Get Happy, Be Happy, Stay Happy

I read a lot of books that tell you how to create a successful life. Many are written from the author’s point of view. Their success recipe works great for them and it will work for you too, they claim. Simply follow their formula and success is virtually guaranteed!

Those authors drive me nuts. The reality is, unless you have the same strengths (and a host of other things) as the author, following their formula won’t lead to success. Some readers will blame themselves for not having what it takes. Some will give up in anger or frustration. Some will finally figure out that they need to design a life based on their own unique strengths.

Success strategist Philip Humbert addresses this point in this week’s TIPS e-newsletter.

Foolish Impulse or Tragic Hesitation?

The English language is full of cliches, but few are more confusing than the conflict between “Fools rush in” and “Those who hesitate are lost.” How do we balance the “need for speed” with the advice to “look before you leap?”

We all know the necessity for planning and preparation. We know that success requires a strong foundation, careful thought, and precision. But, we are also advised to “strike while the iron is hot” and that “the early bird gets the worm.” What’s a person to do?

This confusion first struck me when I read biographies of Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott, the first two men to reach the South Pole. Amundsen was the more impulsive of the two. He landed on the shelf ice, unloaded his gear and took off. He got to the pole first, and he returned to tell the tale.

Robert Scott was far more organized, and he had better equipment. When he landed on the ice, he prepared carefully for the enormous challenge ahead. He was the better scientist and he, too, got to the South Pole. But he got there second and, because of his delay the Antarctic winter began before he got back. After weeks of bitter and heroic struggle, he and his men died just eleven miles short of base camp and safety.

I was reminded of that this week while reading Edmund Morris’ biography of young Theodore Roosevelt. When he was 25, after his wife died in childbirth, Roosevelt made his first trip to the “Bad Lands.” When his guide backed out, he plunged ahead with no idea what to expect. He was unprepared and might have died, but instead found a rugged wilderness that restored his health and in many ways created the man who later became president. Who could have guessed?

So how do we balance the “need for speed” with the advice to “look before you leap?”

First, understand and honor your unique personality. Some of us are “planners.” For them plans, research and a methodical approach are required. Impulsive action makes them nervous, and that’s fine! But others are built for speed. They see opportunity and feel they must act quickly. That’s fine, too! As Shakespeare advised, “First, know thyself and to thine own self be true.” Design your life so that it (mostly) brings you the type of opportunities and situations you prefer.

Second, understand the limitations of your preferences. Some of us eagerly jump in, while others are planners, and both are good but each has its limitations.

Some things in life must be grasped instantly or they are gone forever. Sometimes, if “you snooze, you lose!” and if you are a planner, some opportunities won’t fit your natural inclinations. Design your life so that, as often as possible, you have time you need for thoughtful, careful consideration.

Others prefer the drama and excitement of speed. If that’s your preference, design systems that create multiple opportunities where you can “grab and go.” But, be aware of the downside risk. Some impulses, like driving too quickly on a dark and slippery road, can end in tragedy.

Finally, learn the fine art of flexibility. Few of us are so extreme in one direction or the other that we can’t make exceptions when called for. Learn to analyze the true nature of the situation, and respond accordingly. Even if you strongly prefer careful planning, know that some situations call for immediate action and that’s alright! Go for it! It’s good practice and might, like Roosevelt’s ride into the Badlands, lead to amazing results. Other situations require detailed preparation and no matter how much you want to act quickly, caution is advised. Winners recognize the difference and respond appropriately.

The key to success is using your personal preferences to your advantage. Design a life that builds on your strengths.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Philip Humbert.

Contact him at www.philiphumbert.com or Coach@philiphumbert.com. Sign up for his free TIPS e-newsletter.

The Kolbe Index will help you discover your innate action mode. It will tell you, for example, if you’re naturally wired to gather the facts first, or if you’re the type to jump in feet first.

The Kolbe Index discerns your distinctive pattern of action in four areas: Fact Finding, Follow Through, Quick Start, and Implementation. You can take the test here for $49.95. This is money well spent if you suspect that you’re operating against your grain but don’t understand how. Clues that you’re not living or working using your natural action mode include frustration, fast depletion of energy and lack of ease or flow. Stress.

