[Repost From Dr Mercola] That #1 Cause Of Death [That's HIDING In Plain Sight]

 

As I was browsing my daily morning READS, stumbled across Dr Mercola's piece today WHICH stomped me with this screaming title "The No.1 CAUSE OF DEATH THAT'S HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT".  And he adds fuel to fire WHEN he states that it's NOT sugar, NOT cigarrettes, NOT stress.  And to make things murkier, he added that 'THIS SILENT KILLER IS DISGUISED AS SOMETHING HARMLESS, routine, even comforting BUT BENEATH THE SURFACE, IT'S TRIGGERING HEART FAILURE, BRAIN DECAY AND SLOW-MO METABOLIC COLLAPSE.   Guess WHAT???

Pasting EN TOTO Dr Mercola's article lifted straight from the below source:  https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/05/13/ultraprocessed-foods-cardiovascular-deaths.aspx?ui=f767ca6c08fc186c0fec10eaaea3de6008b8b217792ddaa122ecd526a0aea00f&sd=20250216&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20250513&foDate=false&mid=DM1741862&rid=291565721

At a glance, let's skim through these LOWLIGHTS:

Story at-a-glance

• Nearly 38% of cardiovascular deaths in Canada are linked to ultraprocessed foods. These products contribute to 96,000 new heart disease cases and 17,400 deaths each year
• Eating just one additional daily serving of ultraprocessed food raises your risk of obesity by 7%, abdominal fat by 5%, and Type 2 diabetes by 12%
• Ultraprocessed foods increase cognitive decline risk by 16% and stroke risk by 8%, with the strongest effects seen in Black participants
• Processed meat products like hot dogs and deli meats are linked to a 43% higher risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases and a 13% higher all-cause mortality risk
• Even small amounts of ultraprocessed food trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction that accelerate aging and drain your energy daily

Ultraprocessed foods dominate grocery store shelves today in the form of frozen dinners, packaged snacks, and fast-food items. While they offer convenience, they are engineered to hijack your appetite and flood your system with harmful compounds. These products, stripped of real nutrition and loaded with additives, trans fats, and artificial ingredients, are slowly clogging your arteries and setting you up for a heart attack or stroke

A recent analysis from the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal, commissioned by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, set out to measure how much of Canada's heart disease and stroke burden is driven by ultraprocessed foods. They used national health data to model the impact of these foods on adults over age 20.1

•The research identified high numbers of deaths and disability tied to processed food intake — The team linked food intake data from the Canadian Community Health Survey to new cases of cardiovascular disease, deaths from heart disease and stroke, and years of life lost or spent disabled.

•Ultraprocessed foods cause nearly 100,000 cases of heart disease annually — In 2019 alone, ultraprocessed foods contributed to 96,043 new cases of cardiovascular disease, 17,417 deaths, and nearly 389,000 years of life lost or spent living with chronic heart-related conditions.

•Over one-third of heart disease deaths came from eating ultraprocessed foods — The study, a first of its kind,2 was modeled using real national health data and validated risk models, not guesses or projections.

•Reducing ultraprocessed food consumption could save thousands of lives each year — According to the authors, if Canadians cut their intake of these foods by 50%, there would be 45,914 fewer new cardiovascular disease cases annually. It would also save 8,314 lives every single year.

•Men are hit hardest by ultraprocessed food-related heart problems — The highest levels of processed food consumption were seen in young men aged 20 to 24 and adults over 80. Unsurprisingly, the study found that 61% of new heart disease and stroke cases connected to these foods occurred in men. Additionally, men accounted for 52% of the related deaths.

•The damage builds up from youth and compounds with age — Poor eating habits create health problems later, with symptoms like high blood pressure, fatigue, and shortness of breath appearing when damage is already underway.

Ultraprocessed foods are engineered to make you overeat. These foods are packed with industrial ingredients like refined sugars, trans fats, and chemicals designed to override your fullness signals. The result? Overeating, weight gain, and chronic inflammation, which damage your artery walls and raise your blood clot risk.

