Train Yourself to Override Negative Thoughts with One Brain Exercise

Train Yourself to Override Negative Thoughts with One Brain Exercise

There is a section of psychology that focuses on rewards. Most of us are familiar with the process that a psychologist used to train dogs. Pavlov used a treat to reward a dog for accomplishing a task. In the process of giving the dog the treat, he would add some audible command. Eventually the dog would mentally transfer the reward with the command. The end result is the dog responded to the command without the reward. The poor dog would get to the point of drooling at the command yet never get the treat.

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We do the same thing. We quickly mentally associate something with some physical event. As an example, when you throw up after eating some food, next time you see that food, you mentally revert back to the bad experience and refuse the food. It may have been your favorite and the event had nothing to do with the food but you turn it down.

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Here’s the big deal. You can choose to eat the food anyway and continue to enjoy that tasty morsel. After a while, your brain will stop reminding you of the bad deal. You can choose to overwrite a distasteful event with something pleasurable. Or you can yield to what your brain is telling you and miss out on the benefits and mentally reinforce that wrong association.

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Action time.

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You can use this deal to your benefit. Think of one of the most positive experiences you had. For me it is skydiving. Now, associate that with something important to you, some value you want to remember. Work hard to mentally associate these two things together. Next, take this association and connect it to some small physical action. An easy one is to pinch the skin between your thumb and index finger. Mentally keep working these three associations together. Some call this process setting an anchor or cue.

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After you have set this cue, think of something all together different; say the last two numbers of your phone number.  Now, quickly do the cue. See if the mental image doesn’t come back and override the distraction. This is a great process.

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Why bother? Well, next time you get into a stressful situation, use the cue to override the stress to get back to where you mentally want to be. Check it out! I would look forward to hearing your cue and how you use it. I would enjoy working with you to use cueing and other mental exercises to help you accelerate you being all you have been created to be.

 

 

 

 

Come over to our website specifically designed for college preparation.

www.lifeprepcollegeplanning.com

To Jump Starting Your College Life!

Coach Rossitto

 

 

 

 

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.  Member FINRA/SIPC

The LPL Financial Registered Representative associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: AZ, CA, MD, NY. TX

Going the Distance in Life

Going the Distance in Life

Creating Something Bigger than Yourself

There are a number of ways to accomplish things. Before the task is done, there are a few steps. You have to figure out what you want to do, have a plan to do it, determine any materials necessary to complete the task, start the process, modify when necessary and then complete the process. There may be some other steps but I think you get the idea. The big question is “What is the benefit?” The benefit part always has some type of reward. It can be material gain, avoidance of discomfort and/or pain or just for the joy of it.

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When thinking about a career, we often look at the material gain part. How much will it pay? What is the benefit package? What type of working environment is it in? All of these are based on certain conditions and considered “Conditional Motivations.” In looking into careers, these conditional motivations are one of the elements of choosing a career and what type of preparation we are going to make to be successful.

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Conditional Motivation is great in the short run. Yet when challenges come or the process becomes difficult or boring, there has to be some additional motivation or we crash and burn. “Crash and burn” comes in various ways, underproduction or burnout being two obvious results.

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The alternative is an internal motivation for a purpose larger than you, that larger purpose being something that you find fulfilling and worth the effort. Many people choose pretty difficult tasks in nasty circumstances yet they complete them and in the end enjoy the results. That type of motivation is considered “Intrinsic Motivation.” Conditional Motivation is good for short-term rewards along the way. The benefit is lost once received and spent. Intrinsic motivation is a stronger motivation tool because the benefit is never used up. It can be a strong memory or seeing the results played out on an ongoing basis.

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Action Time.

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If you are a student, take some time to consider your source of motivation. Grades on a test or in a class are short term rewards and fade after received. They are great “Conditional Motivators.” They help along the way. Try thinking about the long-term reason for your studies and preparation.

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Look for the big long-term purpose. For the visual types, try making a picture of the results and post it in an obvious place where you see it every day. For the auditory type, try making a short recording, put it to music and listen to it on a regular basis. For the hands on learner, make some physical object you can hold to remind you of the end you are going after.

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When challenged, revisit your Intrinsic Motivator to help go the distance. I would look forward to hearing what your motivators are and what tools you use to remind you of where you are going.

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Come over to our website specifically designed for college preparation.

www.lifeprepcollegeplanning.com

To Jump Starting Your College Life!

Coach Rossitto

 

 

 

 

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.  Member FINRA/SIPC

The LPL Financial Registered Representative associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: AZ, CA, MD, NY. TX

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How to Appeal a College’s Financial Aid to Receive More

How to Appeal a College’s Financial Aid to Receive More

Dealing with a Low Ball Offer

This month, we have been going over various types of grants. The last part of this series is perhaps the most important. It has to do with getting schools to compete for you after they have sent a formal offer. The bottom line is you can appeal to the school for more money. This can happen in a couple of different ways. The first is due to hardship. If your family has experienced some financial hardship in the last year that makes the Free Application for Student AID (FAFSA) unrepresentative of your current circumstances, you can appeal to the financial aid officer and present your case. Bear in mind that these have to be legitimate family issues; a parent that was recently laid off their job, a sickness in the family, or some other valid reason. Vet bills for your favorite horse probably don’t apply. Financial officers have the ability and discression to adjust expenses due to out of the ordinary new circumstances. They are people too and have a heart.

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The second appeal is to simply ask for more dollars. Schools can and do low ball their first offers. There is information available that estimates the average percentage of “need” that a college will provide. If the figure you receive is significantly below that average for you as a student, the school is attempting to low ball you. In this case, you can go back to the college and indicate that their offer is below what you believe you can afford and thus ask them to sweeten the pot. If you are a student they want to fill their seats, they are often willing to do so. It never hurts to ask.