I’m a Fact-Finder/Quick Start. Whether I like it or not (or whether a particular book author likes it or not), I will naturally insist on researching and gathering facts. If someone tries to push me into a decision before I have the facts, they’ll be met with resistance. However, once I have the facts, I can move quickly. There are times that I want to jump in before knowing the facts, but it feels stressful. My Fact-Finder instinct will always be stronger.

Everyone has a natural action mode. A way of “doing” that is instinctive. And, according to Kathy Kolbe, your patterns of action are measurable. I’ve talked about the Kolbe A Index a couple of times on my blog. This week CNN.com posted a 2006 article from Oprah.com about the Kolbe Indexes. Martha Beck wrote the article based on her own experience with the assessment. Once you get past the cutesy intro about likening yourself to an otter, mole, squirrel or mouse, you’ll find some interesting stuff.

I’m a Fact Finder/Quick Start, which has a primary mode called Manager. This assessment really did shed light on the way I will naturally do things when left to my own devices. It also illuminated one of my main strengths — the ability to take in a ton of information (Fact Finder), combined with the ability to act quickly on information (Quick Start), and easily switch gears based on new information. This action style drives my husband crazy, but at least now we know why!

Addition 01-11-08

I found this article, Go With Your Gut Instincts, written by a doctor — and a fellow Fact Finder/Quick Start I love this stuff!

I’m up to one of my old tricks. I have a project that is about to go into the stage where I’ll be required to do a lot of things outside my comfort zone. I don’t know if the project will be worth the time and effort, so it’s hard to push through this stage.

When the going gets tough, the tough go blogging! (I don’t like to shop.)

What a great way to kill an hour, or two hours — shoot, sometimes an entire day.

Why do we procrastinate? It’s a way to avoid something unpleasant — usually emotions that are uncomfortable.

This About.com article asks, which style of procrastination fits you?

1. Organizing thoughts and actions and keeping on track with plans is difficult. (People with ADD/ADHD may fall into this category.)
2. Tasks seem overwhelming so it’s futile to even try.
3. Hostile feelings towards someone cause you to want to punish them by putting things off.
4. Routine and schedule causes you to feel rebellious.
5. You fear disapproval.

I’m hitting 4 out of 5. No wonder I’m sitting here blogging.

Tips for beating procrastination include managing your time, breaking up large projects into smaller tasks, pushing through and doing it now, scheduling reward time (and rewards like chocolate?), anxiety-busting exercises, and changing defeatist thinking.

Ya know what? All this reminds me to check in with my “will do” and “won’t do” profile (Kolbe A Index). What if I’m simply attempting to act against my natural grain? I’m a great researcher and problem solver, very flexible, and highly imaginative. My Kolbe report says that I have a knack for:

• seeing solutions in my mind
• visualizing possibilities
• conceptualizing what could be
• having discussions without having to be face-to-face
• making decisions without having tangible evidence

Ah hah. I think I know what’s causing me to hold back. I can see my project so clearly in my mind and know it’s a fantastic solution to a problem. My challenge, however, is getting others to see it. In fact, there’s a key person who needs to see the light in order for this thing to fly — and my experience so far with this person doesn’t give me much hope. So, perhaps I’m dealing with feelings of futility. Which I don’t have to give into, right?

If there’s a will there’s a way…

Thinking requires energy. And I’m running dangerously low!

I’m literally exhausted from researching, thinking, thinking about thinking, studying human nature and the human condition, connecting the dots from various sources, creating new patterns and ideas from connecting the dots, and blogging about life’s greatest questions.

What can I say? I’m an information addict with a philosophical streak. This always happens. Eventually I reach the point of burnout. Sometimes I spin out. And sometimes I freak out upon encountering something really bizarre

But I’ll be okay after a little rest and a box of chocolate (my other obsession).

This test is too cool: Is the dancer turning clockwise or counter-clockwise?

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

As usual, everything under sun sparks a debate on the Internet. Read the comments.

Any neuroscientists out there who can comment?

