Bruce Lipton, PhD, author of Biology of Belief, gave an incredible free seminar last month. I finally paused to type the notes so I have them to refer to time and again. Thought you might like to see them as well. Lots of food for thought. . .

Placebo effect: Positive thoughts lead to a healing response.

Nocebo effect: Negative thoughts are as powerful as a placebo, but in the opposite direction.

The power of the nocebo effect is evidenced in the story told of the pulmonologist friend of Deepak Chopra. A chest x-ray revealed a black spot on his lung. He was told it was a malignancy. He was dead three weeks later. While cleaning out his office after his death, they came upon a chest x-ray taken some 20 years earlier. . .the same black spot was in the same exact place.

How many times do patients receive a “diagnosis” and then go home and die?

Dr. Lipton went on to talk about the mind. Positive thoughts involve using your mind. There are two parts of the mind that work differently:  1) the conscious mind, and 2) the subconscious mind.

The conscious mind is the thinking mind. It is the creative mind, connected to identity.

The subconscious mind is the “tape player mind” in that it is equivalent to a tape player.

The subconscious mind is a million times more powerful than the conscious mind.

The subconscious mind runs biology 95-99% of the time. Your body just works as if on autopilot.

Positive thinking and creative process comes from the conscious mind.

The conscious mind competes with programs in the subconscious mind.

The conscious mind operates less than 5% of the time.

The subconscious mind operates 95% of the time.

The conscious mind is a small processor.

The subconscious mind is a tape player. There’s nobody in there. You have to change the tape player in the “record” mode to change the recorded program.

Personal note. . .so, to make a big impact in your life, you have to change the recorded tapes in your subconscious mind. Just focusing on being positive won’t get the job done – not if positive thinking only accounts for 5% of time. To make a significant impact, the other 95% has to change.

The interesting, and frustrating, thing is that most of our “programs” have been installed before the age of six. You may not have any idea of the programs that are running your life.

How do you change the tapes? There are many available modalities. They include EFT, routine affirmations, Reiki, Dr. David Hawkins’s technique of contemplation vs meditation, the tools found in The Emotion Code, etc. I recently also discovered a technique in Laura Day’s The Circle. It takes commitment on a daily, sometimes, hourly basis, but given the end result, it seems well worth the effort.

“The diseases of the mind are more and more
destructive than those of the body.”
~  Marcus Tullius Cicero. 1st-century BC Roman philosopher

That thoughts become things is not new to our generation. Cicero was aware in the 1^st Century BC.

The ego tries to incessantly fill our heads with worry, judgment, negative and self-defeating thoughts. A recent Higher Awareness article referenced the high-powered negative technology that runs amuck in our mind:

On spam: What unsolicited junk do we allow to enter our minds and distract us from what’s important?

On viruses: What malicious thoughts and behaviors sabotage our dreams and sap our vitality?

On worms: How do we allow fear to worm its way into our lives and subvert our highest intentions?

If only there was a computer service warranty we could take out on our minds. Perhaps there is – but does it ever require constant vigilance…

Silencing the mind. Getting quiet. Replacing negative thoughts with positive affirmations.

On getting quiet, Sir J. Lubbock wrote: “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.”

A few weeks ago I wrote an article summarizing the book, “It Works,” http://rosiebrownrn.com/it-works/. Key points from the book include:

You must know what you want.

You have within you a mighty power capable of giving you that which you earnestly desire.

The Plan: write down on paper, in order of importance, the things and conditions you really want.

Three Positive Rules of Accomplishment:

1)      Read the list of what you want three times each day: morning, noon, and night.

2)      Think of what you want as often as possible.

3)      Do not talk to anyone about your plan except the Great Power within you which will unfold your objective mind the method of accomplishment.

I wrote my list on an index card. A friend then encouraged me to turn the card over and write on the back, “What my life will look like in 6 months.”

How about this? “Ahh! Abundance just everywhere! So happy! My life is an explosion of JOY! My health is fabulous, I am blissfully happy, I am traveling the world! I have so much money with which to enjoy life and help others! I am so, so happy!! My partner is fabulous! I am so in love! Life is so grand! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! So grateful!”

Wonder what can happen if that card is read every day, three times a day? What would you write on your card? What do you want your life to look like in 6 months?

It takes effort to still the mind, sweep away the negative thoughts, and, consequently, cure the diseases of the mind. It can start with taking time every day to be still, empty your head, and then fill the mind back up with the dreams you have written on your index card.

