You are not mentally tough until you have to perform at your very best when you are feeling your worst. Concentrate instead on what you have to do to get the job done.

Life is easy when everything is running smoothly. Mental toughness comes into play when things aren’t going as planned. You need to be confident, enthusiastic, and think positively.

So you want to be mentally tough! You will never realize your full potentional unless you challenge yourself. When you do this you dig deeper and stretch yourself farther than you have ever gone before. Never think about quitting.

When you develop the habit of winning, you’ll do anything not to lose or quit. It makes more sense that the more time you spend in preparation, the more you will want to win. The reason being you have more of yourself involved in the process.

When you have pride you are willing to put in the time and work harder. You are paying the price which will bring success. When you reach that point you will find that nothing succeeds like success.

You will never be a loser if you always look at your business problems as a valuable opportunity and learning experience. It is a chance for you to succeed as well as weaknesses that need to be corrected.

Prisoners taken in the war are brain washed the same way.

There are times when you lose. Even champions do so on occasion. When you lose, lose with pride. Winners have a strong mental attitude which refuses to let them give up. Even if you lose – never give up and quit.

Hypnosis is a very effective treatment of stress. According to experts, stress develops when a person feels the task in front of him is greater than the resources he can summon. This imbalance triggers stress. Hypnosis, however, changes this. Through hypnosis, this person can feel that he has all the resources necessary to do the task effeciently.

Dr. Lipton said that up to 90% of diseases are caused by stress. Persistent stress starves vital organs of nutrients and oxygen. This is fine on the odd occasion but when it becomes persistent, diseases are likely.

Stress is not caused by the situation you confront but by the way you perceive this situation and whether you feel you have the coping mechanisms to deal with it. Hypnosis works remarkably well in stress because it changes your perception, expectation and belief.

Things that created extreme stress can be converted to tasks you can easily do because, following hypnosis, you have the belief that you have the resources to handle what you confront with little effort on your part.

Hypnosis takes you down to a deep relaxed state and to brainwave level theta. At this level, the filters that block unwanted messages from entering the Subconscious Mind, relaxes and the hypnotist is then able to embed positive changes in attitude, belief and expectation.

Hypnosis is without doubt a powerful and safe treatment of stress and anxiety. Meditation is an effective tool and recommended for stress. It is, however, very difficult to see how a stressed person can relax, and if he or she cannot relax, meditation becomes very difficult. It is better to have hypnosis as an immediate treatment and use meditation for the long term and overall life enhancement.

If you have stress, you know that it is an unpleasant thing. The enjoyment in your life seem to be gone along with your libido. Stress can make you angry, anxious and depressed. You get short tempered and go quickly into rage mood. In addition when stressed, a person makes unnecessary mistakes and becomes less creative.

The most important concern about stress, is that it triggers the fight or flight reaction. This reaction prepares us for action when threatened with danger and shuts off oxygen and nutrients to some important organs while stimulating the heart. Continued stress could, therefore, affect these organs. This is the reason why researchers believe it is responsible for up to 90% of diseases.

Hypnosis can change your attitude to stress and it is not just a treatment for your present stress but it gives you belief and coping skills to control stress in the long term.

When hypnotic trance is deep, the hypnotist will use post-hypnotic suggestions. These are powerful and effective and not just to help you to be calm and relaxed but to improve other aspects of your life. They enable you to cope with previously stressful situations in a different and stress free way. Post hypnotic suggestions can change how you approach a task. Instead of thinking that it is a tough problem and you may not be able to do it, your mind set will be that it can be done. All you need to do is find the best and efficient way to do it.

If you are looking for the best treatment for stress, instead of drugs, psychotherapy, CBT or counselling, give hypnotherapy a go. It is safe and efficient and the benefits are long term. It can change your views on life, your expectation and motivation. In time you may even be able to do it for yourself in the privacy of your own home.

Without doubt hypnosis is a very effective treatment of stress. Stress results when a person feels that the task ahead of him is greater than the resources he can muster. Once he feels he is not up to the task, stress begins. Hypnosis changes his belief and hence strengthens his ability to cope. He now feels he has the tools to do the task efficiently.

According to Dr. Lipton, as much as 90% of diseases are caused by stress. Stress that persists for a long time starves vital organs of nutrients and oxygen. Stress on the odd occasions is not a problem but when it is persistent, disease can develop.

