This year, for the first time in 16 years, Loudoun got a new top prosecutor: Commonwealths Attorney Buta Biberaj. And Biberaj is rethinking what it means to do justice in Loudouns legal system.

Biberaj talks quickly and works with a frenetic energy, at a desk mostly hidden under piles of files and statistics, and accompanied by her dog Lexisafter LexisNexis, the electronic repository of law, legal cases and research.

By contrast, some of the other offices in the building are still dark.

Unlike most other elected offices, when a new commonwealths attorney takes office, much of that offices staff can change. The change can be greater when a Democrat moves into a chair that has been held by Republicans for the past quarter century.

Biberaj said out of 19 attorneys in the office, ninealmost halfleft for various reasons following Novembers election. A month into her term, five slots have already been filled, and she hopes to have the rest filled by the end of February.

She has been looking for fresh faces to put at those desks.

What we wanted to do is what we said when we were running, is we want to have some diversity of experience, Biberaj said. She is interviewing attorneys with experience in criminal defense and civil litigation, with the goal of building a team with a diversity of backgrounds. Previously, she said, everybody else was straight prosecutors for their whole careers, which I thought lacked the diversity of trying to bring in some people with opportunities that they could share, their experiences. They could have a different lens.

Were looking for litigators, trial attorneys, but people who have some diversity of perspective and experience, Biberaj said.

And, she said, her Commonwealths Attorney Office will be interested not just in prosecuting crimes, but also weighing the community interest as a wholeboth for the people accused of crimes, and for the taxpayers footing the bills.

The perspective that were changing is that were actually having our attorneys look at that and say, what is the cost to the community? Biberaj said. So, if you have a young person who is 18 or 19 who has a shoplifting charge, do we have to have a conviction? What are the facts of the case? You have to look at that.

She noted that criminal convictions in Virginia stay on a permanent record, and said those convictions can hurt a person who has since turned their life around, getting in the way of scholarships and jobs.

And, she pointed out, keeping people locked up can also be a bad investment for the taxpayer. It costs $166 a day cost to keep someone in jail awaiting trial in Loudoun, and a federally estimated cost of more than $30,000 a year to keep someone in prison.

We cant look at it in a vacuum and say, well, they did the crime, therefore they have to deal with the consequences, Biberaj said. Thats always an option, but is that serving the community best? And thats what we want to do, is to have an assessment as to what is the impact to the community.

She gave the example of someone stealing $210, just over the felony threshold for shoplifting, and then serving 30 days in jail, costing the taxpayer close to $5,000. She said that was a waste of resources. The community was spending a heck of a lot more, and what are you really teaching anybody?

That consideration was not there, Biberaj said. The consideration was, if they violated the laws, then they got punished, and when they got punished, sometimes it was very disparate as to the level of the harm that the offender committed, versus the level of harm that the system then imposed upon a person.

To that end, she said she will be pushing to move more people into programs like the Circuit Courts drug court and the District Courts mental health docket, both of which come with intensive supervision and a broad range of mental health and life coaching support services designed to curb recidivism.

What Id like to do is to be able to work with the stakeholders and say, what makes that person with that diagnosis not eligible? Biberaj said. Because honestly, I think the more challenging the person is, the more we should try to get them into this program.

One change that has been clear during cases over the past month is that her prosecutors will be seeking to impose cash bail on fewer defendants than in past years.

Virginia law holds that, unless releasing a person awaiting trial would be dangerous or there is reason to believe they will not appear for trialand except in cases such as when they are accused of violent crimes, some drug crimes or have a history of feloniesdefendants should be offered release on bail, or unsecured bond, while awaiting trial. But Biberaj said its common to impose a secured bondsuch as cashon people awaiting trial.

The statute is actually properly worded, its just in practice it wasnt being used that way, she said. She said the law has other options availablesuch as GPS tracking, or monitoring drug intake for people accused of drug or alcohol abuse. Theres other things that we can put in place [as opposed] to putting someone in custody and them losing their job.

