ADVICE FROM UKM MEDICAL DOCTOR
Little did you know ...... after reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at petai in the same way again!
Petai contains three natural sugars -sucrose, fructose and glucose. Combined with fiber, petai gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proved that just two servings of petai provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute wor kout. No wonder petai is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way petai can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating petai. This is because petai contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS(premenstrual syndrome):
Forget the pills - eat petai. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anaemia:
High in iron, petai can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the petai industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power :
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating petai at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert. Understand that bananas contain lot of potassium too so eat more banana. Just look at those monkeys, they are really active, alert, smart and cunny too!!
Constipation
High in fiber, including petai in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a petai milkshake, sweetened with honey. The petai calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Petai has a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating petai for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness : Snacking on petai between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the petai skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Petai is high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight: Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report
concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: Petai is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control : Many other cultures see petai as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Holland, for example, pregnant women eat petai to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affecti ve Disorder (SAD) : Petai can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.
Smoking: Petai can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium petai snack.
Strokes: According to research in 'The New Engla nd Journal of Medicine, ' eating petai as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%'.
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of petai and place it on the wart. Carefully hold the petai in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, as you can see, petai really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A Petai a day keeps the doctor away'.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Catch People Doing Things Right
Do you know one of the best ways to motivate other people and get them involved? Here's a clue... It's not always as simple as quoting a passage from a motivational book or threatening to fire someone, or screaming at the top of your lungs about how incompetent they are.
It tends to be one of those things that positively impacts the person reading it at the time. Not necessarily the person you want to motivate or inspire. Particularly if they're not the type person who reads or listens to it themselves.
The downsize of threatening to fire someone can have several implications. Sure you might get the immediate spur in productivity you were looking for, but in the long run you could end up losing much more then you gain. For example, it can create a sense of disloyalty and distrust in people.
Then there's the question of what happens if the person you're threatening to fire beats you to it and quits on the spot? You say it wouldn't bother you, but is that really the case? Essentially you've created a whole other problem. Now you've got to rehire someone, spend time and money training them, etc. I think you see where I am going with this right?
So what's the solution you ask? Obviously you don't want folks running around unproductive and you want those around you to operate at peak performance.
Here's the suggestion... Catch those around you doing something good! Admittedly this might sound overly simple, but you have to realize it's in this very simplicity that makes it so effective. People love to be rewarded. Often we miss the point that people are motivated in different ways.
For some people it might be monetary rewards, perhaps it is something like being publicly recognized in a group of their peers, or shown appreciation in the company newsletter for a job well done. This simple idea stretches both into the world of business and one's personal life.
It makes no difference if you're talking about dealing with your family or a disgruntled employee the fact remains that people like to be appreciated. They may tell you otherwise, but it's one of life's inescapable truths. The more you look for ways to catch people doing things well, the less you're going to find yourself worrying about the other.
Now it's time to get out there and catch those around you doing something good. One word of caution, be genuine in your approach. If you do, the rest will take care of itself.
It tends to be one of those things that positively impacts the person reading it at the time. Not necessarily the person you want to motivate or inspire. Particularly if they're not the type person who reads or listens to it themselves.
The downsize of threatening to fire someone can have several implications. Sure you might get the immediate spur in productivity you were looking for, but in the long run you could end up losing much more then you gain. For example, it can create a sense of disloyalty and distrust in people.
Then there's the question of what happens if the person you're threatening to fire beats you to it and quits on the spot? You say it wouldn't bother you, but is that really the case? Essentially you've created a whole other problem. Now you've got to rehire someone, spend time and money training them, etc. I think you see where I am going with this right?
So what's the solution you ask? Obviously you don't want folks running around unproductive and you want those around you to operate at peak performance.
Here's the suggestion... Catch those around you doing something good! Admittedly this might sound overly simple, but you have to realize it's in this very simplicity that makes it so effective. People love to be rewarded. Often we miss the point that people are motivated in different ways.
For some people it might be monetary rewards, perhaps it is something like being publicly recognized in a group of their peers, or shown appreciation in the company newsletter for a job well done. This simple idea stretches both into the world of business and one's personal life.