Things and situations around you are not the cause of your stress. Stress, in fact, develops as a result of how you perceive life situations. Once you are convinced that you cannot cope with a situation, stress develops. After a course of hypnosis, you can change perception, expectation and belief. You now believe that you are capable of coping with any situation. You no longer feel stressed.

Things that created extreme stress can be converted to tasks you can easily do because, following hypnosis, you have the belief that you have the resources to handle what you confront with little effort on your part.

A hypnotist will use induction and deepening trance to put you into a deep relaxed sleep. In this state your brainwave pattern has changed from beta to theta. At this pattern of activity, the filters or barriers that block unwanted messages from reaching the Subconscious MInd are relaxed. The hypnotist is now able to replace negative attitude, belief and expectation with positive ones.

Hypnosis is without doubt a powerful and safe treatment of stress and anxiety. Meditation is an effective tool and recommended for stress. It is, however, very difficult to see how a stressed person can relax, and if he or she cannot relax, meditation becomes very difficult. It is better to have hypnosis as an immediate treatment and use meditation for the long term and overall life enhancement.

Lets face it. Stress is an unpleasant thing. It takes your libido away. It steals enjoyment out of your life. You can develop anger, rage, anxiety and depression. During stress you become less creative and make unnecessary mistakes.

Worse of all, stress triggers the fight or flight reaction. This shuts off important nutrients to some organs of the body while at the same time stimulating the heart. This is why research has shown it is responsible for 90% of all diseases. In industry there are millions of days a year lost through stress and the cost to health services is enormous.

Hypnosis can change your attitude to stress and it is not just a treatment for your present stress but it gives you belief and coping skills to control stress in the long term.

During hypnosis, the hypnotist will give you very powerful and effective post hypnotic suggestions not just on how to cope with your current situation but generally on all aspects of your life. He is likely to say, you are calm and relaxed. You will confront any situation calmly and know that if it can be done, you are very capable and competent and you can do it. This type of post hypnotic suggestion will help you to approach your next task with the attitude that it can be done. All you have to do is find the best way rather than thinking you cannot do it.

When looking for the best long term treatment for stress, consider hypnotherapy for a safe and effective way foward. It can change how you view life in general by creating a state of heightened awareness during right brain activity. The right brain does not analyse or filter like the left brain. It accepts suggestions readily and once accepted, the beneficial results soon follow.

When used appropriately, competition raises the bar for the quality of goods and services, as well as the skill levels of employees. However, inappropriate uses of competition can result in turf wars, budget fights, incentive programs that reward only a few, destroyed interpersonal relationships, low morale and productivity, and needless conflicts. Many leaders, managers and employees, who are otherwise affable, reasonable, peaceful people, buy into the competitive WIN/LOSE paradigm without questioning its true effects.

The Game

In my leadership, teambuilding, and conflict resolution training for organizations, we play a game early in the session. I separate people into two similar-sized groups and say that the goal is “to get as many points as possible.” After describing the rules, I send the groups away to strategize. When the groups return, in 99% of the time, the game will be played competitively between the two groups. While trying to score points, they use valuable resources to block the other group from scoring. The usual outcome is one group’s claiming victory and bragging how they are “number one.”

When I ask what the goal was, the most prevalent answer is “for our team to win the game.” Others answer that they wanted “to prevent the other team from scoring” and “to maximize our dominance.” I reiterate the goal–”It is simply to get as many points as possible”–and reveal that there are 100 points possible. One by one, as they realize some of their resources were squandered keeping the other group down, each participant gets the “AHA!” Collectively, they realize how they automatically assumed a competitive paradigm to play the game against the other group.

Because of the division into two groups, they automatically assumed the groups were “teams.” The competitive paradigm is so ingrained in our thought processes that the division into groups is enough to skew what is being asked.

Implications for the Workplace

In my training sessions, I ask participants, “Who here likes to lose?” As expected, no one raises a hand. If no one likes to lose, why do we insist upon the inevitable win/lose scenario in many workplace situations? Would harmony and cooperation serve the organization better than constant competition?

Let’s take the paradigm of competition into the arena of conflict. Conflict is inevitable most days of our lives because of differences in personal preferences, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. But there is a better way to deal with conflict than imposing the “someone has to lose and it ain’t gonna be me” paradigm

In his popular book entitled, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey describes three principles for interpersonal success that apply especially to conflict:

(1) Think Win/Win (mutual benefit in all human interactions)

(2) Seek First to Understand, and then to be Understood (empathic listening)

(3) Synergize (working together cooperatively resulting in a total effect that is greater than the individual effects).