“If each of us sweeps in front of our own steps, the whole world would be clean.”

~  Goethe

“What Would It Take to Make You Happy?” was the article in my inbox in the oprah.com newsletter that caught my attention this morning.

Do you feel happy? If you do not, you are not alone. It seems the longing for happiness is commonplace among us.

The author of the article commented that she called Dr. Phil and asked, “How do you figure out specifically what you want in life?”

“You must ask yourself a series of four questions,” he replied. They are:

1)      What do I want?

2)      What must I do to have it?

3)      How would I feel when I have it?

4)      So, what I really want is to feel ___ (fill in the blank)?

Dr. Phil gave an example of a woman he interviewed. He would ask the questions and keep peeling down till he got to the real root of her desire. Perhaps you can take a pen and paper and flush out your true desires by journaling.

Another article contained a series of happiness quotes. I thought you might like to contemplate on some of them…

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” ~ Aristotle

“The only joy in the world is to begin.” ~ Cesare Pavese

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” ~ Jaques Prevert

“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” ~ Iris Murdoch

“It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis.” ~ Margaret Bonanno

“Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life.” ~  Marcus Aurelius

“I wake up every morning with a great desire to live joyfully.” ~ Anna Howard Shaw

The article went on to share a few words of wisdom from Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice… No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.”

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”

“Enlightenment is always there. Small enlightenment will bring great enlightenment. If you breathe in and are aware that you are alive—that you can touch the miracle of being alive—then that is a kind of enlightenment.”

“Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.”

“It is possible to live happily in the here and now. So many conditions of happiness are available—more than enough for you to be happy right now. You don’t have to run into the future in order to get more.”

“People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don’t suffer anymore.”

“Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.”

“Life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.”

“When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?”

“To be loved means to be recognized as existing.”

“Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.”

“We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality.”

All this talk of happiness prompted me to look up the words to the song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin. Why not hum a few bars and turn this day into the wonderful miracle that it is?  :  )

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Here is a little song I wrote.
You might want to sing it note for note.
Don’t worry, be happy.
In every life, we have some trouble.
When you worry, you make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy……

Ain’t got no place to lay your head?
Somebody came and took your bed?
Don’t worry, be happy.
The landlord say your rent is late?
He may have to litigate?
Don’t worry, be happy .
Look at me, I am happy.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Here I give you my phone number.
When you worry, call me.
I make you happy.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style?
Ain’t got no girl to make you smile?
But don’t worry, be happy.
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown,
And that will bring everybody down.
So don’t worry, be happy (now)…..

There is this little song I wrote.
I hope you learn it note for note.
Like good little children,
Don’t worry, be happy.
Listen to what I say.
In your life expect some trouble,
But when you worry,
You make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy……
Don’t worry, don’t do it, be happy.
Put a smile on your face.
Don’t bring everybody down like this.
Don’t worry, it will soon pass,
Whatever it is.
Don’t worry, be happy.

My yoga teacher, Lezlie, sent me the following quote last night. I read it a couple of times. It seems to hit the nail on the head…

A Messy Process

Evolution is a messy process. So anybody who really wants to make the effort to strive for something new is going to have to be willing to make mistakes, take wrong turns, even to fail, but never give up. The simple truth is this: if not failing is more important to you than genuinely succeeding, you’re never going to make it. If you really want to succeed, you have to have a to fearlessly engage with the evolutionary process until something profound, mysterious, and extraordinary happens that cannot be undone. ~ Andrew Cohen

Have you ever sat back and lamented in hindsight for all the mistakes you made? People who were negatively affected by your actions? Things that just didn’t turn out the way you had planned, the way you had dreamed?

Never fear, it is all in the past. Today is a whole new day. Andrew Cohen is telling us that we cannot succeed if we don’t take some wrong turns and make some mistakes along the way. Be kind to yourself. Be excited that the traumas of yesterday have built a bridge to an amazing future.

TODAY…

Totally

Outstanding

Delight

Awaits

You

TODAY, this very moment, is when the “profound, mysterious, and extraordinary happens that cannot be undone.”

It all starts today by you and me picking ourselves up, shaking off the dust, and excitedly moving forward…allowing the good things to come our way.

You have a “big heart, heroic will, tenacity, courage, and commitment.” You can do it! Just start today…

Feeling the need for some inspiration this morning, a Christmas present, Believe: The Words and Inspiration of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, made its way into my hand.

