Coaching Corner: Fly on the Wall

On Monday, I was walking down the hall and overheard a guest encouraging another guest to try Aqua Zumba.  “It’s so much fun!” she said, “You’re able to move in the water the way you want to on land, without the fear of hurting yourself.  I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun – I used to love to go dancing.”

At the manager’s reception, several guests mentioned how much they enjoyed the chicken meatballs from the night before, which continued further to discussions on how to implement healthy food at home that still tastes great.

Today, a staff member complimented a guest on her appearance…. Not her weight, her appearance.  She noticed how much more energy the guest has, as well as the way she is carrying herself – with more confidence – just in the past 2 weeks.

You know what’s really cool about all that?  The reactions.  Every day a guest at H3 is encouraged by one of their peers to go out on a limb and try something new.  Every day a guest is amazed at how good the food is, and at the fact that they are not hungry with only 1200 calories.  Every day a guest has a moment of clarity when they realize they can actually do this at home.  Every day a guest reflects on where they were and how far they’ve come – if only after a couple of days.

We often do not take the time in our daily lives to try something “off course” or linger a moment to enjoy a meal or even take a second to notice a change, let alone make a comment about it.  But these are markers of success, growth… change.  So today, pat someone on the back (if even yourself), think a bit outside the box, and acknowledge one positive today.

Lessons Learned: The Real Purpose of Time-out

This past week was a milestone week for my family. Hala started pre-school!! So of course we had to do the proud parent thing and take pictures, visit the classroom, ask about her day and what her new friends’ names were… you know, all that first day of school stuff.

What also comes with this exciting new transition??? Change. Our routine changes – now Daddy takes Hala to school and picks her up, while I take the other two to daycare. On Mondays, nap items and fruit to share need to be taken to school, and on Fridays nap items come home to get cleaned. Fundraisers begin, fall breaks to plan, and on and on and on.

In the midst of all this, last night I had to put Hala in time-out for refusing to share with her sister. I thought to myself, man, I wish I could be in time-out. Sometimes it seems as though it’s a luxury to have the time to take a breath between the day’s hustle and bustle. I’m not sure where exactly that transition in thinking changes, but at some point we begin to recognize “time-out” is not as punishment, but a gift of time. It signifies a break in momentum in one direction and an opportunity to redirect our energy toward something better.

Give yourself a “time-out” today and recognize it as a chance to change your momentum. Given this opportunity, what path will you take??

Share it with us! Post a comment on the change you are looking to make today!

Coaching Corner: Change is Healthy

Positioned by the highway on my drive home from college was a billboard that always got my attention. It read “Change is Healthy”. The fact that this billboard was advertising the remodeling of a local hospital is beside the point. That phrase resonated with me.

Growing up, my family joked that “we fear change”. Many people have this reaction: fear, frustration or anxiety.  It is time that we look upon change in a healthy way.

I have experienced many big changes in the last few weeks: graduating from graduate school, beginning a new job, moving to a new place, meeting new people. Below are some ideas and methods to help adapt and work through the big changes in life in a healthy way.

•  Be mindful of your blessings: When things are changing all around you, thinking of the positives will keep you grounded while things are shifting into place.


• Patience: Change can take a while. Don’t become frustrated! Knowing that it will take time will take the pressure off of wanting to have things perfect and working right away.


• Be flexible: One of my favorite quotes is: Things work out best for those who make the best out of how things work out.


• Establish a routine: Even if it is as simple as stopping at the same place each morning for your coffee on the way to work, having a sense of routine and normalcy can be refreshing.


• Exercise: Of course I had to include this one! Physical activity is the best form of stress relief. It invigorates your body and is purposeful.


• Lean on your support system: A good support system can include: parents, friends, spouse, or even your coaches. Reach out and keep them updated on what is going on in your life. It is great to have someone to listen to you who you know will be on your side. 

 Remember that change is all around us. We get to decide how we react to and handle these situations. Positive changes happen everyday at H3 and it is exciting to see. Use these steps or come up with some of your own that will allow you to deal with change healthfully when it enters your life.

Book Review: SWITCH – HOW TO CHANGE THINGS WHEN CHANGE IS HARD

Chip and Dan Heath, the bestselling authors of Made to Stick , have once again struck literary gold with their newest hit SWITCH .  The tandem set out to dispel the myth that “change is hard” and “people hate change.”  It occurred to them that if “people hate change, they have a funny way of showing it. Every iPhone sold serves as counter-evidence. So does every text message sent, every corporate merger finalized, every aluminum can recycled. And we haven’t even mentioned the biggest changes: Getting married. Having kids. (If people hate change, then having a kid is an awfully dumb decision.)”

 

Their researched churned up some very intriguing studies from world renowned psychologists around the globe.  The evidence is presented in a “three-part framework”.  For things to change, somebody somewhere has to start acting differently.  Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s your team.  The analogy that develops throughout the text is that each person has an emotional “Elephant” side and a rational “Rider” side.  The weakness of the Elephant, our emotional and instinctive side, is clear: It’s lazy and skittish, often looking for the quick payoff (ice cream cone) over the long-term payoff (being thin).  Most of us are all too familiar with situations in which our Elephant overpowers our Rider.  The Elephant’s hunger for instant gratification is the opposite of the Rider’s strength, which is the ability to think long-term, to plan, to think beyond the moment.  However, the argument is made that the Elephant also has enormous strengths and that the Rider has crippling weaknesses.  So the objective is to “Direct the Rider” and “Motivate the Elephant”.  Dan and Chip effectively communicate the ways in which to do both. 

 

The third part of the framework is that every Elephant and Rider need a clear path to succeed.  Therefore, tweaking the environment around you to influence your change is vital to your success.  A similar argument made in Bryan Wansink’s book Mindless Eating (btw, a Bob Wright favorite), where he proves that plate size influences eating habits.

 

So to make a Switch you must: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant and Shape the Path. 

 

I found the most insightful part of the book was when Chip and Dan Heath describe that successful switches happen when people find the bright spots meaning we should investigate what’s working and clone it!

 

I really enjoyed Switch and I think you will too!