She said statistical information on the offices previous work is hard to come bylittle data was gathered on past years, and having her staff spend hours dredging up tens of thousands of cases from the courthouse is an expense she cant justify.

Going forward, however, she said her office will be gathering data such as charges, convictions, and recidivism to help track which of their policies are making a difference.

What we want to do is focus our attention on preventing crime, protecting our citizens from being victims, and when push comes to shove, we can prosecute, Biberaj said. But the best way we can serve the community is by preventing crime. When we prevent crimes by education or services, thats when I think weve done the best service or justice for people in Loudoun County.

Originally posted here:
Loudouns New Chief Prosecutor Brings New Perspective on Justice - Loudoun Now

SAN DIEGO, Calif. There have been dozens and dozens of outstanding coaches who got their start as Gardner High athletes.

From their own alma mater are former Wildcat hall of famers like Walt Dubzinski, Steve Hancock, Sally (Raduazo) Johnson, Howie Klash, Ed Kozlowski, and Bob Wojtukiewicz among many. As well as present coaches like Pete Gamache, Ken Pelletier and Lynn (Cormier) Sayarath.

Locally, Narragansett had John Jasinski and Pete Duprey, while Oakmont boasted Art Hurd, Dave LaRoche and Bill Wyman, and Wayne Hancock at Cushing.

And, yet, one of the most successful coaches of them all headed all the way to the West Coast to achieve her fame.

Jane (Cormier) Morrill, 1982 Gardner High graduate and Wildcat hall of famer in her own right, has become one of the winningest coaches in the history of the Golden State. Her field hockey teams at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego have amassed nearly 500 wins and captured 11 division titles.

A standout three-sport Gardner High athlete, she excelled in field hockey under coach Sally Johnson, played softball for George Caron and was the point-guard for one of the greatest Gardner High girls basketball teams of all time coached by Steve Hancock,

The 1981-82 Wildcats concluded the only unbeaten season in local basketball history, winning all 18 games they played, including the 1982 District E, Division 2 title. It was one of the first teams inducted into the Gardner High Athletic Hall of Fame.

A Gardner High Hall of Famer, she was co-captain of the team which also headlined fellow hall of famers Pam Cutting, Terry Kanozak, Kirstin Johnson and Sandy Deacon, as well as Lisa Mara, Karen Hulette and Helen Gemborys, among others.

Unfortunately, that winter was one of two where state championship games were not held due to Proposition 2 budget cutbacks, so one will always be left to wonder if that could have been a state championship team.

That was heartbreaking for us, because we all started playing together when we were very little, Morrill said. It would have been great to see how far we could have gone.

The crew began their basketball careers together as fourth graders, and progressed under the watchful eyes of Hancock, who had many of them in class at the Elm Street School. Later, they hit the tournament circuit coached by Gardner Junior High principal Joe Bishop.

He was so tough on us, but we won a lot of tournaments with him, Morrill said of Bishop.

Growing up in a family where team sports were a way of life, she is the daughter of Omer and Jen Cormier. Her dad is the longtime sportswriter with The Gardner News, while her mom the former Jeannine Boucher was voted the Best Athlete in her senior class at Gardner High.

We were always very competitive, having seven brothers and sisters, she said, the youngest girl of the family. We played football; we were the Chestnut Street gang, and I was a running back. Wed play against different neighborhood teams in their backyards.

After high school, Jane attended St. Anselm College where she played softball, soccer and ran cross country, and also ran the Boston Marathon all four years.

Unsure of what she wanted to do when her college career was over, she began coaching field hockey at Gardner High with her former coach Sally Johnson. Then that winter, she applied for a coaching job at Southbridge for the girls basketball team there.

As Southbridge, she led the 1989 Pioneers to the District E, Division 2 title beating Oakmont for the championship, 61-52.

