tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20055722213694325912024-03-13T15:06:53.483-05:00Building Personal StrengthHelping people grow stronger for the challenges of work and life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.comBlogger792125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-47620644169942822422015-10-14T18:13:00.000-05:002015-10-16T11:15:04.790-05:00How to Eliminate a Bad Habit - Before it FormsIf you've followed my blog, you know I've posted frequently about how habits are formed, and how to break a bad habit. If not, <i><b><a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/search/label/Habit">check this...</a></b></i><br />
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But here's something you may not have considered: <i><b>you are forming habits, unconsciously, all the time.</b></i><br />
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It's what your brain does. Habit formation is one of the ways intelligent life forms "get smart." Imagine what a bummer it would be to wake up each morning and have to relearn all your skills and routines all over again - how to tie your shoes, how to brush your teeth, how to make coffee, how to drive a car - and on and on.<br />
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Thank goodness your brain doesn't work this way. Instead, when you repeat an action over and over, your brain cells are stimulated to grow dendrite filaments that connect all the brain cells related in the action. Once connected, this physical network hard-wires your brain to perform the action successfully without having to think about it. You can think about it and do something else if you want to. But you don't have to. Habits greatly simplify your survival.<br />
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Call it a habit, call it a skill, call it a routine. Whatever you call it, it's yours, man. Yours for good because it's now a PHYSICAL circuit in your brain.<br />
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But you need to remember that your brain makes no judgments about whether a habit is a GOOD one or a BAD one. It just does what it does, and you end up with this urge to do it whenever the situation arises. And as I said, it could be ANY behavior pattern whatsoever, from a totally trivial routine to the kind of habit that can kill you.<br />
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<i><b>The Big Secret: You can control which habits you create. </b></i><br />
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After you've repeated an action only two or tbree times, you're already well on your way to establishing a new habit. So...if you can recognize that you're doing something for the second or third time, you can evaluate whether this is a habit you really want.<br />
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This means you can consciously do two things most people never think of doing:<br />
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<b>1. Stop a negative behavior pattern in its tracks. </b>It's a 100 times easier to prevent a habit from forming than to try to break it after it's ingrained. Just realize you're doing it, and then stop doing it immediately. Ever afterward, do something else instead. End of habit.<br />
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<b>2. Consciously construct a positive behavior pattern. </b>Just start doing it and keep doing it, and after a while it will become an automatic routine.<br />
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You have the power to notice what's happening in enough time to easily change the game. Imagine the success you can create for yourself if you do. <br />
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This ability to self-manage your behavior by thinking about the way you think is called <i><b><i><b>metacognition</b></i>. <b><a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/search/label/Metacognition">More about this...</a></b></b></i> <br />
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You're welcome.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-45854333380684143562015-08-24T09:45:00.002-05:002015-08-24T14:58:45.278-05:00Being a Good Listener Is Hard - 3 Things That Will Make a DifferenceI've said it countless times: "Practically nobody is a good listener." <br />
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While this is true, it makes me think: I've got to stop saying this. It has a tone of condemnation. <br />
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Because I know most people would like to be better listeners. The benefits are enormous. What you find out! The amazing way it strengthens relationships. And yes, because you've been burned so many times by being a lousy listener.<br />
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But realistically, listening well is hard. There are reasons for this.<br />
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One reason is that <b><i>people don't make it easy for you to listen well. </i></b>They ramble, giving voice to everything in their head. They don't get to the point. Often they aren't sure themselves what point they want to make. They just feel like venting. They repeat themselves. They use indefinite pronouns such as "it" and "this" and you have to guess what they're talking about. They mention the names of people you don't know. They change the subject. They start their story at the middle, skip to the end and omit the beginning. For reasons of their own, they leave out certain key facts. They push your emotional buttons. <br />
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<i>You know what I'm talking about.</i><br />
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Then there are the <b><i>distractions</i></b>. Your brain can pay attention to only one thing at a time. If you glance at your smartphone, notice an unusual bird outside your window, catch the lyrics of an oldie-but-goodie on the radio, your attention will shift away from the speaker and for those moments you will no longer be conscious of what the person is saying. <br />
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Likewise there's all that stuff going on in your head. You think about something you've got to do. Something about what you're hearing triggers a memory. You start planning what you want to say back. The person says something that annoys you or offends you and you feel irritated, even angry. Same principle. If you shift your attention to any of this stuff, it will cause you to miss some of what the person is saying.<br />
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<i>You know what I'm talking about.</i><br />
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Maybe you know how to be a good listener. Maybe you attended the course, saw the video, read the book. You know what to do.<br />
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But there's a good reason why you don't listen that way. Nobody taught you how to listen well when you were young. When people talked to you, you just reacted the way everybody else did. You only partially paid attention, continuing to do whatever you were doing. When you disagreed, you interrupted to offer your own opinions. You criticized what they were saying. You argued, debated, tried to convince people how wrong they were. When somebody talked about a problem, you jumped in with your advice. Or you just ignored the other person.<br />
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Now, 40 years later, these <b><i>old listening habits are hardwired. </i></b>These are the behaviors that kick in automatically, before you can stop yourself and consciously try to do what the experts have encouraged you to do.<br />
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You know what I'm talking about. <i>Listening is hard, man.</i><br />
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But if you really do appreciate the benefits of listening well and you really do want to listen effectively more often, here are three things you can do that will set you up for more success. <br />
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<b>1. Adopt a "listening mindset."</b> I'm talking about a pro-listening attitude that goes something like this: <i><b>I need to appreciate that the other person's thoughts and feelings are important to me, so when she tries to tell me something, rather than reacting negatively or assuming I understand, I check to be sure I actually get the message.</b></i><br />
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I recommend that you memorize this. It probably won't pop into your head unless you do.<br />
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<b>2. Consciously try to recognize "listening moments." </b>There's a difference between conversation and listening. Conversation is cool, you just enjoy being with the other person, sharing your experiences, thoughts and opinions. However When you're listening, you're consciously trying to grasp what the other person is getting at. Yes, this is challenging, but when you know you should be listening, getting the message is your goal.<br />
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<b>3. Memorize the steps of effective listening. </b>How can you consciously listen the way experts say you should if you've forgotten what to do? After you sense that this is a "listening moment" do this:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Give the person your undivided attention.</b> Block out stuff going on in your head or in your environment</li>
<li><b>Listen for the meaning.</b> Sort through the nonverbals and all the words to find "the point."</li>
<li><b>Check what you think you understood.</b> Say back in your own words the point you believe they're trying to make</li>
<li><b>Encourage the person to continue talking.</b> You want to hear the whole story so you can keep checking the message and get to the bottom of it.</li>
</ul>
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Yes, it's hard to be a good listener. I think it's hard because our old habits kick in before we have the presence of mind to do anything else.<br />
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It doesn't do any good to know what to do if you're not doing it. I believe if you set yourself up to listen well - bring a listening mindset to your encounters, recognize listening moments when they happen, and have the four steps of effective listening burned into your brain so you don't have to struggle to remember what you should do - you'll have a better chance of pulling it off, no matter how much is working against you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-60759406592340894702015-07-10T19:38:00.001-05:002015-07-15T15:09:13.749-05:00Life Wisdom Still Current after 2,000 Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Epictetus (c. 55 – 135) was born a slave in Turkey nearly 2,000 years ago and then lived in Rome until he was banished to Greece. <br />
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He was one of the Stoic philosophers. Epictetus taught that philosophy had to be more than theoretical; it had to be the way you lived your life. To him, external events were beyond one's control and we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.<br />
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Here are a dozen of my favorite quotes from Epictetus, taken from "Discourses," by Arrian, who wrote down his master's teachings: <br />
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ATTITUDE - “Men are disturbed, not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.”<br />
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CHARACTER - “Seek not the good in external things; seek it in yourselves.”<br />
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CHARACTER - "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."<br />
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DECISIVENESS - “In every affair consider what precedes and follows, and then undertake it.”<br />
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INITIATIVE - “First, say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”<br />
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OPTIMISM - "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.<br />
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PATIENCE - "No great thing is created suddenly.”<br />
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PATIENCE - “Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”<br />
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SELF-DEVELOPMENT - “First, learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.”<br />
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SELF-DEVELOPMENT - “The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”<br />
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SELF-DISCIPLINE - “No man is free who is not master of himself.”<br />
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SELF-DISCIPLINE - “Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.”<br />