When parties involved in conflict aim for a Win/Win outcome, listen to the other parties involved and empathize with them, and then cooperate, collaborate and figure out solutions that meet everyone’s needs, relationships are built and solidified, not destroyed. As trusting, cooperative relationships grow, conflict becomes less threatening and peaceful conflict resolution becomes possible and leads to developing high performing workplace teams.

Of course, no alternative approach is going to totally get rid of conflict in the workplace. Diversity and disagreement are important, and conflict may be an opportunity for developing creative solutions. Additionally, competition is very real when careers and promotions within an organization are being considered. So what’s a good approach?

The answer lies in understanding and systemically embracing the concept of “coopetition,” appropriate cooperation and sharing of information and resources between competing individuals and even between organizations. Coopetition is a key to the growth and the raising of standards in organizations, companies, industries and their associations.

Although many associations have practiced coopetition for a long time, the term itself is relatively new and needs wider recognition and acceptance as a workplace concept. Coopetition is based on the principle of the individual’s having the betterment of the team and the organization at heart rather than self-promotion. How well a person fosters teamwork, serves internal and external customers, problem solves, and helps to meet the organization’s goals become an important measuring stick for career promotions. Once it is accepted, promoted and utilized by management as an important part of the organizational culture, employees will get the message and their behavior will follow. Role modeling by management is critical to the success of this concept.

By embracing and promoting coopetition, along with cooperation, collaboration, synergistic problem solving, and creativity, an organization can overcome inappropriate competition in the workplace. The creative energy unleashed in the resulting cooperative teamwork can have a dramatic positive effect on interpersonal relationships, customer service, morale, productivity and the bottom line, and that will make everyone in the organization happy!

Research in psychoneuroimmunology (the study of the interaction of behavioral, neural, and endocrine factors and the functioning of the immune system) reveals that stress and the resultant way we think can have positive or negative effects on our immune system. Laughter results in breaking the stress cycle, positive effects on the immune system, and helps in the development and maintenance of a positive attitude. There are many stressors currently facing employees during this time of depressed economy. Relieving stress is a key to keeping employee performance and productivity at a premium!

Recent research is showing that most diseases are stress related. Absenteeism, insurance premiums, accidents (on and off the job), interpersonal conflicts and violence are connected to physical and mental diseases and are affecting the bottom line. Businesses that support and encourage appropriate positive humor in the workplace are finding that it can actually be good for business.

Positive humor is fostered by a positive attitude, positive creativity and constructive actions. All of these are keys for dealing with new business challenges, as well as the associated change and stress. With supportive research, I assert that

People who are humorous are more playful

People who are more playful are more creative

People who are more creative find more solutions

People who find more solutions can better deal with everyday challenges, change, and the associated stress.

Tips for Using Positive Humor in the Workplace

By all means tell jokes and humorous stories. However, recognize that they are about 5% of all possible techniques to evoke mirth and subsequent laughter. I encourage you to be creative with the many other ways to be humorous.

Listen to great joke tellers, learn their jokes and pass them on as you see fit. More importantly, put on your creativity hat to improve such jokes and to make up your own jokes. Many great jokes come from real life situations and the creative license of the person telling them.

Tell humorous stories. Tell these one-on-one, in small co-worker groups, or during a presentation just for fun or to introduce a concept or principle. The greatest reservoir for humor is your life, especially your childhood. Take the time to sit down, close your eyes, and reflect on fun things in your life from early childhood, through elementary school, middle school, high school, secondary and post-graduate education. Then, go through all your jobs, military service, church events and activities, community events. Think about fun things you and your friends did. Now, write them down by title or outline. By taking things from your life, you will connect with your audience as do the best humorists.

Emphasize the importance of “positive” humor. Most comedians are into “negative” humor, i.e., putting down people. Most jokes, but not all, are put-downs and that’s why some people avoid telling them. Some of us tend to use put-downs with our friends to show that we care about one another, to laugh at ourselves and to bond. I’m okay with that. Some of us use put-downs to intentionally hurt others. I’m not okay with this.

If there is no malice in your heart, there will be no malice in your jokes or your creativity.

By using creativity, one can change a socially unacceptable joke to one that is appreciated, remembered and used by others. Changing offensive words and using self-deprecation to change are the keys. Making up funny sounding nonsense words to substitute for offensive words is a fun challenge. Once you learn how, you get better and better.