It makes no difference if you're talking about dealing with your family or a disgruntled employee the fact remains that people like to be appreciated. They may tell you otherwise, but it's one of life's inescapable truths. The more you look for ways to catch people doing things well, the less you're going to find yourself worrying about the other.
Now it's time to get out there and catch those around you doing something good. One word of caution, be genuine in your approach. If you do, the rest will take care of itself.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
FAILURE LIST OF THE FAMOUS
When you feel a little discouraged, just remember what these people accomplished when everyone else looked at them as failures. Believe in Yourself!
Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak.
Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school and was considered "unpromising."
When Thomas Edison was a youngster, his teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. He was counseled to go into a field where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality.
F.W. Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21, but his boss would not permit him to wait on customers because he "didn't have enough sense to close a sale."
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
Bob Cousy, a legendary Boston Celtic basketball player, suffered the same fate, but he too is a Hall of Famer.
A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he "lacked imagination and had no original ideas."
Winston Churchill failed 6th grade and had to repeat it because he did not complete the tests that were required for promotion.
Babe Ruth struck out 1,300 times, a major league record.
A person may make mistakes, but is not a failure until he or she starts blaming someone else. We must believe in ourselves, and somewhere along the road of life we will meet someone who sees greatness in us and lets us know it.
Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak.
Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school and was considered "unpromising."
When Thomas Edison was a youngster, his teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. He was counseled to go into a field where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality.
F.W. Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21, but his boss would not permit him to wait on customers because he "didn't have enough sense to close a sale."
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
Bob Cousy, a legendary Boston Celtic basketball player, suffered the same fate, but he too is a Hall of Famer.
A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he "lacked imagination and had no original ideas."
Winston Churchill failed 6th grade and had to repeat it because he did not complete the tests that were required for promotion.
Babe Ruth struck out 1,300 times, a major league record.
A person may make mistakes, but is not a failure until he or she starts blaming someone else. We must believe in ourselves, and somewhere along the road of life we will meet someone who sees greatness in us and lets us know it.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Why Do We Forget Things?
By Martha Weinman Lear
Before I forget, let me ask: Is your dinner-table talk as snappy as ours?
“Remember I asked you to remind me to call someone?” “Yes.” “Who was it?” “I forget.”
And: “What did I go to the kitchen for?” “How do I know?” “You asked me to get it.” “Get what?”
And: “I saw Whatsisname today.” “Who?” “You know. Whatsisname.” “Oh. Where?”
If this sounds familiar, and if you ever complain about your memory, join the crowd. There are millions of us out here, complaining more about remembering less. Memory specialists, of whom I have interviewed a slew, say that forgetfulness is the top health concern of baby boomers. And they’re not the only ones. “My memory is awful,” says my dental hygienist, Eve, 36, as she tenderly macerates my gums. “Does that mean I’m likelier to get demented?” I shake my head no. “Good,” she says, “because I sure worry.”
The Worried Well, therapists call them. They worry because they do not know that this type of memory loss is normal. Normal, friend. Universal. So universal that the phrase “it’s on the tip of my tongue” is used in more than 40 languages.
With normal aging, what we lose is not memory in general but a particular kind. We have many kinds. One is procedural memory, which is how-to-walk, how-to-eat, how-to-tie-a-shoe memory. It’s what Sinatra never thought about when he sang, Astaire never thought about when he danced, Tiger Woods doesn’t think about when he swings a golf club. (If he did, it might ruin his stroke.) It is memory we use unconsciously, and it is the strongest kind we have.
A second is semantic memory, which covers facts. What is a key? What are eyeglasses? What is a movie?
And a third is episodic memory, which covers experience. I’ve lost my keys. Where did I leave my glasses? Who was in that movie? This is the type that starts playing tag with us in the sweet fullness of time. Here’s why.
That 3-pound miracle tucked into your skull has 100 billion neurons zapping around wildly, sending each other the electrical and chemical signals that make memories. With time, the signals weaken. Brains shrink by about half a percent a year, starting around age 30—though usually we don’t notice any change for years. And here’s the rub. Episodic memory relies heavily on the front areas of the brain, the frontal lobes—the very areas that start shrinking first.