Believe – it all starts with that, doesn’t it? No matter the issue, problem, desire, or cause, your dreams and desires all begin with belief. The problem is, when you are down and out, it is really tough to  believe.

Perhaps the following quotes will inspire and encourage you as much as they did me…

1. The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. – Frank Lloyd Wright
2. You’ll see it when you believe it. – Wayne Dyer
3. We are what we believe we are. – C. S. Lewis
4. I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary. – Lou Holtz
5. Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success. – Pablo Picass
6. When you believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. -Walt Disney
7. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Theodore Roosevelt
8. Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours. – Dale Carnegie
9. If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done. – Dale Carnegie
10. Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy. – Mike Ditka
11. Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. – Henry Ford
12. Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. – Norman Vincent Peale
13. Four things for success: work and pray, think and believe. – Norman Vincent Peale
14. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt
15. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. – W. Clement Stone

Hmmm, there seems to be some magic in believing.

“Learn to live, love…” Just now I heard someone quote this phrase, which he said came from the book The Shack. Does anyone know for sure? Is that book truly the source?

The phrase was so intriguing, I did a Google search to see if I could identify the source. I found many sites using this quote, each person taking a different, yet similar spin. I became lost in those four words momentarily…

I drifted away to all the events that occurred the past four days. Sometimes “Learn to live, love” is a big bill to fill. Other times, it is easy and effortless.

I reflected back over my recent days and nights in Chicago. On one hand, there is the ever present trepidation and fear one can so easily succumb to, witnessing the cold, angry encounters of people too rushed, too busy to care.

On the other hand, the meetings with a couple groups of attractive, professional, caring young women made it so easy to live life fully and love everything about them.

Then there was the call that came at 11:30 pm, telling of the passing of a close relative. The ensuing grief and pain momentarily frosted over the notion of living and loving.

Two people poured their hearts out over seemingly intolerable work situations, one with unethical business practices, another with a tyrant supervisor. One might ask, “What’s there to love about that?”

On the way home, I finished up the 5 CD series Eat for Health and listened to 2 CDs from Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. What care and discipline it takes to love oneself enough to do whatever is necessary to unlearn old habits in order to free up endless days to live and love.

As I return to the present moment, I ask myself, what was that quote I just read by Dale Carnegie?

     “The person who gets the farthest is generally the one
      who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing
                 boat never gets far from shore.”

Nothing in life is the sure thing, and yet everything is. Life is sure to deliver the glorious, happy moments, just as readily as providing the contrast – the opportunities to stretch and grow.

To do and to dare exposes human vulnerability, yet without it, where is the zest for living? The loss of life teaches an appreciation for life. The inhumane boss pushes the recipient out of the nest – perhaps into the best experience of a lifetime – hidden from view, just around the corner.

Hmmm…could it be that all life experiences are to be embraced, lived and loved?

I have been writing the past couple days about “releasing” weight. Today my mind is swirling thinking how it all happens. At the 5:30 am Jazzercise class today one of the participants made a comment that me stop and realize that it was the baby steps that led to a noticeable result. “How much weight have you lost? You look great!”

 Two months ago when I started, releasing 20.6 pounds seemed so far into the future. Then, all of a sudden, today it is here. How did it all happen? Baby steps.

 Yesterday’s message from tut.com speaks such wisdom:

 “The real reason that so many have trouble with the baby steps, Rosie—doing all they can, with what they’ve got from where they are, no matter how humble or seemingly futile—is because they haven’t yet grasped that the baby steps trigger unseen forces that throw wide the floodgates of unstoppable momentum, infinite abundance, and eternal life.

 Just some tiny steps,

????The Universe”

 Perhaps the place to start is with self love. Yesterday Dr. Gabhart and I traveled to a spot a couple hours away that reminds me of the Smoky Mountains. We decided we don’t have to always work on our book in an office, we can go to a beautiful place in Nature. 

 While there, in a little Christian bookstore, sitting there for me on the shelf was a beautiful little book titled Your Captivating Heart, Discover How God’s True Love Can Free a Woman’s Soul. I was immediately drawn to the cover. Listen to these words: “Femininity is depth and mystery and complexity, with beauty as the very essence. Every woman has a beauty to unveil. Every woman.”

 You, me, every woman…just as you are, right now, this very minute.

