The John Tesh Blog

The Valley of Snap Decisions

The worst decision we can make is indecision.  When it comes to choosing to help someone, using our talents or enrolling in a college extension course, we can remain in limbo and miss an opportunity.

In today's excerpt from my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, I share how I make some of my best decisions.

Want to know a secret for making a great decision? Do it fast! If you mull over a decision for what seems like forever, you might not make such a good one. Researchers at the University College in London did a study in which they showed a group of people a computer screen that was covered in tons of identical symbols. One of the symbols was rotated in a different direction—making it look different from all the other symbols on the screen. The volunteers were then asked which side of the screen had the rotated symbol.

The findings were interesting: When the volunteers were only given a fraction of a second to look at the screen, they got the right answer a whopping 95 percent of the time! But when they were given time to analyze and study the screen, they only got the right answer 70 percent of the time.

The reason why this happened, experts figured out, is because when you only have seconds to decide, your instincts kick in and your brain quickly helps you pick the right answer. But if you take time thinking it over (and over), you will question yourself and rethink yourself over and over again. And in many cases, you will actually toss out your best instincts!

Many people will change their minds so many times that they will pick an incorrect answer. I’m not saying that we should live in a world of only snap decisions. Of course, there are many times in life when you really need to think about your decisions such as if you want to get married, have a child, or quit your job.

A snap decision in any of those areas could lead to trouble. But this study found that in many situations going with your gut and trusting your instincts gets you the right answer.

John Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Do you need extra help in taking care of your business?  I've written a whole section on how you can make the best choices of your life. Read it in my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth. You can buy it at your local bookstores or order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Stop Procrastinating Today (Not Tomorrow)

Do you find yourself putting things off and feeling as though you never move forward? In today's excerpt from Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, I share ways you can overcome postponing your life and doing something about it . . . . now!

What does the word “procrastination” mean to you? If your answer is somewhere in the neighborhood of “It’s my middle name”—there’s help for you. According to Health magazine and Dr. Susan O’Doherty, author of Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued, here’s how to quit dragging your feet and get your tasks done:

For starters, most people procrastinate for one of three reasons.

1. Perfectionism. Your inner critic takes hold of you. You sit down to do something and suddenly you think, “I’m not good enough!”—so you put it off.

2. Emotional avoidance. You don’t want to deal with the feelings that’ll surface when, say, you have to clean out your ex’s belongings from the closet. So you postpone . . . again.

3. Fear. Fear of failure, fear of success—the fear of what happens
next.

But no matter what the reason for your delay, you can get the ball rolling on a project. Here’s how.

•Take small bites.
You’re not going to clean out the garage. You’re going to clean off one shelf.

• Do something each day.
Just twenty minutes a day on a big project is all you need to make a significant dent. And before long, you’ll be finished and on to the next one.

•Envision the end.
What will the finished product look like? How will you feel when you’re done? Ask yourself these questions often, and you’ll start assuming that you’ll finish.

• Shun the slackers in your life.
You need to surround yourself with people who DON’T hinder you. The more often you hear, “You have to get this done—NOW,” the more likely you are to tie up all the loose ends that you’ve been avoiding.

To discover more tips on how you can get your life organized, you'll find a wealth of material in my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase the book at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

My #1 Job Interview Tip

Job seekers would do anything to land that treasured interview that may launch them into a new career. However, having a face-to-face encounter with your potential boss is highly stressful.

In today's excerpt from my book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, I share my #1 job interview tip that will take the worry out of the whole experience.

Some of my most prized possessions are the wonderful e-mails I have received over the past five years from radio show listeners who tell me how our research has helped them ace their job interviews and get the job. We’ve given out many great tips on body language, dress code, and even voice inflection. But I am about to give you the key ingredient for acing your next job interview. It’s the Thank-You Note!

Research shows that most hiring managers expect a thank you note after an interview, but fewer than 4.0 percent of interviewees send one. So here are tips on how you can be a standout interviewee:

•Find out the interviewer’s correct title.
And make sure you know how to spell his or her name. If you misspell the boss’s name you can kiss the opportunity goodbye. And get that thank-you note out within twenty-four hours of your meeting.

•Short note . . . great stationery.
Write something like “Thank you for your time yesterday. I am eager to play an important role on your team. I hope you will give me the opportunity to be a part of your growing company."

Wrap up with a sentence relating back to something the interviewer said or did. Something like: “Thanks for the book suggestion, I picked up a copy on the way home,” “I checked the web for those trends you told me about . . . you’re absolutely right, company X had a dismal third quarter.” It shows you were listening and you are a follow-up kind of person.

If you were interviewed by a panel of people then you should send thank-you notes to each one. Make sure they are different and hand-written.

