Altering Habits to Better Your Life

Altering Habits to Better Your Life

           

Habits, oh those foul habits. Habits are acquired from training, influences, observance, and practice. We acquire a lot of habits throughout our life, which some are goodness and others are foul. Good habits we may keep, but if one wants to better their life the foul habits have to take a hike. Eliminating bad habits however isn't simple, especially if a dependency is involved. For this reason, we may learn how to change your habits.

Individuals wander through life making excuses. Anytime an individual sees something complicated, they'll frequently make excuses why they can't deal with the issue. This is a rough-cut problem in the world, which we’ve all heard 1000000000000s of times. If you're out to better your life, you need to state, “This is something that blocks me from accomplishment and I've the might to change it.

           

The first key to success is quit making excuses. You are able to commit by choosing a fresh habit.

Today I'm going to quit judging other people and myself. This is a common error individuals make in the world. They spend time labeling other people and themselves. This gets them nowhere but in a world of chaos.

           

Do you think negatively? I can’t alter this. My life is full of bunk; I can’t swing it any longer. Why me? If you spend your life believing negative and stating negative connotations, attempt changing your ways today. For example, state, I may change something and I'm going to. Rather than stating life is full of bunk, accept it as truth yet move forward to make your life better.

           

Once you begin to make changes to improve your life, begin small. Rather than jumping the gun, take little steps to success. Too many times individuals try to change overnight. This only leads to frustration.

           

When you're working to alter your life and habits make certain you seek support and feedback. You don't have to walk the road to success alone. Feedback is discovered at your library, the Net, at colleges, etc. Ask somebody you trust to support you and provide you feedback when required as well

           

Are You Worried? 4 Steps to Peace of Mind

Why Worry?

A friend has this quotation on his office wall: "I know worry works because nothing I worry about ever happens."

I think I must believe that, because I worry a lot -- and about the most insignificant things. I worry about the big things, of course, like health, relationships, and finances. But I'm also liable to fret about anything and everything that finds its way into my consciousness.

Because I spend so much time on worry, I've decided to embrace it with a personal research project. Maybe you'd like to join me.

Here are two avenues I'm exploring:

1) I practice catching myself at it. "Hey, I'm worrying again." During a recent morning swim, I caught myself worrying 10 times during one lap! I'm not kidding. On rare days when I don't have anything to worry about, I find something. What I've learned is that worry is a mental habit. I can change habits; I've done it before. There's hope.

2) My second approach is to practice presence. By this I mean stopping my thoughts. In my workshops, I ring a bell to help participants practice centering. The quieter we are, the longer we hear the bell. There's a lovely moment when we all listen . . . until the ring is barely audible . . . then just a memory. I relish that moment of quiet before my thoughts re-engage. There is no future or past, just Now. No worrying thoughts -- no thoughts at all. It's a peaceful place, which is why I stretch the moment. I want to strengthen the connection to something greater than my worries.

3) When I told my good friend Rosie about my worry project, she told me about her approach, which is to do one of three things: decide to address the issue right then; if you can't do anything about it at the moment, give yourself a time to address it later; or decide that it is not important and let it go. In other words, act on it, file it or throw it away.

4) Finally, one of Rosie's favorite worry stoppers (and mine) is to sing. Connect with your self, your creativity, and the place where everything really is okay.

Awareness and acknowledgment are the keys to changing our habits. Morihei Ueshiba, who founded aikido and spoke of it as the Art of Peace, said we must "always practice the Art of Peace in a vibrant and joyful manner." Perhaps my research project on worry will help me to lighten up, smile, and live each day in such a way.

Are you worrying? Stop your thoughts for a moment. Listen to the sounds around you, pay attention, and be present to this key moment. And smile . . . for no reason. You may find that's the best reason of all.

A FREE HALLOWEEN GIFT FOR OUR FOLLOWERS:

 Click Here HALLOWEEN SAFETY GUIDE 


 Jim and Jeanetta Pollard
http://TheFabulousFifties.net

Be Happy! Happiness is just a Matter of Mind

Happiness

Giving Happiness

We all want happiness. We all need appreciation. We all crave for recognition. We all want to be applauded. We all desire to be called good and lovely human beings. We are all looking for this certificate from our friends, family and our partner. This makes us happy. This makes us feel good about ourselves. This gives us new confidence in ourselves. This all gives us a new and positive self esteem, which is very important.

We all want happiness. We all need appreciation. We all crave for recognition. We all want to be applauded. We all desire to be called good and lovely human beings. We are all looking for this certificate from our friends, family and our partner. This makes us happy. This makes us feel good about ourselves. This gives us new confidence in ourselves. This all gives us a new and positive self esteem, which is very important.

