Here are some thoughts on how to think about and connect the information from the last couple of calls, particularly the most recent call on how to access and operate from your Highest Functioning Self.
Let’s look at a potential survival situation. You and your spouse have taken a trip to Alaska; you both board a small twin engine aircraft to go even deeper into remote territory. At some point, the plan starts to falter, the plane crashes, and your spouse and the pilot perish. You are shaken, but without major injury.
You quickly realize that you are far from any civilized area, and may very well be on your own for days-if you can make it that long-before search parties come.
In this situation, there are 7 factors that you will have to deal with, and, HOW effectively you deal with them will determine whether you live or die. They are listed in order of significance:
1. Fear and anxiety
2. Cold and heat
3. Thirst
4. Boredom and loneliness
5. Fatigue
6. Hunger
7. Pain and injury
Unless you are able to adequately manage your fear and anxiety, it’s not likely that you will live long enough in this environment to be able to secure and/or create a shelter that will keep you from becoming hypothermic. If you can stay warm, you don’t need to worry about water. If you can’t find water, boredom and loneliness won’t be a major issue, and on and on it goes.
You must realize this; all 7 factors are BIG concerns of your lower functioning brain regions-the Reptilian Brain and Mammalian Brain.
SURVIVAL is what the lower functioning brain regions are interested in.
However, when we are engaged in, and working from these lower brain regions, we simply cannot plan, monitor or engage in intelligent decision making.
Fear/anxiety (1.), and boredom/loneliness (4.) can occur ANYWHERE!
You need not be in a life threatening situation for these to rear their ugly head. They can and WILL manifest at work, at home, in the car, on vacation…you name the place…they can show up.
Since most of us have constant access to food and drink, when the fear/anxiety and boredom/loneliness begin and the lower functioning areas of the brain are active, it’s easy to address the other primal concerns-the ones we realize we can instantly alleviate-and get something to drink and/or eat. In this way, we satisfy Thirst (3.) and Hunger (6.) directly, and Fear/Anxiety (1.) and Boredom/Loneliness (4.) indirectly.
Key Point: There was no real threat or danger in the first place; there was nothing we needed to “survive”
Is it already occurring to you just how significant this is? When you access your Highest Functioning Self and take a leadership position, calming, assuring, comforting and confidently leading your lower functioning brain areas, you stop the train in its tracks.
When you quickly and effectively manage the fear and anxiety, you will find that hunger and thirst (and all of the others) are nothing more than what they are intended to be; when you are truly thirsty you drink. When you are truly hungry (physical hunger, not emotional hunger) you eat. It’s really just as simple as that.
Read through this several times and listen to the call a couple of times. Once you really get this, and put it to use, the feeling of empowerment and control in astounding!
© Copyright 2010-Vincent Harris-All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
This Weeks Call
The call this week will be on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 7:00 pm! Same numbers for the call as last week. Please email if you need them.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Chile Earthquake: The Lesson of Preparedness
Last night I fell asleep in my recliner, waking up about 2:00 am to the news flash of the powerful earthquake in Chile. Realizing that there wouldn’t be too much to report until later, I shut the T.V. off and went back to sleep.
As of now (2:35pm 2/27/2010) a much clearer picture has developed, and it offers a vivid example of the monolithic difference that being prepared for sets backs and catastrophes can make.
Recently, Haiti experienced a massive earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, and, at this point, the body count exceeds 212,000. The population of Haiti is 9,035,536.
Last night, an earthquake measuring 8.8-500 times more powerful than the one that hit Haiti- blasted Chile. While it will be some time before a final body count is available, it currently stands at 122, and is not expected to increase significantly. The population of Chile is 16,601,707.
Now, before someone writes to inform me of the huge difference in economic stability between the two regions, rest assured that I am very much aware. With that being said, let’s examine a few key points.
Earthquakes are nothing new; they have been occurring for millions of years on planet earth, and can be expected to do so for many years to come. Experts had been warning of an earthquake in Haiti for years, as it was centered on top of the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone.
Earthquakes are certainly nothing new in Chile, either. In fact, Chile is the home of the world’s most powerful earthquake, one that measured a whopping 9.5 in 1960.
How can we account for the difference in deaths between Haiti and Chile? In a word, PREPARATION.
While it may be true that Haiti did not have the resources to prepare for earthquakes, it does not negate the fact that Chile was prepared, and Haiti, was not. This is the difference that made the difference.
You will recall, that on the first night, I spoke at length about the importance of planning for the events, that in the past had been set backs, or cause for deviating from your goal. Fortunately, when it comes to preparing adequately for long term weight loss, financial resources are seldom a problem. More often than not, the preparation ultimately comes down to engaging in the cognitive and mental planning, that, happily, is free for everyone’s use.
