Dave Morris’s Wellbeing Guides Blog

Time management is basically about being focused and using your time effectively. The Pareto Principle, also known as the ‘80:20 Rule’ states that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results.  Although the ‘80:20′ ratio is arbitrary it implies that by using time management principles to manage your activities you can improve the quality of your output significantly.

Time management is about getting results, not about being busy. Thoroughly planning and having a ‘To Do List’ for each of the key areas in your life will help determine which how successful you are in each of those areas. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.

The core skills of time management are scheduling appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating ‘To Do Lists’ and prioritizing. Understanding, learning and applying these skills will help in your personal development. They can also be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill giving you that extra knowledge to achieve the results you desire.

Having adopted personal time management skills you can use them to bring balance to your life and therefore improve your general wellbeing. Aspects of your life that can be improved are;

- The physical aspect - be subject to less stress and fatigue and therefore a much healthier lifestyle.
- The intellectual aspect - adopt learning and other mental growth activities.
- The social aspect - develop personal or intimate relations and be an active contributor to society.
- The career aspect - manage your school and/or work schedule for best results.

Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.

Personal time management is not a daunting task. It requires very basic skills and is very easy to apply. All you need is the skill and the will. The skill is easily learned and once you have seen how effective it can be you will want to continue using it for ever.

Here are a couple of simple tips that you should consider when adopting time management skill’s:

- Don’t procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.

- Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.

- Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.

- Prioritise your tasks for maximum benefit taking into account all the things that are important in your life.

- Learn to say “No”. You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.

- Give yourself a pat on the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.

- Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.
I can guarantee you that once you have included personal time management skills into your daily routine you will see the benefits almost immediately. If you

would like to learn more I suggest you visit Brian Tracy’s website (link below). His methods and teaching are excellent. I have used them myself and have

benefited greatly from them.
Yours in Health
Dave

http://www.healthylivingroadmap.com

Many of us develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook can make it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward. Utilising positive thinking helps you to focus on your strengths and accomplishments. This has the positive effect of increasing our happiness and motivation levels. This, in turn, results in you spending more time making progress, and less time feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

The following tips provide practical suggestions you can use to build positive thinking patterns:

1. Look after Yourself
It’s much easier to be positive when you are fit, eating well and getting enough rest. Pay attention to your fitness levels and your diet, they are keys to meeting life’s challenges.

2. Daily reminder of the Things You Are Grateful For
Challenges and the stresses that arise from them will not seem quite as daunting when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that you are thankful for in you life. Taking just 1 minute a day, particularly at night before you go to sleep, to stop and appreciate the good things will make a significant difference to your outlook.

3. Look for Proof and don’t base your judgement on Assumptions
Sometimes a fear of not being accepted or liked leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, however our fears are usually not justified. If you have a fear that a friend or family member is in a bad mood because of something you did, or that your co-workers are gossiping about you once you have turned your back, deal with it! Speak up and seek confirmation or otherwise. Don’t waste your time worrying that you have done something wrong unless you are sure you have something to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Have you ever told a friend “You’re ALWAYS late!” or complained to a colleague “You NEVER call me!”? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like ‘always’ and ‘never’ makes the situation seem worse than it is. It programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
Your thoughts can’t hold any power over you if you don’t judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it and don’t follow it. Success comes in Can’s, not in Cannot’s.

6. Squash those “ANTs”
In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANT’s” - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANT’s and squash them!

7. Practice Lovin’, Touchin’ & Squeezin‘

You don’t have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Get one of those t-shirts that says 2need a free hug” you’ll be amazed at the reaction. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. A research study had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didn’t touch! Be careful not to abuse the priviledge however.

8. Get Social
By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, positive, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way! Positive attitude and laughter is infectious so never be afraid to catch some.

9. Do some Volunteer Work
Everyone feels good after helping others. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your help. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.

10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Deep Reflection
If you find yourself have periods of deep reflection a good tactic is to interrupt your thought pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Reflection can result in a hyper-focus on something negative. It’s never productive, because it’s not rational or solution-oriented, it just signifies excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment - go for a walk, call a friend, pick up a book (a joke book preferably), or turn on some music.

