The courage to do what it takes, even when you can't see your goal

Hey everyone!

I thought this article I read from the 2010 Olympic page was fascinating. Read the short blurb about an incredible Olympic athlete, and then I will add a couple of extra notes below. This is awesome!

As a member of the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing (CADS) Edmonton, Viviane completed only one year of competition on the Canadian and North American skiing circuit with the Para-Alpine Canadian Development Team before she was invited to join Team Canada in 2008 to compete on the World Cup circuit. Amazingly, Viviane had only limited experience skiing before she began competing.

Born in the Montreal suburb of Brossard, Viviane is an intense competitor and took up alpine racing because of its independence, freedom and adrenalin. With only 4% vision, Viviane is led down the slopes by her guide Lindsay Debou, an accomplished athlete in her own right, at speeds over 100 km/hr. Through the use of radio communication, Viviane follows Lindsay's instructions to navigate the ski hill.

This past year, Viviane garnered many medals for Canada. She won gold in Super-Combined at the 2009 World IPC Championships-High 1 in Korea, as well as four more silver medals. At the 2009 World Cup Finals in Whistler, Viviane took home two gold and two silver medals.

Viviane is a well rounded athlete. She has already won two Paralympics gold medals in the sport of Goalball. She competed in the 2004 games in Athens and the Sydney games in 2000. Viviane retired from Goalball in 2005.

Isn't that fantastic? If you didn't catch it the first time, I want to paint this picture clearly for you. This woman cannot see down the mountainside, and yet she travels over 100 km per hour down the mountain! And the only thing she has to guide her is the sound of her coach's voice, telling her when to turn, when to anticipate a jump, and when to stop at the end.

How many of us would be willing to strap on some ski's, head to the top of the mountain and put a blindfold on before hurtling ourselves down at break-neck speed, with only someone talking in a radio to guide us? Wow! That is courage! That's guts! And a whole lot of faith that the person talking will not steer them wrong.

How many times have I been trying to achieve a goal, finish a task, or say the right thing to teach my children, and felt like I was stumbling blind in the dark all the while with no clear way to see my objective? You go on faith that it will happen, you'll make it, and everything will turn out right!

My encouragement for everyone is to keep going! Listen to the soft voice inside you: not the nagging, negative voice of defeat, but the outgoing, positive voice in your spirit that pushes you forward! That voice is your very soul looking forward, even when you are blind, and guiding you to the end of the race. Some call it 'Women's Intuition', 'Whispers of an Angel', 'Guidance from God', 'Gut Instincts' or whatever else you want to term it. I am a Christian, so I know what I call it, but the important thing is for you to listen to it, because you know it's right 99.9999999~% of the time, right? =-)

Happy holidays everyone! If I don't talk to you again before hand, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy time with your families, and if you have missed goals in '09 thus far, reset them in January for 2010. I believe in you - now believe in yourself! Looking forward to hearing your success stories in the coming year!

Sincerely,

Andreas Zimmermann

Taking action creates positive feelings

I ran across an old audio clip today that was really good, and I want to share it with you. It was from a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) audio series from several years ago.

Have you ever had a time when you thought "When the timing is right, I will get this project done" or "When everything settles down, then I will get to work on this", or "I am waiting for the perfect moment to do this"?

Have you also noticed that more often than not, the perfect time never comes? We all have projects or hobbies or business or something that we should, could or really want to do!

Some of us are looking for that "special feeling" before we start doing the work. But the fact is this: that good feeling doesn't come until after the work has been started!

Everyone has had a time in their life when they had to sell something - in your profession, for a fundraiser for your kids, or even back in school when you were getting people to buy something from you for your camping trip, or the school band, or whatever event it was you were fundraising for! At some point in time, we have all sold something!

Think about that for a minute - did the good feelings come before you took action, or did the good feelings come after you made your first sale? It was after! You wanted to give someone a high-five, you were jumping and skipping around, and suddenly whistling a different tune, weren't you? And that good feeling made you want to go do it again!

So stop looking for that feeling: it's going to come, just do the work! And when the action comes, guess what? Winning will also win more people to your side! Birds of a feather flock together, and so do winners! As you win more, you will be attracting more winners to your side, which increases your ability, networking and influence to be able to succeed more in the action you are taking.

This isn't just in sales - it's in everything you do.

Some people wait their entire lives for their ship to come in - others go swim out to it. Which one do you want to be? It's your decision. Take action, and discover the potential you have inside you!

Andreas Z.

Healthy Smiles

Did you ever wonder what makes a smile a great smile? In one of the last emails and Blogs I sent out in May, I talked about smiling in a "Welcome to Summer" fashion. I'd like to get a little more scientific about it, for just a moment.


There is definitely a psychological aspect to smiling. Everyone has had a moment where your not sure if your breath is ok, or some food is sticking to your front teeth, or wondering if your smile really is a nice smile at all for a number of other reasons. #1 on the list of possible issues stopping a smile from being a great and beautiful thing is....teeth!

Everyone likes to think of teeth as white. Pure white. Did you ever see the commercial where the kids are naming colors for the teacher, and when she points to her teeth they start naming colors like Ecru, Mother-of-Pearl, Beige, Off-white, and other fun names? It was quite humorous, the poor gal. But we all like to think of our teeth being white and healthy, and if they are not it is easy to be self-conscious about them.

Enter into the picture: Glister Toothpaste!

I was studying this wonderful little product tonight and made some amazing discoveries, that I don't think any other brand of toothpaste can make. First, I did a quick price comparison when I went to Walmart, and found out that Glister is almost half the price of any other brand in the store (based on recommended usage amounts)! Very cool!

Here is a list of the other benefits of Glister Toothpaste - some shared by other brands, some not so much:

• Multi-action Fluoride toothpaste for the whole family - no need to have separate tubes for kids or parents!
• Whitens Teeth - using Sylodent (trademark of Access Business Group), a polishing agent, which cleans and helps eliminate stains
• Fights cavities (I haven't had any for many years, ever since starting to use Glister)
• Removes plaque with regular brushing
• Is safe for enamel as it acts as a polish rather than a scrub (did you know that some brands of toothpaste are used by glass repair technicians and auto-body repair mechanics to remove pits out of glass and some metals, because the grit content is so high in the paste? What does that do to your teeth, then?)
• Light, creamy, minty flavor leave teeth and mouth feeling clean and fresh
• Comes in Large or Travel sizes
• And for those who need to know, it is even Certified Kosher
  

Glister comes in Oral Rinse, toothbrushes, and a mint refresher spray as well!

The best of the best, in my (humble yet accurate) opinion!

Smile!!! We're still in summer!

Andreas Z.
www.zimenterprises.biz

Story Time: The Four Minute Mile

Have you ever been told that something can’t be done, that it is impossible, to not bother starting because the record can’t be broken anyway?

It is the early 1950’s, and there has been a limit set. There are many people who feel that running the 4 minute mile has a barrier there for a reason, that the human body cannot propel itself fast enough to break this elusive record. But there are many others who see it as a goal to be reached.

Enter to the scene Mr. Roger Bannister. Born in England, inspired by watching races and Olympic events, he decides to try running. His career was impressive, and he won many awards and broke several records, but the 4 minute mile seemed to be something out of reach. Most of his records were broken more by force of will than by actual training – most authorities agree that his training regime was considered very light in comparison to other runners of the day. He trained less than 3 days a week, and in one case broke a world record at an official event, but he hadn’t trained at all in the last month!

Despite is fairly light training, Roger Bannister ended up breaking the 4 minute mile barrier in 1954. What is interesting is that many runners, who had previously only run the mile in 4:10 or longer, began breaking the 4 minute barrier within weeks or months of Bannister’s run! They only needed the example set before them in order for them to believe it was possible.

So what goals, achievements, dreams or desires do you have that you haven’t accomplished yet? They are possible! Look for examples of the people who have gone ahead before you and achieved – if you can believe it, you can achieve it!

And if you don’t have an example of someone who has already succeeded in what you want to do, than BE the example for others!

Summer is almost over, and I think this is a perfect time to set some new resolutions. I know that everyone likes to do that on January 1^st, but September has always seemed like a good time to re-commit for me. It is the beginning of the school year, and the end of the summer holidays. There is an automatic mindset there to get re-focused, back into the grind and get back to work.

So set a goal! If you haven’t accomplished something this year yet, set that goal for between September 1^st and December 31^st, 2009. What are you going to do? What will you complete, build or make progress on? For those 4 months, find a target you want to reach, and use New Year’s Eve as a marker for you to re-evaluate your progress thus far, and then re-set that goal for the next few months until it is complete!

