Penny Barrington

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PO Box 3109, Wheelers Hill, Victoria 3150. AUSTRALIA

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61 3 9590 0174

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In this issue:

Leading Article - "Hi"

The big decision, in writing the lead article for this first Edition of Momentum, was to choose what to write. All sorts of questions came into my head, as they do when you are about to make a decision. Did I need to say something profound? Did I need to say anything much at all? What is the best thing to say when you are launching into a new creative task? What is it, that will mark this date, this expression of who I am becoming, but will give you something to think about and ultimately add a positive contribution to your life?

Well I made the decision to start at the beginning, at the simplest of the seemingly small, and say, "Hello". Hello to all of you who have read this far into Momentum. Greetings to you, and I wish you the best that you can create for your life.

My aim for Momentumis that it helps you to learn new things, pose new questions for yourself and find possible solutions to the small and then the large issues that are facing you.

There is a psychologically oriented book titled, "What Do You Say After You Say Hello" by Eric Berne, which is about human interactions and what people actually do say and do to each other, instead of saying Hello. The sound of and the mood behind Hello affects what follows, and if the interaction continues, what happens next has greater impact. The book is about getting in touch with our choices about where all relationships move to depending on the words and body language that we choose to follow “Hello”.

Can you recall when you said, "Hello" to someone and they never said, "Hi", back? Ever felt that you wanted to say "Hello" to someone and yet did not, for fear of rejection or even embarrassment in case they did not hear you? Sometimes the simplest greeting can be as challenging as what comes after.

So, the point of all this? As Berne says, To say Hello rightly is to see the other person, to be aware of him as a phenomenon, to happen to him and to be ready for him to happen to you.Be aware that a simple "Hello" attached by a genuine smile can make it easier for someone else in their daily life, can make someone's day just that nicer and helps you connect more to a sometimes unfriendly and insecure world. HELLO!

Tips on time

Lost more time this last week? Did not get done what you planned to do? Well firstly, did you plan it? Thinking about something is your intention to be sure, but what does planning mean for you? Do you have a plan? Is it written in your diary, on your computer, in your task organiser or on your ipod? Where is your plan? If it is still in the 'intention stage', in your head in other words, then why not take it out and plant even just one aspect of it into a journal of some sort that can be referred to in a moment's glance? The future starts tomorrow, so why not write down one thing that you would like to achieve and see it as the start to your planning? Happy projects!

Keep your word

FIB - Do you FIB? False Intent Brother?

 Sounds like something out of a Harlem-based movie script or that Scottish guy on the TV show 'LOST'. No, it is me just playing with acronyms. It is a legacy of working in the Education system and the public service for awhile. But acronyms have their place because they are easy to remember. It is just that when people speak it like a second language, around people for whom the acronym means nothing, it can be seen as rude and not helpful.

I came up with a new meaning to an acronym recently that my heroine in the USA, Marsha Petrie Sue, is using in her next book. She was so excited by my piece of cleverness. So was I! It was one of my rare creative moments! Have you a favourite acronym that you made up, or a new meaning to one? If you have, please drop a line and tell me what you came up with. In the meantime think about what you intend to communicate with whatever words or shortenings you use.

Power Paragraph

"How much of ourselves do we keep in the shadows, afraid of what others may think, of judgment, of scrutiny? What might happen if we let the light bathe us, expose our vulnerability, and allow intimacy to take centre stage, if only for a brief moment? What would they see?"

Ridgely Goldsborough, Author and Speaker

What's Heathful?

Fish Oil can Stop Prostate Cancer's Spread

Fish oil contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, and has been in the news a lot lately. I take salmon oil in capsules from time to time but fish oil comes in bigger and CHEAPER containers now. A new British study finds that taking fish oil may help stop cancerous prostate cells from spreading and becoming potentially lethal.

The British Journal of Cancer published these findings and in view of an estimated 543,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed every year in Britain, the news is good. The men in the study at England's Paterson Institute, who ate a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, were less likely to suffer from the spread of tumor cells outside of the prostate gland. As a result, prostate cancer among such men was easier to control and treat through either surgery or chemotherapy.

FISH OIL has also been cited as reducing blood pressure if the daily dose is six grams. Of course eating oily fish is a better way but who wants to eat fish every day? Happy fishing!