I realized I was doing a lot of counseling while I was coaching, so I thought I may as well make some money counseling, she said.

Later that year, Morrill moved to San Diego to get her Masters in Counseling from National University and she never left.

In 1993 she was named field hockey coach at Scripps Ranch High School where she began a career unmatched in the state of California. Her squads have won a total of 11 California Interscholastic Federation titles in 15 appearances, including her latest last fall, and her career record is an amazing 489-81.

From 2002-04, Scripps Ranch won an incredible 69 straight games over a three-year stretch. In addition, in 2003 her goalie Haley Exner was featured as a Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd when she set a national record by recording 67 career shutouts, eclipsing a mark held by Walpole, Mass. goalie Christine Buckley.

Morrill has also coached six different athletes who were chosen Player of the Year in the CIF.

Despite retiring after the 2016 season, the coach who succeeded her took a job as an assistant at Indiana University, so Morrill stepped up last fall to fill the vacancy.

I had a two-year hiatus, but I was still behind the scenes as a GM as I called myself, said Morrill, who is also the head counselor at Scripps Ranch.

She attributed a lot of her success to the youth programs around the San Diego area and helping the athletes develop a love for field hockey when they get to the middle school level.

I have some of my alumni who do clinics with the middle school, she said. A lot of kids start playing soccer and baseball when theyre four-years old, but when they start field hockey in middle school, they love it because its all so different and theyre not burned out.

She has been married to her husband and Southbridge native Sean Morrill for 24 years and they are the parents of two sons. Connor, 22, played baseball, soccer and golf, and is an Economics major at UC Santa Barbara, while Jack, 19, is in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program majoring in acting at Elon University.

In whatever spare time she has, Jane enjoys playing golf, watching New England sports and reading.

And in those moments where she draws upon her experience in order to proffer words of inspiration to spur her teams on to victory, Morrill recalls her high school days and especially the ones spent on the Wildcat hardwood.

Quite honestly, I try to emulate Steve (Hancock) because he was such a motivator, she said. I try to motivate these kids to win. I have fun with them, but they want to play to win. I tell them, Why do you want to go out there and do this every day and not win? They want to win and weve developed a winning culture here.

(Do you have a suggestion for a future Where are they Now segment? Please contact Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com or in writing Mike Richard, 92 Boardley Rd. Sandwich, MA 02563)

Continued here:
Where Are They Now?: As a player, as a coach and no matter the coast, Gardner High Hall of Famer Jane (Cormier) Morrill has a lot to celebrate - The...

As I started to have coaching into emotional mastery last year I never imagined I would become a best selling co-author. Having emotional mastery coaching really helped me to make new patterns and connections in my mind and become a lot more aware of the stuff that wasnt serving me.

I wish I had taken some pictures around that time but I was so wound up in my own stuff that I couldnt even bear to look at myself let alone take pictures. The reason behind this was because I didnt like what I would see in the lens the big Cheshire Cat grin was gone and that for me was really painful. A part of me was gone, my signature smile wasnt just about appearances, it was a reflection of what I was feeling deep down inside. There was some numbing on my part as I had continued to suppress my emotions for years. I knew it but at first I didnt know what to do about it. I didnt even realise coaching existed let alone emotionally mastery.

It would come out in other ways like self-sabotage and limiting beliefs again terms I was not familiar with at the time. Then after seeing a dramatic change in my friend I decided to get coaching. I met someone who I related to and seemed to understand me without even knowing me of course she understood me she had been where I was now!

The coaching was painful I had to recognise things in myself I was too stubborn to admit to before. I had to see things differently.do things differently from the regular pattern and there is not a particular moment I remember that I felt enormous change but then one day out of the blue I just felt like taking action!

There is a saying that goes opportunity is everywhere when you are looking for it. I enrolled on a PR course which helped me to be seen which aligned perfectly with the book launch. It took me 4 weeks to even start writing my chapter because I was so terrified of being seen. I was terrified people wouldnt care or even worse I would get shot down for my experience.