Your brain also suffers WHEN YOU EAT ULTRAPROCESSED foods.  The featured study adds to the growing evidence associating ultraprocessed food with adverse health outcomes. Another recent study published in Neurology3 also points out how these products damage brain function and increase the likelihood of stroke.  The study found sharp increases in risk — More than 14,000 adults without cognitive impairment and over 20,000 adults without prior strokes were tracked for years. The researchers found that for every 10% increase in ultraprocessed food consumption, cognitive impairment risk jumped by 16%, and stroke risk rose by 8%.😡😡😡

When Life Is Best Lived

When Life Is Best Lived

WHO wants to be a child [again]?  With alacrity, I'll raise both my hands on one condition, that is, if our sole intent is to live a FULL LIFE.  BUT hold on, let's think about it.  HOW come almost children seem cheerful and happy, even those WHO have less in life?  That's exactly the point I want to drive at.  By default, children DON'T have hidden agenda.  They DON'T double-speak.  They DON'T plan to do things in bad faith.  In short, they have the purest of intentions.  It's kind of saying, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET.  Not for us adults though.  We are tougher and toughest to fathom.  Even for someone giving bread to the under-privileged, you CAN'T be sure if that's in good faith.  So, WHEN IS LIFE BEST LIVED📗📙📘

Unfortunately, there is NO single right OR wrong way to LIVE A GOOD LIFE as long as it's true to you and conversely, you are true to it as well.  BUT by and large, to simplify a picture, generally, having LOVING relationships, having MEANINGFUL work, enjoying time for hobbies, and being HEALTHY, these are the key variables that will kind of lead us to that 'paved' road towards having a LIFE BEST LIVED💚💛💜

On top of those very basic variables in life, some people find happiness in helping others WHILE others find it in pursuing their own passions.  Some people find fulfillment in family and relationships WHILE others find it in their work.  Without all the gobbledygook, LIVING LIFE to the fullest means experiencing the full range of good and bad.  And that's WHAT gives our life that meaning and purpose.  And WHEN you look back on your life, you want to be able to say that you lived it to the fullest, NOT leaving a single stone unturned💥💥💥

Hey, HOW often we heard 'LIVE IN THE MOMENT'?  Could be a zillion times, right?  Thing is, LIVING IN THE MOMENT may be more difficult than it appears.  Humans spend the majority of their time dwelling on the past OR future because of our own conditioning.  Learning HOW to LIVE IN THE MOMENT can improve our general well-being and enjoyment in life.  We can practice mindfulness by looking around OR stopping to 'smell the flowers'.  By taking a moment to breathe in your current reality, you can fully immerse yourself in it and take notice of things that you may miss out😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  Looking back, I think I'm 'spot on' in pinning a key root cause as to WHY many of us DON'T LIVE IN THE MOMENT and that's multitasking.  Although it may appear to be a simple process, multitasking is really difficult to master. During the day, juggling many things and diverting your attention to numerous distractions simultaneously will, obviously, prevent you from being FULLY PRESENT.  So, WHEN IS LIFE BEST LIVED?  Do craft your answer please!!!

[Republishing From NST 05.12.2025] Another Country About To Ban VAPING!

 

NOT to unduly scare at unprecedented levels but in my daily browsing of Malaysia e-broadsheets, screaming on its headlines today is an Oxford Study dated March 2025 which concludes that VAPING MORE THAN DOUBLEs THE RISK OF SERIOUS LUNG CANCER [note it's tagged as SERIOUS] and WHAT did catch my attention to this research is that the research participants was NOT paltry in numbers because it covered more than 250,000 participants.  And the finding CAN'T be scarier WHEN it said that people WHO vaped [and that includes people with NO history of smoking] were 2.29 times as likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]

Pasting below EN TOTO the featured article datelined 05.12.2025 from Malaysian's New Straits Times:  
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2025/05/1214810/oxford-study-sparks-alarm-health-advocates-citizen-groups-call-total 

KUALA LUMPUR: Public health advocates and civil society groups have called on the government to consider clamping down or even implementing an outright ban on vapes in the country.

Their call comes in the wake of a recently released study published by Oxford University, which showed that vaping could more than double the risk of serious lung disease.

The study, published on March 15 and involved almost 250,000 participants, found that people who vaped, even without a history of smoking, were 2.29 times as likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Experts told the New Straits Times that the study's findings should compel Malaysian authorities to reassess their strategy on the sale of vape products in the country to safeguard public health.  Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Datuk Seri Ayub Yaakob said the foundation had long urged authorities to prohibit the import, sale and use of vapes in the country due to their harmful effects

"The risks associated with vaping are well known, and several of our neighbouring countries have already taken steps to ban its use and distribution," he said, citing the example set by Singapore and Thailand.

