Pursuit of Excellence

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

https://matadornetwork.com/read/habits-bartenders-pick

WE ALL DEVELOP certain behaviors thanks to the influence of our work — nurses tend to wash their hands more often than is necessary and firefighters check the stove buttons a little too often. Bartenders are no exception. Over time, we carry the things we repeatedly do at work into real life. From knowing exactly how you like your Negroni to refusing to split a check, here are seven habits you pick up bartending. The seven habits are having extreme selective hearing, always prepared for any situation, the ability to order clearly, knowing how we like our drinks, having respect for expiration dates, being a radio dictator, and never splitting checks. Bartenders can listen for certain sounds such as a door opening, and even the sound of ticket printing. The other side, bartenders are also good tuning out conversations such as the conversations of the bar guests. The ability to prepared for any situation is critical especially if the night suddenly turns into a busy one. Bartenders by repetition and instinct learn intangible skills that can’t be easily translated onto a resume, nevertheless these skills can be useful in many different environments. What’s important in life is being able to acquire skills and use them across various industries and that’s how you can become an asset. Personally, I worked as a bartender at restaurant, and my first job was as a janitor at a major theme park. The customer service skills I learned in these two different industries, I use for success in my current career.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90303904/3-tips-to-slowing-down-cognitive-decline

You might think that the impact of aging on the brain is something you can’t do much about. After all, isn’t it an inevitability?

To an extent, as we may not be able to rewind the clock and change our levels of higher education or intelligence (both factors that delay the onset of symptoms of aging). But adopting specific lifestyle behaviors–whether you’re in your thirties or late forties–can have a tangible effect on how well you age. Even in your fifties and beyond, activities like learning a new language or musical instrument, taking part in aerobic exercise, and developing meaningful social relationships can do wonders for your brain. There’s no question that when we compromise on looking after ourselves, our aging minds pick up the tab. Over time your body will build up toxins such as tau proteins and beta-amyloid plaques that can affect the aging process and cognitive decline. There are other factors that can aggravate the aging process such as lack of sleep, alcohol, and stress. The key to resilient aging is improving neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons. The author of the article came up with three methods to encourage resilient aging in the brain: get your heart-rate up, change your eating patterns, and prioritizing sleep. Aerobic exercise such as running or brisk walking has a potentially massive impact on neurogenesis. A 2016 rat study found that endurance exercise was most effective in increasing neurogenesis. It wins out over HIIT sessions and resistance training, although doing a variety of exercise also has its benefits. Even if you don’t like to exercise alone, try doing some form of team sport or something with a form of social element which can increase neurogenesis. Evidence has shown that intermittent fasting, calorie restriction, and time-restricted eating can also assist with neurogenesis.

Try any of the following, after checking with your doctor:

• 24-hour water-only fast once a month
  
•  Reducing your calorie intake by 50%-60% on two non-consecutive days of the week for two to three months or on an ongoing basis
  
• Reducing calories by 20% every day for two weeks. You can do this three to four times a year
  
• Eating only between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. as a general rule
  

Prioritizing sleep and ensuring you have at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep is important. An easy way to know if you’re getting enough sleep is when you’re waking up at the same time every day of the week vs. needing to lie-in or taking longer naps. Try practicing mindfulness or yoga nidra before bed at night, a guided breath-based meditation that has been shown in studies to improve sleep quality. There are plenty of recordings online if you want to experience it. It’s important to work on each of these until they become a habit, but of these three I find that the Principle of Rest is very important. Your body needs at least one day of rest. It may be some form of leisurely activity or extra sleep, but make sure you rest.

If you need a financial check-up or prayer, contact me.

This week, I’ve included RESET Your MINDSET | The Secrets Billionaires Pay For (It Takes Only 1 Day) from the Video Advice YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG