“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

Yesterday I was introduced to a couple – recently married, second marriages for both of them. A conversation ensued between them. He has a huge collection of pristine original equipment from the 1950’s – holding onto a dream to do something with it once he retires. She, on the other hand, views the items as clutter and is pushing him to get rid of it.

The pain in his eyes shined so brightly – if only she could see it.

Ahh, the words of Bruce Springsteen wash through my consciousness…

“I’m working on a dream,
Though sometimes it feels so far away.
I’m working on a dream
And how it will be mine someday.”

Working on a dream – don’t let anyone steal your dream – including you.

I attended a prosperity workshop this afternoon given by Marilyn Banks, www.pathsthatcross.com. Marilyn gave us a great take-away. She said when facing a decision, ask yourself, “Will I be disappointed in myself if I do it/don’t do it?” She emphasized, “You will not lie to yourself.”

Some additional points worth noting from the conference:

• The only one to let you down is you.
• Honor yourself and do what you want to do.
• Ask yourself, “What do I want to do?”
• Have a good relationship with yourself. Treat yourself the way you want others to treat you.
• Be honest with yourself, be appreciative of yourself, honor yourself. Start with you
  and abide by it.
• Love, honor, appreciate, and take care of yourself.
• Be confident in you, in your abilities, in your being a woman, in your being a person.

What do you want to do? What makes your heart sing? What is your dream? Are you living your dream? If not, why not? What are you waiting for?

“On this day of your life, dear friend, I believe God wants you to know…

…that money is not the issue.

Having the courage to give your highest gift is the issue.

There is no security in doing something for a living when you are dying inside while doing it.

That is taking care of the body at the expense of the soul.

And a withering soul cannot help but produce a withering body.

So do not think you are “taking care of yourself” by killing your spirit to keep your body alive.

How long will you put off what you are dying to do?

Love, Your Friend….”

~ Neale Donald Walsch

Hang on to that dream…let that be what shines brightly from your eyes.

Yaro Starak, www.Entrepreneurs-Journey.com, recently wrote about his personal goals and reflections of the past year. “I knew if I focused the year entirely on business projects, then I’d neglect this other aspect of my life, an equally if not more important part…my new direction focused on relationships, including business relationships, friendships and intimate relationships.”

Perhaps many of us are not unlike Yaro. The tendency is to do what we always do…bury our heads in our work and making money – at the expense of other parts of our life.  Can you relate?

“Sometimes working on balance is more important than working on growth of a specific area, and may well end up resulting in growth in that area anyway, because you’ve made space for it to
happen.”

Can you relate to Yaro’s desires?

• I wanted to meet more like minded people – independent, exciting people.
• I wanted more fun.
• I wanted to realign the balance in my life between work, play, and socializing.

Yaro is clear about his desired end results. What do you desire to achieve by December 31, 2010? What do you want to make space for? How do you make it happen?

From www.tut.com:

“Rosie, the trick is learning to maintain an unwavering focus upon your desired end result, your completed dream, the “finish line,” without insisting upon, or even contemplating, its means of attainment, no matter how logical, obvious, or tempting it may seem.

Tallyho,
The Universe”

Is 2010 the year you will grow your relationships, have more fun, realign the balance between work, play, and socializing?

Stephen C. Paul said, “For all those years you’ve protected the seed. It’s time to become the beautiful flower.”

Perhaps 2010 is the perfect year to become the beautiful flower?

Scanning through the morning mail and seeing this statement jerked me back into reality:

“I’m very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older friend consoled me. ‘Don’t complain about growing old – many, many people do not have that privilege.’”                     ~  Earl Warren, 1891-1974

Right after that splash of cold water in the face, I reviewed an update from a friend concerning her husband who is suffering from a form of cancer. They spent the entire New Year’s Day and evening in the hospital with him receiving his blood transfusions. This week he will have another bone marrow biopsy to see if the leukemia has progressed, and to asses starting another round of chemotherapy.