Ayub said Malaysia should not allow the vape industry to develop unchecked, warning that its long-term impact could be even more damaging than the nation's ongoing battle with drug abuse.

"If we allow vaping to become a business opportunity, the consequences could be more severe than what we have faced with drugs.

"Even after decades, we have not been able to completely wipe out drug abuse in this country," he said.

He expressed concern that the widespread availability of vape products could expose children and teenagers to harmful substances, with some reportedly starting as young as 12.

"We urge the authorities to re-evaluate the decision to allow vape products in Malaysia. Prevention is far better than cure.

"The cost of treating vape-related illnesses or managing its social impact may far exceed any short-term economic gain."

Ayub also warned that the vape market, driven by evolving chemical formulations, could become increasingly difficult to regulate.

He said enforcement would be more challenging as these products continued to change form and composition, making it harder for the authorities to keep up.

"We cannot risk the health of the public just to protect the interests of a few. This recent finding from Oxford University should compel the government to act decisively," he added.

However, Malaysia Society for Harm Reduction (MSHR) chairman Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said an outright ban might not be the answer.

She said while vaping was never meant for non-smokers and should not be used by them, banning vape products without simultaneously addressing tobacco use could drive users back to cigarettes or illicit vape products.

Sharifa said while the Oxford University study reinforced the health risks of vaping, the findings did not specify crucial factors such as the content of the vape liquid, nicotine dosage, types of flavouring, coil power and duration of use — all of which could significantly influence health outcomes.  "The government can ban vape, but such a move must also come with a simultaneous ban on cigarettes. If not, vape users may revert to smoking or worse, turn to cheaper, illegal tobacco products that are more harmful and widely available," she said.  "The government can ban vape, but such a move must also come with a simultaneous ban on cigarettes. If not, vape users may revert to smoking or worse, turn to cheaper, illegal tobacco products that are more harmful and widely available," she said.

Sharifa cautioned that outright bans, without strong enforcement and proper regulation, could backfire, citing countries like India, Australia and Thailand, where illicit vape markets had flourished.

"Singapore has successfully banned vape due to its low smoking population, strong regulatory framework, low corruption rates."

Success Is NOT Always What You See

Success Is NOT Always What You See

If we were to search for the definition of SUCCESS through the web, guaranteed you will end up with millions of search results, each presenting a different interpretation.  For some, it means achieving a goal OR victory for the day.  Others may view it positively impacting society, earning a college degree, OR amassing wealth.  SO HOW?  Yes, we got to define it.  Imagine scrolling through social media and seeing two different people living WHAT appears to be seemingly 'PERFECT' lives.  One person recaps an exotic holiday to Maldives  WHILE another one shows off as his grand achievement his latest fancy purchase.  Regardless how you see it,  Success Is NOT Always What You See📗📙📘

Ooooops, you might end up finding yourself trying to copy them by buying similarly expensive and fancy things OR going for a holiday to Santorini and the Aegean Seas OR posting your impressive pictures on your social media to get 'LIKES'.  You may momentarily think this is HOW to reach that true and genuine SUCCESS.  However, even after trying to mimic their respective versions of SUCCESS, here's the thing.  You will still [likely] end up 'incomplete' in terms of SUCCESS.  The stark truth is that your own definition of SUCCESS may never perfectly align with other people's, maybe, NOT even by a mile💧💧💧

Our unique goals, values, and even priorities shape a distinct picture of WHAT 'SUCCESSFUL'  really means to you specifically.  This is WHY defining SUCCESS is NOT only essential BUT also empowering.  The sooner you embark on this journey of 'self-discovery', the sooner you can channel your time and energy into pursuits that genuinely resonate with you.  If we get 'hostaged' with Mr Webster's definition of SUCCESS, it defines it as that 'attainment of wealth, favor OR eminence',  a definition I WON'T buy in because it's only half of WHAT it should be, if I may open up my own convictions with regard my take as to how SUCCESS should be defined💦💦💦

