Living Well, Moving Well, Eating Well, THINKING WELL
“We count our miseries carefully, and accept our blessings without much thought” Chinese Proverb
In previous articles we have shared research showing the connection between the mind and the body and how “thoughts” can influence not only the inner expression of our “genes” but also influence the circumstances of our experiences in the world we live in. In our HEALTH NEWS YOU CAN USE articles, “Live Well Eat Well Move Well Think Well”, we’ve been sharing information that supports the contention that 70% of all chronic diseases that we in our North American culture suffer from are lifestyle-based. This is why I aim to share the four pillars of health through the HEALTH NEWS YOU CAN USE articles to encourage you to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. This article will discuss a thinking well aspect of how to live a life of gratitude.
Referring to previous articles such as, “How Thoughts Become Things”, we were able to show that the mind and more specifically the “thoughts” which dominate our consciousness form the reality of the inner and outer world we live in. Also recall that it takes approximately 21 days to form a habit. The goal of this article is to retrain our thought patterns. Let me explain how…
Over the years, I have more than once read in motivational or behavioral literature, books news articles etc. that there are only two prevailing emotions which exist and from these peoples behaviors are determined. Those emotions are “fear” and “love”. If we look at the news today we see that the underlying emotion really in just about every story is “fear”. Fear of loss, fear of death, fear of crime, fear of lack, and the economy is this and the economy is that. This is one of the reasons that a long time ago I consciously decided that as much as possible I would avoid the news. There was never anything that was uplifting or inspirational. Interestingly several years ago I came across the book the Secret by Rhonda Byrne. One of the contributing authors, James Ray, suggested the same thing. He avoids the news for the same reason suggesting there was never anything uplifting or nourishing in the news. Rather than feeding the mind it was a source of negativity.
Also interestingly, in the same book Jack Canfield, author of the “Chicken Soup for The Soul” series of books shares the belief or thoughts of Mother Teresa when she was invited to an “Anti War” rally. When she was asked or invited and then declined her response was that she would not attend such an event. However she said, “organize a peace rally and I will be there”. That was really interesting to me…can you see how the emotions of fear and love are underlying these two movements. War and its underlying motivation is born in fear and peace is one the has an underlying message of love.
As we move through each day I’m suggesting that we would be better served by focusing our thoughts on “love”. How do we do that? By giving thanks. By looking at our lives and when conscious of it, giving thanks for the many “things’ or “blessings” that we have. You don’t have to be spiritual, go to a church or be apart of any specific religion here. This is not about that. It’s about being grateful for the things you do have, looking at the world from a perspective that “my glass is half full”, and that …Life is Good. By changing our focus, changing our thoughts, we change our perceptions and this in turn molds our reality and our future. If you want to change your world you need to change your mind. As Deepak Chopra M.D. writes, “In order to change the printout of the body, we need to learn to rewrite the software of the mind”.
My hope is that we take control of the prevailing negative news that is in the media and cancel out its effects on us replacing something that is negative with an energy that is positive. The intention is that whenever we hear or experience something that we consciously perceive as being “negative” whether it is in the news or in our everyday experiences in life, that we replace that thought with one that is positive. As a healthy practice, I also encourage you to start and end your day in gratitude. It could be as simple as consciously giving thanks for something(s) that are good in your life or as detailed as keeping a daily journal. The rubber band can serve as an anchor or reminder. I really do believe that by implementing something so simple, we truly can change the “printout” not only of our body, but of our lives.
Continually give thanks through the course of your day for all the many blessings that surround you.