Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Fat acceptance - no issue

I recently received anonymous feedback that I wanted to share with you and ask your advice. Since their email address was left blank, I am unable to respond to them which is unfortunate. Maybe they assumed I would be angry and send a rude message. Here's what they wrote:

Visitor name: Happy Fat Girl, MA

Summary: FAT IS BEAUTIFUL

Comment:  I am a sociologist researching the stigma of obesity and a healthy beautiful fat woman. I resent you diet ad on my myspace, which encourages size acceptance. Just wanted to waste a click because that is how they charge!!! "Fat can be beautiful. Intolerance is ALWAYS ugly."

It is strange since I am not advertising on myspace so that would have been one thing I would have liked to follow up on, and of course, I'm not responsible for a publisher's poor ad placement technology which in this case has been proven difficient. But regardless of any of that, I was hoping to get a view from anyone who advocates fat acceptance whether this site is insulting or whether you believe this person had become upset only by the inappropriate ad placement. I ask because I care. comotivate is designed to help people not upset them so if there is something I can do to stay true to my vision, then I'll do it.

For the record, I have no issue with fat and applaud fat acceptance advocates for making their voice heard when society makes that difficult.  

Posted by comotivate at 3:12 AM in tell us all the bad things
Responses (3)

Monday, 5 January 2009

no safety in numbers

I've noticed a trend for users to join existing comotivate teams and want to get buddied up immediately. Whilst I can understand this urge, I don't think it's always a good strategy. A lot of the teams with big numbers are open teams and are not proving to be as successful as the smaller teams.

Look at the team's TAB score before you join them. The higher the TAB score the more engaged the team is with their goal activity. Don't self-saboutage your goal by 'hiding' in a big team and then blaming everyone else for not getting started properly.

This site is about empowerment - an attempt to provide more opportunities and tools to help achieve what's important to you personally. Seize the opportunity, don't give away your power. Join a team that has people in it that are as much like you as possible. Beware of large teams with low TABs.

 

Posted by comotivate at 7:13 AM in Technical faults and issues raised and discussed
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Sunday, 4 January 2009

New site features

With the new release comes several new features to enhance user engagement:

- High5's: awarded by your team buddies to become your badge of honour. The more you collect, the more you'll be reveared as an achiever. You get 5 a week to give away and can only give 2 to the same buddy each week.

- TAB: a measure of how active a team is, the higher the score, the more active they are.

- video clips to help inspire and motivate

- a demonstration / tour video to help new users understand the site

More to follow... 

 

Posted by comotivate at 10:36 AM in Announcing site updates
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What's the value of a strapline?

Just do it; The real thing; The world's favourite airline - powerful branding levers.

Are new world brands as adept at creating straplines as old world brands? Google, facebook, digg, twitter - they don't have one....and they'd be quick to say they don't need one...but youtube does: "broadcast yourself" and they could probably do without it, so what gives?

Does a strapline help support an online brand?

I've staked my claim with comotivate - get it together. We'll see what value that adds. "together" is one of my keywords so it makes more meta-sense than "Welcome to comotivate" which is what I had.

Since there are only about 100,000 people in the world that even know about comotivate at the moment, I don't suppose I'm risking much. But I'm ambitious about creating a brand so I'm being deliberately stella in the comparisons I'm drawing.

If anyone has any views on the value of straplines to online brands or a view on "get it together" then please @comotivate me.  

 

 

Posted by comotivate at 10:32 AM in tell us all the good things
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Saturday, 3 January 2009

5 motivation tips - get fit


Specifically for runners, here's a list of five tips to help you focus on success in 2009.

1. Focus on attainable goals, if you are a 45min. 10k runner and looking to run 35 minutes, then your "short-term" goal should be to lower your time to 42, then 38, then 35 minutes. Being unrealistic with your goals will only lead to frustration and burnout. Use the checklist tool to help you set intermediate goals.


2. Commit to a goal event that is 3 to 4 months away. After the race take a much needed 3-week break to recharge the mind and body, then find another goal event.


3. To keep the focus and motivation for the 3 to 4 months leading up to the "big race", run a couple of "smaller" races. These races will help test your training and should act as stepping stones to your goal event.


4. If you are unsure of what training you should be doing, then seek out guidance by an established coach in order to maintain faith in your training, help prevent injuries and hold you accountable to your schedule.


