Health – Page 9 – Sam Makhoul

December 1, 2011

10 TIPS for your PERSONAL LIFE

“The rich get richer but the wise get wealthier.”

Remember that being wealthy is a state of mind and not the state of your bank balance.

(The picture on the right was taken of a tree growing on the side of a rock – at Sydney Botanical Gardens. It made me think – We are no different to trees. We can survive and thrive however tough our circumstances may get.)

Keep your cool – at home and at work. When things are going well, anyone can be positive. But it takes an extraordinary person to maintain grace under pressure. So be a pillar of strength. Don’t crumble. Reach deep withinyourself and lift your standard. Life is not perfect. We don’t make it throughlife without setbacks. As Sarah Kay, poet, puts it, “Getting the wind knocked out of you, is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.” I believe that it is in these moments that we have the opportunity to rise above our circumstances and make the choice to be strong. It is in these moments that we use stumbling blocks as stepping-stones to a better life. This isn’t motivational talk. I live by this as a truth.
Focus on being wealthy not rich. What you invest in, ultimately defines your wealth. I have learned that the safest and most rewarding investment that yields the most abundant wealth imaginable is the investment in yourself. Aim to wake up every morning and do the simple things. Eat well, exercise, spend quality time with your family, keep learning and improving, choose to love your work, have fun with friends and be kind and generous. Focus on creating wealth not just money. Living a complete and happy life is your wealth. But here is the magic. When you invest in yourself you start to attract good things and good people to you. And these often come with opportunities to work and invest in new ideas that excite you and make money for you.
If you have a huge mortgage that relies on your current income to finance it – sell. Aim to own your home outright, if possible. Be willing to downgrade to make this happen. If a mortgage is unavoidable, keep your eye on the variable rate. Chances are it will drop lower than any fixed rate currently on offer (but please don’t take my word for it – get advice).
Don’t unnecessarily upgrade your car. It costs much less to repair a car than to spend the extra money on buying a new one. And never buy brand new cars. There is better value in second hand cars. You pay a premium for new cars for no apparent reason other than to be the first to drive the latest model.
Make sure your pay is in money form. Cash out any stock or stock options that your company has issued to you.
Reduce stock market risk as much as possible. Get out of speculative and derivative positions, especially bullish ones. If you must stay in stocks, move to investments that are high quality, liquid and commonly traded.
Sell underperforming real estate investments – If you have real estate investments returning less than 5%, aim to sell now and buy later when the market nears bottom. There will be plenty of distressed sales and you will have the opportunity to buy prime pieces of property; especially commercial buildings in local shopping strips.
Invest your money in cash spread across 2- 3 banks with high liquidity. In Australia, my pick is CBA and Westpac. I would even put 15% of that cash in actual notes stored in a cash deposit box.
Get frugal! Strengthen your family’s finances. It’s a fact that families who manage expenses well are often the most successful. Here are a few ideas that my family adopts. I know that you may not be short of a dollar. Neither am I. But this is not just about budgeting and surviving, it’s more than that. It’s about setting an example for your family and proving something to yourself. It’s about taking back control. Read more 16 Tips to get frugal this christmas.
Get fit and stay fit! When times get tough you need to be in top condition for excellent performance. Energy is the new currency. In my January newsletter I will be listing my top nutrition and exercise tips for 2012.

November 25, 2011

7 HEALTH TIPS FOR THE WEEKEND

Here are 7 Tips to boost your energy this weekend

1. Drink more wine

red-wine — Love at first Sip - Enjoy this weekend!

Here are some documented benefits:

– Can preserve your memory

– Helps you maintain a better weight

– Builds better bones

– Wine boosts your body’s defenses

– Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

– Cuts risk of colon cancer

– Cuts risk of cataracts

2. Avoid the Three White Evils

Salt, Sugar, Flour

3. Get your carbs from pumpkin, sweet potato, brocoli, rice or barley.

4. Get more Sunshine

Apart from boosting vitamin D, the sun helps to reset your body clock to regulate your sleep and energy levels. Get sun within the first 2 hours of sunrise and the last 2 hours before sunset.

5. Use Maple Syrup Instead of sugar

Sugar is highly acidic on the body. Maple syrup is in fact an alkaline. It is natural and a great source of calcium, potassium and B vitamins.

6. Start your day with a super summer smoothie

I have been having this smoothie for the last 10 years as a kickstart to my summer day. It is detoxing and gives me unlimited energy throughout the morning.

Ingredients:

Skim Milk (I substitute rice milk),

whole banana (make it organic),

qtr papaya (great for digestive health) but you can substitute mango,

table spoon maple syrup,

and tea spoon 100% cocoa powder for that natural caffein hit.

If you do weight training add two egg whites for protein (organic of course)

7. Avoid frying

But if you have to, only use Canola oil. For salads use extra virgin olive oil, of course.

Have a great weekend!

Regards,

Sam.

October 21, 2011

FAMILY: Are you a good parent? Here are 5 awesome tips.

No one can ever be successful in life or business if they do not have the support and love of their family. You may be a corporate leader or a business owner. And your sole focus is making money and providing for your family. I get it. I’ve been there.

