During this time, let us remember to give thanks and to pray for those who have put, and are putting, their lives on the line for us. We often forget how blessed we really are to live in the great USA.
I have been in contact with some who are fighting in wars, and their stories would bring anyone with half a heart to tears. The darkness of death lurks all around them day and night. The choices they must make in do or die situations are unbelievable and quite heart-breaking. They often must make quick decisions in a blink of an eye: Their lives and those around them depend on it.
I can't stress enough that we must pray for them and their safety each and every day. We must make it a point as citizens to give them a place to come back to, where they can be proud that they have served. Let us not judge our veterans for the mental and emotional battles they must continue to fight after returning. Instead, let's give them comfort and compassion, joining in to share our appreciation for all that they have done.
Let's have a safe and happy life together now and forever, by being truly grateful.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Mature Personality . . .
An individual is a sum total of habit-conditioning influences that have helped shape your personality from the day of birth. Such shaping has come from influences within the home, stemming from family members and friends. Other influences come from outside the home, including religious influences and the influence of society. Just as it takes a variety of colors to make a rainbow, many factors make up each personality.
Fortunately, most personality traits are not inherited, and even those that are can be controlled. They are expressions of the "inner you," which have largely been learned and acquired through conditioning and imitation.
Personality is influenced by conscious and unconscious factors. Psychoanalysts believe that personality can be changed only by bringing what is buried in the subconscious mind to the level of conscious awareness. They may be preponderantly correct in this, but only if action is taken once an individual is aware of it.
Mature personality involves self-control. Developing and maintaining a healthy personality involves hard work and persistent attention to acquire the desired qualities. Gradually, a personality shift may occur deep in the recesses of your subconscious mind, but such a shift may be one of the most difficult endeavors in an individual’s life. It is, I believe, proper to make the assumption that, aside from minor, evolutionary shifts and modifications over a lifetime, a formed personality is generally a permanent one.
Fortunately, most personality traits are not inherited, and even those that are can be controlled. They are expressions of the "inner you," which have largely been learned and acquired through conditioning and imitation.
Personality is influenced by conscious and unconscious factors. Psychoanalysts believe that personality can be changed only by bringing what is buried in the subconscious mind to the level of conscious awareness. They may be preponderantly correct in this, but only if action is taken once an individual is aware of it.
Mature personality involves self-control. Developing and maintaining a healthy personality involves hard work and persistent attention to acquire the desired qualities. Gradually, a personality shift may occur deep in the recesses of your subconscious mind, but such a shift may be one of the most difficult endeavors in an individual’s life. It is, I believe, proper to make the assumption that, aside from minor, evolutionary shifts and modifications over a lifetime, a formed personality is generally a permanent one.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Turn On Your Self-Healer . . .
Healing rests in the hands of every human being. We all carry with us the most powerful medicine that exists. We have it only if we choose to use it, if we learn to use it.
Whatever gives us an encouraging sense of control–whether it is love, faith or cognitive coping–seems to set off our self-healing systems. Some people experience, being told by their physicians, because that person has a serious illness there’s little hope in leading a "normal" life. When some people are put in this situation, they appear to use courage, determination, even anger, to take control and turn on their healing systems. Everyone has their own way, some may do it by meditating, praying, renewing strained relationships, or giving their bodies the love that it has been craving, through good nutrition and exercise.
Regardless of the situation, what leads us to believe it, if we become assured that we can control our lives, our bodies, and our health, we obviously gain access to our self-healer.
Any painful, chronic illness often leads people to believe that nothing can be done to help them and that their situation is hopeless. Dramatic changes in pain relief can occur, only if such people are able to gain some sense of control.
People who believe they can be effective in managing a problem, including their own health situations, have also experienced beneficial effects in their immune systems.
Researchers are now seriously searching how positive thoughts and feelings can promote healing and keep us well. The secret effect of faith, love, and positive expectations on health and disease has long been acknowledged in many elements, but how these forces work in the body is still a mystery.
We appear to have powerful healing systems in our bodies that give us the possibilities to overcome much pain and illness if we can learn to use them. Certain evidence suggests that our systems respond to anticipate the best possible outcome, caring, closeness, hope, and other positive thoughts. Those who may be the most out of touch with these self-healing processes are those who most likely get sick.