These are just some of the things you can do to change your behaviour and have a more positive approach to life.

Good luck with your efforts.

Yours in Health

Dave

www.healthylivingroadmap.com

These days many people are turning to natural remedies as a way to fight illness and other ailments. The increase in popularity of herbal supplements has been amazing over the past number of years however before you join the masses, here are a number of things you should know about herbal supplement’s.

What is the difference between a drug and a dietary supplement?

According to Dictionary.com a drug is a “a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being”. Herbal supplements tend not to be classed as drugs but as dietary supplements. The main difference is that herbal supplements do not generally have approved therapeutic claims unlike in the case of drugs such as paracetamol etc. Also and importantly, herbal supplements will typically contain vitamins, minerals, herbals, or amino acids, all aimed to add to or supplement the individuals diet. It is not intended that they be taken alone as a substitute to any particular food or medicine.

Over the years most of the manufactured medicines that have been developed have came from plants and animals. Chemists worked to isolate the life-saving or life-curing components and seperated them from the harmful elements. Further research and development led to the production of a variety of drugs from synthetic sources. Today we have a mixture of synthetic drugs, semi-synthetic drugs and also drugs that more or less approximate their original natural composition.

In contrast, herbal supplements are made from a mixture of crude herbs reduced into powder or gel form and then packaged and sold as tablets and capsules.

Is there a concern with the use of herbal supplements?

Yes; with the popularity, use and consumption of all things herbal and/or organic on the rise, it is the threat of fake herbal supplements that cause a concern. One way of ensuring that the use of herbal supplements is safe is to ensure that you are buying from a reputable source. Look for a supplier who has a long standing reputation for producing supplements to the highest standards.

Should I avoid using supplements totally?

In my opinion, no. It cannot be argued that many who have tried herbal supplements experience an improvement in their well-being; whether this is due to the herbal supplements themselves or due to a resulting placebo effect, it is difficult to know. I myself take a capsule of vitamin C each day and I have found that I very rarely now get a common cold. As long as it is not doing any harm I am happy to believe it is the vitamin C that is contributing to my resistance to the bug!

Follow the directions for use.

You should never take more supplements than are directed by your doctor or are instructed on the bottle. Individuals reacts differently to herbal supplements and while it is perfectly safe for one individual to take in a supplement of primrose oil capsules, another person may be allergic to it and have a reaction to it.
 
Your doctor knows best.

As with all things medical it is always best to get the advice of your GP before embarking on a course of supplements. Ask him/her if taking a particular herbal supplement is safe given your current health status. This is particularly the case for people with kidney, liver, or heart problems. All substances pass through the liver and kidney to be processed and filtered therefore it is very important to know whether the supplements you would like to take can effect your health. It is always better to be safe than sorry. No matter how well the brochure or the label presents how helpful the supplement has been found to be, herbal supplements should not be substituted for medication prescribed by your doctor.

Well, what an achievement!

After 9 weeks coaching from John Thornhill our first e-book is available on Clickbank for sale. It is called “The Healthy Living Roadmap” and if you would like to see the web site you can click here. Feedback so far has been very positive. I hope you like it, in fact I’d be delighted if you added your comment’s below.

The theme of the book centre’s around general well-being and provides a number of key steps that if applied will help to improve your fitness levels, diet, stress levels, sleeping habits and bring balance to your life. It has been written based on my own life experience and I am pretty happy with it, particularly considering it is a first effort.

In the future I plan to add a number of other e-books on the general well-being topic but they will be targeted at specific  areas such as procrastination, goal setting, meditation etc. If there is anything in particular you would like to see covered then please let me know.

Well I’m of to celebrate with my wife who has been extremely patient with me during the time I’ve been working on the e-book. We deserve it!

Don’t forget,  if you would like to get access to the book you can click here.

Yours in Health

Dave

Snoring is a common complaint among adults. Nearly 35% of adults snore occasionally while about 10% snore regularly. Snoring is caused by the vibration of tissues of the upper airway caused by turbulence of the air passing through the area when inhaling. The area’s of the throat involved are the soft palate, the rear wall of the throat and the back of the tongue.

Snoring is much more common in men than in women but is particularly common in the middle aged.  People who are overweight are also much more likely to suffer however it can also occur in thin people.

