Archive for February, 2009

February26

The Power of Pessimism

By: RirianProject

Cheer up! Look on the bright side. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Are you tired of people telling you to be a little more optimistic? I have some good news for you! You could be a part of the up to 35% of Americans that use negative thinking called defensive pessimism that can lead to extremely positive results.

Now, I’m definitely not saying that you should adopt a “glass half empty” way of looking on your entire life. Defensive pessimism is a something that is used in certain situations to help manage anxiety, worry, and fear. They prepare for a situation by setting low expectations for themselves, but follow up with a detailed assesment of everything that could go wrong. Once they have the full range of problematic outcomes, they can start to figure out how to handle them, thus giving the defensive pessimist a sense of control.

The interesting part of these people is that they tend to be very successful individuals so their low opinion of the outcome of a situation really isn’t that realistic. It can actually become something that motivates them. For example, if a businessman thinks that their next appointment is going to be a tough sell, they will search out all possible angles on the situation and come up with answers and solutions to each of them. When the client arrives in their office, they are really ready for anything that could happen. The other side to the coin is when this type of person fails at a task. They are actually much more prepared for the failure so it tends not to be so catastrophic.

There is a possible downside to this type of thinking, and it tends to crop up in the relationships with others – whether it be professional or personal. Pessimism is something that could potentially annoy or anger others around you. It also tends to attract other negativity. Here are some tips to keep your pessimism working for you:

1. Prioritize your tasks and realize that not every worry is worth your time.
2. Respect others views.
3. Know when to move on

The trick, no matter where you sit on the pessimism/optimism scale is balance. And now, you can go back and tell everyone who’s ever told you to cheer up that there’s a true method to your madness!

Posted in: Featured, Self Improvement2 comments

February25

Too Sick for Work?

By: RirianProject

It doesn’t matter if it’s your spouse, your co-workers, or your boss that you’re worried about when you consider calling your boss to tell him or her that you are too sick to come in. Try as you might, you’ll never be able to hide from the common cold! Before you drag yourself into work, consider the following things when you’re about to expose your entire office to your bug.

If you have the sniffles, feel achy and tired, you may very well be coming down with the cold or flu. In the first few days after you caught the virus, you are most contagious. You aren’t going to be getting much work done while you have a cold and you will get better if you actually get some bedrest rather than tackling work at the office. Don’t be generous with your bug – stay home!

If you are sniffling, but do not have that achy feeling, and if you don’t have a fever, you likely have allergies. Good news – you can go to work! Though you may want to talk to you doctor to find out what is causing your allergies, there isn’t any harm that will come to those around you if you go into the office with your allergies.

If you have a fever combined with drenched clothes from sweating, then you likely have a fever. You should increase your fluid intake and consider seeing a doctor if your temperature rises beyond 102 or if it lasts longer than 3-4 days. Fever could indicate the onset of the flu, so you are best to stay at home with these symptoms. If your fever is combined with white patches on your tonsils, you may have contracted strep throat – which is extremely contagious – and could require antibiotics. It also means you need to get in to see your doctor ASAP!

Do you have a tickle in your throat? It could be caused from allergies or a cold virus. If you don’t have other cold symptoms, then I’m sorry to say – you’ll need to get into work! If your cough is combined with a cold you’ve had for the past few days and doesn’t get any better within a week, you’ll need to get in touch with your doctor to ensure there is nothing more serious happening like bronchitis or pneumonia.

If you’ve hurt your ear and have difficulty hearing, you may have an ear infection. Though not contagious (read: you can go to work), if it is coupled with cold symptoms, you are likely going to be contagious for the first couple of days. Either way, you should contact your doctor to find the source of your ear pain.

Pain that is around your eyes, top of your forehead, your cheekbones, or even the top of your teeth could be a sign of a sinus infection. You should be staying home for this ailment, and you should call your doctor too. Antibiotics may be required. Once the pain has been taken care of, you can return to work because sinus infections can’t be passed on to your co-workers.

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February24

Cosmetic Surgery: Questions To Ask Yourself

By: RirianProject

I’ll bet you didn’t know that there are good candidates and bad candidates for plastic surgery. I don’t necessarily mean if you are physically a good candidate. There are a lot of questions that you need to ask yourself to determine whether or not you are going to be a good candidate for surgery.

For the person who has had multiple surgeries – you need to ask yourself whether or not you are addicted to the surgeries. If you are, then there is a very good chance that there will never be enough that the doctor’s can do to turn you into your picture perfect self. If you are considering surgery for a psychological problem – you need to deal with that problem rather than trying to solve it with a physical change. Are you having plastic surgery because of things that someone else is telling you?

I think you get my point. Here are some additional questions you may want to ask yourself before going under the knife:

Do the advantages exceed the possible complications?

Every single medical procedure – no matter how routine or how experienced your doctor is – have complications. All potential patients should be getting more than one medical opinion on the positive and negative consequences to your surgery.

What about alternative approaches?
Having a medical procedure is often much easier than going the longer, more traditional way of diet and exercising. But what about other alternatives? Is there an injection that could be used? Most issues do have alternative treatment choices.

Where does your self-esteem come from?
If your self-esteem is going to rest on the outcome of your surgery, you may not be a good candidate for plastic surgery. The procedure will change the way you look, and that may affect the way you feel about yourself for a short time – but this will wear off and you will still need to confront the problem that causes the lower self esteem.

What are your expectations?
Have you thought about what you expect from the surgery? Do you think that you will be able to look like you are 18 again? Be realistic in what you are hoping to achieve with your surgery. Do you think the surgery will have a positive impact on your life?