5. Meeting up with friends or a running group will get you motivated to get out the door (sometimes this can be the hardest part of training). A setting time and day can help to plan your day and make sure it happens.

Posted by comotivate at 1:04 AM in Get Fit Goal
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Thursday, 1 January 2009

New look site goes live on the biggest day of the year

2009 has started in style with comotivate taking on a new look and feel. This has been designed to

- make sign up easier and quicker

- provide a better user experience

- make the site look like a better place to spend time

- enhance first time user understanding of the site and it's functionality

You will notice a 'tour' video and the idea will be to add to this collection of tutorials over time.

Thanks to all the users who have given feedback to help make the site better (especially Erin).

Best wishes for 2009 to everyone.

Posted by comotivate at 4:57 AM in tell us all the good things
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Tuesday, 30 December 2008

Taking control of your money

Getting your finances in order is one of the smartest new year's reslutions you can make. The problem is that, well, it's rather dull isn't it. Exercising actually makes you feel good - biological fact. Going through paperwork makes you feel...sleepy.

Well nobody said it was easy but these recessionary times being laid off in 2009 a distinct possibility for many of us, it makes sense to get organised. And reducing debt is really only half the story. There's a lot more you can do to feel more in control of your finances.

Here's a list of really dull things that could just keep you sane...god knows you'll need a good buddy to work with on this lot!

1) As interest rates drop, maintain your current repayments to stay ahead.

2) Roll multiple pension plans into one.

3) Get to know your local bank manager or staff member well enough to be recognised in branch or on the phone.

4) Make a budget and stick to it - dah!

5) Open a Christmas club account and save a little each week towards next year.

6) Consolidate your credit cards into one debt and shop around for the best balance transfer rate.

7) Make a will or update it if necessary.

8) Check that insurance policies provide sufficient cover.

It's all too easy to just let these things pass. But if you're in a rut, this is a useful checklist for getting back on track. Good luck.

Posted by comotivate at 6:31 AM in Reduce Debt Goal
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Sunday, 21 December 2008

My new year's blogging resolution

I vow never to write an article that headlines: "7 ways to...." or "5 steps to...." or "19 reasons why...."

Heavens above! My goodness me! Fuck me sideways, if I have to read one more 'by the book' headline from some useless hack that calls themselves an expert, I'll explode in a shower of shhh...ame.

The self-development community seems to be the worst offender. I know, I know all the advice says that's how you're supposed to write a captivating headline, but gimme a break! When the whole world is doing it, it's time to find something new and...get this....original!!!!

Rant over....I'll get back to my crunches.

Posted by comotivate at 9:36 AM in tell us all the bad things
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Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Overcoming 'the voice'

So off I went to my first boxing class EVER tonight...me, three guys my age but who look like they were born with a six pack, and about 25 'yoofs' who were fitter than a butcher's dog. First humiliation: skipping. Now, clearly it helps to be light-footed when you enter the ring, but could there be any worse introduction to the class for someone who's never skipped before than being handed a rope and told to go outside to join the others...so there I was, jumping about 12 inches in the air to clear the rope as I swung it round flicking the nose of anyone stood within 10 feet of me. But I'm a fast learner and within 8 minutes, I'd picked up the old double-bounce jumping style (you won't find it in the text books). Another 5 minutes and I'd perfected the single jump and was managing 4 skips in a row at times. Unfortunatley, all this had the unfortunate effect of buggering me at the 'warm up' phase.

That's when 'the voice' almost convinced me to slope off home. Then I realised, the humiliation is all part of it. Strip away the ego and focus on the job. It's only paranoia that makes us feel out of place. Embrace the situation. And so I did. I lapped it up.

The next 45 minutes was brutally humiliating: why did I have to pick the heavy punch-bag? why was I flanked by 15 year old girls punching twice my speed and why was I defeated by sweat dripping into my eays way before the last of the twelve year olds was done shadow-boxing me into the water cooler?

Unfortunately, the wife's intent on going alternate nights with me so I'm locked into a follow-up session. Now that the voice is defeated, I should be 'on the card' in Vegas by next Christmas!

Posted by comotivate at 9:48 AM in Get Fit Goal
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Tuesday, 16 December 2008

twitter followers, comotivate bonds

@comotivate has been tweeting a few updates relating to the site so feel free to follow me if you're a twitter fan. I've been surfing the web (to use a 90's expression) and I'm just so over reading what the 'experts' have to say/sell.