If at all, the definition of SUCCESS is something we should NOT even debate at all because SUCCESS is entirely subjective.  It is a highly individualized process shaped by personal experiences , values and a broader perspective beyond traditional measures OR societal expectations.  Oh YES, even our very own definition of SUCCESS constantly changes.  As human beings, we are always going through life changes and our viewpoints will change💙💛💚

Our takeaway:  IGNITE yourself to SUCCESS BUT let's admit it that finding your own definition of SUCCESS ISN'T an instantaneous process BUT we are always told that it is a deeply rewarding one.  HOW?  Reflect on our values and beliefs as these are the principles that guide our decisions and shape our actions in life.  Get close to your core values most important to you so that SUCCESS will be closest to how you defined it✅✅✅

The Process Matters More Than The Results

The Process Matters More Than The Results

No one can be blamed if almost everyone of us [and that includes moi] is so focused on the output, the outcome, the end result.  BUT let us NOT get mixed up here.  I'm NOT throwing out of the window the need for us to achieve our target goal and result.  And in our workplace, the only way we 'deliver the goods' to our clients is via the results, the output.  BUT in our workplace, not every member has the freedom to crank up with the output in WHATEVER ways and means he/she wants.  Instead, everyone is required to follow a pre-defined PROCESS a.k.a. SOP [standard operating procedures].  And this is very much relevant EVEN outside the workplace.  We are encouraged to avoid being so enamored with our target goal BUT losing sight of the PROCESS [especially if its NOT the correct one] because along the way, you may end up unexpectedly off-track. The Process Matters More Than The Results📗📙📘

As you move-on in life, you may tend to think that the only thing that matters is the end result.  That HOW you get there has NO bearing on the eventual outcome as long as you obtain WHAT you set out to get.  I hate breaking it up to you BUT in order to succeed in anything, focusing on the process and HOW you are going to get to your desired outcome is more important than the goal itself.  Question:  Can you reach your destination without a road map?  Of course you can sarcastically retort that if you have a regular point-to-point route, you DON'T need a roadmap.  BUT still you will literally go through that route within the roadmap.  You can't just take an aerial path in lieu of the roadmap💥💥💥

So, WHAT's so pressing for us to stick to the PROCESS?  NOT so obvious but the PROCESS is about putting maximum effort and performing to the best of your ability in each specific moment.  Every moment you do something associated with your goal, it deserves your maximum attention and effort because every moment is a big moment.  Every moment deserves the maximum amount of care, effort and focus.  A focus solely on the outcome results in skipped steps, or worse, sloppy steps that either delay your 'arrival' to your goal OR end result.  Otherwise, it may derail or worse, stop you getting there all together.  Let's have that PRESENT MOMENT focus💧💧💧

Let's put things in the right perspective.  WHEN you are focused on the PROCESS, looking at a goal from a one-step-at-a-time perspective, it will give you the ability to constantly evaluate your goal and WHETHER it is realistic OR not.  Let us be forewarned that those dealings with reality are usually accompanied with failure.  And WHEN failure presents itself [and it will, let us NOT trick ourselves into thinking that it WON'T], one of the mistakes that is often committed is that lack of willingness for one to re-evaluate a roadmap and chart a new course to get home OR to reach that target destination.  Think of it like climbing a mountain😌😌😌

You may plan and plot your course for months, begin to climb, get halfway up and a massive storm hits, keeping you in your tent for days.  WHAT do you now?  After NEVER having planned to be stuck on that side of a mountain?  DON'T be stubborn.  DON'T be unrealistic.  Just breathe, take a look at your past plan and adjust accordingly.  YES dude, the PROCESS MATTERS MORE THAN THE RESULTS❗❗❗

When Does Confidence Become Too Little OR Too Much?

Such is life,  Much as we need to inject confidence from the time we wakeup everyday, our CONFIDENCE plummets OR shoots up based on a confluence of factors.  BUT question is, When Does Confidence Become Too Little OR Too Much?  Taking a step back, we develop our own identity as to WHO we are and self-concept as to WHAT we believe about ourselves through various processes. And one of which is SOCIAL COMPARISON which involves evaluating and even judging ourselves in relation to both the known and even the unknown as well.  It then becomes habitual and an automatic process that largely operates at our subconscious level.  WHAT we are cognizant of at the conscious level are the emotional effects of that comparison though📘📙📗