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These and over 3,000 other personally selected quotes are one of the many personal development resources featured in the many versions of ProStar Coach, the world's premier virtual coaching system. <a href="http://www.prostarcoach.com/">It's worth checking out.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-681037094981586932015-05-30T11:05:00.001-05:002015-06-12T12:23:17.255-05:00A Huge Danger of Interstellar Space Travel That Scientists Rarely Mention<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nine years ago, NASA launched the New Horizons probe to take close-up photos and sensings of the dwarf planet Pluto, which has been the object of scientific curiosity for over a century. <br />
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/pluto-shows-no-danger-signs-yet-incoming-nasa-112313232.html">The report</a> said that scientists are concerned about the spacecraft, traveling at 32,500 mph, because the closer it gets to Pluto, the greater the chance it might run into a small particle of space matter. According to officials, "At such speeds, a collision with an object as small as a grain of rice could prove catastrophic."<br />
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The reason is that a particle the size of a grain of rice hitting the craft at 32,500 mph would have super-high kinetic energy. If such a rice-size pebble hit your car windshield at only 32 mph, it could leave a crack. Now imagine the damage that tiny object would do if it hit a spacecraft that was travelling 1,000 times as fast. <br />
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<a href="http://gizmodo.com/this-is-aluminum-plate-after-a-6-700-mph-collision-with-1710560939">Check this.</a><br />
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It wasn't easy to get the New Horizons spacecraft to travel at 32,500 mph. But at that speed, it would take 80,000 years to reach the nearest star. Because of the realities of "interstellar" space travel, imaginative engineers are trying to develop faster propulsion systems. <br />
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NASA promotes this effort because of the idea that the "human species" needs to be a "two-planet species" to survive a future mass extinction catastrophe. The second planet can't be Mars, because it will never support human life, nor will any other body in our solar system. Hence, scientists also focus on traveling to distant star systems.<br />
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To take humans to a distant star will require a spacecraft that travels thousands of times faster than New Horizons. But the faster a craft goes, the higher the kinetic energy if the craft hits a tiny particle, even one as small as a particle of dust. Avoiding such a tiny collision at enormous speed, which would destroy the spacecraft, presents a far greater engineering challenge than building a faster propulsion system.<br />
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<b><i>Remember this</i></b> the next time you read the next cool article about "two-planet species" or "interstellar travel" or "advanced propulsion system." <br />
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Because there's a vast difference between science fact and science fiction.<br />
<i style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></i> <i style="font-size: small;"><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-13675736439975974942015-05-26T18:12:00.000-05:002015-05-26T18:13:04.543-05:00A Modern Classic: Jack Canfield's 2015 edition of "The Success Principles"During the past century there have been many dozens of books about how to live a happy, successful life. A few examples of the better-known classics:<br />
<ul><li><b><i>Think and Grow Rich</i></b> - Napoleon Hill</li>
<li><b><i>The Power of Positive Thinking</i></b> - Norman Vincent Peale</li>
<li><b><i>The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People</i></b> - Stephen Covey</li>
</ul>Do you have a favorite?<br />
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Now you can add the 10th anniversary edition of Jack Canfield's <b><i>The Success Principles</i></b>. Building on ideas that have stood the test of time, this beautifully written book addresses over 65 topics, such as "Decide What You Want," "Believe in Yourself," "Take Action," "Reject Rejection," "Believe in Yourself," and "Embrace Change." <br />
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Instead reinventing the wheel or giving old concepts new names, this book is like an encyclopedia of the most effective success strategies. Each chapter nails its topic with Jack Canfield's elegant way of saying things. Take this quote, for example:<br />
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Simple but profound. After all, what in life is completely under your control? Canfield is right: your thoughts, your images, and your actions. Few people manage these three aspects of their life well.<br />
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If you enjoy reading an occasional book on success, I recommend this one. It's the latest, and one of the best, in a long series of classics.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-52916916336911368882015-04-01T15:57:00.000-05:002015-04-01T15:57:45.651-05:00How to Create a Coaching CultureThere's a quiet revolution happening in organizations.<br />
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Until recently, helping managers and employees improve their ability to perform was the responsibility of HR staff, corporate trainers, consultants, and hired professional coaches. If you asked a supervisor what he or she was doing to help team members be better team members, the typical answer was, "That's not my job."<br />
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But why shouldn't a first-line supervisor want to help direct reports get better at what they do? For that matter, why shouldn't team members help each other perform better? It would only make their jobs easier!<br />
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The answer is that they don't know how to play that role. They have no confidence in their ability to coach someone who is trying to improve. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Coaching-Transformational-High-Performance-Culture/dp/0966087437/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427921517&sr=1-1&keywords=the+heart+of+coaching" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDL0iG0jPLfA6mXrogD-GcCCBYqP2M7r_1PPho3Wd8pI7MIzhxFbVksqzTtLywDDhT2-i1lLLqgi85Mcjj4wMQVm5q9c1sPqEf_4A-yAes8-wpWmNUvZcLr_YUELrRH21ubnjneUUjePB/s1600/Heart+of+Coaching.jpg" height="200" width="152" /></a>The solution presents itself in <a href="http://www.craneconsulting.com/crane.shtml">Thomas G. Crane</a>'s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Coaching-Transformational-High-Performance-Culture/dp/0966087437/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427921517&sr=1-1&keywords=the+heart+of+coaching"><b><i>The Heart of Coaching</i>, 4th Edition</b></a>. The vision and purpose of the book is to help organizations establish a coaching culture, in which people at all levels take an active role in helping others in the organization work on improving skills.<br />
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The Crane's transformational coaching model has three simple phases: Foundation, Feedback, and Forwarding-the-action. Crane is a superb writer, and he clearly describes what's involved in each of these phases. The latter part of the book delivers all the how-to instruction and tips anyone would need to be effective in the coaching role.<br />
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Imagine the benefits to an organization if it successfully established a coaching culture! Learning would be so much easier. Performing at a high level would become commonplace. Human interactions would be mutually supportive. Who wouldn't want to work in an environment like that?<br />
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If this possibility excites you, I strongly recommend that you read and study<i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Coaching-Transformational-High-Performance-Culture/dp/0966087437/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427921517&sr=1-1&keywords=the+heart+of+coaching">The Heart of Coaching</a></i>, one of the best business books of 2014.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-70425036459284646192015-03-26T10:20:00.000-05:002015-03-26T12:23:46.405-05:003 Signs of a Healthy Team<i>Is your group a strong, healthy team? In this guest post, some insights from Quinn McDowell, a writer who knows a lot about teams.</i><br />
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<b>Truth-Telling</b><br />
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The key to any healthy relationship is the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Teams are a complex web of relationships that must be nurtured and developed. Nothing undermines team chemistry more than deceit and dishonesty. A good coach understands they must communicate on three unique levels: with their team, their players, and the player’s parents. There are literally hundreds of different relationships when you take into account these various levels; players to players, coach to players, players to parents, parents to parents, and coach to parents. These subsets of communication have a huge contribution to the overall culture of the team. <br />
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The coach is the most important cog in this communication vortex. Coaches must maintain consistency across this spectrum by setting clear expectations and making a habit of telling the truth. “Truth-telling” often requires the courage to present the reality of difficult situations; although difficult at times, honesty is always the best policy when dealing with tough issues like playing time, tryouts, a players role on the team, etc. Players and parents can choose to disagree with content of the coach’s communication, but if the coach has reliably communicated the truth with all parties involved, then his/her credibility will remain intact and team culture will remain healthy.<br />
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<b>Transparency </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQjdda9cRv5TZCpIWnPX-n0OwBcmCecfYdkqNe4j4auaag4g6UpTw4jXQ2H-uTt2StggEBCiYAruc9yDgZw0JDQ2Gbt-teSWGad9ZHXAAgRntl-o2RTa34Wyyt-nyfKNZSdolNW96fJQF/s1600/FoodballCoach-123RF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQjdda9cRv5TZCpIWnPX-n0OwBcmCecfYdkqNe4j4auaag4g6UpTw4jXQ2H-uTt2StggEBCiYAruc9yDgZw0JDQ2Gbt-teSWGad9ZHXAAgRntl-o2RTa34Wyyt-nyfKNZSdolNW96fJQF/s1600/FoodballCoach-123RF.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a></div>
A counterfeit will always be exposed. Coaches, players, and parents owe a level of transparency to one another when they make the decision to function as a team. One example of how transparency can undermine trust is when I was part of a team where the coach told us that our captains would be selected by a team vote. After the votes were counted and the captain was named, it was clear that the coach had already decided who was going to be captain and the votes had little input into the decision. The problem is not that coaches shouldn’t pick captains, but that the entire process lacked transparency. If the coach had told us from the outset that he was going to pick the captains, this would have been highly preferable to leading the whole team to believe our votes had an impact in the decision. <br />
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Another example for how parents can practice transparency would be communicating with a coach in advance when their child will miss practice or a game because of family obligations. I've seen many parents lie or withhold the truth from the coach in order to protect their child. Then at the last minute the parent will spring a surprise absence on the coach before an important game or week of practice. Transparency builds trust and trust is essential to healthy teams. <br />
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<b>Trust</b><br />
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Over the course of the season, players must learn to trust in their coach’s leadership and a coach must learn to trust in his/her player’s character. Mutual respect is the bedrock of healthy teams so that when the inevitable storms of a season arrive (i.e. losing games, injuries, gossip, etc) the team is able to survive the challenge because they trust and respect each other.<br />
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The deep-seated belief that everyone on the team has the group’s best interest in mind is a powerful sedative against the craziness of a season. The best teams learn to insulate themselves against the outside influences that would seek to destroy their chemistry and pull them apart. <br />
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Trust grows out of transparency and truthfulness and is the cement by which healthy teams are built. Sports have the rare ability to expose our deficiencies and grow our character which forces a team to either create a bond of trust or allow personal shortcomings to divide the team. Team togetherness and trust are one of a few things that you have complete control over. The season provides the time and context for teams to learn to trust each other and come together, or splinter as individuals. Trust depends on the character, consistency, and selflessness of everyone involved. The coach sets the tone, but the players and parents build the culture. What type of a culture will your team build? <br />