And what was it again that I was worrying about just prior to reviewing the morning mail? Somehow it doesn’t seem so significant now. No matter the circumstances you find yourself in, there is someone else out there who is struggling even more.

Last night I read an interesting article containing the following comment, “And when faced with light or darkness, we all too often choose our anger, our fears, our failings.”

The message being communicated was that darkness exists so we can choose, so that we can become the creator of our own lives, the conductor of our own symphonies.

What better time to reflect on the creation of your own life, right now, the beginning of a whole new year?

On Monday I was privileged to spend some time with a life coach. She offered some solid advice that may also be of help to you as you dig deep into your own being and reflect upon your dreams and desires for this new year:

• Who are you?
• What do you want? What is important to you?
• What are your needs?
• What are your weaknesses, your strengths?
• Define what you want in a relationship.
• Give yourself some time to reflect over the last years.
• What unresolved issues do you have?
• There are only 2 kinds of feelings: 1) Those that feel good and 2) Those that
  don’t. Honor yourself.
• Walk through the discomfort, the feelings.
• Put it on the table for you. Be true to you.
• This has to do with honesty – be true to the self.
• Open the box and let some light into it.
• Does guilt drive you?
•  Honor the self, not in a selfish way, in a selfless way.
• #1 thing to do: honor the self. If you cannot honor you, pay attention, you
  are not going to be happy.

What an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the upcoming year – and our life in general. Hmm, I intend to take some time and journal my responses to these questions. I invite you to do the same. Perhaps we can dialogue a bit about what comes up?  In the meantime, have a blessed day.  :  )

Little did I know what I was about to experience when I ended Friday’s article with the comment, “One of the best things you can do for your adrenals, and consequently your thyroid, is to decrease stress. We are just about ready to begin a weekend – find something fun and relaxing to do – just for you…because you deserve it!”

A two day Louise Hay Workshop held in Jasper, Indiana is where I spent my weekend. What an incredible experience. If one of these workshops comes to your city, do yourself a favor and attend.

The title of the workshop sounded a little daunting, “It is Safe to Look Within.” A very skillful Louise Hay facilitator from Redmond, Oregon, Rachel Winkler (www.santiagosmate.com), led our group safely and masterfully as we worked through the program objectives:

“In this transformational workshop originally created by best-selling author Louise L. Hay, You Can Heal Your Life, you will discover the mindset that has limited your success in business, financial abundance, intimate relationships, spiritual growth, and much more.”

Learn to reprogram your subconscious mind and eliminate negative self-esteem beliefs, such as. . .

•       Relationships don’t work
•       Life is difficult
•       I don’t matter
•       I’ll never have what I really want
•       I’m not good enough

At the onset of the workshop, participants were asked to identify where they wanted to experience change/move forward in life. Reflecting back on the two day workshop, I can now see how participants were led to “peel back the layers of the onion,” exposing the fears and feelings that tend to hold us back from experiencing our full potential.

What the participants learned by sharing their stories is that we all have issues. We tend to sit in our own little world and think we are the only one who can’t get it together. “Look at her, how confident she is.” “Look at him how successful he is.” However, when one becomes quiet and allows oneself to really examine the inner self, we find that none of us are alone.  We all have issues that tend to hold us back. Every single one of us.

The exercises were quite eye-opening. You might like to try a couple for yourself. Grab a pen and write the heading, “I Should.” Now make a list of five “I shoulds.” Then ask yourself “Why?” after each one. Next take each “I should,” and write on your paper, “If I really wanted to, I could…” Then fill in the blank. Once you have completed the list, for each item ask yourself, “Why haven’t I?”

Another great exercise is to compose a list of “negative messages” you have received, either in your childhood or even recently.  Now take that list of negative messages and turn each message into a positive affirmation.

For example, if you wrote, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Turn that thought around into a positive affirmation, such as: “Money comes easily and effortlessly to me.”