Have you taken the time to sit down with a notebook, and think clearly about the obstacles you have encountered in the past, and the potential obstacles you can expect to encounter in the future?
Then, have you developed a plan of action, for what you will immediately do if and when each of these potential “disasters” occurs?
Please, do not allow this to simply be an “information dump” each week. Get a notebook, a pen, and act like your long term weight loss adventure is as important as a wedding day.
Ironically, most people plan thoroughly for weeks, even months, for an event (wedding) that will last less than an hour. Most of those same people, however, have never devoted even 1/100th of the time to planning for their life.
If you are still around three weeks after the Mind Mastery for Long Term Weight Loss Series started, then I know you one on e of the rare few, who will actually apply what you are learning to make a lasting difference.
© Copyright 2010-Vincent Harris-All Rights Reserved.
As of now (2:35pm 2/27/2010) a much clearer picture has developed, and it offers a vivid example of the monolithic difference that being prepared for sets backs and catastrophes can make.
Recently, Haiti experienced a massive earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, and, at this point, the body count exceeds 212,000. The population of Haiti is 9,035,536.
Last night, an earthquake measuring 8.8-500 times more powerful than the one that hit Haiti- blasted Chile. While it will be some time before a final body count is available, it currently stands at 122, and is not expected to increase significantly. The population of Chile is 16,601,707.
Now, before someone writes to inform me of the huge difference in economic stability between the two regions, rest assured that I am very much aware. With that being said, let’s examine a few key points.
Earthquakes are nothing new; they have been occurring for millions of years on planet earth, and can be expected to do so for many years to come. Experts had been warning of an earthquake in Haiti for years, as it was centered on top of the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone.
Earthquakes are certainly nothing new in Chile, either. In fact, Chile is the home of the world’s most powerful earthquake, one that measured a whopping 9.5 in 1960.
How can we account for the difference in deaths between Haiti and Chile? In a word, PREPARATION.
While it may be true that Haiti did not have the resources to prepare for earthquakes, it does not negate the fact that Chile was prepared, and Haiti, was not. This is the difference that made the difference.
You will recall, that on the first night, I spoke at length about the importance of planning for the events, that in the past had been set backs, or cause for deviating from your goal. Fortunately, when it comes to preparing adequately for long term weight loss, financial resources are seldom a problem. More often than not, the preparation ultimately comes down to engaging in the cognitive and mental planning, that, happily, is free for everyone’s use.
Have you taken the time to sit down with a notebook, and think clearly about the obstacles you have encountered in the past, and the potential obstacles you can expect to encounter in the future?
Then, have you developed a plan of action, for what you will immediately do if and when each of these potential “disasters” occurs?
Please, do not allow this to simply be an “information dump” each week. Get a notebook, a pen, and act like your long term weight loss adventure is as important as a wedding day.
Ironically, most people plan thoroughly for weeks, even months, for an event (wedding) that will last less than an hour. Most of those same people, however, have never devoted even 1/100th of the time to planning for their life.
If you are still around three weeks after the Mind Mastery for Long Term Weight Loss Series started, then I know you one on e of the rare few, who will actually apply what you are learning to make a lasting difference.
© Copyright 2010-Vincent Harris-All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thanks for the High Level of Participation!
Just a note to let you know how wonderful it is to be working with such a focused group! Thanks for being on tonight's call; I'll post follow up remarks soon.
Vince
Vince
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Exercise Myth: When Exercise is Beneficial, and When It Can Actually Harm You
Anyone who has ever been serious about getting fit or losing weight…or, even better, losing weight and keeping it off knows that they are going to have to get their heart rate up for a sustained period of time several days a week.
Unfortunately, many people have been conditioned to think that to do this, they must exercise. Misunderstandings like this, coupled with the absence of the accurate model of the human needs, all but guarantees that millions of people are doomed to never lose weight and keep it off.
If you have done the full assessment of all 16 needs, you know where you stand regarding the desire for “physical activity” or exercise. If you rate high on this one, you’ll likely do well with the standard exercise regimens. If, however, you rated low on this one, going to the gym will most likely always be a struggle for you, and if this is the case, it is doing you more harm than good!
As you recall, we started off the first night talking a great deal about “stress”. To reiterate, the reason for that was the fact that the “stress response” all but makes it impossible to lose weight in a healthy way and then maintain that weight loss.
For most people, exercise is a magnificent way to counter the stress response. It lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and many different types of metabolic challenges, and, overall, makes people feel better. However…
Exercise is “stress” buffering and health enhancing ONLY when you actually WANT to do it!