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<i>Quinn McDowell is a writer, trainer and professional athlete. He has played in the NBA D-League, Australia and Spain, following his four-year career at the College of William and Mary. He is the founder of <a href="http://www.aretehoops.com/">AreteHoops.com</a> and desires to see coaches and players succeed with excellence. He currently resides in Palencia, Spain, with his wife Lindsey.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-34274993414863686072015-02-23T12:19:00.000-06:002015-02-24T10:24:44.268-06:00Hear Judy Robinett Talk about Being a Power Connector<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Power-Connector-Business/dp/0071830731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424719342&sr=1-1&keywords=power+connector" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLvldzpQVeSKuyDCTdwXqlVyB9R5o5uPxvLlPYV-SSqDJwfwReIIchTUl0XoDy6wRrfK-ssosHIu44_jRDLYp6_zvMhDwsYMJ-RE13KPZEFXXIsS2TryrqBuV4xggxmW3XMoaHm8h944s/s1600/Power+Connector.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/2015/01/the-ultimate-book-on-networking-how-to.html">I have posted about a fabulous new book, How to Be a Power Connector, by Judy Robinett</a> (The No. 1 business book of 2014, according to Inc. Magazine). It is, quite honestly the most useful, professional life-changing book I've ever read.<br />
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If you haven't read it yet, you can get a great preview by <a href="http://bipodcast.com/2015/02/18/44-judy-robinett-how-to-be-a-power-connector/">listening to this podcast interview</a>, in which Judy talks with Mike Wong about the main concepts of the book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwQ0ZiSDJKXOQC_MCpYobT0IOhQWjjWhtOdhTIvStpiODuZ81NsqCmLxnXYVBBayx0p9ntUVunkK8RWSXuXPNUPzrn5UwAoSB7-M1AC9cK7Lg-c518660PB8pCxBbJij3Obps-F1PrVS_/s1600/Mike+Wong+Biz+Insights+Podcast.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwQ0ZiSDJKXOQC_MCpYobT0IOhQWjjWhtOdhTIvStpiODuZ81NsqCmLxnXYVBBayx0p9ntUVunkK8RWSXuXPNUPzrn5UwAoSB7-M1AC9cK7Lg-c518660PB8pCxBbJij3Obps-F1PrVS_/s1600/Mike+Wong+Biz+Insights+Podcast.png" height="28" width="200" /></a>By the way, Mike Wong's "Business Insights" podcast series is an amazing resource. Each interview lasts only 25-30 minutes, and literally dozens of experts have spoken on quite a diversity of useful topics. <a href="http://bipodcast.com/">Check it out!</a> <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-53693256456492783432015-02-03T15:09:00.001-06:002015-02-04T18:17:34.962-06:00Need Money to Launch Your Business? Judy Robinett Can Help You Find It<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyFJKR2AlFpYamuAXjbODEMRUMijoMk8h1eyt5Ql4TtONVAeTZmYVyCk-x5wXYlHicgALD-dErAO03oZckZKWfLdB_yDQQN2dF3Atx4nMzYVLwwaOvPvUK5V7qJDBrs__3uIQkt9tINcw/s1600/Judy-Robinett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyFJKR2AlFpYamuAXjbODEMRUMijoMk8h1eyt5Ql4TtONVAeTZmYVyCk-x5wXYlHicgALD-dErAO03oZckZKWfLdB_yDQQN2dF3Atx4nMzYVLwwaOvPvUK5V7qJDBrs__3uIQkt9tINcw/s1600/Judy-Robinett.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judy Robinett</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently I was rereading Judy Robinett's best-selling book, <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Power-Connector-Business/dp/0071830731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422990536&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+be+power+connector">How to Be a Power Connector</a>, </b></i>which was named by Inc. Magazine the "No. 1 Business Book" for 2014. In addition to being the author of the best book about networking ever written, she is in fact a world-class networker herself.<br />
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As I was reading her book for the third time, halfway through the introduction I was stopped by a sentence which explains that she is much more than the author of this book: <br />
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<b><i>"I am a consultant specializing in putting early-stage companies in front of angel and venture capital investors."</i></b><br />
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</i></b> Then I watched this video, which she made for Careerfuel.net. In six minutes, she gives the most practical guidance for finding money I've ever seen.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6i3jX9Qb3wg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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For small businesses to succeed in finding the right kind of funding, Judy recommends that you have to prepare well, create a concise and compelling pitch, and present it in "the right room."<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">I've known about incubators, angel investors and venture capitalists, but Judy mentions some sources that were new to me: family offices and crowd-funding.</span></div>
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She also encourages entrepreneurs to ask for help. If you're a start-up, maybe you should <b><i><a href="http://www.judyrobinett.com/consulting/">start with Judy</a>. </i></b><br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/2015/01/the-ultimate-book-on-networking-how-to.html">About her book...</a></i></b><br />
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</i></b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-3961621060721061862015-01-20T16:55:00.000-06:002015-01-24T16:19:19.213-06:00Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure - Get That Righteous Feeling I was once in a meeting with some colleagues when I used the word "ensure" in the context of making sure something happens. To my surprise, a woman in attendance corrected me on the spot. She said I had confused "insure" with "ensure." The Duke Ph.D. in English part of me rankled at this, and I told her that while the two verbs have similar connotations, their meanings were the opposite of what she said. But she held her ground over this interesting point of grammar. I realized she had a strong need to be right, and with an open mind said, "You may be right," and let it go. <br />
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Today, 30 years later, I remembered this incident. Don't ask me why. At my age a lot of off-the-wall memories pop into my mind. Maybe my life is flashing before my eyes. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XN_SVUVw1WCN5nWlREiU0-mw_TcqhFZCCsGkNui51I9Fpbj0UyYV3JbnZZ_MXo9sP6QAFCft6EpajZFJQAguq9lcZqbzSEIRA9oe2fpebvXOs36VOusfJ5apC6Qr3ifd8Rak6XqxhICd/s1600/blue_book_of_grammar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XN_SVUVw1WCN5nWlREiU0-mw_TcqhFZCCsGkNui51I9Fpbj0UyYV3JbnZZ_MXo9sP6QAFCft6EpajZFJQAguq9lcZqbzSEIRA9oe2fpebvXOs36VOusfJ5apC6Qr3ifd8Rak6XqxhICd/s1600/blue_book_of_grammar.jpg" height="200" width="154" /></a></div>
So just to be sure, I googled it, and the top-rated grammar website happened to be my favorite: <a href="http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/definitions/assure-vs-ensure-vs-insure/">GrammarBook.com</a>. If you're ever concerned whether you're about to make a fool of yourself by misusing the English language, I highly recommend it. Search for the issue, or get the book and keep it close.<br />
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It's amazing the mistakes people make, especially news and sports announcers. Book authors not so much; they have editors to keep them straight.<br />
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Here is what Grammar Book says about assure vs. insure vs. ensure:<br />
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<b>Assure </b>is to promise or say with confidence. It is more about saying than doing.<br />
Example: I assure you that you’ll be warm enough.<br />
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<b>Ensure </b>is to do or have what is necessary for success.<br />
Example: These blankets ensure that you’ll be warm enough.<br />
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<b>Insure </b>is to cover with an insurance policy.<br />
Example: I will insure my home with additional fire and flood policies.<br />
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So. I was correct. And even better, I restrained myself from arguing about it at the time. I just love righteous memories.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-32260915208229294222015-01-07T15:47:00.001-06:002015-02-03T15:06:10.416-06:00The Ultimate Book on Networking: How to Be a Power Connector<br />
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After the third time my business partner, <a href="http://www.yourvoiceofencouragement.com/2014/12/judy-robinett-true-power-connector.html" target="_blank">MeredithBell</a>, raved about Judy Robinett’s book, <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Power-Connector-Business/dp/0071830731/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420666238&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=robinett+power+connect" target="_blank">How to Be a Power Connector</a></b> </i>(McGraw-Hill, 2014), I decided I should read it. Meredith is almost never wrong about these things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The book arrived the day before I left to go SCUBA diving in Bonaire with friends, so I brought it with me to read on the plane. By the time I'd returned, I'd read it cover-to-cover, very slowly, <i>twice, </i>meticulously underlining hundreds of need-to-remember passages.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Power-Connector-Business/dp/0071830731/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420666238&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=robinett+power+connect" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Power-Connector-Business/dp/0071830731/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420666238&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=robinett+power+connect" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRXc8gInlFi72NKhzv95WF_3WNR-1EVqvLNdOfi62JmjvMDQuSgkWGjiXZLZ0OXxgqWwNtTrJMnAXdVMWR243evHhxauyhkmqbIIae8xq5JzKjtZUjF7Y-5TTXfV1u5wP_1wi17E9NMq8/s1600/Power+Connector.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>This is the most important success/professional development book I've read in decades. For me it’s a <i>game-changer. </i>It has caused me to rethink how I approach my business and how I work as a writer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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An exceedingly well-structured and well-written book, it skillfully blends the idea of strategic, purposeful networking with the central imperative to generously add value, giving over and over without expecting anything in return.<o:p></o:p></div>
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More than that, Robinett gives a wealth of specific how-to recommendations:</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">How to put practical limits on your networking activities: the 5+50+100 rule.</span></li>
<li>How to evaluate your professional relationships.</li>
<li>How to organize a system to keep track of these relationships.</li>
<li>How to “ask” for what you need.</li>
<li>How to follow up after making contact.</li>
<li>How to “work a room” at a public gathering.</li>
<li>How to use social media to nurture your network.</li>
<li>How to identify people you don’t want in your network.</li>
<li>How to assess your own value as a network resource.</li>
<li>How to approach a new contact.</li>
</ul>
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And a lot more. I especially liked her insights about the differences between male and female networkers.</div>
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The book has so much how-to “meat” about this vital subject that for me, it’s more than a how-to book. It’s a reference book. It won't live in my bookcase. It will live on my desk. Before I adopt a tracking system, before I attend another conference, before I approach another high-profile influencer, I'll reread the relevant chapters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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No wonder <b><a href="http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/10-best-business-books-of-2014.html"><i>Inc. Magazine</i> </a></b>named it the <b>No. 1 Business Book of 2014.</b><br />
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I honestly feel that anyone who is trying to succeed in business and who hasn't read the book is at a serious disadvantage. My advice: get your hands on a copy and read it at your earliest convenience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2015. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-61531688205431707162014-12-23T19:17:00.000-06:002014-12-23T19:25:29.354-06:00Gary Player - Hard Work Made Him a Golf LegendI've always been a big fan of PGA golf. As a young man in the 1960s, I played 18 holes nearly every day and sometimes 36. As a high school senior, I was captain of the golf team. And I enthusiastically followed the careers of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player - all legendary champions.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1mzTDbC18V6n-61KDQ_l6XMZ44WnLZeFV_6YwtqGExZmGiPK-RfrfyAQIbTZZB1R7vhElehSyK3kiWsKUu87L14wtQTfzW7m52IURmBWg8e2zWoJgQQODhVjU1em6NqHspwXZCuPT8m-/s1600/Gary-Player-.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1mzTDbC18V6n-61KDQ_l6XMZ44WnLZeFV_6YwtqGExZmGiPK-RfrfyAQIbTZZB1R7vhElehSyK3kiWsKUu87L14wtQTfzW7m52IURmBWg8e2zWoJgQQODhVjU1em6NqHspwXZCuPT8m-/s1600/Gary-Player-.png" height="121" width="200" /></a></div>I recently viewed a revealing interview with <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Player" target="_blank">Gary Player</a></b>. What struck me is that the physical and mental strength that allowed him to compete with Palmer and Nicklaus and win 9 major championships in his career came from his difficult childhood. He deeply loved his mother, but she died when he was 8 years old. His father worked in the mines, so young Gary would have to get himself up at 5 A.M., make his breakfast, catch a trolley car to town, walk across town to a bus stop and ride a bus to school. He returned home the same way to an empty house - at the age of 8. So as a young boy he learned that life was challenging, and he consciously worked on toughening himself up - physically and mentally - to prevail through the challenges.<br />
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By contrast, many kids raised today are coddled by parents who feel they must protect their kids from want and difficulty. Young people who don't have to work for what they want grow up with a feeling of entitlement and without the personal strengths they'll need in a world that doesn't care whether they succeed or fail. <br />
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How can a child learn to do the hard things if they are protected from adversity while growing up?<br />
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I think you'll enjoy this...<br />
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</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dHh5dOldIQ8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-17269240936247985242014-12-09T17:56:00.001-06:002014-12-09T18:05:31.213-06:00HRD's 'Dirty Little Secret' about TrainingI was recently interviewed by David Lee, internationally recognized expert on employee performance. The topic was my book, <b><i><a href="http://www.strongforperformance.com/" target="_blank">The Dark Secret of HRD</a></i></b>. We talked about how and why I came to write it and how organizations can transfer what is taught in the classroom to consistent performance in the workplace. <a href="http://humannatureatwork.com/the-dirty-little-secret-about-training-that-everybody-knows.html">Click here to listen to the interview on David's blog</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBlYO7DxWtYo4NynPMLQb7uhWxx-jk3daHX0K2cLQnZ63Nxad2rJbVT54fgk615KOoEvZSg5uZzOq4fNgKGG7XrCjdrOBQz0uDJhfT5eUxFSuJ54s-Z-pSImu19XOKXrTtwjxdLMjhTxu/s1600/David+Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBlYO7DxWtYo4NynPMLQb7uhWxx-jk3daHX0K2cLQnZ63Nxad2rJbVT54fgk615KOoEvZSg5uZzOq4fNgKGG7XrCjdrOBQz0uDJhfT5eUxFSuJ54s-Z-pSImu19XOKXrTtwjxdLMjhTxu/s1600/David+Lee.jpg" height="200" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Lee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
David Lee is the founder of <a href="http://humannatureatwork.com/">HumanNature@Work</a>. He works with leaders interested in optimizing employee performance and customer service, through his work as a facilitator, consultant, trainer, and coach. He has worked with organizations and presented at conferences in the US, Canada, and Australia. <br />
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He is the author of <i>Managing Employee Stress and Safety</i>, <i>Powerful Storytelling Techniques</i>, and nearly 100 articles and book chapters on maximizing employee and organizational performance, which have been published in North America, Europe, India, China, and Australia.<br />
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His article, "<a href="http://humannatureatwork.com/article/why-your-employees-are-just-not-that-into-you">Why Your Employees Are Just Not That Into You</a>," the third most popular article at TLNT.com in 2012, is a must-read for any leader desiring greater productivity and engagement.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-34599091345049644812014-11-23T12:16:00.000-06:002014-11-23T14:29:56.817-06:00Intelligent Lifeform Exposes Himself to Deadly Radiation<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGgZQlTDEaYoXurJyM7FZPikAESQG-6pGoRRNTLDMFohS-tnav3J3jXfBkN-i-gF1s3R_Kj0-KPQaMtN4bA18wPiUJ2hF6pmS3JYJRQViqc_ovYT5QEgy0cxv0xEJuVLB40MDVUt6WLw4/s1600/Garcias.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGgZQlTDEaYoXurJyM7FZPikAESQG-6pGoRRNTLDMFohS-tnav3J3jXfBkN-i-gF1s3R_Kj0-KPQaMtN4bA18wPiUJ2hF6pmS3JYJRQViqc_ovYT5QEgy0cxv0xEJuVLB40MDVUt6WLw4/s1600/Garcias.png" height="161" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, soaking in rays (photo <a href="http://www.hillcountrymysteries.com/" target="_blank">Kathleen Scott</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Where I live, the coolest breakfasts in town (in my opinion) are hosted by <a href="http://casagarcias.net/" target="_blank">Casa Garcia's Restaurant and Cantina</a>. Here I am on a Sunday morning after a custom-filled omelet, sitting outside on one of their benches, enjoying the warm sun.<br />
<br />
Actually, I was thinking that the solar radiation that had reached my cheeks had penetrated our planet's magnetic field and thin atmosphere. Most of the sun's deadly rays had been shielded and absorbed, and just enough made it through to give warmth to me and all the other lifeforms on the surface.<br />
<br />
The radiation from our star is essential to life. It's the source of energy for plants and animals, and it allows water to exist in liquid form.<br />
<br />
But sustaining life on Earth isn't our star's purpose. Actually, it has no purpose. It's simply a medium-sized star doing what stars do, blasting radiation, solar wind and occasional solar mass ejections into the space around it, all of which can destroy what we know as "life."<br />
<br />
We're lucky that our planet has a massive hot liquid iron core that rotates far below the surface, creating a magnetic field in the space around our planet, which deflects most of what the sun sends our way. Much of what gets through is absorbed by our atmosphere. The little bit that makes it to places like Garcia's is enough to support life without destroying it.<br />
<br />
As long as you aren't exposed too long. Stay out in the sun long enough, and your skin will start to burn. The rays might even disturb your DNA, causing skin cancer.<br />
<br />
Mars wasn't as lucky as Earth. A smaller planet, it's smaller core cooled billions of years ago, ending it's ability to generate a protective magnetic field. The onslaught of radiation and solar particles blew away most of the atmosphere, and today only the tiniest remnants of carbon dioxide gas remain. Mars' surface is now an extremely cold, lifeless and deadly place.<br />
<br />
This was what I was thinking when my wife took the photo. I know, I know, why can't I just enjoy being warm on a November day when the gentle folks in Buffalo are digging out from more than six feet of snow?<br />
<br />
It's because I'm one of the intelligent lifeforms that now co-exist on Earth, and in my case I sometimes use my intelligence to think about stuff like this, especially when I can actually feel the rays bombarding my cheeks.<br />
<br />
The sun, our oxygen-rich atmosphere, the abundance of water on our rocky surface, and our stable climate were not "put here" to make a perfect home for us humans. The Earth has been revolving around its star for about 4.5 billion years now, and the environment wasn't always ideal for life. We humans exist today because just the right conditions have accidentally come together after billions of years of Earth history.<br />
<br />
In short, I'm lucky to be alive, breathing delicious air and feeling the warmth on my cheeks. I'm lucky to have been born, and I'm lucky I'm still alive. I've had several close brushes with death, and on this particular Sunday morning what I feel is, well, appreciation that I made it this far, far enough to reach Garcia's to enjoy a really great omelet.<br />
<br />
I also entertained some radical thoughts about intelligent life in the universe, but you know what? That's another story....<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-80061938846948968062014-11-05T11:45:00.000-06:002014-11-08T11:14:30.543-06:00Mars One - The RealityRecall for a moment a few of the delicious pleasures of life...<br />
<ul>
<li>Breathing in fresh air</li>
<li>Walking among the colored leaves of autumn</li>
<li>Having a good time with friends</li>
<li>Eating a burger tricked out just the way you like it</li>
<li>And washing it down with a craft beer</li>
<li>Browsing in a gift shop</li>
<li>Visiting one of the national parks</li>
<li>Going fishing with a buddy</li>
<li>Going on a date with your significant other</li>
<li>Visiting family</li>
<li>Watching the full moon on a clear night</li>
<li>Feeling the warm sun on your face</li>
</ul>
I'll stop here. You could easily add a hundred more delights to this list, things we often take for granted. These are a few of the things that the people who journey to Mars to establish a colony will <b><i>never experience again.</i></b><br />
<br />
It's one thing to consider this conceptually. It will be another thing entirely to <i style="font-weight: bold;">experience these deprivations on a daily basis. </i>Instead of breathing the autumn air, breathing stale air tainted with the stink of the crew and Mars dust. Instead of drinking a glass of cold, clear water, drinking water recycled from your own urine. And on and on.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQnnr7hqB8z1W7v5Dq1KbC_-EjZjKdc3eqak6BLcTFxzHLR7yq9-3CidVCBTV2OH0KJ5KrGAQ62icNj2Pt0xbd7H4Q9-KoQKZRi6EYFAi4NKkUYbvjrDCMGgSt330l87YZevP5VEaWsw4/s1600/Astronauts+ISS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQnnr7hqB8z1W7v5Dq1KbC_-EjZjKdc3eqak6BLcTFxzHLR7yq9-3CidVCBTV2OH0KJ5KrGAQ62icNj2Pt0xbd7H4Q9-KoQKZRi6EYFAi4NKkUYbvjrDCMGgSt330l87YZevP5VEaWsw4/s200/Astronauts+ISS.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astronauts - International Space Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hundreds of thousands of people have applied to participate in a project called "Mars One," a private enterprise to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. The main thing, however, is that Mars One will produce a reality TV show of the journey and what they do to create a settlement on Mars - if they make it to the surface. The idea is to go in crews of four starting in 2024. They say the technology can only get them there. That's why it's called Mars One - one way. <br />
<br />
REALITY: Most of the technology needed to get them there doesn't exist yet. In 2015, the venture to establish a small settlement on Mars is not only science fiction, it's speculative science fiction.<br />
<br />
By the way, the organizers and promoters of Mars One have no intention whatsoever of going to Mars themselves.<br />
<br />
Still, there's an amazing amount of interest among the general public. This brief video documents the thoughts of five hopeful Mars One space travelers as they contemplate leaving planet Earth forever for a new home on Mars.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fk0LLX47deA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
I don't know about you, but I wouldn't board a spacecraft with any of these "hopefuls." One says the journey would "give me another purpose for living." I wouldn't want to risk my life in close quarters with a young dude who is still searching for his purpose in life. Another volunteer described himself as "a turd in the toilet bowl of life." Okay...you get the idea.<br />
<br />
To be kind, I can only say that these people must be thinking about some sci-fi movie they once watched. They seem utterly clueless about what wold be involved in space travel. All the well-publicized challenges and dangers aside, there is the rarely mentioned issue of months of weightlessness and Mars' low gravity and how this will cause bone and muscle loss over time. Or the onslaught of solar radiation and cosmic radiation. The problem of shielding people in the spacecraft has not been solved.<br />
<br />
And on Mars' surface, there's no planetary electromagnetic field or a rich atmosphere (as there is on Earth) to protect people on the surface. And finally, there's the psychological impact of being deprived of all those cool things we sometimes hold dear and sometimes take for granted. Once the longing and regret become intense and persistent, there will be nothing they can do about it. I'm sure the star-struck volunteers are thinking about something else than the realities of space travel.<br />
<br />
The question is, will watching things unravel onboard or on the surface make for good reality TV? The promoters of Mars One are betting it will.