How to get it? Let us do all this for others. If no one is praising us, let us praise others. Let us do all that we want others to do to us. Let us give love, affection, appreciation, and let us applaud others even for a very small victory. Will this help us? It helps us immediately. The first feeling we get after doing a good deed is a feeling of satisfaction. This raises our self esteem in our own eyes. This makes us feel good. By making others happy, we get happiness. So let us become proactive and get all we want by not asking for it, but giving it.

What will happen to others when they get such praise from us? They will feel very happy. They will be happy with us. They will like us even more. They will like to do something in return. They will do all that we have been wishing for. Send happiness to get happiness. The shortest route to a lovely life.

Happiness is a state of mind, when one feels contented with oneself. One feels cheerful with one's life and circumstances. Remaining unhappy is not our goal in life, but happiness is our goal. If we are not happy, life become a burden. One lives, but only because one has no choice. Why not make happiness a part of everyday living?

A FREE HALLOWEEN GIFT FOR OUR FOLLOWERS:

 Click Here HALLOWEEN SAFETY GUIDE

Jim and Jeanetta Pollard

The best Christmas gift for your family

http://santaspeaks.com

7 Unique Ways To Make Someone Smile

Learn 7 new ways to put a smile on someone's face. You won't know how many people are encouraged by your kindness because smiles are contagious. Try out one or more of these 7 ways today to make the world a better place.


Do you want to put a smile on someone's face?  Maybe make their day a little bit brighter?  It doesn't have to take much time or money on your part.  In fact, many things can be done as a part of your normal routine and cost little or nothing.  You won't know how many people are encouraged by your kindness because smiles are contagious. Try out one or more of these 7 ways today to put smiles on their faces.

1. Write an encouraging note to others that have encouraged you or that need encouragement. Handwritten notes that are given to encourage, not just for thanking someone for a gift, are rare. That makes handwritten notes even more special. Start a new practice of sitting down and writing an encouraging note on a regular basis. You just might start an epidemic!

2. Take a friend out to lunch or invite her to your home for a meal.  You will get to know each other even better than you do right now. If you feel like being more adventurous, throw a party for several of your friends and put smiles on a multitude of faces.

3. Give someone an inspirational book to read. You will feel good doing it, reading the book will change the person, and they will think of you every time they read it.

4. Ask a friend or relative if you can take care of their kid(s) for a day or evening. If you have been a parent, you know the value of being able to have a few hours of "adult time" without worrying about the children. Don't wait to be asked to baby-sit when it is required. Offer to do it at a time when the parent can do something fun and relaxing.

5. Deliver a meal to someone you know that is sick or having a rough time. We have all been sick and know the last thing you want to do is be out of bed. There are also times when life is tough and it is hard to do all of the daily chores. You can be a tremendous help by providing a meal that can be enjoyed.

6. Volunteer time to supporting your local church or charity.  Every minute you dedicate to a church or charity will cause many smiles.  You will put a smile on the face of each leader just for helping without being asked.  You will also be putting smiles on the faces of those that are being helped through the organization.

7. Thank everyone that supports you throughout the day.  The list of those that you come in contact with is endless.  Remember family and friends, secretaries, co-workers, teachers, Sunday school teachers, pastors, store employees, janitors, gas station attendants, those that deliver your mail and newspaper, and servers at restaurants.

I know this is a list of 7 ways to put a smile on someone's face, but there is one more way that can't be ignored. Reveal a genuine smile to everyone you meet. You will experience how easy it is to get others to smile!

Informing - Inspiring - Motivating

Remember use it or lose it!


Jim Pollard
Jim@TheFabulousFifties.net

Here's the "Smile" song 

the over50 gang will remember.

Enjoy

"Smile" by Nat King Cole

"Secrets of a Positive Attitude"

Are you constantly bombarded by thoughts of negativity? Plagued by feelings of insecurity? Do you see everything in a negative manner? The reason for this lies deep within your heart.

Greetings self help reader,

Are you constantly bombarded by thoughts of negativity? Plagued by feelings of insecurity? Do you see everything in a negative manner? The reason for this lies deep within your heart. You are what you mentally and spiritually eat. If a person drinks alchohol on a daily basis, odds are their body will be affected in some way. They may have liver issues, develop cancer or incur some other type of health problem directly related to the amount of alcohol they have consumed. In the same way, a person who constantly feeds themselves negative thoughts will simply turn into a negative person.