In rats and humans alike, when forced to exercise (even when self-forcing through will power) overall health worsens.
That’s right; the “stress response” negates any beneficial aspects of exercise, and actually causes your health, and ability to lose weight and keep it off, to go the opposite direction of the one you desire most.
Because of the incredibly detrimental impact the “stress response” has on blood glucose levels, and the increase of stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol, exercise will actually play a big role in making sure someone does NOT lose body fat. (We’ve all seen the people who walk, walk, walk or run, run, run every single day, and yet…they are still FAT)
So, what’s a person to do, then, if the goal is to lose some weight and then stay close to that weight for many years to come?
Wouldn’t you know, the answer comes right back to, you guessed it ...the Human Needs Assessment!
If for example, you rated low on “physical activity”, chances are good that you’ve never had a period in your life where you went to the gym or some kind of intense exercise class, month after month, for years on end. And, it’s not likely that you ever will. (I didn’t say you “can’t” just that it is not likely)
This is where many “fitness gurus” are completely lost. They urge you to use “self-discipline” and “do it even if you don’t feel like it!” This makes for good television, but is a very poor strategy for long-term weight loss.
Let me ask you, even if you rate low on “physical activity”, isn’t it true that you have been doing some kind of activity, in the past, like playing with the kids or grandkids, or in the woods looking for a certain kind of leaf you needed for a craft project etc. and after a while, you realized that your heart rate was up, and that you had in fact been doing a fair amount of physical activity?
Most have, but because you didn’t set out to “exercise”, specifically, you had actually been enjoying yourself; you were not focused on the “physical exercise” aspect of what you were doing, you were pleasantly distracted and allowed something else to capture the foreground of you awareness.
When you are active in such a way that you are enjoying it, you will avoid the stress response, and tap into the benefits of physical activity. When you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you’ve lost most of the benefit, and have even created some negative consequences.
Look at your needs assessment. What are your top or HIGH rated needs/desires? This is where you will find the “secret” for engaging in activity that you will enjoy, and get your heart rate up in a way that you almost won’t even notice.
Romance/Sex is a HIGH rated need/desire for many people; even for some of those who have a LOW rating on physical activity. Interesting, eh?
The research is piled high on the ability of sex to increase the heart rate and usher forth the identical benefits of exercise.
Honor is another need/desire we can examine. If you rate HIGH on honor, what if you were engaged in an ongoing fundraiser for someone or something that you felt very strongly about? Maybe you were being paid so much for every mile you walk, jog, etc. In this case, you would not be going out to exercise every day, you would be doing something for the purpose of meeting the need/desire of HONOR, and the way you felt about the activity would change everything. More specifically, it would avoid the “stress response”.
Whenever I am working with a client who is dealing with a long standing problem, I make sure we have an understanding from the start. I say “You’ve been dealing with this for 5 years now. Would you agree that if you knew how to take care of it on your own, you would have already?” They almost always say “Yes”.
I follow with this; “There may be some things I ask you to do, that may not make sense to you, or may clash with some of your beliefs. However, since your way hasn’t worked out so well, and you are paying me to help you, let’s do my way. Do I have your full commitment to my way, even if it doesn’t make sense at first?”
If some of the ideas in this article are at odds with what you have used up until now…that’s wonderful. It means that it is new, and “new “means it is different from what you had done that didn’t work, in the past.
© Copyright 2010-Vincent Harris-All Rights Reserved.
Unfortunately, many people have been conditioned to think that to do this, they must exercise. Misunderstandings like this, coupled with the absence of the accurate model of the human needs, all but guarantees that millions of people are doomed to never lose weight and keep it off.
If you have done the full assessment of all 16 needs, you know where you stand regarding the desire for “physical activity” or exercise. If you rate high on this one, you’ll likely do well with the standard exercise regimens. If, however, you rated low on this one, going to the gym will most likely always be a struggle for you, and if this is the case, it is doing you more harm than good!
As you recall, we started off the first night talking a great deal about “stress”. To reiterate, the reason for that was the fact that the “stress response” all but makes it impossible to lose weight in a healthy way and then maintain that weight loss.
For most people, exercise is a magnificent way to counter the stress response. It lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and many different types of metabolic challenges, and, overall, makes people feel better. However…
Exercise is “stress” buffering and health enhancing ONLY when you actually WANT to do it!
In rats and humans alike, when forced to exercise (even when self-forcing through will power) overall health worsens.
That’s right; the “stress response” negates any beneficial aspects of exercise, and actually causes your health, and ability to lose weight and keep it off, to go the opposite direction of the one you desire most.