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-90005179050949400592014-10-21T18:19:00.000-05:002014-10-22T10:33:28.814-05:00Stained Glass Art - I Decided to Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone BeforeOver 30 years ago, I...<br />
<ul><li>Lived near a Tidewater inlet to the Chesapeake Bay in Seaford, Virginia.</li>
<li>Was a lieutenant colonel in the Army.</li>
<li>Ran 50 miles a week training for the Marine Corps Marathon.</li>
<li>Had two teenage sons.</li>
<li>Created this unusual stained glass piece.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_knl6TSs3rhboIBdyesA55YJs6UajjSCOeq5eFPKLuG-fnH1oTdHAXyNwni1S0b_4Wnr0U6VSBx5R1pbad1YB_2Ml6RbJKenhSMaISs1B2j-p4IIhEPKnP39o-mQre59aZ-PpwaPxV0sV/s1600/Stained+Glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_knl6TSs3rhboIBdyesA55YJs6UajjSCOeq5eFPKLuG-fnH1oTdHAXyNwni1S0b_4Wnr0U6VSBx5R1pbad1YB_2Ml6RbJKenhSMaISs1B2j-p4IIhEPKnP39o-mQre59aZ-PpwaPxV0sV/s1600/Stained+Glass.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was the only stained glass art work I ever created. Today it's displayed in our master bathroom and looks great in the afternoon light.<br />
<br />
My ex-wife was the real stained glass artist - not me. She was very accomplished and passionate about her work until the day she concluded that our culture would never value this aspect of art enough to appropriately pay for the hours it took her to create it. She could make ten times as much money cooking french fries at McDonald's. So she got rid of all her equipment and left all that behind her, never again to create anything in stained glass.<br />
<br />
She didn't get a job at McDonald's, however. Instead, she went back to college, maintained a 4.0 average, and graduated from the College of William and Mary business school, magna cum laude.<br />
<br />
But during the years that she worked as an artist, I sometimes assisted her in the menial set-up work.<br />
<br />
Inevitably, I wondered if I should try creating something myself. I knew I would only do it once, so I decided to do something ambitious. I decided on an impressionistic, symbolic approach. This meant that instead of a few dozen glass pieces soldered together, I would have to use hundreds. The project took me four months to complete.<br />
<br />
The image represents universal energy, whether on a cosmic scale or an atomic scale.<br />
<br />
So over 30 years ago I put on my uniform and performed my military duties, and none of my colleagues knew I had created this unusual piece of stained glass art.<br />
<br />
Today, I'm still pleased with the result. And I'm still fascinated by the cosmos.<br />
<br />
Each morning while I'm shaving I see this image in the mirror. It reminds me that I have the potential to be creative, an essential inspiration because I'm challenged more than ever to exercise this strength in my work.<br />
<br />
It's a testament to what an ordinary guy can do if he dreams big and doesn't give up. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-19976969745190273742014-09-26T17:24:00.000-05:002015-05-20T14:20:26.083-05:00Obsessively Hard Work Earned Me an A in TypingWhen I told a friend that I made an A in every course I took in high school, he asked me, "Which course did you take as a senior that turned out to be the most important to you?"<br />
<br />
Good question. I had never considered it, so I thought about the courses I took, many of which prepared me for my courses at West Point, which challenged me on another level.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt-yEFykQYLzpPDQJOcX1NKv3D_gdAah_XenjKBZorqgDDFt_aSqou6S4hu7qNRDyxw69YjGE65CTAkbeEyhcuJTjrF_dR0vBH-3Pgc7EJ9nItSQvoP6XC5qxO1eSD-H2F9rwKXXuQIUv/s1600/Typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDt-yEFykQYLzpPDQJOcX1NKv3D_gdAah_XenjKBZorqgDDFt_aSqou6S4hu7qNRDyxw69YjGE65CTAkbeEyhcuJTjrF_dR0vBH-3Pgc7EJ9nItSQvoP6XC5qxO1eSD-H2F9rwKXXuQIUv/s1600/Typewriter.jpg" height="192" width="200" /></a></div>Finally, I said, "Typing." <br />
<br />
He laughed. But I wasn't joking.<br />
<br />
Typing was a skill course, attended almost exclusively by girls. I remember thinking (in 1962), well yeah, if you're going to be a secretary you better know how to type. <br />
<br />
I was the only male student, but my thought was that I'd have to write for many of my college courses. Back then, there were no word processors or electric typewriters - only mechanical ones. So students weren't expected to submit typewritten work. But I figured a typewritten paper would be looked upon favorably by my professors. As it turned out, this assumption was valid most of the time.<br />
<br />
Also, as the only male student in the typing course, I wanted to show the teacher and all the girls that I could do as well as they could, or even better.<br />
<br />
The classes consisted of drills, and at the end of every hour, we were given a timed 5-minute performance test. All uncorrected errors were penalized by subtracting 5 words from the total words typed. The net total was divided by 5 to get the words-per-minute (wpm) score. To pass, a student had to turn in at least five 45-wpm scores. For an A, five 60-wpm scores. <br />
<br />
I took this course so seriously that I practiced at home, doing drills and 5-minute tests. I didn't know it, but all this repetitive typing activity was wiring my brain for typing skill. By the end of the course, I had fully ingrained my ability to type. I could do it at very high speed without thinking about what my fingers were doing. I submitted at least five scores above 90 wpm without errors and of course got my A. My teacher thought I was some kind of typing prodigy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0oYB3m7bv2lmTYCLICbUlmBYRq-ThPiBTAz8YDnI3GxcwKfgfl5NQmT-oRXjxLsQQm4M06fiivAx7E3Ld1QMkBwaT-2TXiXQj-g00S1ZKsiLtAGvxzs6y7CpYNHaStEgu3GuBHxSCY8b/s1600/The-harder-you-work-the.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0oYB3m7bv2lmTYCLICbUlmBYRq-ThPiBTAz8YDnI3GxcwKfgfl5NQmT-oRXjxLsQQm4M06fiivAx7E3Ld1QMkBwaT-2TXiXQj-g00S1ZKsiLtAGvxzs6y7CpYNHaStEgu3GuBHxSCY8b/s1600/The-harder-you-work-the.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>Truthfully, I just worked harder at it than any of my classmates.<br />
<br />
Now, of course, I type on a modern keyboard and my brain wiring for typing is quite well insulated after decades of doing it. I'm sure that most of the time I type faster than 100 wpm.<br />
<br />
And this skill, more than anything else I learned during my senior year, has helped me be successful. <br />
<br />
I'm not sure my other teachers or my principal, who introduced me at my valedictory address, would have appreciated knowing this.<br />
<br />
<i style="font-size: small;"><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-39169605499843527152014-09-17T11:04:00.000-05:002014-09-17T11:04:44.966-05:00Thanks to Coaching, I'm Back on Track as a WriterI'm a writer. Writing gives me more satisfaction than anything I do. And there are things I care about, things I want to write about.<br />
<br />
But I'm also a small business entrepreneur, a product developer. During the past several years I've been working with my team to develop an online virtual coaching system that helps people ingrain new skills and make permanent changes in behavior. That system is called <b><i><a href="http://www.prostarcoach.com/" target="_blank">ProStar Coach</a></i></b>. I've also been heavily involved in the marketing - trying to get the word out. It has been a very satisfying project because it has the potential to help people of all ages and walks of life get stronger for the challenges of life and work.<br />
<br />
But all this good work had a bad side effect for me. For years now, my work days were all about product development, not about writing books. The completion of the ProStar Coach project left me with all the time I needed to write, but I discovered that I no longer had the work habits of a writer. My old habits were kicking in and at the end of the day, I hadn't produced any writing. <br />
<br />
I talked with my colleague and good friend, Meredith Bell, about this problem, and she had a suggestion. It was along the lines of "Physician, health thyself." Or, "Walk your talk."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiVLP5Ey4JYdv4a5omxzRAEsv8zp-B-EigRgDXr4datA-9TUa-dq3IVSRhiYHJv826s-oU-wZaKEAev42VGrH5jLeIBOvy2FgQY0wMYY4RiHLILQnktMajGBhMaDlJh9HPlUSnn6bpo5g/s1600/SupportCoaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiVLP5Ey4JYdv4a5omxzRAEsv8zp-B-EigRgDXr4datA-9TUa-dq3IVSRhiYHJv826s-oU-wZaKEAev42VGrH5jLeIBOvy2FgQY0wMYY4RiHLILQnktMajGBhMaDlJh9HPlUSnn6bpo5g/s1600/SupportCoaching.jpg" height="75" width="200" /></a></div>
What she was referring to is an ebook I recently wrote called <b><i><a href="http://www.prostarcoach.com/40days.asp" target="_blank">Support Coaching</a></i></b>. The book, along with nine companion videos, explains what a caring individual can do to help someone who wants to improve a skill or change a behavior pattern. The key element is coaching. The resources explain what anyone can do to support and coach a person involved in skill building, personal development or change.<br />
<br />
What Meredith suggested is that I get an "accountability coach" to hold my feet to the fire, to do what a writer is supposed to do and actually get done what a writer should produce. An accountability coach is someone who agrees to contact you regularly and ask detailed questions to determine if you did what you said you were going to do. All successful athletic performance, weight loss and addiction recovery programs use accountability coaching. When you know you'll have to face someone who will want to see your results, it's a powerful motivator to do what you should be doing. Without accountability, it's all too easy to rationalize, make excuses and put things off. <br />
<br />
Meredith's message: "You wrote the piece on accountability coaching. So get one. Use one."<br />
<br />
My reply: "Will you be my accountability coach?"<br />
<br />
She agreed, and we set up a twice-weekly phone call. I outlined what I would do and accomplish, and during the calls I emailed her the chapter I agreed to write. <br />
<br />
It worked like magic. Before long, I had some new work habits in place and was producing chapters at a rapid rate. <br />
<br />
