Racing Into the Sun

July 28, 2010 in attraction, dreams/goals, emotions, healthy life by Steve Hopkins | No comments

In this photo: Florida sunrise aerial

I had a wonderful experience just the other day that has created an impact as life lesson as well.  I took a “red-eye” flight from San Diego to Detroit.  What is wonderful about that you may ask?  Well, I had the same thought when I scheduled the flight and even when I boarded at 11pm PST after an exhausting workshop-filled day.

Then I woke up at about 6am EST; one hour left to go in the flight.  Out my window was the very first signs of the sun rising to introduce a new day.  We all have seen beautiful sunrises; maybe you are a particular fan of that time of day.  I just had never watched one traveling at 600+ mph.  I don’t know all of the scientific calculations (please enlighten me if you do) but I watched the fastest sunrise of my life.  I had this amazing sense that I was actually racing toward the sun.

Since that morning I have thought about my often cautious, tentative, and very analytical approach to experiences.  Plenty of reasons for this; past pain, fear of mistakes, investment in the moment and the list goes on.  But sometimes I think it could be best to enthusiastically race toward our opportunities and allow our energy to also fuel our outcomes.  It certainly allows you to see and feel the experience differently.  If we are set on our path, why not move like we are excited and embrace the moment?

Certainly a sunrise at 32,000 feet isn’t the same as your opportunity today, but could it be?

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,

http://fb.me/FdUFY1Wn

July 19, 2010 in Uncategorized by Steve Hopkins | No comments

http://fb.me/FdUFY1Wn

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags:

What is our agenda?

July 16, 2010 in change management, emotions, healthy life by Steve Hopkins | No comments

I love it when real scientists think like me!

I have been traveling around the country these past two months sharing viewpoints on everything from transformation to in-home technology. One question that continually is asked of me during most of my converstions is, “How do we know if what we are creating addresses the most important issues in wellness?” (this is a subtle way to say, “Is my investment worth it?”)  This seems benign enough but it is much more disruptive than we may think.  One message I like to spread is that we need to pause, listen, create and deliver whatever produces engagement for older adults wherever they may be.

Many of us are working fevorishly to produce countless solutions for older adults; technology, healthcare, programs, fitness, and the list goes on. As I travel and meet hundreds of great stakeholders in this quest, I am often amazed that many of us don’t really know what we are trying to produce or how to measure our success. A recent study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (July 2010) puts a stamp on two components that I work hard to communicate:
1.  Older adults OWN PERCEPTION of what well-aging looks like should be recognized
2.  Self-contentment and engagement with life are two of the most critical areas to measure as an indication of well-aging 

Imagine that!  It is not the awesome program we need to keep creating but responding to older adults to produce engagement!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,

“I’m OK”………peacefullness

July 6, 2010 in emotions, healthy life, technology by Steve Hopkins | No comments

http://www.simpleproductions.co.uk/images/logo_simple.png

As I build LifeChoice Solutions, I have been roadmapping Personal Emergency Response technology for a year.  My team is uncovering pager-receiving solutions for hearing impaired older adults.  Can I find a contractor that will remodel a bathroom that delivers a barrier-free shower experience without having to pay 5-6 levels of corporate structure?  I have been feverishly digging for an elite non-emergency transportation company before we just create it or buy it ourselves.  I see Garmin, tele-health, personal training technology, medicine management machines and solutions I can’t even explain make it into our conference room for demos every week.  All of this is to keep us delivering the best; the most robust, easiest to use, independence-supporting solutions for older adults to stay in their homes.

Last week I had a client ask me for a wake up call.

Yep.  Could I please just call her every morning so that somebody knew she was OK?  This was a request that didn’t fit into our PERS (personal emergency response system) technology because she didn’t need help.  She wasn’t receiving care management so we didn’t have any scheduled appointments.  This beautiful woman just wanted peace.  Peace of mind that if she were to die peacefully in the night while sleeping, she knew that SOMEONE would know it within hours, not days.  Simple enough.

With all of our great technology and amazing ideas to move information and create solutions, the most profound impact I have had this past week has been a daily morning phone call to a beautiful woman in Michigan to let her say, “Good morning.  I’m OK.”

Let’s not forget the simple things while we are deciding what is needed most.

Little does she know, my 7:00am call to her is the highlight of my day.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , ,

Digitally Dependant

June 30, 2010 in arts, change management, emotions, healthy life, technology by Steve Hopkins | No comments

I left my laptop at a Riverside Art Center board retreat that I was facilitating last night (one of my passion areas I am allowed to participate in as a leader for Evangelical Homes of Michigan).  I quickly discovered it was safe but I still wouldn’t have it back until this morning (my fingertips are safely back “home” on my hp6530b keyboard as this post would demonstrate).  It was an usettling and freeing event all at the same time.  I did have a momentary worry about securing my “lost” laptop for the 10 minutes that I discovered it was with someone else (safe) and trying to figure out when I would be reconnected with my “lifeline”.  This being quickly resolved, I suddenly realized I had a wonderful scapegoat for not doing any work at home last night!  yeahhhhh!

Do you know that most dominate emotion I felt during my entire technological panic?  Relief that it wasn’t my Blackberry. How sad.  :(

So what did I do with my new found free-time last night?  I purposely took 3 giant-steps in the opposite direction of technology to prove that I still knew how to live free of the evil control of the digital world……….