TREATMENT

Below are some ways to treat snoring:

Lose Weight-  Amazingly an increase in weight of a half to one stone can turn a silent sleeper into a snoring sleeper. In my own case I decided recently to chang my eating habits and take up exercise. This has resulted in the loss of over a stone in weight. My wife tells me that since losing the weignt I have drastically reduced the amount of snoring I do. The proof is in the pudding!

Reduce Alcohol Intake - Because alcohol relaxes the muscles more than normal during sleep the back of your throat begins to collapse thus causing the person to snore. If snoring is a problem and you normally take alcohol before you sleep try cutting out the alcohol and see does it make a difference.

Stop Smoking - Studies have been published in medical journals such as the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine that show the link between smoking and snoring. The studies have shown that smokers are more likely to suffer from habitual snoring than non-smokers.

Change your sleeping position- Many  snorers are more likely to snore while on their backs. They are also likely to snore more loudly in this position. Sleeping on the side or abdomen will greatly reduce the amount of snoring. One simple tip is to secure something to the body or sleeping wear that makes it uncomfortable to sleep on the back.

Improve nasal airway using strip or clip (dilator)- you can get these in your local pharmacy. They help to keep your nasal airways clear while sleeping thus reducing the likelihood of snoring.

Do Throat Exercises- Yes, believe it or not it is possible to get relief from snoring by doing some simple throat exercises. A gentleman called Christian Goodman of Iceland has put together a series of exercises that when applied have been extremely successful. You can read more about his exercise plan here.  They will help with your singing too!

If the above solutions are not making a difference an assessment of the ears nose and throat should be performed by your GP. It may be necessary for him/her to recommend nasal surgery.

Laser surgery to the back of the throat is also effective. This is painful in the days following the operation with some degree of pain lasting up to two weeks. It can also result in complications such as swallowing and voice change.

Another form of surgery that can help is the removal of the tonsils and adenoids. This can be quite successful in appropriate cases.

One other form of long term solution is an intra-oral device. This holds the lower jaw and tongue in place. If one of these devices is to be used long term it should be fitted by a dentist qualified in this area.

Yours in Health

Dave

A little off topic today but hey!…We’re excited.

I just discovered that our blog is now indexed by Google. I have been watching our stats over the past few weeks and I was delighted when I discovered today that it had been indexed.

Myself and Louise have only been following John Thornhills Personal Coaching Programme for the past 8 weeks but already we have been able to get this blog up and running and I am also very close to finishing our first ebook. I actually finshed the sales page for it today and am very happy with our progress so far. I have no doubt that without John’s help we would not be where we are today. 

Louise’s daughter, Chloe, has been ill for the fast few week’s with chicken pox so she has had her hands full and has not been as involved as she would like to have been. She is much better now so hopefully next week she will be able to get back on track and be more involved going forward.

Here’s to being indexed on a few other search engines in the future! 

Dave Morris

(Following Joohn Thornhill’s Persponal Coaching Programme) 

I thought I would share  this with you today. It is an extract form Brian Tracy’s GOAL’s. His work has inspired my and helped give my life direction and purpose. Hopefully he can help you too.

Your Major Definite Purpose:

Your major definite purpose can be defined as the one goal that is most important to you at the moment.  Is is usually the one goal that will help you to achieve more of your other goals than anything else you can accomplish.  It must have the following characteristics:

1.  It must be something that you personally really want.  Your desire for this goal must be so intense that the very idea of achieving your major definite purpose excites you and makes you happy.

2.  It must be clear and specific.  You must be able to define it in words.  You must be able to write it down with such clarify that a child could read it and know exactly what it is that you want and be able to determine whether or not you have achieved it.

3.  It must be measurable and quantifiable.  Rather than “I want to make a lot of money,” it must be more like “I will earn $100,000 per year by (a specific date).”

4.  It must be both believable and achievable.  Your major definite purpose cannot be so big or so ridiculous that it is completely unattainable.