 The next step is to make sure that physically you are in balance, that a hormone imbalance will not hinder you once you decide to release the pounds that you no longer need. I am grateful to Dr. Gabhart for helping me in this regard (www.whitneygabhartnd.com).

 Next comes a faith and a belief. In a little coffee shop yesterday there on the wall was a small beautiful stone wall hanging that now lives on my wall where I can see it every day: “Miracles happen when you BELIEVE.”

 Next comes the courage and determination that I have been talking about this week…and a sensible, healthy eating plan. The one I am following is the one I wrote about in my blog article on July 10, “Only Open Door #1.”

 You know, what comes to me is that every dream is like this, not just releasing those no-longer-needed pounds. It all starts with little baby steps.  In time, bit by bit, those tiny little steps will create momentum and then, sure enough, your miracle presents itself.

 What an exciting time to be aware, to be alive, to take the little baby steps, enjoying each step along the way…

What a wonderful morning reminder from Abraham to wake up to this morning:

“Your life is right now! It’s not later! It’s not in that time of retirement. It’s not when the lover gets here. It’s not when you’ve moved into the new house. It’s not when you get the better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it’s not ever going to get better than right now–until it gets better right now!”

I am reminded of the story that Wayne Dyer tells where the man was unhappy doing what he was doing, resenting his wife because she always pushed him to stay in that career. On his deathbed, he looked up and said, “What if my whole life has been a mistake?”  Upon hearing that story, at age 19, Wayne made the vow to himself to not die with his music still in him.

How can we keep the music alive, moment by moment? It is the stark reality to realize that our individual moments eventually comprise all the days in “the dash” – that space of time between our birth year and the year of our last breath.

It is interesting what happens when one sprinkles in laughter, fun, and enjoyment along with what could appear to be a long, grueling work process. For example, Dr. Gabhart and I are writing a book. We have noted that we are much more productive, making much more progress, when we take a break in between working sessions. We sometimes take the time to drive someplace different for lunch, sometimes we spontaneously decide to run to a consignment shop on the fly, etc.

This week we created an aggressive timeline for completion of our projects. We also discussed the importance of having fun along the journey. With that in mind, we created a plan to drive a couple hours one day next week to nearby Brown County, a wonderful nature retreat, to work from there.

What if your job confines you to a building? What can you do to make the day fun? What can you do to recharge your energy? What can you do to make someone else’s day, which will in return invigorate you? Can you walk around the building at lunch? Can you pause to take a fun mental trip every couple of hours or so? Can you play soft, uplifting music in the background in your cubicle? Can you put up pictures, snapshots at your desk?

Yesterday, on her second day of school, my granddaughter took me on a tour of her new classroom. She was thrilled to show me her locker, a privilege that comes with advancing to 3^rd grade. From her backpack, she carefully withdrew a half dozen of her favorite snapshots, each accompanied with a fun magnet. Happily, she spread out all the pictures and magnets on the floor and then set about decorating the inside of her locker.  

What we can learn from a third grader with a new locker? Every time she opens that door, she is filled with a warm sensation streaming from her happy pictures.

What will you do today to keep the music alive in these moments within your dash?

Gratitude is the word that comes to mind this morning.

I have been writing about contrast for a couple days now. I was so uplifted when I read the quotes from yesterday, that I believed them. Perhaps the belief in a miracle is what actually caused more than one miracle to come true? Yesterday I envisioned this day writing about a miracle, and today it has come to pass.

The inspiring quotes are worth repeating…and believing:

“When the contrast gets greater, the desire gets greater too, and that’s what miracles are from. A miracle is nothing more than a terrible situation that has caused strong desire and then somehow an alignment of Energy with the desire. Every day life creativity, that’s all that it is.

                                                        — Abraham”

And the message from tut.com:

 “How is it Rosie, that with so many brilliant beings on your planet, so few recognize that when one’s life encounters turbulence, choppy waters, or setbacks, it’s always a sign that things are about to get wildly better than they’ve ever been before?

And I’m not talking about the dolphins.

Don’t fight it,
    The Universe”

This morning I found myself reflecting on the individuals who engaged in the dance yesterday to make the miracles come true. We are not alone, and when we ask energetically for help, it is amazing what happens. The stars seem to line up and almost as if by magic, people come to our aid.

