The Art of CHUNKING, or… the TRICK of CHUNKING??? Let's explore the truth….
Rodica Mihalis, M.S. Counseling and Clinical Psychology
https://www.proventherapy.com/Rodica
What is Chunking?
Most definitions would tell you that it is a term used to indicate “breaking up” larger amounts of… whatever into smaller amounts.
Why? because, let’s say in the case of needing to remember a huge amount of information, by breaking it up in smaller parts, “chunks,” and also relating the chunks to other ideas, you will easier remember the whole large unit.
Chunking in learning huge amounts of information is a proven positive method. It is science and it is an art, all at once!
What else is “chuncking? it is used in psychology, in cooking, when we chop a large fruit into “chunks,” and the most common example of chunking is grouping telephone numbers, so we remember them easier.
WOW! Chunking is great, a God given help with those of us with less than perfect memories…to break up large amounts of information into chunks, so we remember!!!
Wait! What else could be “chunked,” so the human mind thinks the total amount is LESS than the TOTAL they will PAY???!
True story:
I had bids from two people to help me fix my home.
The first, said, $1,000! The second, said $10 an hour, as the work is completed, you pay be daily.
My reaction? I do not have $1,000, is he crazy? And I dismissed him.
The second person started to work and at the end of each day, I was usually paying him $50 to $60.
So reasonable! I felt lucky to have such an understanding handyman!
After a while, the project was done, and we parted friends, and I could not be more thankful…. until I did my math:) What it showed? YOU guessed! Although I paid $50 a day, there were so many days that the total price ended up being $1,350! more than the first bidder’s quote, which was NOT chunked, $1,000.
I have noticed the “trick of chunking” used in advertising, when, for instance, a life insurance policy is advertised as $1 a day per UNIT!!! How much money equals a unit? $1,000? $2,000? And then to find out how much you spend you actually will have to multiply the daily amount paid with 30 or 31 days of the month to get the monthly expense. If you want to be even more accurate and determine if chunking was an art, a trick or both, multiply the amount spend DAILY with 365 days (a year) and determine HOW much you really spend. Now, if at the end of the “deal,” YOU own the object you paid for by chunking, that is a good deal, but if you just have the use of it and have to give it back to the owner… oh well, he/she, chunked you:
Let’s take an example: you have the use of an object (any object) for which you pay the seller, $5 a day. That means your monthly cost is 5 x 30=$150 monthly; If we calculate further, and we know a year has 365 days, 365 x 5/daily=$1,825
Math was never my forte but many times the curves in life, the tricks of otherwise great techniques, need to be understood, so that those that apply good principles to “trick” the minds of trusting people rethink their “deceptive art.” Or is it an art?
When I was escaping Communist Romania, many years ago, on my way to “freedom,” I traveled in the same train compartment with a small, grey-haired woman whose eyes spoke the wisdom of age and life experience.
I thought, at the time, she “bought” my lie, that I was just going on a trip to what was at the time West Germany. As I look back I am questioning my “know it all” attitude that most young people have, myself included.
We had a long train ride, and she gave me plenty of advice. I forgot most of it, but very time life throws an unexpected obstacle my way, I remember her words:
“Don’t make very long plans. They almost never work!”
Well, I thought, what did she know? I sure knew MY future, MY GOALS, it was ALL planned!!!
I will not write this post about how many times I had to change the course of my planned to perfection life, or how I ended up changing at least 6 professions to survive the changes around me. If those details, and life lessons interest you, please read the first 100 posts of this blog.
The PURPOSE of this post is to share with you that while it is great to plan, have goals, many times circumstances beyond OUR control happen and derail our initial goals. Just like a train… do you fall off the tracks or get back your balance and stay in the course of life?
Perhaps, a wise suggestion would be to learn to take the small steps that lead to a long-term goal. If life throws your way obstacles, YOU do not have the power to change them. However, YOU have the power to be flexible and CONTROL your attitude.
This is the gift we were given by a Higher Power, the freedom of choice and control over ourselves and our choices. No One else’s!
My goal, when I escaped communism, was to have freedom of speech. To write a book and be allowed to say jokes about political figures and not go to jail!
Ultimately, I wrote a book, I am blessed with you, my readers, and the privilege to share with you… but ON THE WAY… I was faced with six changed of professions, single motherhood, suicide loss… and more. EVERY time something negative happened, what saved me was FLEXIBILITY and understanding that most times life’s road is not straight, but winding and if you don’t follow the bends… oh well…
In conclusion goals are great as long as they are accompanied by flexibility and the wisdom that we could only change us.