Update 11/05: Ask and you shall receive: Scienceblogs

Sure is interesting. I wonder if eye dominance or depth perception have anything to do with the illusion. I have zero depth perception!

Last night I discovered Terence Watts and his book Warriors, Settlers & Nomads: Discovering Who We Are and What We Can Be at Shrink Rap Radio (a very interesting psychology podcast, which I’ll discuss in another post). I love learning about personality typologies, so although I was nearly comatose from lack of sleep, I listened long enough to get the general idea. I figured I was probably a Settler, which I noted with a sense of disappointment. Then I went to bed.

This morning I was hit with a “doh” realization. I am a Nomad. Almost positive. I was filled with energy just thinking about it. Why did I assume last night that I was primarily a Settler? Because I could see that I had some of the traits, such as being pleasant and accommodating, and nodding my head a lot when talking with people. Also, I’m in the communication profession, which is a typical Settler interest.

But this morning I thought about how I love to travel and discover new places, how I’m not content staying in one place (whether in a house or a job) for long, how I don’t want anyone or anything to own or control me, how I thrive on searching out new information and getting new ideas, how I am drawn to what some would consider the radical or extreme (as long as the thing is in the realm of reason!). Always searching, searching, searching. Always on some kind of journey. If that doesn’t sound like a Nomad, I don’t know what does.

So, here’s the little experiment. I’m going to read Warriors, Settlers & Nomads and see if I’m right. I’m also going to see if Watts says anything about the biological make-up of a Nomad as being hypersensitive and in-tune with people, places and things — something I’ve been researching and thinking a lot about lately. My hunch is that early on, a Nomad would have needed a super-sensitive system in order to instantly read and assess new (and potentially dangerous) environments.

I can’t wait to dig in to the book and find out! (Yep, I must be a Nomad!)

This morning at 6:00 in Phoenix was beautiful. I sat outside with my cup of coffee, enjoying the cool breeze and watching my “baby” — a wild bunny — munch on the grass.

I love the wildlife here (except for scorpions). I get such a kick out of seeing dozens of tiny quail chicks racing across the yard like miniature firemen rushing to a blaze. And last week my husband startled a bobcat that was poking around in our courtyard. If it weren’t for the birds, bees, butterflies, rabbits, bunnies, bobcats and other assorted living things, life here in the desert wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.

The air was too deliciously cool to keep outside, so I opened a window in our bedroom. Around 7:10 I was surprised to see our pool servicer. He has never come that early. So, standing next to the open window, I call out to my husband, “Hey, the pool guy is here! That’s weird.”

Instantly I clasped my hand over my mouth in chagrin. My husband starts laughing and says, “Way to go, hon.”

But why that reaction? I hadn’t said anything wrong. I was just stating, perhaps clumsily, that it wasn’t usual for the pool guy to be in our backyard that early in the morning. I guess I was afraid that my comment could cause a problem. Like what?

Like, maybe now he realizes that we weren’t expecting him, and what if he had caught us doing early-morning skinny dipping, and now he feels bad and will never come into our yard again? I don’t know. It’s just funny how we have all kinds of instant reactions like that. For all I know, he didn’t hear me, or if he did, what I said went in one ear and out the other.

Taking further advantage of the cool temperature, I decided to go on my morning walk earlier. I do some of my best thinking and reminiscing while I walk. I thought back to times as a child when I said whatever came to mind. (All kids do that, right?) In one scene, a man was painting a house on our street. Several of us neighborhood kids stood around watching him.

Being curious, I started peppering him with questions. “What is your name?” “Where do you live?” “Do you have any kids?” “What are their names?” I discovered that his daughter was in my grade and that a few years earlier I’d lived fairly close to their house. But to be absolutely sure, I asked, “Is your wife that big fat lady?”

“Yep,” he replied without hesitation.

I’d like to think he wasn’t a bit offended. But my friends were shocked. “Hey! You can’t say things like that!” they scolded.

Fast-forward several years to me working for the editorial arm of a church organization. During a staff meeting, I learned about a new policy that I was sure our organization’s leader wouldn’t like if he knew about it. I couldn’t understand why no one was speaking up. So, with a tone of indignation, I rose from my chair and asked, “Does Mr. _____ know about this?!”