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The last appeal is based on competition. If you have a school that wants you and you want to go there but another school is offering a better package, tell the lower bidder. Explain the situation. Express the fact that you would like to go to their school but have other offers from other quality schools that are more cost effective. Provide the low bidder the details of the offer and ask them to meet it. If they want you and the offer is truly competitive, you may be surprised to see how the low bidder will work to get you into their school. Worst case is they won’t do it. Best case is they can up the grant and save you significant dollars.

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Action time.

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College education is a business, a big one. It works like a business in its dealings. While not quite the same as the corner used car lot, there are issues to be considered in reducing your costs and trying to obtain the best deal and still receive a quality education. I would look forward to working with you to help you receive the best value for your education dollar. Feel free to email me of give my office a call for an initial consultation.

Come over to our website specifically designed for college preparation.

www.lifeprepcollegeplanning.com

To Jump Starting Your College Life!

Coach Rossitto

 

 

 

 

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.  Member FINRA/SIPC

The LPL Financial Registered Representative associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: AZ, CA, MD, NY. TX

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Sorting out the Maze of College Financial Aid

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Last week we talked about actual college costs and the equation that calculates the Family Need. Just as a refresher, here is the equation:

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Cost of Attendance (COA) – (Effective Family Contribution (EFC) + Scholarships) = Need

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We mentioned that not all COAs are created equal and to do your research to make sure you know what the final bottom line is. So, to clarify, the equation for the potential out of pocket to the family is:

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                                    Out of Pocket = EFC + Need

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For lower income families, the perceived “need” can be covered by various government grants. PELL Grants come from the Federal Government and make up a fairly large portion of grants provided. Most of the PELL Grant dollars go to families with $50,000 of income or less. Information for the PELL grant program can be obtained on the Federal site. One other program is the Federal Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). Information about the FSEOG dollars can be obtained on the Government site. These dollars are usually limited to families with EFCs of $0. They are used up very quickly so it is important to file the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) form on Jan 1 as the dollars can be gone just that quick. The next source of “need” based aid comes from the states. Some states are more generous than others when dealing out aid to the financial needy. Again, it is important to file the FAFSA early as state dollars also run out quickly as well. Other programs that assist families are related to subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans. These loans, offer interest rates that are typically lower then convention student loans and have some other benefits as well. Do remember that we are talking about the “Need” part of the equation. The family is still responsible for the EFC part of the equation. Loans can fund the “Need” and the EFC.

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Action Time.

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Looking at these two financial aid equations, you can see that it is important to have the lowest possible EFC value. It becomes important to have your college education financial aid house in order to minimize your EFC. That is the first step in working through the process. I work with families to first estimate their current EFC and then, where ever possible, reposition resources to minimize the EFC during the four years of college. That’s right. You have to redo the EFC each year the student is in college. The first step to help me calculate your EFC is to go to my website http://lifeprepcollegeplanning.com and complete the Data Form from the tool bar at the top of the page. Know that I look forward to working with you in the maze of college financial aid.

Come over to our website specifically designed for college preparation.

www.lifeprepcollegeplanning.com

To Jump Starting Your College Life!

Coach Rossitto

 

 

 

 

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.  Member FINRA/SIPC

The LPL Financial Registered Representative associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: AZ, CA, MD, NY. TX

Creating Your Perfect Vision Statement

Creating Your Perfect Vision Statement

In continuing the theme of developing and exploring a value statement, with your permission, a story about my own exploration may offer some inspiration. I was working through my own value statement with a coach (yes, I have a coach that helps me think through my own processes!) My ultimate goal is to set up a vision for the future based on the values that I have. What we were doing was looking at each word in the statement to work out how it fit into how I wanted to live and work.

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The first part of the statement is, “Free to serve, grow and laugh”. Part of my life structure is enjoying the serving of people. I enjoy learning what they desire and need and then helping them obtain it. I get jollies out of seeing them take steps to obtain the goals they have set for themselves and the satisfaction they receive in doing so. So service is something big to me. The next word in the sentence is growth. The reason I enjoy serving is it provides the opportunity for others to grow and as they grow, I am learning from them and growing as well. That is a win-win for both of us.

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As I was walking through this mentally, the theme of the old classic song “Is that all there is?” popped out. When we accomplish something, and there is no more to do, growth can stop in that area. There is usually a letdown after some major accomplishment. If we don’t have some other area to grow in we can become mental and physical couch potatoes. On the other hand, when we make mistakes, the mistakes give us the opportunity to continue to grow, as long as we persist. So, in my thinking process, serve and grow brought meaning to the word “Free.” Serving people as they grow gives us both the freedom and security to grow personally even through mistakes and still bring benefit to each other. Now, if you add laughter to the whole deal, what some might call “Joy”, I would be living out the first part of my value statement. Such a deal!! I am sure you have already thought of that but for me, that was a good use of my thought and it’s laying a foundation for the vision that I want to generate.

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Action Time.

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Having taken the time to create a value statement and writing out some scenarios where you see your values and skills at work, what are some of the emotions that you experienced? Do these activities provide an energy high or was it a drainer?   What are the drainers? Work through generating some of these ideas and you will be one step closer to designing a vision statement for the days ahead. I would look forward to hearing what your progress is.

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Come over to our website specifically designed for college preparation.

www.lifeprepcollegeplanning.com

To Jump Starting Your College Life!

Coach Rossitto

 

 

 

 

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.  Member FINRA/SIPC

The LPL Financial Registered Representative associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: AZ, CA, MD, NY. TX