This is the time to go on a diet. A diet of positive attitude food. You have to literally stop feeding your mind negative things. Ask yourself is this thought negative or positive or negative? What do negative thoughts look like? Well, they start with can't rather than can, no as opposed to yes, will and not won't. The Bible which is the greatest self help book ever written, speaks about taking every thought captive. The problem in our society has become that our thoughts have taken us captive. We have begun to let our thoughts control us.

A great way to know what we are negative about is to ask those people who are closest to us. You can ask your spouse or another person in your life who really knows you how they would rate your attitude on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being super positive and 1 super negative. Ask this person to be totally honest with you. You will benefit from their honesty even if it causes you pain. Ask this person what it is that you specifically say that they perceive as negative. Write down what they say and look at the actual words. Now is the time to be honest with yourself. Those words are a reflection of what is inside you. They are who you are. The great thing is that you can change. It is as simple as making a choice to do so. You must decide to replace the thoughts of negativity with thoughts of positivity. Decide what words you will change the negative words on your paper to. Once you have done this, make an effort to insert these new positive thoughts in your mind. You will begin to notice a positive change taking place in your life. Your family, friends and co-workers will all notice it as well. They may not know what is different about you. But they will know that you are not the same person that you were.

The items which are causing negativity in your life could very well be the news, movies, constantly replaying tragedy in your mind and the list could go on. These things should be eliminated if you want your new mental health regimen to be a success. The news is very negative and does not help someone who is trying to rid their mind of such thoughts. When you are feeding yourself thoughts of death from a war or gunshot or car accident visually the outcome will be negative. I do believe there is a time to grieve over the death of a loved one. However, if a person constantly replays this negative event in their minds it can lead to depression. The person who has passed away is not coming back and we must close that chapter in our lives and move on to the next chapter. This is a difficult task which can only be done by making a decision to proceed with our own life, no matter how hard this may be.

You can do it. You can and will have a positive attitude, if you simply take the steps outlined above. You do not have to be what you were in the past. You can be different in the future. The choice is yours. I know you will make a positive one.

Much continued positive attitude success,

The creator of "Positive Attitude Secrets"

See you soon.

Santa Jim Pollard

For more infomation contact us at Jim@TheFabulousFifties.net
http://jimpollardministry.blogspot.com/

Tips to make your Memorial Day weekend and the rest of the Summer more enjoyable.

Bounce This Along
   
Mail carriers have said that the U.S. Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.

Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. Use it when you are working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.

2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.

3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

8. To freshen the air in your home, place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

12. To freshen the air in your car, place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.

14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.

16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

22. Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce. 


Santa Jim Pollard
http://www.TheFabulousFifties.net

New Fabulous Fifties and Beyond Television Shows taped

Monday, April 4, we taped three new "The Fabulous Fifties and Beyond" Television shows. All shows stream at http://tv.westkentucky.kctcs.edu/videoclips/50s/.

Crystal Williams, Director of Purchase Area Senior Games, shared with us all about this years games. The theme for the 26th annual games is "Go for the Gold" There are activities for all ages fifty and older. In the past we have had participates as young as 99 years old.

The Senior Games opening ceremonies are at Stewart Stadium, MSU, Murray, Kentucky, Monday, May 9, 2011 at 9:00 am. Sign in begins at 8:30 am.

You can find a complete list of the Events and copy of the official entry form by clicking here. You can print it out and submit it to:
PASG
Crystal Williams
Purchase Area Development District
P. O. Box 588
Mayfield, KY 42066

The Stressful Actions behind Healthy Aging

Learning to manage stress can help you feel better about yourself, since you will feel healthier. Stress can be a bad thing, yet you have the power to control stress. If you let stress control you, it will affect your health. You will likely feel sick all the time, or feel like there is no
hope in your world even if there is hope. For this reason, you want to learn how to take control.

How can I take control of stress?
The first thing you need to do is to take a long look. Is your situation so demanding that it stresses you? Get a view on life and decide if you want the positive or negative things offered to you. Figure out how stress will affect your health to see if it is worth hanging onto the negative. Next, ask do you eat right and do you get enough rest? How’s your diet? Is it a healthy diet or is it a junk food diet?

How do people learn to deal with stress?
People learn to deal with stress all the time. It will take time, yet if you want it bad enough you will do it. You have to learn how to cope with the stress before you can deal with it. However, if you do this it will make it easier for you and you will stay healthy. Therefore, the answer to your question is to learn new coping skills.