The room fell silent. With all eyes on me, I sat down and tried not to look as mortified as I felt. After the meeting, my boss called me into his office and, well, gave me a talkin’ to.

Experiences like that make you want to keep your mouth shut, know what I mean?

But I’m still the same. Curious. Investigative. Noticing incongruity. Knowing when things aren’t right. Desiring a perfect world. Wanting oh so badly to speak up.

Unless you talk to my husband, I have learned to bite my tongue and be much more tactful in my communication. Sometimes I wish I could be like other bloggers and just let ‘er rip and not care. But then I start worrying about being sued, hurting feelings, being misunderstood, feeling exposed. Sometimes blogging is pushing the envelope for me. I hope it’s worth it.

An aside: I love the Sonic commercial where the couple teases about “pushing the envelope.” One day my husband asked me if I knew where that saying came from. Hmmm, hadn’t thought about it. Does it have something to do with stuffing a whole bunch of papers in an envelope? Or pushing an envelope to the edge of the table? I was stumped. The answer is pretty interesting.

Marcus Buckingham, coathor of Now, Discover Your Strengths, the bestseller that introduced me to the strengths movement, has written another eye-opener — Go Put Your Strengths to Work. The book provides a six-step plan to help you go beyond knowing what your strengths are to actually applying them for maximum success.

And it is up to you!

Unless you are already surrounded by rare, strengths-oriented individuals, no one else gives a fig about your strengths. Which is tragic. Imagine a world where everyone lives, works and breathes from their most powerful, talented, gifted self.

Wow.

Back when you were young, your strengths were to be trusted. You might not have had a name for them — you might not even have labeled them strengths — but when you were a child, you listened to them. Then somehow, sometime between then and now, your childhood clarity faded and you started listening to the world around you more closely than you did to yourself. You had to go to college and find a job, and with the job came the urgent demands of customers, colleagues, and bosses. The truth you now face is that these people aren’t very concerned with your strengths; they’re much more interested in what you can get done for them.

But so what? Faced with the world’s indifference, you’ve got two options: either resign yourself to a life in which your strengths are largely irrelevant; or, instead, learn how to make them relevant. Learn how to put them to work. It’s your choice.” — Marcus Buckingham

The six steps:

Step 1. Bust the myths. So what’s stopping you?

Step 2. Get clear. Do you really know what your strengths are?

Step 3. Free your strengths. How do you make the most of what strengthens you?

Step 4. Stop your weaknesses. How can you cut out what weakens you?

Step 5. Speak up. How do you create strong teams?

Step 6. Build strong habits. How can you make this last forever?

Are you ready to join the movement and really thrive? And, in doing so, help our planet heal and thrive?

StrengthsFinder 2.0 is the name of a new book and the upgraded edition of the online StrengthsFinder assessment.

I took the previous version several years ago at the request of my employer. The assessment analyzes your instinctual patterns and reveals your five most powerful “signature themes” of talent. Talents are your naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that have been in place since childhood. Think of these talents as powerful T1 lines, in contrast to slow dial-up connections. (See my post Discover your natural T1 lines)

Last month I bought the new StrengthsFinder 2.0 book and took the updated assessment. I was curious to see if any of my signature themes had changed. They have. Only two are the same — Ideation and Intellection. But in my personalized report, I can still see the patterns from the missing three woven within my new themes. Interesting.

Here are the top 5 themes revealed the first time I took the assessment:

• Ideation
• Context
• Inclusiveness
• Intellection
• Maximizer

Here are the top 5 themes revealed from taking the updated assessment:

• Ideation
• Connectedness
• Individualization
• Learner
• Intellection

Other StrengthsFinder assessment takers report (in the online forum) that their themes have changed as well. I’m waiting for someone from Gallup to explain why the differences. I assume it’s because the updated assessment is able to give a more accurate picture. I don’t think any assessment can be 100 percent accurate — it can be only as accurate as what’s fed in, right? It’s not a magic.

If you’re interested in seeing a sample report, you’re welcome to read mine (PDF).