The loss isn’t that big, really. It feels big, because we perceive a huge difference between a brain buzzing along at full strength and one operating at, say, 95%. But it’s just a slowing down. That elusive name is probably not gone—it simply takes longer to pop up. Which raises a question everyone always asks: Is everything that ever went into my brain still there? Answer: Nobody knows. (How would you find out?)
Many researchers do believe it’s all there but in altered form. “The disc is full,” we say, and, “No room on my hard drive”—but the computer analogy is not really accurate. As Dr. Barry Gordon, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins points out, computer memory is exact; brain memory is fluid. Whenever you make or retrieve a memory, its pattern of signals is altered. Sort of like writing over writing. Which is why, as time passes, our memories are apt to change and deceive us.
We accept other changes in our bodies. We consider it natural that we won’t play tennis at 50 as we did at 20, but we cannot accept that our brains also may slow down. It’s simply too threatening.
Scientists who understand the why of memory are not so easily threatened. I ask Dr. Richard E. Powers, chairman of the medical advisory board of the Alzheimer’s Foundation, if he has memory problems. “A group of doctors my age were laughing about the changes we observe,” he says. “At 25, we could read a scientific article once and absorb it. Now we have to read it several times. At 57, my ability to hold onto new information is not as good as it used to be—but we retain the capacity to store and use the information. It’s like flypaper that’s been lying a long time on the counter: It’s still got plenty of stick but not as much as it used to have.”
We actually may be wired to forget. Consider: If everything stuck to that mental flypaper, we would be in big trouble. We’d be overwhelmed by trivia. The longer we live, the more memories we stuff into our brains, and the harder it may become to locate any particular one. So those that we need least, the episodic memories, get stored in the attic first. After all, how important is it (how does it help you survive in the world) to remember the name of that restaurant you ate at last night? What is important to remember is what “eating” means and how to eat.
Think of our kind of memory loss as nature’s priority filing system—often irritating but practical and desirable in the great Darwinian scheme of survival. And normal—a lovable word. It comes with the territory of healthy longevity. And when you consider the alternatives, as they say, it’s the best deal in town.
Make Your Memory Better
1 ASSOCIATE NAMES. Link what you want to remember to what you already know. You meet a Jennifer: Picture her in your mind’s eye with other Jennifers—Aniston (above), Lopez. Visualize them together, which is what makes it work.
2 GET ORGANIZED. Dr. Margaret Sewell, director of the Memory Enhancement Program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, suggests changing the way you organize your tasks. For example, no calls and no e-mail until the current job is done. “It’s amazing,” she says, “the difference people see as they cut down on nonessential multi-tasking.”
3 CONCENTRATE MORE. Tests show that in absorbing new facts, we are no less competent than 20-year-olds, just slower. “Concentrate a little harder and practice more,” says Dr. Sewell. “You want to learn Italian when you’re 90? OK! It will take you a little longer but, assuming there’s no pathology, you can do it!”
Before I forget, let me ask: Is your dinner-table talk as snappy as ours?
“Remember I asked you to remind me to call someone?” “Yes.” “Who was it?” “I forget.”
And: “What did I go to the kitchen for?” “How do I know?” “You asked me to get it.” “Get what?”
And: “I saw Whatsisname today.” “Who?” “You know. Whatsisname.” “Oh. Where?”
If this sounds familiar, and if you ever complain about your memory, join the crowd. There are millions of us out here, complaining more about remembering less. Memory specialists, of whom I have interviewed a slew, say that forgetfulness is the top health concern of baby boomers. And they’re not the only ones. “My memory is awful,” says my dental hygienist, Eve, 36, as she tenderly macerates my gums. “Does that mean I’m likelier to get demented?” I shake my head no. “Good,” she says, “because I sure worry.”
The Worried Well, therapists call them. They worry because they do not know that this type of memory loss is normal. Normal, friend. Universal. So universal that the phrase “it’s on the tip of my tongue” is used in more than 40 languages.