The recent addition of the "Support Coaching" resources to the <b><i><a href="http://www.prostarcoach.com/" target="_blank">ProStar Coach</a></i></b> system was a huge breakthrough, because it empowers ordinary people to do the simple things that add up to the kind of coaching a person needs to make a change. Virtual coaching is now enriched by coaching from real people. Now, anyone can be a support coach. Anyone can get the kind of coaching they need.<br />
<br />
The resources are so important that we decided to make them <b><a href="http://www.prostarcoach.com/40days.asp" target="_blank">available free</a></b> to anyone who wants them.<br />
<br />
They helped me. Maybe they can help you, too.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-28686280371761212952014-09-05T16:30:00.000-05:002014-09-05T16:37:51.482-05:00"Hall of Fame" - Music to Fire You UpLife is hard, and then you...well, that depends on what you do next.<br />
<br />
The next time you've done your best and it didn't work out and you feel down in the dumps, <b><i>watch this</i></b>.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It will </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">FIRE. YOU. UP.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jukv9Q1eR2g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Some lyrics from "Hall of Fame - The Script" (2012) by feat. will.i.am.<br />
<br />
<i>You could go the distance </i><br />
<i>You could run the mile </i><br />
<i>You could walk straight through hell with a smile </i><br />
<i>You could be the hero </i><br />
<i>You could get the gold </i><br />
<i>Breaking all the records that thought never could be broke </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Do it for your people </i><br />
<i>Do it for your pride </i><br />
<i>Never gonna know if you never even try </i><br />
<i>Do it for your country </i><br />
<i>Do it for your name </i><br />
<br />
<i>Cause there's gonna be a day </i><br />
<i>When you're standing in the hall of fame </i><br />
<i>And the world's gonna know your name </i><br />
<i>Cause you burn with the brightest flame </i><br />
<i>And the world's gonna know your name </i><br />
<i>And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame </i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-52894289887823335002014-08-09T09:25:00.000-05:002014-08-09T09:25:06.947-05:00Favorite Quotes from Socrates: An Examined LifeI recently reread this quote by Socrates, Greek philosopher and teacher of Plato. It's one of my all-time favorites:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“An unexamined life is not worth living.”</i></b></div>
<br />
In my life I've tried to surround myself with people who question things and are serious about improving "who they are." Still, I know more than a few people who live unexamined lives, who are willing consumers of whatever the culture dishes up.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnponCX6XJ8nO26y0MsAQ1zU9e1x8Al9v6aPg37YpOnnYwbH5Zvm8DGXMEG4KSXqkCLh-1JXXtU0EM9HvRA2Bwd1ZA0-CSon7KF-OFDj90kME_cIZsBxovDxckwYDOrV6i0yCTD7zzWdhA/s1600/Socrates_Louvre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnponCX6XJ8nO26y0MsAQ1zU9e1x8Al9v6aPg37YpOnnYwbH5Zvm8DGXMEG4KSXqkCLh-1JXXtU0EM9HvRA2Bwd1ZA0-CSon7KF-OFDj90kME_cIZsBxovDxckwYDOrV6i0yCTD7zzWdhA/s1600/Socrates_Louvre.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marble bust of Socrates - Louvre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While we think of Socrates as one of the great minds of human history, in his own time only his students and a few close friends appreciated his wisdom. Those in power in Athens resented his unconventional views and his sarcasm. Ultimately, he was found guilty of impiety and corrupting the youth and was sentenced to death. His friends believed they could free him, but Socrates refused. His rationale is revealing: <br />
<ul>
<li>He believed escaping would indicate that he was afraid of death, and he believed that a philosopher should not be.</li>
<li>He felt there was no profit in escaping. He would be seen as an iconoclast and provoke the wrath of authorities wherever he went.</li>
<li>As a citizen of Athens, he had agreed to accept the city's laws. He felt that violating this social contract would be an unprincipled act.</li>
<li>If he let his friends help him escape, he would be putting them in danger of punishment.</li>
</ul>
Besides, he felt he was ready to die. He had had enough of the world.<br />
<br />
I wonder if someday I'll feel that I've "had enough of the world." It's certainly a troubled world, nearly as primitive as the one Socrates lived in. But I'm not there yet.<br />
<br />
A few more of my favorite quotes from Socrates:<br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"The perfect human being is all human beings put together, it is a collective, it is all of us together that make perfection.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue - to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak.”</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"Know thyself."</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"Let him that would move the world first move himself.”</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"In life, there is only one good--knowledge. One evil--ignorance.”</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>"Wisdom begins in wonder."</i></b><br />
<br />
Words spoken 2,500 years ago, still fresh and appropriate today.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-77376556381397608972014-08-06T11:20:00.002-05:002014-08-06T16:48:56.845-05:00The Amazing Unprecedented Plumber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBze1gAV-x4hwD0JHjvxPuIdBswmvFW7yxwnS0aUUuqgYed-3d_U4IGE4ZgBNT2CbO84L7QXlghcBSyawHrQzW_vcwUDeriNWFvq97I_PgHOEkPoW2XGNYumt1oKYF1SDjfuOCDUQ2pwlW/s1600/toiletRepair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBze1gAV-x4hwD0JHjvxPuIdBswmvFW7yxwnS0aUUuqgYed-3d_U4IGE4ZgBNT2CbO84L7QXlghcBSyawHrQzW_vcwUDeriNWFvq97I_PgHOEkPoW2XGNYumt1oKYF1SDjfuOCDUQ2pwlW/s1600/toiletRepair.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
Moving into our new home, we discovered that many aspects of it had been neglected during the previous owners' eight-year residence. One area was the bathroom sinks and toilets. As one of our final upgrades, we called the plumber to clear the sink drains and replace old hardware in the toilets. I assisted by getting rid of the gunk that had accumulated on the stoppers and in the drain pipes. It was...never mind...too nasty to describe.<br />
<br />
The plumber was an interesting fellow in his mid-thirties. Even though he spoke with a speech impediment, he talked nonstop during the hour he was in the house. He told me that when he was 15, he accidentally received a powerful electric shock that almost killed him. As a result, he has been bipolar ever since. He was even institutionalized for a while, in which he struggled to survive the treatment of the staff and other residents.<br />
<br />
But he also developed an uncanny ability to solve visual-spatial problems. He found that he could disassemble and reassemble anything - furniture, appliances, even a car. "To me, they're like puzzles," he said with a smile. I observed his abilities first-hand as he quickly did what I discovered earlier I could not do. <br />
<br />
He told me that his employers and colleagues were perplexed and intimidated by the paradox of his superior abilities and the outward impression of mental inadequacy. He didn't respond well to the resulting unfairness and mistreatment, which made it hard for him to cultivate good working relationships. <br />
<br />
My impression of him was that despite any mental disabilities he may have, he is more intelligent than many of the people I encounter every day.<br />
<br />
And at the end of the hour, our plumbing was in like-new condition.<br />
<br />
The time I spent with this outgoing mechanical prodigy caused me to remember an important fact: <i><b>Each of the billions of human beings that have lived on Earth is unique. Each path, each journey is unprecedented. Each human brain is wired differently.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
And an important principle: to create authentic relationships, we need to exercise <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/search/label/Tolerance" target="_blank">tolerance</a>, <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/search/label/Patience" target="_blank">patience</a>, and <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/search/label/Compassion" target="_blank">compassion</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-65318477797850881562014-07-29T11:53:00.001-05:002014-09-25T12:56:20.076-05:00Interstellar Space Travel - Humanity's Opportunity to Get Real<b><i>Space travel!</i></b><br />
<br />
Astronauts, men on the moon, space stations, spacecraft that have visited all the planets - even asteroids and comets. One spacecraft has even left our solar system. It’s as if science fiction has become science fact. It almost seems that we can do anything in space if we put our minds to it. It seems so easy—I think too easy—to go from appreciating these achievements to dreams of sending explorers to the other planets and beyond. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdYF-VqOXBK-x1XiLl9alw6j3Yo-yMokL5T5kRi2S8yt2c3CsGz49zGqi-W6lLc-23mn_c9HeGYYxE6UPtBCZpABMDvwmdVoJIRJmwguqwWsTL21TMhT2xvOcRBf7D_7U4lk_dCjOOI5D/s1600/Planet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdYF-VqOXBK-x1XiLl9alw6j3Yo-yMokL5T5kRi2S8yt2c3CsGz49zGqi-W6lLc-23mn_c9HeGYYxE6UPtBCZpABMDvwmdVoJIRJmwguqwWsTL21TMhT2xvOcRBf7D_7U4lk_dCjOOI5D/s1600/Planet.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist: WeeYak. More cool images at weeyak.deviantart.com. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i>Interstellar space travel!</i></b><br />
<br />
Not a new term. With hundreds of great sci-fi movies under our belt, we use this phrase as if it’s already a foregone conclusion, even just around the corner. Scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs are now loudly, even boastfully encouraging this perspective.<br />
<br />
As for the first big step - a manned mission to Mars - none of the problems that challenge this project have been solved. <br />
<br />
Outer space is deadly. Beyond the protective shielding of Earth’s atmosphere and electromagnetic field, which protect us from solar radiation and cosmic radiation, astronauts will need a way to protect themselves during the flight. Current spacecraft shielding doesn't give enough protection to prevent permanent cell damage.<br />
<br />