I’ve noticed other bloggers posting their StrengthsFinder signature themes. (See my previous post regarding the StrengthsFinder.) One thing that stands out is the prevalence of Ideation and Intellection among bloggers. As one commented, that’s not suprising given that the Internet is an intellectual playground!

Here are mine, in alphabetical order (you’ll see why I don’t want you to be left out of the fun!):

• Context
• Ideation
• Inclusiveness
• Intellection
• Maximizer

I plan to buy the updated book StrengthsFinder 2.0 when it’s available and take the online assessment again. So much in my life has changed since I took the assessment, I’m curious to see if the themes will be the same. Theoretically they should be, but I want to put the assessment to the test. After all, the brain is highly plastic.

I try to be open-minded, but often past programming and imprinting make it difficult. I’ll think something looks really interesting to explore, but then a bunch of stuff gets mixed around in my subconscious and comes out as, “I wouldn’t go there if I were you.” Sometimes I decide to go there anyway and have amazing experiences.

Three years ago my husband and I moved to Sedona, Arizona, one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s also a New Age mecca. In keeping with “while in Rome, do as the Romans,” I thought it would be interesting to have a chakra reading. As I climbed the steps to the new-age shop in uptown Sedona, I wondered what the bleep I was doing. You know that imprinting I was referring to? Well, my past programming said that anything to do with psychic readings and chakra readings is dabbling in the occult, and that’s not a good thing.

But I overcame my resistance and stepped into a small room with a soft-spoken woman from Australia. The reading would consist of her placing her hands a few inches from my body and moving them from chakra to chakra while she concentrated on noting energy flow and impressions that came to mind.

As she moved to my third chakra (stomach area), she said she felt something almost frantically pushing her away. I laughed and admitted that having a chakra reading was probably scaring the tar out of me. The third chakra was just doing its job, she told me. It is supposed to scan the environment and sense what is safe and not safe for me. Hmmm, interesting, I thought.

While reading the energy around my throat and mouth, she paused and looked puzzled. She said the energy felt a little strange and “sticky.” After briefly struggling to find the words to describe the impression, she said it seemed as though there was an issue in my past about being persecuted for speaking the truth. I was dumbstruck. That had been a huge issue in my life due to my nontraditional religious beliefs and practices. Whoa. Very interesting.

Now fast-forward a couple of years later at a conference exhibit hall in San Jose. I’m hooked up to a computer system that the exhibitors claim can scan my energy and provide a list of trouble areas. Well, we’ll see, I thought. I’m sure it will spit out a list of things that most people have problems with — nothing special about that.

A minute later the results were on the monitor. The number one issue — the most notably tweaked energy — was, get this: Persecution Complex. I almost fell out of my chair. How could a freakin’ machine figure that out? The list had all kinds of things that were true — the top issues were actually my top health concerns.

The woman who ran my evaluation had suffered from lupus and had been extremely ill. She couldn’t work. She was too weak to do anything but exist. She was waiting to die. Then she discovered this bioenergetic system, bought one, and used it to heal herself. By looking at her, you’d never guess she had been near death, with no hope for recovery. I don’t mean to sound overly dramatic, but I have an aunt who died from lupus. I know it kills.

I’m glad that I push past my comfort zone. I’m endlessly amazed by what I find. Stay tuned for more episodes of the Amazing Adventures of Lana.

The more you know about yourself, the better. If you know your strengths, gifts, talents, motivations, and interests, you can gear your life to capitalize on them and gain maximum benefit in every area. Why would we want it any other way? Yet the sad thing is, most people don’t know what their talents and strengths are.

One of the most remarkable books I’ve read is Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton of the Gallup International Research & Education Center. A former employer had given me a copy and asked me take the StrengthsFinder Profile on the Web. By noting your instinctual patterns, the assessment reveals your five most powerful “signature themes” of talent.

The book describes the critical distinction between a talent and a strength:

Talents are your naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior. Your various themes of talent are what the StrengthsFinder profile actually measures.

Knowledge consists of the facts and lessons learned.

Skills are the steps of an activity.

These three — talents, knowledge, and skills — combine to create your strengths.

