As the onslaught of winter becomes very real here, I know many people racing for some winter sunshine overseas and I spoke yesterday with someone who said that they were off on a nature-seeking holiday in hotter climes…

My envy dissipated this morning, when by some coincidence, I read an article at the New Scientist stating that a group of isolated Antarctic islands have proved to be unexpectedly rich in life. The first comprehensive biodiversity survey of the South Orkney Islands, has revealed that they are home to more species of sea and land animals than the Galapagos!

This serves as a fascinating metaphor for today’s blog entry. Let me explain…

So with regards to the article I am citing here at the New Scientist, it states:

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Hamburg, Germany, carried out the survey using a combination of trawl nets, sampling as deep as 1500m, and scuba divers. The team found over 1200 species, a third of which were not thought to live in the region. They also identified five new species.

The majority of animals were found in the sea, with most living on the seabed.

These findings go against the traditional view that biodiversity declines away from the tropics and towards the polar regions, says lead researcher David Barnes of the British Antarctic Survey.

“Our paper makes the point that if you go right the way across different animal groups rather than taking one specific animal group, which is what most biodiversity studies do, then you get a much better perspective of real biodiversity,” he says. “This is the first place in either polar region, not just the Antarctic, where we’ve actually got a biodiversity across all groups.”


So there you have it… Often, there is much more available resource right under your nose… Well, for those of us in the UK, the Orkney Islands are much closer than the hotter climates of other seemingly idyllic locations and far more exists beneath the surface than one might imagine…

This month, in my ezine, I am focusing on behaviour change and we are going to be running a very exciting campaing to get as many people to stop smoking as possible and as many people into physical shape as possible.

There really is no wonder as to why most people struggle with achieving their ideal weight and keeping it that way. Or stop smoking and remaining a non smoker for life.

Often, it is the case that no one ever taught them how. It’s not just a matter of willpower and/or a healthy eating plan. To be successful, you have to learn a set of cognitive (thinking) and behavioral skills, that, I suspect, most people have never learned, much less mastered.

For example, many people don’t know the precise steps to get motivated every day, to use good eating habits consistently, even when you don’t want to, how to cope with hunger, craving, and the desire to eat, how to get back on track immediately when you make a mistake, to deal with feelings of unfairness, deprivation, discouragement, and disappointment, or how to deal with people who push you to eat food you’re not supposed to — especially with the festive season approaching.

In my ezine and throughout the month of December, we have a special campaign designed to help people learn these things and to really ensure that the uipcoming year is one when they learn how to take control of their own minds…

Because often we look further afield or to external sources for assistance… You do not need to search things out at the Galapagos if there is far more readily available in the Orkney Islands… You are walking around with the single most amazing resource — your brain, and we are going to really be using it well this month!