It's my belief that ordinary people can be the inspiration needed to help other ordinary people on their way...once we have a connection with someone that's based on something tangible and real, then proper bonds are formed and the motivation is created to do our research, take action, log our progress, cheer on our buddies.

Well, that's just what i think anyway...get busy now - off you go.

Posted by comotivate at 6:53 AM in tell us all the good things
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Wednesday, 3 December 2008

facebook fans

I've set up a facebook page for comotivate and become it's first and only fan! I've also set up some ads as a test so we'll see what happens there over the next few days. I am amazed you can't pay with paypal. Very dull observation - sorry!

Facebook isn't really the ideal source of traffic for comotivate because I think you have to have a certain level of commitment to register a goal here, but I'm targeting brides-to-be so at least they have a deadline for 'losing weight'; 'preparing for an event'; 'finding happiness' or 'breaking a habit'.

Posted by comotivate at 6:11 AM in Lose Weight Goal
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Tuesday, 2 December 2008

motivation to meditate - step outside your comfort zone

 thanks to http://therapyintransition.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-week-new-theme-how-tos.html for their recent post which I enjoyed reading and wanted to share. They themselves borrowed it from wikihow.com but I guess that's the whole point...

How to Find the Motivation to Meditate
Source: WikiHow.com

Meditation can be a great way to relax and de-stress, as well as to create emotional and spiritual well being. With the hectic pace of life in today's society, however, even these benefits can get lost in our lists of to-do's. Fortunately, meditation may help you overcome these same scarcity conversations in your head. Now if you could just start meditating...A bigger idea: Meditation may be called prayer, perhaps for hours, to find a quiet place, "peace." Some believe in an unknown meditational tone or language ("glossolalia" - lingua) with which the "Holy Spirit" may communicate in "groanings" to the heavenly Father as in "charmistic" meditations.
Charismatic meditation has an attribute of the unseen Holy Spirit in relationship with the Father (discerning the Spirit).

  • Derivation: charis (“grace&rdquo/images/emoticons/mozilla_wink.gif and charizesthai (“to show favour&rdquo/images/emoticons/mozilla_wink.gif, connoting a spiritual grace leading to salvation granted through faith into good works.


Steps

  1. List the reasons why you avoid meditation. Handle the problems.
    • If you don't like spending an hour meditating, or you get frustrated easily, then try half an hour. Or ten minutes. One true moment in meditation will be greater than one hour spent fidgeting and grumbling.
    • If you feel too busy to be still (in body or mind), then give yourself permission to be completely and totally free during your meditation time. (Yes, that means turn off your cell phone.) After all, you deserve to be peaceful as much as you deserve to eat, sleep, or breathe. It is a part of who you are. Furthermore, the world around you—your family, your friends, your companion animals, even strangers—deserve for you to be peaceful, too.
    • If you are distracted by your environment, then change what you can control, wait for quietude, or find a more serene location.
    • If you feel like a failure, then remind yourself that in meditation, there is no such thing as failure. Or success, really. Do not be attached to your results. They do not tell you who you are, only where you are.
    • If you feel physically uncomfortable in your posture, then try sitting on a pillow or in a chair. Lie down if you have to do so. You can always try other postures later.
    • If you feel emotionally or physically disturbed (other than how you're sitting), then you may have some mental or emotional issues that you need to address. Meditation may help you with your problems, but usually other techniques are quite effective too, sometimes more effective. Try for example to write your thoughts down.
    • If you have other reasons for avoiding meditation, analyze them and create your own solutions. You know what you need better than anyone.

  2. Schedule meditation into your day. While it may not motivate you to meditate, at least you won't have anything else to do at that moment (it's true—check your schedule!).
  3. Try meditating first thing in the morning or last thing at night. At these times, you will probably be least busy, so there will be a limited number of excuses. Moreover, early morning meditation may help you focus throughout the day, and late night meditation may help you sleep deeply.
  4. Make meditation enjoyable rather than a chore. Perhaps you could create a "meditation zone" in your house or play soothing music.
  5. Find a community. You may enjoy meditating with others. If you prefer solitary meditation, you may be motivated by discussing meditation with a supportive friend that also meditates, exchanging insights and questions.
  6. Continually remind yourself of the benefits of meditation. (Remember that one benefit for busy people is that meditation may help you remain more aware and focused, which will make all those tasks you have to perform much easier!)

