The Health and Life Mixing Bowl

To Whom Much is Given...

Non Red Cross Volunteer Line, originally uploaded by got80s

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Giving Yourself an "A"

The Health and Life Mixing Bowl celebrated its first birthday last month.  Thank you to all who read this blog regularly!  In celebration of this milestone, I will be featuring popular posts from the past year.  Enjoy!

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone and Benjamin Zander is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read.  This beautifully written book contains poignant and powerful stories of hope, optimism and triumph.  Reading this book was a treat.

As a health and life coach, this book resonated with me on so many levels. The key learning I received:  Simple shifts in our thinking can open us up to a realm of possibilities.  The Art of Possibility has an extremely relevant message for anyone making a lifestyle change, be it weight loss, tobacco cessation or striking a balance between work and family.  The book inspires the reader to take off the blinders, switch the paradigm, and tap into a limitless supply of personal greatness.  This book had a profound impact on many areas of my life.

The Art of Possibility includes a story about a group of students at the New England Conservatory.  Suffering from performance anxiety, the student's willingness to take risks and perform effortlessly was tenuous at best.  Taking this into consideration,  Benjamin Zander, the veteran instructor, comes up with a brilliant plan: He decides to give every student an “A” before the beginning of the course, with one requirement:  Each student must write a letter in the past tense to explain how they deserved the grade.  Here are a few excerpts from their letters:

“Today the world knows me.  That drive of energy and intense emotion that you saw twisting and dormant inside me, yet, alas, I could not show in performance or conversation, was free….”

“I became a new person, I used to be so negative …I couldn’t accept my mistakes about a year ago, but now I enjoy making mistakes and I really learn from these mistakes…”

“All diffidence and lack of belief in myself are gone.  So, too is the belief that I only exist as a reflection in other people’s eyes and the resulting desire to please everyone…”

“I got my "A" because I became a great gardener to build my own garden of life…I love my weeds as much as I love my unblossomed rose.  I can’t wait for tomorrow because I am in love with today...”

Thoughtful reflection:  What would happen if you gave yourself an "A" just for today? 

Our Little Bundles of Greatness

"I have a little trouble in school, but some day I just might teach the world something."

"I may not have gotten picked first to play on the baseball team, but some day I'll own one."

These are hypothetical quotes from children who have been diagnosed with ADHD in a new commercial produced by Shire, a biopharmaceutical company.  When not fully understood, ADHD can be a devastating diagnosis for a child who is trying to thrive in a traditional education system.  An ADHD diagnosis is especially problematic for boys.  According the Boys and School, a project by the Men's Health Network, boys are approximately three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, and are diagnosed with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders at a rate nearly twice that of girls. One study found that boys are referred for possible ADHD/ADD ten times as often as girls, leading some to speculate that normal boy behavior is sometimes misunderstood as disorders.

Touting themselves as "your ADHD support company", Shire developed ADHD Road Map, a support system developed by ADHD coaches and moms.  I learned about it after seeing their touching commercial. I literally had tears in my eyes watching it.  There's no doubt that Shire would love for you to choose their drug--that's a personal choice--but it's nice to see that complementary and alternative forms of treating ADHD are gaining attention.   

In my opinion, kids with ADHD are little bundles of greatness.  Their energy, creativity, intuition and desire to live life in full color are awe-inspiring.  From a societal perspective, we all lose out when we throw ADHD kids aside and label them as non-conformists.  These kids deserve a fair chance to shine.  Channeling their gifts as opposed to exposing their weaknesses might make our world a richer place.  Here is a list of people diagnosed with ADHD who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of entertainment, art, music and invention:

Ansel Adams, Anne Bancroft, Beethoven, Alexander Graham Bell, "Pappy" Boyington, Hans Christian Anderson, Lewis Carroll, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Cher, Thomas Edison, "Magic" Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Robin Williams, Henry Winkler, and Stevie Wonder.Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Benjamin Franklin, Agatha Christie, Henry Ford, Mozart, Winston Churchill.

"I might be a little disruptive in school, but some day I will disrupt conventional thinking."

Here's to celebrating our strengths instead of fixing our weaknesses.