Achievers

The Internet is a gold mine of information. It is the resource many people now turn to when they need answers, ideas and to carry out various forms of research. (more…)

Does the food we eat effect how the brain works? Can the right food help you concentrate, keep you motivated, enhance memory, speed reaction times and minimise stress?

Evidence is accumulating that a diet that draws heavily on fatty food and only lightly on fruits and vegetables isn’t just bad for your heart, it may also be a major cause of depression and aggression.

Although it is easier said than done, enlisting the help of leafy greens, fruit and grains into your diet might just fast track your efforts to realising your potential.

Here are some nutrition tips to help get your brain into gear:

- Eggs: Rich in the B vitamin choline, a nutrient that has been proven to boost brainpower by speeding up the sending of signals to nerve cells in the brain.

- Fish: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, known to be particularly crucial constituents of the outer membrane of brain cells where all nerve signals must pass.

- Berries and citrus fruits: Rich in complex carbohydrates that reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.

- Water: Drinking around 2 litres (80 ounces) of water every day reduces stress hormones.

Share your brain food tips with us…

We’ve had some thought-provoking comments about the value of self-belief and the reality of self-doubt in the comments following the ‘believe in yourself’" post.  In Brett Lee’s exclusive ‘achievers’ video interview, Australia’s #1 bowler says career lows are inevitable and the key is to stay positive.   

"There’s times when you’re down and there’s times when you’re up and that’s what sport is all about and that’s why we love it," he says.  "If you are continually at a high all the time you wouldn’t be challenging yourself, and it wouldn’t be a great game."

Brett’s strategy is to stay as ‘even’ as possible, not rising too high with the highs, and not falling too far with the lows … I guess that’s what makes him so consistent when he is playing cricket and in his line of work consistency brings success.

If you want to watch Brett’s interview in full (and download it to play later), go to Brett’s achievers page and select the video extra file.

And tell our achiever’s community what you think about Brett’s ‘even keel’ strategy, would it work for you?

Australia Network’s Nexus program is featuring a story on Geraldine Cox and some of the children from Sunrise’s Fine Arts School on this Friday’s program (November 30, 2007).  Geraldine and the children visited Australia earlier this year and performed traditional music and dance in some of the country’s best theatres. 

The idea for a Fine Arts School followed the trauma of a 1997 military coup - Geraldine sought advice from a pyschologist about how to ease the fears of the children who had witnessed their home and carers at Sunrise Orphanage face armed militia trying to reclaim what was once a military barracks.  "We had soldiers with machine guns and tanks and everything running around the land, trying to shoot us off the property," says Geraldine.

The advice was to get the children involved in music and dance and any kind of art form and the fine arts school has fostered a powerful means of both healing and cultural expression.

We’ve added this Nexus video story to Geraldine’s achievers page, and you can also find the full transcript and English learning component on our Nexus site.  To find out when to watch Nexus visit the Nexus home page and set your location.

Let us know what you think about the story and if you’ve experienced the healing power of art and music.

I took part in a workshop session with my co-workers yesterday designed to tease out our psychological preferences - it was fascinating. The workshop session was intended to increase our self awareness and to better understand each others preferences to enable us to work better together. I found the process really worthwhile and would encourage others to delve in to the recesses of their minds to gain a better understanding of how they and others around them tick.

An example of a personality type test is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It was developed during World War II, believing that a knowledge of personality preferences would help women who were entering the industrial workforce for the first time identify the sort of war-time jobs that would suit them.

Have you done a personality preference test? Did you find it helpful? Or are you a sceptic?

Patience is not the first quality or attribute you’d associate with top-level performance especially when it comes to sport, but Australia Network Achiever Brett Lee says patience is what underpinned his man of the match performance in this week’s Australia vs Sri Lanka cricket test match in Brisbane.

Knowing that he’d done the hard work in training and being patient enough to stick to his game plan paid on-field dividends for Brett and in this need it now can’t wait for tomorrow world perhaps we can all take a lesson from that. 

When has patience paid off for you?

Lifehack.org is a website dedicated to life hacks.
The phrase describes any hacks, tips and tricks that get things done
quickly by automating, increase productivity and organising. Know of any other good sites like this one?

If you find yourself having a conversation with yourself in your head then it may be time to find a mentor. Why would you need one in the first place though? Well, in my experience there is one very good reason - they provide support and stimulate and encourage your ideas. It’s a well known fact that even Albert Einstein had mentors - friends like mathematician, Michelangelo Besso and his wife, Mileva Maric offered stimulation and critique that led to his theory of relativity. 

When Brett Lee is asked about his mentors he lists his older brother and his father.  Brett like most of us looks to those close to him for guidance and advice, but mentors can also be people you’ve just met.  I’ve had a mentor for the past 6 months and she’s been great at kicking me out of my comfort zone when I’m procrastinating about something.

See if your workplace offers any formal mentoring programs, if not, ask your local industry organisation or search the internet in your area to see what you can find.  Above all ask others around you, ‘who is your mentor?’ the answers may be surprising!

For Imogen Bailey one of the secrets to success is having confidence and she remembers an early teacher telling her to ‘fake it til you make it’ meaning that if you act confident people will think you are confident!  Presenting yourself at your best when facing an important meeting, or interview is just one thing you can do keep that inner voice positive.  Many people swear by having personal mantras or affirmations which they will say to themselves to get into a confident frame of mind.  For me it’s all about smell - I have a range of essential oils which I use that help give me stamina, energy and yes even confidence. 

It works for me … what works for you?  What are some of your best confidence boosting tricks?

"Never give up, never regret and follow your destiny." - Kostya Tszyu.

These are the words of a winner, a man who has followed his heart and his dreams to the ultimate level of his profession - Boxing World Champion. His ability to believe in his own potential has given him the edge and the endurance to succeed.

The ability to believe in one’s self is a common attribute of successful people.  All of our achievers have a strong sense of self-belief and that carries through in the way they live their lives. If you don’t believe in yourself and your own potential it makes it very hard to be confident - and confidence is essential for dealing with people.

I believe that everyone has talent and that by having faith in yourself and your talents, you will reach your goals. One of my goals is to raise my children to have the confidence to pursue their own dreams. The only way I can teach them this is by setting a good example and by showing them that I believe in their potential as well as my own.  It is a great boost to confidence and self-belief when others believe in you too…

Kostya’s greatest talent is that he is able to see and understand his own potential.

What’s your greatest talent?