By toning down our negative thoughts and beliefs, we can be less susceptible to illness. When we use thinking control and restructuring, we help to reconstruct a balance to the mind and body that affects on the nervous system, our hormones, and immune defenses. However, being less negative is one thing, being positive is another. There is such a thing as "mind-made disease" illnesses that can be largely triggered by our own stressful thoughts and behavior—there is good reason to believe the also "mind-made health" is a reality.
Body’s Response to Love
Having the ability to love and care about yourself and others is an important factor in having a healthy immune system. Less illness is associated with the caring character. People who seek friendship and a union with others are generally more healthy. The effects of tender loving care can be deep. Social support in general has provided additional evidence of the benefit of positive thoughts and feeling on health. We need each other.
Smiling May Help
Just putting on a happy face can be beneficial. There was a study, by Bandura, a well-known psychologist, that showed if we take on aspects of happiness, we can increase blood flow to the brain and stimulate release of favorable neurotransmitters. In other words, if we are anxious or depressed, we may prompt better feelings by putting a positive look on our faces.
Creating a Hope Habit
People who live longer have shown that they properly have a sense of hope, order, and control in their lives. "The hope habit" seems to encourage length of service by reducing the effects of stress on the body and turning on self-healing systems. Some believe that hopeful patterns of thinking can be cultivated like any habit or discipline, for example, brushing our teeth.
Happiness and Health
Happiness is related to attitude and how a person chooses to look at things. The four attitudes found to be particularly important to happiness are to anticipate the best possible outcome, lack of disbelief, mistrust, hate, misgiving etc., belief that life has true meaning and the feelings of control.
We need to give our body the care and love it deserves. By doing this, our body will respond in a healthy way. It is important to turn the positive thoughts up really loud, so we can be able to put such thoughts into action. Remembering that, by smiling we are giving ourselves and others a special gift, the joy of happiness. If we make it a habit to be positive, having a smile, have hope, and share love, we will be in better health!
Whatever gives us an encouraging sense of control–whether it is love, faith or cognitive coping–seems to set off our self-healing systems. Some people experience, being told by their physicians, because that person has a serious illness there’s little hope in leading a "normal" life. When some people are put in this situation, they appear to use courage, determination, even anger, to take control and turn on their healing systems. Everyone has their own way, some may do it by meditating, praying, renewing strained relationships, or giving their bodies the love that it has been craving, through good nutrition and exercise.
Regardless of the situation, what leads us to believe it, if we become assured that we can control our lives, our bodies, and our health, we obviously gain access to our self-healer.
Any painful, chronic illness often leads people to believe that nothing can be done to help them and that their situation is hopeless. Dramatic changes in pain relief can occur, only if such people are able to gain some sense of control.
People who believe they can be effective in managing a problem, including their own health situations, have also experienced beneficial effects in their immune systems.
Researchers are now seriously searching how positive thoughts and feelings can promote healing and keep us well. The secret effect of faith, love, and positive expectations on health and disease has long been acknowledged in many elements, but how these forces work in the body is still a mystery.
We appear to have powerful healing systems in our bodies that give us the possibilities to overcome much pain and illness if we can learn to use them. Certain evidence suggests that our systems respond to anticipate the best possible outcome, caring, closeness, hope, and other positive thoughts. Those who may be the most out of touch with these self-healing processes are those who most likely get sick.
By toning down our negative thoughts and beliefs, we can be less susceptible to illness. When we use thinking control and restructuring, we help to reconstruct a balance to the mind and body that affects on the nervous system, our hormones, and immune defenses. However, being less negative is one thing, being positive is another. There is such a thing as "mind-made disease" illnesses that can be largely triggered by our own stressful thoughts and behavior—there is good reason to believe the also "mind-made health" is a reality.
Body’s Response to Love
Having the ability to love and care about yourself and others is an important factor in having a healthy immune system. Less illness is associated with the caring character. People who seek friendship and a union with others are generally more healthy. The effects of tender loving care can be deep. Social support in general has provided additional evidence of the benefit of positive thoughts and feeling on health. We need each other.
Smiling May Help
Just putting on a happy face can be beneficial. There was a study, by Bandura, a well-known psychologist, that showed if we take on aspects of happiness, we can increase blood flow to the brain and stimulate release of favorable neurotransmitters. In other words, if we are anxious or depressed, we may prompt better feelings by putting a positive look on our faces.
Creating a Hope Habit
People who live longer have shown that they properly have a sense of hope, order, and control in their lives. "The hope habit" seems to encourage length of service by reducing the effects of stress on the body and turning on self-healing systems. Some believe that hopeful patterns of thinking can be cultivated like any habit or discipline, for example, brushing our teeth.
