March 2013 Connect

"When people do extraordinary things, the world changes"

Although we've said it in other ways, this idea is at the root of everything we do at Pro-Activity; and it's not just a general business platitude, it is a purpose.  Sure, setting out to change the world seems a bit lofty for a team as small as ours, but things are never as difficult as they seem.  For the last several years we have set out to show that a person who has the right guidance, right resources and enough personal-will to do the work required can do extraordinary things.....they can achieve.  We've gone on to say that truly extraordinary experiences, those moments when we achieve something we've worked hard for, change our view of the world providing a new and different outlook on life.....but it doesn't end there.  At the risk of taking too deep a dive into the biology of human connectedness, it is safe to say that there is a definite and measurable ripple effect as the "new outlook" jumps through social connections like the flu.

 

Of course this idea of something "going viral", popularized by Malcom Gladwell's book The Tipping Point, an incredibly entertaining early look at this concept, is not new.  It's not even new to health-related topics.  An often referenced study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 for example showed that in a social cluster, if a person became obese during the 30+ year study period, their friends had a 57% greater likelihood, their siblings had a 40% greater likelihood and their spouse had a 37% greater likelihood of also becoming obese which clearly underscores this point.  Presumably then, if everything from the guy with the "golden voice" and the Harvard Baseball Team lip-syncing can go viral, so can healthy actions......and although for a very healthy belly laugh I strongly encourage you to find some of what went viral last year (like the guy who jumps in the frozen pool if you haven't already seen it on You Tube), even that's not the really cool part (get it, cool?.... ice?.....forget it).

 

The really cool part is that it doesn't take nearly as many people as you might think to make something "tip".  One of the most impressive findings here was reported by the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where researchers showed that as little as 10% of a population could cause an idea to spread.  The key detail however may not be the 10%, but rather that those 10% have an "unshakable" belief in the idea.  So what are your unshakable beliefs?  Do you unflappably believe that you can change your health and therefore change your life?  Do you believe that putting the very strong research that is behind our 5 ELEMENTS (including this week's study from National Academy of Science that showed even as little as one week of poor sleep [less than six hours] can negatively alter the expression of over 700 genes), to work for you can lead you to something that fundamentally transforms you?  

 

We do......and it's cool to see it catching on.  This year we're on a record-setting pace for numbers of folks, whether in our corporate clients or private clients, who aren't just thinking about it or talking about it, they are making it happen.  FUELING better here, MOVING more there, paying attention to RECOVERY there.....it's adding up, and nothing is more fulfilling than seeing the achievements of others spread.

 

We realize of course that having the information and resources on your side still doesn't make it easy, not by a long shot, but it pushes us each and every day to keep working until we crack the code of our goals......and nothing is more gratifying than experiencing that extraordinary moment when we achieve something we've worked hard for.  We are so excited for those of you who are taking action to control your health; putting the right mindset out front; putting the right methods in your corner and steadily watching your health and the health of those that you CONNECT with improve.  The restored energy and confidence that comes with achievement is getting ready to tip, thank you for being a part of the unshakable 10%.

 

Now go do something extraordinary,