Achieve! You are greater than you think you are.

"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." - W. Clement Stone

(If you want to read more about Roger Bannister's story, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bannister)

61 Success Tips

Hey Everyone!

I just received this post from Brian, one of my best buddies and mentors in the world, about success tips. These are all things that he has written down over the years from various seminars, books, CD's and other sources of success-thinking. He has shared it in his Blog if you would like to see it there, but I am also including a copy of it here for you to read directly!

http://profitnesstraining.blogspot.com/

If you want to read a little about Brian, who he is and his background, you can see it on his personal training website at: http://www.pro-fitnesstraining.com/PFT_Meet%20The%20Team_Brian_Herosian.html

Enjoy!


Original text from Brian's Blog:

61 Universal Success Tips For a Better Life and Business

I don't know how you define success, but for me, it's being able to do what I want, when I want, for as long as I want…

and if I could add just one more tiny little thing to my definition of success - it would be to have positively affected humanity in one way or another, no matter how small, before I kick the can.

That’s me, what about you?

Today I just started jotting down ideas as quickly as they came to me. When I was done I ended up with this list of 61 success tips for a better life, business, and general world domination stuff.

Here they are… in no particular order…I hope you like them. And these came from many different sources over many years of experience and hundreds of books, cd’s, seminars, private coaching sessions, you name it, from many different people too numerous to name.

1. Serve a starving crowd. Don't be everything to everyone. Find your niche, the things you're passionate about, and the people you like working with. Life's too short to just "get by".

2. Create multiple income streams. Gone are the days of linear income. Today the most successful have multiple income streams. If you want reliability, REAL security and stability in your business… think multiple income streams.

3. Leverage time, technology, and others, and by that I mean VALUE your time and do the things that move you forward and outsource everything else.

4. Create recurring income streams because who wants to only be as good as their last sale?

5. Thank your parents. Seriously. I'm thankful to my parents for bring me to this awesome country at such a young age. The opportunities I have here are ENDLESS. When was the last time you thanked your parents?

6. Pay it forward. It just flat out feels good. And when you do, without expecting anything in return, the universe somehow pays you back in spades.

7. Be thankful for what you have. No one is entitled.

8. Build, nurture, and cultivate your list. The list is king. Always has been… and always will be. Abuse or neglect your list and pay the price.

9. Never give up - you don't know if you are just one more step away from success.

10. Focus on the critical 5% because these are the things that leap frog you forward in life and business. Outsource the other 95%.

11. Don't major on minor things.

12. Always up sell, because if you have a decent product or service then you have an ethical obligation to give your clients the best you have.

13. Charge what you're worth. Never undervalue yourself. Don't compete on price. Raise your rates NOW and increase value. It's really a simple formula.

14. The money's in the backend. If you don't or won't sell your clients more of what they want - they'll give your money to someone else.

15. Solve a problem. It's really that simple. Be the solution to a specific program.

16. Never lie, cheat, or steal. Its short sighted, gets you nowhere fast, and once again the universe will pay you back in spades if you do.

17. Get a little bit of money from a lot of people. This advice was the biggest "ah ha" moment of my life.

18. Guarantee everything. People are skeptical these days and rightfully so, there's so much crap out there. Do you believe in your product or service? Put your money where your mouth is and guarantee it.

19. Keep your word. ALWAYS

20. Live in abundance. It's a state of mind and a way if life. There's enough for everyone.

21. Avoid crabs and vampires. You know who they are in your life. The folks that are like kryptonite when they come around you. AVOID THEM AT ALL COST.

22. Read two books a month.

23. Blog about it. It's your platform to your market and followers. But don't deliver bad content unless you want to create a MASSIVE disconnect.

24. Buy speed. Specialized information has never been as easy to get as it is today. All you got to do is invest in the stuff and you'll buy yourself years of speed.

