When life tries to bury you

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.

The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; It just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. So he invited all his neighbours over to help him.

They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw.

With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.
He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed, as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.

The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!

Shake it off and take a step up.

Flavor without fat

Today I have a bit more on fat for you.

Fat and sugar laden foods today have changed our tastes. It’s what we’re used to now. But in the obesity battle we’ve got to change our habits.

Search for lite or reduced-fat versions of condiments, like dressings and sauces. One serving of lite mayo has fewer than half the calories (85) of regular mayo (200), but is almost identical in taste and texture.

Skimp on butters, dressings, and creams, using just enough for taste. Flavor with salsa rather than butter, and forgo the "secret sauce" on your burgers.

Use fresh or dried herbs to add flavor to foods without excess calories and fat. An added bonus from herbs is that studies show that spicy foods, flavored with red peppers or chilli peppers, may boost metabolism and help you to stop eating sooner.

Hold the fat

Here's another quick tip on improving your diet.

When cooking, limit the amount of oil you use by using a non-stick pan. You can also use sprayable oils (avoid substitutes and go for the real olive and canola oil sprays) to coat your pans with virtually zero calories.

Instead of commercial aerosols, you could even get a pump action mist sprayer, available in department stores, to evenly distribute 1/2 teaspoon of oil or salad dressing, compared to the 2-3 teaspoons that you would usually pour on for the same purpose - a saving of 100 calories.

You could also blot the fat from greasy foods like pizza or burgers. One could easily soak up a teaspoon of grease, 5 grams of fat, and 40 calories from two slices of pizza alone. Keep doing these things until they are automatic habits. Stay well.

Don't cut all fat

It's important to remember that not all fats are bad. Certain oils (olive, canola), and nuts are nutritious and healthy to eat. However, fat does have more than twice the calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein (9, 4, and 4, respectively).

Generally, people consume too much fat (and too much food overall) and the wrong kinds of fats, which means excessive calories.

With all the processed foods of today and the availability of fast food and packaged food, fat is the easiest part of our diet to fill. Unfortunately most of it is bad fat. So focus on cutting them and reducing overall calorie consumption. Stay feeling full on water and low calorie natural complex carb whole foods.

How to make Law of Attraction work

The Law of Attraction is a big issue at the moment. You've probably heard the hype about "The Secret". They all make it sound so easy to achieve your dreams in only weeks...

Well it could happen and maybe for some it does, but it's probably not going to happen for most people as quickly as the gurus promise it will.

Why?

Well, what most people are teaching about the Law of Attraction is incomplete.

See, the Law of Attraction dictates that you won't attract positive things into your life if you're holding on to negative beliefs about yourself; and you won't attract success if you're holding onto negative emotions, like anger, fear, guilt and jealousy.

Unfortunately few people really how to effectively let go of those negative beliefs and emotions.

In my capacity as a counselor and performance coach I use the most powerful, life-changing technique on the planet for neutralizing those emotions. It allows you to immediately let go of anything that's holding you back from achieving what you desire. It's actually based on ancient Chinese medicine that's been used for thousands of years.

Pick up a copy of my latest book "Eliminate Your Fear" and find out all about it.

Mind power

I'm always on about the power of the mind and how thoughts are real. Well in June 2004 a completely paralyzed man underwent surgery to implant a small sensor in his brain that enables him to play video games, write email, change TV channels and open his curtains - using only his thoughts!

Richard Normann, professor of bioengineering at the University of Utah, invented a tiny sensor that detects neural activity in the brain. This lead to the development of the Brain Gate Neural Interface System. At present three external computers on a cart are needed to process the signals from the sensor into signals like a computer mouse. Eventually these processors will be small enough to fit inside the patients body and be wireless.

So see. Thoughts really are real. With our technology we can detect them and now even harness them, albeit in small ways, to control devices. Amazing to think what the future holds.

Replacing calories

When cutting out high-fat and high-calorie foods, replace them with fruits and vegetables. These essentials are low in calories, but high in volume, fiber and nutrients, so they give a feeling of fullness. They make great snacks and are easy to pack.

Stick to whole foods as much as possible. A potato is a better option than an order of fries, just as an apple is healthier than a slice of apple pie. Make your choices foods you enjoy eating and give yourself plenty of variety so you stick with the good habit.

Weight loss and health really is pretty simple! Maybe not easy... but simple!