Your talents are innate. You can’t change them. According to the authors, they are created by the unique synaptic connections in your brain formed when you are young. I’ll let the authors explain the amazing creation of your unique talents:

Forty-two days after you are conceived, your brain experiences a four-month growth spurt…. On your forty-second day you create your first neuron, and 120 days later you have a hundred billion of them…. You have a hundred billion when you are born, and you have about that many up until late middle age.

Elsewhere in your brain, however, the real drama, the synapse drama, is just beginning. Sixty days before your birth your neurons start trying to communicate with one another. Each neuron reaches out — literally “reaches out” a strand called an axon — and attempts to make a connection. Whenever a successful connection is made, a synapse is formed, and during the first three years of your life, your neurons prove phenomenally successful at making these connections. …

But then something strange happens. For some reason nature now prompts you to ignore a lot of your carefully woven threads. As with most things, threads that are neglected fall into disrepair, and so across your network connections start to break. You become so inattentive to parts of your mental network that between the ages of three and fifteen you lose billions and billions of these carefully forged connections. By the time you wake up on your sixteenth birthday, half your network is gone. …

Your genetic inheritance and early childhood experiences assist you in finding some connections smoother and easier to use than others — the competitive connection, perhaps, or the inquisitiveness connection or the strategic thinking connection. You are drawn to these connections time and time again until they become tighter and tauter. To use an Internet analogy, these are your superfast T1 lines. Here the signals are loud and strong.

I love that analogy. If you’ve ever experienced a painfully slow dial-up connection, you know what a joy and relief it is to use a superfast, high-speed connection such as a T1 line or DSL. Slow, painful versus fast, effortless, fun. Which would you rather have? When you start thinking about your innate talents this way and the quality of your life, it’s absolutely amazing.

A new and updated edition, StrengthsFinder 2.0, and an updated StrengthsFinder Profile, are about to be released. According to amazon.com, you’ll get:

• A new and upgraded edition of the StrengthsFinder assessment
• A personalized Strengths Discovery and Action-Planning Guide for applying your strengths in the next week, month, and year
• A customized version of your top-five themes report
• 50 Ideas for Action (10 strategies for building on each of your top five themes)
• The user-friendly StrengthsFinder 2.0 companion website, with a strengths community area, a library of downloadable discussion guides, activities, a strengths screensaver, and a program for creating display cards of your top five themes

I can’t wait!

You should be too! One of my favorite self-discovery tools is the MAPP Assessment, Motivation Appraisal of Personal Potential.

I like the MAPP because along with showing your basic traits and preferences, it identifies what motivates you. This gives you a much clearer picture about which careers may suit you best. I also like the interesting narrative style of the report.

Taking this assessment provided some very interesting insights. It picked up patterns that I hadn’t been aware of, and it identified aspects I couldn’t have put into words myself. Even after taking many, many assessments over the years, the MAPP was able to tease out new information!

Learn more about the MAPP Assessment and get a free sample report.

If you are interested in seeing a full, detailed report, you can download mine (pdf, 3 MB). I have nothing to hide… except for the fact that if you stuck me in a windowless office with no human contact and made me file papers all day, I’d probably kill myself.

Chocolate? No, but I don’t blame you for thinking it is. Sugar? No. Mohitos? No. Exercise. No, but I wish it were.

Information. Yep, especially in the form of books and on the Internet. I literally crave reading information — if I’m cut off from my drug I experience anxiety, irritability, restlessness, and extreme boredom. And just like any other addictive substance, overindulging causes many of the same symptoms!

According to the Kolbe A Index, my natural, instinctive action mode is to gather information. (For those familiar with the Kolbe A, my score is 8 4 6 2.) I just take it too far. Why? It could be that my brain has low endorphin levels, so I’m seeking to boost endorphin through novelty-seeking behavior. I don’t go after just any old piece of information — I go for the new, different, exciting, mind-boggling stuff.

Pushing and pushing my brain could also be a way for me to create stress in order to get a boost from adrenaline. People find all kinds of ways to stress themselves in seemingly innocuous ways to feel good, albeit temporary. It’s not only the obvious thrill-seekers who find ways to create the internal chemistry to feel alive and happy.