25. Ready - shoot - aim. NOT Ready, aim, shoot.

26. Study Direct response marketing because unlike 'traditional brand marketing" it delivers results that you can track.

27. Master crafting killer sales copy if you want to sell a shit pile of stuff.

28. Action trumps knowledge - period. It's a lie… knowledge is not power. Knowledge APPLIED is.

29. Don't wait for perfect. Perfect will never happen.

30. Learn to sell. This is the single most HIGH DEMAND skill ever. Nothing happens until a sale is made.

31. Model success, studies others, and learns from those who have already done it right.

32. Take time off to decompress, bring back down to neutral once in a while.

33. Try new things.

34. Network often. It's not WHAT you know; it's WHO you know, and how THEY feel about you.

35. Ask for help. No man (or woman) is an island.

36. Look for mentors, people you can learn from, people you look up to, people who are already where you want to be.

37. Less talk more action. Just get it done… anyone can talk big.

38. Make it new and improved. If you want more sales, reinvent yourself and your products. Look at what happened to Coke when they introduced the fridge pack or Trident gum when they repackaged their product - both products increased sales virtually overnight. People want new and improved… so give it to them.

39. Exercise you body. Some of the best business ideas I get come to me while I'm working out. It's proven that workouts release "happy hormones" into your bloodstream and working out alters your state-of-mind and makes you more creative.

40. Exercise your mind. Challenge yourself. Take in new information, thoughts, ideas, and concepts. Expand your mind.

41. Publish a book - become an instant authority.

42. Success happens in chaos, a line from Dan Kennedy. And it's true.

43. Catch the big fish. You're going to work just as hard to get the big fish as you do with getting the small ones. The bigger fish are way more profitable and require much less maintenance.

44. Repel riff-raff’s. Inevitably you'll attract riff raffs, tire kickers, people who can't (or won't) afford what you're selling. Learn to spot them quickly and set up systems to repel them. Let them go to your competitors.

45. Come with a giving hand. Zig Ziglar says "when you help enough people get what they want… you'll get what you want." Eben Pagan says be a value ADDER to other people's lives and not a value EXTRACTOR.

46. It's about what you KEEP not what you EARN. Manage your business, your profits, and your expenses.

47. Fail forward. I'd rather reach for 10,000,000 and only hit 5,000,000 than reach for 100,000 and make it.

48. Protect your time. You only have so much of it and there are way too many vampires trying to take it.

49. Listen. Don't "wait to speak"… actually listen.

50. Have unreasonable expectations. Dream big… no matter how stupid it seems to others.

51. Be humble.

52. Know what you want. Forget about keeping up with the Jones'. What do YOU want?

53. Know your numbers. You can tell me anything you want about your business, but nothing will tell a more truthful story than the actual numbers.

54. Be unique and original.

55. Make it irresistible. Give them a compelling reason to BUY IT now.

56. Pre-sell. Don't wait for the doors to open or for the site to be up. See it now.

57. Cross-sell. What else can you sell them? What else do they WANT?

58. Think high profit low risk.

59. Strike while the iron's hot. Don't think about, kick it around, or get to it later. If you have a good idea… there's no better time than NOW to get on it.

60. Understand how money moves… because it's always moving… to… or away from you.

61. Enjoy life. This is not a trial run.

The First Step to Great Health

Hi All! And welcome to summer!


The sunshine and warmth heading into June is marvelous, and I hope you are all having a chance to enjoy it. The sun allows us all to breath a little deeper and get out of the 'cabin fever' we've had through winter.

Have you ever noticed that it is easier to smile on a sunny day?

The first step to great health is something very simply, but almost always overlooked. It is a choice! It is all about our individual attitude.

Think of it this way: circumstances around you in your life will happen anyway, no matter what you do. If you get a flat tire on your car you have a choice, to get angry about it, or to keep smiling. Either way, you still have a flat tire to deal with! Smiling and choosing a good attitude will allow you to handle the negative stress of the situation better than if you were to lose your cool!

Did you know?
It is scientifically proven that positive thoughts, good humour and cheerful demeanor make you healthier! It's true! The chemicals released in your body when you are happy increase blood flow and promote greater oxygen mixture in your blood, which in turn allows your body processes to work more efficiently, giving you a greater immunity boost, repairing damage within your cells, and giving you more energy! This is scientific fact!

Hundreds of journals, papers and books have been written on the power of the human mind to create positive thought and feelings, which in turn creates a healthier you!

The best way to start, is to smile! Think of a dog that you see at a friends house or in the park. If it is growling and barking, do you want to go pet it? Or do you wait for the dog to be wagging its tail, panting happily and stretching towards you to say hello? This is the canine version of a smile!

