Identify Roadblocks - Don't Give Up on Change

I came across a good article by Marshall Goldsmith about roadblocks or traps you can fall into, and how to prepare for them. Very useful for the 4D NLP base-model (Current Situation, Wanted (changed) situation, Blocks and Resources) checking for congruence, future pace and especially realistic / SMART goalsetting.

Question for Ask the Coach:
Change is hard. It takes forever and I don't even know if it's working. Any tips for making this process easier?

Change takes longer than we think and the process is difficult. Acknowledging these facts can make your attempts more successful. My co-author Dr. Kelly Goldsmith, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and I researched why people give up on their goals. We discovered that there are five common reasons. Understanding these roadblocks will help you apply some preventive medicine — and increase the odds that you won't fall into the same old traps.

1. Ownership
"I wasn't sure that this would work in the first place. I tried it out — it didn't do that much good. As I guessed, this was kind of a waste of time."
The classic mistake made in leadership development, coaching, and self-help books is the promise that "This will make you better!" After years of experience in helping real leaders change real behavior in the real world, I have learned a hard lesson. Only you will make you better.
To have a real chance of success, you have to take personal ownership and have the internal belief that "This will work if, and only if, I make it work. I am going to make this work."

2. Time
"I had no idea that this process would take so long. I'm not sure it's worth it."
Goal setters have a chronic tendency to underestimate the time needed to reach targets. In setting our goals for behavioral change, it's important to be realistic about the time we need to produce positive, lasting results. Habits that have taken years to develop won't go away in a week. Set time expectations that are 50% to 100% longer than you think you will need to see results — then add a little more.

3. Difficulty
"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It sounded so simple when we were starting out."
The optimism bias of goal setters applies to difficulty as well as time. Not only does everything take longer than we think it will, but it also requires more hard work than we anticipate.
In setting goals, it's important to accept the fact that real change requires real work. Acknowledging the price for success in the beginning of the change process will help prevent the disappointment that can occur when challenges arise later.

4. Distractions
"I would really like to work toward my goal, but I'm facing some unique challenges right now. It might be better if I just stopped and did this at a time when things weren't so crazy."
Goal setters have a tendency to underestimate the distractions and competing goals that will invariably appear throughout the year. A piece of advice that I give all of my coaching clients is: "I'm not sure what crisis will appear, but I'm almost positive that some crisis will appear."
Plan for distractions in advance. Assume that crazy is the new normal. You will probably be close to the reality that awaits.

5. Maintenance
"I think that I did actually try to change and get better, but I have let it slide since then. What am I supposed to do — work on this stuff the rest of my life?"
Once a goal setter has put in all of the effort needed to achieve a goal, it can be tough for him to face the reality of what's needed to maintain the new status quo. When one of my high-potential leaders asked his boss, the CEO, "Do I have to watch what I say and do for the rest of my career?" the CEO replied, "You do if you plan on ever becoming a CEO!"
Here are the cold, hard truths. Real change requires real effort. The "quick fix" is seldom a meaningful one. Distractions and things that compete for your attention are going to crop up — frequently. Changing any one type of behavior won't solve all of life's problems. And finally, any meaningful change will probably require a lifetime of effort.

[The original Ask The Coach article 'Don't Give Up on Change' by Marshall Goldsmith was copied from: Harvard Business.org]

47 Ways to Fine Tune Your Brain

47 Ways to Fine Tune Your Brain (by Steven Aitchison)

Your brain is a complex organ. It is the controller of your body, your thoughts, your state of mind and your ultimately your life. There are some who abuse it, some who underuse it, and some who overuse it to the point of meltdown.

In this article we'll look at dozens of tactics that will help you maintain your brain into old age and help to increase your mental agility and cognitive development.

1. Don't try and multitask, it can't be done.
   Our brains can only focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, this is a proven scientific fact. While you can most likely handle multiple menial tasks, anything that requires you to concentrate, reason, or decide deserves full focus.
   
2. Exercise your brain, not just your body.
   A lot of us leave learning behind when we leave school, college or university. Keep the brain fit by learning something new, whether it be a language, a new skill or musical instrument.
   
3. The world is a mystery.
   Use your brain to constantly ask questions and explore your surroundings. Continually exercise your brain by not accepting everything you see and hear: question it and free your sense of curiosity.
4. Use both hemispheres
   Use the left hemisphere of your brain to practice logical, mathematical problems in your life. Use the right hemisphere to unleash your creativity. You will know what side is dominant so make it a point to practice using your non dominant hemisphere.
5. Get to know your sleeping pattern.
   Your brain needs sleep as much as your body but everybody is different. I function on 5-6 hours you might work best on 8-9 hours.
   
