North Star Mental Fitness Blog

Why I Created the North Star Mental Fitness Program

I needed a mental fitness program to help my clients.  In the 1980s, I did not know of a mental fitness program, so I created one.  As a licensed psychologist I wanted to empower my clients as much as possible to take control of their lives.

I believed that traditional, analytical psychotherapy methods were inefficient and not practical; especially when there were very limited sessions authorized by managed-care companies.  Analytical treatment necessitated more treatment sessions than what managed-care companies authorized.

In practice, people were being diagnosed with dual diagnoses.  It was conceptualized that each diagnosis had a different etiology necessitating different treatment strategies.  I questioned the necessity for different treatment strategies.  I began my pursuit to find strategies that could be used for most diagnoses other than psychotic diagnoses, no matter the nature of the different diagnoses.

As I listened to my clients from a new perspective, my thinking and practice shifted. 

Is Your Passion Real?

"Why don't I do when I know I should"?

This was a question asked by one of my very astute clients.  She has been struggling with learning how to take care of herself when she anticipates or experiences criticisms from others.

I'm quite sure that there are many answers to this question.  My client knows she must be performing her mental exercises to become stronger than her problems and strong enough to overcome criticism from others.  Yet, she finds herself unable to maintain focused thinking about her self.  It is so foreign and so hard for her to focus on "caring for herself".

When I listened to University of Michigan Football Coach, Rich Rodriquez, he talked about part of the solution.  Coach Rodriquez put it this way about his team:

Mental Fitness Coaching Helps You Get What You Can't Get By Yourself

"One of the main purposes of coaches is to take you where you can't get by yourself!"  On ESPN, University of Michigan Football Coach, Rich Rodriguez succinctly described the purpose of coaching.

The main purpose of mental fitness programming and coaching is to take you where you can't get by yourself in your:

Brian Tracy on Mental Fitness

How Important Is Mental Fitness?

Brian Tracy in his Sales Success Newsletter wrote about the importance of mental fitness in selling.  Mental fitness is not only important in selling, it is crucial for living a successful life.

This is what Brian Tracy had to say about mental fitness:

Freedom from Problem-Solving

This is the most important blog I've ever written regarding about mental fitness. I want you to know "If you're fit in your head, you can deal with anything".

We live in a problem oriented society.  For many people life is a depressing merry-go-round of identifying problems and then trying to find solutions for their problems.  People spend most of their lives being preoccupied and worried about their problems, while frantically and incessantly pursuing solutions to their problems.  No matter how many successful solutions you find, life always seems to have more problems in need of solutions.

Before long people are captured by our societal norms and expectations to solve problem.  They live with barren lives consumed with problem solving.  Everywhere people look, there are problems.  Problems surface and resurface regularly.  Problems multiply like rabbits.  Problems, problems and more problems.  People soon live within an environment dominated by problems and the obsessive pursuit of solutions.

Yesterday, I had a very enlightening conversation with one of my clients, who clearly expressed a traditional work ethic.  She also explained how the traditional work ethic of identifying problems and constantly working to find solutions almost killed her.  She had sunk into a world of depression with suicidal ideation, because she could not find solutions to her problems.

This is what she told me.

Go for a Super Goal

Have you ever felt bored in your relationships, work and personal life?

Have you lost motivation, momentum and emotional excitement in the daily routines of your life?

I read a very interesting article by Sarah Wassner Flynn from SHEKNOWS.  The name of her article was GET MOTIVATED TO GET FIT.

As I read her article about how to get motivated in order to become physically fit, I realized that she also had a great idea for revitalizing our everyday living, relationships and activities.

Mental Fitness- Approval

Mental Fitness Thought for the Day:

Instead of waiting for other people to approve of me,

                       I approve of myself.

Remember, You Live within the Environment Created by Your Choices!

Dr. Hal

Life the Mental Fitness Coach

Pain Is a Welcomed Signal

How do you interpret your pain?  Pain can be experienced physically, emotionally, psychologically, interpersonally or financially.

Most people trying to avoid pain.  Pain is perceived to be bad and to be avoided at all cost.  We wish that we could live a pain free life.  That is not realistic.

Pain is like a good friend.  A good friend will tell you when you're doing something wrong and need to make some changes in your life.

Also pain is a signal.  How is pain a signal?

Do We Have Freedom of Choice?

"Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Make Them"!

This was the intriguing article in Nature Neuroscience, which was reported in Wired.com and Rowan's Blog.

If a brain scanner can predict your choices before you consciously make choices, do we have freedom of choice?  If choices are made in the subconscious mind, are we deluding ourselves by thinking that we are consciously making choices?

This was the intriguing first line.

"You may think you decided to read this story-- but in fact, your brain made the decision long before you know about it.

In a study published Sunday in Nature Neuroscience, researchers using brain scanners could predict people's reactions seven seconds before the test subjects were even aware of making them."

Smoking Doesn't Make You Happy

If you succumb to the hypnotic advertising of the cigarette industry, you could be convinced that smoking will make you happy.  Aren't people in cigarette ads young, vibrant, sexy and happy?

Recent research from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England concluded

"Smoking Doesn't Make You Happy".

Dr. Lang and his team studied 9176 individuals over 50.  These people were participating in a longitudinal study of aging.

Dr. Lang's conclusions were:

Play To Win; Not to Lose

The University of Michigan football team is undergoing a transition period.  There has been a coaching change.  Hopefully there will also be a change in motivation and psychology.

Lloyd Carr has a wonderful reputation as a coach.  He has been well-liked by his players, fellow coaches and most people he has met.  He has been a role model for running a football program with morals.

Unfortunately, Coach Carr appeared to motivate his team with the philosophy to not lose.  As a result the team game plans were entirely predictable, unimaginative and way too conservative.  His game plans built on the philosophy to not lose prevented his teams from beating teams who were motivated creatively and imaginatively to win.

Too often, people are like conservative coaches.  We play our lives not lose.  We do not play our lives to win!  We motivate ourselves to not make mistakes rather than taking the risk of going beyond our comfort zones.  We do not set goals for self-actualization, instead settling for its self-preservation.