Let The People In your Life Know They Are Special

    Take a little extra time this Valentine’s Day( or any holiday) to let the loved one’s in your life know how important they are to you. When you go out and buy them a greeting card,take the time to  personalize it by writing your thoughts and feelings from your heart inside the card. This will mean so much more than just putting your signature below some pre-written words in the card. Better yet, buy a card that is blank inside or even make your own card! You don’t have to worry about coming up with some clever rhymes just tell them what is in your heart. You will be surprised at the response you get!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Slawek Polinski

Men of Action

How Are Your life’s Resolutions Going?

  Well, we are three weeks into the year of 2010, so how are your New Year’s Resolutions going? Have you given up on them already? No worries, just start some new ones and get going. Though many people set new goals for themselves at the beginning of the year, that is not something that is or should be etched in stone. You should always be taking a look at your life and looking for ways to mix things up and break the boring daily routine many of us fall into. I know how easy it is to do the same thing over and over every day and let’s face it, that type of living requires little or no thought, as a matter of fact you could probably do it in your sleep. Hmmmmm, are we sleep walking through life?

I Feel A Change Coming In My Life

  After years and years of sleepwalking through life, you know, every day going to work, coming home and eating some dinner and then spending some quality time in front of the TV set, many men (women too), lose their passion for living. That doesn’t mean they do not love their family, it just means they have lost that fire in their heart. For many men this is a crisis point in their lives because for so many years they have defined themselves around their jobs and the work they do and then one day they wake up and don’t know who they are or what their passion is. They feel empty. Some men freak out at this point and make drastic changes in their lives hoping to find that drive again and many times this ends up being very painful for their families. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Discover Your Life Passion Through Action

  If you are at that point in your life where you know there is more to living than the daily routine you have been following for years and you don’t know where to start, just take a deep breath and relax for a minute. Congratulate yourself first for acknowledging the fact that life should be lived fully and not walked through while sleeping. Next, please be patient with yourself and give yourself some time to discover what excites you, what ignites that fire in your heart. You have spent many years pushing your passions aside and so it will take a little time to find them again. How do you find them? Make a conscious effort to try new things in your life. You will find some things you thought you wouldn’t like really don’t resonate well with you once you gave them a go.  As you go through this trial and error process you will find those things that feel right to you, that bring you happiness and satisfaction.

Small Steps Lead To Big Results

  The key is to step out of you comfort zone and try things you normally wouldn’t. This will bring much excitement to your life. Take dance lessons with you wife or partner. Take some music lessons. I recently started playing the guitar and percussion (djembe, bongos, congas) and though I am not very good yet, I get such a rush out of playing them, especially the drums. Check out the internet or local papers for classes, workshops and retreats as this is a great way to give new activities a test run. Just remember that changes don’t happen overnight and if you continue to take small steps forward, you will reach your destination of happiness.

Slawek Polinski

Men Of Action

Don’t Take Life And The People In Your Life For Granted

    Saying “I Love You” means so much to the people in our lives and is never, ever said enough. Life is short, so never pass up an opportunity to let the people in your life know you love them. Take the time TODAY to tell them how much they mean to you. Live every day as if it was your last.Merry  Christmas to all!

Slawek Polinski
Men Of Action

Men, It’s Your Health

  The other night my wife and I were watching a program on the television which is something we do not do often and when we do, we watch recorded programs to avoid the commercials. While watching this 2 hour show I saw somewhere in the vicinity of  a half dozen commercials about erectile dysfunction or I believe e.d. is the hip acronym the pharmaceuticals like to refer to it as. The thing that amused me was how quickly they breeze through the side effects. Did you miss them? Let me list them out for you:

• Chest Pain
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Facial Flushing
• Blurred Vision
• Bluish Vision

 Out of the above, the only one that is slightly appealing to me is the bluish vision. Living my life in the land of “smurfs” could be kind of cool. Another side effect is an erection lasting more than four hours and if this should happen I am to call my doctor to avoid permanent injury. Somehow I think if this should happen the phones in my house would mysteriously disappear. Oh, there are two more side effects they breezed through at the end of the commercial as if they were no big deal. In rare cases patients could suffer loss of hearing and vision and should call their doctor immediately if they suffer from these side effects. Let me get this straight, I cannot see or hear and yet I am to find my phone and listen to my doctor’s instructions?

