When I look back at the last 36 years, I feel the greatest factor in any success I have had, as a pro athlete, businessman, even my connections has come mainly from hard work and effort but a big part has also been a little bit of luck.
When Napoleon was asked if he preferred courageous generals or brilliant generals, he replied neither. He preferred lucky generals.
So, how do you create your own luck?
These are seven habits that brought me luck.
1) Be adventurous but do not bet the farm.
Every thing that I achieved came from taking risks. I left the comforts of home to serve a church mission in France and ended up meeting my future wife. I passed on my last year of collegiate eligibility to pursue a basketball career in France and we spent 8 blissful years growing our relationship and exploring Europe! I quit my first job back home and started out on my own. I lent money to a supplier against very little security, and on and on. These were the moves that brought me the greatest rewards. But in all cases, I could afford to lose. I was not going to be exiled to Elba if I lost. I did not always develop a business plan, or do a detailed ROI analysis. I followed my gut feel, but I knew that I could cope with failure.
2) Start by trusting people.
You cannot do it alone. You will only achieve your goals with the help of others: friends and family, colleagues, employers and employees, suppliers and customers. If you are suspicious by nature, or if you like to do everything yourself, your chances of finding luck are diminished. Because it’s usually others that bring you luck.
3) Play your strong cards.
Know your strengths and try to use them. Know your weakness and try to avoid having to use them, but don’t stop working towards making these strengths as well. Don’t pretend to have strengths that you don’t have. You can develop strengths and overcome weaknesses. But make sure you identify your specific skills, aptitudes, knowledge, and contacts and use them wherever you can. Luck will most likely follow.
4) Give more than you take.
If you want to attract lucky people to your campaign, be prepared to give. You need to go the extra mile for others without worrying too much about keeping score. In my experience the old saying “what goes around comes around” is definitely true in business and in life, and “it” comes around when you least expect it, believe me.
5) Get and stay fit.
I am not referring to only to physical fitness. I mean your overall mental, physical and psychological well being. Eat right and stay active. Keep learning and improving yourself. Look on the bright side. Not everything is going to go your way. Believe in your chances of success, even in the face of difficulties. Never deal with tough problems at night when you are tired. Health and energy will bring you luck, and the strength to rebound from reverses.
6) Be a good communicator.
You have to communicate who you are and what you want. Understand that words are often not the greatest means of communication. Our actions, attitude and mood may greatly affect our lines of communication with those around us. While playing professional basketball in France I was quickly made captain of every team I played for as a direct result of the positive,never say die attitude that I worked hard at conveying.

7) Be true to your craft and trade.
An accountant can write a good business plan, but is unlikely to make a good shoemaker. Every start-up, every enterprise, every venture, is based on a craft or specialized field of knowledge. Be true to the Hippocratic Oath of your chosen field of activity. People will know if you are for real and this will bring luck.

Don’t just give luck a chance to happen, follow these guidelines and create your own!

Researchers have been investigating the magnesium migraines connection because of magnesium’s role in stabilizing blood vessels walls. Magnesium is also an important mineral when it comes to helping you get to sleep. Regular sleeping patterns are also very important to migraine sufferers. Magnesium also helps in protein synthesis, and keeps your bones strong and helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function.

It was first suggested that a deficiency in magnesium could cause

headaches over 70 years ago. It makes sense, because a lot of the things that cause the body to run short of magnesium also either trigger migraines or lower your resistance. For example alcohol, stress, and menstruation. Today we know that about half of the people who get migraines are also short of a certain type of magnesium (serum ionized).
When faced with a migraine that won’t respond to treatment, many headache specialists will give an injection of magnesium. You should be able to get benefits from long term (2-3 months or more) regular magnesium supplements. The magnesium migraines link may make a big difference to many people.

Is my magnesium low?

Chances are good that you do not have a serious magnesium deficiency. However, there are situations where magnesium can get low. Certain drugs especially can lower your amounts of magnesium, such as diuretics and certain antibiotics. Alcohol may also lower your magnesium levels.
Researchers are sharply divided on the need for magnesium in migraineurs. Most believe that magnesium may play some role in migraine, but some believe that increasing your body’s magnesium is THE key in eliminating migraine, even if you don’t have a “serious deficiency”.

Dr. Sarah DeRossett, American neurologist and headache specialist was quoted in July 2003 in support of magnesium and riboflavin/vitamin B2 for migraine sufferers. “About 15 to 20 percent of the American population is deficient in magnesium, and patients who have migraines have lower blood levels of magnesium than patients who don’t have migraines.” Read the article here.

You would be wise to make sure you’re eating plenty of magnesium-rich foods. If your magnesium is very low, your doctor may suggest a supplement or injections, or even intravenous treatment. Magnesium migraines treatment is becoming more and more popular with migraine sufferers.

Normal adults require about 310-420mg of magnesium daily. Be aware that too much magnesium can cause side effects, and that there are different types of magnesium, which is why it is wise to be monitored by a doctor before you drastically raise your magnesium levels through supplements.

Symptoms of low magnesium…

Magnesium is important to the body, and so low magnesium can cause a host of problems, such as:
irregular heartbeats, loss of appetite, insomnia (a killer for migraineurs!), weakness, shortness of breath, PMS, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and poor coordination.
What can I eat to boost my magnesium?