Will the procedure help you reach your goals?
Sometimes people choose surgery to correct or alleviate a problem. For example – people try to alleviate their back pain with a breast reduction surgery. Be realistic about your goals – not only with yourself but also with your surgeon.

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February20

A Financial Intervention

By: RirianProject

One of my favourite people to get money advice from is Suze Orman. If you haven’t read any of her books, seen her on T.V, or heard her speak – you are really missing out! If you haven’t heard her story about her time at the Buttercup Café, then you need to look up her site and check it out.

Suze has offered tips, techniques, and advice on a lot of matters that deal with money, but she also talks about whether or not people can afford to do something. Her T.V show actually has a segment called “Can I Afford It?” where people can call in with their financial stats and tell her what they want to buy – and she’ll let you know whether or not you can afford it.

I read a recent article that talked about financial interventions. Let’s face it – there are some people in your life that make you feel like you are a personal bank. It’s a natural feeling to want to help out those around you – especially if you have the financial means to do so. Women especially, since they are usually hardwired to be nurturers and givers, have a difficult time saying no to a request of money. There are even those that will put others before their own needs – and that’s a problem!

When you are put into a situation where loved ones are asking you for money, here are Suze’s tips for what you can do to truly help the person in need.

• Say No. Suze feels strongly that your money won’t be the answer to their problem because this will only be a temporary fix. They are the only ones who can equip themselves to permanently fix their financial problems. Don’t worry about hurting their feelings. They will eventually understand where you are coming from. Suze says, “I will say no out of love, versus yes out of fear”.

•Put it in writing. When you put your words onto paper, it helps to ensure that the conversation won’t become heated. When arguments get heated, people say things they don’t mean; and that, my friend, may not be something your loved one will ever understand. Here is a copy of a “contract”.

• Talk and Listen. Saying no to your friend or family member shouldn’t be the end of the conversation – it should be the beginning. You can start with your feelings regarding the situation. Perhaps you want to talk about how you feel when they only come to you for money; or maybe you want to talk about your financial status. As long as it comes from a place of honesty and caring rather than anger and resentment, you will be fine!

• Commit to faith, integrity, and courage. Since it is no easy task to say no to someone you love, you need to have faith in who you are and who the other person is. You have to ensure that the words are all words of truth – and what I mean by that is that you aren’t saying things out of anger, making assumptions, or casting judgement. And lastly, you must have the courage to do what is right – not necessarily what is easy.

Suze has some more advice for people on her site (www.suzeorman.com)

In addition to Suze’s great tips, here are some additional ones that I maintain in my own life:

• There is nothing more powerful than children (or grandchildren). Depending on your situation, you may want to involve them to talk to the person. Could you imagine the impact on someone who doesn’t think they have a problem when their child tells them that they’re afraid of having to support them one day?

If you do choose to lend money to a family member, there are some things you really need to keep in mind.

• Before you even choose to lend money, be realistic about your situation. If you can’t afford to lose the money, you shouldn’t be lending it.
• Put everything in writing. It doesn’t have to be drawn up by a lawyer, but just a simple promise note that says you’ll be paid back in a certain amount of time.
• Be clear about your expectations. That could be the payment schedule, the timeframe in which you expect to be paid back, etc.

Posted in: Featured, Money & Finance0 comments

February19

Things That Make You Go Hmmm..

By: RirianProject

There are a lot of things in the world that make me pause, think, and end in a good ole hmmmm… We’ll leave the philosophical talk at the door, and get down to some interesting, and possibly unknown tidbits about your body.

• Goose bumps: Did you know that goose bumps actually have a scientific name? They’re called piloerection and they come popping up when you’re cold or even afraid. See, at the base of all the little hairs on your body is a little muscle that contracts and it appears as a bump on your skin. If you go back in history, when humans were a tad furrier than we are now, this served a wonderful purpose. Think about what your cat looks like when it gets scared, it arches his back, and his fur stands on end.

• Cracking Joints: The common joint in our body consists of two bones coming together in a capsule. Your knuckles are a good example of this type of joint. Inside the capsule is a fluid that contains dissolved gases. If you stretch the joint, you’re compressing both the joint and the fluid inside which forces the gases to escape the fluid. The popping sound you hear is the release of air within the joint capsule. Once your joint cracks, it is a little more flexible, but it also explains why you can’t crack the same joint in quick succession – the gas needs to build back up!

• Tearing up from onions: As you cut an onion, you are rupturing its cells and release enzymes that produce a gas (propanethial sulfoxide). When that gas gets into your eyes, it reacts with your tears to produce sulphuric acid. Although it’s mild, it does hurt. Your brain sends signals to produce more tears in an effort to flush out the acid; more gas is making its way up to your eyes because you are still chopping onions. Did you know that if you chill an onion in the freezer before cutting it, you will keep the crying to a minimum? That’s because the gas release is slower when the onion is cold. You can also cut the bottom of the onion last since that’s where the majority of the enzymes are found.

• Did you know that your ears never stop growing? It’s true! Your outer ear will continue to grow for your entire life. Ears grow quite rapidly up until approximately age 10 and then slow down to less than .25 millimeters every year.

• Did you know that babies are born without a single freckle? Sure, many come into the world with birthmarks or beauty marks, but they don’t have a single solitary freckle. Freckles are produced by the skin using excess pigment in response to sun exposure – so you won’t see any freckles until your baby starts heading out into the sunlight!

• Have you ever had “pins and needles”? It’s actually caused by blocked blood flow to a pressed nerve. You may experience this if you’ve sit too long in a funny position, or even if you’ve just been sitting with crossed legs. Although similar, “pins and needles” is not the same as a pinched nerve. The intense sensation you feel – that crazy prickly feeling – is caused by pain messages to your brain.

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