Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Hangin' with John Rich!
He's got to be one of the coolest dudes I've ever met! Talk about humble beginnings. John was born in Amarillo, Texas and was raised living in a trailer park. He began writing music at age 18. He was telling me that he started off with nothing but a guitar, a pen and paper, and a dream. He actually wrote over 500 songs before anyone would give him the time of day. There's lesson #1: NEVER GIVE UP!
I think the thing that impressed me most about him is his patriotism and dedication to the United States of America. He carries with him in his back pocket and miniature version of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. He said he's read that thing hundreds of times. What a great tip!
Needless to say, his hard work and determination has paid off. Ready for the biggest shocker? After meeting him, you may actually see me browsing on iTunes under the heading "Country & Western"! Here's to you, John Rich!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
9 minutes to fix high blood pressure and congestive heart failure
I saw a new patient yesterday who gave me a list of medications she is taking. The list was about 19 medications that she takes every day for various ailments. That's not a typographical error...19!!! Unbelievable.
What if we help her get off of just 3 or 4 of them. Do you think her quality of life would improve?
Whether or not this applies to you, I guarantee it applies to someone you know and love.
I'm not gonna lie, the video is kind of boring, so you can fast forward to the five minute mark.
Powerful stuff.
What if we help her get off of just 3 or 4 of them. Do you think her quality of life would improve?
Whether or not this applies to you, I guarantee it applies to someone you know and love.
I'm not gonna lie, the video is kind of boring, so you can fast forward to the five minute mark.
Powerful stuff.
Monday, December 26, 2011
2012...More of the Same?
Greetings!
I hope you had a fantastic Christmas weekend and had some time to slow down and relax with your family and/or friends.
This tends to be one of the laziest weeks of the year, between Christmas and New Year's. I like that. It's healthy to take regularly scheduled rest periods in life.
A mentor taught me to spend December each year reflecting on seven areas of life. He said you want to look at where you are in each area, determine where you want to be this time next year, and then begin to work toward those goals. Granted, we don't always reach them as quickly as we want, but it's important to be working toward something.
Here are the seven areas (in no particular order):
Family
Spiritual
Mental
Career
Financial
Physical
Social
I've learned to put together a Be/Do/Have goal for each area. For instance, a goal for my FAMILY may sound like this:
I want to BE an unconditionally loving father, husband, brother, and son. I want to go on (DO) three family vacations this year and teach my daughter how to ride and bike and roller skate. This will create (HAVE) life-long happy memories as we become stronger as a family every day.
A short sentence for each area, re-read every day, will keep you on the path to making 2012 the best year yet.
Happy New Year!
Dr. Cox
P.S. Don't drink too much sparkling grape juice!
I hope you had a fantastic Christmas weekend and had some time to slow down and relax with your family and/or friends.
This tends to be one of the laziest weeks of the year, between Christmas and New Year's. I like that. It's healthy to take regularly scheduled rest periods in life.
A mentor taught me to spend December each year reflecting on seven areas of life. He said you want to look at where you are in each area, determine where you want to be this time next year, and then begin to work toward those goals. Granted, we don't always reach them as quickly as we want, but it's important to be working toward something.
Here are the seven areas (in no particular order):
Family
Spiritual
Mental
Career
Financial
Physical
Social
I've learned to put together a Be/Do/Have goal for each area. For instance, a goal for my FAMILY may sound like this:
I want to BE an unconditionally loving father, husband, brother, and son. I want to go on (DO) three family vacations this year and teach my daughter how to ride and bike and roller skate. This will create (HAVE) life-long happy memories as we become stronger as a family every day.
A short sentence for each area, re-read every day, will keep you on the path to making 2012 the best year yet.
Happy New Year!
Dr. Cox
P.S. Don't drink too much sparkling grape juice!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Live the dream!
Listen to the lyrics. I mean, REALLY listen.
Could anyone argue? Be enlightened and enlighten others. Live the dream!
Could anyone argue? Be enlightened and enlighten others. Live the dream!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween 2011!
I had the distinct privilege of attending a life altering event this weekend. Check it out!
God Bless the USA, and Happy Halloween!
God Bless the USA, and Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Change Anything: The Conclusion
Here's the final piece to making permanent positive changes in your life: Control Your Space.
Think about this. Kids with larger plates eat more pasta. Over the last couple of generations, the plates sold in stores have inched larger and larger without anyone noticing. People eat 92% of what is on their plate - regardless of how big it is! If getting healthy is your goal, you can decrease your calorie intake by doing something as simple as using smaller plates!
