Mindconnection eNL, 2011-05-01

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Notice, I said "guy" rather than "person." The management literature informs us that men tend to create problems they can solve (to be a hero), while women tend to take care of things so problems don't arise (and they don't become heroines).

Back to the question. What is more likely is the guy is a chump. The problem most likely arose because he needed the problem.

Yet, people see only that he "solved" the problem so no real solution takes place. The company will repeat this same process (and waste resources) in the future. In effect, that manager is stealing from the company. He gets paid to do a job, but instead of doing it competently he covers up his crime with a crisis.

If you have a manager, subordinate, or coworker who operates this way, you are at high risk for losing your job. This can happen for a large number of reasons. To counter this insanity, you need to document what actually occurred, and then have a talk with that person's boss.

Explain your concern is the needless waste of company resources along with the risk that (name what has been risked). Explain that this is just using a manufactured crisis to mask incompetence and ask that boss something like, "Do you understand this behavior puts YOUR job at risk? That's why I came to you. If you weren't affected, you wouldn't be motivated to fix this."

Sure, this is risky. You're making waves. But the alternative is to lose your job eventually anyhow. And probably in a way that will leave you severely disadvantaged.

This sounds like a career tip, not a brainpower tip. What's going on? This technique is widely used outside the workplace. The workplace just provides a good example that everyone can relate to (unless they have not been paying attention). The effect of this technique is it misdirects your attention away from thinking about (and solving) the problem. Your brainpower is then used on the wrong issues.

Of course, you'll see this technique used in government. One reason we have crisis after crisis (e.g., wars, energy crisis, financial crisis, budget crisis, immigration crisis, etc.) is these crises are manufactured to cover up the incompetence and criminal activity that is rampant in all levels of the federal government (more rampant as you move up the food chain, though). People don't think about the underlying problems at all. So very little brainpower is used to solve them.

The next time there's a crisis, stop. Don't focus on it. Instead, ask what is being covered up. There, you will find real problems needing real solutions. The crisis is almost never real.

You probably think I'm making a point here about the high cost and unnecessary waste of cell phone services. If so, you are correct!

I am not making the point that cell phone services are 100% waste, although for most subscribers I suspect they are. Some highly successful people have never owned a cell phone and don't intend to ever do so. To them, a cell phone is 100% waste and they are doing quite nicely without one.

But to many people, it's not 100% waste. That said, it's likely that the vast majority of cell phone users would be better off using their phones a whole lot less. Many people have simply substituted the time wasted watching television with time wasted via inane conversations and needless interruptions.

So the first place you can save is in how you use your phone. In my own case, I have a PocketPC that I got tired of using. Now it's just for emergencies. I do not answer it. I do not answer my land line (VOIP) very often, either. And I check messages about once a week.

Some savings tips in usage:

• The world will not end simply because you don't answer your phone. Try leaving the ringer off most of the time; you will find your usable brainpower increases dramatically, along with your productivity.
   
• If you take a call, do so because you are actually available. Answering your phone to say you are in a meeting is just asinine. Taking a call while continuing to do something else is just plain rude.
   
• If you call someone, have a reason for doing so. Sure, it's good to keep in touch; a call just to say hello may be welcome--but you can also do that via e-mail (or, if you use texting, via text messaging).
   
• Do you really need text messaging? Is it a black hole for time, or is it really helping you?

Now, let's assume you've figured out that your phone is there to serve you rather than the other way around (making you a VERY unusual cell phone user). Do you really need to spend as much money as you currently do for phone service? For almost anyone, the answer is a resounding no. Some places you can save money:

• Minutes. If you got your usage sorted out properly, you no longer need 7,500 day time minutes (or whatever it is). If you look at your usage pattern, you'll probably find you have quite a few minutes left over each month. You pay for those leftovers--calculate the cost per minute, and you will gasp. Go to a lower plan. On the off chance you will, at some point, have an emergency that causes you to go three minutes over your quota--you will still come out ahead.
   
• Data. Data plans seem like a great thing. But they are expensive. Do you really need to look things up online at any time, or perchance are you disciplined enough to wait until you get home? Your phone does have a note feature or calendar, does it not? Take a note, look it up later--and save yourself $70 a month or whatever it is.
   
• Ringers. Why people pay for different ring tones is a mystery. For decades, telephones were black and there was only one ring. Now we get "treated" to a host of obnoxious, intrusive ring tones (dis)courtesy of people who can't figure out how to shut their phone off. If you sorted out your proper phone usage, the "need" for this feature simply evaporates.
   
• Apps and add-ins. These seem cool, and once you have them you may not notice the increase in your bill. But are they really worth what you're paying?
   
• Upgrades. What's wrong with the phone you now have? Do you really need to sign another 2-year contract so you can get a different phone? How would this other phone actually improve your user experience? Before you take the plunge, thoroughly research that last question. Think in terms of using the phone, not in terms of what the phone can do. I have a PocketPC that can "do anything" and that is the problem. I can't read the screen without reading glasses, and making a simple phone call requires going through multiple menus.

