I think it would be nice to have the focus that true singularity of purpose provides

A friend of mine made that comment to me earlier today. It hit me hard because it brought several disparate thoughts and ideas into laser focus.

We're all multi-taskers, right? We all have full plates. Everyone has an armload of balls to juggle. For me it's family and friends, volunteer work, finances, career, health and fitness, and my businesses. You probably have a similar list of all the things you are and do each and every day.

How do you manage them all? The secret to successfully multi-tasking - leading a fully faceted life - is embodied in the quote above. It's all about focus.

When you sit down to pay the bills, or when you spend time with your kids, do you give that task - no matter how big or small it is - your full focus? Do you approach it as if you're the best in the world at it because it's all you do in your life?

Next time you set about your business, or your finances, on the next time you have a conversation with a friend or member of your family, take a laser focus to the task. Let nothing else enter your mind.

The reality that is everyday life has a way of breaking in and taking over just when all is going so well. I was doing so well, losing one pound per week.

Ah, but it's not what you think. You're thinking I was a bad boy on Super Bowl Sunday. You're thinking I gave in to a binge somewhere along the road from heavy to healthy. Not so! Give me some credit here. (I say that jovially, not only because of the pun but also because I'm still fighting the good fight.)

I came down with a nasty cold a bit over a week ago. I don't know about you, but I don't do sick very well. I'm just a big baby at heart. Even the smallest sniffles attack is disaster. When I knew it was coming on and there was not a thing I could do about it I went into recovery mode. The last week has been all about comfort and rest for me.

When I felt tired or sleepy, I took a nap. When I wasn't sleeping I was drinking my hot tea. And in between sips of my tea, if I felt the least bit hungry, I ate.

I have an acute dislike of the whole New Year's resolution thing. The very thought reeks of failure. How many February conversations about successful New Year's resolutions to you expect you'll have this year?

The truth is, there are no New Year's resolution conversations to be found in February. They're off cavorting with the unicorns the the griffins.

But you have to admit, there is something about the change over to a new year that ever so briefly gives us all hope and makes optimists of all of us. That's the spirit that caught me earlier this month when I decided to make a few tweaks in my life. No, I didn't make any resolutions. Remember, I don't believe in those. I simply made a decision to make a couple of changes for the better.

I've always been a big fan of hot and spicy foods. I'm not one of those "too hot is never hot enough" types; but I do like my hot stuff.

I hope you do too, because it scientists at Nottingham University have discovered that the key ingredient in hot sauce, a molecule known as capsaicin, maybe the key to targeting and killing cancer cells.

The study showed that the family of molecules to which capsaicin belongs, the vanilloids, bind to proteins in the cancer cell mitochondria to trigger apoptosis, or cell death, without harming surrounding healthy cells.

Capsaicin was tested on cultures of human lung cancer cells and on pancreatic cancers.

Lead researcher Dr Timothy Bates said: "As these compounds attack the very heart of the tumour cells, we believe that we have in effect discovered a fundamental 'Achilles heel' for all cancers.

My anniversary is coming up. I wonder if my better half would consider a nice Mexican dinner for our celebration?

I wanted to extend my theme from the other day about investing in one's own self. The one I wrote about previously was one of those short-term investment type things. It was good advice for curing the short term blahs life sends your way. Sometimes you have to even out the road a bit.

Today I thought I'd mention a longer term kind of investing in your own self. This is the kind of investment that pays dividends not only at the time of investment, but also for days and weeks and even years to come. I'm talking about volunteering.

We all have something we're good at. Most of us have multiple things we're better than average at. And face it, we all have at least some time we could spend doing a little good for someone else.

If you've never volunteered your time for a good cause make it a point to do it soon. Yeah I know, it's hard to imagine anyone not having done this; but I'm sure it happens. Do it. You'll feel good about yourself.