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Vol. 7 No. 4, July/August 2005
Copyright 2005 by Wolf J. Rinke
mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com
http://www.WolfRinke.com
IN THIS ISSUE
1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
2. HOW TO STAY SANE IN AN INSANE WORLD
3. SPECIAL OFFER FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
4. HUMOR BREAK
5. HEAR WOLF "HOWL"--I MEAN SPEAK
6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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INSIGHT BREAK
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"Things we do for us die with us. Things we do for others live
for eternity."
--Norman Vincent Peale
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1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
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Multi-tasking makes you less productive
Drs. Hallowell and Ratey maintain in their new audio-CD: Delivered from
Distraction that multi-tasking has become a way of life. For example
one study showed that employees spend less than three minutes on any
one given task, while being interrupted about every two minutes. And
even though we feel we are getting more done that way, the studies say
otherwise. What Hollowell and Ratey have found is that there is a lot
more 'noise' in the brain which is forcing the brain to use more of
its capacity to just pay attention. As a result it takes about 50 percent
longer to complete two tasks simultaneously than if they were done separately.
ACTION STEPS
Create "time islands" and get rid of all distractions so that
you can totally focus on one critical task at a time until it is done.
Athletes refer to this level of concentration as getting into "the
zone." For details go to issues 5-4, 5-5 and 6-1 of this eNewsletter
at www.WolfRinke.com
Source: www.abcnews.com "Are We a Nation of 'Pseudo-ADD' Sufferers?"
6/20/05
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2. HOW TO STAY SANE IN AN INSANE WORLD
by Wolf J. Rinke, PhD, CSP
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London, July 7, 2005--another senseless and cowardly bombing. Staying
sane has become a major challenge for many of us. And yet, keeping our
sanity--even being positive--has become more important than ever. Why?
Because becoming negative will sap your energy and begin to move you
down the slippery slope of depression. And if that happens to many of
us we--the peace loving people of the world--will get weakened and become
debilitated. Just what the terrorist want. Here are seven things you
can do that will help you stay sane in an insane world:
1. Nourish an attitude of gratitude
No matter what you lose during any tragedy focus on what you have left,
not on what you have lost. One way to do this is to draw a line down
the middle of a piece of paper. Label the left column: "What's
gone" the right "what's left." Now fill out both columns.
No matter how tragic your loss, you will find much--hopefully much more--that
you can be thankful for. Now use your mental energy to develop an attitude
of gratitude by focusing on all you have left. If you need help with
this visit the poor part of your city or better yet volunteer at a homeless
shelter To refresh my gratitude I just think of my last visit to the
Pacific Rim. Usually the client had booked me in a five star hotel,
which makes any of our five star hotels pale in comparison. I still
remember this super opulent hotel in Jakarta. It had a marble driveway.
Not concrete, not flagstones--marble. (Now you can imagine what the
inside looked like.) When I looked out of my 29th story window I saw
many other super-modern high-rise buildings. I also saw a garbage dump
several blocks away swarming with people. People who were living on
the dump in cardboard "houses" and foraging for scraps of
food. Stop right now, and be grateful for all the abundance, that surrounds
you. Just remember, our garbage disposers "eat" better than
two thirds of the people on this planet.
2. Love deeply
Barbara Streisand was absolutely right, "people who love people
are the luckiest people in the world." Start by developing a strong
bond and lifetime relationship with a significant other. Having been
happily married to my Superwoman for 37 years I can attest that she
is by far my biggest source of positive energy. (She got that name because
she is a one-in-a-million mate, mother, business partner, and confidant.)
If you don't have such a relationship, make getting one, one of your
top three fire-in-the belly goals, because such a partner is even more
important during these trying times. Extend that same love to your family
and your close friends. The greater your circle of loving relationships--the
greater your positive energy. And according to the latest research it
will help you live longer. Transform this concept into action tonight
when you put your children to bed. Give each one a really big hug and
tell him/her from the bottom of your heart: "I love you, and I'm
very proud to be your parent." And then shut up. Do not continue
the sentence with "but" because but erases everything you
have said before. (In other words, take your "but" out of
your mouth.) Repeat the exercise with your spouse. Your spouse and children
are the most important people in your life. So do not waste another
day, tell them tonight just how much you love them!
3. Treat your "bodymind" like a temple
That's what Dr. Candance Pert, the author of Molecules of Emotions:
The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine, calls our body and mind because
her work has unequivocally demonstrated that the mind and the body are
one. She has also proved that thoughts are things--things that manifest
themselves in the body and in your life. So if you think "bad"
or negative thoughts then that will have a negative impact on your body
and your immune system. And of course the reverse is true. Since the
mind can have only one thought at a time, get in the habit of monitoring
your thoughts and self talk by asking: "Is what I'm thinking about
right now depressing or negative?" (The worst is hate.) If it is,
it will give you a case of "stinking thinking" and decrease
the quality of your health. On the other hand positive thoughts--like
love, kindness and appreciation--will move you in a positive direction.
So be kind to yourself and tear yourself away from the TV and the newspaper--purveyors
of stinking thinking. Instead treat yourself to whatever truly helps
you get in a positive frame of mind, may it be a hot tub, a movie or
a walk in the woods.