Smiles draw us in to others, and draw others to us! When you are feeling down, a simple smile on your face will start to make you feel better - fake it until the feeling comes, and plaster that smile on your face! Haven't you ever noticed that when someone else is laughing, even if you are having a bad day you tend to want to chuckle along with them. Laughter, smiles, positive feelings - it is contagious!

Here is a great poem to help you remember the importance of a smile - it is a simple reminder to choose to have a positive attitude, the greatest first step in optimal health!

Smiling is Contagious
Without even knowing it
You catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling too
I passed around the corner
And someone saw me grin
When he smiled I realized
I had passed it onto him!
I thought about that smile
Then I realized its worth
A single smile
Just like mine
Could travel around the earth!
So if you feel a smile begin
Don't leave it undetected
Let's start an epidemic quick
And get the world infected!


Take care, and smile! =-)

Andreas Z.
Zimmermann Enterprises
Web: http://www.zimenterprises.biz/
Blog: http://zimenthealthfitness.blogspot.com/
Email: zimenterprises@bww.com

Personal Health Specifics

Hey Everyone,


Have you ever been bogged down by the events of the day, the chores to finish that week, and the deadlines due at work? It is very easy with all of the career, family, romantic and personal stresses in our lives to either have our physical health suffer, or to forget about it completely! We discussed in past Blog Health & Wellness updates how important physical health is. Today, let's get a little more specific as to what we need to do to keep our physical health up and maintained.


Physical Exercise
There is simply no substitute for a good work out! Period. A lot of people try to shortcut the shortcut by eating specially-designed foods and miracle pills that will help them to keep in shape, loose weight, or feel their best. The problem is that all those products without the benefit of physical exercise is only a temporary fix, a bandaid for the real problem beneath. At the very least, each of us should be getting a minimum of 30 minutes of continuous cardiovascular exercise 3 times every week. How are you faring on this scale?

It is better if you can schedule this time in specifically to gain the full benefits of the physical workout, however for those busy people out there you may need to modify your calendar or make some changes somewhere in order to make it work. For example, if you get a 60 minute lunch break at work, make 3 of them per week a 30 minute lunch, and a 30 minute jog! Another option is to change your daily patterns - walk home an extra 5 or 10 blocks instead of taking the bus all the way home, or get a Pedometer and challenge yourself everyday to try and get 100 steps more than you did the previous day!

Recommended: Multivitamin supplements like Nutrilite Daily or Double X are a great all-around boost to take, as well as Calcium, Iron and Vitamin C to help bolster your workouts. There are many other options, however Perfect Water is always a great way to ensure your body is getting the 100% absorption of the water you need, too.

Relaxation
This means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, however getting a proper amount of rest is vital for your vitals! And here is a tip for those who like to burn the candle at both ends - the better physical shape you are in, in general the less average sleep you need per night!

Relaxation doesn't always need to mean sleep specifically. Sitting in the sun and just enjoying the fresh air, reading a book for 30 minutes, listening to some soft music - these are all great ways to get your body relaxing and rejuvenating itself! Sleep is definitely one of the better ways to achieve this, however, as the REM sleep triggers many biochemicals to be released, allowing for healing, processing synaptic messages that were stored but not filed, and balancing chemical levels in the body.

Recommended: Stress B is the biggest supplement that can be recommended here, as well as Nutrilite's Sleep Health which will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep. Vitamin B levels are important to maintain as the various Vitamin B complexes are what the body uses to maintain its body chemistry, and many processes in the body also require Vitamin B in order to absorb other vitamins and minerals.

Eating Right
There are a lot of people who say that because they always eat 3 square meals a day, their nutrition is fine. Are you sure? Consider this: can you say for 100% certain that you know exactly when and where the food you bought at the store came from? Most fruit, for example (even Organics at the store) is stored anywhere between 3 to 6 months on ice before it makes its final shipping destination. During that time, a lot of natural vitamins, minerals and other benefits in food factors deteriorate, leaving behind a product that may taste great, but is lacking a large amount of the nutrition you think you are getting. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that anywhere between 40% and 70% of the food value is lost by the time we pick it up at the grocers (depending on supplier, processing and shipping delays and methods)!