Instead I got a lot of love and praise and alongside supporting anther 10 courageous womens stories we were finally published by an amazing publishing house. I was thrilled and feeling sick at the same time. This was it I had done it, I had finally got my story out there in a way that I wanted and it was received so well. I had messages pour in from strangers.

And that was the start of me kicking imposter syndrome.here are a few tips to help you if you think you may be a wallflower,

1.Get help from the people in the know

I registered for my coaching and another course that would help me achieve greatness, it was scary because it was outside of my comfort zone but because of the financial commitment I was ready to see it through

2. Surround yourself with amazing people

The people who help you see your value and make you realise there is enough for everyone to eat are the ones you need to be around. Their vibe is contagious and you will also vibe high. I cannot tell you how many people I connected with that had done what I want to in different. areas of their life. To see their updates daily and connect and engage with people will change your life.

3. Just go for it, take massive action

Learn to start saying yes more. You will be surprised by the opportunities that knock at your door as a result. When I started to say Yes ore and get out of my comfort zone amazing things started to happen! Combined with the first two points I really began to find that opportunity really was everywhere.

People like this made me realise even more so why my story was important, why. it was needed and ever since I have been action taking. Youre people need you, there are people who need your story so they can relate to it and. realise there is success. Dont only do it for yourself but do it for them too.

Go here to read the rest:
How becoming a best-selling author helped me to knock Imposter Syndrome on the head - Thrive Global

Brian Duggan, author of Coaching From the Inside Out: A Personal Approach to Coaching For Change, poses for a photo at his Halifax home on Thursday, February 6, 2020. - Ryan Taplin

In one form or another, Brian Duggan has been coaching all his working life whether as a priest, a counselling therapist, an educator or now, a certified coach.

Coaching is about unconditionally helping the client understand themselves better. It is helping the person understand the expertise about themselves, he said during a recent interview, adding: If coaching is about helping people move forward and make a difference in the world that has to come from within.

Working from within is what led Duggan, a Halifax-based executive coach, to write his first book, Coaching From the Inside Out: A Personal Approach to Coaching For Change. He calls on coaches, like himself, and anyone else who reads the book - to go on an inner journey of self-discovery. This process, he believes, pushes people to figure out what is holding them back in their lives and find ways to live more fully in the present moment so they can better help others.

I find that when I become free enough to risk letting things happen rather than controlling to make things happen means that real change happens. With clients, I like to believe that I am there to set the stage and then get out of the way, he writes in his book.

In his private practice, Duggan starts from the premise that his clients are the experts in their lives, and his job as a professional coach is to act as their guide. By listening and asking the right questions, he wants people to answer their own questions. Often, they come to him seeking a promotion at work. They want advice on how to make that happen. Instead of looking at the external factors that might affect a career move, Duggan starts by asking: What do you have within yourself that will make you a good leader? He guides the discussion inward and asks the person sitting in front of him to identify their own strengths. He then helps to initiate the work that can be done to build on those strengths.

Dont aspire to something outside yourself, he said.

Duggan draws a clear distinction between mentoring, teaching, counselling and coaching. Coaching is based on the expertise of the client, while the others are based on the expertise of the professional, he said.

Coaching is about a person engaging with another person (coach and client) to make change possible for the client and their world, he writes in his book. Coaching is a way to link the personal with the social and is a process of moving from question to action. It starts with the coach growing in self-awareness and becoming free to support the client to grow in their self-awareness.

A self-described, life-long learner, who earned his master of theology degree from the Atlantic School of Theology, Duggan hoped that by writing his book and sharing his journey of self-discovery he could help other coaches or those wanting to enter the profession. In the Halifax area alone, there are upwards of 50 coaches who are accredited, like him, through the International Coach Federation, the professions self-regulating body, he said.