5.  Your major definite purpose should have a reasonable probability of success, perhaps fifty-fifty when you begin.  If you have never achieved a major goal before, set a goal that has an 80 percent or 90 percent probability of success.  Make it easy on yourself, at least at the beginning.  Later on, you can set huge goals with very small probabilities of success and you will still be motivated to take the steps necessary to achieve them.  But in the beginning, set goals that are believable and achievable and that have a high probability of success so that you can be assured off winning right from the start.

6.  Your major definite purpose must be in harmony with your other goals.  You cannot want to be financially successful in your career on the one hand and play golf most of the time on the other.  Your major definite purpose must be in harmony with your minor goals and congruent with your values.

If you would like to learn more I suggest you take a look at what Brian has to offer by clicking below.

As mentioned in my previous blog I have been working on my e-book, The Healthy Living Roadmap, over the past number of weeks. It has taken more time than I would have liked but I am very close to having it finished. I will be working on the sales page for the book this week and hope to have the book on sale soon.

Writing the book has been a very good experience. It has allowed me to reflect on a lot of the reading I have done in the past. Authors such as Anthony Robbins and Stephen Covey have been an inspiration to me at different times in my life and being able to reflect on what I have learned and put that on paper to pass on to others is very rewarding.

As I mentioned previously I am giving away 10 copies of my e-book FREE to anybody who is willing to have a read and give me an honest testimonial. I am hoping the feedback will be positive or I will need to go back to the keyboard and start again. If you are interested just leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day here in Dublin and we celebrated in style. I have been abroad on St. Patrick’s Day for the past two years so it was good to be able to spend this year at home. We had our children, our grandchild and my parents in for some Irish Stew and some Dublin Coddle: it was absolutely delicious. A good day was had by all.

’till the next time,

 Dave

As mentioned in one of my previous blogs I have managed to get this blog up and running as a result of the coaching I have received from John Thornhill. John has a number of years experience on the interenet and has been very successful in building an internet business based on selling e-book’s.

After putting the blog in place the next step in John’s coaching program is to create and e-book and I have been working on this task for the past couple of weeks. I can tell you it has been a challenge but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It is not that writing an e-book is that difficult but when you are working long hours in a ‘day job’ and you are trying to fit so many other things into your schedule, it is a case of having to be extremely focused and determined. Also, unless you are single you also need an understanding wife/partner as it does take up a lot of your personal time. Thankfully I am blessed with a wife who is willing to support me, even though she sometimes thinks I am crazy!

The e-book is called “The Healthy Living Roadmap” and it provides 7 clear directions to a healthier lifestyle. It provides some basic advice on how to improve your health and general well-being. While I am not a health expert I have life’s experience to base by advice on.

I am hoping to have a website allocated to it in the the course of the next ten days or so and I will then be in a position to start selling it. I am interested in getting some testimonials so I will be giving away 10 free copies only once it is complete. If you are interested in doing an honest review of the book, and giving me honest feedback, please leave a comment to let me know and I will make sure to get it to you.

Dave 

I recently spent some time in Singapore while away on business. This was not the first time I was there. I actually lived there with my family for 2.5 years between 1989 and 1991.

What struck me during my time living there was how easy it was when the sun is shining to get up in the morning. I was reminded of that during my recent visit. I found myself generally in a much better mood than normal. The fact that you can put on a short sleeved shirt, a pair of light pants and a pair of sunglasses, practically every day, seems to do wonders for your spirit. 

I found that nearly everybody I met had a smile to offer, a genuine friendly greeting or a genuine offer to help. Is this something that is prompted by the climate? Can the climate really effect your mood to the extent that your general demeanour can be transformed by the rays of the sun? Well I’m not an expert but based on my own experience I believe this can be the case.

So! my message to anybody who lives in a nice sunny climate and happens to read this is to make the most of the opportunity and let the sun work it’s magic.  By that I do not mean that you roast yourself in ultraviolet rays but rather acknowledge the power such an environment has and be thankful for what the sun has to offer.

For those of us who live in places where the changing seasons bring the cold, wet and windy days and nights of autumn and winter, we will have to depend on our powers of visualisation to take us through to the holiday we have planned in the sun. While all the talk of global warming and ultraviolet rays tends to put a negative spin on the the poor old sun, I am  really looking forward to my next opportunity to take advantage of it’s uplifting spell, factor 50 or not!.

I suggest you do the same

Dave