6. Feed your brain decent information.
   Your brain is learning throughout the night, so give it something worthwhile to feed it. Our brain is not restoring energy whilst we are sleeping it is cutting out the noise and going over the days events and processing it; give it some great material to process.
7. If you want to learn more whilst studying, start pacing.
   If you are reading a book, start pacing. Movement gets the blood flowing and this helps oxygenate your brain. I walked my way through university and have taught my sons study walking to help them memorize information.
8. You've heard it before.
   Exercise is probably the number 1 way to increase the brains capabilities in every way possible, from memory to creativity. There's no getting around it, we all need to exercise.
9. Keep Social
   Staying socially active has been shown to keep your brain sharp well into old age.
   
10. Use the internet to keep your brain active.
    A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulated centers in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning.
11. Eat dark chocolate.
    Yes, eating dark chocolate has been shown to be beneficial for releasing an important brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine aids in learning and memory.
12. Learn a song.
    Learn the lyrics of some of your favorite songs to keep your listening skills and memory skills alive.
13. Watch brain stimulating movies.
    Movies that make you think (such as mysteries) help keep your brain and mind active.
    
14. Play video games
    This has been shown to increase cognitive abilities and can help fight Alzheimer's.
15. Practice doing things with your non-dominant hand.
    This stimulates the brain in many areas and also can be quite fun.
16. Use meditation as a way to alleviate your stress.
    There are thousands of studies about the beneficial effects of mediation and keeping your stress levels down is good for you. You lose brain cells the more stressed you feel, so controlling stress levels is important.
17. Laugh as often as possible.
    Laughing out loud boosts the immune system and releases endorphins, the bodies feel good chemicals.
18. Think positive.
    Thinking positively is a great way to keep your brain alive. Constant negative thinking depresses the mind and goes on to literally depress the immune system. Thinking more positive thoughts is a good way to keep stress down and spur you to take action for a better life.
19. Practice gratitude.
    Practicing gratitude can increase your happiness level significantly which helps to alleviate stress which helps your whole brain and body.
20. Sex
    Sex is another great way to keep your cardiovascular system healthy which means more oxygen to your brain which keeps the brain healthy.
21. Read a great book.
    No matter what type of books you read, they are all beneficial in keeping your brain healthy and active and ward off the aging process.
22. Drink less alcohol.
    Alcohol in moderation can actually be good for the brain, however too much alcohol can kill brain cells and your ability to be able to think and reason effectively.
23. Working.
    A lot of people look forward to giving up work as we get older, however, working even in a part time job can keep the mind active. If you are retired you can do volunteer work to keep you active.
24. Keep up to date with current events and news.
    Keeping your brain fit is about feeding your mind with new information. Watching current affairs programs can help with this so long as they don't stress you out.
    
25. Listen to music.
    Listening to music that you wouldn't normally listen to is another good way to keep your brain active. Music has the ability to release positive emotions in you.
26. Dance.
    Dancing is a great all around for both mind and body. Learning s a new dance helps your cognitive skills, your spatial awareness, your social skills, your motor skills and helps keeps your body healthy.
27. Throw a ball.
    Throwing and catching a ball is great for sensory-guided movement. It can improve your brain’s visual, tactile and hand-eye coordination responses and keep them sharp well into old age.
28. Eat well.
    Eating certain types of food can really be beneficial to your brains chemistry. Avoid fatty foods and eat more vegetables and fruit. This is sound advice for brain and body.
29. Drink plenty of water.
    Drinking water helps the cells function properly and keeps you feeling hydrated from the inside out.
30. Have a cup of tea.
    Drinking tea, hot or cold, can stimulate your brain in many ways. Tea contains caffeine which can be good for you if drunk in moderation.
31. Take a trip.
    Have you always fancies traveling well it has been shown that traveling really does broaden your horizons.
32. Use your debating skills.
    Having friendly debates with friends and family can improve your logical, thinking, reasoning and creativity skills.
33. Sleep a little longer.
    Sleeping an extra few hours every now and again is good for rejuvenating your brain and help you learn faster.
    
34. Take naps.
    Taking a nap throughout the day can help keep you from feeling tired and help stave off 'brain fog'. A ten minute nap will do to help you function throughout the day.
35. Turn down the TV.
    If you watch a lot of TV turn it down to hone your listening and concentration skills.
36. Break the cycle.
    If you tend to do the same thing day in day out, try and break the pattern of your activities. Your brain relies on doing something different to keep it active, break your normal routine to do this.
37. Learn a new word.
    Learning anything new will help keep your brain healthy. Learning a new word each day is a simple way to accomplish this.
    
