Recently I took my teenage son to the Parachute Music Festival.  Though he loves it, the cost of $190 for him was more than he could afford. But the organizers had tried something new for families – pay what you could afford. So we went, we made a donation and he had a great time.

If we had more we would have donated more, but we paid what we could afford – and what I thought it was worth. Time will tell if this concept will pay the organisers enough to fund the infrastructure involved, and keep the festival going. I hope so.

It got me thinking about Healthy Thinking. We have discovered a cure for much of what troubles individuals, families and society. Conflict, unhealthy attitudes, negative emotions and self talk that undermines confidence and limits performance can be greatly helped with some Healthy Thinking.

As a medical doctor I have had to suffer divorce, setback, being stabbed, almost killed by a Tsunami, and raising teenagers!

I discovered how to manage my emotions and deal with what life throws at me, and I called this intervention Healthy Thinking. From this start, TV shows, books, global speaking engagements for the likes of Google and Microsoft, thousands of emails,  an academic appointment to a Universities and consequent research have shown us that Healthy Thinking works.

Teaming up with other Doctors, Psychiatrists, Teachers and Psychologists, we built an on line program that gives you the tools to become more emotionally fit and to think, feel and act in a healthy way.

We have been selling the on line program for $150 per person to fund our continued research and development in this area and the work we do in schools and other areas such as hospitals and ambulance services.

To be honest with you, trying to negotiate with people, suppliers, web developers and the like on price is not something I enjoy.

If I had discovered a cure for cancer, I would feel bad charging people for the cure. So I thought, why don’t I just make Healthy Thinking on line a gift, or Koha as we say in New Zealand.

So here I am, for the first time, giving you a gift of Healthy Thinking – the gift to learn to manage your own emotions.  The gift of controlling your own thoughts, emotions and actions, so you lead a longer, healthier and happier life.  Like any gift, it’s more effective if you unwrap it, open and use it.

In your own time go to http://login.healthythinking.biz/create-account.aspx

Your supplied token is koha

Have a look at the course, test yourself, use the diary, explore the tools such as Emotional Algebra and use them in your daily life.

Thousands of people globally from top athletes, executives, parents and children have used Healthy Thinking to improve their enjoyment of life and what it has to offer, through this easy structured approach.

Like other companies and the Parachute music festival, our staff and business has costs as well.

We want to continue to change your world, one thought at a time. We want to do more talks in schools, develop more applications of Healthy Thinking such as for IPADs, write more books and programs and do more radio interviews.

So it would be great if in your own time you could donate what you think the course is worth to you, in relation to what you can afford, to our cause.

Our bank account number is 02-0708-0119373-00 If you can donate something, that is great. If you need a receipt for a charitable donation to our foundation, we can provide you with one.

You can help your world by becoming a Healthy Thinker. You can help our world by helping us develop more tools, to help more people and make it a better place.

Please feel free to forward this email to someone who needs some help, or who may be able to help us.

With heartfelt thanks and best wishes in using this gift.

How are you going for 2012?

What I have learnt in 20 years as a doctor and 10 years teaching Healthy Thinking is that if you want to change behaviour, it helps to reward people. 2011 was good for me in that I lost 17 kilos in weight by rewarding myself in other ways than eating, and have partnered with Les Mills. I thought I was getting old, but discovered I was just getting fat. How old do you feel and look, how are your energy and motivation levels?

So in 2012 my new book is coming out and speaking gigs arranged for London and Hong Kong. With Les Mills we have launched the Healthiest Place to work competition www.thehealthiestplace.tv with trips for 20 people to Fiji for a week to give away. You have to be in to win so join us to Fiji and get healthy at the same time.

What I have also learnt is that only Coach the Coachable. If you want to learn how to manage your emotions and GET MORE DONE then you have to put in some effort and work.. If you want to Live Fast Die Old it helps not to die early. Sadly in my job as a Doctor in the Emergency Department I see too many people dying way too early and living slow..

The link between mind and body is huge and the exponential results you get from combining the two is amazing. My Heart Rate variability has improved out of site by losing weight.

I challenge to you get moving in 2012 and live longer and have more fun at the same time. How will you reward yourself? Will you see more of your kids birthdays, more rugby world cups?? The clock is ticking.. don’t miss out get OUT and Move, Think and Act Healthy.

This morning I am heading to Wellington to train the staff at the Ministry of Science and Innovation. It’s a conference at our national Museum, Te Papa. So a keynote presentation to 100 of their staff then a workshop in the afternoon. I will be teaching them to be Scientific and Innovative with their emotions.

Unlike the Ministry of Magic, in Harry Potter which seemed to be quite controlling, I am excited about another day on the road giving what I could term our New Zealand Ministry of Magic some tools to become more Emotionally Fit. We need some magic to grow our nations growth in things like biotech, technology and science. Becoming Emotionally fit we know helps this process.

Before having too much fun manipulating and  being innovative with our emotions, we first need to learn how they work, and how to control them. Understanding how we are wired up, the effect our emotions have on our performance and physiology and how they effect our behavior and relationships are part of the learning process. Whether you are a student of magic with Harry Potter, a PHD with the Ministry of Science and Innovation or one of my colleagues at the Hospital or Dept of Psychological medicine at the University of Auckland, we need to start with the basics.

As a medical student and as a doctor we are taught to describe someone’s mood in terms of their AFFECT. If you have a disturbance of mood such as Bi Polar disease it is often described as an AFFECTIVE disorder. In retrospect I can see one reason why it’s called this. Because our Emotions effect our performance. So we can learn to be scientific about our emotions by going through a process, then we become innovative. Then we can control our emotions, rather than them controlling us.

