Health – Sam Makhoul

June 7, 2011

IS FINANCE KILLING YOUR ROMANCE?

I bet that most of you with a mortgage carry it around like a subconscious load. You tell yourself: ‘my life will be better once I pay off my mortgage’. Consequently you defer your happiness. You worry about your finances to the point where it kills the romance for life. The conversation with yourself usually goes something like this: “When I have more money or when I pay off my mortgage I will eat better, I will exercise, I will be a better husband/wife, I will change jobs and do what I really love, I will spend more time with my children, I will read more books, I will go on more holidays, I will be a better person, I will be happy!”

The sad fact is that by the time you pay off your mortgage you may have compromised too many areas of your life. You may have put on unwanted weight or developed health problems. You may feel unattractive. You may not enjoy a satisfying relationship with your spouse. You may not have a good relationship with your children. Or you may not have developed enough lasting friendships or an active social life.

Living like this for a long time creates momentum in the wrong direction. And momentum is hard to shift. The good news is that you can reverse momentum by hitting the reset button at any time. How do you do this? It starts with a simple decision to change course. When you make that decision you stop momentum dead in its tracks. And when you take action you will start to have momentum in the right direction. You may start to act on any one or all of the following areas of your life that need changing. It may be:

• Having high energy & enthusiasm
• Looking more attractive
• Excellence at home
• Excellence at work
• Connecting with your partner
• Connecting with your children
• Having more friends

An amazing thing will happen when you take daily action to change your life for the better. As sure as night follows day you will attract success into your life. You will look better. You will feel better. You will attract good things into your life including more friends and more money. You will get the promotion. You will have more fun. Your mortgage will then take care of itself and probably be paid off much quicker.

So what actions can you start taking daily? Eating the right food and exercising daily is a very good start. When you begin the journey of self-discovery and self-mastery you will be amazed with the financial and relationship success that will flow into your life. And yes your mortgage will be last thing on your mind but the first thing to benefit.

February 27, 2011

Spread the Obsession

When friends and clients ask me what is the single most important thing they can do to become successful in their business, I respond with “Get Obsessive about it!” Most of them then accuse me of contradicting myself: “But you bang-on about living a balanced and complete life. How can I be obsessive about my business without neglecting other areas of my life – like my partner, my family, my health…?”

Before I reveal my response to this question I want to point out one very important fact. Anyone that I have ever come across in business (or in sport or the arts for that matter) is successful because they are obsessive about it. I have never met anyone extraordinary who is not passionately obsessive about his or her ‘thing’.

The truth is that if you want to be one of the best at anything you must be obsessive with your focus. It must be something that is on your mind daily and you must want it with all your heart – that’s what makes it an obsession.

Obsession is not a bad thing. Obsession is a great tool that the human brain is equipped with. This evolutionary trait is there for a reason. It makes us immerse ourselves into a passion and helps find a solution to problems that prop up.

The danger with obsession comes when you only obsess about one area of your life to the exclusion of the others. The way to avoid this is to “Spread the Obsession”. Be obsessive about all eight areas of your life: HEALTH – LOVE – FAMILY – WORK – LEARNING – FRIENDSHIP – WEALH and CHARITY. Focus with all your heart and mind on these areas.

When it comes to HEALTH be obsessive about the food you eat – be uncompromising. Exercise daily and relax often. When it comes to LOVE be an attentive partner and always be thinking about how to surprise them with acts of affection and fun. When it comes to FAMILY be caring and supportive to your mother, father, brother or sister. Be as thoughtful with them as you are with your friends – and listen without distraction. When it comes to WORK, only stay in a job that you really really love and always serve people from the heart. When it comes to FRIENDSHIP go out of your way to connect with friends. Turn off the TV and go visiting or engage with them on Facebook. Focus on how you can make your friends laugh because I believe that friendship should equal fun. When it comes to LEARNING prepare your own annual curriculum for what you want to learn about. When it comes to WEALTH focus on investing in yourself and in your dreams first before you invest in stocks or real estate. And when it comes to CHARITY learn to give of yourself and your time to others.

The truth is that I am obsessive. But I am obsessive about every area of my life. So if you are by nature obsessive, you should start seeing that as a positive trait and start spreading the obsession. It reminds me of the motivational mantra of “work hard – play hard” – which is not so stupid after all if you broaden your definition of “play”.

February 15, 2011

When Two Tribes Go To War

There has been one tribe that has dominated and crushed our health and happiness for over 60 years. It is a tribe that is motivated by profits before people. It thrives on deception and confusion. It sells speed and convenience.

That tribe is the fast food industry in all its guises.

It then joined forces with some other evil tribes: consumerism, debt and busyness. Then it went viral!

Big corporations used their financial power to dominate the airwaves of TV and radio with images of fun and frivolity to sell us anything that contained white flour, white sugar, salt, preservatives, colours, additives and food enhancers – Stuff with a long shelf life aimed at shortening ours. And we all bought into the deception. It seduced our thoughts and emotions. Ultimately, our bodies paid the price with the rise of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

But something is changing. Something is shifting. There is a roar in the distance as we look out over the digital landscape and see a tide of wellness warriors marching to the beat of one drum. Social media is in their hands. It gives them a voice so powerful that it is heard over the tops of many mountains and across many seas. How awesome it is – the rise and power of the individual.

Information is spreading. Farmers markets are growing. Organic produce is overflowing. Vegetable gardens are sprouting across backyards. And people in growing numbers are demanding respect for their health.

Yes, this wellness tribe is growing and it is up for a fight. A fight between natural and artificial. Between transparency and cover-up. And between the hope of a well future versus an ignorant past.

BUT this tribe is still not big enough to crush the might and power of the fast food tribe. The deception will continue for the ignorant and the too-busy-to-notice crowd. So every wellness warrior counts. Every voice counts.

So which tribe do you belong to? The wellness tribe or the fast food tribe? Or are you too busy to notice?

On the 24-25 Feb 2011, in Melbourne Australia, you have a chance to join the wellness tribe and meet face-to-face with some amazing wellness warriors and food philosophers. Who knows, you may become a warrior yourself.

Join the tribe now: www.worldwellnessproject.com