I recently found a very interesting site about the possible causes of Internet and television addiction. The man who runs the site, Christopher McPeck, details his intriguing theories, including:

• Internet addiction is caused by hypovolemia (low blood volume).
• Internet addiction is caused by a desire to increase arousal.
• Internet addiction is caused by activities which constantly require central vision.

According to recent blood test results, I have half the amount of blood that I should have to be healthy. So I was quite interested in a possible tie-in to my Internet addiction. Here’s what Christopher writes about hypovolemia:

People with hypovolemia experience light-headedness because of a lack of cerebral blood flow.

People with hypovolemia try to increase their cerebral blood flow, and become more focused, by increasing their blood pressure. This is done by engaging in self-stimulatory activities, such as playing exciting computer games, which can cause the brain to produce more adrenaline.

When fluid levels drop, the brain produces more adrenaline so the heart has to pump more blood to compensate for this.

Along with more adrenaline, self-stimulatory activities cause stress.

This increased stress, possibly accompanied by other stress causing conditions such as hyperacusis or problems with laterality, exacerbates dehydration.

Dehydration exacerbates hypovolemia, and this cycle continues.

Very interesting. I live in Phoenix, one of the driest places in the country, and I’m dehydrated most of the time. (According to health experts, chronic dehydration is a huge problem in the United States. I’ll talk about that in another post.)

So… I need to wrap up this post, get off the Internet, go drink some water, and do something good for my body and brain that doesn’t have a downside. Going for a walk sounds like the ticket.

I’m a bona fide personality assessment junkie. Many years ago I read Know Your Own Mind: Nine Tests That Tell You What You Do Best. Taking the tests helped me to understand certain mysterious things about myself. Like, why I can’t hit a tennis ball worth beans, but I can handle a gun like Annie Oakley!

And now that there are hundreds (thousands?) of tests, quizzes and assessments available on the Web, I could spend the rest of my life exploring my inner landscape!

Yesterday I took the Print Survey. I learned about the assessment through a coaching organization I belong to. I start a six-session teleclass today to learn more about the Print system. Here’s a brief description of Print:

Printing takes people’s personality traits, along with the why’s behind these traits, and groups them into 9 categories — each with its own way of thinking, feeling and behaving; its own unique view of the world; and its own set of strengths and potential weaknesses. Although people may see parts of themselves in some, or even all of the groupings, there are always two that fit them better than the rest — called a Major (dominant) and a Minor (secondary). The combination of a person’s Major and Minor makes up their personality type, or Print®, of which there are 72 in total.

My Print turned out to be 4 Major, 7 Minor. I have a full report describing a 4/7, but the copyright forbids me to post it without permission. But here are some excerpts:

At their best, the 4/7 personality blends unlimited self-expression with enormously high energy and enthusiasm, making the 4/7 a creative and active contributor to their organization or enterprise. 4/7’s enjoy feeling unique and special, and when given the freedom to demonstrate this part of their personality, they can bring an originality of ideas and expression that is unsurpassed. These contributions are usually quite meaningful, motivated by a sense of purpose and passion.

Naturally spontaneous and intuitive, 4/7’s tune into their feelings to guide their actions. This remarkable ability to operate on instinct permits the 4/7 to react quickly and decisively.

Individuality and originality are signature traits of the 4/7. They can be counted on to come up with imaginative and fresh thoughts, insights and ideas seemingly out of thin air — but for the 4/7, it is as easy and natural as breathing.

4/7’s are extraordinarily independent beings. They are very much their own person who march to their own drummers.

Okay, I’d better stop before I post the whole enchilada.

The Print isn’t all melocotones y crema, though. Each type has potential weaknesses, called Shadow traits, that a person may exhibit when stressed or triggered.

I’m looking forward to the class. I must be a typical 4/7, because I’m already flinching at the idea of being typed and cast into a defined role.

