In the last article, we looked at the first 4 Keys to Winning the Game of Life, and the reality behind each. This week, we will delve into the final 2 Keys and discuss the most common traps people fall into regarding their lives.

Key #5 – Raising Great and Thriving Kids. I’m sure some of you are saying, “but I don’t have kids?” This is important whether we have children and grandchildren or not. Having healthy and happy kids is one of the best indicators as to how we are doing as a society. Sick kids – sick society.

Like the reality of our previous Keys, time is a major factor in our children’s development. 70% of working parents report that they do not have enough time with their kids. As work demand increases, it is often the kids who lose out the most and unfortunately, the adults don’t always notice until something goes wrong.

The result? 3.2 million teens in Canada are at risk of developing depression and Canada’s youth suicide rate is 3^rd highest in the industrialized world! Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 15-24 year old Canadians. This is just sad.

Perhaps even more troubling, our kids are being affected by OUR stress before they are even born. Children whose pregnant mothers experienced a stressful event are 71% more likely to be hospitalized with a severe infectious disease. If the event was experienced 11 months PRIOR to conception, they still had a 42% increase in risk.

We also know that our high divorce rates affect our kids. Children of divorced families are more than twice as likely to suffer serious social, psychological, emotional or academic problem.

Key #6 – Contributing to Others. Research has shown that in order to be truly happy and fulfilled, we must feel that we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves. Winning the Game of Life certainly requires it.

Social activity that includes giving and helping others is a powerful tool in creating happiness. Is most of your energy used to only look after yourself and your needs, or nurturing others as well?

The scope of your contribution is unimportant – for some caring for one other person is enough. Others are driven by a more global vision.

The Traps!!! Most people are aware that the keys are important to them winning the game of life. Most are also aware of the areas that they have been lacking in regarding these keys. So, why don’t we change? There are common traps or stories that we learn to tell ourselves that keep us from ever stepping up into our best lives.

These traps all have a common thread and that is the fact that we think because our problems and shortcomings are so common that they must be normal. Nothing could be further from the truth! Average is not normal! You do not want to be average because average sucks – just look around!

Are you falling into one of the 6 common traps that are causing you to lose the game of life?

1. “I’m healthy for my age.”

2. “No one has any time for leisure these days.”

3. “It’s normal to feel tired and unmotivated.”

4. “Everyone fights with their families sometimes.”

5. “All kids get sick – school is just a petri dish of germs.”

6. “I don’t have time to worry about others.”

Do any of these sound familiar to you? If so, that is great because it means a change can be right around the corner. Next article we continue on our journey to Winning the Game of Life

Many of you know that I just returned from a weekend NSA technique seminar in Gatineau with my chiropractor and mentor Dr. Pierre Bernier. For those of you who have been around Gault Family Chiropractic for awhile know that I attend programs like this on a regular basis. In fact, I have been to so many technique seminars and workshops that it has become a bit of a joke to ask me “haven’t you got IT yet?”

So, in case you were wondering no, I am not slow or stupid! Actually, I pick up technique quite well and quickly which for me makes attending regular seminars even more relevant and exciting.

Why Do YOU Keep Going?

I know some of our long term practice members get the same inquiries from their friends, family and coworkers. “Aren’t you fixed yet?” This brings up an important point about our health and life. Don’t the most important aspects of our life deserve constant attention and refinement? Do you show your significant other love and affection for a little while and then stop because they are “good?” Do you get your teeth really clean and white one day and then stop brushing? Do you learn the basics of a musical instrument you love and then stop practicing? I hope you are starting to get my point.

Sharpen Your Saw

Stephen Covey, in his bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, talks about sharpening the saw. This means that we consistently take the time and energy to practice, improve, nurture and refine those parts of our lives that are most important to us. For me, the ability to deliver Network care to as many people as I can at a high level is extremely important. It is part of my mission in life. As a result I consistently invest my time and money into attending programs that will help me to always be improving. When will I stop this? Never, obviously!

What is Important in Your Life?