Making fun of yourself is an age-old humor strategy that works extremely well! People love other people who can laugh at themselves rather than trying to hurt someone else. A little sarcasm is okay. However, if it is the only meal you serve, people will stop coming to your table! Positive humor and positive attitude go hand in hand. Here’s some advice: Keep employees with negative humor, negative attitudes and foul mouths away from the frontline or else you will lose customers!

Have a training session on “positive” humor in the workplace. Identify “positive” and negative” humor. Talk about the application of positive humor and positive attitude to customer service. Distinguish the difference between taking risks to be humorous and “rampant silliness” that will turn off customers (internal and external). Emphasize that we all have different senses of humor and that you will never be able to please everyone. However, it is important to be assertive and set boundaries with people who insist on telling certain kinds of jokes that are offensive (sexual harassment, racism, and the over- the- top derogatory words and phrases). Encourage constructive feedback from co-workers so employees who use offensive language will understand. Discuss the appropriate times and places for the humorous activities suggested in this article because they differ from organization to organization.

Use ice breaker and energizer games for group settings. Make them invitational (some people just don’t want to participate). One of my favorite ice breakers involves getting people to share humorous stories about themselves with one another. For a quick and fun energizer with a group, I lead aerobic patting. Starting with my hands, arms, head and neck, then down to the front of my thighs, my shins, my calves, the back of my thighs, ending at my “booty.” In both of these cases, people are laughing and no one has told a joke. Like I always say, you don’t have to tell a joke to get people to laugh. There are books written on ice breakers and energizers, so all you need to do is a little research, as well as use your creativity. Make up your own with items like balloons, balls, marbles, rubber chickens, stuffed animals, candy bars, fruit, marshmallows, etc., etc.

On breaks or during celebrations, play nonsense, cooperative and low competition games for fun. Emphasize that it doesn’t matter who wins the game; it’s for fun! The more mistakes that are made, the more fun it is. These games are true tests of whether or not people are able to lighten up! Play nonsense, cooperative and low competition games for fun. Emphasize that it doesn’t matter who wins the game; it’s for fun! The more mistakes that are made, the more fun it is. These games are true tests of whether or not people are able to lighten up! A great nonsense game I love to play alone, as well as with others, is Bop-It. It’s a game that can be played on short or long work breaks. Caution: It’s addictive! You can purchase various sizes of Bop-It at your local toy store.

Use fun props. Having a prop box in the workplace is a good idea. Funny glasses are always great props. You have a choice of Grouch/Beagle Puss glasses, huge sunglasses, thick bottle glasses, zany shaped and colored glasses, and glasses with funny shaped eyes. Turn your back to a person or group, slip on the glasses, turn around and make a funny comment. You’ll get a laugh or a groan (a groaner is better than nothing) every time. I like to use props to communicate an important observation about co-workers behaviors. For example, if one of your co-workers who you consider is a friend is acting like a jerk, walk over to that person’s desk while they are there and sit a stuffed Eyore (the donkey in Winnie the Pooh books) in an auspicious place. Say nothing, just give the person a big smile and walk away. Since stuffed Eyores come in different sizes, having at least two will give you an opportunity to show whether you thing the person is being a big or a little jerk. Other things like a huge aspirin you can get at a magic/clown stores can tell someone that they are being a pain. A heart balloon can tell someone that they have touched your heart with their act of kindness. Smile always helps to keep the messages in a fun context.

Noisemakers and humorous musical instruments really get attention. I love the sliding flutes, train whistles, zinger whistles, kazoos and nose flutes. People can’t stop laughing when I play a “nose” flute for them. Even better is when I try to teach them to play. It has something to do with images, I think! When I give new nose flutes out to attendees in my programs, someone always ask if they have been recycled. It always gets a laugh.

Practical jokes can be a lot of fun! There are practical jokes you can buy, e.g., the “whoopee” cushion, the hand buzzer, exploding golf balls, etc., but the best ones are those you think up on your own spontaneously. Be carefulhave fun but avoid scaring people into heart attacks. And remember, what goes around, comes around. Be willing to accept what comes back to you and laugh about it.

Use string figures and balloon sculptures are great props to help you teach points in a fun way, to help a coworker get out of the dumps (make their favorite balloon animal), and to decorate in fun ways for celebrations. Both are easy to learn. You can find books on string figures at bookstores. Appropriate balloons, balloon pumps and books on balloon sculpting can be found in magic stores and toy stores.