Let’s Get Serious About Your Health

  The purpose of this article is not to poke fun at erectile dysfunction or the men that need to be medicated for it. If they have exhausted all alternatives, I applaud them for taking action for their health and life. That being said, I think in more cases than not, men and women are looking for that magic pill to make everything all better instead of making healthier changes in their life. Let’s look at “ED” and some of it’s major causes:

• High blood pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Depression
• Stress
• Smoking and alcohol
• Heart Disease
• Certain medicines

 Now it is proven that with a change in diet and lifestyle many of these health issues can be corrected and yet many will opt for the possible loss of vision and hearing instead instead making those changes. Why is that?

 Men, Be Responsible For Your Health

  Many men will live with a health issue for some time before seeing a doctor. Sometimes this is because of embarrassment and sometimes a man just doesn’t want to admit his vulnerability to these health issues. He doesn’t want to admit it to others as well as to himself so when he finally sees his doctor and the doctor offers him a prescription, he is quick to accept it and disregard the side effects as long as his current problem goes away.

  One of the causes of erectile dysfunction is also the cause of many of today’s illnesses which is stress. A person can take as many pills as they want and if they don’t reduce the stress in their life other illnesses will surface. It is time to be responsible for yourself and bring more balance into your life. Balance in sleep, nutrition, physical activity, recreation and of course your work. So please when you visit your doctor take in his or her advise on all you can do to increase the health and quality of your life. Take medicine when needed and don’t take it just to cover up the real issue.

*always check with your physician before starting, stopping or changing your prescription.

>

  To Be a Free Man

 “A man must love his father and yet be free of his father’s expectations and criticisms in order to be a free man.” ~ David Deida, The Way of The Superior Man

  In the third chapter of his book, the author asks his readers some powerful questions.  How might we have lived our lives differently if we never tried to please our fathers? If we didn’t try so hard to show our fathers we were worthy? If we never had to worry  or feel burdened by our father’s critical eye? How many passions were left unfulfilled due to the fear of criticism? The author guides his readers through an exercise in where we are to  imagine our father had died or to remember when he did die and to be aware of the feelings associated with that thought. Is there any part of us which is happy we no longer need to live up to to the expectations or suffer the criticisms of our fathers?

 My Fathers Death 

  It amazes me how strong a father’s opinion playes into our lives even into our adult years. We move out, get married, buy a house, have children of our own and still many of our decisions in life are based on our fathers approval. Even when we go ahead make a dcecisionwhich is right for us or our family we sometimes withhold the details form our fathers just to avoid their reaction.

 I remember the day my dad passed away,  it was very sad to lose him and yet I did feel that sense of freedom the author mentioned in his book.  My father did his best to raise me, I know that, and still the thought of his critcism or disapproval still affected me to the day of his death.

 My Son is Moving Out

  Today I was helping my son Chris pack as he will spend the next few days moving out to his new apartment. I am very excited for him and for the new chapter in his life. Our house will not be the same without his energy here. We talked about him moving out a couple of nights ago and his emotions were normal and to be expected. He was happy, excited and he also was experiencing some fear of the unknown. I assured he was making the right choice and I had di not have any doubts of him doing well on his own. As much as his mom and I love having  Chris live with us he could not live his life a totally free man while still living under our roof. I explained to  Chris that on his own he  will enjoy the freedom of living his passions without worrying about our reactions. I love Chris and I am very proud of him and I know he too tries to live up to my expectations. I know those expectations keep him from living life as a free man.

 Take The Challenge

  For the next three days,  do at  least one activity a day that you have been avoiding because of your father’s influence. This exercise will allow you to practice being free of his expectations which have also become part of your own self- judgement. Do this and be conscious of the feeling you have inside. The feeling of freedom.

      <

 Sit Down to a Family Dinner

 A series of reports that were released between 1998 and 2004  from the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that adolescents who frequently ( more than twice a week) sat down to family meals were less likely to drink alcohol, use tobacco or marijuana than those who did not. These studies also suggest that the same adolescents had better grades, less depression and a higher self esteem than the kids who ate with their families less than twice a week.

  Your Children Need Your Coaching!

  Today it is very common to hear of someone getting  business coaching, relationship coaching and even life coaching. Your children need coaching too! They did not come into this world with instructions with how to handle everyday situations or even their emotions so they look to you for guidance in those areas. They are always watching and learning from you so take the time to sit down and tell them about your day and ask them about theirs and,….share your stories! As children grow older they might not tell you how important your time, your life’s insights mean to them, and don’t let that discourage you because the results will speak for themselves.