•Don’t forget the receptionist.
If an assistant helped you, send a note to that person as well. And while we’re on that topic, make sure you are very polite to the office assistant when you announce your arrival. Managers many times take the advice of assistants and receptionists when making final decisions. Get the person’s name, write it down, and use it when you say goodbye following the interview.

•Sending the note.
Some job experts will tell you to send the thank-you note by mail. I am always impressed when I hear that the interviewee delivered the note to our office in person the next day.

Are you ready for that job interview coming up?  With my #1 tip under your belt, I promise that you already have the advantage.  For more job interview tips, check out my book Intelligence For Your Life.  You can purchase it at your local bookstore or go online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Do You Have What It Takes To Live To Be 100?

How long do you think you'll live?  Seventy-five?  Eighty-five?  Ninety years of age?  The real question is, "How long would you want to live?  What would you do with all those 'extra years'?"

The keys to becoming a fully active centenarian are found in today's excerpt from my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth. 

Most people are genetically equipped to live into their mid-eighties, says Dr. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study. But what’s the secret of crossing two centuries? Dr. Perls asked the Centenarians themselves.

Of course eating right, exercising, and not smoking are pretty much a given. But people who reach a hundred typically have three important traits: They’re assertive, they’re purposeful, and they’re resilient.

Being assertive means getting out of the house. As you get older, spend time with friends; be active. Being assertive is the opposite of being passive.

The Centenarians also say, “Don’t quit your day job” . . .unless you’ve got a good substitute to fill your time. That falls under “being purposeful.” People who work well into their old age—instead of withdrawing into themselves (there’s that passivity thing again)—still feel that they’re doing something important with their time. Working also keeps the mind sharp and the body active. As one Centenarian put it, “You make a trip around the world, then what? You read all the books you want to read, but what do you do after that? A person needs to feel that they’re making a difference.”

And the third trait shared by people who live to be a hundred is resilience—keeping your spirits up, getting through hard times with a positive attitude, not letting illness or the passing of friends and family drag you down. To be resilient you need to believe that life still has a lot to offer. You need to believe God’s promise: “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

John Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

For more advice that will help you live longer and better, you can get Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth at your local bookstore or online at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

Survive Your Stay in the Hospital

Just because you're in the hospital doesn't mean you're safe from disease and potential infections.  In fact, if you overstay your welcome at any hospital, you may be putting your health at risk.

Today's excerpt from my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth will help you stay your healthiest during your next hospital stay.

The hospital is a surprisingly dangerous place. Last year nearly two million people went into the hospital because of one illness and never made it out because of a bug they caught while they were there. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is well aware of this frightening statistic. Here are some suggestions from the CDC on how we can protect ourselves in the hospital:

•Clean hands are a must.
The CDC reports about a third of all hospital-acquired infections could be prevented if patients, visitors, and staff were more vigilant about hand washing. So make sure everyone has clean hands . . . including you. The rule is that all doctors, nurses, and orderlies must wash their hands between each patient. But it doesn’t always happen!

If you haven’t seen a healthcare professional washing his or her hands before coming near you, don’t be shy about asking them to wash their hands. And notice whether your doctors and nurses are wearing gloves when examining you. If not, ask why not. Also, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer next to your bed for visitors. Finally, do not touch your wounds or IV sites without scrubbing up first.

•Ask questions . . . lots of them. 
Sure, doctors, nurses, and other hospital professionals can be a little intimidating when you’re lying there in your paper gown. They might even act annoyed that you’re asking. Don’t worry about that. It’s your health we’re talking about, and it’s okay to hold hospital professionals accountable. So, ask questions like “Why are you about to examine me without wearing gloves?” “Why do I need these lab tests? Explain it to me.” “Why are you giving me THIS medication?” Asking questions and getting clarification keeps you informed about your situation. And if you ask your doctors and nurses to repeat out loud what they are doing, they might catch themselves if they are making a mistake.

•Pay attention to your medications.
According to Prevention magazine, your best bet for safety when it comes to getting the right meds and dosages is to choose a hospital (if you can) that uses a computerized medical data-entry system. According to Harvard research, hospitals that employ these systems have 85 percent fewer instances of medication mix-ups than those hospitals that keep track with pen and paper. But no matter what the computer or the attendants say, ask your doctor to give you a complete list of the medications you are taking, including dosages and frequency. Then, when the nurse hands you a pill, you can check it against your list.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

There's a lot more information on how to stay your healthiest in my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth. You can buy it at your local bookstores or order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Are You Fit? Take The Test!

Looks can be deceiving.  You may be 50 plus yet people flatter you by saying how you don't look a day over 40. But you know better than to let this compliment go to your head.

You know deep down, that you're struggling with gastrointestinal issues, high blood pressure or chronic fatigue.

