Janine Fletcher
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​        Life Changing


Given that with every choice that you make, the unfolding of a possible future begins, being able to consciously choose how you respond to life  is life-changing! YAHOO!  (You Always Have Other Options).

Learning how to make conscious choices that bring out the best in you is what the YAHOO program is all about. Whether it be self esteem,  resilience, attitude, behaviour, conflicts, personality traits, the process and strategies are the same and work for children as well as adults.
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The YAHOO (You Always Have Other Options) concept is based on one of the latest developments in neuro-science; - the plasticity of the human brain.  It was only in 1998 that neuroscientists discovered that new neurons are continually being generated in the adult brain.

Contrary to the myth of the hard-wired brain, we now realise that the brain changes in response to every experience, every new  thought, and every new thing that we learn- whether through fresh connections between neurons or through the generation of utterly new neurons.

The neural circuits in our brain are formed by repetition and reinforcement. Neuroscientists have a saying for this; - neurons that fire together, wire together. 
 Learning to walk, talk, ride a bike, drive a car, read, write and so on, are examples we can easily identify with to understand how we learn to do something.

The more we practise and reinforce any skills, the more automatic they become.  When it becomes automatic for us we no longer have to be conscious of what we're doing, we're just doing it.

Having a positive attitude can be understood in a similar way. As we repeat thoughts, emotions and actions over and over again, they become automatic patterns of behaviour;- the way our brain is wired.       


"What we may fail to understand is that the brain doesn't discriminate among thought on the neurological level.


It takes no more effort to form a positive thought than is does a negative one. 
 
Attitudes are simply accumulations of related neural nets and positive attitudes are just as easy to construct as negative ones.....

Just as we can develop the habit of being depressed, angry, sullen, suffering or hateful,  we can be happy, joyful, content and fulfilled."
                                                                                                         

                                               (Evolve your Brain, Joe Dispenza).

Many of our beliefs, attitudes and personality traits are formed when we are very young and can become so familiar that we come to believe 'that's just the way I am'. However, the plasticity of the brain ensures us that YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE! You can change the  beliefs, attitudes and personality traits that limit you or don't serve you.    

For half a century ... in many different countries all around the world, if you were to ask me what one subject, one theme, one point, seemed to have the greatest impact upon people - what one great idea resonated deeper in the soul than any other - if you were to ask what one ideal  was  most  practical, most relevant, most timely, regardless of circumstances, I would answer quickly, without any reservation, and with the deepest conviction of my heart and soul, that WE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE. Next to life itself, the power to choose is your greatest gift....

Your  power to choose  the direction of your life allows you to reinvent yourself, to change your future, and to powerfully influence the rest of creation.

(Stephen R. Covey, The 8th Habit. From effectiveness to Greatness)                                                                                        
Once you are aware that you have a choice, the key is to be able to access that state of choice.                                                    
  • By saying "YAHOO!”, you are interrupting the neural nets associated with your habitual way of responding (neurons that don’t fire together, don’t wire together),   and remembering that you do have a choice
  • Simply asking "What's another way I could respond to this?" forces the brain to fire in a new way.                              
  •  You can think of a number of different options and choose to respond in a way that brings out the best in you; - empowers and serves you.


The YAHOO series of books are designed to give you the knowledge and strategies to help you to do this;-

(Although written with children in mind, the concepts and strategies are equally relevant to people of all ages.  It's wonderful if we can learn this information when we are young as it will save a lot of self-doubt, negativity and powerlessness. Nevertheless, as adults if we are experiencing these things, the perspective and strategies presented in these books help to cultivate more self-assurance, optimism, appreciation, 'connectedness' and empowerment). 

                                     
 BOOK 1 – Being Your Own Best Friend


 BOOK 2 – Feeling Good On The Inside

 BOOK 3 =  What A Wonderful World

Endorsement for books

They are great. To my knowledge nothing exists that presents the comprehensive coverage of research knowledge in a form so accessible to children and parents. ....

Certainly, they meet a great need in the promotion of well-being area for children and adolescents. ...

Well done on such a great idea and on the good and useful books you have produced.


( Eleonora Gullone, PhD, FAPS Associate Professor School of Psychology and Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University).

 
…I just wanted to tell you that Milly has been reading your books and really loving them! Today she said at school she was being her own worst enemy and had to take some deep breaths and be her best friend. I was so proud of her and wanted to let you know your strategies are amazing…

 (Jade, mother of 3)


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            Which will you choose?