Because of the incredibly detrimental impact the “stress response” has on blood glucose levels, and the increase of stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol, exercise will actually play a big role in making sure someone does NOT lose body fat. (We’ve all seen the people who walk, walk, walk or run, run, run every single day, and yet…they are still FAT)
So, what’s a person to do, then, if the goal is to lose some weight and then stay close to that weight for many years to come?
Wouldn’t you know, the answer comes right back to, you guessed it ...the Human Needs Assessment!
If for example, you rated low on “physical activity”, chances are good that you’ve never had a period in your life where you went to the gym or some kind of intense exercise class, month after month, for years on end. And, it’s not likely that you ever will. (I didn’t say you “can’t” just that it is not likely)
This is where many “fitness gurus” are completely lost. They urge you to use “self-discipline” and “do it even if you don’t feel like it!” This makes for good television, but is a very poor strategy for long-term weight loss.
Let me ask you, even if you rate low on “physical activity”, isn’t it true that you have been doing some kind of activity, in the past, like playing with the kids or grandkids, or in the woods looking for a certain kind of leaf you needed for a craft project etc. and after a while, you realized that your heart rate was up, and that you had in fact been doing a fair amount of physical activity?
Most have, but because you didn’t set out to “exercise”, specifically, you had actually been enjoying yourself; you were not focused on the “physical exercise” aspect of what you were doing, you were pleasantly distracted and allowed something else to capture the foreground of you awareness.
When you are active in such a way that you are enjoying it, you will avoid the stress response, and tap into the benefits of physical activity. When you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you’ve lost most of the benefit, and have even created some negative consequences.
Look at your needs assessment. What are your top or HIGH rated needs/desires? This is where you will find the “secret” for engaging in activity that you will enjoy, and get your heart rate up in a way that you almost won’t even notice.
Romance/Sex is a HIGH rated need/desire for many people; even for some of those who have a LOW rating on physical activity. Interesting, eh?
The research is piled high on the ability of sex to increase the heart rate and usher forth the identical benefits of exercise.
Honor is another need/desire we can examine. If you rate HIGH on honor, what if you were engaged in an ongoing fundraiser for someone or something that you felt very strongly about? Maybe you were being paid so much for every mile you walk, jog, etc. In this case, you would not be going out to exercise every day, you would be doing something for the purpose of meeting the need/desire of HONOR, and the way you felt about the activity would change everything. More specifically, it would avoid the “stress response”.
Whenever I am working with a client who is dealing with a long standing problem, I make sure we have an understanding from the start. I say “You’ve been dealing with this for 5 years now. Would you agree that if you knew how to take care of it on your own, you would have already?” They almost always say “Yes”.
I follow with this; “There may be some things I ask you to do, that may not make sense to you, or may clash with some of your beliefs. However, since your way hasn’t worked out so well, and you are paying me to help you, let’s do my way. Do I have your full commitment to my way, even if it doesn’t make sense at first?”
If some of the ideas in this article are at odds with what you have used up until now…that’s wonderful. It means that it is new, and “new “means it is different from what you had done that didn’t work, in the past.
© Copyright 2010-Vincent Harris-All Rights Reserved.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday night recording
I have sent the link for Thursday nights call to everyone I have an email address for. If you have not requested your Human Needs Assessment, or CD discussed in Thursdays call, send an email to Vince@VinceHarris.com
These are bonus gifts that were not included in the package, so only those who request, and who are participating will get them. Don't let them get away from you.
Watch for a video post at the first of the week!
Here's a question to think about. What actions have you taken at this point? Are you just absorbing data and information, or, are you using the information to shape better decisions and take specific actions that contribute to the changes you desire?
I used to have people call, wanting to make an appointment for weight loss. I'd book it for two weeks from that day. Then, one week later, I'd call and ask "How many times have you walked or exercised since I talked to you?" If the answer was "none" I'd postpone the appointment another two weeks.
See, when people are truly wanting to get started, they'll get started, even before they know the most efficient or best way to do so. They can learn as they move along, but getting started matters more than anything else.
Have a super weekend!
Vince
These are bonus gifts that were not included in the package, so only those who request, and who are participating will get them. Don't let them get away from you.
Watch for a video post at the first of the week!
Here's a question to think about. What actions have you taken at this point? Are you just absorbing data and information, or, are you using the information to shape better decisions and take specific actions that contribute to the changes you desire?
I used to have people call, wanting to make an appointment for weight loss. I'd book it for two weeks from that day. Then, one week later, I'd call and ask "How many times have you walked or exercised since I talked to you?" If the answer was "none" I'd postpone the appointment another two weeks.
See, when people are truly wanting to get started, they'll get started, even before they know the most efficient or best way to do so. They can learn as they move along, but getting started matters more than anything else.
Have a super weekend!
Vince
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