Celebrate successes and achievements (small and big) and recognize coworkers with fun gifts and cards, as well as personalized gifts. Recognition is something everyone wants. Whether it’s job success, personal achievement, birthday, holiday, other special occasions, or “just because I’m thinking of you,” we all like the special attention given to us. Whether it’s giving humorous cards, gag gifts, crazy candy, goofy flowers, funny skits or birthday roasts, coworkers will appreciate one another and enjoy their jobs better when they are celebrated and recognized. Important Note: It’s okay to buy things for people, but making something for them will be appreciated more and be more memorable. Why? We show our love/how much we care when we take time to personalize gifts.

Create a “Fun” Bulletin Board. This is a place for sharing cartoons, email jokes, poems, short stories, photographs, quotes, humorous newsletters, etc. It’s a good place to post notices of local fun activities, such as performances by humorists, plays, festivals, concerts, and other activities that will help employees have joy in their lives.

Share humorous audio tapes and watch humorous videotapes. On work breaks, coworkers can share humorous audio tapes (purchased or self-recorded) or watch humorous videotapes. The old time radio bloopers are my favorite. Taping radio programs, like Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, etc., is a good way to store humor for a later time when a humor boost is needed. Remember the scout motto: Be Prepared!

Use humor in training. Let me say it loudlyTRAINING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE BOOOOOOORING!!! Lectures and reading off of PowerPoint slides is the best way to bore your audience. When employees are bored or fall asleep during training, they fail to get the messages. Research in adult training shows that individuals learn best when they are entertained, involved in experiential activities and get some laughs. Human Resources can use some humorous videotapes for training. John Cleese and other humorists have some great training videotapes available. Having in-house trainers, and other presenters in the organization, take train-the-trainer courses on “edu-tainment should help in their presentations. Additionally, hiring speakers and trainers, who are known for their “edu-tainment” abilities, for special presentations can be a good way to show staff appreciation.

Reading is usually thought of as an individual activity; however, reading humorous short stories or poems out loud to others is another possibility. After reading some humorous material, one can share it during work breaks, during training, before or after work. Sharing humorous reading resources might peak the interest of others enough for them to start reading similar things. Who knows when it will help someone who is always in a bad mood?

Sharing cartoons by clipping them out of the newspaper, photocopying (sometimes modifying) and posting on a bulletin board, or just giving them to someone personally, can help coworkers get a laugh. Cartoon books are great gifts, not only for others but also for yourself. I have given myself all the collections of “The Far Side, “Calvin and Hobbes,” “For Better or Worse” and “Herman.” With CRS (Can’t Remember Stuff), I get to read them again every year and laugh just as much as the first time.

With many people having e-mail now, sending and receiving humorous material is much easier. (Yes, yes, yes, let’s not overdo it! Eliminating it altogether prevents some much needed stress relief.) I keep a humor buddy list and exchange materials on a daily basis. When I get notes back from someone saying that a particular piece helped her or him to cope, I know it’s a good thing to do. Share humorous email newsletters. Maybe sending them to one’s home email address is more appropriate, depending upon an organization’s policy.

Learn new skills or renew old skills to share with coworkers in humorous ways. Here are some suggestions unmentioned heretofore: magic; buffoonery juggling; mouth sounds and cartoon animal voices (e.g., Mickey Mouse

Every year, millions of people around the world jump on the Internet bandwagon to seek their fortune in cyberspace. Unfortunately, only a handful of them have the right attitude to learn how to make money online, and they are the ones who succeed. Their success is rooted in their attitude: they look at life as a glass half-full instead of half-empty and regard their Internet business the same way. That’s the right attitude to learn how to make money online

Successful online entrepreneurs who have the right attitude to learn how to make money online are optimistic, not pessimistic. They firmly believe that they can handle any challenges (glass half-full) and not that these challenges will prevent them from attaining Internet success (glass half-empty). It’s this positive attitude that propels them to success

Let’s cite an example. Everyone knows Thomas Alva Edison is the inventor of the light bulb. But did you know that he made thousands and thousands of mistakes before he could come up with a light bulb that worked? When asked about what kept him going after so many failures, Edison replied, “Well, after I had found thousands of ways NOT to make a light bulb, I was sure it would only be a matter of time before I found the way that worked.” Edison viewed his light bulb problems simply as the glass being half-full. That’s a classic example of having the right attitude to learn how to make money online

To have the right attitude to learn how to make money online, an Internet entrepreneur must always be optimistic and see the glass as half-full. Here are three reasons why this can help him achieve online success.

Worrying too much can weigh heavily on an online entrepreneur. Not only does it attract misfortune, it also affects our health. That’s why optimistic people seldom worry. Sure, they are concerned that their products or services may not be good enough or their Internet marketing is insufficient or that their limited knowledge of the Internet will prevent them from succeeding online. There’s so much to worry about. But they choose to focus on what they can do today instead of worrying about something that they can’t do anything about. Optimistic people know that they will survive all challenges because they always have. That’s the right attitude to learn how to make money online.

When someone begins a business on the Internet, the things that he has to learn can be daunting. He has to learn how to find clients, how to sell his products or services, how to write a blog, promotional articles or press releases and many other things. It’s literally like learning to function in a new world: a virtual world. Under these circumstances, optimism is the best attitude to learn how to make money online because it helps the budding entrepreneur negotiate his new world with confidence. It keeps him on the right track. Think of it as a pair of women who are getting divorced. The one who is pessimistic thinks, “Oh no, my life is over.” The one who is optimistic thinks, “Oh yes, my life has just begun.” Which of them do you think will adapt to their new life better? Naturally, it’s the one who is optimistic, and it’s the same way with doing business online.

Sometimes, what you need to learn to succeed on the Internet can be very technical and very difficult. It can be so difficult that you hardly know where to begin. Under these circumstances, optimism is absolutely the best attitude to learn how to make money online. Without optimism, a person can easily give up and accept his limitations. However, with optimism, even the seemingly impossible can be attained.

The magic of optimism is that it makes even the impossible seem attainable. Is there any better attitude to learn how to make money online than that? Armed with optimism, cyclist Lance Armstrong overcame testicular cancer and went on to win the grueling Tour de France six straight times. Armed with optimism, Roger Crawford overcame the fact that he was born with one leg and two arms to become a tennis professional in Australia. And armed with optimism, you too can work your own miracles on the Internet. The bottom line is that, with the right attitude to learn how to make money online, anything is possible. With optimism, anything can be achieved.

So many of us harbor beliefs about ourselves that are not only wrong, but downright destructive. Would you like to find out how to bypass the Belief Detective inside of you that is holding you back from believing good things about yourself?

You may not realize this, but your beliefs are assumptions, explanations, and conclusions you’ve adopted throughout your life starting in infancy. They become the rules that shape your perception of the world. They become so ingrained, due in part to your experiences that seem to prove their accuracy. So you think they are truth, when in fact they are not.

Many times two children can grow up in the same household, in the same environment and end up with vastly different beliefs. How can that happen? It happens because the individual’s beliefs are based on how they interpret an environment, not on the actual environment itself. One child may grow up feeling neglected because their parents worked a lot. They may end up being needy and always seeking love because they felt rejected. The other child may become fiercely independent because they believe that they learned to stand on their own two feet. Same environment, different interpretation, different beliefs.

The beliefs we hold are the very foundation upon which we view our world. If our beliefs limit us in some way, then it is hard to move forward and break down barriers. Any time we learn something new, or do something that challenges a deeply rooted belief we experience great resistance. I know in my own life, I sometimes feel like there is a tug of war going on. It’s like I have this Big Bad Belief Detective standing guard so that when a strongly held belief is challenged, the Belief Detective puts up a fight.

Have you noticed any time in your life when your negative beliefs have kept you stuck, even though you don’t seem to know why? You say to yourself, “I get all the bad luck” and guess what, you do. But we all have positive beliefs as well or we would never get out of bed. Most of our beliefs are hidden deep in our sub-conscious mind, and we don’t even know that they are running the show until we try to change them, which then becomes quite a challenge.

Sometimes we get lucky and beliefs that no longer serve us dissipate by themselves and are replaced by more positive beliefs (Like you believe you can’t swim until you do – belief gone!). So what we need to do is uncover the beliefs that have been stopping us and replace them with beliefs that better serve us.

NNow how do you go about changing these beliefs? First you have to be willing and you need to realize that the beliefs you hold have some sort of payoff for you. Maybe they prove you right, maybe they keep you safe, but whatever it is, when you try to change it, your Big Bad Belief Detective will try to stop you. For instance, I was told that doing affirmations was very helpful in reprogramming limiting beliefs. However, I found that I just couldn’t do them for any length of time. I’d get bored, tired or find other excuses not to do them. Why, because my Belief Detective put up those roadblocks to stop me from trying to change my beliefs. Insidious, isn’t it? I finally realized that I would need to find a way to bypass my Belief Detective.