Presevatives and processed foods can have chemical bases added to them which further destroy nutritional value, and have the added benefit of putting foreign chemicals into your diet. These chemicals can range in toxicity: one example is gasoline, which can be used on some sweeteners to separate the parts of sugar out, and then replace the empty sugar back in (now coated slightly with gasoline). Is this what you want to be eating?

Do you really think you don't need a vitamin supplement, if you are not 100% sure what the food value is of what you are eating?

Recommended: All Nutrilite Vitamins are 100% natural, with no chemicals added in, and there is a lot number on each product so that the corporation can back-track and single bottle back to the square meter of land it was produced from. This ensures that you know exactly where your product came from! Double X again, or the Men's or Women's Daily Supplement Packs: start with one of these great options as your multi-vitamin multi-mineral base, and then check with your physician to see what other supplements you might need to add.

Any questions please let me know! If you want to try the supplements recommended above, please feel free to contact us, or look at our Product website directly. We'll be honoured to help you with your health!

Andreas Z.
Zimmermann Enterprises
http://www.zimenterprises.biz/

So What Are Trans Fats Anyway?

Everyone hears about them, but no one really knows what they are. You see them on labels, store advertisments and magazine covers all the time.

So just what are trans fats anyway?

When you go shopping these days it’s likely that you’re going to see lots of items claiming they are low in or have no trans fats (or fat, or cholesterol, or whatever). Just what are trans fats? Trans fatty acids are made by heating liquid vegetable oils in the presence of hydrogen, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The process is more commonly known as hydrogenation. It’s easy to figure out how hydrogenated an oil is—the harder the oil will be at room temperature the more hydrogenated it will be. So if you go into the store and you have a choice between stick margarine and a soft and spreadable margarine, you know the spreadable one is less hydrogenated, and therefore contains less trans fats.

Most snack foods and processed foods contain high amounts of trans fat. There are also a lot of baked goods that have high amounts of trans fat (usually french fries and fried chicken fall into this category as well). Prepared foods that have a long shelf life tend to be higher in trans fat as well, but this is not always the case. (For more on what Trans Fats are, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat.)

Trans fats are not good for your cholesterol level because they raise the level of bad LDL (low-density lipoproteins, which carry cholesterol from the liver into the rest of the body, and when there’s too much of it, it can be deposited on the walls of the arteries) and lower the level of good HDL (high-density lipoproteins, which carry blood back to the liver and processes cholesterol so that it can be eliminated from the system).

What are the health risks?
The primary concern associated with Trans Fats is Coronary Heart Disease(CHD). Basically, trans fats can collect in blood vessels around the heart and other areas of the body that can choke and congest arteries. Some studies have actually shown that eating a diet that does not contain any saturated or unsaturated fats have reduced the risk of CHD.

Other health risks may include: Alzheimers, Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, Liver Dysfunction and Infertility. (Some of these are still in research phases, and not fully diagnosed as a direct link to Trans Fats yet, but the scare is there already anyway.)

Does this mean I should not eat any Trans Fats at all?
Well...in a word...yes. =-)

That would be my humble opinion. But it isn't as hopeless as it sounds. Hydrogenated food substances are in a large majority of the foods we eat today, but don't forget that there are trace amounts of Trans Fats found in many naturally occurring foods as well (mostly meats like fish and beef, but some vegetable matter as well). The bottom line is that small trace amounts of Trans Fats are OK, because your body can tolerate and eliminate very small amounts. The danger is only when a large amount is being consumed - that build up occurs quickly and can begin to show in various places in the body shortly after digesting the food.

What does this mean for my foods?
Eliminating trans fats where possible would be a wise decision, and I am sure your doctor would agree! Ultimately, you need to check with your physician to be sure, but being conscious of what you are eating is the place to start. Basically, Trans Fats occur because of a chemical process - all in all, chemicals do not belong in the body. Eliminating chemicals from your food wherever possible will lead to a healthier, and happier, life for you!

Using Your Time Effectively

Everyone is busy these days! Isn't it amazing that we have all sorts of technology to help make things more efficient for us, and yet our society in general is at an all-time high for stress and lack of spare time for the things we really want to do? I know that cell phones, microwaves, the Internet, computers and many other tools fall into this category (haven't you ever seen someone standing in front of a microwave, which will cook their meal in 2 minutes, tapping their foot in frustration going "come on, come on"). =-)

Here are some quick tips that I have read about in Positive Thinking books, seen on videos and listened to on CD's from professionals, millionaires and other very successful people, which I am practicing in my own life. Hopefully you can find one or two items here that can help you, too!