With normal aging, what we lose is not memory in general but a particular kind. We have many kinds. One is procedural memory, which is how-to-walk, how-to-eat, how-to-tie-a-shoe memory. It’s what Sinatra never thought about when he sang, Astaire never thought about when he danced, Tiger Woods doesn’t think about when he swings a golf club. (If he did, it might ruin his stroke.) It is memory we use unconsciously, and it is the strongest kind we have.
A second is semantic memory, which covers facts. What is a key? What are eyeglasses? What is a movie?
And a third is episodic memory, which covers experience. I’ve lost my keys. Where did I leave my glasses? Who was in that movie? This is the type that starts playing tag with us in the sweet fullness of time. Here’s why.
That 3-pound miracle tucked into your skull has 100 billion neurons zapping around wildly, sending each other the electrical and chemical signals that make memories. With time, the signals weaken. Brains shrink by about half a percent a year, starting around age 30—though usually we don’t notice any change for years. And here’s the rub. Episodic memory relies heavily on the front areas of the brain, the frontal lobes—the very areas that start shrinking first.
The loss isn’t that big, really. It feels big, because we perceive a huge difference between a brain buzzing along at full strength and one operating at, say, 95%. But it’s just a slowing down. That elusive name is probably not gone—it simply takes longer to pop up. Which raises a question everyone always asks: Is everything that ever went into my brain still there? Answer: Nobody knows. (How would you find out?)
Many researchers do believe it’s all there but in altered form. “The disc is full,” we say, and, “No room on my hard drive”—but the computer analogy is not really accurate. As Dr. Barry Gordon, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins points out, computer memory is exact; brain memory is fluid. Whenever you make or retrieve a memory, its pattern of signals is altered. Sort of like writing over writing. Which is why, as time passes, our memories are apt to change and deceive us.
We accept other changes in our bodies. We consider it natural that we won’t play tennis at 50 as we did at 20, but we cannot accept that our brains also may slow down. It’s simply too threatening.
Scientists who understand the why of memory are not so easily threatened. I ask Dr. Richard E. Powers, chairman of the medical advisory board of the Alzheimer’s Foundation, if he has memory problems. “A group of doctors my age were laughing about the changes we observe,” he says. “At 25, we could read a scientific article once and absorb it. Now we have to read it several times. At 57, my ability to hold onto new information is not as good as it used to be—but we retain the capacity to store and use the information. It’s like flypaper that’s been lying a long time on the counter: It’s still got plenty of stick but not as much as it used to have.”
We actually may be wired to forget. Consider: If everything stuck to that mental flypaper, we would be in big trouble. We’d be overwhelmed by trivia. The longer we live, the more memories we stuff into our brains, and the harder it may become to locate any particular one. So those that we need least, the episodic memories, get stored in the attic first. After all, how important is it (how does it help you survive in the world) to remember the name of that restaurant you ate at last night? What is important to remember is what “eating” means and how to eat.
Think of our kind of memory loss as nature’s priority filing system—often irritating but practical and desirable in the great Darwinian scheme of survival. And normal—a lovable word. It comes with the territory of healthy longevity. And when you consider the alternatives, as they say, it’s the best deal in town.
Make Your Memory Better
1 ASSOCIATE NAMES. Link what you want to remember to what you already know. You meet a Jennifer: Picture her in your mind’s eye with other Jennifers—Aniston (above), Lopez. Visualize them together, which is what makes it work.
2 GET ORGANIZED. Dr. Margaret Sewell, director of the Memory Enhancement Program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, suggests changing the way you organize your tasks. For example, no calls and no e-mail until the current job is done. “It’s amazing,” she says, “the difference people see as they cut down on nonessential multi-tasking.”
3 CONCENTRATE MORE. Tests show that in absorbing new facts, we are no less competent than 20-year-olds, just slower. “Concentrate a little harder and practice more,” says Dr. Sewell. “You want to learn Italian when you’re 90? OK! It will take you a little longer but, assuming there’s no pathology, you can do it!”
Monday, May 24, 2010
How To Make Better Decisions
Dr. Stephen Kraus, President, Next Level Sciences, is one of the world's foremost success scientists. Author of many books and articles, Steve's insights on motivation and success are regularly quoted in the media, and his research is cited in major psychology textbooks. He's even been called a combination of Tony Robbins and Mr. Spock because of his scientific approach to the psychology of success. Steve has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University, and twice won Harvard's award for teaching excellence.
