successinsixminutes.com

Broken bones hurt! Some have more impact on our health than others. Shoulders can be particularly challenging. What can we learn from these injuries?

It hurts! Still. My shoulder that is. I wrote a blog post late last summer that went like this: “My blog posts will be short and sweet for some time to come. My activities and posts have been greatly limited and will be for some time. With a badly broken shoulder, I can’t sit at a computer for long, as I’m in too much pain. One-handed typing is tedious too! Sleeping sitting up is   uncomfortable. Even walking is painful. It’s time to get real simple. I’m really appreciating the physical health I had, and I’m re-evaluating what’s important to me in life now.” (end of quote)

Well, who would have thought a broken shoulder could interfere in a persons’ life to this extent? Nine months later I’m still dealing with the impact it’s had on my life…still doing physiotherapy. There is a significant loss of movement that will never come back. Were that not enough, I started to put back on the weight I worked so hard to lose. Twenty five pounds. I couldn’t even walk my dog for the for the first three weeks…could only sit around on pain killers and staring at the fridge. I’m not much of a TV watcher, though I watched some. Couldn’t even comfortably read a book. It was tedious to say the least. If you’ve never broken a shoulder congratulations. You have to sleep sitting up for months. Nine months later I still cannot sleep on my left side, and I’m a side sleeper. All this from a broken shoulder.

I narrowly escaped major surgery. But I was blessed with a great orthopedic surgeon who gave me an honest straight forward evaluation. He explained all the pros and cons and agreed with my decision to forgo surgery in favor of natural healing. Meaning keeping my arm in a very tight sling (they call them immobilizers) for six to eight weeks. Turns out it was the right decision. At my six month evaluation he told me I would not have gotten a better result with surgery. And the recovery time is at least thirty percent longer, not to mention possible complications, because as he explained, shoulders themselves are complicated.

If you are faced with a broken shoulder, I suggest you give some serious thought to whether surgery is a good idea. Of course the younger you are the more likely you are to get a good result, but it really does depend on the extent of the injury as well. I broke my shoulder in four places so it wasn’t just a clean break…much easier to deal with.

It’s a wake-up call. Injuries and accidents have away of doing that…giving you good reason to evaluate your life, your health and where you are going. Of course the why always comes up. But I don’t believe in accidents. We hear it all the time, but things do happen for a reason.

Shoulders are about moving forward. I figured out what I was avoiding…what I had put off dealing with until I was forced to deal with it full on. Give it some thought! Is there something you are not facing, something you are avoiding that has to be dealt with? And while you are at it take stock of your health, physical, mental and emotional. What’s important to you, that you take for granted? What can you let go of that is dragging you down or holding you back? Too many possessions…a possessive friend or partner, an old emotional wound, a long held grudge. If success is eluding you…why? Take stock and if there is an issue you’re ignoring, I suggest you do something about before you find yourself face down on the pavement. If you need to be stopped in your tracks, your soul will see to it that you are!

Susanann

This a somber but moving commentary on animals and their feelings about the treatment they receive.

Susanann

Well…my posts will be very short and sweet, for some time to come. With a badly broken shoulder, I can’t sit at a computer for long, or I’m in too much pain. One-handed typing is tedious too!

It’s time to get real simple and not get bogged down in details and long winded articles. I’m really appreciating  the physical health I had, and I’m re- evaluating what’s important to me in life now. Injuries and accidents have away of doing that…it’s a wake-up call.  

Give it some thought!  What’s important to you that you take for granted? And, how can you simplify your life? What can you let go of that is dragging you down or holding you back?  Too many possessions…a possessive friend or partner, an old emotional wound, a long held grudge. Lighten the load, let go of something and start the process of simplifying your life.

To your health and success

Susanann

...can you change your spots?

We all do! It’s a fact. We’re introverted, extroverted, intuitors, sensors, thinkers, feelers, perceivers, judgers’. That, according to the Myers-Briggs personality test, which is a well established respected, and widely used method of determining personality type. Though there are some experts that say it’s not completely reliable.

It was developed by Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers during the second world war, and is based on Psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s psychological types. There are four basic groups, each with either or possibilities. For example, you are either Introverted or Extroverted, a Sensor or Intuitive, a Thinker or  Feeler, a Judger or Perceiver.  You will be one or the other in all four groups. There area a total of sixteen possible  combinations of personality types all together.  There are  anagrams for the categories: an ENFP is (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver) an INFP is (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver) and so on. 

When I took it the first time about six years ago it had to be paid for. Now there are some on-line sites that offer testing. I can’t say if it’s the exact same test however. I was fortunate to take another shortened version of it last year as part of a course I’m enrolled in.  Results were the same. I guess we don’t really change our spots. 

The test consists of about seventy-five questions in various categories such as, do you need time alone to re-energize yourself,(introverted behaviour) or do you go out and connect with a group of people to get energized (extroverted behaviour).  The test is pretty reliable. You can learn an awful lot about yourself and how you cope with life, how you react to situations, in relationships and so on. I highly recommend it if you are unsure of who you are, what you want to do with your life or are uncertain of what you’d be suited to, career wise, or if you have just not been very successful, it’s a good place to start.

For the record I am an ENFP. Check out the following website (humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp) which has a test you can take, consisting of seventy-two questions. I believe they will also give you some input from the results.

Have fun with it. You’re sure to learn something about yourself you didn’t know, and maybe it will even set you on the road to success.

To your success

Susanann

 Check out Don Tolman (the Indiana Jones of Natural Health) speaking on the ‘wheel of life’ DVD.

1) A postive mental attitude ( staying focused on your dreams, goals etc.)

2) Sound physical health

3) Harmony in human relationships 

4) Freedom from fear

5) Hope of achievement

6) Faith ( in yourself and the universe)

7) Willingness to share ones blessings

A labour of Love

9) An open mind on all subjects

10) Self discipline

11) A capacity to understand people

12) Financial Security

To your success

Susanann

self evaluation... a necessary evil

 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PERSONAL INVENTORY

• 2. Have I delivered service of the best possible QUALITY of which I was capable, or could I have improved any part of this service?

• 3. Have I delivered service in the greatest possible QUANTITY of which I was capable?

• 4. Has the spirit of my conduct been harmonious, and cooperative at all times?

• 5. Have I permitted the habit of PROCRASTINATION to decrease my efficiency, and if so, to what extent?

• 6. Have I improved my PERSONALITY, and if so, in what ways?

• 7. Have I been PERSISTENT in following my plans through to completion?

• 8. Have I reached DECISIONS PROMPTLY AND DEFINITELY on all occasions?

• 9. Have I permitted any one or more of the six basic fears to decrease my efficiency?

• 10. Have I been either “over-cautious,” or “under-cautious?”

• 11. Has my relationship with my associates in work been pleasant, or unpleasant? If it has been unpleasant, has the fault been partly, or wholly mine?

• 12. Have I dissipated any of my energy through lack of CONCENTRATION of effort?

• 13. Have I been open minded and tolerant in con-nection with all subjects?

• 14. In what way have I improved my ability to render service?

• 15. Have I been intemperate in any of my habits?

• 16. Have I expressed, either openly or secretly, any form of EGOTISM?

• 17. Has my conduct toward my associates been such that it has induced them to RESPECT me?

• 18. Have my opinions and DECISIONS been based upon guesswork, or accuracy of analysis and THOUGHT?

• 19. Have I followed the habit of budgeting my time, my expenses, and my income, and have I been conservative in these budgets?

• 20. How much time have I devoted to UNPROFITABLE effort which I might have used to better advantage?

• 21. How may I RE-BUDGET my time, and change my habits so I will be more efficient during the coming year?

• 22. Have I been guilty of any conduct which was not approved by my conscience?

• 23. In what ways have I rendered MORE SERVICE AND BETTER SERVICE than I was paid to render?

 •24. Have I been unfair to anyone, and if so, in what way?

 • 25. If I had been the purchaser of my own services for the year, would I be satisfied with my purchase?

• 26. Am I in the right vocation, and if not, why not?

• 27. Has the purchaser of my services been satisfied with the service I have rendered, and if not, why not?

• 28. What is my present rating on the fundamental principles of success? (Make this rating fairly, and frankly, and have it checked by someone who is courageous enough to do it accurately). 

values are your foundation...

You should! Everyone has a set of values, of things that are important to them…things or attributes they must have to be happy. For example, most people would say that love is an essential value…something they must have in their life. Whether you are aware of them or not, you do have a set of values by which you are living your life. Knowing what they are can be very helpful in achieving success and happiness.

I have prepared a heirarchical list of my values several times in my life, most recently a year ago.  They can change over time as well, but generally the more important ones will stay the same.  My number one priority has always been my health, since without good health it’s difficult to enjoy other things in life…relationships, career, family and so on.

Knowing your values also helps you focus on your goals, and keep you on track to achieving the success you desire.   Rather than just going along blindly focusing on whatever seems to be most important at any given moment. A lot of people have no clear idea of what they value most in life. Yet your values are like your foundation. You build, or should build your life and your dreams around them.  So my question to you is; do you know what your values are?

Here is a list of values that may help you discover yours:   Family, health, love, relationships, security, finances, respect, self respect, a career, your home, travel, success, happiness, peace of mind, harmony, acknowledgement, your pet, charity, education, religion, spiritual fulfilment, personal growth, mental or physical challenge, excitement, balance, integrity, honesty, devotion.  When you have your list, put them in order of importance. If there is a value, money for instance, that is foremost in your mind at the moment but is still not your number one priority, don’t put it first. You can list as many values as you like, but preferably try to keep it  around ten.  Any more and you are probably too scattered in your evaluation of what’s important to you.

Ask yourself, what do I absolutely have to have in order to feel successful and happy?  List it as number one. Then what’s  the next thing you can’t do without? Continue until you have your list completed. Also remember to put your values in positive form too. Don’t list ‘not being poor’ as a value, rather say wealth or financial security. You may also find that there is a theme to your values. Mine for example is focused around freedom and enjoying life. To do that I must have good health, enough money, free time, limited ties and a harmonious, stress free existence. 

When you have your list, spend most your time, energy and focus on the top three or four.  But don’t neglect any of your values,  and know that any one of them may take precedence over the others  temporarily if something unexpected comes up.  Situations will arise that require all your attention briefly, such as money matters, and that’s okay. Some values may overlap and that’s okay too.

Knowing your values should give you a better perspective on your life and help you evaluate your success. Just remember to always focus on your values and don’t lose sight of your main priorities. Success will be so much easier to attain. Remember what you focus on expands! Think of your values as  your road map to success and happiness. 

To your success

Susanann