In everything you do, work smart! Chances are whatever task you are doing has been done before - research your more complex tasks in books, on the Internet, or from someone you know has done it already! They will have tips for you so that you can do it once, correctly, the first time!

Eliminate procrastination: the easiest way I know of to do this is to do it once, then move on! As soon as work comes into your hands, do it! If you put some paper work on the counter, or in your "In" box, you'll more than likely forget about it for an hour, a day, a week, or who knows how long? Get it done, now! You'll feel better for accomplishing a task, which will give you more energy to tackle the next one!

Focus on your strengths - outsource the things you hate doing, or are simply not good at! Tracy and I do this a lot - there are many tasks that she is great at and has no problem doing, that I just hate doing, or that if I do them, I do them poorly. She is great at it, it is already a strength, so go for it! And the same thing vice versa. If we focus on our strengths, and split the tasks to our strengths, each task becomes easy, takes less time to do, and also gets done at 110% quality. If neither of you have a certain task as a strength, see if you can get a 3rd party to do it instead.

Use technology properly: it is meant to automate tasks to free up your time to do something else. For example, you don't need to sit and watch the oven cook something. Set a timer, then go complete a different task - when the timer goes off, return to it! This is the same with software programs you may use - get a process running, and while it is working do your paper work, or use a different program! You don't need to watch the computer do "nothing" while waiting. Multitask and let technology take tasks off your plate!

The number one key is to remember that you may not always get it right. Don't worry about it! You make a mistake, waste some time - that happens to everyone! If you whine and complain about the task you forgot or messed up, then it is a real failure and it ends there. But if you learn from that failure and use it to make corrections the next time, it becomes a stepping-stone to your next success!

Andreas (& Tracy) Z.
Zimmermann Enterprises
http://www.zimenterprises.biz/

Spring Health Tips

We all know that Spring is just around the corner....right? =-)

Well, eventually. For those of you in other regions it may not be so bad, but here in Calgary, with Chinooks and the crazy Calgary climate, Spring will just get here when it gets here.

One of the nasty things about the changing of the seasons is the constant changes it does to our skin as well. Women know this much more than the men do, but it is really important for us all to know about! Gentlemen - don't ignore this!

Of most importance is our face. We have all experienced it when we are travelling - you walk off the plane in a warmer climate, or a more humid environment, your hair gets frizzy, and your skin either drys up or perhaps practically swells. The changing season does exactly the same thing - only it is much more gradual a change, so most people don't notice it (until it's too late)! It is the changing of the seasons when it is of most importance to keep up on that routine!

Ladies all have their daily routine to Cleanse, Exfoliate, Tone, Condition and finally Moisturize! And guys - this means you too! We shave our faces on a regular basis, and guess what? We're doing the same thing! We clean our face, apply shaving cream and start trimming away the hair (this is Cleansing and when cutting the hair, you are also Exfoliating your skin). Then we apply an after shave (usually a Toner base, with some fragrance thrown in), and possibly a smoothing gel and creme afterward (Conditioning and Moisturizing). For some guys there might be an additional step or two in there, but it all works down to the same thing! Men and ladies alike, it follows the same basic steps!

Sometimes you don't have time to go through the entire routine - you're late for work, or not able to get home before the big meeting, or simply just too dang tired to do it. But in the transition times of the seasons, give it that extra effort! Your healthy skin depends on it! =-)

Wishing everyone a great start to March! Welcome to Spring this month!

Sincerely,

Andreas (& Tracy) Z.

Most Important Aspect of Health

We all know that your health is important. There is a bit of Chinese wisdom that I was reading about this week, and I wanted to share it with you.

1) It says to take all of your blessings in life - material possessions, friends, family, job, all of it - and for each one, write a zero down on the page.

2) Once you have written all of these zeros down, the next thing to do is to think of your health, assign it the value of 1 or 0, and place it at the beginning of the chain of numbers you already wrote down.

3) If your health is a zero, than everything else in your life has no value, because no matter how many zeros you line up, they mean nothing unless there is something to give it value at the beginning.