Some of the most revealing internal personal work came as a result of the following three-part exercise: Take a piece of paper and complete the following:

1)       “I feel angry at_____because_____.”

2)      When finished with #1, complete the following, “I feel guilty because______.”

3)      When finished with #2, complete the following: “I feel fear that______.”

The workshop concluded with participants re-writing their “story.”

“The story I want to create next is…”

What fun it was to write the story of our life the way we want it to be. So liberating! You know what, we can write that story. Why can’t we? It is time to start NOW!

Thank you Rachel Winkler, and thank you Louise Hay for teaching us that the life of our dreams all starts with one simple step…loving ourselves. As they teach us, several times a day look deeply into your eyes and genuinely affirm, “I love you! I really, really love you!”

Now watch your life begin to blossom like a flower in springtime into the life you want to create…

One of life’s snafus presented itself for me to deal with yesterday.  At snafu times, it is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves. We can consume the whole day in our anguish…or we can make the choice to appreciate the contrast and choose to see the Divine in each person.

 What good is worry?  Worry is a waste of our creative process. By the natural laws of the universe, worry simply attracts more negative into our lives.  Today’s daily message from Abraham-Hicks puts it this way:

“Whatever you’re thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you’re worrying, you are planning. When you’re appreciating you are planning…What are you planning?

                                                                              — Abraham”

What does adversity do for us? It stimulates us to reach higher, to break out of the chains that confine us.

Just about the time I want to feel sorry for myself, I simply need to remind myself what others have been through. Take Dick and Rick Hoyt for example.

Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon, they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.

It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can’t walk or talk.

For the past twenty five years or more, Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick. And yes, Rick lives in his own apartment, miles away from his father.

And then there is Erik Weihenmayer. Erick lost his eyesight and his beloved mother as a young teenager. Erik is also the only blind man in history to reach the tallest peak of every continent, including Mount Everest. The message on the back of Erik’s book, The Adversity Advantage, is poignant:

“Adversity is one of the most potent forces in life. It shapes your character, clarifies your priorities, and defines your path. It can also fuel your greatness. Each of us faces a rich assortment of adversities every day, ranging from minor hassles to major setbacks and challenges, even tragedies. The path to success, both in business and in life, is learning how to convert any adversity, major or minor, into a genuine advantage.”

 Then there is Nick Vujicic, the 23 year old man with no arms or legs who spends his life traveling to audiences everywhere, delivering the message to dream, to have vision, to set goals, to be thankful. As a young boy, he looked in the mirror, deep into his eyes. He told himself, “Look at your eyes. You have beautiful eyes, young man. You are hot!” Google You Tube and listen to his message. He asks us, “Do you get the message? Can you find one positive thing about your life? Then hang onto it!”

 Lastly, here is this morning’s message from tut.com:

 “Look at it like this, Rosie, the more challenging your life story has been so far, the bigger the goose bumps for future generations who retell it to their kids. Who will no doubt add, ‘And if Rosie Brown was able to do all that, so can you!’

We’ve barely just begun -
    The Universe”

Guess my snafu is not so significant after all.

“The morning breeze has secrets to share. Do not go back to sleep.” – Rumi

Every time I wake up in the 3:00 am hour with a plethora of thoughts, I think of Rumi’s beautiful quote.  I had a big time opportunity to think about it this morning.

Long ago I learned to keep a pad of paper and pen on my nightstand to record thoughts when they come. Since the thoughts are always so vivid, I used to think “I’ll surely remember it this time,” only to find everything had completely vanished when it was time to get up.

This morning at 3:23 am I awakened, thinking about a friend. Just yesterday I listened as he spoke about a problem he was experiencing.  To my surprise, at 3:24 I found myself writing and writing and writing every which way in the dark on my legal pad– all kinds of ideas to perhaps help him with his issue. Just when I thought I had all phrases all down, at least enough to remember the idea, another batch of ideas would come. Finally, I turned on the light because I was certain that by this time I was writing words on top of words in the dark.