Happiness and Health
Happiness is related to attitude and how a person chooses to look at things. The four attitudes found to be particularly important to happiness are to anticipate the best possible outcome, lack of disbelief, mistrust, hate, misgiving etc., belief that life has true meaning and the feelings of control.
We need to give our body the care and love it deserves. By doing this, our body will respond in a healthy way. It is important to turn the positive thoughts up really loud, so we can be able to put such thoughts into action. Remembering that, by smiling we are giving ourselves and others a special gift, the joy of happiness. If we make it a habit to be positive, having a smile, have hope, and share love, we will be in better health!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Heroes . . .
We look up to our heroes. They set examples we can follow. When times get rough, heroes take the positive side. They help us to have the strength to carry on.
We tend look at heroes from a distance. We never really see the pain in their own lives because they are too busy helping to remove pain from ours. When the time comes for them to share with us just what they have gone through, their experiences often tax the imagination.
Tears, grieving, and sadness are often evoked by knowing what had happened. Yet it is not a depressive type of sadness. The hero’s understanding, reassurance, and optimism replace the negative feelings. Heroes can turn the darkest of days into bright and shining ones.
Our heroes are with us always. They show that we can—and how we can—experiment until we make the right decisions. If we give them just a little chance to show they care, heroes can change our lives forever.
Just what is a hero? A hero is someone who takes responsibility for and charge of his/her own life. A hero is someone who never gives up. A hero is someone who can see the good in everything that happens, even if it seems bad at the time—no matter how bad it seems—who understands that "God works to the good with those who love Him."
We as humans make mistakes. A hero is willing to give us a second chance. Forgiveness is a prime value.
A hero always stands ready to help and stand by others, to serve others. One such Hero once said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." This means more than dying for another; this means setting aside one’s life, however temporarily, to lend aid to a friend. And a hero’s friends are plentiful—the hero knows that we all can use that helping hand. This includes him/herself, for the hero also has the humility to accept a hand when needed.
Such a hero can be you.
You are a creature of choice. You can choose to allow your problems, your sorrows and pains, to bring you down, or you can choose to use them to emerge as a new, beautiful creature, like a butterfly from its cocoon. You can make a difference in your own life and in the lives of others.
No matter what you have gone through, there is definitely a hero inside you. What better hero, then, is there to have than yourself? All you need to do is to make your own those attributes you so admire.
Think about it. Then pass it on—with love.
We tend look at heroes from a distance. We never really see the pain in their own lives because they are too busy helping to remove pain from ours. When the time comes for them to share with us just what they have gone through, their experiences often tax the imagination.
Tears, grieving, and sadness are often evoked by knowing what had happened. Yet it is not a depressive type of sadness. The hero’s understanding, reassurance, and optimism replace the negative feelings. Heroes can turn the darkest of days into bright and shining ones.
Our heroes are with us always. They show that we can—and how we can—experiment until we make the right decisions. If we give them just a little chance to show they care, heroes can change our lives forever.
Just what is a hero? A hero is someone who takes responsibility for and charge of his/her own life. A hero is someone who never gives up. A hero is someone who can see the good in everything that happens, even if it seems bad at the time—no matter how bad it seems—who understands that "God works to the good with those who love Him."
We as humans make mistakes. A hero is willing to give us a second chance. Forgiveness is a prime value.
A hero always stands ready to help and stand by others, to serve others. One such Hero once said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." This means more than dying for another; this means setting aside one’s life, however temporarily, to lend aid to a friend. And a hero’s friends are plentiful—the hero knows that we all can use that helping hand. This includes him/herself, for the hero also has the humility to accept a hand when needed.
Such a hero can be you.
You are a creature of choice. You can choose to allow your problems, your sorrows and pains, to bring you down, or you can choose to use them to emerge as a new, beautiful creature, like a butterfly from its cocoon. You can make a difference in your own life and in the lives of others.
No matter what you have gone through, there is definitely a hero inside you. What better hero, then, is there to have than yourself? All you need to do is to make your own those attributes you so admire.
Think about it. Then pass it on—with love.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Learn to Push Past Fatigue . . .
Fatigue does not have to impede progress toward your objectives and goals. Getting tired is not a signal to quit. Many people, when tired, mistakenly continue to work on projects requiring too much concentration and creativity, only to become frustrated. The escalation of this "fatigue-inaction response" then results in the feeling of getting further and further behind.