1. Don't weigh "extreme outcomes" too heavily in your decisions
We often exaggerate how likely "extreme outcomes" are because we frequently see vivid examples of them in the media. Extreme outcomes generate many news headlines, regardless of whether those outcomes are good (winning the lottery) or bad (a horrible death from dramatic causes like earthquakes, tornados, and terrorism). The more something is on the news, the more likely it seems. Winning the lottery seems more likely than it is because we see TV interviews with winners, but never with losers. Dying in a natural disaster or airplane crash seems more likely than it is because those events make headlines. Dying in a car crash or a swimming pool (falsely) seem much less likely than they are because they don't generate headlines.
Bottom-line: For making better decisions, don't assume that extreme outcomes are as likely as they first seem.
Example: Suppose you are considering whether or not to start a business. As you weigh the pros and cons, avoid placing too much psychological weight on extremely positive outcomes(your company goes public right away, making you an instant zillionaire) or extremely negative ones (you bankrupt yourself and create an Enron-like disaster). "Middle ground" options at both ends are much more likely.
2. Consider failure as well as success
For the most part, we think about success. We make plans for success. Our plans may not be great, and we may typically take insufficient action to get what we truly want, but for the most part, we are mentally focused on success. In fact, setting "approach" goals that focus on what we want to achieve is a key goal-setting principle – fortunately, as I review in my book, over 80% of goals are "approach" goals rather than "avoidance" goals.
This relatively single-minded focus on success has many psychological consequences – some good and some bad. Research has shown that just thinking about an outcome makes it seem more likely, because we then think about all the ways that it might happen. As a result, we plan for success, and typically make life decisions expecting success. Unfortunately, in life, failure is an all-too-common occurrence. Divorce is just as common as staying married. Losing weight is great, but it's much less common than trying-and-failing to lose weight. Living paycheck-to-paycheck and wrestling with credit card debt is more common than great wealth. The list goes on.
Bottom-line: For making better decisions, consider possible negative outcomes in addition to positive ones, even if they don't seem likely at first.
Example: Me. I'm a positive guy. Usually that works for me. But not always. When I recently launched a joint venture with a colleague, I knew I would work hard, and I expected success. But I didn't consider that my partner not work hard and quickly quit, wasting a great deal of my time. I assumed success, so I didn't see the early warning signs of failure. Had I considered that possible negative outcome from the start, I would have managed my time and that partnership much differently.
3. Get input from others
The "planning fallacy" is the tendency of people to vastly underestimate how long certain activities will take. Again, we expect success, we expect things to go well, and we expect things will come our way quickly and easily. But those around us are often better able to make judgments about how likely certain outcomes are, and how quickly/easily we can achieve them.
Bottom-line: For making better decisions, have a friend or family member review your assessment of how likely outcomes are, and how happy they would make you.
4. Beware "happily-ever-after" thinking
Strange-but-true: people aren't always good at predicting what will make them happy. "Happily-ever-after" thinking is the belief that accomplishing goal X will lead to massive, lasting happiness. It's common, and almost always an illusion.
Bottom-line: Learn to understand the true sources of your happiness. More often than not, happiness comes from making progress toward valued goals. It may seem odd, but actually accomplishing goals often leads to a psychological let-down and a feeling of "Is that all?"
Example: Virtually everyone. From time to time, virtually everyone falls into the trap of thinking "My life would be perfect if only I _____" (fill in the blank: meet my soulmate, get rich, get that promotion, etc.). Instead, remember the truth in the old saying: "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." (Ursula LeGuin)
5. Get over the "fear of success"
I've always felt this notion was over-rated. People talk themselves into not taking action because "If I do, then one great thing after another will happen, and soon I'll be a great success, and I just can't handle that." Uh, right. First, these folks are greatly over-estimating how likely success is (and how easily it will come), as well as underestimating how happy it will make them. Does this "fear" hold some people back? Yes. Should it? No. They should get over it, take action, and recognize that the much more likely "moderate" successes they will experience will make them happier than being paralyzed by fear.