Those emotional effects can vary depending on if it's an upward comparison, WHERE we perceive ourselves to be better off.  WHILE NOT always, upward comparisons tend to elicit negative emotions, like frustration, envy OR discouragement WHILE downward comparisons tend to be more positive emotions like gratitude, hope OR happiness.  Hearing an athlete speak confidently about their past OR predicted future success would likely trigger an upward social comparison.  For upward comparisons, psychologists suggest that there are three common responses:  inspiration, benign envy and malicious envy💥💥💥

WHILE inspiration is WHEN you view the person's success as positive and motivating for your own personal circumstances, those feelings of benign envy may start out as frustration BUT would later lead you to produce a similar impact as inspiration, motivating you to reach a comparable level of achievement as that person✅✅✅

On the other hand, malicious envy never moves past the negative emotions that can play out as an attempt to lessen the status of the other person through criticism, condemnation OR denigration.  Over to the Aussies, they commonly refer to it as 'tall poppy syndrome' WHERE people are attacked for their success and achievements, essentially cutting down the tall poppy.  Indeed a 'tall order'😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  Let's consider how we respond to underdogs.  ISN'T it we all love a classic underdog story?  The plight of someone defying the odds stacked against them, determined to be successful.  WHILE underdogs in sports may be far superior OR athletes to us, they elicit emotional responses similar to downward comparisons like hope and sympathy.  This happens largely because many of us identify with underdogs, recalling WHEN the odds were stacked against us at one point OR another in lives.  This is the not-so-secret recipe unabated box-office successes in the movie industry because film producers and scriptwriters will exploit that human frailty to the hilt.  BUT let us NOT miss figuring out WHEN CONFIDENCE either becomes TOO LITTLE or TOO MUCH❗❗❗

Living In A WORLD Of DISTRACTIONs

Living In A WORLD Of DISTRACTIONs

This is a FACT:  Everyday, technology interrupts us every ELEVEN [11] minutes and we take another TWENTY-FIVE [25] minutes to get back to concentrating on the work OR task we were doing then.  Whoa, that's at least a whopping one-off THIRTY-SIX [36] minutes only for an instance.  WHAT IF this interruption happens to you TEN [10] times a day, that's THREE HUNDRED SIXTY [360[ minutes lost from us all within a single calendar day.  WTF,  Living In A WORLD Of DISTRACTIONs📘📙📗

Take the typical workday we got.  That compulsive checking of emails and social networks is just one of the many obstacles that prevent us from focusing our attention and being productive.  Frankly, focusing your attention is, in essence, a discipline and in order to practice it, you need to start by directing your attention towards yourself.  Only then will we be able to develop that creativity and innovation, by being fully aware of our abilities and resources.  Most importantly, we should be able to complete what we started with quality, if NOT with aplomb💥💥💥

WHAT do we hear from experts?  They counsel us to KNOW YOURSELF and most importantly, the magic word I'll borrow from the experts is "EFFICIENCY".  With a stoic focus in EFFICIENCY, we are counseled that there are variables we need to account for.  Firstly, it's that RESPONSIBILITY because that is the driver of EFFICIENCY.  Anything less than that, we're guaranteed to fall short❌❌❌

Next is ABILITY as our performance is produced WHEN our talents we have equates to WHAT is needed in the task OR activity.  You DON'T expect a plumber to pray for the departed souls in that church ritual. Next is SELF-MOTIVATION because in addition to knowing HOW to do things, YOU NEED TO WANT TO DO THEM.  It's NO less than that.  The state of mind that leads us to make an effort is a fundamental attribute to our performance.  NEXT is self-management, because that's about finding the organizational conditions suitable to be able to perform and complete your task OR activity✅✅✅

Our takeaway:  All these boil down to simplification and that is just choosing the easiest path and doing the task[s] in the simplest manner.  Without a doubt, that is an element that multiplies EFFICIENCY as it makes it possible to achieve results with less investment in resources.  BUT in order for them to work, all these variables have to be combined in a holistic manner.  We DON'T live in SILOs dude.  That explains why we're LIVING IN A WORLD OF DISTRACTIONS😃😃😃

Positive Psychology, Anyone?

Positive Psychology, Anyone?