Yet others, facing such projects, simply quit before they begin.
Use fatigue rather as a signal that it is time to switch gears from a project or activity needing more awareness to one needing less brain power. Normally there is no end to the number of activities from which you can choose, but you will find that, when fatigued, you can operate more effectively on lower priority projects and activities.
If you get into the habit of quitting a task just because you feel tired, your mind begins to play tricks on you. Whenever you face a challenging project requiring intense thought, your mind may then trigger fatigue, creating an excuse for not even getting started.
If you continue to stay awake and remain active in the face of this type of fatigue, it will pass, and you will once again experience alertness. By becoming more aware of your body’s responses, you will discover your fatigue cycle and be able to use it to your benefit.
Getting some sunlight into your eyes can be a significant help, especially if you are becoming somnolent, or drowsy. Just step outside for a few, if you can, and look toward the sky for a few moments. Don't look directly at the sun (I think you already know that, of course), but let the daylight hit your retinas. Light stimulates the retinas, which then send signals through your neurons to the hypothalamus, which participates in the establishment of sleep patterns. These signals will tell the hypothalamus that it isn't time to sleep, and it will help to perk you up.
I know that is a bit over-simplified and not specifically precise, but I wanted to keep from getting too technical since this is not a college essay. :)
Moving right along, if you follow these suggestions, you will definitely become more active and feel better along the way. This depends, however, on when you decide to get started.
Why not right now?
Yet others, facing such projects, simply quit before they begin.
Use fatigue rather as a signal that it is time to switch gears from a project or activity needing more awareness to one needing less brain power. Normally there is no end to the number of activities from which you can choose, but you will find that, when fatigued, you can operate more effectively on lower priority projects and activities.
If you get into the habit of quitting a task just because you feel tired, your mind begins to play tricks on you. Whenever you face a challenging project requiring intense thought, your mind may then trigger fatigue, creating an excuse for not even getting started.
If you continue to stay awake and remain active in the face of this type of fatigue, it will pass, and you will once again experience alertness. By becoming more aware of your body’s responses, you will discover your fatigue cycle and be able to use it to your benefit.
Getting some sunlight into your eyes can be a significant help, especially if you are becoming somnolent, or drowsy. Just step outside for a few, if you can, and look toward the sky for a few moments. Don't look directly at the sun (I think you already know that, of course), but let the daylight hit your retinas. Light stimulates the retinas, which then send signals through your neurons to the hypothalamus, which participates in the establishment of sleep patterns. These signals will tell the hypothalamus that it isn't time to sleep, and it will help to perk you up.
I know that is a bit over-simplified and not specifically precise, but I wanted to keep from getting too technical since this is not a college essay. :)
Moving right along, if you follow these suggestions, you will definitely become more active and feel better along the way. This depends, however, on when you decide to get started.
Why not right now?
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Virtue of Gratitude . . .
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom–to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances." - Victor Frankl
Have you ever stopped to wonder how some people are able to have such a positive attitude, where others do not? Some of the most impaired persons show us their inner strength by just loving to live. The secret to love—and a sense of joy and gratitude toward all life—is to see, feel, and hear as if it were the First Time. When we can live our lives as if it were always the first time—the first time we gazed upon the face of our beloved, the first time we tasted ice cream, the first time we saw a bird fly through the blue sky—we would not have to try to experience a sense of gratitude. It will be there, automatically, as a natural response to the beauty and the bounty.
If you want the habit of gratitude to grace your life, it is essential that you develop the belief you are here on Earth to fulfill some special purpose only you can offer to the world. You are an amazingly rare, totally unmatchable individual with talents and gifts the world anxiously needs. The more you experience the truth of your uniqueness and beauty, the more you will feel gratitude for your particular gifts, and the more you will be able to deliver those gifts.
It will help to realize the value of gratitude toward ourselves if we visualize our heart as a delicate treasure, hand-blown from the rarest ethereal glass. It is a treasure valuable beyond imagining—fragile, irreplaceable, priceless, and ancient. There is no other like it—infinitely precious, existing before time and after infinity.
In reality, we were entrusted with such a mysterious treasure when we were given the gift of life.
An attitude of gratitude gets us off the treadmill and out of the rat race. As we cultivate a true and deep appreciation for what we do have, we realize that our sense of lack is, for the most part, an illusion. No matter what the circumstances, the richness of our soul is ultimately what brings us true happiness.