I just had to find a way, so I tried meditation, visualization, hypnosis and a lot of other stuff with some limited success, but the excuses would always creep back in and I’d stop doing them. What finally worked for me was to set my affirmations into short, catchy little tunes. Have you ever heard a jingle on TV or the radio that played in your head all day long? Well, I used that phenomenon and created short little jingles with affirmation statements in them. They would run all day long in the back of my mind over and over. I called them AttitudeZapz!

Has there ever been a time when you’ve argued with yourself about song lyrics? Not very likely. Also scientific studies have proven that by keeping the critical part of the the mind, the conscious mind, occupied by music, the uncritical subconscious will be able to accept the affirmations without filtering them. There’s no little voice inside your head telling you it’s not true. And once these little affirmation jingles get stuck in your head, you can sing them on autopilot and you don’t even have to wonder if you believe the words or not. They just melt right into your subconscious mind with no effort at all.

So finally I’d found a way to bypass the Belief Detective. Because of that one little thing, I’ve grown by leaps and bound and you can too. You can do the same thing with your own affirmations if you want to, or if you don’t feel that creative, try AttitudeZapz!, and your Belief Detective will soon be out of a job!

As I sit here working on this article my 4-year-old son hangs out with me with a little cold and fever. I keep telling him he needs some medicine but all he has said since he got out of bed is “I’m better now. I’m all better.” How much does our attitude effect how well we deal with our illness and our level of happiness?

Everyone handles the troubles in their lives in assortment of ways. While some people put on a happy face and intentionally decide they will use their illness as an opportunity, others will drive home from the physician’s office anxious about how much longer they will be able to drive because of the seriousness of the pain. They’ll lie down on the couch and not leave the house for years. Why do some people thrive even though they have a chronic illness while others simply go into survival mode, even using the illness as an excuse for everything that goes wrong in their life?

So what do happy chronically ill people have in common?

Here are a few things I’ve discovered:

[1] They maintain hope. We’ve found through research that people who have hope actually recover from surgery faster than those who have less hope. Hope is fundamental and a basic step in finding contentment despite our situation. The 2006 theme of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week was “My illness is invisible but my hope shines through.” This is an attitude we should all have.

[2] They persevere. It’s no secret that living with chronic pain is. . .painful! Physically, emotionally, and spiritually it can zap our strength and spirit. Typically, our health is one of the main foundations we count on in order to have a change to conquer those dreams. Chronically ill people who are happy have learned how to continue to aim high for their dreams, or to reevaluate their dreams and create new ones. Sometimes the new goals are even more taxing that the original ones, but passion pushes them forward.

[3] They are good advocates when it comes to their health. Paul J. Donoghue and Mary E. Siegel, authors of “Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired,” write “Getting this help in a consistently satisfying manner is as essential as it is challenging. You will need perseverance, courage and skill. You will need to understand your needs and be committed to getting them” (p. 160). People who feel like they are part of the decision making process regarding their care and treatment, and who actively seek out doctors who partner with them, are more happy than those who feel out of control. For example, it’s important to have a medical team that will understand your desire to have children, and will give you the best treatment if you decide to go forward with this, rather than punish you by giving you poor care.

[4] People who are happy don’t claim the victim role, in fact, they tend to ask, “Why not me?” rather than “Why me?” To fashion this attitude may take effort if it doesn’t come naturally. But a lot of these people get involved in different organizations that serve people. And when one is around others who live with illness, cancer, or who have left abusive homes, they quickly understand that this world is not a perfect place. When things are going pretty well in their lives, they recognize it as a blessing, not a right.

[5] They have a strong foundation of who they are, shielding them from taking things too personally. Having a strong faith can make this much easier because one understands that her value and worth as a person doesn’t depend on what she can accomplish with her physical strength. She learns what she is responsible for (like an attitude) and not (like an infection that keeps returning). This can help avoid having unnecessary guilt for things out of her control.

[6] They communicate competently. Being able to talk with others, explain your feelings, learning to listen effectively, and watching your words carefully, can help you avoid a lot of troubles. Misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and arguments can affect your whole life and your body’s capacity to cope with an illness. One must learn to manage bitterness and focus on healthy relationships. Happy people with illness are good at understanding when to talk about their illness and how much to share about their personal lives.

[7] They legitimately care about other people. Though no one wants to attend the “university of chronic illness” for their education, people who are happy allow their experiences to be a gift of knowledge. They can share successes and struggles with others. They are able to utilize their experiences as a way to help a friend or become a mentor. One secret of finding true happiness is to look outside of ourselves and reach out to other people.

Author J.K. Rowling once said, “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” This quote is never more applicable than to those who live with chronic pain each day.