For the fun of it, I added the daily horoscope for my sun sign on my Yahoo home page. I’m a Virgo. I love it when my horoscope matches the theme of the day! Here’s what is says for today:

“You can turn the cloudiest day into a sunny one if you focus on the good stuff and ignore the bad. Why not try to use your happiness to create more happiness? That means you should walk away from an argument as soon as you smell it coming, smile at someone who just stole your parking space, and wish a happy day to that grumpy security guard. Enjoy the power of being the bright spot in someone’s day. Spreading joy is much easier than you think — and it always comes back to you.”

Photo source: http://www.tomarma.com/Gallery/Zodiac/pages/Virgo.html

Do I believe in astrology? Kinda sorta. As with most metaphysical subjects, I have one foot firmly planted in the scientific world and one foot that is always out and about, tentatively stepping into worlds with things that science says are unprovable or downright crazy.

I think my Astro chart is a fairly accurate description of me. Here’s part of a chart done (free) at http://www.alabe.com:

Sun is in 18 Degrees Virgo.
Extremely careful and cautious by nature, you value neatness and order above all else. You rigorously practice very high standards of living and conduct and you demand the same of everyone with whom you come into contact. At times, you are so supercritical that you are merely nit-picky. You are very good at practical skills and quite handy with tools of all kinds. [That last bit about handy with tools definitely is not true!] You are also greatly concerned with hygiene, cleanliness and personal health problems. Very likely your health is much better than you think it is — don’t worry so much! Extremely methodical and analytical, you are a perfectionist — this makes you the perfect person to carry out highly detailed, precise operations. But, at times, you pay so much attention to details that you lose sight of the larger issues.

Rising Sign is in 17 Degrees Libra
Very attractive and popular, your charm helps you to get your own way and prevents others from getting angry with you. “Peace and harmony at all costs” is your battle cry. You always try to ameliorate or to cosmetically hide any physical ugliness or any angry feelings between people. Flashy, but not gaudy, you prefer to dress elegantly. You generally have good taste in music, art and literature. Beware of the tendency to compromise yourself in your attempt to be agreeable at all times. A bit of a social butterfly, at times you can be vain and lazy. For the most part, however, you are gracious and affectionate, and your refined and aristocratic demeanor serves as a role model to others.

Moon is in 14 Degrees Aries.
High-spirited and courageous, you are a fighter when your emotions are aroused. The degree of force and drive that you can bring to any effort sometimes surprises others. You have hair-trigger reactions to specific stimuli and tend to “let it all hang out.” You sometimes act before you think and do things on the spur of the moment, and that sometimes gets you into trouble. Your moods change quickly — you have quite a temper, but you don’t hold grudges. Very independent, with an extremely strong and forceful personality, you are known for being impulsive, careless, reckless, foolhardy, rash and daring. [Last sentence not completely accurate, but I can be impulsive.]

Mercury is in 15 Degrees Virgo.
Very thorough and efficient, you pay attention to the minor but important details of any project. You are a careful thinker who can learn complicated, intricate techniques. You are attracted to practical, useful skills and are probably good at working with your hands. You are very critical of yourself and others, sometimes too much so, and you get the reputation of being a nag or of being nit-picky. Your first reaction to any situation is to try to organize, classify and analyze everything!

According to the popular Keirsey™ Temperament Sorter®-II, my type is ENFP: Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving. The letter that troubles me is the P.

You see, Ps are wonderful idea-generators and can start a fun project faster than the Big Bang. However, following through isn’t their strong suit. I had a boss who was typed as a P, and boy did we have a good time! But his wife, who was the office manager, always complained that her husband was “P-ing” all over the office. Even so, we managed to get things done (probably under threat of withholding our paychecks).

Tomorrow is the new year, January 1, 2007. I’ve started this blog on New Year’s Eve with great enthusiasm and the commitment to do whatever it takes to regularly post. As one friend says, if it isn’t fun it won’t get done. So my goal is to make this a fun adventure. I invite you to participate!

You can find out your type at http://www.advisorteam.org.

You can find out your Temperament at http://www.advisorteam.org, the “official global online provider of the Keirseyâ„¢ Temperament Sorter®-II.” The assessment is free. But if you want a comprehensive report, you’ll need to pay a fee (at this writing it is $14.95).

You can also learn about the Keirsey™ Temperament Sorter®-II at http://www.keirsey.com.