The RELATIONSHIP between MOTIVATION and TALENT

Hydrogen and Oxygen are distinctly different elements, but sometimes they combine to form water. Something similar is true for motivation and talent.

Motivation is what we LIKE to do naturally.

Talent is what we DO well naturally.

They can exist independently, but when they combine, they create something special.

They create motivated talents.

People often are naturally good at something (talented), but it just doesn’t turn them on. For example, Heather is good with numbers, but she doesn’t go out of her way to find tasks callingfor that talent. Most people have such talents. But then there are those talents that we really enjoy using. These are the motivated talents, and this is where the magic is.

We use motivated talents every chance we get. Most of the time we don’t even think about it. For example, Larry has a motivated talent for conversation, and he naturally engages both friends and strangers in dialog. He doesn’t consciously determine to do so; it just happens. It’s natural and unforced. He enjoys it, and he’s good at it. That’s the hallmark of a motivated talent.

Motivated talents tend to be irrepressible. They find expression. In fact, if you’ve ever tried to stifle a motivated talent (either yours or someone else’s) it probably felt like you were trying to hold two dozen ping pong balls under water at the same time. Motivated talents pop out, even if no one else is asking for them. And doesn’t that make sense? After all, it’s what we do well AND enjoy.

Well then, wouldn’t the ideal job be one where you can use your motivated talents daily and get paid for it? Absolutely!

But more on that later.

INSPIRING PEOPLE

1. "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. "Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there."

~ John Kotter

3. "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

~ John Quincy Adams

4. "Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people."

~ Lee Iacocca

POSITIVE THINKING AND BETTER HEALTH

Mind over matter is more than a scientific mantra. Better health through positive thinking is no longer a new age superstition. Scientists and members of the medical community are embracing the concept that thinking positively leads to behaving positively which in turn improves overall health. At one time, scientists refuted this idea in part because happiness and optimism are difficult to measure in scientific terms. However, today study groups as well as therapy sessions are proving that better health can be obtained through positive thinking.

Studies indicate that human thinking patterns affect human behavioural patterns. Therefore, better health can be achieved through positive thinking and positive behaviour, which in turns results in better health. Patients who remain in a positive mood can manage pain and serve symptoms as well as change their lifestyle more effectively than patients who are feeling down. This means thinking positive means positive health benefits.

Healthy people tend to eat healthy and take time to do healthy activities so it makes sense that healthy people also have healthy thoughts. The same is true with health care putting forward a positive attitude will help your body assert itself in a positive way. This means looking at the positive aspects of every situation. Instead of dwelling on the negative, a positive person tends to focus on the opportunities and solutions associated with various issues. In health care focusing on solutions is the easiest way to better health.

This technique influences health by decreasing stress, lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease and even increasing life expectancy. Many groups, including cancer support groups and weight loss programmes, are incorporating therapies designed to encourage thinking positive into their regiments for better long-term results.

Medical professional have suspected that better health can be achieved through positive thinking yet studies are rally just now being conducted. The health benefits of positive thinking are that they empower the patient to behave positively as well as be proactive about their health. The mind cannot magically heal a broken leg overnight but it can allow the patient to feel good about the healing process, prevent the patient from feeling defeated and giving up on healing as well as make the time in recovery more pleasant and relaxing.

HUMAN RELATIONS SKILLS

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile
3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important
sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of other person's interest.
6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

AS THE DEEPEST URGE IN HUMAN NATURE IS THE DESIRE TO FEEL IMPORTANT.

Teenagers and Dating Violence

About 3 percent of 12- to 17-year-old girls are physically or sexually assaulted by a boyfriend or date, a U.S. study suggests. In interviews with a nationally representative sample of U.S. teens, researchers found that 2.7 percent of girls and 0.6 percent of boys said they had been the victim of serious dating violence -- including physical abuse, sexual assault or being threatened with a weapon.

The findings offer some insight into the prevalence of the problem, as well as some of its consequences, according to lead researcher Kate B. Wolitzky-Taylor who is now at the University of Texas at Austin. She and her colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, found that teenagers who said they'd been the victims of dating violence were nearly four times more likely to have experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression.

"Overall, these findings suggest that dating violence in adolescence is a significant public health issue to address, particularly for older adolescent girls," the researchers report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

The study did not look at less-severe forms of violence, such as being shoved or slapped without injury, and it did not assess verbal abuse. So the percentage of teenagers in abusive relationships may be much higher.

The bottom line, according to the researchers, is that dating violence needs to be detected early -- by parents, doctors or school assessment -- and prevented whenever possible. Teaching middle school students how to handle conflicts in their relationships, for example, might help them later on to manage romantic relationships and possibly prevent violence, the researchers note.

In addition, Wolitzky-Taylor told Reuters Health that teenagers who have a friend in a violent dating relationship should be taught to report the situation to an adult.

The study also found that certain factors seemed to put teens at greater risk of dating violence -- such as a history of stressful or potentially traumatic events, like witnessing violence or losing a parent, sibling or friend. Older teenage girls were also at greater risk than boys or younger girls.

Wolitzky-Taylor said that "we might want to be more on the lookout" for signs of dating violence in teenagers with risk factors.