BORN FOR THIS: The Work You Were Created To Do

BORN FOR THIS

You are an INDEPENDENT CREATIVE

LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN!

Based on your answers, it sounds like you prefer a solitary workstyle. A lone wolf by nature, you thrive in environments when you work alone and are solely responsible for your results. To perform at your best, it’s important for you to have time away by yourself to think and let ideas percolate. You don’t always work as efficiently or creatively when constantly surrounded by other people or forced to collaborate; you can become distracted by other people and sometimes have difficulty delegating or splitting up discrete parts of a task or project with others.

Information wants to be free, and so do you! You need a job where you can be in control of your hours, your schedule, your deliverables, and your results. It’s your way or the highway, and that’s the way you like it. As far as you’re concerned, the best kind of boss is no boss; you don’t do well reporting to anyone.

Not only do you prefer to work on your own, you also prefer to work at your own pace.We all know who wins the race between the tortoise and the hare—and for you, slow and steady often wins the race. Rather than motivate you, deadlines and deliverables paralyze you. Rather than energize you, stress, well, stresses you out! You are patient and thoughtful and are probably best suited for lengthy, ambitious projects where your role is thinking long-term instead of short-term.

Being the independent, creative sort who marches to the beat of your own drum, you’re not always driven by the traditional incentives typically doled out in a corporate workplace Sure, everyone’s got to make enough cash to pay the bills, but you’re not particularly motivated by money or flashy perks. More important is that you receive satisfaction from your work.

THE WORK YOU WERE BORN TO DO...

You are unlikely to find the work you were born to do in a traditional company or organization. You’re much more suited to a solo career whether as an entrepreneur (see Chapter 9 of the book on how to start a “You, Inc” business), an artist or writer (or other type of creative—see Chapter 11 on how to become a "DIY Rock Star"), a freelancer, an employee of a small startup that lets you work from home or from a shared workspace, or any role where you can be both self-empowered AND self-employed.

Other good careers for youinclude those that require a lot of patience and long term focus, like an academic, a scientific researcher, or an independent strategy consultant. As a an idealist at heart, you might also find the work you were born to do in the nonprofit sector, policy or politics, or social entrepreneurship.

TIPS

• In any employment agreement, always negotiate for maximum flexibility. Be prepared to demonstrate that you will be more effective when being left to create your own schedule and working environment.

• Since you don’t like to be tied down, it’s especially important to create your own independence, either through a full-time business or your own or just a “side hustle” (see Chapter 8) that produces extra income.

• When scheduling your work hours, be sure you include plenty of time to work alone and independently. Be careful about letting meetings fill your calendar. To avoid “meeting creep,” schedule yourself first and then add any additional commitments

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article56473378.html

Why kids today are out of shape, disrespectful – and in charge

Dr. Leonard Sax has been a family physician and psychologist for 27 years, conducting workshops around the world for parents, teachers, social workers, counselors, school psychologists and juvenile justice professionals.

He’s also a dad, and it’s from all those perspectives that he took on his fourth book, an alarm bell of sorts titled, “The Collapse of Parenting,” out recently from Basic Books.

Sax, who lives in Exton, Pennsylvania, argues that American families are facing a crisis of authority, where the kids are in charge, out of shape emotionally and physically, and suffering because of it. He calls for a reordering of family life in response.

A conversation with Dr. Leonard Sax:

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The Associated Press: What exactly do you mean by a collapse of parenting?

Sax: I wrote about an office visit with a 10-year-old boy who is sitting and playing a game on his mobile phone, ignoring me and his mom as I’m talking with his mom about his stomachache. And his mom is describing his stomachache and the boy says, ‘Shut up, mom, you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ And he laughs.

That would have been very unusual in 1990 or 2000. It is now common: children, girls and boys, being disrespectful to parents, being disrespectful to one another, being disrespectful to themselves, verbally and otherwise. The mother did nothing, just looked a little embarrassed. The culture has changed in a profound way in a short period of time in ways that have really harmed kids.

AP: What is the book really about?

Sax: The transfer of authority from parents to kids. I think you should treat kids like grown-ups. I think you should expect them to be mature and to behave, and I think that’s what it means to treat someone like a grown-up, among other things, although the phrase to treat someone like a grown-up is ambiguous.

It’s not about the abdication of authority.

For example, it’s common now in this country to find parents who are chauffeuring their 8-year-old or 12-year-old around to various schools, among families that are choosing a school, and the parent functions as educational consultant. The parent makes a recommendation, but the child makes the final decision. I know of cases where the kid was clearly making the wrong decision and the parents knew it but nevertheless felt completely powerless to overrule their child. The child is the one who suffers.