The cool thing about today is that we can introduce another 100 people to some essential tools how they can improve their performance and make a positive impact on their health and contribution to our country’s  growth. Not only that, they will learn how to deal with issues at home as well as at work. Joining me today is Dr Paul Wood, an Occupational Psychologist to help facilitate the day. It will be a fun day for all.

So despite waking up early in a state of excitement, catching yet another plane, going through another security check taking out my laptops, and delivering Keynote 502 or so, I am as excited as a kid at Christmas. I could choose to look at the barriers ahead or be excited about the possibilities. That’s what being innovative with your emotions does, make life exciting.

Dr Tom Mulholland

My first trip to New York has been interesting and rewarding. What a great part of the planet. I have had the good fortune to snowboard of Siberian Volcanoes, Surf large waves at arguably the worlds best left handers Grajagan in Indonesia and Restaraunts in Fiji, swim with Orcas and get up close and personal with Wandering and Royal albatross in New Zealands sub antarctic islands, but going to see Billy Elliot the musical live on Broadway is right up there. What a fabulous experience and emotional trip!! Talk about living your dream, Billy Elliot doing ballet in a coal mining town.. great acting, singing and dancing …. I loved it…

Having spent some time working at San Francisco General Hospital a number of years ago Im used to the hustle of a large US city. But to date had neglected New York… probably as there was no surfing, snowboarding or diving..

Its been a blast to bring my 16 year old daughter on tour and show her the sights. The bustle of Manhattan, the drawl of a Brooklyn accent and the buzz of Harlem.. her dream is to be a professional musician so she has been busking in Washingtion square and trying out a new guitar in LA

Yesterday we took a Statten Island Ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty. Very cool. As we were cruising past a local asked me the legal drinking age in New Zealand. Kind of ironic going past the Statue of Liberty…In the USA the legal drinking age is 21 which probably explains why I have not seen any drunken teenagers on the streets in the USA. Nor drunken adults either.. The presence of heavily armed Police at many street corners is also a pretty good deterrent as well.. Seems the liberty is controlled… which is good..

Compare that to the drunken mess that is downtown Auckland and the alcohol carnage I see on Friday and Saturday nights in Auckland City Hospital Emergency Department when working shifts.. Our Kiwi attitude to alcohol and drunkeness is quite frankly a National Disgrace… Im not moaning, its a fact.. I often hear bandied about that if we tighten our laws around alcohol especially around the Rugby World Cup we will be the laughing stoick of the world as Auckland needs to be a global city.. I think we are already a laughing stock…

When last In San Francisco at a psychology conference a couple of years ago you couldnt buy a drink after 1am…

I have been in London, Edinburgh, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong and even Birmingham  speaking recently and nowhere looked like downtown Queen St or Courtenay place.. on a Friday night… for those wanting proof, come and sit in the waiting room of one of our hospitals at 2am … its not pretty…

On the way to New York I had a week at an Emergency Medicine Conference in Hawaii run by the UC Davis Emetrgency Department.. There was much talk of alcohol abuse but not so much in teenagers.. as its not as  available.. they seemed to have worked out that filling an already unstable changing and emotionally charged teenage brain with grog is not a good idea…

On the flip side the US has liberal gun laws… guess what…. they have liberal amounts of gunshot wounds in their Emergency departments. In a few months as an Intern at San Francisco I saw dozens of gunshot wounds.. in 20 years of working in New Zealand Emergency Departments I think I have seen only a couple of gun shot wounds..

Guns and alcohol not a good idea!!! To much Liberty can be a bad thing and the Statue reminded me of that..

Yesterday biked Central park in New York… then back to the Sanctuary of the Hilton in Times square to write another chapter in my new book, Emotional Fitness… plenty of examples to draw on from this trip from observation and experience…

Its been a great father daughter trip to New York… yesterday had breakfast with Anna Gestro of KEA.. Kiwis Expatriates Abroad… what a cool concept and great organisation.. more on that to come… until next time … Dr Tom signing off from the big apple.. we will be back…

Having just spent 4 days working as a doctor at Auckland City Hospital over Easter I am appreciating the importance of being chilled. In my 20 years working as a doctor I have spent 7 Easters that I can remember working in the Emergency Department of a number of hospitals and Emergency Clinics. In that 20 years I have seen unbelievable road carnage, families and lives destroyed and changed forever.

I have seen the tragedy and the spirit of the human condition in many shapes, forms and sizes. The loneliness of the alcoholic, the desperation of self harm, the triumph over disease, and the calm of acceptance.

One of the things that strikes me the most is the importance of “being chilled”. Working with teams of doctors, nurses, orderlies, clerks, ambulance staff and others who have control of their emotions makes a massive difference to patient care, enjoyment of the job and I believe health outcomes. I have had a great Easter working with such teams. I did not choose to work this Easter, my roster dictated it. Hospitals don’t close and those who were rostered on to keep it open chose their attitude well.

The calm of acceptance that you are rostered on to do a job and do it well and being surrounded by those with a similar attitude and belief is important no matter where you are. Not being chilled is a direct result of unhealthy thinking usually related to unhealthy beliefs and attitudes. Life is so much more fun for you and those around you when you can learn to be chilled and master your emotional responses. Sometimes the only thing you can change is your attitude. Knowing how to do it is the key.