When I finished all of that, next came a brilliant insight for a project I am working on. I was stunned at the symbolism that had never before occurred to me. When that idea was finished, I then was given some personal insights related to the original batch of ideas. By this time, I was wide awake, completely stunned by it all.

This morning as I am working to try to decipher my writing, I see some things that I don’t even recall writing. Sure, I am a little tired this morning, but what I have on my paper is worth hours and hours of work. In fact, I am not sure I could ever have figured this all out, left to my own busy mind. I am simply amazed by it all. The one thing I did that perhaps paved the way for all of this was to listen to Doreen Virtue’s nighttime “Chakra Clearing” CD as I fell asleep. I think I’ll do that more often!  :  )

I remember Wayne Dyer saying that he does his best writing in the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps that is the time that we are most quiet. The noisy chatter in our heads has stopped, and if we pay close attention, we are given great insights. I have found that the only way to capture these insights is to reach over in the dark, pick up that pen, and start writing.

I am reminded that people who study dreams teach us to also keep a dream journal. In the midst of the dream, you are certain you will remember it, but in the morning, poof, it is all gone. Similarly, messages are given to us in our dreams that can significantly help us with our life circumstances.

Perhaps the bottom line in all of this is, “work smarter, not harder.” Just try it. Put a pad of paper and a pen on your nightstand and set the intention that you will capture these precious gems of wisdom. Let me know what happens when you try it. If feels miraculous!

Meant to post this when I returned home last night…oops!  :  )

I am in Jasper, Indiana, once again working on my second book, Fat, Fatigued, and Female, with Dr. Whitney Gabhart, N.D. We have had a very full day, so we decided to take a break before dinner.

After getting quiet for a little bit, I asked, “What can I write about today?” The words that immediately came to me were, “It’s a Grand Ole Flag.” Grand Old Flag? What am I supposed to write about that?

I then started thinking about how we are wrapping up another July, the month that reminds us of our freedom. How fortunate we are to live in the USA. We can pretty much do anything we want to – within reason. I couldn’t drive 75 in the construction zone this morning, but I could get in my car and drive anywhere I wanted to, order what I wanted for lunch, write a book that I can publish, and the list goes on.

I thought about our lunch today at Winkler’s Natural Health Foods. We joined others and openly discussed our ideas and beliefs, not having to worry about being punished for our views. Quite the contrary, we laughed and had a good time..and watched as others did the same, coming and going, to and fro.

I then thought about technology and how free we are to interact with anyone, anywhere in the world. We have the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and with the internet, we are free to exercise our rights endlessly.

Technology is keenly on my mind today. My head is still spinning after meeting with Jonathan Wold, Marketing Director of Sabramedia, LLC, www.sabramedia.com, this afternoon. For a couple of months now, I have been asking every day for the right technology person to come into my life, one that I can partner with. Well, I met him today and for that, I am most grateful.   

Coming out of that meeting, Dr. Gabhart and I found ourselves free to dream about what we can do with our future. The sky is the limit. In this country, we are free to dream and to realize those dreams. We are only limited by ourselves.

Speaking of dreams, last night my son emailed back to me a quote from tut.com that I wrote about in a blog article months ago. It is one of my all time favorites:

“Dreams are like that…Most of the time you don’t even know how close you are, until after they’ve come true.  Sometimes, even, the very day before they come true, it still feels like they’re a million miles away.”  Something to remember…

-The Universe”

 To use my earlier example, yesterday I was overwhelmed with the need to find a technology helper. Today, just like that, my dream came true.

 The grand old flag? Perhaps it is a precious reminder of our freedom to live, laugh, love, …and dream.

Martha Beck got my heart pumping this morning while reading the following article on oprah.com: “Who’s Sorry Now? Six steps to regret-proof your life.”

Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream” puts me in the zone…

“I’m working on a dream
Though sometimes it feels so far away
I’m working on a dream
And I know it will be mine someday…”

What makes my heart quiver and my eyes smart is the realization that it is never too late to live the dream you have always wanted to live.