Addictions!!! Addictions everywhere, to various drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sex, various harmful behaviors… just about anything that would product a quick HIGH to only leave the user wanting more, needing more and using/doing more! Addictions plague our lives, some in the open, some hidden under the mountains of lies and pretense.
Addictions run in my family and my husband’s, or to tell the truth, my ex-husband’s, who two years after our separation killed himself. Why? It is hard to tell, because suicide is a complex matter, and the ways depend on each person and not what those around do, or do not do.
When I first met my husband of almost 20 years, I knew he was smoking weed, I suspected he was using other, more potent drugs, but in my innocent mind, believed I was going to CHANGE HIM!!! Stop the addictions because they were bad for him and I was so skilled in showing him the “healthy” path, he would just turn away from addictions and follow my lead to a long, happy life. To put it plainly, I thought I could control the bad… I overestimated the evil…
At the beginning, it worked. One by one, he quit all the damaging substances. Later, I realized that perhaps, at the beginning, the needed “high” was coming from the novelty of the situation, from a new sexual relationship and a new life that came with it: a home, children the admiration of those who thought he was “hopeless…”
Temporary!!! Yes, it was all temporary!
Unless an addicted person wants himself or herself to CHANGE!!! other people’s efforts are useless!
I don’t mean to “deflate” anyone, but YOU CANNOT CHANGE ANYONE PERMANENTLY!!! A PERSON MUST WANT TO CHANGE HIMSELF OR HERSELF!!! Changing others is not possible. We only have control over ourselves and our attitude and what we do with our lives.
So… could a person in active addiction or forced to quit LOVE YOU?
My experience? May be in the beginning, when you are the new high, the novelty. But is this love or lust? Is it deep and lasting? Is it trustworthy?
In a few years, if the person was forced to quit because of YOU, it may turn to resentment, fear and ultimately lies, when your addicted partner starts hiding from you the fact that they went back to their first love: the bottle, weed, cocaine, gambling, sexual encounters with no strings attached… you might not even know! I didn’t. For years I thought his sudden sweats where the result of a mysterious health condition and our lack of money, the result of a bad economy! Until one day, when I received a letter from the IRS and I looked through our finances to find tens of checks written to cash… $5,000 each. And that was the day when I was pushed from the top of the tower of blind trust into the dark waters of fear and mistrust! The addictions won over our lives, our children, my love and trust. I was powerless and humbled.
Do they love YOU, the children you conceived together? The answer, as I experienced it, is, may be, but are they able to EXPRESS their love for you, their children? The love for the “addiction” comes FIRST!!! You and your family compete with the addictions! Everything is done to cover the truth: lies, financial deceit, promises, lies again…
The only path I know of, which leads to a good like, is the person’s own will and decision to change. God gave us FREE WILL and CHOICES and CONSEQUENCES. Each person is only responsible and may only make theirs.
I humbly must admit that no one could “save” or “change” anyone else, unless they want to. A partner may support, encourage and be with someone who, on his/her own wants a change.
Control over others is a myth! Control over our own attitudes, is the truth!
This post is rooted in a personal experience therefore first hand experience.
I was reading my Facebook news feed this morning and read a friend’s post about the ads everywhere, informing people that their STATE Treasury might have funds the person forgot about or didn’t know existed.
Some of the commentators wondered, and rightfully so, if it is legal, if it is okay to give YOUR social security to someone on line, etc. This is what triggered me to share this information to explain how it could be done in an EASY, SAFE WAY!
You DO NOT need an intermediary. Do NOT give your personal information to anyone who solicited YOU, as a GENERAL RULE.
It seems, many people experience this type of solicitation, which offers to represent YOU and get the money due you, of course for a FEE. Most probable, they will call or contact you by email to offer their services. Do not give your information to anyone who contacts YOU.
How to Find out if you really have money due you and to do it without an intermediary!
Last year I kept watching the ads on T.V. informing people about the money they are due and don’t know it!
My first reaction was, “Right, what kind of an idiot forgets about money! This must be a scheme!”
The ads continued, and just because… I clearly could use more money,I WENT TO THE PA TREASURY UNCLAIMED PROPERTY WEB SITE!!! I was NOT solicited, I initiated the inquiry.