1. Don't weigh "extreme outcomes" too heavily in your decisions
We often exaggerate how likely "extreme outcomes" are because we frequently see vivid examples of them in the media. Extreme outcomes generate many news headlines, regardless of whether those outcomes are good (winning the lottery) or bad (a horrible death from dramatic causes like earthquakes, tornados, and terrorism). The more something is on the news, the more likely it seems. Winning the lottery seems more likely than it is because we see TV interviews with winners, but never with losers. Dying in a natural disaster or airplane crash seems more likely than it is because those events make headlines. Dying in a car crash or a swimming pool (falsely) seem much less likely than they are because they don't generate headlines.
Bottom-line: For making better decisions, don't assume that extreme outcomes are as likely as they first seem.
Example: Suppose you are considering whether or not to start a business. As you weigh the pros and cons, avoid placing too much psychological weight on extremely positive outcomes(your company goes public right away, making you an instant zillionaire) or extremely negative ones (you bankrupt yourself and create an Enron-like disaster). "Middle ground" options at both ends are much more likely.
2. Consider failure as well as success
For the most part, we think about success. We make plans for success. Our plans may not be great, and we may typically take insufficient action to get what we truly want, but for the most part, we are mentally focused on success. In fact, setting "approach" goals that focus on what we want to achieve is a key goal-setting principle – fortunately, as I review in my book, over 80% of goals are "approach" goals rather than "avoidance" goals.
This relatively single-minded focus on success has many psychological consequences – some good and some bad. Research has shown that just thinking about an outcome makes it seem more likely, because we then think about all the ways that it might happen. As a result, we plan for success, and typically make life decisions expecting success. Unfortunately, in life, failure is an all-too-common occurrence. Divorce is just as common as staying married. Losing weight is great, but it's much less common than trying-and-failing to lose weight. Living paycheck-to-paycheck and wrestling with credit card debt is more common than great wealth. The list goes on.
Bottom-line: For making better decisions, consider possible negative outcomes in addition to positive ones, even if they don't seem likely at first.
Example: Me. I'm a positive guy. Usually that works for me. But not always. When I recently launched a joint venture with a colleague, I knew I would work hard, and I expected success. But I didn't consider that my partner not work hard and quickly quit, wasting a great deal of my time. I assumed success, so I didn't see the early warning signs of failure. Had I considered that possible negative outcome from the start, I would have managed my time and that partnership much differently.
3. Get input from others
The "planning fallacy" is the tendency of people to vastly underestimate how long certain activities will take. Again, we expect success, we expect things to go well, and we expect things will come our way quickly and easily. But those around us are often better able to make judgments about how likely certain outcomes are, and how quickly/easily we can achieve them.
Bottom-line: For making better decisions, have a friend or family member review your assessment of how likely outcomes are, and how happy they would make you.
4. Beware "happily-ever-after" thinking
Strange-but-true: people aren't always good at predicting what will make them happy. "Happily-ever-after" thinking is the belief that accomplishing goal X will lead to massive, lasting happiness. It's common, and almost always an illusion.
Bottom-line: Learn to understand the true sources of your happiness. More often than not, happiness comes from making progress toward valued goals. It may seem odd, but actually accomplishing goals often leads to a psychological let-down and a feeling of "Is that all?"
Example: Virtually everyone. From time to time, virtually everyone falls into the trap of thinking "My life would be perfect if only I _____" (fill in the blank: meet my soulmate, get rich, get that promotion, etc.). Instead, remember the truth in the old saying: "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." (Ursula LeGuin)
5. Get over the "fear of success"
I've always felt this notion was over-rated. People talk themselves into not taking action because "If I do, then one great thing after another will happen, and soon I'll be a great success, and I just can't handle that." Uh, right. First, these folks are greatly over-estimating how likely success is (and how easily it will come), as well as underestimating how happy it will make them. Does this "fear" hold some people back? Yes. Should it? No. They should get over it, take action, and recognize that the much more likely "moderate" successes they will experience will make them happier than being paralyzed by fear.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Breast Cancer: Truth or myth? Get to know the facts on breast cancer and beat it!