After self-publishing his book, through Tellwell Talent, and getting feedback from readers, he learned that not only coaches could benefit from it. Managers, church leaders and anyone else playing a coaching role in their job or life might find it useful, he said.

One of the essential tools he talks about is self-care. Being a good coach requires being able to care for yourself, he said. For Duggan, one his most valuable daily practices: a three-minute morning contemplation. During that quiet time, he contemplates the upcoming day and centres himself for his clients.

Duggan didnt set out to become a coach, but his life choices naturally led him there. After being ordained as a priest in the Catholic Church in 1983, he worked in several Halifax churches and with Saint Marys University and Dalhousie University before deciding to leave the ministry in 1995.

I couldnt see a future for myself there, he said. It was about me.

As a priest he received training in counselling, therapy and pastoral care and developed strong listening skills, as well as empathy. Formal coaching seemed like a natural fit.

I had to forge my own way. There was no job for me at that time, he said.

He went into private practice and since then has received training in executive and advanced coaching practices from Royal Roads University and the International Coach Federation.

Seeking the help of a coach typically isnt a one-shot deal. Duggans clients usually see him bi-weekly for an hour appointment for between three and six months enough time to explore the areas where they feel they need to change, he said.

Coaching provides an opportunity for people to get unstuck, he said. Its just about where we are at; getting from where we find ourselves - that we might not like - to another place that we might feel better about and feeling good about the contribution we are making.

Duggans book is available through Indigo, Amazon and his website: http://www.brianduggancoach.com

On a long winter night, or a snowy day, when the howling winds and freezing temperatures make venturing outdoors too difficult, Theresa Williamss lexicon puzzles might be the perfect way to spend time indoors. The Big Book of Lexicon: Volumes 13,14,15, Puzzles to Challenge and Entertain (Nimbus Publishing) is a new edition that brings back her previous volumes 13, 14, and 15, and presents them as one big book.

Canadian journalist Laura Trethewey explores the worlds ocean ecosystem and its uncertain future in her new book The Imperilled Ocean: Human Stories From a Changing Sea (Goose Lane Editions). Trethewey, who lives outside Nova Scotia, will be speaking in Halifax on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library.

Original post:
THE BOOK SHELF: Expert urges coaches to start with an inner journey - The Journal Pioneer

Motivation To Help You Get To The Gym

Are you trying to live a healthier life but you cant find the motivation to peel yourself off the couch and get to the gym? Dont worry weve all been there and everybody struggles with motivation sometimes. But when it comes to motivating yourself to live a healthier life sometimes you need a little bit of inspiration from people who have been there before you.

If you were struggling to stay inspired to hit the gym or to crush your daily workout routine, these quotes will fuel you with the passion, purpose and focus that you need to crush your workout. These quotes are from individuals who are doing absolutely incredible things in their respective fields and they are great examples because they always find the time in their busy schedules to add fitness to their life.

These motivational quotes about work ethic, focus and hustle will help you get inspired to not only get to the gym but to change your life for the better!

Its so easy to be great nowadays, because everyone else is weak. If you have ANY mental toughness, if you have any fraction of self-discipline; The ability to not want to do it, but still do it; If you can get through to doing things that you hate to do: on the other side is GREATNESS

David Goggins (Ultramarathon runner & Retired Navy Seal)

Discipline is your best friend. It will take care of you like nothing else can.

Jocko Willinik (Retired Officer of the United States Navy)

The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. Thats what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say theyll go through the pain no matter what happens.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Bodybuilder & Actor)

Excellence in anything increases your potential in everything.

-Joe Rogan (Comedian & Podcaster)

When I feel tired, I just think about how great I will feel, once I finally reach my goal.

Michael Phelps (Olympic Swimmer)

If you want to stay fit, surround yourself with a couple of chicks who are fired up, so that the one day youre not, you can feed off their energy.

Gabrielle Reece (Volleyball Player)

Appreciate hard work and the process of hard work. Because after thats over and you get the rewards of success, you look back on these moments and you respect those moments the best. You have no character, you have no place to come from.