Tips

  • Make sure you are comfortable while you are meditating. Full lotus position, for example, may look cool, but it may not be a comfortable position for you. If you are uncomfortable, you'll hardly be able to motivate yourself to practice meditation on a regular basis!
  • Prolonged stress can result in serious health problems. Even if you are busy, make sure you take some time to relax, such as through meditation, for your own well being.
  • If you find it difficult to meditate start with sitting for just 10 minutes at a time and gradually increase the time as you feel able. 10 minutes a day will benefit you as you become accustomed to your meditation.
  • Try listening to your favorite music and if you can, wear headphones, this makes the music more personal to you as you sit with your eyes closed.
  • If you want to, keep an area of your home just for meditating. Put crystals around the area and light candles during your meditation. Make where you meditate a special place, and in time you will be aware that the energy where you sit is far calmer, because it will become a special place to you.
  • Have fun! Meditation should be fun. Put a little smile on your face to remind yourself to be happy. Smile with your heart, eyes and mind. If it doesn't go the way you want it to go, just laugh at how silly your mind is.
  • There are thousands of styles of meditation. Mixing it up and finding new methods (often free, most with creative visualizations) can really keep you looking forward to the next session. Then you can stimulate your imagination a lot easier, making meditations extremely enjoyable. Ya know, the cyclic thing.



Warnings

  • Be aware that circumstances (of varying importance) will arise in your life. It is up to you if you decide to follow through with your commitment to meditate. As a meditation in itself, notice when and why you decide to meditate anyway. Also, notice when and why you decide to skip meditation. There is no need to judge yourself. Simply notice and learn.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Find Motivation to Meditate. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Posted by comotivate at 10:22 AM in Find happiness Goal
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Tuesday, 25 November 2008

3 motivation tips

I just read this at www.turbulencetraining.blogspot.com and thought it was probably the best/most original posting I've read in a while.

Motivation Secret #1 - Focus on Avoiding Pain


Humans are always most motivated by avoiding physical and emotional pain.

That being said, to create the greatest level of motivation, you need to master the use of pain.
For example, take a few moments and answer the following questions sincerely, and really connect into your answers.
1) What would your body look like and how would you feel in 5 years if you stopped working out and eating well?
2) Would you feel more frustration, depression and regret?
3) How would that lifestyle affect the relationships in your life?
4) What will you miss out on if you choose to live that way?
5) What would it be like in 10 years, 20 years?
You're not working out and eating well to lose weight and have a nice body, you're doing it because the entire quality of your life literally depends on it.
Take 3 minutes to really think about those questions. They will help you identify the deep motivating factors to help you lose weight.
Motivation Secret #2 - Focus on Achieving Pleasure
Why do you want this new body?
Are you going to be more confident, outgoing, passionate?
Do you think the success with your body will help you in other areas of your life? Think about these things.
Changing your body has to be about more than just pounds, inches, and percentages. You need to think about how much better every area of your life becomes when you live this way.
When you realize how much better it feels, you'll start to become addicted to the energy, success, and accomplishment.

Motivation Secret #3 - Ask Yourself Better Questions
Often when people "fall off the wagon" they start asking themselves questions like "why can't I stick to a plan?" or "why don't I have any willpower?" or some version of why they're a bad person.
Ask more helpful questions like...
- "how can I get back on track quickly and easily?"
- "how can I make my workouts more fun and interesting?"
- "how can I make eating well easier and more natural?"
When you ask questions like this, you can begin to think about the solutions rather than the problem, and your success will come quicker.
Posted by comotivate at 10:05 AM in Lose Weight Goal
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Monday, 24 November 2008

"Server Error 500" messages

There seems to be a lot of these errors on the site at the moment - very frustrating. Please report them as you encounter them. We're on the case and hope to have it fixed soon.

We're very sorry for the problems. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Hope your goals are progressing and you're able to find good support amongst your teams.

Posted by comotivate at 10:04 AM in tell us all the bad things
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008

This version is a bit more animated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5quAsW_WpM

 maybe I'll try doing one drunk

Posted by comotivate at 8:15 AM in tell us all the good things
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