Mnemonic games

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Three Proven Ways To Leverage the Big Power of Small Changes - By Dr. Stephen Kraus, Success Scientist

Successful people set ambitious goals. But the high standards and lofty visions necessary for great success can sometimes be daunting. You may want to run a marathon, lose 50 pounds, or build a business empire, but you may quickly find yourself overwhelmed if you mentally focus on such ambitious goals.

The result can be procrastination, or even depression. Clinically depressed people often have goals that far exceed what they feel they can really accomplish. As a result, they often get stuck in a ?paralysis of analysis? ? finding themselves unable to initiate actions because they feel they need new skills or more information.

Fortunately, there is a great power in making small changes. Consider this sampling of findings from the research on health and weight loss?

- Losing just a few pounds can have a significant impact on your health, even if you remain obese.

- Small amounts of exercise (as little as a 10 minute rapid walk) can significantly boost your mood for several hours.

- Taking in just 150 fewer calories per day, about that found in one can of sugared soda, would lead to a loss of 15 pounds in one year.

- Among older Americans, a very modest weight lifting regimen can significantly reduce their risk of falls and fractures, while increasing their ability to climb stairs or carry groceries.

Small changes have big impacts in other areas of life as well. Want to write a book? Write a page a day, and you can be an author within a year. An hour a day studying a new topic can lead to considerable expertise in just a few months. Plastic surgeons bring about dramatic changes in appearance with very small changes in facial structure. If the space shuttle?s trajectory is off by a fraction of a percent, it can end up being hundreds of miles from its destination. The list goes on.

So how do you leverage the big power of small changes? Try these three techniques?

1. Revel in small changes. Instead of beating yourself for not having accomplished your big goals, feel good about small improvements.

If you want to lose weight, start with small lifestyle changes such as taking stairs instead of elevators, substituting a glass water for one soda each day, waiting 20 minutes before deciding you want ?seconds? at dinner, or eating just one more serving of vegetables each day.

The ancient wisdom of the I Ching states that the process of change should begin with the easy and the simple. Two thousand years later, experts on psychological change concluded that there are two crucial rules for shaping your own behavior: ?(1) you can never begin too low, and (2) the steps upward can never be too small. When in doubt, begin at a lower level or reduce the size of the steps.?

2. Divide and conquer. Henry Ford said: ?Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.? Elite athletes, for example, routinely set both long-term and short-term goals, but sports psychologists have discovered that repeatedly focusing on the long-term goals can be counter-productive. Instead, focusing on the short-term goals, and the small changes needed to achieve them, leads to more motivation, greater confidence, enhanced performance, and more happiness, both for athletes and non-athletes alike.

Basketball coach Larry Brown, who is currently leading the Detroit Pistons against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals, typically starts each game by encouraging his team to ?win the first three minutes.? He uses the same technique throughout the game, focusing his team on near-term goals and the small changes needed for victory. Football coaches often use a similar tactic, encouraging players to mentally consider the 16-game season as being comprised of four 4-game mini-seasons.

3. Schedule a time for small changes. Often we don?t simply don?t make the time for the small changes that can make big impacts. We may (wrongly) consider them to be inconsequential, or shy away from them because they remind us of how far we are from our more ambitious goals. Try scheduling a time for these modest behaviors, and sticking to it.

This technique is similar to ?activity scheduling? ? a tactic commonly used as one element of treating depression. Depressed people are often reluctant to engage in activities, such as goingto a movie, even though they believe these activities will make them feel better. Committing themselves in advance to engaging in these activities can significantly boost their activity levels and their mood, helping to ensure they make the small changes that have big impacts.

REFERENCES

The findings and recommendations in this article are based on scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.

Success Scientist Dr. Stephen Kraus is author of Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil. Steve has a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University. To contact him or subscribe to his REAL Science of Success ezine, please visit http://www.RealScienceOfSuccess.com

Improve Your Memory - by Robert Elias Najemy

Poor memory can be a frustrating problem when it becomes a cause for us to function below our abilities. The consequences can vary in type and seriousness.