Kevin Hart (Comedian & Actor)

Im not the strongest. Im not the fastest. But Im really good at suffering.

Amelia Boone (Obstacle Course Racer)

You have to practice every day. You have to be thinking about it every day. Most people are just not going to have either the time or the inclination or the discipline or whatever it is, the mental fortitude, whatever it is, to do that right.

Cameron Hanes (Ultramarathon runner & Hunter)

In order to perform at your best, you need to take care of your body and mind. Thats why finding the motivation to go to the gym or work out on a regular basis is such an important feat that you must overcome. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will allow you to perform at the best of your abilities and it will give you a starting point for achieving greatness.

So now that you have read these incredibly motivational quotes, its time to get off the couch and go crush that work out.

Lets do this!

Which motivational quote was your favorite? Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments below.

Id love to hear your thoughts on the topics of work ethic and personal growth, so drop me a note on twitter@iambradthompsonbecause a discussion around this topic could change somebodys life! Also, if you want to read more on my content visit blog called, Living the Canadian Dream.

Continued here:
9 Quotes That Will Motivate You To Get To The Gym - Thrive Global

Successfully treating reduced motivation, or avolition, in patients with schizophrenia has a positive effect on other negative symptoms, according to a study published online in Schizophrenia Bulletin.

This study suggests that future drug development should target mechanisms of avolition in particular, said researcher Gregory Strauss, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia, Athens. If that domain is successfully improved, it might be possible to improve all negative symptoms and subsequently reduce functional disability.

Long-Term Antipsychotic Use Linked With Lower Mortality Rates

In 2018, Dr. Strauss and colleagues published a paper in JAMA Psychiatry demonstrating that negative symptoms in schizophrenia are not a singular construct but represent 5 distinct domainsavolition, anhedonia, asociality, blunted affect, and alogia, or reduced speechwith each constituting a separate treatment target.

In a Schizophrenia Bulletin paper published last year, Dr. Strauss was part of a team that ran a network analysis and found negative symptoms do not function in isolation but interact with one another. Successful treatment of avolition, that study suggested, may improve the entire constellation of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

The most recent study involved a network analysis of data from a phase 2b trial in which the compound roluperidone by Minerva Neurosciences significantly reduced negative symptoms. The analysis by Dr. Strauss and colleagues found that avolition was the most central domain for the active treatment group. When the drug improved avolition, the analysis found, all other negative symptoms improved as a result.

Theres a lot of hope that Minervas phase 3 trial will show a similar improvement in negative symptoms, Dr. Strauss said. This could be the first drug that receives an indication for negative symptoms of schizophrenia from the Food and Drug Administration, which is perhaps the biggest need in the field of psychiatry. It would be a monumental benefit to the lives of people with schizophrenia.

A consultant with Minerva Neurosciences, Dr. Strauss codeveloped and validated the key clinical outcome measure used in the phase 2b trial. He was not, however, involved with the development of roluperidone.

Jolynn Tumolo

References

Strauss GP, Zamani Esfahlani F, Sayama H, et al. Network analysis indicates that avolition is the most central domain for the successful treatment of negative symptoms: evidence from the roluperidone randomized clinical trial. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2020 January 28;[Epub ahead of print].

Mann A. Research offers promise for treating schizophrenia. University of Georgia. Published January 28, 2020. Accessed February 5, 2020.

Continue reading here:
Targeting Motivation Could Improve Other Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia - Psych Congress Network

By Bill D. RoebuckFeb. 6, 2020 , 2:00 PM

About 10 years ago, I sat in my office, struggling to muster up the motivation to write an annual progress report for my dean. I enjoy writing grant applications and scientific paperstasks that engage my creativity and further my research. But report writing doesnt come with any reward apart from the momentary satisfaction of crossing something off my to-do list. Like other routine paperwork, I find it hard to get through. So that day, I offered myself a reward: When I finished the report, Id give myself 2 hours to examine slides under the microscopea task Ive always loved but never had much time for as a faculty member.