Sure enough, I put in my name, my old address. I cannot remember if the site asked for my social security at this stage, but probably, because I was the initiator, I would have given it and it is necessary ultimately, if you indeed qualify. The KEY is to make sure you give it in a safe environment.
In my case, sure enough, I matched! I was one of the idiots who forgot she had money!!! Hmm…
How did this happen? In my situation, there were several $50.00 rebates which were send to my old address after the forward expired . Also, a life insurance company with which I had an inactive policy, sold to Met Life. Somehow, that transaction resulted in an amount of money due me, although the policy was inactive.
I felt better, how could I have known of all these funds, which were mailed years after I moved and there was NO forwarding address, because the year expired. Then I changed my name, moved again. All these circumstances may lead to YOUR MONEY BEING DEPOSITED IN YOUR STATE TREASURY, Division of UNCLAIMED PROPERTY!!!
After the initial “match” there were several verification steps I had to follow, so the Treasury made sure I was who I said I was, but it was worth it. I did receive a check and had gas money for a while! Not millions, but every dollar counts!
Is It LEGAL???
Yes, it is legal and you could check if you too have money you “forgot about” by following the steps described in this post.
If I were to do it again, I would FIRST CALL the Treasury at a telephone number which is for sure of the State Treasury because I have heard of new sophisticate schemes which design web sites identical to those of banks and businesses you trust. For that reason, if I were to check now, I’d call first, a safe telephone number of the REAL Treasury.
For RESIDENTS in PA, here is the info:
Pennsylvania Treasury
Bureau of Unclaimed Property
Tel. 1 800.222.2046
web site: http://www.patreasury.gov
Good luck, and please don’t forget to send me a commission:))
Rodica Mihalis, M.S. Counseling and Clinical Psychology
https://www.proventherapy.com/Rodica
Last night I was determined to sit at my laptop and search until I find that expert in cyber security who will help me, with… surprise, a cyber security problem!
What happened next is a perfect explanation of the term “surfing the net.”
I started by reading an article, I believe on http://www.lifehacker.com on why it was safe to log into new accounts with your Facebook or Google accounts. Most commentators disagreed. I felt I needed to voice my opinion in their support… and then, somehow, my eyes stopped on a young man’s picture and under his picture it read: Turn Ice Cream into Bread!
Oh, this was much more important than my cyber security, so I surfed to his site: http://www.adachis.kinja.com (Adam Dachis)
I read the recipe once, twice, three times. Still there. So simple, I NEEDED to share.
Then, the real miracle happened, down the page, he was giving credit to The Hungry Housewife via Wonderful How To!
(www.thehungryhousewife.com)
Needless to say, my “surfing STOPPED,” and I didn’t know what to read first. So, I signed up for her e- newsletter and look forward to more incredible, yummy and uncomplicated recipes. Meanwhile, I wanted to say thank you and congratulations for a job well done!
The recipe is so easy, it made me blush because in my book, home made must be complex and take a long time! No more!
The recipe of the Ice Cream Bread:
Melted Ice Cream, add flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, a pint of salt. Mix well and bake at 350 until done!
There are variations but this is the basic idea. If you are an experienced cook, which I am sure you are, you will play with the quantities for the right consistency.
Today, while I was imagining the ice cream bread of my choice of vanilla, fate took me to one of her recent recipe: Bacon, avocado, tomato, grilled cheese!!!
This reminded me of an old joke: A man was trying to loose weight and avoid breads. His greatest temptation was that on his way to work he drove by a Bakery Shop! The day he started his diet, he thought to himself. “God, please send me a sign if I am supposed to start this diet. If there is no parking in front of the Bakery, it means I should start the diet!” With that deal in mind, he drove by the Bakery. NO parking space! He drove around the block…once, twice, three times! A parking spake at last!!! “Oh God, thank you for giving me the right sign!” and he entered the Bakery.
The lesson in this story: The Hungry Housewife is a perfect example of loving to do something (cook) doing it well and sharing it in a smart way! Bravo! The world needs more like you!
Oh, and for those who wonder, I am not paid, I make no profits by writing this blog. I just like to share and give credit when credit is due! Most importantly, God did give me a sign!
P.S. I still did not find that cyber security expert, so I am surfing the net again tonight!
Rodica Mihalis, M.S. Counseling and Clinical Psychology
The Nude Truth by Rodica Mihalis 