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 Start Your Day on the Wrong Side of the Bed

   Start your New Year’s resolution today and enjoy a happier and healthier life. The way you begin your day has an impact on how the rest of your day will go, so start it off on a positive note.

  5 Tips For Keeping a Sunny Smile This Winter

  As I look out the window and see the leaves falling with the cold rain, I realize winter is just around the corner and along with the cold air and snow come the long periods of darkness in our days. People will tend to spend more time indoors and spend less time outdoors doing physical activities. Whether you call it “cabin fever” or “seasonal affective disorder”(SAD…fitting right?) doesn’t matter, all I know is the feeling just sucks!

 So this year instead of waiting winter out and hoping that somehow this year will be different, how about taking some small action steps everyday to keep us smiling while the snow is falling. Here are a few simple things you can do that will keep you in a better frame of mind this winter.

 Limit Your Television Viewing

  One of the hardest things to do is keeping the television off  during the winter. The daylight hours are shorter during this time of year so the more time you spend watching TV during the day the less time you will in the sunshine. Schedule your viewing for the end of the day and limit the time you spend watching the news. Networks rely on ratings and what captivates every one’s attention is drama and fear so keep a cap on the crap you allow into your life.

  I challenge you  not to watch the news or reading the newspaper for one week! After one week see if you notice a difference in your attitude towards life. Don’t worry if the world ends tomorrow, you will eventually find out, without watching the news.

 Here is an interesting fact: If you watch 3.5 hours of TV a day and live the average life span of a man or woman, you would have spent about 13 years of your life watching that TV.

   When It’s Sunny, Get Outside

  The sun is very important in keeping our mood levels elevated so when you see the sun shining bundle up and get outside and take advantage of this FREE source of inspiration. This is especially important if you work indoors and see little of the daylight. Get outside on your lunch breaks.

  Keep Physically Active

  This takes commitment and is crucially important! If you can’t get outside to go for a walk or run or to a gym, get yourself started on an exercise routine in your home. Physical activity increases serotonin levels in us which elevates our mood.

  I have been challenged the last two winters with neck surgery in December of 2008 and shoulder surgery coming up next week. I found that any little bit is helpful, whether it’s walking on the treadmill, stretching or walking up and down the stairs in your home. Keep yourself active. How committed are you to feeling good?

 Watch Your Diet

  I know one of the easiest things to do when cooped up at home is keep opening up the fridge and cupboards looking for that comfort food. Be conscious of what you are eating and buy groceries that supply you with energy and not bloat you and cause you to feel sluggish which will bring your mood levels down.

  Listen To Uplifting Music

  Are there any songs that make you think of summer?  I have a collection of songs I like to play poolside in the summer so playing them in the winter connects me to the warm days floating in the water with a cold drink in my hand! Music is very powerful in that it links our emotions to specific times and feelings.

 Are You Starting To Feel Warmer?

  There you have it, just some simple suggestions to make this winter season a happier one,. The important thing is to be conscious of how your living and don’t just put your life on auto-pilot. Take action in your life, your happiness depends on it.

 I am leaving you with a song and artist that definitely brings out the memories of summer! Enjoy.

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.

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