Working Life is a personal essay series about career issues, challenges, and successes.

Over my 40-year academic career, I have learned that I need to give myself special projects as a reward for completing onerous paperwork. I retired from my faculty position 3 years ago, so thankfully I dont face much paperwork anymore. But I still break out this reward system every so often. Its a strategy I call just for fun.

The strategy was born out of challenges I experienced in grad school. I could handle failed experiments, equipment malfunctions, and other hiccups. Bureaucratic busywork was a bigger hurdle. I usually delayed putting together reports for grant agencies and university administrators until threatening letters arrivedor the deadline was so close that I became gripped with panic. I never felt that paperwork was advancing my science, but rather sapping my energy and time for research.

One of my committee members recognized and understood my difficulties. He asked, If a day is going badly, what might you like to do at workjust for fun? I must have looked confused, because I didnt see how his question was relevant to the problem at hand. Then he told me about his strategy of rewarding himself with a fun project when he completed a task that he didnt particularly enjoy. He advised me to think about doing something similar. I immediately liked the idea, but it took me a few years to fully implement my own system. It also evolved over the course of my career.

As a Ph.D. student, I did not see labwork as a special reward because I already spent most of my time in the lab. So, I devised a different kind of reward: Id let myself attend seminars on topics I was curious about but that lay outside of my immediate field. For example, one day I remember telling myself, If I get this report submitted on time, I am going to that seminar on pathology. I got better at meeting deadlinesand I had some fun in the process.

When I became a faculty member with a lab of my own, my just for fun strategy began to shift. I was at my microscope less and less, and I started to miss it. At the same time, my need for fun rewards multiplied because bureaucratic tasks started to clog up my to-do list.

I give myself special projects as a reward for completing onerous paperwork.

So, as my laboratory grew, I started to jealously guard some small projectssuch as microscope tasks, simple experiments, and data analysesthat I could complete myself. Sometimes I even sought out those projects. For example, a collaborator told me that he was having problems staining liver tumors, so I told him: Send me the slides; I can do that! At that point in my career, my role in research mostly took the form of advising students and technicians. The research didnt feel like my own anymore, and when it was done, I certainly could not say, Look what I discovered! But with the just for fun projects, I had full ownership. I felt as though Id done real science.

Over the course of my career, this strategy helped me complete and move past the parts of my job that I didnt particularly enjoy. The rewards I gave myself provided a way to relax and reminded me why I love being a scientist.

As for that annual report, I spent an uninspiring morning on itbut got it done. Then I hurried over to the microscope, eager to inspect a series of slides that my collaborators had sent a couple weeks earlier.

To others, it may have looked like work. But to me, it was just for fun.

Do you have an interesting career story? Send it toSciCareerEditor@aaas.org.Read thegeneral guidelines here.

Read this article:
How I motivate myself to complete boring job tasksand have fun in the process - Science Magazine

The San Francisco 49ers allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to complete yet another comeback to secure a win in Super Bowl LIV. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has since caught plenty of flak for his underwhelming performance on the NFLs highest stage.

Garoppolo will undoubtedly continue to revive criticism for not being able to get the job done when it mattered most. According to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, he will use this loss as fuel in the offseason:

If you just look at the stats like that, yeah, it is what it is, Garoppolo said. As an offense, as a team, weve been in that situation multiple times and answered the bell. Its tough that one time you didnt. But thats what people remember, thats the world we live in and you just have to own up to it and be a man about it. It will fuel us in this offseason, fuel me especially in this offseason, to come back better.

It is encouraging to see that Garoppolo has managed to find a silver lining in the crushing 31-20 loss to the Chiefs. Regardless, the question remains about his ability to get this team back to the Super Bowl.