How can stress affect my health?
Stress can affect you in many ways. Stress can make you feel sick more then normal. Stress can make it difficult for you to make decisions, since it affects your concentrating. Your normal sleeping patterns can be affected by stress. Some people experience off balance eating habits. Some people will eat more then normal and others will not eat at all. You might develop high blood pressure. You could also be affected to the point of living with heart disease. Stress causes anxiety and depression. Stress can affect your overall mental and physical character. You need to learn how to control stress before it takes over you and controls you. You cannot just jump in and take control however, since it takes time to learn how to control stress. Still, the effort you put forth is the gain you get back.

How do I find the ways to control my stress?
You have many options. To learn how you can control stress, consider who you are and what you want from life. You can write down things that stress you the most. Keep in mind some things in life you have no control. For instance, you have children who will cause you stress. Perhaps you have a job, and sometimes it causes you stress. As you age, sometimes as a parent you feel helpless, since you have no control over your adult children. Remember, these children have a right to make their own choices, which may affect you, but you have no control. Let it go. Do not spend your time worrying or yelling at the children, since they are grown and will do what they please, just as you did in your youthful years. Work on you, not anyone else, since it is the key to finding ways to control your stress.



Learn how to say no and mean it. This is a great way to reduce stress. Do not be afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. If they cannot handle no, then the person likely feels rejection and needs help for self. Setting limits mean you have to do what has to be done first for you before someone.

Learning to manage your stress is not going to be easy but it can be done with some work and will power.

Anti-Aging: Good Nutrition And A Healthy Brain

Anti-Aging: Good Nutrition And A Healthy Brain

The industry for anti-aging products, services and treatments continue to grow as more and more people continue to depend and demand them with the desire for the elusive fountain of youth. Instead of looking outward though, people should realize the importance of looking within to be able to successfully win the anti-aging battle.

The idea of "looking within" is more than just a philosophical argument. Going beyond cosmetic treatments as a sound anti-aging strategy is quite reliable and grounded on science. It is true that beauty is skin deep because it is our skin or our outward appearance that announces the fact that we are no longer youthful. Beneath the skin tissues are processes and bodily functions that need to be maintained in order to preserve youthfulness. The body is maintained and kept functioning with efficiency and effectiveness through the proper uninterrupted body systems and functions.

The key to keeping the body healthy in order to continue to be able to power these important body functions is proper nutrition.

We simply can't expect to fill our bodies with junk and expect it to run at optimum levels. If you have difficulty understanding this concept, you might want to use the analogy of a car. A car runs on gasoline. If you put other types of fuel in it like diesel and kerosene, the car won't work and the engine may be damaged. Now there are different types of gasoline that you can use for your car. To get the most out of your car's performance you have to understand the octane rating of your engine and use the appropriate type of gasoline.

Just like a car, the body needs the proper types of food as fuel, which can be achieved by maintaining a proper and healthy diet. Combined with just the right amounts of exercise, our bodies can metabolize our diet properly and our bodies are supplied with the proper fuel that it needs.

Aside from keeping us physically fit, exercise is also an excellent way to keep our brains healthy. Exercise promotes a healthy supply of oxygen to the brain. You see, beyond cosmetics, proper nutrition and a healthy brain are keys to truly winning the anti-aging battle.

More and more people experience dementia and other forms of brain degradation as they get older and keeping the brain healthy through proper nutrition and exercise helps stave off this phenomenon.

Aging In Your Own Terms

Aging In Your Own Terms

Everybody will grow old. The years will pile up in our lives and from 20s, we will reach our 30s, then our 40s and then our 50s. It is a natural process as inevitable as life and death. Though it is something that will eventually happen this doesn't mean that it will happen anytime soon. Although we can’t stop it from happening, we can certainly determine how we age and when we age.

This is the reason why there are people who in their 80s are still in their prime, able to work incessantly and still have sharp minds, sometimes even sharper than those who are in their 50s or 60s. However, there are also those in their 80s that are very forgetful and inactive. They find it hard to move let alone play sports or work.

This is a testament that people themselves determine how they age. And though the genes have something to do with it, it doesn't necessarily determine the whole forecast. In a study conducted by the John and Catherine MacArthur Foundation, it seems that the genes only make up a small part of a person’s aging process. The rest is dependent on the person.

Below are some of the things that you can do in order to age well.

1. Be active

One common mistake people make is that they often associate old age with rusty bones and inactivity. This shouldn't be the case. The more active a person is, the better he will age because activity and exercise will build muscles and strengthen the bones. Remember the theory of use and disuse. The more we don’t use a part of the body, the more it will disintegrate into nothing.

2. Practice your mind

One trick to avoid having Alzheimer’s disease or being forgetful in general is to engage in mental activities. Answer a crossword puzzle. Read the newspaper everyday. Keep yourself up to date with the latest news in the country. Debate with your children or even with your grandchildren. Use your mind.