Today I was thinking how beautiful it is how we humans pull together to help one another. Just then I walked by the calendar. I hadn’t stopped to notice the quote for this month when I turned the calendar page over to August:

 “When most people say they are being ‘realistic,’ they delude themselves; they are simply being negative.”

One person immediately came to mind. This is the person who will always pull my feet down to earth and let just a little wind out of my sails. I try hard to listen to the wisdom, but it doesn’t ever feel especially good. Now I know why. What good is it to be “realistic”? Is that not just another way of seeing the glass half empty instead of half full?

I could have been “realistic” yesterday with my dilemmas. The people I turned to for help could have been “realistic.” … but for them or me to have been “realistic” yesterday wouldn’t have given me the momentum I needed to believe in that miracle. I needed all the wind in my sail yesterday.

Our attitude and belief colors everything. If we look at contrast as a blessing, and if it pushes us to desire and believe, then anything is possible. Ram Dass, spiritual teacher and author says, “Everything in your life is there as a vehicle for your transformation. Use it!”

“Turbulence, choppy waters, or setbacks”? They are all OK because we can believe that just around the bend “ things are about to get wildly better than they’ve ever been before.”

Oh my, what a weekend!  Remember those 3 cards I told you about last week?  Well, one of mine was to successfully publish my book on hormone balancing so that I can help thousands of women…AND (gulp!) to easily accomplish all the technology that accompanies that feat!  The technology part has always freaked me out!

Did you see the show about hormone balancing on Oprah last Thursday?  If you didn’t, please go to oprah.com and view it.  Wonderful information for women!  I was so excited that everything on the program supported what I have written in my book, that I immediately sent my manuscript and message to my favorite WriteWise instructor, “Timing is Everything!”  This weekend she sent me several messages with excellent suggestions.  The problem is, the time has now come to face and conquer my technology fears.  Her suggestions included creating an email video, skype, mp3 files, etc.  I know what all those things are, but have not a clue as to how to begin.

I didn’t do very well Saturday.  I became overwhelmed with the need to act quickly, but paralyzed with not knowing where to begin.  My mind chattered all kinds of crazy things, and I became absolutely, totally paralyzed.  I purchased the February Oprah Magazine and read every word about hormone balancing, but then totally shut down and threw myself into another work project that also needed to be completed immediately.

After a fitful sleep, I got up and continued to work on that other project, all the while trying desperately to fight back the fearful thoughts about the technology.  I paused the project I was working on and went to the church service with my husband.  Guess what the sermon was all about?  Set your intention, ask, believe, and act!  The minister said, “We are given Good Friday.  Make Easter out of it. “  The minister spoke about the bracelet he was wearing – 5 strands, one for each member of his family.  He said it may sound silly, but they take turns wearing it.  Whichever one of them is facing a challenge for the day wears it.  For example, his son wore it to school because he had a spelling test.  He came home, over the top with joy.  “Here, I don’t have to wear it anymore!  I got an A!”  I looked down at my own wrist.  When getting dressed for church, I put on the ” Believe” bracelet that I had received for Christmas.

As always, after the lecture, we sit in a circle and have an exchange of ideas regarding the presentation.  One person commented, “My mind’s not been so kind to me.  Sometimes I have to tell it to be quiet.”  I then added that my mind has not been so kind to me this weekend either.  I shared my story with them.  There was an immediate outpouring of support with comments such as, “We are not supposed to know how to do everything.”  “Why are we so hard on ourselves?”  One person told me he knew someone who could help.

However, it was the comment by the quiet engineer in the group that got my attention.  He made some very profound statements to the the group and then connected eye contact with me and said, “We are ALL given things to act on, that is our challenge that we each face.”

I sat there and thought long and hard about his comment.  I had asked, and now my intention is being answered.  Who am I to think I am so special?  It is time to stop whining, get over myself, and ACT on what is being given to me.  Somehow I knew in that moment that everything would be OK.

We left to meet my husband’s daughter and her husband for lunch.  On the way there we talked about our son-in-law.  I had forgotten that he loves computers and technology.  When I told him my dilemma at lunch, he seemed confident that all of that could be easily accomplished, and maybe without even having to purchase any extra equipment.  He thought it was all on my computer already.  He asked me to go home and email him a list of my computer programs.  He said he’d help me with it, and whatever he didn’t know, his friend would.  Wow, just like that.

I have work to do today – to create the content for all those things – and to get busy making an Easter out of my Good Friday.