First, try to cut down on the processed food you eat. Processed food is prepared in such a way that it cuts down the magnesium.
Magnesium is found in many foods, but some of the best include wheat germ, beans, soy products, whole grains, seafood, dark green leafy vegetables, bananas (warning: bananas are a major migraine trigger for some people) and milk.

Magnesium migraines and the BIG PICTURE

So many migraine treatments have to be seen as part of the big picture. One thing effects the other. Researchers are more and more realizing that the interaction of various things in your body need to be taken into consideration when it comes to migraine – the way chemicals react together, the way various organs work with the nervous system. That’s why migraineurs need to try combinations of treatments. There may be a magnesium migraines treatment that involves more than just taking magnesium itself.
One of the more popular proponents of magnesium supplements, Dr. Alexander Mauskop, is the director of the New York Headache Center. He writes in his book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Migraines that he has found a treatment that is remarkably effective using magnesium, vitamin B2 and feverfew. He makes a good case for the magnesium migraines link and has backed up his opinion with good research.

Dr Barton M Alturn, professor of physiology and medicine at the State University of New York Health Science Center also writes about the magnesium migraines connection (quoted in Nature’s Medicines ):

We believe that everyone should be taking 500-600 milligrams of magnesium a day in a combination of diet and supplements.

A study in June 2008 also confirmed the benefits of magnesium for migraineurs. Read more about this study, titled The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without aura.

What kind of magnesium should I buy?

So you’ve decided that you’d like to try a magnesium supplement, you know there’s a magnesium migraines link, but there are dozens out there – which should you try?
Certain types of magnesium are not well absorbed by the body. Too much magnesium, particularly the wrong kinds of magnesium, can cause diarrhea and simply make your mineral deficiency worse. Also, remember to take magnesium for at least 60-90 days to see if it makes a difference.

If your body isn’t absorbing magnesium well, try avoid these types of magnesium: Oxide, hydroxide, and chloride. Instead, look for magnesium types that end in “ate”, particularly glycinate, but also gluconate, lactate and orotate.

Note: Very often two or more types of magnesium are combined, such as oxide and citrate. The best thing is to simply talk to your doctor and then try one kind and see how your body handles it.

Source Naturals has an excellent supplement which contains 400mg of magnesium, which many doctors suggest as a good amount for migraineurs to take. It’s called Ultra-Mag Magnesium complex.

A very good supplement for migraine containing magnesium and other migraine-fighting componants is MigreLief. There is now an article online about MigreLief that you can read. You can also purchase MigreLief with magnesium here.

A note about calcium: Magnesium and calcium

balance each other out in the body. If you have too much of one and not enough of another, it can cause problems. That’s one reason why it’s important not to take too much of one or the other.

However, when taking magnesium for migraine don’t buy a calcium/magnesium blend. If you’re taking a calcium supplement, take it at another time of day. It can interfere with the benefits of the magnesium for migraine.

Okay, here we go! A new year full of …………….excuses?
Websters defines the word excuses as such:
a. To explain (a fault or an offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood.

Of all the faults, weaknesses, or vices that make obtaining our fitness and wellness goals, I believe “excuses” is the biggest stumbling block. Excuses creep subtly into our lives and provide the justification for why we are overweight, not as succesful or why we don’t strive to tap into our true potential. Having played collegiate sports and professional basketball in France for almost 9 years, I was constantly surrounded by excuses! My wife will even tell you that she heard the, ” if I was two inches taller I’d be in the NBA” excuse from me all the time. Yet there are numerous players in the league that are shorter than my 6’4″ frame!
So why is it so easy to continue along in the ever deepening rut of excuses. I mean let’s face it, the goals and dreams we set for ourselves are real and truly desired, but yet it amazes me everyday that we choose to choose the depressed, frustrated, empty companionship of Monsieur Excuses!
How do we recognize where those excuses are coming from? The thing I like to do is write down all my goals, dreams and aspirations. Once those are layed out in front of you, now you can start to list the excuses or stumbling blocks to each of those goals. This can be eye opening and a little painful too, be honest and true to yourself because this exercise is about CHANGE!
The biggest excuse when talking about exercise and wellness issues is that we often think we are too far gone, helpless. Here is the trick, just like baby steps. We can have an end goal BUT we cannot, must not focus on the end result. We need to focus on a small, accomplishable, obtainable action. For example, we want to, need to lose 50 lbs. Immediately we want to start a diet and exercise everyday, the problem here is that most have NEVER ever done this before so we are just setting ourselves up for failure and MORE excuses right?
Instead of focusing on exercising everyday and the end result, because let’s face it there will be lots of days when we won’t feel up to it, something more important comes up, or whatever! We have to say to ourselves, ” the only thing I am going to do is get myself inside those gym doors.” that’s it, let your trainer take care of the rest!
” all I am going to do is get home after work without stopping at the local fast food joint”
Once we start stepping over these small but damning stumbling blocks we will start to learn how to leap over them and even SQUASH the excuses that have chained us to a lifestyle we are not happy or satisfied with!
Here at LinkFit we strive to help each of our clients meet their goals for fitness and wellness. Let us all have a greater desire and commitment in achieving Our dreams and overcoming our excuses. Heres to a New You in this New Year of 2012!
NO EXCUSES!!