3. Have a purpose

Another secret to aging well is to have a purpose in life even when you are old. Find something to do with your time whether it is a hobby that you have done in the past or a new hobby that you have been wanting to try for years.

Activities Promoting Healthy Aging

Activities Promoting Healthy Aging

Lack of activities can prevent you from living healthy. When you do not enjoy activities, you may feel fatigue or find it difficult to sleep at night. When you awake in the morning, you may feel tired until you finally fall asleep. As we, age our body change and we have to make changes to accommodate our lives.

Having a good night sleep makes the mind think more clearly. A good night sleep also boosts your energy while controlling your weight. You can also make decisions with less stress. Sleeping well at night makes our immune system stronger to keep us healthier.  Researchers have proved that a good nights sleep is necessary for our health.  Researchers have found that lack of sleep reduces the growth hormones in our bodies, since it changes muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most important, yet it stands behind activities. To improve your health, try walking each day.

Walking will help to loosen our muscles, reduces stress and depression along with anxiety. By reliving these things, it will help us to sleep for a longer and deeper period.  So, when we wake up in the morning we feel happier and more rested.

When you exercise, you get a good night sleep, which promotes metabolism. Without the right amount of sleep, our bodies crave energy. Our body will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which slows down metabolism. This action causes the body to gain weight, rather than control weight. 

When a person feels exhausted, they will feel weak and repressed from enjoying activities. This leads to additional problems. Sleeping right balances out our bodies giving us, more energy leading to more activities that will satisfy our sleep needs.

What to avoid:

To rest proper and feel active you must reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, harmful chemicals, such as over-the-counter meds that keep you awake, alcohol and so on. The chemicals and substances will keep you awake. Try to avoid drinking anything after 8 p.m. in the evening. Nicotine should be avoid if possible, yet if you must smoke try to avoid smoking after 8 p.m.

Start a walking program in the morning to help wake you up, while boosting your energy. You will feel better since the joints will feel flexible enough to move freely. In addition, walking will help you burn fat and calories. You’ll notice a big change in how you feel the rest of the day.  Start out walking at a slow steady pace for as far as your comfortable.  Each day pick up the pace a bit and walk further. Just remember when walking that you want to work up to a steady brisk walk to make you sweat but not out of breath. Take a short walk before and after meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories too, it will give you energy, relieve that stress from the long day and help you sleep.

If you start a walking program for yourself, it is a lot more fun if you have someone to go with you. Talk to that neighbor you don’t know and maybe they’ll walk with you. Just think about it; you’ll be acquainted with someone new, talk about new things will relieve stress and get in you exercise as well. This might help that neighbor too who maybe hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in a couple of days and than they can sleep better at night.

After walking that brisk walk your doing be sure to cool down. When walking at a vigorous pace your heart rate will go up and it needs to be back to normal. Just walk a bit slow and relaxing until you’ve cooled down.

If you can’t go to sleep at night instead of getting up and turning on the TV try pacing around the house. Do some stretching and shake your arms and legs. Even walking around the house can relax you especially when everyone else is in bed and you can relax more.

Five Simple Ways To Prevent Aging

Five Simple Ways To Prevent Aging

People don’t always have to apply creams, go to the gym or undergo surgery to look young. This is because everything we need is right in front of us and all we have to do is make the most of it. Here are a few simple ways to prevent aging.

1. Studies show that exercise allows you to stay fit and strong. But did you know that sweating allows the body to exfoliate bacteria hidden in the pores? This is the reason you should bring a towel to the gym or while jogging so it can be wiped off.

2. The human body just like the planet earth is composed mainly of water. Every time we exert energy, this element is used and has to be replaced. This is the reason that doctors advise us to drink at least 8 glasses a day. Of course, there is nothing wrong with drinking more than the required volume especially after an exercise.

3. Exercise isn't enough to control anti-aging if nothing is done to improve the diet. When kids grow up, most of the food should be high in carbohydrates. Adults should substitute that with those that are high in proteins. You can do research on the web or read books about this to know which ones should be part of the lifestyle change.

4. We have always heard health experts say that people should get at least 8 hours of sleep but despite this advice, there are those who rest for only 4 to 6 everyday. One way to increase this is by reducing the time watching late night television or partying till the early morning so the body will be ready for the challenges of the following day.

5. Stress contributes to aging and the best way to control it is by being organized. You can jot things down on note pads instead of remembering important details in the head. Studies have shown that doing this aids in memory retention and lets the subconscious work on ideas that will just pop up in the morning.