It seems most Americans are not thinking about how their home’s design affects their family’s behavior. If you ever hope to take control of your life, you’ll have to first take control of your space. If your family life is on the rocks because you don't have enough "quality time" together, consider the placement of your TV in your living room. Is it right in the center where it's easy to flip on an leave on for hours? Consider moving it into another room that's not as easily accessible. Better yet, turn off your TV service for a few months. You will live...I promise.
Another great technique is to Build Fences. Consider these real life examples:
“On the way home from work, I decided I would never drive by Toni’s, my favorite bar. Chances were good I’d see a friend’s car in the parking lot, and I’d be tempted to stop. So I stopped driving by Toni’s.”
“I no longer keep alcohol in my home. If if I do happen to have some, I keep it in the fridge in the garage. I don’t need it calling out to me.”
“I made all visits to the mall off limits unless I had a specific list of items to buy."
These decisions have to be made BY YOU, not by friends, co-workers, loved ones, or family.
Keep good things close and convenient, and bad things distant and difficult. Moving a temptation just a few feet away can have a huge impact on one’s behavior.
If you want to exercise more, keep workout equipment conveniently close in your bedroom or living room, not in the basement or distant gym.
And lastly: Use Cues!
Placing pictures, sticky notes, sayings, etc. in inconspicuous places (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car dash) can jog your memory throughout the day. Cut out a picture of a person with your dream physique and place it on the fridge. The next time you're tempted to reach for the ice cream, you will see your cue hanging there, which can help you resist the temptation.
Cues become scenery after a while, so you’ll have to change them up on a regular basis.
I hope this helps you to make some great changes in you and your family's life!
Think about this. Kids with larger plates eat more pasta. Over the last couple of generations, the plates sold in stores have inched larger and larger without anyone noticing. People eat 92% of what is on their plate - regardless of how big it is! If getting healthy is your goal, you can decrease your calorie intake by doing something as simple as using smaller plates!
It seems most Americans are not thinking about how their home’s design affects their family’s behavior. If you ever hope to take control of your life, you’ll have to first take control of your space. If your family life is on the rocks because you don't have enough "quality time" together, consider the placement of your TV in your living room. Is it right in the center where it's easy to flip on an leave on for hours? Consider moving it into another room that's not as easily accessible. Better yet, turn off your TV service for a few months. You will live...I promise.
Another great technique is to Build Fences. Consider these real life examples:
“On the way home from work, I decided I would never drive by Toni’s, my favorite bar. Chances were good I’d see a friend’s car in the parking lot, and I’d be tempted to stop. So I stopped driving by Toni’s.”
“I no longer keep alcohol in my home. If if I do happen to have some, I keep it in the fridge in the garage. I don’t need it calling out to me.”
“I made all visits to the mall off limits unless I had a specific list of items to buy."
These decisions have to be made BY YOU, not by friends, co-workers, loved ones, or family.
Keep good things close and convenient, and bad things distant and difficult. Moving a temptation just a few feet away can have a huge impact on one’s behavior.
If you want to exercise more, keep workout equipment conveniently close in your bedroom or living room, not in the basement or distant gym.
And lastly: Use Cues!
Placing pictures, sticky notes, sayings, etc. in inconspicuous places (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car dash) can jog your memory throughout the day. Cut out a picture of a person with your dream physique and place it on the fridge. The next time you're tempted to reach for the ice cream, you will see your cue hanging there, which can help you resist the temptation.
Cues become scenery after a while, so you’ll have to change them up on a regular basis.
I hope this helps you to make some great changes in you and your family's life!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Change Anything: Part Three
The next strategy in our series about making positive changes: Invert the Economy. Use rewards and punishments for doing the right things and wrong things.
World famous succes coach Anthony Robins said that humans are motivated by two things: 1. To gain pleasure, and 2. to avoid pain. Guess which is a stronger motivator. Avoiding pain is much stronger.
If we can identify what our bad habits are, we can set up a "punishment" system for engaging in those bad habits. For example, watch what happen to tobacco usage as excise taxes increase.
We can set up bribes for doing well. Set up a reward system for when you do a "good" action or habit. You get to go out for ice cream...but only after you've exercised five days in a row. Something like that. And if you don't exercise five days in a row, no TV for you this weekend! Use carrots AND the threat of losing carrots.
Regarding finances, set up a financial punishment for every time you break your own rules to change. We are far more motivated to avoid loss than we are to receive and equivalent gain. If you put something you value at risk, you might be more likely to change than if you merely rely on bonuses, prizes, and other incentives.