4) However, if your health has a value of 1, just a simple little 1, than your entire life has value, and has meaning! Just imagine if you could increase it that much more, and give it a value of 2, or 3...?

So what do you want your life's overall value to be? Your health is critical to the value of the rest of your life. Make sure you are taking care of yourself!

We all know that eating correctly is important, and most medical professionals agree that vitamin and mineral supplementation is extremely important with todays food supply. But the quality of food we eat is not the only source of good health.

Stress in our lives is a big factor that determines our physical health. There are many medical research studies that have shown that mental and emotional stress can very often arise in the physical body as illness. Studies have shown that people who are physically in perfect health, but have extreme stress in their lives from jobs, relationships or other crises, have developed ulcers, colds, flu symptoms, migraines, and even heart attacks. These people have no viral or bacterial infections, no disease infecting the body of any kind: simply the mental and emotional strain that causes the physical body to break down!

So how do we combat these stressors? There are many possibilites. You need to choose the best option, or options, for you! I have a few items listed here.

1. Pets - pets can be a great source of stress relief! I know that sometimes we are able to laugh at home with our Chihuahua Noel. She does silly things, or sometimes when we've had a bad day she just sits with us and snuggles. Either way, she brings us joy!
2. A good movie - sometimes a favorite you have watched a dozen times and love; sometimes a new movie that you have always wanted to see! It is always a good idea to make sure that you watch a funny movie that makes you laugh - laughter truly is the best medicine!
3. Exercise - physical exercise is a great way to relieve stress. The endorphins that are released when exercising can counteract bad emotions, increase alertness and allow your mind to focus on something other than the problems causing your stress! (And if you are lucky enough to have a punching bag in your gym, imagine a picture of whatever it is causing your stress on the bag, and pound away.)
4. This one is for the ladies - Chocolate! If you have a favorite food, indulge once a week and have some! (Not too much chocolate, though, otherwise the exercising we just did doesn't count any more!)
5. Friends - hang out with your best friends, and allow the good company to rid you of the negative thoughts from the day! Good friends are critical to keeping a healthy lifestyle (and sometimes your sanity).
6. The Hair Dryer Trick - I heard of this one from an email passed around a long time ago, and thought it was hilarious. Take a hair dryer and drive out to a busy street. Pull over to a spot were you have a clear view of traffic, and they can see you. Point your hair dryer at the oncoming cars, and watch them slam on their brakes as they get near. Shake your finger at those who are still speeding. =-)

There are many other possibilites. Hiking, sleeping, taking in sporting events or live theatre - whatever it is that you enjoy, brings you joy, and makes you feel better! Let's make sure your rating of your health is a 1 or greater, and give your life value!

Andreas (& Tracy) Z.

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to share this Health Blurb with you all. It is a great tip from my mentor and trainer, Brian Herosian. Brian was a CFL and NFL player, and is also a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer. (You can read his Bio on his website at www.pro-fitnesstraining.com)

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Andreas Z.

Last Meal Of The Day....Burn Fat While You Sleep!

- Brian Herosian

The secret.

The way to getting those last stubborn
pounds off. The key to getting your
fat-burning furnace crankin' hot. The key
to releasing natural fatburning hormones in
greater quantity as you snooze at night.

I'll cover one of these meals today.

Take your bodyweight and divide it by 10.
That's how many grams of protein I want you
to eat. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you
will be eating 15 grams of protein.
Increase this by 5-10 grams if you are a
bodybuilder.

Now, I'd like you to eat turkey - but not
just any turkey. Certainly not deli-style
sliced turkey. Go to your supermarket and
ask your butcher to slice up some real
non-processed white meat turkey breast.

Why turkey? Because turkey is sky-high in
protein, very low in fat, and has a lot of
tryptophan in it. Tryptophan helps you
sleep and can induce greater growthhormone
secretion. That means more bodyfat burned
at night.

Then, the kicker: eat one celery stalk for
every 75 pounds of bodyweight you carry.

Celery is a "negative-calorie" food. In
other words, you will burn more calories
digesting it than the food contains.

The end result will be a meal that's lower
in calories than the total calories you
consume, high in fiber, and perfect for
fatburning at night.

Eat this meal about 2-3 hours before
bedtime. Fill the time before bed with
drinking water or munching on celery.

Try this for a week and watch your bodyfat
start melting off.