What is important in your life? What is your mission in life made up of? Where do you need to consistently improve and what do you need to invest to make sure that happens? Perhaps it is as simple as focusing on being a better and better parent. Maybe a relationship could use consistent TLC. If finances are important to you, constant attention is required to be successful. If you are an athlete truly dedicated to your sport you must continue to sharpen your saw.

Health is Wealth

Health is an area that can undermine all other parts of our lives if it is not optimal. That includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. When we are not healthy it makes it extremely difficult to refine anything else. In order to be healthy in the above realms we must have an excellent ability to be aware of our internal and external environments and then be able to respond effectively.

Network Care

Network Spinal Analysis entrainments – through the body – help you to become more aware and more resourceful at responding to the world. Because the focus is on greater awareness and developing new strategies that you never had before – as opposed to fixing something – there appears to be no limit in how refined you become.

People who receive regular NSA care over extended periods of time do so because they think it is important to refine their ability to respond to and experience life. I can’t think of anything much more important. This is the same reason I go to lots of seminars – not because I am stupid.

I invite you to decide what is important to you and commit to sharpening your saw. You will quickly see that the effort is more than worth it.

Thank you for reading this far. Click Here to see a funny 20 sec. video.

The Greatest Gift in the World

What is the greatest gift you can give to your children? Is it a house full of toys, the best sporting equipment and fancy vacations? Or, is it an even greater gift to provide your children with an example of health, strength, adaptability, centeredness and love? Which is more important? Which will have the greatest impact on their lives both now and in the future?

Overparenting?

Today’s Gen-X parents (of which I am one) are notorious for protecting, sheltering and coddling their children. According to the book The Fourth Turning, this is mainly in response to today’s parents being raised by Boomer parents who pretty much left them to their own devices. This phenomenon has led to “play-dates,” SUVs, an obsession with safety and parents literally having to chauffeur the kids to every single activity.

There are legitimate arguments for and against this type of parenting but as a result I hear from many fellow parents that they have given up on their activities and even self-care because they feel that by doing so they are giving their kids an advantage. So, the parent stops playing their favourite sport, going to the gym, taking the class, attending the seminar or getting the care because they feel these resources are better suited to helping their child get ahead.

You Must Give to Yourself, In Order to Give to Others

While this is commendable and my wife and I certainly make sacrifices for our boys, this line of thinking is insane. The bottom line is that the more you give yourself, the more you have to give your children. I have witnessed many parents sacrifice their way into a major health, psychological or stress crisis that left them unable to give much of anything. Aside from a crisis, don’t your kids deserve the best you have to give?

A small but powerful shift in thinking can lead to a world of difference. What if instead of asking “what can I afford (time, money, energy) for myself,” you changed it to “how can I maximize my health, energy and adaptability so that I can contribute the most to my family?” Can you see how these 2 different questions lead to 2 different results?

A Better You = More to Give

The great news is that it is not an either/or scenario. You can protect and coddle and spoil your kids and still look after yourself. In fact, when you look after YOU first you will quickly see how you can spoil THEM even more!

So make sure you take the time required to exercise and play sports that you enjoy. Being physically fit and active will give you more energy to ship your kids to arenas and recitals. Eat great quality food. In addition to more energy you will think more clearly and be in a better mood for your family.

For myself and many others, Network entrainments is the glue that holds the whole thing together. NSA care increases our ability to adapt to stress, creates better mental and emotional well-being, increases our quality of life, and has been proven to decrease the incidence of colds and flu. It also helps to produce a body that can handle even the craziest of weeks. Are you and your family not worth at least 15 minutes a week on the table?

Gifts From My Parents

This article got me thinking back to my own childhood and the wonderful gifts my parents left me. Among the greatest were being able to watch my father play ball with a fire, intensity and passion that I hold with me today. Another is the experience of living with my parents when they took their health into their hands, began seriously weight training (my mom was the city bench press champ!). Not only did they create physical strength, but more importantly a strength of spirit that literally impacted every aspect of OUR lives – and it still does.

We ARE the Legacy!

Remember parents, we are the link between all of the generations before and all that will come. We are responsible for connecting the past to the future. We ARE the legacy. Our strength, our health, our choices and our happiness affect all others. You are worth it, and so are they.