Human beings evolved to survive and thrive only in the kind gravity, atmospheric pressure, and temperature range found on Earth’s surface. Space suits can compensate for temperature and pressure extremes. But time spent in zero gravity during the months of the journey or working in the low gravity on Mars will have progressively detrimental effects on every part of the body—bones, muscles, lungs, heart and brain. Without a solution, astronauts will be crippled upon return to Earth, if indeed they could handle the trip back.<br />
<br />
It’s one thing to spend a couple months aboard the ISS, with the huge sight of planet Earth outside the window. But a flight to Mars would be quite different, where views of Earth would shrink to a pinpoint. There are the unique, untested social and psychological issues related to spending years in space in the cramped cabins of the spacecraft and Mars living quarters.<br />
<br />
And did I mention air, water, and food? Solutions for these problems of extended time away from Earth are easier to address, and scientists are working on them.<br />
<br />
People in the space industry talk glibly about interstellar space travel being “the destiny of the human race,” as if going to Mars is only the first step. But there are problems that almost never get mentioned.<br />
<br />
<b>The Distance Problem</b> – When you look up at the night sky you can see Mars, a pinpoint of light among the stars. It would be natural to think, "If we can go to Mars, we can go to the stars." But that's because you haven't done the math.<br />
<br />
Alpha Proxima, the star closest to our solar system, is about 25 trillion miles away. This distance is so vast that the human mind can't understand it. Scientists created the concept of light-years (the distance light travels in a year) to make it easier to comprehend incomprehensible distances.<br />
<br />
Speed of Light = 186,000 miles per second<br />
= 670,000,000 miles per hour <br />
= 5,900,000,000 miles per year <br />
1 light-year = 5.9 trillion miles<br />
<br />
Current propulsion systems achieve about 50,000 mph - pretty speedy by Earth standards. But at that velocity, it would take more than 50,000 years to arrive at the nearest star. So travel to stars will require much faster spacecraft. But even if a spacecraft could be built to travel 10 million mph, which is about 1.5% the speed of light, the travel times are still absurdly long.<br />
<br />
At 10 million mph it would take 67 years, or about 3 generations of human beings to go just 1 light year. A journey to Alpha Proxima, is 4 light-years away – 268 years (12 generations of human beings) traveling at 10 million mph.<br />
<br />
A news report about a newly-found exoplanet in a star's habitable zone described it as “only 100 light years away.” Yes, the farthest reaches of our Milky Way galaxy are 1,000 times that distant, so compared to the size of our galaxy, 100 light years is relatively close. But traveling at 10 million mph, it would take 6,700 years (300 generations) to travel "only 100 light-years."<br />
<br />
<b>The Impact Energy Problem</b> – Space is far from empty. Asteroids, rocks, ice fragments, dust, gas—there’s lots of stuff in the so-called “void.” And no one knows where all this stuff is. Running into even the tiniest objects while traveling at enormous speeds can create awesome effects at impact. <br />
<br />
The faster a spacecraft goes, the higher the probability that it will run into something. And the greater the speed, the greater the kinetic energy that will be produced at impact. Traveling at 10 million mph, even the impact of a single microscopic grain of space dust could destroy a space ship. Unimaginable shielding—something as dense and bulky as a sizeable asteroid—would be needed.<br />
<br />
When scientists talk excitedly about exotic propulsion system concepts, they never mention the problem of impacts at very high speeds.<br />
<br />
<b>The Propulsion Energy Problem</b> – How much energy would it take to propel a vehicle with that kind of shielding at 10 million mph? Answer: It would take a major portion of all the energy produced everywhere on Earth in one year.<br />
<br />
Imagination is a wonderful thing. So is our potential for achievement. But these challenges are more than daunting. When you do the math and consider the realities of the cosmos, interstellar space travel seems pointless and impractical. No, impossible. The problems are insurmountable. It's never going to happen. In the best-case scenario, our glorious species won't even try.<br />
<br />
So the biggest challenge isn't shielding or speed. Considering how our minds have been conditioned by science fantasy, our biggest challenge is to get real. The ultimate drama isn't whether human beings will "reach the stars." It's whether we're intelligent and wise enough as a species to get down-to-earth and face facts and focus our ability to <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/2014/07/are-we-alone-ultimate-answer.html" target="_blank">stop killing each other and figure out how to preserve Earth's limited resources</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-67612340551885662662014-07-24T17:56:00.002-05:002014-07-28T17:47:22.055-05:00Are We Alone? The Ultimate Answer...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmGKKBwpHIcXiESfHK2my3xTUkyESrkIiLTY63NcLusSduMRq5ZR6Da_a6h3P260zLJsJYcex7-OoCpS6TE-INEZ1WyToIKZn2YR3MBen0S5rGDDPz5bjc6hNUoqYW19Fd05J9-7LV6kL/s1600/NASA+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmGKKBwpHIcXiESfHK2my3xTUkyESrkIiLTY63NcLusSduMRq5ZR6Da_a6h3P260zLJsJYcex7-OoCpS6TE-INEZ1WyToIKZn2YR3MBen0S5rGDDPz5bjc6hNUoqYW19Fd05J9-7LV6kL/s1600/NASA+image.jpg" height="195" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NASA image</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Are we alone in the universe? It's a frequent question asked these days in excited, enthusiastic science articles about our universe. Does intelligent life exist out there somewhere?<br />
<br />
SETI would like to know. NASA would like to know. Now that thousands of planets have been discovered orbiting distant stars, scientists and engineers are working to launch bigger and better telescopes to sense evidence of life on some of these worlds. <br />
<br />
What is intelligent life? The most perfect example of an Earth-like planet is Earth itself. Does intelligent life exist there?<br />
<br />
Here on Earth, the most intelligent species is assumed to be homo sapiens - human beings.<br />
<br />
Throughout history, humans have been busy killing other humans because they have a different religious faith.<br />
<br />
Today, they abuse and kill people because they're female.<br />
<br />
Because they're a different race.<br />
<br />
Or a different nationality.<br />
<br />
Because they want to seize control of precious resources.<br />
<br />
They kill each other in order to sell addictive poisons to other human beings.<br />
<br />
In the modern world, they lie to each other day and night, to make money.<br />
<br />
They break the law and hurt people every chance they get to make money.<br />
<br />
Greed and self-interest rule most areas of human civilization.<br />
<br />
Humans wildly promote myriad forms of superstition.<br />
<br />
They abhor the truth and are drawn to escapist nonsense.<br />
<br />
Humans are willfully polluting the oceans, threatening the food chain.<br />
<br />
They're destroying huge areas of forests that used to pump oxygen into the atmosphere, thinking there will be no negative consequence.<br />
<br />
They're polluting the air we breathe.<br />
<br />
They're pushing animal and plant species into extinction.<br />
<br />
They're altering the climate without remorse.<br />
<br />
Human beings are slowly but relentlessly rendering the only home they'll ever have - planet Earth - unfit for human life.<br />
<br />
They dream of being a multi-world species in case they ruin the precious world they already have, when there are no such worlds to go to - and if there were, no way to get there.<br />
<br />
So I have to ask, is this what we mean by intelligent life?<br />
<br />
Were the dinosaurs an example of intelligent life? Is this the kind of intelligence we hope to find on distant worlds? Millions of years before there were human beings, dinosaurs dominated the planet. The only reason mammals, and eventually humans, were able to evolve and exist today is because of a freak accident. 65 million years ago a mile-wide asteroid crashed into the Earth and wiped out all the dinosaurs along with 75% of all plant and animal species. If this asteroid had missed, perhaps the dinosaurs would still reign today, and humans wouldn't have evolved.<br />
<br />
I wouldn't be writing this post on my blog.<br />
<br />
Intelligent human beings have been on the planet for only about 100,000 years - a blink of an eye in Earth history. Science as we know it has existed only about 500 years. We could easily render Earth unfit for human life, and that would be the end of that brief story.<br />
<br />
If this is what is meant by intelligent life, then maybe it doesn't mean much to find it elsewhere in our galaxy. Or if it does exist, then maybe intelligent life isn't such a wonderful thing. Maybe intelligence as humans think of it is like a sinister virus.<br />
<br />
So if the question is, "Are we alone?" Maybe the honest, realistic answer is, "What difference does it make?" Or "Who cares?"<br />
<br />
What are we going to do? Commit shocking amounts of the world's resources to build a starship that will take thousands of years to travel unimaginable distances to find out?<br />
<br />
If the surviving generations of these space explorers were ever able to return to Earth to deliver the answer, likely they would find a ruined planet with no human beings living on it.<br />
<br />
"Are we alone in the universe?" It's the wrong question.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-20677274171787279242014-07-13T13:02:00.000-05:002014-07-15T11:46:47.024-05:00The Magic Key to Changing a Harmful Behavior Pattern<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHBBLEdqkdjWXeczpU-HbHCE74cH_AOC0XJ2hzoxb5WiXgTm3aANalByDs_aH8cnOjkC2kUH5uaJ7r36l1vE-uLCwxnEtLk1wGr8BLREzSZ_Rhmqr4c1v2iN_pvVII3oDU-GlqsZ8O1Lc/s1600/burger-big-bad-wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHBBLEdqkdjWXeczpU-HbHCE74cH_AOC0XJ2hzoxb5WiXgTm3aANalByDs_aH8cnOjkC2kUH5uaJ7r36l1vE-uLCwxnEtLk1wGr8BLREzSZ_Rhmqr4c1v2iN_pvVII3oDU-GlqsZ8O1Lc/s1600/burger-big-bad-wolf.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
