Accomplish Something Every Day

Sometimes days fl y by without anything standing out in your mind,

without any tangible improvement. Every day make sure, no matter
how small the effort, that you do something to make your dreams come
true.
CHARLIE WORKS WITH children with severe attachment disorder. These
children’s brains leave them in a heightened state of alert at all times,
regardless of what is going on around them. Caused by trauma or neglect
at very early stages, severe attachment disorder causes children to have
trouble functioning in any number of settings, including school, and
such children are prone to reject attachments to caregivers or others they
might come in contact with.
Charlie, a physical therapist, is taking part in a new wave of treatment
that tries to create moments of calm in lives of endless havoc. He
works with a neurofeedback machine that measures brain waves. When
the child maintains a calm state, the child is rewarded with a simple
game to play on the computer screen. Over the course of weeks, the
amount of calm time required to activate the game increases, gradually
helping children attempt to control their emotions.
Charlie says that the children “learn to like the feeling of calm they
get. By challenging the brain, much as you challenge your body in physical
exercise, we can help your brain learn to function better.
“It’s a struggle. There is no overnight cure or magic pill. But every
day they can get a little closer to where they can make it in a classroom,
make it through their day. It makes you realize that whatever you’re
trying to do, there is room to try to get better every single day.”
People who thought they were making progress toward their goals—regardless
of how much they still had left to accomplish—were 51 percent more
likely to be satisfi ed with themselves than people who felt they were stagnating.
(DeShon and Gillespie 2005)