You can save quite a bit on your phone service. The answer isn't simply a matter of finding a cheaper way to waste minutes. Look more closely at what you are actually doing, and you'll find plenty of savings.

The benefits in health, energy, appearance, confidence, and well-being are just too good to pass up. Not to mention the big cost-savings involved. What you want to do is get lean and stay that way.

You don't need to get ripped (as I am in the photo at right), but if you are a male with double digit body fat you are too fat. Your fat doctor may disagree, but then your fat doctor isn't in the business of keeping you healthy (that would reduce revenue). Females need a higher level of body fat. See our article:
http://www.supplecity.com/articles/areyoutoofat.htm

What's the lean lifestyle like? Well, it's not about starving yourself or eating foods so bland you put the suicide hotline on speed dial. It's not about giving up food or the enjoyment of food. In fact, you eat better and more often.

Shortly after turning 50.

Some lean lifestyle tips:

• Eat six small meals a day. This properly fuels your body and sets up the correct hormonal environment. Eat fewer meals, and your body starts digesting its lean tissue for fuel. Gross, but true.
   
• Eat green, not grain. Rather than buy fancy cereals, buy green produce. Your liver will thank you, as will your pancreas, spleen, heart, and brain.
   
• A properly sized meal consists of a serving of protein that's about the size of your palm, a bit more than that volume in carbohydrates (preferably fruits and vegetables), a bit less than that in fats (preferred sources being such things as olive oil, eggs, green vegetables, and nuts).
   
• Don't eat sweet corn, corn syrup, corn sweetener, etc. These toxins are what researchers call "endocrine modifiers. They ramp up your blood sugar so fast, they overwhelm your body's ability to cope. This slams your endocrine system into a sustained panic mode, causing all kinds of havoc and devastation. Not to mention fat storage and bone loss.
   
• Don't drink fruit juice. Period. It's an endocrine modifier.
   
• Go for the low-glycemic carbs or low-calorie carbs. Sweet potatoes, for example, are both low-glycemic and low calorie. So are apples. Bananas are highly glycemic, but you're talking about very few calories; if you want to have a banana, go ahead. If the glycemic index bothers you, have a little protein with it to blunt the response. Some people will not eat cooked carrots, due to the GI. Hint: carrots have few calories. To avoid GI issues, cook them only slightly so they are a tad crunchy.
   
• Exercise. This does not mean doing a few toe touches an hour after staggering away from the table. It means intense, weight-bearing exercise on a regular basis. Frequent walks on hilly terrain (or stairs) are also helpful.
   
• Sleep. To keep your brain functioning properly so you keep making smart food choices, go to bed early. If you need an alarm clock to wake you up, you are going to bed too late.
   
• Practice posture. Pull your shoulders back and suck your gut in (hey, do it now while you're reading this). While this posture practice only marginally helps you be leaner via calorie burn, it does help motivate you by giving you a better appearance.
   
• Forgive. I am amazed at how many people bear grudges and expect to be healthy. Aint gonna happen. Remember those endocrine modifiers we just discussed? Grudge-based anger has that kind of effect. Pent up anger about "someone who done you wrong" barely affects the other person, if at all. But it does a whack job on your own body. In addition to messing up your hormonal environment to make you fatter and cause bone loss, this pent-up anger is like fertilizer for cancer cells. You may not be able to resolve whatever is bugging you. But you can always just let it go. It's your health or your hatred; they are mutually exclusive.

Think lean

• Don't let people dis you for doing what they lack the guts to do (or, more accurately, what big guts they have for not doing what you are doing). Their "good natured kidding" isn't good-natured. Respond by asking them if they really think poorly of you for practicing basic health care. It's not rude to be assertive in the face of rudeness.
   
• When others talk about "giving up desert" or express in other ways that you are sacrificing to stay lean, correct their language abuse immediately. "I am not giving up doughnuts, with their obesity-causing sugar. I am giving up the pain and humiliation of being fat."
   
• Look forward to looking better, rather than looking back on what you think you are missing by not eating this or that fattening garbage.
   
• Remember that anyone who gets fat gets there one bite at a time. Control those bites and you control your "weight" (people say "weight" to mean "body composition" or body fat levels).

Living the lean lifestyle isn't an obsession. It's a way of life. An obsession is a behavior that controls you, rather than the other way around. When you are making smart food choices, you are in control. It's the people who make poor food choices who have the obsession.

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At www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

On average, 150 couples get married in Las Vegas each day. Some people consider this gamble. What is a sure bet is that those married couples (like any other) will slave away long hours to pay for the pork barrel spending done by our criminally-owned (and operated) US CONgress.

You may not realize it, but the insurance rates you pay for your car can vary dramatically, depending on many factors within your control.

These include your choice of insurance, the agent or broker you choose, the coverages you request, and the kind of car you drive. These are factors that many of us never think about. Most of us look at our bill, grimace, and just pay it. There is a better way. This course shows you the way.

It's only $10!

Now with the Depression deepening due to Obama's anti-prosperity policies, can you afford to pay more than you should? Nope.

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