Completing a successful interview is a necessary requirement for achieving that desired job. The following questions are most commonly asked questions. Practicing these will assist you in making the best of your preparation time. Before considering these questions, however, there are a number of important things you should also have ready such as company research, committing your resume to memory, being aware of appropriate behavior during the interview, dressing appropriately, and concluding the interview with a sincere expression of thanks.

These questions should be part of your overall guide to surviving an interview successfully. They will provide you with the key to mastery of any interview within a short period of time and introduce you to the necessities of superior answering skills, an appropriate carriage, the ability to exude confidence and a calm attitude. These will allow you to stand out from the crowd. There are number of questions often asked by interviewers in an attempt to “weed out” the lesser candidates and these may discourage you: being aware of them will prevent you from falling into this trap.

The top job interview questions are as follows: > What do you consider to be your weaknesses? > Why should I hire you and not someone else? > Why you wish to work in our company? > What are your career goals? > What was behind your decision to leave your previous job? > What did you find was the most satisfying aspect of your last job? > What are the three positive comments your last supervisor would have regarding you? > What can you do for us that other candidates cannot? > What do you expect by way of salary? > If you were an animal, which one would you want to be and why?

There are a few more important questions which are considered equally important. > How long you plan to remain with our company? > Where do you see yourself in five years time? > Why did you choose this particular course of study? > What do you choose to do in your spare time? > What are the other types of job opportunities or companies you may be considering?

Your aim in the interview must be to convince the employer that you have the requisite skills, background and ability to do the job well and that you are able to easily fit into the running of the company. Realise immediately that an interview is not an intentional process in which the employer offers the job to the best candidate based on merit only. It is a highly subjective exchange in which the best person is selected with regards to issues including personality, confidence, enthusiasm, a positive attitude, outstanding interpersonal skills and excellent communication.

It is advisable to prepare answers to these questions but don’t be tempted to recall them at will so that you sound like a robot. Instead, have a summarized script ready with the pertinent points highlighted. There is no reason to be scared by the questions, provided you are prepared. Using these “top” questions as a guide will provide you with the best opportunity to be successful in an interview.

A successful job interview is what can give you the big break in your career. Successfully cracking the interview is a difficult task and there are many pitfalls to avoid. The “fear factor” associated with an interview is the most deleterious aspect and will often ruin your chances. To overcome this problem, exceptional preparation is the only solution. If you tackle a job interview unprepared, you will find yourself in trouble and it will do nothing for your career reputation. Successful job interviews are those where you answer the questions intelligently, have a precise strategy and possess back up information about every item related to the job.

Prepare your plan for the interview, ensuring that you have all the necessary information regarding the company, its terms and conditions, and other relevant details. Gather your certificates of achievements and/or qualifications and mark sheets. Organize a first-rate file of all your data and present it in an attractive and standard format. Include your current resume on top of this file and ensure that you bring more than one copy of this resume with you.

Keep a written record of the type of questions you will be asked by the interviewer and prepare sample answers based on the facts at your disposal and your qualifications. The success of the interview is relies upon how well you answer the questions and how adequately you justify yourself. You should be able to explain to the interviewer your reasons for wanting this particular job, why you are wishing to gain entrance to this industry and what you are exactly looking for in this job. Your answers to these questions are crucial as they will rationalize your wishes and motivation. Expect to be also posed with questions such as, “What are your weaknesses and strengths?”, “What are your greatest accomplishments?”, “What do you really want to achieve in your career?”, “What does your experience tell you?” and other general questions. Your answers to these questions should be informative and you must explain your points in detail.

Mark out some examples from your experience and training, and utilize them when relevant and whenever you want to bring clarity to your answers. Create a good rapport with your interviewer and always give them your closest attention. Be observant and focused and speak sincerely and clearly. Justify to your interviewer how you plan to achieve your goals. Make sure that you have at least two or three high-quality references, as these have the capacity will place you ahead of other candidates. Always have a positive mind set, be enthusiastic and remain focused.

Have some questions prepared for you to ask the interviewer concerning the job and issues relevant to the company. This will indicate that you are really interested in securing this position and it also shows that you are concerned about company issues. Study the company policies and refer to the company?s web site for any further information about which interviewer may ask. Be ready to answer “trick” questions eg. “Where do you see yourself five years from now?”, “What do you think would be your previous supervisor?s opinion of you as a worker?” etc.

You can have a successful conclusion to the interview if you follow these guidelines and think cleverly.