4. Laugh more
Laughter is even more important during these tough times. So go ahead
and laugh right now. Can't seem to get it going? Go to the bathroom,
stick your tongue out, wiggle your nose and make the silliest face you
can possibly come up with and get yourself to laugh. If you need more
help join a laughing club, popularized in India. Or consult with a "certified
laughter leader." (Hey, I'm not making this stuff up!) A good way
to nurture this is to laugh more at yourself. It will cause you to take
yourself less serious--which is a great start because you are not nearly
as important as you think. (I'm including myself in that statement;
so don't get bent out of shape). Laughter has innumerable benefits,
it turns on your endorphins and other internal "drugs" that
are far more powerful than anything that you can ingest--legally or
illegally.
5. Give more of what you want
A short cut to staying sane in an insane world is making other people
feel better about themselves. Why? Because it is one of the immutable
laws of this universe--"whatever you want more of, you have to
give it first." (You can take this one to the bank.) Make people
feel good and you will feel better. Hate people and you will live in
a hateful world. Love people the way they are, and you will experience
more love. Trust people and they will…you catch my drift. One of
the most important things you can do during tough times is to listen
actively--to your children, loved ones and co-workers. To really listen
you have to learn to make your own mind quiet and give the other party
your undivided 111% attention. In other words, listening actively every
day will keep the psychiatrist away.
6. Develop "learned optimism"
Professor Marty Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania has had a
tremendous influence on getting psychologist to focus on the good stuff--what
he calls practicing "positive psychology." His research has
demonstrated that we can learn to be more optimistic by developing a
"positive explanatory style (PES)." The way you do that is
by focusing on the good stuff, especially when bad things happen to
you. In other words you master the art of faking it until you make it
by finding the good in the bad. Research has shown that people who have
developed their PES are able to evaluate "reality" more clearly
and process "bad" news more effectively--just the opposite
of what most people assume. They are also able to accept what cannot
be changed and move on more quickly than those with a negative explanatory
style. In short, a PES will inoculate you against the negative attitude
virus and his big cousin--depression.
7. Keep hope alive
Hope is an incredibly powerful emotion. Without it you not only become
negative and depressed--you die. No one has told that story more powerfully
than Dr. Victor Frankl in his book Man's Search for Meaning in which
he detailed the role of hope in surviving the German concentration camps.
So be sure to never give up hope, no matter how bleak it gets. And even
more important, be sure not to confuse inconveniences with problems.
Because many of the "problems" that we get ourselves all worked
up about are inconvenience, not tragedies. When you are in the middle
of one of these, a great diagnostic is to ask yourself: "How will
I feel about this in five years from now." And then act accordingly.
To deal more effectively with the real tragedies--such as what happened
to over 5,000 people on September 11--turn to the source of hope and
inspiration that works for you. It may be religion, spirituality, meditation
or listening to a great motivational speech. (Just had to sneak that
in.) It will help you keep hope alive and stay sane in an insane world.
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3. SPECIAL OFFER FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
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Bestselling Hardcover BOOK: Make it a Winning Life: Success Strategies
for Life, Love and Business, by W. J. Rinke, $24.95. (Just ask and I
will be happy to sign it for you.)
"This book will energize, motivate and empower you."--Anthony
Robbins
"…helped me immeasurably."--Lou Holtz
FREE: Make It a Winning Life, Perpetual Desk Calendar, $12.95 value
Provides daily words of inspiration and easy to apply action steps to
help you succeed faster! A great gift any time of the year.
Both book and Calendar--$24.95 + s/h. SAVE $12.95!
------------------------- Offer expires 9/15/2005 -------------------------
To order log onto http://www.WolfRinke.com/miwlspecial.html
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4. HUMOR BREAK
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The story says that the world will come to an end in three days. In
three days, everything will be deluged by water and everyone will drown.
After hearing this, the Pope goes on television and proclaims, "Don't
worry, if you all turn to Christ, you will be saved." The head
of the Zen community also goes on TV and says, "Don't worry, if
you put your faith in Buddha, you will be saved." Then the head
Rabbi of Israel appears on TV and says, "Not to worry folks, we
have three days to learn how to swim under water."
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5. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
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Only one full day seminar left this year which maybe open to you, especially
if you are employed by a Fortune 1000 company which is a member of the
Institute of Management Studies (IMS). Contact the Chairperson for additional
information.
Winning Management: Building a Peak Performance Workplace
10/5/05 Houston, Gail Brichford, houstonims@aol.com
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6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is an internationally recognized motivational
and management keynote speaker and seminar leader who delivers customized
presentations that combine story telling, humor and motivation with
specific "how to" action strategies that participants can
apply immediately to improve their personal and professional lives.
You can preview a live demo at www.WolfRinke.com. He is also a highly
effective management consultant, executive coach and author of 13 books
including: "Make It a Winning Life: Success Strategies for Life,
Love and Business" available at www.WolfRinke.com
To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services call 800-828-9653 or mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com
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7. PRIVACY STATEMENTS AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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