Last week, on two separate occasions I spent time with some guy friends. They were very different people, but with one striking similarity: both were significantly overweight and had diabetes issues. And even though they had tried, they hadn't been able to change the eating habits that caused their health problems.<br />
<br />
<i>Changing a behavior pattern is hard.</i><br />
<br />
The reason is that if you repeat a behavior enough times, the brain cells involved in the behavior will connect into a physical circuit. Over time, your brain will literally wire itself to make any repeated behavior - whether beneficial or harmful - an easy, unconscious automatic pattern.<br />
<br />
How do you change a habit like that, when the brain has wired itself to produce it? Like I said, it's hard.<br />
<br />
But even though it's hard, people do break bad habits all the time.<br />
<br />
But you really gotta wanna.<br />
<br />
Yes, motivation is helpful, but that's not the secret. Even though strong motivation is crucial, there's more to it than that. There's a magic key to changing a behavior pattern.<br />
<br />
It starts with understanding how successfully changing a behavior pattern works. The process has four phases.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Unconscious incompetence. </b>Your habitual way of doing something is harmful, but you aren't aware that it's causing problems or that there's a better way.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Conscious incompetence. </b>Somehow you're made aware that what you're doing is causing problems. The issues that are a consequence of your behavior become obvious. Maybe they cause pain or discomfort. Maybe someone gives you feedback - holds a mirror up to your behavior. You haven't committed to change yet, but you're not blissfully unaware anymore.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Conscious competence. </b>You've learned what you should be doing and you're making an effort to change. This effort has to be a conscious decision, because the new way isn't a habit yet. This is challenging because the old way is still an ingrained habit. And because the old way is physically wired in your brain, it won't just unconnect itself and go away, no matter how much you wish it would. The trick is to repeat the new behavior so many times that your brain wires itself for a new, more rewarding habit. <br />
<br />
But you're not there yet. So when you're not consciously paying attention to what you're doing, the old habit kicks in automatically. Frustration, regret and discouragement usually follow. I call this the <i>"crunch point,"</i> because when it happens most people give up and relax back into their old ways.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Unconscious competence.</b> If instead of giving up, you push past your lapses and consciously try again, after a while your success rate will improve. You'll still have occasional lapses, but if you don't give up, if you keep trying, eventually your brain will wire itself for the new habit. This means that doing the right thing will begin to kick in automatically without a conscious effort on your part.<br />
<br />
The "secret" is actually quite simple, but it works like magic. It's this: <b><i>even though your failures are disheartening, don't give up. </i></b>Keep trying to make that conscious choice to do what you've committed to do. Understand that lapses are an inevitable part of the process and that each time you repeat the behavior, it will make that conscious decision easier, and your success rate will improve. <br />
<br />
It will probably take time, but if you don't give up, if you persist past your failures and keep trying, eventually the new pattern will start happening automatically. And you'll become one of the millions of people who've changed a bad habit.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005572221369432591.post-87075108232715581882014-06-27T01:00:00.000-05:002014-06-27T08:31:17.489-05:00Spirituality without ReligionMost people seek spirituality within the framework of a belief system or religion. This is the traditional approach.<br />
<br />
I have a good friend who said to me that she wasn't religious, but she wanted to believe in something. She wanted an authentic experience of spirituality without having to believe in a supreme being.<br />
<br />
There are millions of people like her. On forms that ask for "Religious Preference," they enter "none." At this point in human history, there's no tried-and-true system my friend can turn to to get what she wants.<br />
<br />
I recommended that she read <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/2011/11/eckhart-tolle-and-more-being-in-moment.html" target="_blank">Eckhart Tolle</a>'s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808/ref=la_B001H6GZ5K_1_1/186-9884108-0051556?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403734978&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment</a>. His approach to spirituality is to silence the chatter of the mind to achieve a hear-and-now awareness of the present moment. Life is sacred, being alive is sacred, and he considers this pure, unfiltered experience of the self to be a central aspect of spirituality.<br />
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Also, Tolle chooses to see the universe as a kind of cosmic intelligence. He envisions a grand consciousness, something purposeful that is larger than ourselves. I don't relate to this concept, but I do like the way he coaches us to achieve an awareness of being alive. Being conscious of our existence, appreciating that we are alive, experiencing what we are - surely this is an important aspect of spirituality.<br />
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Beyond the self there are billions of other human beings, each one alive and sacred, though usually not aware of his or her spiritual nature. Being "in the moment" with another human being, appreciating another person's reality and sacredness, the special aliveness of another individual - this, it seems to me, expands our spirituality to another level - that of relationships.<br />
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And of course there are all the "non-human" beings we can relate to, which we often refer to as "creatures." Like Ernest and Baby Girl, the affectionate, intelligent cats that are a part of our family. We can achieve spiritual relationships with the rest of nature, by experiencing it for what it is without the chatter of human nonsense.<br />
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And beyond our relationships and communities, there is the larger natural world, including the universe beyond our planet-home, Earth. Can we achieve a spiritual relationship with the universe?<br />
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I believe so, but I think this is more challenging, because even though the universe beyond Earth is quite real, when we look up on a dark night, all we see are tiny points of light. Scientists say some of these points of light aren't stars, but massive clusters of stars. This is new knowledge. They found proof of other galaxies beyond our own Milky Way galaxy less than a century ago. Scientists tell us this, and we can see the photos of various galaxies taken by powerful telescopes. These are awesome and beautiful images, though it takes some effort to achieve the stirrings of spirituality staring at second-hand, two-dimensional pictures.<br />
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Let me tell you about a personal experience. I live in Texas, and my wife and some friends decided to visit the <a href="http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/" target="_blank">McDonald Observatory</a> in the mountains of west Texas. It was a moonless night, and as we sat on benches outside, a guide gave us an orientation of the night sky. Afterward, several different telescopes were set up for visitor viewing. In one of the telescopes I saw a clear view of Saturn's rings. It was like being there, though Saturn is about 750 million miles from Earth - eight times the distance from the Earth to the sun. This was not a photo but a direct view of the planet as it existed in that moment. I let that sink in, and I felt a sense of awe at this reality and my relation to it.<br />
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As I peered through another, stronger telescope I saw something that swept me away. It was not a planet. It was not a star. It was the Andromeda galaxy. I saw its swirling shape and that it consisted of an untold number of stars. Not a photo. Not an animation. But the galaxy itself, far from Earth. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI57sjTP2sfgZ7Cth8nKWN05Da9Ayd3q4C9IZ2CDwCCABvHBVbEUf0hfzcL6jthUoQpRwVZOAUQx7pTVADTDEBLaVvbyGmvUbLLcDSV4e1fIPRlK5GeFsXiHhKVwevkC-kv5XSRC5x_k8b/s1600/andromeda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI57sjTP2sfgZ7Cth8nKWN05Da9Ayd3q4C9IZ2CDwCCABvHBVbEUf0hfzcL6jthUoQpRwVZOAUQx7pTVADTDEBLaVvbyGmvUbLLcDSV4e1fIPRlK5GeFsXiHhKVwevkC-kv5XSRC5x_k8b/s1600/andromeda.jpg" height="299" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Andromeda Galaxy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I learned that the Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years from Earth, which is a distance impossible for any human being to imagine, and that it contains a trillion stars, more than twice as many as our own Milky Way galaxy. Our guide also said that it was moving through space towards our galaxy and would merge with it three or four billion years from now. For me, this surge of awareness and knowledge and awe was unmistakably spiritual. This vision of Andromeda, seen through a looking glass, helped define me and my place in the universe.<br />
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It was humbling.<br />
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I've written this post partly for my friend, to affirm that you can, if you seek it, find authentic spirituality not only in yourself, but in relation to others and to the universe. It has to be a personal quest, not an easy journey, because this kind of spirituality isn't a packaged belief system as most religions are. But it's achievable.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2014. <a href="http://www.buildingpersonalstrength.com/"> Building Personal Strength </a>.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00006897130524120094noreply@blogger.com0