***** Positive Thinking, Happy Living

HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY AND BREAST CANCER: THE RISKS IN PERSPECTIVE

Janet M., a fifties-something woman, entered my office and said as she sat down, "I've read that if I take hormones I'll increase my breast cancer risk. I'm going crazy without sleep and with these mood swings, but I don't want to increase my breast cancer risk by taking hormones."

Are you suffering from depression or a medical condition? Depression can be a symptom of an undiagnosed medical condition.

Decision trees are used in psychotherapy much like they are in other professions. At the top of the decision tree are always two items to rule out FIRST, before making a mental health diagnosis.

1. A general medical condition or

2. A chemical dependency

When we talk of getting focused this means specifically to see what captures our undivided time, attention and energy. Choosing what you're going to focus on overall imparts clarity. Does this mean you're only going to focus on these specific things? Not at all.

This is a trap some people fall into and so they become too focused, to the exclusion of the rest of their life. I suspect this stops some people focusing because they've seen others who are too focused so they feel they'd be overwhelmed by the intensity of it.

Although every work environment has its own peculiarities and, therefore, its own unique approach requirements, there may still be some general points to ponder in every setting. These points, based on positive organizational behavior, have proven to work through times, cultures, and work environments. They may do it for you too!

1. Be friendly and helpful to superiors, peers, and subordinates alike, but don?t overdo it. This approach calls for two clarifications:

"I don't know how she's going to survive when I'm not paying the bills! She has no idea how to balance a check book; no idea what it costs to live."

You've heard that stress can kill you--that it's a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes--but is it also a risk factor for obesity? Is it really fast food that has made Americans the fattest people in the world? Or is it something more insidious?

Dr. Barry Sears revolutionized nutritional thinking around the world with his 1995 landmark #1 New York Times best seller The Zone. With The Zone, and his subsequent bestselling Zone books, Dr. Sears describes how a scientifically proven plan of moderate carbohydrate consumption balanced with appropriate amounts of protein and fat may help you live a longer and better life.

Most organizations have at least one person who is a natural leader. When it is announced she will be leading a new team, employees line up to join. When he asks for a volunteer for an assignment, people jump at the chance. Employees turn to her as a mentor, or look to him as a role model.

Meanwhile, others in the organization are struggling to do their job with too few human resources. So how do natural leaders do it? What is their secret to getting people to go the extra mile for them?

Last night I had a telephone conversation with a friend, and while we were mulling over one subject after another, I mentioned how cool it would be if only I could win the lottery. I remember stating that I wouldn?t even mind sharing the jackpot with a few other people, as long as a couple of millions were left hanging for me.

After retirement, many folks rush out to buy computers and get hooked up to the Internet. Why? Because of the seemingly endless resources available to them in any category imaginable!