AP: What are some other examples?

Sax: The same is true with regard to a cellphone in the bedroom. You now find kids at 10, 12, 14, 16 years of age who have their phone in their bedroom at two (o’clock) in the morning. You take the device at night and you put it in the charger, which stays in the parents’ bedroom. No child should have a phone in their bedroom unsupervised.

That’s not just my opinion. That is the official teaching of the American Academy of Pediatrics in guidelines published (in) October 2013. But you would be astonished, or maybe you wouldn’t be, how many parents find that an impossible recommendation. They feel that they have no authority over their child in many domains.

AP: You refer to the value of family dinner.

Sax: Research shows having a family meal at home without distractions is important. Every day. Not doing that indicates that time spent at home with parents is the least important priority. It doesn’t matter. It can be overlooked and forgotten.

By communicating that time at home as a family is our highest priority, you are sending the message that family matters. So many kids are in the race to nowhere, trying to add things on to their resume through extracurricular activities with no sense of why. They just burn out at 15 years of age.

AP: What about time spent in the car?

Sax: No earbuds in the car. You commonly have this and kids are not engaging with their parents. Everybody’s in a rush. That time in the car is precious. The time in the car is for you to listen to your child and your child to listen to you.

My 9-year-old daughter and I know the lyrics to almost every song from “Mary Poppins.”

AP: What types of things can parents do to help a child or teen become a fulfilled adult?

Sax: The first thing is to teach humility, which is now the most un-American of virtues. When I meet with kids I ask them what they think it is and they literally have no idea. I’ve done that from third grade through 12th grade. The high school kids are more clueless than the third-graders.

They have been indoctrinated in their own awesomeness with no understanding of how this culture of bloated self-esteem leads to resentment. I see it. I see the girl who was told how amazing she was who is now resentful at age 25 because she’s working in a cubicle for a low wage and she’s written two novels and she can’t get an agent.

The second thing is to enjoy the time with your child. Don’t multitask. Get outdoors with your child.

The last thing: Teach the meaning of life. It cannot be just about getting a good job. It’s not just about achievement. It’s about who you are as a human being. You must have an answer.

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http://easyhealthoptions.com/doctor-told-salt-probably-wrong/

What your doctor told you about salt is probably wrong

It is conventional wisdom in allopathic medicine that reducing salt intake is essential for heart health. The doctor crowd, especially heart doctors, have literally scared the American people away from salt.

But studies are increasingly showing that low-salt diets are not only ineffective in affecting heart health, but are actually hazardous to our overall health.

A 2014 Cochrane study showed that “there is insufficient power to confirm clinically important effects of dietary advice and salt substitution on cardiovascular mortality in normotensive or hypertensive populations.”

In 2011, a health study reported in Journal of American Medical Association found that those who ate less salt were the most likely to die from heart disease — five times more likely, in fact, than those with the highest salt intake.

A study published in the journal AMJ Hypertens found that “[r]estricting sodium (salt) intake causes insulin resistance (which leads to diabetes and heart disease). Restricting salt can promote diabetes and heart disease.

“In fact, research studies have routinely found that sodium significantly improves insulin function. According to one study, ‘an abundant sodium intake may improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, especially in diabetic salt-sensitive, and/or medicated essential hypertensive subjects.’”

According to Dr. W.C. Douglas, a low-salt diet is deadly. He reported in his May 27, 2011 newsletter “Daily Dose” that “one study found that seniors with the lowest salt consumption had the highest risk of bone breaks and early death.”

In the book “Salt Your Way to Health,” David Brownstein, M.D., states: “Researchers studied the relationship between a low sodium diet and cardiovascular mortality. Nearly 3,000 hypertensive subjects were studied. The result of this study was that there was a 430% increase in myocardial infarction (heart attack) in the group with the lowest salt intake versus the group with the highest intake.”

Why? He says that low-sodium diets predispose one to having a heart attack because of multiple nutrient deficiencies of minerals, potassium and B vitamins.

We now have some more data on salt’s actual benefits. A study in the March 3 issue of Cell Metabolism shows that dietary salt helps the body defend against microbes. In other words, it helps with immunity.

The study showed that “[a] high-salt diet increased sodium accumulation in the skin of mice, thereby boosting their immune response to a skin-infecting parasite. The findings suggest that dietary salt could have therapeutic potential to promote host defense against microbial infections.”