How can you  tell if you're physically fit?  Today's excerpt from my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth provides you with an easy-to-take fitness test.

There are lots of definitions of fitness. We have had many physicians on our radio program to discuss what constitutes a healthy human being, and each had his or her own slightly different definition. For me, one key to coming up with a good definition of fitness or health is to separate fitness from appearance. If you want to know if you’re fit, ask, “What can I do?” not “How do I look?”

I ran across one report in the London Observer that introduced a new category of the male and female bodies. TOFI. That stands for “Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside.” The premise is that even though many people can get themselves razor thin, sometimes the horrible food they consume to get that way produces visceral fat around their vital organs. And so as a TOFI they actually become more of a health risk than a heavy person who eats right and works out just a half hour per day. There are quite a few studies pitting skinny couch potatoes against plus size gym rats. The couch potatoes look great in their skinny jeans, but they often end up first in line for the Statin drugs and blood pressure pills.

So for the purposes of this exercise, forget about your appearance. Instead, ask yourself the following questions about what your body is able to do:

   Can I walk a mile in fifteen minutes or less?

   Can I carry a couple of grocery bags from the supermarket to the car without difficulty?

   Can I climb one flight of stairs and not be out of breath? Is my blood pressure below 130/80? (Some more aggressive doctors—including mine—believe that number should be even lower . . . like 120/80).

   Is my resting pulse rate seventy beats per minute or lower?

Add to those five questions what my trainer Doug Larsen calls a “core fitness test.” This measures your core strength of your legs, arms, and stomach all at once. Lie face down, resting on your forearms with your elbows at a ninety-degree angle, and push up onto your toes so your body is stiff like a board. This is called “the plank.” Hold that pose for forty-five seconds. If you don’t sag, you pass.

If you meet all these criteria, then you meet the minimum in the fitness department. Of course, you should get a cholesterol test to see what’s going on inside your arteries . . . there’s no do-it-yourself way of testing that. If you failed in any one category of this test you are officially at a health risk level. Please don’t wait to see a doctor, and commit to doing whatever it takes to get back in shape.

John

Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

More tips on how to stay healthy and fit are found in my new book  Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can buy this new product at your local bookstores or order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Am I Really Hungry?

Do you only eat when you're hungry? If we ate only when we felt hungry, our obesity epidemic would not be so serious. 

One weight loss expert suggests every time we're ready to reach for food, we should ask,  "On a scale of one to ten, how hungry am I?" If your hunger level is seven or lower, don't eat.  You may be thirsty instead. Drink a tall glass of water, and if you're still hungry afterwards, eat then.

In today's excerpt from my new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth I discuss how to eat only when you're hungry and how to buy food that you really need. 

Don’t you love shopping at those warehouse clubs? If a jar of peanut butter is great, a tub of peanut butter is even better, right? Buying in bulk can definitely save you money. But did you know that shopping for food at the big warehouse clubs can also help you pack on the pounds?

Food psychologist Brian Wansink says that people tend to eat half of the food they bring home within the first week—regardless of how much they bought. Half a tub of peanut butter in a week? Ouch! Here’s how to take advantage of big-box discounts without packing on the pounds:

•Out of sight, out of mind!
Studies show that one in three people binge when snacks like nuts or chips are kept in plain sight. If your cupboard is so jammed that the giant bag of pretzels you want to buy won’t fit, don’t get it this time around. That way, you won’t keep it on the counter where it’ll constantly be tempting you.

•Divide and conquer.
Divvy up your tub-o’-granola into smaller containers. Studies show that bigger packages prompt people to eat 42 percent more than they would from sensible-size packages. Also, use clear plastic containers so you can quickly see what you already have on hand before you go shopping.

•Work that extra food into planned meals.
Cookbooks often include ideas for substitutions, so thumb through those recipes! For example, marked-down veggies can be added to homemade soup, and bran flakes can fill in for a muffin mix.

• Shop with a friend.
You can share the great big-box finds, like bundled multiples of peanut butter and pasta, without going overboard. That way you’ll still get the discount—but you’ll get home with only half the amount of food to tempt you.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

My new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth is now available in your local bookstores or you can order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Watch Out For the Germ Patrol

Germs lurk everywhere.  However, they also congregate in places you might have thought were germ-free. 

In today's excerpt from my new hardcover book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, we're going to lift the lid off some unsuspecting places where germs are hiding out in your home.

Quick question: Which is cleaner—the average public toilet seat or the average home kitchen countertop?  If you chose the countertop, choose again! In a study reported in the London Daily Mail, 85 percent of public toilets tested were cleaner than in-home food prep areas. In fact, the average kitchen surface contains ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat!