A word to the wise, though: use incentives in moderation. Don’t fall for big incentives thinking that they’re more likely to yield big results. Large, long-term goals become far more effective when they’re broken into smaller, short-term ones.
Reward your ACTIONS, not your results, since results are often out of your control.
You get the idea.
World famous succes coach Anthony Robins said that humans are motivated by two things: 1. To gain pleasure, and 2. to avoid pain. Guess which is a stronger motivator. Avoiding pain is much stronger.
If we can identify what our bad habits are, we can set up a "punishment" system for engaging in those bad habits. For example, watch what happen to tobacco usage as excise taxes increase.
We can set up bribes for doing well. Set up a reward system for when you do a "good" action or habit. You get to go out for ice cream...but only after you've exercised five days in a row. Something like that. And if you don't exercise five days in a row, no TV for you this weekend! Use carrots AND the threat of losing carrots.
Regarding finances, set up a financial punishment for every time you break your own rules to change. We are far more motivated to avoid loss than we are to receive and equivalent gain. If you put something you value at risk, you might be more likely to change than if you merely rely on bonuses, prizes, and other incentives.
A word to the wise, though: use incentives in moderation. Don’t fall for big incentives thinking that they’re more likely to yield big results. Large, long-term goals become far more effective when they’re broken into smaller, short-term ones.
Reward your ACTIONS, not your results, since results are often out of your control.
You get the idea.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Change Anything: Part Two
Welcome back folks! This week's strategy for making permanent, positive changes in our lives is: Turn Accomplices Into Friends.
When it comes to habits (good or bad), you have two kinds of people around you: Friends and Accomplices. Friends help keep you on the road to health, happiness, and success. Accomplices do the opposite. For example, having obese friends increases your chance of following suit by a whopping 57%. Regarding finances, consider this: your income is the average of the incomes of the five people you hang out with the most.
Step one is identify who the "accomplices" are. Step two is can be more difficult: we have to either change the people around us, or change the people around us. Have a transformation conversation with the accomplices you want to turn into friends. Let them know from your heart what you are working on accomplishing. If they support you, they are a "friend." If they hold you back, they are an "accomplice." Every time you transform an accomplice into a friend, you win twice. You not only remove the negative influence, but you add a positive at the same time.
This doesn't mean that you have to tell anyone to get lost, but you will need to put a plan in place to limit (or eliminate) the influence they have over you. If certain meetings, lunches, social circles, and other rituals you attend encourage or enable the habits you’re trying to stop, you’ll need to recognize these influences. If you’re finding it particularly tough to change, it’s very possible that you have people around you who actively hold you accountable to a bad habit. Only by distancing yourself from certain people will be able to break free of their negative influence.
As you lay out your own change plan, find coaches, people who will hold you accountable to the changes you are striving to make. In an ideal world, you’ll want all friend and no accomplices. You can add numerous new friends at once by joining associations and clubs of people who are looking to achieve the same things you are.
People with six or more active "friends" who support them in their quest to change are almost 40% more likely to succeed in their change than those with less than six.
Now go make some change!!!
When it comes to habits (good or bad), you have two kinds of people around you: Friends and Accomplices. Friends help keep you on the road to health, happiness, and success. Accomplices do the opposite. For example, having obese friends increases your chance of following suit by a whopping 57%. Regarding finances, consider this: your income is the average of the incomes of the five people you hang out with the most.
Step one is identify who the "accomplices" are. Step two is can be more difficult: we have to either change the people around us, or change the people around us. Have a transformation conversation with the accomplices you want to turn into friends. Let them know from your heart what you are working on accomplishing. If they support you, they are a "friend." If they hold you back, they are an "accomplice." Every time you transform an accomplice into a friend, you win twice. You not only remove the negative influence, but you add a positive at the same time.
This doesn't mean that you have to tell anyone to get lost, but you will need to put a plan in place to limit (or eliminate) the influence they have over you. If certain meetings, lunches, social circles, and other rituals you attend encourage or enable the habits you’re trying to stop, you’ll need to recognize these influences. If you’re finding it particularly tough to change, it’s very possible that you have people around you who actively hold you accountable to a bad habit. Only by distancing yourself from certain people will be able to break free of their negative influence.
As you lay out your own change plan, find coaches, people who will hold you accountable to the changes you are striving to make. In an ideal world, you’ll want all friend and no accomplices. You can add numerous new friends at once by joining associations and clubs of people who are looking to achieve the same things you are.
People with six or more active "friends" who support them in their quest to change are almost 40% more likely to succeed in their change than those with less than six.
Now go make some change!!!
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