SOME POSSIBLE CAUSES

1. Lack of proper nutrients.

2. Hardening of the arteries of the brain.

3. Poor blood circulation to the brain.

4. Anemia.

5. Exhaustion of the nervous system.

6. Scattering of mental energies on many activities.

7. Emotional problems which preoccupy the mind.

8. Lack of organization.

9. Poor living habits in general.

10. Too much alcohol or other drugs.

11. Chronic use of tranquilizers or painkillers.

12. Lack of exercise or release of tension through movement.

13. Build up of toxins in the body.

EFFECTIVE NATURAL SOLUTIONS

1. Clean out the body and mind with pure diet and occasional fasts so that the nerves and blood vessels will be revitalized.

2. Eat foods, which have high quantities of B complex vitamins, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Calcium.

3. If the problem is serious, take supplements: B complex, Brewers? yeast, Magnesium, Calcium as well as an amino acid complex specifically created for improving memory.

4. Avoid white sugar, white flour and all products made from them. Avoid all chemical preservatives and all over processed foods or foods cooked some days before.

5. Concentrate on raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and whole grains.

6. Eat alfalfa sprouts regularly.

7. Free your mind daily from whatever is burdening it with deep relaxation and positive projection techniques.

8. Learn to meditate and concentrate your mind.

9. When you want to remember something specific, repeat it three times to yourself associating it with some image, which you will not forget. Images remain more clearly in our minds. Thus if you make some image humorous or serious for each important thing you want to remember, you will be more successful in remembering.

10. Make lists of whatever you need to do each day. In this way you do not need to burden your mind with something that a piece of paper can do. When you have completed each activity cross it off and whatever is not completed that day can be transferred to the next day. Keep a paper and pen on you at all times and write down immediately what is important for you to remember. In this way there is no chance of forgetting something important.

11. Keep a daily diary in which you observe those things, which you tend to forget. If you can determine the types of things you forget and the situations in which you usually forget, you may be able to detect a pattern which can be corrected.

12. Perform head low postures like the 1/2 shoulder stand, prayer position and forward stretch daily so as to ensure a good supply of blood and oxygen to the brain. These should be practiced three times a day by those with poor memory.

13. Also perform exercises for the nerves of the spinal column and neck so as to release any tension which may be accumulated there.

14. Get help in looking at your emotional life and the various problems which are occupying your mind so that you can get free from worries and be able to concentrate more clearly and totally on the present moment. Our minds are drained and confused by the various worries and anxieties which clutter them. When the mind is peaceful and feeling secure it can remember much more clearly.

15. Overcome fear and lack of self-confidence. These are major obstacles to the free flowing of the mind in all situations.

16. Until you are able to overcome the problem, try to accept it and not get upset. When you reject yourself because your memory is weak, you block your mental energies even more. So accept yourself and the problem as you work on correcting it simultaneously. Thus until you improve your memory, accept yourself as you are, and use lists extensively for more effective functioning.

17. Engage in activities which free you from stress and tension such as exercises, dancing, walking in nature, swimming, singing, working in a garden and anything else which is enjoyable to you.

18. Perform deep relaxation techniques daily and program your mind that it will inform you of any important information, which you need at the proper time.

(Adapted from the forthcoming "Self Healing" by Robert Elias Najemy. His book "The Psychology of Happiness" (ISBN 0-9710116-0-5) is available at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/holisticharmo-20 and http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/psychofhappiness.html. His writings can be viewed at http://www.HolisticHarmony.com where you can also download FREE articles and e-books.

Robert Elias Najemy is the author of over 600 articles, 400 lecture cassettes on Human Harmony and 20 books, which have sold over 100,000 copies. He is the Founder and director of the Center for Harmonious Living in Greece with 3700 members. His book The Psychology of Happiness; ISBN 0-9710116-0-5 is available at www.amazon.com and http://www.HolisticHarmony.com. where you can view and download FREE articles and e-books.

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