The study came about after researchers found that patients with bacterial skin infections showed a high accumulation of salt in the infected areas. In their subsequent experiments, researchers found that mice fed a high-salt diet showed an increase in the activity of their immune cells called macrophages. This increase promoted healing in the mice that had had their feet infected with a protozoan parasite called Leishmania major.

The researchers concluded: “We also think that local application of high-salt-containing wound dressings and the development of other salt-boosting antimicrobial therapies might bear therapeutic potential.”

We do not use or recommend refined salt from the grocery store. We use sea salt, which contains 17 minerals.

Unrefined natural sea salt is different from common table salt, which is chemically treated and stripped of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Not only does natural sea salt add flavor to your favorite foods, but it can also help with many different health conditions. According to the book “Water & Salt, The Essence of Life” by Barbara Hendel, sea salt has been shown to:

• Help reduce the acidity of your tissues.
• Help stabilize irregular heartbeats.
• Balance blood sugar levels.
• Revitalize nerve cell communication with your brain.
• Help with the absorption process in your intestinal tract.
• Prevent muscle cramps.

When shopping for sea salt, be sure that it has not been refined or boiled to produce the crystals. The sea salt should be harvested and allowed to dry by evaporation in order to be labeled “natural.”

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Castelnau-le-Lez sketches

Castelnau-le-Lez sketches

Taken from My French Eisle

http://myfrencheasel.blogspot.com/2016/03/castelnau-le-lez-sketches.html?m=1

10 YOGA POSES FOR CORE STRENGTH

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogasequences/ss/yogaforabs.htm?utm_content=6401406&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_campaign=livinghealthy&utm_term=

1. Cat-Cow Stretch

By Ann Pizer, Yoga Expert

Updated March 28, 2016.

This sequence is made up of poses that will improve your core strength and help flatten your abs. While doing yoga is not the best way to get a six-pack, you can expect to significantly tone and strengthen your belly. Strengthening your core can also help relieve back pain and improve your posture (nothing makes your belly look bigger than slouching!). Many of the poses recommended below are balances, which are a great way to work the core.

1. Let's get started by coming onto all fours with your knees underneath your hips and your wrists underneath your shoulders.

2. Do a few Cat-Cow Stretches to warm up, arching your back on your inhalations and rounding your spine on your exhalations. Remember to keep your belly hugging in throughout both motions.

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http://www.afa.net/the-stand/the-culture-war/2016/03/accepting-transgenderism-is-child-abuse/#.Vvl1GNZMRh8.facebook

Accepting Transgenderism Is Child Abuse

Regardless of how individuals might perceive themselves, they each remain biologically either a man or a woman.

Accepting transgenderism in a child is a form of child abuse. 

This is according to the American College of Pediatricians, a professional organization of pediatricians whose leadership includes Dr. Paul McHugh, the former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the leading medical centers in the world. 

The ACP quite correctly asserts that “facts - not ideology - determine reality.” The Bible asserts on its first page that there are just two genders - “male and female” - and not five, as homosexual activists want us to believe, or 58 like Facebook wants us to believe. 

This biblical statement of the truth about gender identity is confirmed by biological science. Human sexuality is “binary by design.” Binary means there are two and only two options according to medical science - a child either has an “XY” chromosomal pattern or an “XX.” These are genetic markers which indicate God’s design for humanity and create the capacity for human reproduction. 

There are rare biological disorders of sexual development, but these are “deviations from the sexual binary norm” and never should be used as a template for understanding normative human sexuality. There is no third sex. 

Regardless of how individuals might perceive themselves, they each remain biologically either a man or a woman. Bruce Jenner was conceived a male, born a male and will remain a male until the day he dies. His tragic view of his own sexuality is a delusion. 

The way to help a sexually confused child is to help him reconcile his psychological view of his own sexuality with the biological truth of his own sexuality; not to aid and abet him in accepting a discordant view of himself. The confusion in children is not in their bodies, it is in their minds. The good news is that while their bodies cannot and will not change, their minds can. 

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) still classifies transgenderism as Gender Identity Disorder, a recognized form of mental disturbance which should not be accepted as normal. 

For most teens, gender confusion is only temporary. According to the APA, 98% of gender confused boys and 88% of gender confused girls accept their biological sexual identity after passing through puberty. 

To administer hormone treatments to block fertility and growth in a biologically healthy child is a grotesque form of child abuse. Cross-sex hormones, taken in late adolescence by gender confused teens, are associated with dangerous health risks such as high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke and even cancer. No healthy child should ever be exposed to such risks. To do so in the name of perverted science is obscene. 