I skipped all the parts in the article about grieving and sadness.  What good is it to focus on all that stuff? I learned long ago the best thing to do is vibrate positively. Change the old “negative” story to something positive. Who needs the old baggage? If you don’t like the old story, shine it up into something you feel good about…and keep your eye (and heart) on the dream.

Martha starts the article with a story I had heard before, but had forgotten. What a great reminder!

“After a lifetime of hand copying ancient texts, an elderly monk became abbot of his monastery. Realizing that for centuries his order had been making copies of copies, he decided to examine some of the monastery’s original documents. Days later, the other monks found him in the cellar, weeping over a crumbling manuscript and moaning, “It says ‘celebrate,’ not ‘celibate!’”

Ahh, let us each celebrate before it is too late. Reclaim the essence of your dreams.

Martha teaches us:

“You can’t change the fact that you binged your way up to 300 pounds, or lost a winning lottery ticket, or spent decades in celibacy rather than celebration. But you can reclaim the essential experiences you missed: loving your own healthy body, enjoying abundance, feeling glorious passion. In this moment, resolve that you’ll find ways to reclaim the essence of anything you can’t stop grieving.

There are at least two time zones where you can choose to make regret’s powerful energy healing rather than destructive: the past and the future. Both can be transformed by what you decide to do right now, in this moment.”

In this very moment, we have the power to resolve that we’ll find ways to reclaim the essence of our dreams…and feel glorious passion…

“I’m working on a dream
Though sometimes it feels so far away
I’m working on a dream
And I know it will be mine someday…”

Forty years ago my husband’s class of 1969 turned their tassels to walk into the world…full of dreams, hopes, and ambitions. It has been two days since the reunion, and I still haven’t recovered from all that soaked into my eyes and senses that night. What happened to those dreams? How did life pass so many by?

As I walked through the door, I almost gasped. Surely we must be at the wrong event. These people are much too old.

An overwhelming feeling of sadness washed over me as I scanned the room full of unknown faces throughout the evening. I watched as the classmates struggled to identify each other, gasping at their discoveries. I witnessed far too many stooped, overweight bodies, too many with the lights out behind their eyes, too many showing evidence they are simply shuffling through life, too many so much older than their stated years.

And yet, how invigorating to see the contrast of some of the classmates, to capture the excitement and enthusiasm in their voices, to watch them physically dance the night away to the old tunes of the 60’s. What has been different about their lives? What made the contrast so distinct?

Thousands and thousands across America just finished turning their tassels. What will the next forty years bring? What will their eyes witness forty years from now when they walk into their reunion?

What an incentive to wake up! There is so much life to be devoured, to be enjoyed! No matter your age, you’ve got a lot of living to do! It is never too late to live the life you’ve always dreamed of.

This morning I watched a presentation by Steve Manning who said that if you are on the planet, you have a life story to write. Steve said people will ask him, “What if I don’t have anything interesting to write about?” His answer? “Start doing something interesting with your life now!

What can you do today to start living? What is one thing you can do to break the monotony, to start to pull yourself up out of the rut, if you’re in one? Can you call a friend and strike up a deal to create an action plan together?

Perhaps a journey toward good health may be a place to start? It is difficult to enjoy life if you don’t feel well. The goal of my upcoming book, The Awakened Body, is to send the message, “Yes! No matter your age, you can feel alive, full of vigor and vitality!”

Jack Canfield teaches us to make a list of 101 things we want to do before we die. Why not start making that list today?  Why not then pick one of those items and begin a plan of action to make it happen?

The “Bye Bye Birdie” musical has such a powerful message for all of us:

Oh, Life’s a ball
if only you know it,
And it’s all just waiting for you.
You’re alive,
So come on and show it.
We got a lot of livin’,
Such a lot of livin,’
Got a lot of livin’ to do!