Dr. Neill Neill

Some people view change as positive. Some people view it as negative. The fact of the matter is we all experience change at one point or another. So, why do we try to resist change?

Around the end of August I went on a solo motorcycle journey to the southern Yukon and back. That always clears my head. Then Eileen and I circumnavigated the Olympic Peninsula by car. Road trips are good! Home again in the quiet aftermath, I got a big flash about change…

Dr. Neill Neill

Have you ever noticed that as you grow older in a relationship, each partner changes? Sometimes the change is internal brought on by a great external change in your relationship—like the birth of a new baby. Do you notice that your partner has changed? Or do you still view them as they were when you first got together?

Jane and John seem to be at an impasse…

Dr. Neill Neill

 

If you want to be at the top of your game, you must close cycles. The principles apply to your career, your marriage and your life. Overwhelm is a consequence of having too many open cycles.

 

A cycle begins with an intention, is followed by action and is closed by the fulfillment of that intention. I intend to eat broccoli with dinner, for example, so I wash some broccoli, cook it, serve it and, finally, close the cycle by fulfilling my intention to eat broccoli.

 

The example, of course is cycle within a larger cycle of eating a meal, and that is within a yet larger cycle of maintaining health. We call a cycle "open" the moment the intention exists. It stays open until the intention is fulfilled. Obviously, each of us has many cycles open at any moment in time.

Dr. Neill Neill

For many people the holidays involve quite a bit of food and beverage intake in the celebrations; yes, even excess. Then in January diets abound and gym memberships surge.

 

In our family, typically, everyone would eat too much in December and gain a few unwanted pounds. Then, come the New Year, the list of New Year’s resolutions would include losing weight through some form of diet and fitness program.

Dr Neill Neill

Food craving leads to consumption. Consumption leads to more food cravings. Alcohol craving and consumption works the same way.

 

‘Tis the season for eating, drinking and otherwise celebrating with others we are connected to. It can be a great time of enjoyment, love, generosity and generally good feelings.

 

Yes, good feelings accompany eating. And a great deal of time we eat for those good feelings associated with foods we ate in the past. We don’t need a second helping of turkey for the nutrition. We don’t eat that third mincemeat tart because we are hungry. We turn to these foods for the good feelings associated with them. And we end up eating too much.

 Dr. Neill Neill

Every year each one of us grows older. Some try to avoid this by using every product possible for looking younger. But, what about the knowledge and understanding we have gained through life experiences? Is it more important to look younger or accept the wisdom that comes with age? 

Neill Neill

Emotional distress, or emotional discomfort as I like to call it, is a sign that something is not right in your life. These are the times when you grow and change the most–usually for the better. The key to making it through difficult times is finding clarity.

Some years ago I had a boss who was obsessed with finding out how "comfortable" people were after each counselling session with me. I told him "I am not in the comfort business. I am in the clarity business." I must admit that I was in a lot of mental/emotional ‘discomfort’ during those arguments with my boss. I was fired less than a year later, bringing even more intense discomfort. I blamed my former boss for everything…

Neill Neill

Why do you go see a medical doctor, psychologist, chiropractor or other health professional? Most people would answer that they seek help because they have a problem that needs fixing.  What is the true problem that needs fixing?

Dr. Neill Neill

There comes a time in life when we all begin to realize that we are not immortal. However, some people seem to live longer. Is there a key to longevity?

I recently attended the memorial service for my friend David. He died in his 87th year. David was a war hero and veteran of the Second World War and the Korean War. He lived a long and productive life, the last 40 years of it with his wife Arlene.

Dr. Neill Neill

 

Some people seem to succeed at whatever they put their minds to, almost as if they attract success. They are positive and happy; they seem just to play at what they do. At the other extreme, you find pessimistic and negative people. Life for negative people is a serious business, often filled with struggle and punctuated with failure.

 

Most of us live somewhere in between. You might look at a highly successful, happy person and think, “I’d be happy too if I were that successful.” Alternatively, you might picture a chronic failure you know, and think, “I’d be miserable too if I couldn’t succeed at anything.”

 

The word "success" evokes images of business or career; for example, the successful retailer, teacher, helicopter pilot, organic farmer or restauranteur…