North Star Mental Fitness Blog

Announcing the Mind Fitness Newsletter

For a long time I have been blogging.  In fact, I have made 350 posts.  I have enjoyed the new acquaintances I have made, including fellow bloggers with similar interests.  I have especially enjoyed and appreciated the comments made by readers of my blog.

As you may have noticed, the frequency of my posts has decreased.  I have been researching various ideas for increasing interpersonal interaction and communication between myself and the readers of this blog.  Blogging has been way too impersonal form me and I think for most of my readers.

I want to know my readers.  I want to know  your feelings, thoughts and goals.  I want to interact with you, my readers, while you are applying mental fitness concepts to improve the quality of your lives.  I want to know where you are stuck and where you are progressing.

I have chosen to start a newsletter by the name of "Mind Fitness".  I have some great ideas regarding how to make mental fitness more personal and interactive.  I'll also be asking you for your ideas.

You may have noticed on the upper right corner of my blog, there is a "Sign Me Up" place for you to click and become a recipient of the newsletter.  The newsletter will be free.  I hope you will sign up.  However, I hope you will only sign up if you want to interact and feel empowered in applying mental fitness in your life.

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

There Is a Cure for Choking And Loss of Momentum

"Tonight I was playing in the finals of a local tournament and missed the nineball in two games. Due to these misses, I came in second place.

Is there a cure for this disease?"

 

This was the gut wrenching plea from a frustrated billiard player, who wrote "Choking nine balls? Help!

 

Is there a cure for choking and loss of momentum?

Choking and loss of momentum are seen on a daily basis in every sport.  Errors and mistakes are inevitable and part of amateur and professional sports. 

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune humorously wrote about choking by one of baseball's super stars, Soriano:

1-2-3, Here I Come!

1-2-3, Here I Come, Ready or Not! 

Remember the fun we had playing the childhood game, hide and go seek?  As I was talking to one of my clients yesterday, her dilemma reminded me of "1-2-3, Here I Come, Ready or Not"! 

Let me tell you briefly about her story. 

When Leadership Uses The Prevent Defense

In  football, The Prevent Defense is a defense motivated to not lose.

Consider for a few minutes that The Prevent Defense is more than a defense used by defensive coordinators in football games. 

It is a mindset used by people in all relationships and activities, when people are more interested in preserving the status quo rather than pursuing success.  The Prevent Defense is consciously and unconsciously utilized in the business world, family life, marriages and parenting.

It is a mindset used by people when they are more interested in staying in their Comfort Zone instead of pursuing greatness.

It is a mindset used by people who are more interested in protecting their territory and opinions rather than making fair, realistic, adaptive, and innovative decisions for actualizing success. 

It is a mindset used by people who are more interesting in preserving security instead of actively pursuing new ideas necessary for success.

The Prevent Defense, oftentimes, is a very successful strategy, when used appropriately as a strategy in specific situations.

John from The Leadership Epidemic tagged me to participate in Does Most Leadership Suck-The Challenge.  I appreciate the invitation.  Here is my my opinion from a mental fitness perspective. 

With Mental Fitness Training There Is Hope for the University Of Michigan Football Team

Appalachian State's historic and unfathomable victory over the University of Michigan's football team has been described as the greatest upset of the century.  Appalachian State's victory has been described as the most unlikely victory in the history of college ball.

A modern-day reenactment of David and Goliath.  Can you believe that a Division 1-AA team beat the fifth-ranked college football team in the country?

Michigan's hopes and dreams for a national champions have been shattered.  Michigan fans wonder can U of M ever learn how to stop a modern offense?  Can they win the Big 10?

Michigan's opponents gloat over Go Blue's demise.  Michigan's head coach gave his familiar speech about the team not being prepared by the coaches and the team not jelling.  What happened and what will happen to the Wolverines this season?

The point could be made that the coaches and players were not mentally fit enough to win.  Too many errors, too much complacency, too much false confidence, too much lack of focus, too little mental strength, too much weakness in overcoming adversity and too little mental fitness training.

Their season will boil down to mental fitness.  Will they be mentally fit to overcome the greatest loss in modern football?

Lloyd Carr on Confidence

Go Blue Wolverine quoted Lloyd Carr on an important ingredient for success.  Lloyd was quoted in a post entitled Trent Expecting Expanded Role.  When I read this article, I realized that there was much more for us to learn than this one ingredient.

Lloyd Carr is the successful coach of the Michigan Wolverine's football team.  The Michigan Wolverines were fabulous throughout most of the 2007 season.  In the last two games, however, their defense disintegrated.  According to Bret Osburn from Go Blue Wolverine, in the last two games the defense gave up 707 yards and eight touchdowns.

For those of you who do not know much about football, that is not good.  It's like cooking a gourmet meal and forgetting to serve the main course.  It's like doing everything successfully and then failing to finish a project or making a stupid mistake to destroy the project.

Lloyd emphasized the importance of memory to his returning cornerback, Morgan Trent, his team and all of us.  You'll be surprised what he said about memory. 

Do You Have an Energy Leak in Your Soul?

"To Do or Not to Do-The Choice Is Yours" is a very interesting piece on procrastination.  Pete Aldin From 100 Bloggers wrote "procrastination has been called an Energy Leak of the Soul".  How much better our world would be if this leak could be fixed.

Pete also described procrastination as "The Path Most Traveled".  Do you think procrastination in your life is "The Path Most Traveled"?

" Why do today what you can put off for tomorrow.  This the unfortunate motto of many an unfulfilled person, a person whose potential is far from realized" wrote Pete.

Today, look into the mirror of your soul.

Have I Met You Before, Mr. Nifong?

I know I have met Mr. Nifongs before.

Well maybe not Mr. Nifong personally.  I know, however, I have met people with different faces and names in different roles with the mindset of Mr. Nifong.

In my role as a psychologist I have seen caseworkers, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and professional experts with degrees from Nifong University.

In my office I have counseled and comforted victims of systems whose intent is to protect.  When Protective Services and the Courts have errors in judgment, their mission to protect often turns into a mission of abuse and emotional devastation.