Recognize and Avoid Self-Sabotage

One of the finest feelings is that state of satisfaction that accompanies accomplishment.

The feeling of pride you experience when you’ve managed to cross off those items on your “to do” list is amazingly rewarding.  But that having been said, why, do you suppose, do people not strive to replicate that feeling on a more regular basis?  Why do they settle for mediocrity and procrastination when accomplishment, and moreover, the fantastic feeling that goes hand-in-hand with it, is reasonably in reach?

The truth lies in a wise old saying:  “We are our own worst enemies.”  For some reason we sabotage our own success and enjoyment, settling instead for a life of uncertainty and only marginal happiness.  Make no mistake though, people want things to change.  They want more out of life but they convince themselves that they are not good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or rich enough.  Success and happiness, “they say”, is reserved for the few, the lucky.

This is hogwash!  Success and the happiness that accompanies it, is accessible to everyone, but first we have to “get out of our own way.”  We have to allow it to happen by eliminating self-sabotaging actions and beliefs and replace them with clearer objectives through which success can be achieved.  The first step is to recognize the various forms of self-sabotage.  Here are a few, recognize any?

1.  Procrastination

In simple terms, procrastination is putting things—things that could be reasonably accomplished now—off until another time.  For example, a high school senior who says she will start college in the fall is not procrastinating, but the person out of high school—the one lying around the house with goals that are undefined—is procrastinating.  The problem is that this “other time” is rarely measurable.  People say, “I’ll get to that tomorrow,” but when tomorrow comes they repeat the mantra and the process.

This procrastination is a major roadblock on the road to success.  Many continue to put things off for years with the notion that another time may be more suitable.  They wait and wait only to find out that the “more suitable” time never comes.

Make a list of the things you really want with clearly defined objectives on how you plan to achieve them.  Most importantly, give each objective a timeline and stick to it.  Even on the days you “don’t feel like it,” do it anyway.  You’ll be happy you did.  It sounds cliché, but there really is “no better time than the present.”

2.  “I’m Not ______________ Enough” (Smart, Good, Talented, Pretty)

Believe it or not, rocket scientists were not born rocket scientists.  They worked extremely hard to achieve their positions.  If they are happy as a result of their success, being smart had very little to do with that happiness.  They had a goal in mind, one that matched their abilities and interests, and they pursued it.  They didn’t allow doubt and the occasional setback define who they were.

If you think about it, inferiority—feeling as if you are somehow beneath another person—is truly imaginary.

Allowing setbacks to act as permanent barriers to success is detrimental and wholly unnecessary.  Just ask Michael Jordan.  The man many consider to be the greatest basketball player in the history of the game, Michael Jordan, was cut by his high school basketball team.  Some coach at a North Carolina high school believed he was not good enough, and sent him on his way.  The rest of the story is so famous that I need not repeat it, but you probably see my point.  Through hard work and an unshakeable belief in his own ability—his own dream—he was able to overcome an obstacle that, for some, would have stopped them in their tracks.

You can achieve anything you want if you are truly committed to it.    Eliminate self-sabotaging beliefs and turn setbacks into opportunities to grow.

3.  What will people think?

On a recent trip to the mall, I happened upon a mother and her very young daughter who were picking out clothes for a teddy bear they had purchased.  Yes, strange as it sounds, I said teddy bear.  Anyway, the young girl had selected a certain dress she really liked and I overheard her mother say, “Not that one honey.  What will people think? It doesn’t match your room.”  Naturally, the girl began to sob, but the mother did not relent.  Now I know I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help wondering why this mother would deny her child the happiness of choosing the teddy bear clothes she really wanted, based on some ridiculous and erroneous notion of what others might think.  Certainly the girl’s happiness—which will in turn create more happiness in the mother’s life—is more important than the way she might be perceived.  Isn’t it?

When we allow thoughts and perceptions, such as those described, impede our path to happiness and success, it may be time to evaluate what is truly important.  If you are acting in a positive and healthy manner, trying to improve your life and the life of your family, how could it possibly matter what others may think?  The truth is that most people are far too concerned about themselves, and the way they are perceived by others, to even notice what you are doing.   If you act according to your dreams, the people who really matter in this life will support you, and that, after all, is the only thing that matters.

Is This Swine Flu Deja Vu?

It seems as if though one cannot go outside, inside, near anybody or eat anything without fear of getting “some” disease. In the past 10 years we’ve been inundated by phobia slanging and fear mongering techniques versus being informed with accurate information and supportive strategies.

How do I know we aren’t informed properly? Just a hunch. But to test it…  ask yourself if you can explain what the significant risk-factors are behind any of the following diseases: West Nile Virus, Bird/Avian Flu, SARS, Monkey Pox, Mad Cow Disease, Ebola and Anthrax.

Didn’t think so. So my point is, if these are so deadly, contagious and infectious, how come you haven’t took the proper time to identify the risk factors? I mean shouldn’t you know exactly what is going on in order to give your self and loved ones the best chance of survival? Well it turns out that the majority of us have become desensitized to the media’s attempt to peddle new phobia’s. It seems we just don’t have enough time to care about them all.

Which made me think of you all when I recently heard from a personal friend of mine, Dr. Brad Nelson. For those of you who haven’t heard of him (yet), Dr. Nelson is the Author of the book “The Emotion Code” and teacher of a seminar of the same name. Brad has been studying the “Swine Flu” Vaccine that is about to be pushed on millions of people and he was very concerned…

During the conversation he sent me a link to a video that dated back to 1976. According to Brad “back when there were real reporters” 60Minutes ran a special on Swine Flu. Yes believe it or not, even way back then they were pushing people to get the vaccine. Back then it was in fear of an outbreak. Are you surprised? I was. But what was even more surprising was the fact that perfectly healthy people who took the vaccine got ill, and the Government admitted it.

Did you know that 70% of the time flu vaccines are not effective? Dr. Brad recommends doing yourself a favor and NOT taking the vaccine. I’m curious to know what you think of the video and how this affects your view of the current situation. HOWEVER, in the short time that I watched the video and went to re-post it to inform you, this is what happened:

“This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.”

So instead of a live video proving that swine flu is a recycled form of fear mongering, you will have to settle for a quote from wikipedia about Squalene, an ingredient of the current Swine Flu Vaccine.

Squalene is used in vaccines to “turbocharge” the raw vaccine. Since it’s an organic compound, it’s more common to see it used in animal vaccines, however, use in human vaccinations has been prepared in pandemic vaccinations like the H1N1 vaccine or military vaccines, like the anthrax vaccine. This allows less virus to be needed, thus creating more doses.

According to Dr. Brad, a previous case of use would be in the Gulf War, where soldiers had been given the vaccine. Subsequent adverse reactions have caused the military to ban it’s use and opponents of squalene in vaccinations have drawn a link between Gulf War Syndrome, and the use of the adjuvant.

Again, in Brad’s words “this vaccine has 1 million times more Squalene than the original Gulf War vaccine… 1 million times more Squalene than the Anthrax vaccination that caused Gulf War Syndrome; remember that all 146,00 soldiers that got this vaccine became very ill.”

Dr. Nelson urges you to PLEASE do NOT get this vaccine. Swine Flu is a MILD flu. The vaccine however may just change your life dramatically for the worse!!! I’m NOT totally convinced, but don’t you owe it too yourself to check out more information? Before you react emotionally to information try to exercise your ability to respond to the information with rationality.

No matter what you believe, there is an awful lot of “hype” around this Swine Flu, and yet the number of people who die from other preventable deaths seems to get ignored. Why, given all the possible death and diseases, does the media and Government tend to focus on this? Ask yourself, when is the Government ever very efficient at communicating and executing anything?

Hidden agenda or not, with the Internet at your finger tips if you are reading this then it is your duty to yourself to get more information. The more you research, the more of an informed decision you can make so take time to educate yourself fully.  You can start by typing “1976 Swine Flu” into Google or YouTube search to try and track down a copy of this video, or contact me and I may know of where you can watch this video.

Most of all, STAY CALM. Do not panic or buy into the media hype and frenzy. The three best things you can do for you and your loved ones to increase your chances of keeping them safe are: manage good hygiene habits, wash your hands regularly, and stay informed through multiple sources (not just the news media). Your imagination has better things to focus on, so stay positive and take care of one another. The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.

The Difference between a Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms: