You can always improve and grow

Are you someone who believes that you can always improve and grow, or do you think that your abilities are fixed and unchangeable?

If you fall int the latter category, don’t worry – it is never too late to adopt a growth mindset and start reaping the benefits.

A growth mindset is about being positive or optimistic. It is about believing that you have the power to change and improve, and that effort and learning can lead to growth and success. 

People with a growth mindset are always striving to learn and grow. They approach challenges and setback as opportunities to learn and improve rather than as failures.

They welcome feedback and are open to hearing different perspectives, even if it is difficult to hear. 

They use feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than taking it personally or becoming defensive. 

Are you one of them?

Opportunity for a fresh start

What can you do to make your life better this year?

Don’t carry negatives (people, thoughts, actions) into the new year. 

They will only weigh you down and deter your positive thoughts and actions. 

Stop criticizing others and shooting down their input, comments and suggestions, whether that is at work, home or among those in your social circles.

While ridding your life of negativity, find time to do the things that truly make you happy.

If there are other areas of your life that you would like to change the new year provides an opportunity for a fresh start.

Who can you trust for diet advice?

The Internet serves as an accessible and confidential resource for individuals seeking nutritional and weight loss related information. 

However, the quality of information retrieved online is mixed and could have serious implications for users.

Each day, millions of teens and young adults are being fed contents on TikTok and other social media platforms that paints a very unrealistic and inaccurate picture of food, nutrition and weight loss.

I read that most diet advise on Tik-Tok platform came from young, white, female influencers. These influencers went viral for being attractive or charismatic. 

This topic, “who to trust” on weight loss and nutrition issues is especially important. When looking for credible weight loss information, one of the most important aspects to consider is the individual providing the information.

I am inclined to trust more the opinions of individuals who themselves struggled with weight loss, than those who never experienced it. 

I may be biased. 

Importance of learning from our mistakes

If something is your fault, admit it and learn a valuable lesson. 

Simple? Yes.

Easy? No, because of our ego, an unhealthy belief in our own importance.

The next time you make a mistake, try hard to take the “low ego” path. 

When you make a mistake, try to admit it as soon as you can, and apologize if necessary. Making an effort to apologize for a mistake can show that you respect the people who have been affected by the mistake. 

Apologizing can also show that you regret your mistake, that you are willing to take responsibility for it and that you're using it as an opportunity to improve yourself.

You can also consider telling other people in similar roles the lessons you've learned so that they can learn from your mistake.

Making mistakes can be a valuable learning opportunity. You can find lessons from your mistakes that can help you improve your skills and expand your knowledge. 

Making the same mistakes over and over can be costly in more ways than one.

I have some feedback for you

When someone says, “I have some feedback for you,” the brain usually interprets these words as an attack. A common response is defensiveness.

While we have all been on the receiving end of criticism – that uncomfortable conversation often toned down by pleasantries – it is neither easy to give nor take.

Resisting receiving constructive feedback does not make the feedback disappear, nor does it improve your effectiveness: Feedback is a gift, not a punishment. Resisting feedback keeps a person from improving. View criticism as an opportunity to grow. 

While receiving positive feedback is encouraging, receiving constructive feedback can be difficult. Even though everyone makes mistakes and has room to improve, accepting constructive feedback in a positive way is still a challenge. 

Dealing with criticism is a part of life. Criticism can result in aggression, ill-feeling and stress but it does not have to be like this. Work on being a less sensitive person. Learn how to be more emotionally stable and deal with negative judgements.

Why validation matters

Validation is a communication skill that can help both parties in a conversation feel heard and understood. It shows that you are truly listening to understand the other person’s feelings and point of view, even if you disagree. 

Validation is particularly important during emotionally charged situations. It can be really hard to listen and respond to someone in an understanding way when you are upset, or your experience differs from theirs. 

An empathetic, nonjudgmental response can reduce how often and how severe conflict is when it surfaces, which can help you improve your relationships. 

On the other hand, responses that are dismissive, defensive, or rejecting tend to escalate arguments and lead to misunderstandings, and they can make you or the other person feel unimportant, angry, or ignored.

Some people may be reluctant to validate someone they think is wrong. Validation is not agreeing. It is legitimizing. It is signaling “it is OK that you feel that way, given all you've been through.”

Your relationships will benefit when you communicate that you are validating the other person’s viewpoint. If we can become more validating friends, we will make our friends feel safer, happier, and better about themselves.

Understanding your real impact on others

What it is like to deal with you? 

Do you know how your colleagues feel about working with you?

It is important to know how people experience you and how people experience themselves when interacting with you. 

The best way to find out it to get specific feedback from your co-workers to find out how you are really perceived. 

This process might be a bit uncomfortable or even tough to do, but you can’t deny the reality of other people’s feeling, reactions, and perceptions. They are neither right nor wrong. Whatever they are, you must know them and deal with them.

Many times, there is a hidden gap between what we see and what those around us see. When there is an impact disconnect (even a very subtle one) we are not as effective as we can be. 

These disconnects are called professional blind spots and despite our best intentions, these blind spots may be holding us back or preventing us from reaching our full potential.

Does perception matter?

Perception is how we interpret what is going on outside of ourselves. 

Perception molds, shapes, and influences our experience of our personal reality. It is the conclusion we jump to when we try to analyze events and behaviors of others.

Your perceptions affect the quality of your experience of life. It impacts your personal reality and ultimately your experience of life.

If you constantly perceive people like your boss or teacher as always being against you, you will most likely react in a defensive, combative, negatively reactive, and victim-like way. This way of perceiving people can lead to experiencing intense levels of unhappiness.

How to switch to a more positive perception of life?

Take personal responsibility for your past reactions and stop blaming other people. Then you can begin to see people, events, things, and even yourself from a more neutral or positive perspective.

Have a willingness to see things differently. Everything begins with a decision. Decide now to be in charge of your own perception of reality. Change of any kind requires willingness. Readiness to see things differently creates room for us to learn and create new perceptions. Things aren’t always what they seem.

Activate your pause button when triggered. Hitting “pause” and taking a moment to breathe and ground yourself into the present moment so you can choose how you will respond from a more empowered place. 

Misperceiving certain situations, likely because of previous negative experiences you have endured, can also cause you to miss out on some fantastic things life has to offer, such as promotions at work or romantic relationships.

Work-life balance

Work-life balance means different things to different people because, after all, we all have different life commitments.

In our always-on world, balance is a very personal thing, and only you can decide the lifestyle that suits 

While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life. Working can provide us with the motivation to strive for success in our lives. However, life should not revolve around your job. You should be making the most out of your career while also living life to the fullest.

Do not let life pass you by. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can play a huge part in your happiness. You need time to switch off from work, so make sure you allow yourself to do it.

Being stuck to your phone, tablet, or laptop, can disconnect you from reality. Force yourself away from your devices when you get home at night, and you’ll find that you will begin to appreciate the world around you more fully.

Do not be afraid to unplug. Cutting ties with the outside world from time to time allows us to recover from weekly stress and gives us space for other thoughts and ideas to emerge.

It is a challenge, both for those of us who love our work and those of us who don’t.

Can lack of sleep affect your weight?

If you are struggling with obesity or a related issue, prioritizing your sleep can help you become a healthier individual.

Sleep plays an important role in weight management. 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night helps with hormone regulation. 

Sleeping too little increases levels of ghrelin and decreases levels of leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that makes us feel hungry while leptin makes us feel full. This may cause us to feel hungrier and overeat.

Sleep impacts overall health, and people who have healthier sleep patterns manage health factors such as weight, blood pressure or risk for Type 2 diabetes more effectively.

Though sleep needs vary from person to person, most adults require between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.

Sleep deprivation may increase your appetite and cause you to eat more calories. You are more likely to eat foods high in sugar and unhealthy fat.

People with excess weight need others to understand them

Having the right people around can help you stay on track with your weight loss plan but avoid depending on others to keep you motivated. 

It is good to have support but, with or without it, you are strong enough to reach your goals. 

Friends and family may not be the best people to look for encouragement and motivation for weigh loss. They might be surprised and resistant to seeing you change your ways.  

Try building a support network by joining an online community where you can connect with people who have similar goals. You will have ways to find new ideas, vent your frustration and meet people with similar or the same problems when losing weight. 

Whatever your situation, an online weight loss community is a great way to connect with people who understand your experience from a firsthand perspective and are willing to lend an ear. 

Recognize the importance of give and take. Express your appreciation for support and be ready to return the favor and help others achieve their wellness goals.

It is amazing how the Internet can connect strangers with little in common besides the goal of losing weight. Finding support for your weight-loss efforts can mean the difference between success and failure.

Health is like freedeom

Health is important to live life to the fullest. When a person leads a healthy lifestyle, the body remains healthy, and the mind is active and fresh. 

Living a healthy life would extend longevity and also regenerate the body and mind. Having good health is of core importance to human happiness.

Health, like freedom lasts as long as we exert ourselves to maintain it. 

You must make your choice! It is almost exclusively in your hands whether you enjoy a healthy, vigorous life or live out a half-life. You can decide to travel the average (unhealthy) road. No one will stop you and you will have lots of company.

You should care deeply about getting healthy and staying healthy. Dropping a few pounds can make a big difference. 

Looking at the big picture, the researchers say losing 10 percent of your body weight may be enough to do the trick. But even those who can’t lose that much weight can still benefit from smaller amounts of sustained weight loss.

While modest amounts of weight loss can improve your health, for certain conditions, greater weight loss may be associated with greater improvements.

Being obese or overweight makes you more likely to have conditions including:

• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Some cancers
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma

Not everyone who is obese has these problems. The risk rises if you have a family history of one of those conditions.

Decide daily that you want to feel strong. It is up to you! If you need more motivation, you can explore further the weight-related complications that are associated with obesity.