Before I get suspected of having forays into Psychology, I need to admit that WHAT enamors me with POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY boils down to the fact that it posits that you are happy WHEN you feel as if your life is going well.  And beyond just offering strategies for recovering from mental illness, POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY is about achieving an optimal level of functioning by building upon a person's strengths in both personal and professional life even as it focuses in increasing our experience of POSITIVE states like happiness, joy, contentment, life satisfaction, gratitude, optimism, love and so on.  This is how far reaching POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY can be POSITIVELY impactful into our life.  Positive Psychology, Anyone???

Picking the brains of psychology experts, they tell us that HAPPINESS has three components namely:

• MOMENTARY MOOD - How you feel right now
• LIFE SATISFACTION - Your overall life evaluation
• ASSESSMENT of SPECIFIC DOMAINS - Work, relationships, finances, health, etc

So, WHY are POSITIVE emotions and life satisfaction important for us to increase our consciousness???

Do you know that POSITIVE EMOTIONS mean:

• Better immune functions, even faster healing
• Longer life [WHO doesn't want this?]
• Increased success at work [that's good tidings]
• Better ability to cope with challenges 
• Better quality of relationships
• Improved prosocial behavior

So much verbiage.  The question you might ask me now is, WHAT IS GOOD LIFE anyways?  Dr Seligman, a respected expert in POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, uses the PERMA Model, i.e.:

• Positive emotion - that's what we feel
• Engagement - that's being in 'flow'
• Relationships - that's nurturing, rewarding
• Meaning - serving a purpose bigger than you
• Accomplishment - Pursuing towards mastery

Our takeaway:  Let's avoid jargons here, and instead, dice and drill things.  With challenges, can we focus on problem solving INSTEAD of venting?  Can we count our BLESSINGS?  And practice gratitude?  And take time to engage in random acts of KINDNESS?  And YES, be kind to yourself, be LESS critical?  And savor experiences and prolong your enjoyment?  And avoid temptations to complain and reinforce negativity?  At the end of the day, we will be the primary beneficiary of our POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY😊😊😊

How's Your Second-half Tempo?

How's Your Second-half Tempo?

Except for the 'INSTANT' ones, inn any endeavor in life, having a first-half and a second-half are givens.  And WHO would NOT agree with me that, except for those coerced to take action, almost everyone of us would feel that sort of adrenalin rush cum excitement at the start of the first-half.  UNTIL gradually our energy gets zapped, our battery goes low.  That explains WHY in almost all competitive activities [YES, even in the chess world where tournaments will have a break somewhere at the halfway mark], there's always a half-time break.  WHY?  That's we humans [and NOT machines] need a break, need to regroup, need to reboot OR reset, sort of.  Looking back your past years till to date, How's Your Second-half Tempo📗📙📘

By right and even logically, we should expect [OR demand] from our own selves that after the halftime break, we would be as fresh and as energized as if it were the start of things BUT do you realize that sometimes, even after the halftime break, the more our performance would seem to nosedive, with the trajectory going down down down south instead of going up???

Then we hear the LAW OF AVERAGES as a reason [a.k.a. EXCUSE] when one's performance dips.  For alignment, LAW OF AVERAGES is the idea that the probability of an event will determine HOW often it occurs over time.  WHILE it may seem like common sense, it is NOT a proven OR correct statistical principle at all.  According to statistical experts themselves, this is because real outcomes are random, and any given sample may NOT reflect those theoretical probabilities.  Point is, IF and WHEN our performance dips, let us NOT point fingers to the LAW OF AVERAGES because it's NOT always true, in fact❌❌❌

Classic examples of people's performance dipping OR even nose-diving on the second-half are the NBA games where a dominant team piles up points during the first half and then the underdog team mounts a rally and catches up within the second-half.  Again, if we fall back on the LAW OF AVERAGES, it is happening everyday to sales folks WHO are taught that IF they want to double OR triple their sales, they need to double OR triple their cold calls.  And that any deviations in the expected probability will average out OR even out after several iterations.  YES, sometimes this is true BUT again, it all boils down to maintaining and sustaining that momentum💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  WHILE it is much easier said than done, sustaining one's momentum and playing an 'up tempo' pace is all WHAT it takes for one to have a second-half tempo that is either as as good OR even better than the first-half.  SO HOW?  Keep focused on your goals.   KEEP focused on the positives.  KEEP celebrating progress [even little ones].  KEEP having fun and YES, KEEP HEALTHY dude!!!