The 49ers made quite the investment to make Garoppolo their franchise quarterback. Although he had gotten off to a promising start, he endured a major setback with a torn ACL in the 2018 campaign. He managed to return for the 2019 NFL season, however, largely served as the weak link of an offense that was carried by it talented rushing attack.

While Garoppolo may already have two Super Bowl rings thanks to his time with the New England Patriots, he still has yet to get one as the lead man in charge. That alone should serve as enough motivation to try and make it back in the near future.

Link:
Jimmy Garoppolo will use fourth quarter of Super Bowl as offseason motivation - ClutchPoints

Science has proven that the power of positive self-talk is real. Studies have shown that self-talk interventions can reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence, self-efficacy, and performance among athletes. Thats why the Microstep of taking a moment to congratulate yourself on your efforts after you finish a workout is so powerful. But positive self-talk can easily be incorporated into other parts of your movement routine, like when youre in need of some extra motivation. The perfect place to start is by picking a positive mantra to have in your toolbox when things get hard, and youre in need of an extra push to make good on your fitness goals.

Check out these positive mantras that have helped members of the Thrive community follow through with their workout routines when theyve needed it most.

Inhale, exhale.

Repeating this phrase does two things: It reminds me to take deeper breaths and recognize that all energy is about circulation. Shallow breathing is often a negative impact of stress. Pulling in more oxygen creates more energy.

Beth Larsen, high performance and happiness coach, New York, NY

Stronger

Ive been doing a lot of mindset work this year, as it was my hardest year ever and required constant resets. One of my coaches told me to come up with a song to play that makes me feel powerful, so I play Stronger by Kanye West. The lyrics help me remember the time I conquered my first 5k, when this song was playing as I crossed the finish line. It always works for me!

Charlese L., virtual assistant, Los Angeles, CA

I do not break promises to myself.

Whenever I think I cannot do something, I counter that thought with the mantra, I do not break promises to myself. This phrase often helps me remember why I started, and why I want to accomplish the goal Ive set. It also gives me a quick self-esteem boost because it serves as a reminder that Im important and worthy.

Alyssa Swantkoski, executive assistant, Denver, CO

You are strong and youve got this.

Those are the two things that I forget first when self-doubt creeps in, so having this mantra is perfect for my replenishment.

Vanessa Leikvoll, corporate wellness, Great Barrington, MA

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4 Motivational Mantras to Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals - Thrive Global

Everyone loves a Cinderella story and this season's may be the Medford Raiders boy's basketball team.

"They love playing basketball," said Medford Head Coach Ryan Brown. "They're willing to build into our entire culture of being relentless and continuing to work hard and just trying to get a little better every practice."

After struggling last season and finishing 10-14, the Raider have completely turned it around this year.

With just five games left in the regular season, the raiders are 14-3. More impressively though, they are a perfect 8-0 in conference play, which puts them atop the Great Northern Conference standings.

"I think we all just finally bought in," said senior Douglas Way. "(We) just do what we need to do to win and get better."

"We know that we've got a target on our back," stated Way's teammate and fellow senior, Justin Sullivan. "Everybody is coming for us and, (we know) how hard we have to work if we want to stay there and want to finish strong like we know we can do."

The last time Medford emerged as the conference champion was in the 2016-2017 season. Which holds a special connection to this year's team.

That's because when those seniors were hoisting the trophy, these seniors were just starting their career as freshman.

For some, it was even more than that. They had brothers on that team.

Which is why they look to the past to inspire the future and motivate in the present.

"We have a bunch of siblings from that group," said Brown. "A lot of these kids saw that group and looked up to them. Now they're always aspiring to be better than them, that's kinda their goal."

And if they could surpass them..

"It's something i've always dreamed of," said Sullivan, whose brother was on that championship team. "I know that everyone else on this team, that's our goal, so if we could do it, that'd just be big it'd be nice to tell our brothers that (we won)."

See original here:
Medford's magical season motivated by the past - WAOW