Do you know? Breast cancer ...
can happen to women without a family history of it
can hit women as young as 30
can also be diagnosed in men!
And do you know? ...
Early detection raises rate of recovery
From age 30, you should start monthly Breast Self-Examination (BSE)
From age 40, you should go for yearly mammogram
From age 50, you should go for twice-yearly mammogram
can happen to women without a family history of it
can hit women as young as 30
can also be diagnosed in men!
And do you know? ...
Early detection raises rate of recovery
From age 30, you should start monthly Breast Self-Examination (BSE)
From age 40, you should go for yearly mammogram
From age 50, you should go for twice-yearly mammogram
Truth or Myth?
Myth : If I have large breasts, I’m more likely to get breast cancer.
Truth : There is no correlation between the size of breasts and the risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, especially in women aged 50 years and above.
Myth : Men do not get breast cancer.
Truth : Men can get breast cancer although the proportion of men diagnosed with breast cancer is relatively small as compared to other cancers.
Myth : Wearing a tight-fitting bra can cause breast cancer.
Truth : There is no scientific prove that wearing ill-fitting bras causes breast cancer.
Myth : I will not get breast cancer as I do not have a family history of the disease.
Truth : Although a family history of breast cancer (especially 1st degree relatives, e.g. mother, aunt) does increase your risk, many cases of breast cancer happens to women without family history.
Myth : I’m too young to get breast cancer.
Truth : Though women 50 years old and above are most at risk of getting breast cancer, there are also cases of women below that age diagnosed with the disease.
Myth : Oral contraceptive pills (birth control pills) can cause breast cancer.
Truth : Birth control pills do not cause breast cancer. The amount of estrogen and progesterone (hormones that are often associated with increased risk of breast cancer over time) found in oral contraceptive pills are too small to pose a noteworthy risk.
Myth : All breast lumps are cancerous.
Truth : Not all breast lumps are cancerous. And not all cancerous breast lumps are painful.
Myth : Mammogram can cause excruciating pain.
Truth : Your breast would be compressed slightly during mammogram. The fat surrounding the milk glands and ducts will be flattened slightly during the compression. There may be a slight discomfort but not excruciating pain.
PREVENTION
Now you know the truth, what can you do to help yourself?
1. Detect changes in your breasts through regular checks and screenings:
Monthly
Breast Self Examination (BSE) Mammogram
30 – 39 years
YES -
40 – 49 years YES
YES, Once a year
50 years & above YES
YES, Once every 2 years
A breast self-exam can't prevent breast cancer, but it may help you to better understand the normal changes that your breasts undergo and identify any unusual signs and symptoms.
2. Exercise most days of the week. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week.
3. Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy. Combination hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy. Some women experience bothersome signs and symptoms during menopause and, for these women, the increased risk of breast cancer may be acceptable in order to relieve menopause signs and symptoms. To reduce the risk of breast cancer, use the lowest dose of hormone therapy possible for the shortest amount of time.
4. Maintain a healthy weight. If your current weight is healthy, work to maintain that weight. If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor about healthy strategies to accomplish this. Reduce the number of calories you eat each day and slowly increase the amount of exercise. Aim to lose weight slowly — about 1 or 2 pounds a week.
Sources: Workplace Health Digest October- December 2009 & Mayo Clinic.com
Monday, February 22, 2010
Buzz ...new social network from Google.
Google takes on Facebook and Twitter with network site
Google's Vic Gundotra shows off Buzz on a mobile phone
Google has taken the wraps off its latest social network known as Buzz.
The service - integrated directly with its e-mail service Gmail - allows users to post status updates, share content and read and comment on friends' posts.
The site pitches Google directly against rival networks such as Facebook, which has amassed nearly 400 million users since its launch in 2004.
Buzz will try to capitalise on the number of regular Gmail users, which is currently around 170 million people. BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said that the launch appeared to be a "major land grab by Google for the social networking space". "They've launched Buzz with plenty of interesting new features, particularly for mobile users, but the real question is whether there's enough to entice social networkers away from sites like Facebook and Twitter," he said.