But let me ask you this. Have you ever noticed how the best and most successful athletes in the world always have their family in the crowd watching? Why? It’s because family supports us. They help us overcome obstacles and setbacks. Family also reminds us that whether we succeed or fail we are loved unconditionally. And that makes us play harder and be fearless.

So how do you foster a good family life? Here are some tips I have learned along the way.

1. NEVER PUT WORK AHEAD OF YOUR FAMILY – especially your children.

2. GIVE FAMILY YOUR TIME – not just your money. Going shopping or watching TV does not count as quality time. Talking and really listening is how you develop a bond.

3. TURN YOUR PHONE OFF WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME.

A lot of people in sales fall into this trap. They feel that they have to be at call 24 hours. They don’t want to miss a call. But customers do not expect that. They expect to deal with someone real.

A sincere voice mail fixes that. “If my phone is off, it means I am spending time with my family or serving another customer. But rest assured when I do get your message I will call you back and give you my upmost attention.”

4. TURN ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATIONS OFF. You know what I am talking about here: rings, vibrations telling you that you have email or SMS. The other dangerous thing about notifications is that it constantly trains our mind to focus on what else we should be doing next? Instead of what is happening now. It takes us out of the moment. We hear our family talking to us but we are not really listening. Turn them off and check emails and SMS when you want to.

5. BRAIN DUMP in your diary at the end of each day. Write your ‘to do’ for the next day. It gets things out of your mind so you can switch off and focus on your family.

Please share your tips. I’d love to hear them.

August 10, 2011

GET OVER IT!

I meet many talented people in my travels who fail to live to their fullest potential. The usual reason given is fear of failure. But I say that we must never underestimate the other reason why people fail. That is, some of us spend a lot of time and energy dwelling on problems and wallowing in bad things that may happen to us from time to time. This keeps us from moving on to the good stuff and ‘getting on with it’.

We were never taught at school how to deal with setbacks. We were never given a formula or strategy. Which is pretty silly because you would think that this is a very important life skill. Sure, men are told to ‘harden up’ and women are told to ‘get over it’, but in this ultra competitive age, such advice does not cut it. It only sweeps the issue under the carpet.

I have a three step process that I use personally and share with my mentoring clients. I find it very effective and I’d like to share it with you.

When bad things happen in life, we are faced with three scenarios of acceptance. Something truly empowering happens when you accept your problems. Your heart will feel calmer and your mind starts to focus on the solution. You may not be able to change the past but you sure can do your best to shape your future.

There is a time when you have to accept what life brings you and not resist it or deny it. There is a time for action and a time for reflection and acceptance. It is no use getting upset about the things that are outside of your control. At these times, you should open up your journal and pour your heart’s feelings onto the pages. After you do this you must ask yourself two very important questions.

Firstly, ‘Is there anything I can do to fix the problem or meet the challenge?’ If so, then you must take action with courage.

Secondly, ‘If I cannot do anything to fix the problem, is there anything I can learn from what happened?’ If so, then at the very least you can prevent it from happening again.

In both cases, you are accepting the challenge and not running away from it. The only difference is that one requires you to take action with courage and the other requires you to learn from it and move on.

Thirdly, if you can neither learn from or fix the problem then you must turn to ‘gratefulness’ as your hearts safety net. When we find it very difficult to accept terrible things that may befall us in life, all we can do is be grateful for the life we have. We can always be grateful for something in our life. Reminds me of the old arabic proverb which goes something like this, “I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet.” It’s all about focusing on what you have, rather than what you don’t have. I can go on and on about this simple life lesson; instead I urge you to read Chapter 15 of my book, “A Higher Branch” about the story of young Jessica and how she overcame her eating disorder simply by changing her focus in life.

My personal philosophy is that not knowing what happens next in life makes it interesting (That’s why we love to watch sport). Life is like sport. All we can do is play our best game. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. The main thing is to stay in the game.

July 19, 2011

What is your ONE thing?

In the last few months of coaching I have noticed a trend. One that is encouraging. I have noticed that many of us think that there are a myriad of obstacles that is holding us back from pursuing the life we really want; when in truth it is often only one thing. That’s right, you heard me correctly. Only one! And I don’t mean only holding you back in your career or business. It could be holding you back in all eight areas of your life.

So all you have to do is go searching for that one thing that’s holding you back. Sometimes the search is within you and sometimes it is external. It could be a food you need to eliminate that unburdens your body and unleashes your energy. Or it could be a fear that’s holding you back from taking action with courage. Or it could be as simple as making that phone call or enrolling in a course.

Here are a few real examples:

One client changed his exercise routine from weight training to jogging and cycling. It suited his body more. He was more relaxed, more energetic and more confident. It showed in his performance at work. He was more upbeat and enthusiastic. He was focused. At home he was happier. It changed all areas of his life.

Another client merely changed the time of day she worked out. It made all the difference.

Another eliminated coffee and alcohol.

Another started working from home one day a week.

Another started waking at 6am instead of 7.

Another went back to Uni to study.

Another changed jobs.

In all these cases the transformation was huge and immediate. When you have the courage to take action on that ONE thing, it’s like breaking the shackles and unleashing your passion onto the world. It is truly amazing to witness this.

So my question to you is, WHAT IS YOUR ONE THING?