Quotation Reaction

Here’s a quote that I posted on the discussion board of an online course this morning. It fits perfectly into both intro and development courses because it makes you think about both your unique qualities and those that make you like the rest of the human family.  After reading the three lines, share an example of each.

Every person is like every other person.
Every person is like some other person.
Every person is like no other person.

Steve Jobs’ Advice

 I was saddened to hear on NPR earlier this week that Steve Jobs is taking a six month leave of absence to take care of some health issues. Apple will miss his creative genius…and so will I.  I remember the first days of Apple, and if I’m not mistaken, Jobs and a friend of his started the business in the garage of one of their homes. They had vision, a belief in their product(s), commitment, and a willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done. 

 When browsing through older posts, I found some advice from Jobs on a post from last March, and I think it’s perfect for our class discussions on personal choice. Read it and react: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

Secrets to Losing Weight

When I logged on to the MSN homepage the other day, I saw a link to an article entitled “Ten Secrets of Skinny People.” I didn’t click it. In fact, I wasn’t even tempted. Why? Because there are no secrets to weight loss. I’m not a skinny person, just an average sized gal who’s learned from experience that there are no shortcuts to being thin. Eat a little less and move a little more. That’s my strategy, the only one that works.

Years ago, I read that there are three elements to one’s weight: input (food and beverage and the fat grams, sugar, and calories therein), output (as in energy expenditure), and genetics. The first two can be controlled, but alas, the third factor is one we’re granted by Mother Nature. If you’ve subsisted on salads and water and exercised faithfully for years but still seem a bit overweight, blame your genes. Note that I didn’t say “your parents” because genes are funny. It’s sort of the luck of the draw which ones you get, and we can be affected by genes from ancestors of prior generations…by people we never knew or perhaps never heard tell of.

So put your money back in your pocket. Don’t spend it on any expensive diet food or magic pill.

·         For starters, just eat apples instead of candy, chicken (broiled or baked) instead of steak, and bagels instead of doughnuts. And while I’m on the subject, do you really need that soft drink or sugary fruit flavored drink? Why not drink water instead? It’s better for your system and is calorie-free.

·         Next, find some sort of exercise that you can enjoy and spend five minutes doing it today. Tomorrow add a few more minutes, and by next week, devote 30 minutes or so to walking, dancing, or yoga-whatever your choice of exercise is.  Just move!

·         Finally, keep it up. Seriously, to have any long range change, you need to make lifestyle changes. Otherwise, you’re going to slip and slide until one day your pants are too tight again.

In case you’re wondering what this has to do with psychology, a brief scan of topics in your text will show you. Hunger is addressed in the motivation chapter, and eating disorders are mentioned in several places throughout the text. Anyone with even a slight awareness of health issues today knows that obesity is a concern that begins in childhood and follows one throughout life. When poor eating habits are combined with a sedentary lifestyle, the stage is set for many health related problems.

My husband and I bought half a dozen doughnuts last night, and while I’m halfway tempted to eat one, the brief sweetness isn’t worth the empty calories and sugar. Okay, maybe I’ll eat half of one. But first, I’m going to tackle an orange. What about you?