Rival Yahoo already offers a service that allows people to see updates from sites such as Twitter and Flickr from inside their Yahoo Mail page. Local chatterThe new features are built directly into Google's free e-mail service Gmail. Users can post private or public status updates - known as a buzz - and share content from other sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Picassa.
Facebook has nearly 400 million users
The messages - highlighted with a Buzz symbol - are incorporated directly into a person's Gmail inbox. Private updates are automatically added to a user's profile page, whilst public updates will also be available to search engines.
The site also incorporates elements of Twitter, such as the ability to "follow" people that share updates, and features that appear in Facebook such as the ability to "like" content. Buzz will also recommend content from people that it thinks you may like to see and incorporate it directly into a user's content stream.
Google Buzz product manager Todd Jackson described it as "an entirely new world in Gmail" during a press event at Google headquarters in Mountain View. The firm has also integrated it with its mapping service and mobile platforms.
For example, it has launched a mobile application for phones running its operating system Android. Status updates sent from phones will record the location of the sender and add it to the message. Other users can then search public messages from their phone. "You can see what people in your neighbourhood are saying," said Google's Vic Gundotra. Public updates will also be added to Google Places, a directory of businesses that include reviews of restaurants and theatres, for example. The firm has also built the technology into the mobile versions of its maps.
It is not the first time Google has tried to launch a social network.
In 2004, it released Orkut. However, while it has become big in countries such as Brazil and India, it has been overshadowed by sites such as Facebook elsewhere.
The firm also recently launched Google Wave, a tool that mixes e-mail, with instant messaging and the ability for several people to collaborate on documents in real time.
Facebook is currently the most popular social network worldwide. Last week it rolled out a new site layout and design for parts of the service to make it easier to search messages and chat.
Google's Vic Gundotra shows off Buzz on a mobile phone
Google has taken the wraps off its latest social network known as Buzz.
The service - integrated directly with its e-mail service Gmail - allows users to post status updates, share content and read and comment on friends' posts.
The site pitches Google directly against rival networks such as Facebook, which has amassed nearly 400 million users since its launch in 2004.
Buzz will try to capitalise on the number of regular Gmail users, which is currently around 170 million people. BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said that the launch appeared to be a "major land grab by Google for the social networking space". "They've launched Buzz with plenty of interesting new features, particularly for mobile users, but the real question is whether there's enough to entice social networkers away from sites like Facebook and Twitter," he said.
Rival Yahoo already offers a service that allows people to see updates from sites such as Twitter and Flickr from inside their Yahoo Mail page. Local chatterThe new features are built directly into Google's free e-mail service Gmail. Users can post private or public status updates - known as a buzz - and share content from other sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Picassa.
Facebook has nearly 400 million users
The messages - highlighted with a Buzz symbol - are incorporated directly into a person's Gmail inbox. Private updates are automatically added to a user's profile page, whilst public updates will also be available to search engines.
The site also incorporates elements of Twitter, such as the ability to "follow" people that share updates, and features that appear in Facebook such as the ability to "like" content. Buzz will also recommend content from people that it thinks you may like to see and incorporate it directly into a user's content stream.
Google Buzz product manager Todd Jackson described it as "an entirely new world in Gmail" during a press event at Google headquarters in Mountain View. The firm has also integrated it with its mapping service and mobile platforms.
For example, it has launched a mobile application for phones running its operating system Android. Status updates sent from phones will record the location of the sender and add it to the message. Other users can then search public messages from their phone. "You can see what people in your neighbourhood are saying," said Google's Vic Gundotra. Public updates will also be added to Google Places, a directory of businesses that include reviews of restaurants and theatres, for example. The firm has also built the technology into the mobile versions of its maps.
It is not the first time Google has tried to launch a social network.
In 2004, it released Orkut. However, while it has become big in countries such as Brazil and India, it has been overshadowed by sites such as Facebook elsewhere.
The firm also recently launched Google Wave, a tool that mixes e-mail, with instant messaging and the ability for several people to collaborate on documents in real time.
Facebook is currently the most popular social network worldwide. Last week it rolled out a new site layout and design for parts of the service to make it easier to search messages and chat.
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