The London Daily Mail reported that researchers say it’s mostly because people don’t wash their hands properly after working with raw meat or using the bathroom. And unwashed hands are the primary carriers of various germs and pathogens like E. coli and salmonella.

 

More than 10,000 people took part in another study according to the London Daily Mail, which focused on basic hygiene principles, including how often people properly washed their hands (thirty seconds with hot water and soap) after using the bathroom. The result? Only one out of four men and one out of two women washed up properly. Then, researchers tested for germs around each volunteer’s house. They found enough bacteria to make people ill on things like light switches, door handles, and the cutting board in the kitchen.

So what’s the absolutely germiest place in the kitchen? The tray on a baby highchair!

A staggering 60 percent of baby highchair trays were contaminated with coliform bacteria, which comes from fecal matter, raw meat, dirt, or unwashed vegetables. In fact, in every single home tested the floors were cleaner than the highchair trays. Forty percent of those floors were actually clean enough to serve food on!

So, what’s a homemaker to do? Pull out the hot water and bleach. If you want to protect yourself and your family from dangerous germs, at least once a week use hot water and bleach to clean the kitchen surfaces that come in contact with food.

John

Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

My new book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth is now available in your local bookstores or you can order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Five Foods You Need In Your Diet

Are you confused as to what you should eat and what you shouldn't eat for your health? 

In today's excerpt from Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, I share with you five necessary foods you need in your diet to stay healthy.

Twenty years ago supplements were all the rage. These days there’s more research than ever on the healing power of real food versus pills and tablets. If you want the real healing power of nutrition, the best way to get it is from food. Here are a few powerful foods that keep popping up in just about every diet plan.

•Cranberries.
If you drink ten ounces of cranberry juice daily, you will reduce your risk of colds, actually warding off colds and the flu, according to a Health magazine article. You will also be preventing gum disease and even certain cancers. Cranberries also help your body fight urinary tract infections. Pomegranate juice is also a good antioxidant, and it’s delicious mixed with cranberry juice.

•Walnuts.
Walnuts are a great way to get in your Omega-3s—that’s the fatty acid that helps your body reduce inflammation and increase your good cholesterol. Studies show that walnuts even fight off depression while reducing your risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Beans.
I can’t say enough about this tiny little food that contains magnesium, potassium, foliate, and fiber. A serving of beans each day is even thought to prevent heart disease and colon cancer. Hummus is a nice alternative, if you’d like a change.

•Tomatoes.
Pile them on your sandwiches and salads because they’re a great antioxidant and are filled with lycopene, which can cut a woman’s risk of breast cancer in half. Tomatoes also lower your blood pressure and fight bad cholesterol. They even help keep your eyesight in good working order, as you get older.

•Lemons.
This yellow little miracle fruit is a great way to clean out your fuel-burning liver each and every day. Start the day with a glass of cold or warm water and squeeze into it a quarter or half of a fresh lemon. This is also a way to start your fat-burning furnace in order to lose weight.

I've devoted a whole section of my book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth to the latest tips on taking care of your health.  The book is now available in your local bookstores or you can order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Three Mistakes That May Be Hurting Your Heart

Today's excerpt from Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth is about doing everything you can to have  a healthy heart.   We’ve already talked quite a bit about finding the passions of your heart and pursuing them. But we’d better not forget your real heart—the one that’s pumping blood through your body. If your heart isn’t working as it should, you’re going to have a hard time pursuing your heart’s desires! Here are three big mistakes you might be making right now that increase your risk of heart disease.

Mistake #1. Grabbing that salt shaker.

According to a study in the British Medical Journal, lowering your salt intake by just 25 percent reduces your risk of heart disease by almost 30 percent. This study recommends keeping your intake below one teaspoon of table salt a day and avoiding commercially-prepared and processed foods. Take a look at the back of those boxes. They are loaded with salt (sodium).

Mistake #2. Never taking a nap. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that midday naps reduced coronary death by 30 percent. Scientists believe it’s because napping may decrease some of the day-to-day stress that wreaks havoc on our hearts.

Mistake #3. Never saying no. When you consistently agree to do things you don’t want to do, you raise your levels of stress hormones. This not only exhausts your body, but can also cause you to gain weight by raising your cortisol levels. Only say yes if the activity “feels” right.  And don’t ever let your friends or associates guilt you into agreeing to a bunch of stuff that leaves you no time for yourself. How hard is it to say no? Type in “How to Say No” into Amazon.com and see how many books have been written on the topic. We are a guilt-ridden society, and we are killing ourselves by saying yes way too often.

Diet. Exercise. Rest. Stress. Manage those four things, and protect that passionate heart of yours!

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

John's book Intelligence For Your Faith: Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth is now available at your local bookstores or you can go online and order it from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.