Gratitude has to do with feeling full, complete, adequate—we have everything we need and deserve; if we approach the world with a sense of value.
Gratitude is an attitude that can be consciously chosen, no matter our circumstances. We have two options: We can focus on the negative and descend into a spiral of negativity and gloom, or we can choose to look at what is right in any given situation, and become a beacon of love and joy.
Let us focus on the positive and make a virtue of our attitude. With this positive attitude, We will not be disabled, but, will instead be able to lead the fullest of what life has to offer.
Have you ever stopped to wonder how some people are able to have such a positive attitude, where others do not? Some of the most impaired persons show us their inner strength by just loving to live. The secret to love—and a sense of joy and gratitude toward all life—is to see, feel, and hear as if it were the First Time. When we can live our lives as if it were always the first time—the first time we gazed upon the face of our beloved, the first time we tasted ice cream, the first time we saw a bird fly through the blue sky—we would not have to try to experience a sense of gratitude. It will be there, automatically, as a natural response to the beauty and the bounty.
If you want the habit of gratitude to grace your life, it is essential that you develop the belief you are here on Earth to fulfill some special purpose only you can offer to the world. You are an amazingly rare, totally unmatchable individual with talents and gifts the world anxiously needs. The more you experience the truth of your uniqueness and beauty, the more you will feel gratitude for your particular gifts, and the more you will be able to deliver those gifts.
It will help to realize the value of gratitude toward ourselves if we visualize our heart as a delicate treasure, hand-blown from the rarest ethereal glass. It is a treasure valuable beyond imagining—fragile, irreplaceable, priceless, and ancient. There is no other like it—infinitely precious, existing before time and after infinity.
In reality, we were entrusted with such a mysterious treasure when we were given the gift of life.
An attitude of gratitude gets us off the treadmill and out of the rat race. As we cultivate a true and deep appreciation for what we do have, we realize that our sense of lack is, for the most part, an illusion. No matter what the circumstances, the richness of our soul is ultimately what brings us true happiness.
Gratitude has to do with feeling full, complete, adequate—we have everything we need and deserve; if we approach the world with a sense of value.
Gratitude is an attitude that can be consciously chosen, no matter our circumstances. We have two options: We can focus on the negative and descend into a spiral of negativity and gloom, or we can choose to look at what is right in any given situation, and become a beacon of love and joy.
Let us focus on the positive and make a virtue of our attitude. With this positive attitude, We will not be disabled, but, will instead be able to lead the fullest of what life has to offer.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Impending Disaster In The Medical Industry?
How often have you or a loved one gone to the doctor or the emergency room expecting to get help? Instead, you receive a prescription or are just sent home. So often, they tell to us what we already know. Who doesn’t know, for example, what a cold or headache feels like? We are not going to these places to be told what we necessary have. We want to be on the road toward recovery.
It can take hours before they bring the message to us. Moreover, doctor visits, tests, and prescriptions have gone up immensely in the last five years. If insurance refuses to cover the cost, the consumer is responsible this cost. For HMO and Medicaid patients, this can seem impossible. This turns these patients into victims because no follow up care is being done.
The point is, it isn't necessarily the doctor's fault. I have many clients who are on Medicaid or in HMOs, and it seems those organizations often seem to feel they know more than the doctors who are trying to get approval for their patients. So the patients too often have no other choice but to do without because the means are taken away.
Would you like to know what may be about to happen to all of us involving the health care plan that congress is wanting to pass? Look no further than HMOs and Medicaid. Come to think of it, maybe that isn't a fair comparison. It just might get worse.
It can take hours before they bring the message to us. Moreover, doctor visits, tests, and prescriptions have gone up immensely in the last five years. If insurance refuses to cover the cost, the consumer is responsible this cost. For HMO and Medicaid patients, this can seem impossible. This turns these patients into victims because no follow up care is being done.
The point is, it isn't necessarily the doctor's fault. I have many clients who are on Medicaid or in HMOs, and it seems those organizations often seem to feel they know more than the doctors who are trying to get approval for their patients. So the patients too often have no other choice but to do without because the means are taken away.
Would you like to know what may be about to happen to all of us involving the health care plan that congress is wanting to pass? Look no further than HMOs and Medicaid. Come to think of it, maybe that isn't a fair comparison. It just might get worse.
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