Golden Boy Phelps wins 8th Gold Medal

Phelps wins Olympic-record eighth gold medal - 2008 Olympics - SI.com



He said he could and he did. He planned for challenges but expected and demanded the best. A true American Hero. Someone who's unbelievable hard work and determination has proven himself real gold.

The details as reported by SI.com are as follows:

The Americans swept the men's relays in Beijing, with Phelps leading off in the 400 and 800 freestyle relays. Lezak anchored the 400 free to a narrow victory over France to preserve Phelps' historic bid.

Australia took the silver in 3:30.04, and Japan earned the bronze in 3:31.18.

Just to make you smile.

Thanks to http://www.greenexpander.com

Patrick Moberg

9 Things You Can Do to Be Happy in the Next 30 Minutes | How To Be Happy | Life Soul : RealSimple.com

I thought we could all use this Real Simple article. Be happy in 30? Well we will see about that.
Okay so I tried 2, and 8 and I must say it did make me feel happier. I won't over analyze it but it just made me feel happier. You could try too, and let me know if you do.

1. Raise your activity level
2. Take a walk outside.
3. Reach out. Send an e-mail to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, or reach out to someone new.
4. Rid yourself of a nagging task.
5. Create a more serene environment.
6. Do a good deed.
7. Save someone’s life. Sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family about your decision. “
8. Act happy.
9. Learn something new.

The entire article.

Psychology Today: Relationship Rules

This is a very interesting article on working on your marriage/relationship. Sometimes I find we spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how to get into a new relationship, rather than working on the ones we already have. This list some very proactive ways to not only survive your relationships but to thrive in them as well.

* Choose a partner wisely and well.
* Know your partner's beliefs about relationships.
* Don't confuse sex with love.
* Know your needs and speak up for them clearly.
* Respect, respect, respect. Inside and outside the relationship, act in ways so that your partner always maintains respect for you. Mutual respect is essential to a good relationship.
* View yourselves as a team, which means you are two unique individuals bringing different perspectives and strengths. That is the value of a team--your differences.
* Listen, truly listen, to your partner's concerns and complaints without judgment.
* Work hard at maintaining closeness.
* Take a long-range view.
* Never underestimate the power of good grooming. ( my fav)
* Sex is good. Pillow talk is better. Sex is easy, intimacy is difficult.

The article in its entirety.

The Power of Positive Thoughts Helps Phelps Win Olympic Gold

Phelps is the quintessential example of focused positive thoughts and their impact. He had said his goal was to win 8 gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. When an Australian swimmer said he didn't think Phelps could win 8 gold medals in a newspaper article. Phelps took that article and used it to his advantage. He cut it out and placed it in his locker and each day it would serve as his reminder of what he would accomplish. While history has not yet been written on the actual number of medals it is safe to say he has come farther than most initially expected.

More than proving them wrong he proved himself right.

According to sports Psychologist Dahlkoetter, As mentioned in this AP article. Aside from such obvious traits as positive imaging, desire, and enthusiasm, Dahlkoetter said an athlete should possess “the ability to handle adversity. When you lose, you can find out things about yourself and turn it into a gain. Top athletes embrace the stressful moments rather than shrink from them.”

Boy that is the attitude I need! Phelps certianly turned a negative into a positive.

Stress Remedies

In case you feel any stress... these are good remedies.

Stress Management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked,

how heavy is this glass of water?

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied:

The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

He continued:

And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.

Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!

How to Deal with the Burdens of Life

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

Never buy a car you can't push.

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

Since the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

The second mouse gets the cheese.

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

You are Unique

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you.

On 2005/04/09 Google finds 171 references to this Reminder.

Is Your Jar Full?

Is Your Jar Full?

When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a
day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar......and the beer.

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and
empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then
asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was
full. They agreed it was.

The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes."

The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your
health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything
else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued, "there is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all
your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the
things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are
critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get
medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There
will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of
the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand."

When he had finished, there was a profound silence. Then one of the
students raised her hand and with a puzzled expression, inquired what the
beer represented.

The Professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no
matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
beers."

Timothy Ferriss on Doing The Impossible

I love Ferriss and I am actively working on the premise in his, "4 Hour work Week" book. It truly is a must have even if it is not your goal. His perspective is just fresh In his post he covers, “The key to finding means to accomplish the “impossible” is asking the right question: “How would you do ____ for a week if your life depended on it?” Most things considered impossible just haven’t been looked at through the “how” lens of lateral thinking.” [Tips: Innovation]

Can you hear me now?

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