38. Look at old photographs.
    This is a great way to keep your memories alive and to strengthen cell connections within the brain.
39. Do something outrageous.
    Doing things we would normally never do like a bungee jump, a parachute jump, hill climbing, a helicopter ride, etc., will keep your brain alive, literally.
40. Train your brain.
    The 'cogni-fit' industry is huge and is growing every year and for good reason. Start playing some of these 'cogni-fit' games to keep your brain healthy and active.
41. Take supplements.
    Supplements like omega-3, folic acid with vitamin B-12, CoEnzyme Q10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and an all round strong multi-vitamin supplement, has been shown to slow down the aging process. Check with your doctor before taking supplements.
42. Mindfulness.
    A simple mindfulness exercise is to just sit and relax and pay attention to your breathing. This helps to promote relaxation, keep your mind focused, helps with concentration and does the body a world of good.
43. Develop critical thinking skills.
    Critical thinking involves you asking questions of yourself and the world around and looking for evidence of your assumptions.
44. Become a philosopher.
    Not literally, but start thinking about the bigger questions in life. This develops your brain on many levels. More than likely you will never come up with a definitive answer to the big questions but it keeps your brain and mind active.
45. Make your own affirmations.
    Affirmations are a great way to keep your mind focused on your life goals. When you use affirmations you are also using your imagination, and activating other regions in your brain which can help with memory, creativity and even releasing feel good chemicals.
46. Thinking outside the box.
    I always thought this was a strange saying as you cannot really think outside the box when you are always living inside the box of knowledge. However over the years I have come to realize it really means thinking without using your reasoning skills to look for alternatives and it can be a great way to keep your mind active.
47. Sing out loud.
    Singing is a great way to help you focus and get rid of stress. People who sing out loud feel happier as they are not internalizing thoughts but focusing on an ext renal action, their voice. It also aids memory.

Scientists now know that our brains continuously make new neurons throughout our lives and it does this in response to the what we do in our lives. Neurons are important for transmitting and making connections with other cells. If we lose the neurons, we lose the power to think properly, to use our creativity, to learn, to memorize effectively, basically our brains slowly die. Exercise and brain stimulation is one of the best ways to keep making these new neurons. Using some of the examples above you will keep your brain healthy and active for years to come.

[This Article was copied from another Blog:  Dumblittleman.com]

Online sources for Geeks & Infoworkers

In the past I may have resented the term 'Geek', but since it has become more mainstream I find myself using resources targeted at Geeks and informationworkers.
Here they are:

• Geekbrief.tv - Shiny Happy Tech News. A very information rich, professionally produced vodcast by Cali Lewis. A must see for Gadget-geeks.
  
• Bright.nl - Innovative (Dutch) Lifestyle Magazine. Good news articles and product review vodcasts.
• Lifehacking.nl - Dutch Bloggers with useful articles about Lifehacking. Working smarter instead of harder. Lifehackers frequently use technology and systems to create shortcuts for redundant or unnecessary tasks in their life.
  More about Lifehacking: Lifehacker.com and Life Hack (Wikipedia)
• Wired.com - Wired Magazine is a strong brand for Geeks both online and offline. Wired reported and maybe even set many trends in the past. Sections include: Cars 2.0, Culture, Entertainment, Gadgets, Gaming, How-To, Med Tech, Multimedia, Politics, Product Reviews, Science, Software, Tech Biz, Tech Jobs, and Dual Perspectives.

And the review Blogs I came across looking for specific articles

• Geek.com - Large Technology News and Reviews site divided into categories: Apple, Gadgets, Mobile, Games, Chips, Geek-cetera, Forums and a Shop. Geek.com also has a weekly podcast.
  
• Geeksugar.com - Geek is chic. The female oriented GeekSugar Tech Community has lots of special interest groups and is following news and gadget trends.
• Engadget.com - More in-depth reports about media-gadgets, Mobiles and HD-television.
• ThinkGeek.com - Stuff for smart masses. Gadget webshop selling: T-shirts & apparel, Geek Toys, Gadgets, Home & Office supplies, Computer Stuff, Caffeine & Candy, Electronics, Geek stuff for Kids, and Books.
  
• Corporategeek.info - a blog for sharing tips about project management and improving productivity at work, alongside practical advice for business communication and effective presentations.
  
• IT-Geek.info - Info Tech, Reviews for Geeks. Coolest IT, hardware, software news for g33ks!
• Twittergids Geek Top 100 - 100 Geek twitterers to follow (if you like)
  

Not really Geek but highly related and interesting to Geeks:

• Mashable.com - The Social Media Guide. Mashable is the world's largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news. Mashable reviews new Web sites and services, publishing breaking news on what's new on the web and offering social media resources and guides.
• TED.com - Ideas worth spreading - Strategic, tactical and practical information in videoformat (and audio) from inspirational leaders in the fields of Technology, Engineering, & Design. Also available trough YouTube and the TED iPhone app.
• Dutchcowboys.nl - Popular Dutch Weblog about Web 2.0, social media and interactive marketing.
• Techlicious.com - Tech made simple. Sections: Tips & How-Tos, Guides & Reviews, Fab Websites. Maintained by and targeted at women. (Practical stuff for Geek wannabees)