The long-term psychological effects can be devastating as well. Adults who use cross-sex hormones and who undergo surgical mutilation as a part of the sex reassignment process commit suicide at 20 times the rate of the general population. This is true even in countries like Sweden which are notably and spectacularly transgender-affirming, shattering the transparent myth that it’s all due to transgenderphobia. 

As the ACP puts it, “Conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse.” 

There is a stampede underway to make it a criminal act to help a gender-confused teen reconcile his sexual identity with his biological identity. It’s already illegal in four states, with constant pressure being exerted by the sexual deviancy cabal to expand such a ban to the entire country. This is tragically misguided and can only result in lasting, lifelong, and irreversible damage to the physical, emotional, and psychological health of vulnerable children. 

No nation that truly loves children would allow this alarming and disturbing trend to continue for another day. Not another day.

(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio. Likewise no comments directed at the moderator(s) will be approved.)

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OLIVES

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/21/health-benefits-olives.aspx?x_cid=20160321_nonlead1_health-benefits-olives_facebookdoc

Story at-a-glance +

By Dr. Mercola

Olives are one of those wonders of nature that are easy to take for granted, yet deserve special attention. Technically a fruit, olives belong to the group of “drupes,” which are fruits with a pit or stone. Other drupes include peaches, mangos, cherries, nectarines, almonds and pistachios.

There are hundreds of varieties of olives, which grow on trees that are mostly native to the Mediterranean (as well as areas of Asia and Africa). Olive trees are remarkable in their own right, as they tend to live to be several hundred years old. There is at least one record of an olive tree that is 2,000 years old.

In the U.S., five olive varieties make up the majority of the market share: Manzanillo, Sevillano, Mission, Ascolano and Barouni. These are grown mostly in California. 

You may also enjoy Kalamata olives, which refer to those from Kalamon olive trees in Greece (they’re named after their city of origin, Kalamata). Bear in mind that olives labeled “Kalamata-style” or “Kalamata-type” are probably not true Kalamata olives.

It’s possible to become quite a connoisseur of olives, as each variety has its own unique flavor profile. Olive bars have even become popular at specialty stores, which allow you to taste different olives and curing methods. 

Olives Are Anti-Inflammatory, Disease-Fighting Powerhouses

If you love olives, you’re in luck. This is one satisfying snack or meal ingredient you can feel good about eating. Many people have shunned olives because of their high fat content, but this is precisely one reason that makes them so very good for you. And there are others as well.

Heart Healthy Fats

Most of the fat (more than 75 percent) in olives is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat known for lowering your risk of heart disease. 

It’s worth noting that macadamia nuts also contain high amounts of this beneficial fat (about 60 percent). As reported by the George Mateljan Foundation:

“When diets low in monounsaturated fat are altered to increase the monounsaturated fat content (without becoming too high in total fat), research study participants typically experience a decrease in their blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and LDL:HDL ratio. 

All of these changes lower our risk of heart disease. Recent research studies have also shown that the monounsaturated fat found in olives (and olive oil) can help to decrease blood pressure. 

The oleic acid found in olives — once absorbed up into the body and transported to our cells — can change signaling patterns at a cell membrane level (specifically, altering G-protein associated cascades). 

These changes at a cell membrane level result in decreased blood pressure.”

Research published in the journal BMC Medicine further concluded, “Olive oil consumption, specifically the extra-virgin variety, is associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality in individuals at high cardiovascular risk.”

Powerful Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Olives contain antioxidants “in abundance,” according to research published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention.

This includes phenol (hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol), polyphenols (oleuropein glucoside) and other compounds. The antioxidant properties of olives have been shown to be stronger than those of vitamin E.

Olives also contain some unique antioxidants, like oleuropein, which is only found in olives. It reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in your body and may lower markers of oxidative stress. 

Oleuropein also helps to decrease the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which is associated with inflammation. Oleocanthal, a phenolic compound found in virgin olive oil, even shows similar anti-inflammatory properties to the drug ibuprofen.

Anti-Cancer Activity

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in olives, as well as other anti-cancer compounds, make them useful for cancer prevention. 

For instance, compounds in olive have been found to activate the tumor suppressor gene and apoptotic gene, which induces programmed cell death. Research published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine reported:

“Several studies have shown that the incidence of coronary heart disease and cancers is lowest in the Mediterranean basin as compared to other parts of the world because of the diet … rich in olives and olive products. 

… Oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid plays an important role in cancer prevention, while squalene showed anticancer effect … 

Olive oil shows a role in the prevention of the development of carcinomas and olive oil may have chemopreventive properties against colon carcinogenesis … 

Oleuropein is a powerful antioxidant and anti-angiogenic agent and shows a potent anti-tumor agent and cancer-protective effects.”

Anti-Aging Benefits

The antioxidants in olives likely yield anti-aging benefits. Tyrosol, a phenol found in extra virgin olive oil, has been found to increase lifespan and resistance to stress in roundworms, for instance. In lab studies, oleuropein-treated cultures had their lifespan extended by 15 percent.

Oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol (another antioxidant) and squalene in olives may also help protect your skin against the radiation in UV light; oleuropein in particular has been found to act as a skin protector and has direct antioxidant action on your skin.

And, according to research published in the journal Rejuvenation Research:

“The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet can be largely ascribed to the nutraceutical properties of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO). 

Mono-unsaturated fatty acids and various phenolic compounds, such as oleocanthal, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol, are the main nutraceutical substances of EVOO. 

These substances have been suggested to have the ability to modulate aging-associated processes. In experimental models, it has been shown that EVOO with high concentrations of polyphenols has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.”

Bone Health

Consumption of olive oil and olives has been shown to prevent the loss of bone mass in animal studies of aging-related osteoporosis. Oleuropein may be responsible for this beneficial effect. 

In a study of 127 elderly men, consumption of a Mediterranean diet enriched with virgin olive oil for two years was associated with increased serum osteocalcin (a bone matrix protein) and procollagen I N-terminal propeptide (PINP, another measure of bone health), which suggests olives may have protective effects on bone.

Phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil have also been found to stimulate human osteoblastic cell proliferation. Osteoblasts are bone-forming cells, so this study also suggests that olives contain compounds that may benefit bone health. 

Even More Benefits

Olives, olive oil and compounds in them have been linked to even more health benefits than what’s listed above, including:

Increased insulin sensitivity	Increased testosterone synthesis
Liver protective	Beneficial nutrients for eye health (including vitamin A)
Antimicrobial and anti-viral properties	Good source of copper, fiber, iron and vitamin E

What’s the Difference Between Black and Green Olives?

Olives come in a range of colors — bright green, yellow green, dark purple, or black. Their color is mostly a matter of preference and doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about their state of ripeness or curing process. Some olives turn from green to black during the ripening process, but others start out black and remain black (or start out green and remain green).

Because olives are bitter when they’re first picked, they typically undergo water-curing, brine-curing or lye-curing to make them more palatable. Some olives may also be dry-cured (i.e. rubbed with coarse salt), which results in a wrinkled skin. Most mass-produced olives are cured with lye, as it’s a much faster process. The epitome of this would be black canned olives, which are picked green and unripe, then cured in lye and treated with oxygen to turn them black. 

If you want to try olives cured with salt or water, a process that takes months, look for small, artisanal brands or pick and choose from a high-quality olive bar. If purchasing from the latter, make sure the turnover rate is high and avoid any olives with a mushy texture.

Both green and black olives are good for you, but there is research that suggests the oleuropein content decreases as olives ripen. So in some cases, green olives may have more of this beneficial compound (but it’s not enough of a reason to shun black olives if you enjoy them).

Olive Oil Is Commonly Adulterated

It’s relatively easy to find high-quality olives (look for those with the pits intact and sold in a jar, not a can), but this isn’t necessarily the case for olive oil. Olive oil is a common target of food fraud, in which it is deliberately adulterated at your expense, according to the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention's (USP) Food Fraud Database.

Even “extra virgin” olive oil is often diluted with other less expensive oils, including hazelnut, soybean, corn, sunflower, palm, sesame, grape seed and walnut. But these other oils will not be listed on the label, nor will most people be able to discern that their olive oil is not pure.

If you live in an area where olive oil is made, buying from a local producer is the ideal solution. If not, try an independent olive oil shop that can tell you about the growers, or at least seek out a brand name that you trust to produce quality oil from your local supermarket. 

If at all possible, taste the oil before you buy it. While this won’t necessarily be a guarantee of quality (especially if you’re not skilled at picking out all the potentially subtle taste differences), it can help you to pick out the freshest-tasting oil possible (and if you open a bottle at home and find that it tastes rancid or "bad," return it to the store for a refund).

And remember, when you need an oil to cook with, coconut oil, not olive oil, is the ideal choice, because it is the only one that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage. Olive oil is excellent when used for cold dishes, but cooking with it is virtually guaranteed to damage this highly heat-sensitive oil. 

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