…….I hand-wrote a note, on paper, to a distant friend.

Can I tell you it was a wonderful 30 minute experience?  I enjoyed my own handwriting (true personalized signature to my friend).  I wasn’t frustrated with the time it took to pen the best words that conveyed my emotion of missing him.  I smiled at the satisfaction I felt when re-reading my note to realize I had captured what I felt.

When was the last note you wrote? For you, maybe just a passing note to a nearby neighbor, or a note on the counter for family members still at home is the answer?  But maybe you decide, like me, to really pause and think of someone that would truely enjoy hearing from you; someone that would treasure knowing your thoughts and value the connection.

Can you shut off your laptops instant communication ability or “lose” your Blackberry for a day?  If you can, I will bet you will be pleasantly rewarded with the way you solve communicating with those important people you care about.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , , ,

YOU are the answer……

June 29, 2010 in change management, dreams/goals, emotions, healthy life, life change by Steve Hopkins | No comments

I was recently contacted by a friend of mine in FL that informed me that her sister, and former client of mine, had lost 53 pounds!  I was so excited.  This was great news to me because I had wanted this “victory” for her so badly in the past.  I had worked with her on some other wellness-related issues but she was never ready to really work on her weight issues that she desired to change.

I asked my friend what had changed for her sister to suddenly have such great results in this area of her life after wanting this so badly in the past.  My friend really didn’t have any specific answer except to say, “she just decided that now was the time”.

Have you ever heard this before?  I have, countless times.  I am often reminded, through stories like this, that most of the time our life changes we desire do not take miraculous intervention or discovering the “secret answer” to a dilemma.  We all possess, within ourselves, our own extraordinary capacity to create change.  We may have had past failures, or may be in the midst of one now.  Be certain though, that you have it within yourself to succeed.

What great thing have you accomplished in your past that impacted your life?  Relational, financial, physical, emotional……….

Reconnect with that achievement to celebrate and re-affirm that YOU are capable of greatness.  

If you cannot muster the energy to reconnect with something from your past, it is time to set your eyes forward.  Choose some frustration, identify it, claim the place you would rather be as yours only, and embark on a path that nobody can derail you from.

Share your thoughts—-past successes and new challenges.  We will support you here!!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , , ,

Walk Where You Love

June 28, 2010 in Spiritual, dreams/goals, emotions, healthy life, physical by Steve Hopkins | No comments

Two things connected for me this weekend that made me want to share an important thought with you.  First, the intense storms here in the Midwest gave way Sunday afternoon to sunshine carving its way through immense and beautiful cloud art in the sky.  I was so struck by the beauty in the often overlooked heavens that I had to go outside for a walk to spend time surrounded by them.

Interestingly enough, this weekend, RealAge posted a very cool article about walking where you love.

For you it may not be neat clouds.  Maybe you love flowers along your path.  maybe it is houses you see or beautiful trees.  Whatever gets your interest, that is where you should walk.  Walk where you love!!!

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,

Did you know weight changes can be linked to physical limitations?

June 16, 2010 in Uncategorized by Dianna Huckestein | No comments

Previous studies have shown that functional limitations amongst older adults were often linked to changes in body weight. Most research focused narrowly on the upper-tier of weight, examining the relationship between obesity and physical functioning. But, do underweight older adults share a similar increased risk? Research from the Canadian Community Health Survey indicates that both obese and underweight senior citizens run the greatest risk of disability and loss of function.

This study used a sample of over 21,000+ adults ages 65 years and older. The researchers considered data including body mass index, a measure of daily living activities, and various demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.).

The U-shaped relationship between body weight and disability in old age has important wellness implications. Weight loss is a positive thing for older adults who are obese; however, it proves to be too narrow a focus for individuals of normal or underweight. As the population continues to get older each year, the rate of functional problems increases, making physical wellness an even more prominent concern.

Source: Gadalla, T. 2010. Relative body weight and disability in older adults: Results from a national survey. Journal of Aging and Health 22: 403-418.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

In recognition of the capacity…

May 25, 2010 in Uncategorized by Steve Hopkins | No comments

In recognition of the capacity, wisdom and talent of all of us, Denise Rabidoux (CEO)I offers this weekly… http://bit.ly/cM7jqk

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags:

New Exercise Inspiration

May 24, 2010 in change management, healthy life, physical by Steve Hopkins | No comments

 

Why do people decide to add physical activity to their lives?  Looking for clues, a research team explored data from an earlier study to see if they could identify the factors that led participants to start being more active.

The Activity Counseling Trial looked at some interesting aspects of interventions that may inspire people to continue to exercise.  Feel free to click this link on this study to read more but two of the basic findings that you can act on are:

1.  committing to activity

       this could be done by telling friends of your new intentions or signing a contract; it is not will-power alone but soliciting the helpful accountability of external forces; it helps control the “path” so you don’t have all of your same old options to resort back to bad habits–at least not without some increased level of discomfort

2.  substituting alternatives

     Again, not relying of sheer will-power but to occupy habit patterns with helpful, goal-aligning activities.  This is the “walk instead of TV” or “group class instead of pub pitstop” concept.

Try these two forms of change and see if it provides you with a helpful nudge in the right direction.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , ,

« Older entries