Mental Health Training

This section is going to take a look at the ten different self-defeating behaviors listed in the introduction. As you saw in the last chapter, there could be other items which are also self-defeating behaviors as well, so don't think by any means what follows is a definitive list. These are only a few of the most common, looked at in more detail to help train you in what to look for. How can you t...

Understanding self-defeating behavior means first understanding yourself. A standard definition of the term "self-defeating" describes it this way: "Unable to achieve the end it is designed to bring about." Put in terms which are easier to understand, self-defeating simply means we are keeping ourselves from the goals we are setting. The problem with self-defeating behaviors is they keep us from l...

Often in life, we end up being our own worst enemies. Whether we procrastinate too much, engage in negative self-talk, or don't take care of ourselves – we make achieving our goals monumentally difficult. The world is complicated enough without us making things harder on ourselves. Let's identify our self-defeating behaviors and then overcome them. You are going to discover a lot about self-defeat...

Changing your life doesn't have to be a huge gesture. Many people avoid changing their life for the better because they are overwhelmed by what it will take. The reality is, changing your life doesn't need to include some seismic shift. Focusing and committing to a few small changes can be just as effective over the long term. Here are nine little things that can make a big difference in your life...

A lot of the time, it’s all too easy not to be aware of them or to know and understand what you’re feeling.  However, your thoughts and emotions will come and go throughout the day.  Are you aware of your feelings, and then suddenly overreacted, over a silly little incident at work or home? Do you need to have more control over your emotions and how to understand them better? Here are some suggest...

Did you know you probably have one of the world’s most significant failures as a product sitting on your desk right now? The Post-It Note was an accident that never should have happened. The original creator of this innovation, Spencer Silver, was trying to find an adhesive to use in the construction of aeroplanes. Looking at the strength of the glue on a Post-It Note, it’s easy to see he missed t...

Situations change. You’re set on one path, thinking all is right with the world and suddenly, the carpet is pulled out from under you. Technology shifts, something becomes obsolete, and now what you’ve been doing for years, no longer works. What do you do? For Soichiro Honda, the answer was to shift and adapt. You find the next best solution, regardless of how crazy or off the wall it seems at the...

When is the last time you flew in an aeroplane? How long did this trip take you? More importantly, how long would it have taken you to reach the same destination if you’d never flown at all? Without Wilbur and Orville Wright, the world would be a very different place. But did you know the Wright Brothers, who revolutionized powered flight never finished high school, much less had any college degre...

Even the unhappiest of beginnings can’t hold you back when you have drive and determination. Meet Walt Disney . You’ve heard the name before, whether from the beloved mouse who’s graced our TV and movie screens for almost a century, to Frozen and a whole slew of animated and live-action movies our kids beg us to watch repeatedly. Disney never set out to become a household name, even though that’s...

Chocolate. So good. So tasty. Who knew a candy bar could lead to a success story? Hershey chocolate has become a staple in just about everyone’s diet. Whether you are a person who loves the straight-up Hershey bar or are more of a Kit Kat or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup sort of person, there’s something for every chocolate lover. We can’t imagine life without chocolate, although only 150 years ago, o...

Why does everyone know the name, Stephen King? He’s the sort of success story every author dreams of becoming. Not only are his books popular, but quite a few of them have been adapted quite successfully as television and movies. He’s known all the world around as being one of the great storytellers of the weird and creepy and has a considerable backlist waiting to be explored.  So, where did he c...

If you believe someone you know is displaying a change in behaviour or mood which you feel may be potential red flags of poor mental health/mental illness.   Many people have mental health concerns from time to time.  But a mental health concern then becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms affect your ability to function independently.   Anxiety Anxiety disorders are the most comm...

Who do you listen to? It’s so easy to become discouraged when you hear the people around you, especially those who don’t quite catch the vision of your dreams. How you deal with this kind of naysaying can mean the difference between failure and success. Henry Ford experienced just this problem. When you think of Ford, you probably immediately think of cars, or even the entire assembly line process...

Have you ever had what you thought was a really great idea turn out to be not so great after all? Now imagine someone else picking up your discarded idea and proving it actually was quite brilliant after all.  This is what happened to Al Fielding and Marc Chavannes back in 1957. These two gentlemen were working on an aesthetic problem. They wanted to create a textured wallpaper to create an intere...

Stupid. Failure. No good. Idiot. Albert Einstein heard all these phrases about himself and more. Growing up was tough for young Albert. He didn’t express himself well and struggled in school. Even his teachers gave up on him, deciding that he was impossible to teach. Those around him considered him mentally retarded, and no one thought he would ever make anything of himself. This doesn’t sound lik...

Many of the best insights I have gained over the years have often been counter-intuitive. For example, as I have been developing muscular strength with a rigorous weight training program, I have found that I can push more weight and complete more sets when I relax and calm myself mentally before and during each group. The calmness helps me push through the pain. In this example, the more obvious a...

I talk to a lot of professionals and salespeople and even entrepreneurs, people starting their own businesses, and they want to learn how can I develop more confidence or even just get myself a bit of faith so that I can be more successful in what I do. You have to realise what confidence comes from and what confidence means. Confidence is your ability to take action and feel good about yourself. ...

I talk to a lot of professionals and salespeople and even entrepreneurs, people starting their own businesses, and they want to learn how can I develop more confidence or even just get myself a bit of faith so that I can be more successful in what I do. You have to realise what confidence comes from and what confidence means. Confidence is your ability to take action and feel good about yourself. ...

One aspect of achieving success in life that many people never think about or discuss is the idea of social intelligence. In his book, Mastery, Robert Greene defines social intelligence as “the ability to see people in the most realistic light possible”. In other words, social intelligence is all about reading other people and figuring out the reasons why they behave the way they do. Think of it a...

Many people go to college to do what they believe they have wanted to do all their lives. The first several years are rewarding, and then they start to realize this is something they are going to do until they retire. They are quickly disillusioned, and they get into a rut. Many people continue doing what they do out of fear; there is nothing else, or they are getting a steady paycheck. The lucky...

You are different from everyone else. Celebrate that. You offer a unique perspective in this game called life. We should all be thanking you. If you are constantly comparing yourself, it means you aren’t happy with who you are. Why is that? People are brought up to conform to society. If you don’t fit within society’s norms, you are looked upon disapprovingly. However, most people aren’t ordinary...

Creating a Better Mood Is it possible to create a better mood for yourself? Can you do it for others? If it is possible, why isn’t everyone always happy? It seems being happy is preferable to being in a bad mood. Studies have shown it is possible to improve your mood. It can be as simple as thinking you’re in a good mood. If you believe it, your attitude will change. Even when you aren’t in a good...

Better Listening Through Questions Did you ever notice that people don’t like to ask questions? It’s understandable when those questions are personal. You don’t want to offend anyone. But, most people willingly give answers to questions asked of them. So why are we so afraid to ask? When you ask questions, you have the tools you need to be a better listener. It’s indirect and subtle, but it works....

Helping Others Overcome Grief If you have ever gone through the grieving process, you would think that when you do it again, you will handle it better the next time around. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. You will feel just as bad each subsequent time. It’s a necessary process in life, however. Where experiencing it in the past can come in handy, is helping others who are going through th...

10 Habits That Promote Emotional Wellness Guard your self-esteem. Learning to feel confident and comfortable with yourself is an important habit for protecting your emotional wellness and safeguarding Honour well-being. Improve your attitude. Your outlook is one part of your emotional health that you can control each day. When negative things happen or you start to feel negative emotions creeping...