

In conclusion, forget the fads and hypes. For a healing program to be successful at anything, especially weight loss, it must cover the three limbs of health: diet, exercise and positive thinking. It is my hope that this article will show you how to choose the best methods of attaining not only weight loss, but fitness and health on the inside and out.

Love Can Make You Lose Weight

Most people make promises to lose weight but never seem to attain their goals. Perhaps it is because of lack of motivation. Well, one thing can help with increasing the enthusiasm for self-improvement through weight loss. That thing is love.

 

One of the many reasons why several people gain weight in the first place from excessive eating and lack of exercise may be due to an intense loneliness and the need to compensate for this. “No one wants me anyway”, they’d say or think to themselves in self-pity “so it shouldn’t matter what I look like, so let me enjoy something at least!”

 

This emotion is quite understandable; however, it is not the right approach to handling the situation. Instead of resorting to unhealthy binges as a resort to compensate for being alone, why not make the efforts to find that special someone who would motivate you to being a better person.

 

It is a known fact that the first thing people judge others on is quite simply their appearance. If you don’t look as appealing or at least come off as being concerned about your appearance to some degree, this could be an instant turn-off to most people.

 

So instead of giving up on yourself, it will be a much better and healthier idea to make yourself presentable and appealing just in case that special someone comes around. 

 

In addition, when you make the efforts to be healthier and fitter, you automatically create the foundation for increased self-confidence, happiness and a positive outlook on life. 

 

Now, admittedly, it may seem hard at times to find that person to share our feelings with, however, there are still plenty of options to finding someone and it’s safe to say the energy spent on binging and consequently gaining excess weight could be expended in such endeavours.

 

The choices are really limitless: places of worship, online options (the ‘myspace’ site seems very popular for meeting people), work, the gym etc. Friends, with all these choices at hand, you really don’t have to be alone and use this as an excuse for not caring about yourself.

 

Even in the worst case scenario: “How about being in love with you?” 

 

That’s a start. Christ’s wisdom and subtlety comes to mind here when he says: “Love your neighbour as you love yourself” When you love yourself (not being vain or overly superficial now), you will make the efforts to always look and be your best naturally. As a result that motivation could and should serve as the spur to action to lose excess weight if needed.

 

Now, if you are in a relationship already, this should serve as a motivation to want to look and be your best. To simply let things get out of hand with your health and appearance can make you appear less attractive to your partner, in spite of whatever people say about “it’s not what’s on the outside that matters... “ 

 

Moreover, need I mention that excess weight and poor fitness levels can obstruct what may have been a healthy and happy sex life for two people in love? (Oh and on that subject, sex is a great exercise so that’s another way love, at least making it, could come in handy to lose weight... )

 

Now Al Green once said “Love can make you do wrong, can make you do right”

 

I say it can make you lose weight!

 

Here’s to a healthy and happier you.

Adversity - Staying Positive When Life Falls Apart

We take a lot of good things for granted in our everyday life. A roof over our heads, a steady paycheck, a loving partner, the ability to go out for a run on the weekends. The specifics vary, but one of the big advantages of modern lives is the many awesome things we can count on. We’re not used to falling short, so when something happens and our life starts to fall apart, it’s easy to fall into thinking patterns that focus on lack and despair. 

 

Sometimes the bad things are a result of choices we made. Sometimes they are outside of our control. In either case, it is up to us to decide how we react to each crisis. One piece of advice that is important to remember no matter what adversity you face is to make sure you don’t forget about how blessed you really are. Gratitude can turn what we have into enough. 

 

There’s a quote I love and would like to share with you by Melody Beattie. Here it is: 

 

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." 

 

Think about how you can start to do this in your everyday life. A good place to start is to simply take a deep breath and pause for a moment when things go wrong and everything is starting to feel overwhelming. Then come up with one little thing you are grateful for during this time. It can be something as simple as being able to breathe fresh, clean air, or living to fight another day. 

 

Find that something and start to build on it. What else are you grateful for? Keep making that mental list until the desperation starts to lift and you can start to think clearly. When you do, you can start to find your way out, no matter how bad things seem at first. And remember, you never know what good might come from the struggle you are facing right now. 

 

When live gives you lemons, make lemonade and don’t forget to count your blessings and use gratitude to turn what you have into enough. Our ancestors were great at this. It’s time we picked that habit back up. 

Day Three: Treating Others Well is the Sign of Great Leadership

“The people with the greatest love, not the most information, will influence us to change.”- Bob Goff

 

Bob Goff is the New York Times best-selling author of the book Love Does. His quote reminds us that it isn’t what you know that matters as much as how you behave. You may have all the knowledge in the world on important subjects which will make you an expert, but if you don’t have the social skills to lead others with love, you won’t be very effective. 

 

Goff shared a story in a blog post about Galileo, a scientist who used a telescope to determine that the Earth and the other planets rotated around the sun. At the time, this went against the standard beliefs in science and caused Galileo to be arrested and jailed. What Galileo discovered was truth, but his truth threatened those in leadership and instead of listening, they reacted defensively.

 

As leaders, it’s important to realize that information changes and what we think we know might be proven ineffective or wrong at some point down the line. As a leader, how you treat others is more important than what you know. Here are some keys concepts to keep in mind- 

 

Being challenged doesn’t require defensiveness. Some leaders feel that their authority should not be challenged. It’s true that a leadership role holds an expectation of authority and in most cases deserves respect; however, respect is best when it is earned. If your authority is being challenged, hold your peace and your maturity and determine if the challenge is worthy. If so, embrace the challenge and work together to seek a solution or remedy or embrace the new information with gratitude. 

 

Seek to inspire not command. Leadership should inspire others to want to take action on behalf of the leader or the common goal the leader represents. How you treat others will determine how willing they are to serve the cause. Great leaders inspire people to go beyond what they might do on their own. By serving as an example, doing the work alongside others, and being the hardest working member of the group, leaders can encourage others to give their best as well. 

Surround yourself with people smarter than you are. Great leaders know that life’s an ever-evolving thing and it requires life-long learning. No one person can know everything in all areas. Strong leaders surround themselves with people smarter than they are in certain areas and empower them and support them to shine. They aren’t threatened by someone else’s knowledge or the fact they don’t know everything. True leadership includes the humility of being less knowledgeable and making no apologies. 

 

What you know isn’t as important as how you operate. Being a great leader includes knowing your stuff, but more importantly it includes being kind, compassionate, and treating those you lead with dignity and respect.