“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

An acquaintance had just announced he was going to stop smoking. On the ride home, I commented to my friend, “Do you think he will succeed? This is the highest stress he has been under in his entire life.”

My friend replied, “The hardest part is making the decision. Once the decision is made, it’s all downhill from there. It doesn’t matter what is going on in his life. It all comes down to making a decision.”

Everything starts with a decision. Wonder why it is that on this day, two messages then popped up regarding making a decision? The first comes from Neale Donald Walsh:

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

…that waiting to see what happens is not a very good way to make decisions.

Not to decide is to decide.

What are you deciding right now by not deciding?

What are you choosing by failing to choose?

Is this how you want to live your life: by default?

It is time for you to make a decision.

Do you need a bigger signal than this?

Love, Your Friend….”

The evening prior, I delivered a “Stop the Needless Suffering” presentation, helping the group to see that by first increasing their awareness and then making a decision, they would positively impact their life. A vibrant, happy life is right there for the taking – it simply starts with making a decision. (See my book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6AhQNJ0fqs).

As Inna Segal advises, “Be guided to a new life by actions you can perform to restore your body to its healthiest state.”

Then there are decisions about what to do with your life. Do I go this way? Do I go that?

On this morning, my eyes were drawn to a box of Angel Cards by Doreen Virtue. The card I pulled from the deck was Vanessa. Vanessa’s message was:

“To make your decision, ask yourself, ‘Which way brings me closer to my Divine purpose? Which way takes me away from it?’”

Additional Message: ‘Should I go this way or that way?’ you wonder. One day, you’re sure of your decision. The next day, you question it again. This indecision will be healed by focusing on your Divine life purpose. Even if you aren’t sure of your purpose’s exact nature, you do know that it involves bringing peace to yourself and others. Based on this foundation, then, which decision brings you the most peace?

‘’If you’re still unsure, then ask God and the angels to help you further. You can ask us, ‘Which decision will help the most people?’ This is a wonderful basis upon which to make your choice. Sometimes the easiest route is the one that takes you further away from your Divine purpose. So, your indecision may come from a fear of making waves, or uncertainty about your future. In such cases, gradual change is warranted. Slowly introduce your new direction into your daily life, and ease out of your old direction slowly. In that way, you won’t frighten yourself, you will be more open to hearing God’s guidance, and you will feel our love.

Bottom line: it all starts with a decision…indecision is a decision. What do you want your body/your life to look like? How can you set upon gradual change? Are you open to hearing your internal guidance?

Remember: the hardest part is making a decision. It’s all downhill from there.

This morning I listened with interest as an acquaintance challenged another on the emotion of guilt. The one party was saying that guilt is a bad thing. My friend retorted that guilt is not a bad thing; guilt is a good thing. It keeps us on the path of doing the right thing.

I, too, up until this morning, have always accepted that guilt is a bad thing – but only bad because of the way I was looking at it. My friend explained that guilt for what happened in the past serves no useful purpose. Let it go. It is done and over with.

All you have now is this present moment. Guilt that occurs in the present moment leads you to do the right thing…when you might be tempted to stray off into the weeds.

Once again, I was reminded of the litmus test given to us at the conference I attended last Sunday. The speaker said, “When faced with a decision, ask yourself: “Will I be disappointed in myself if I do/don’t do it?”

You will never lie to yourself. Here’s where guilt steps in to help you…if you attempt to lie to yourself. Your subconscious speaks loudly to you, employing guilt as a tool to tug at your moral consciousness.

Interesting concept, “Guilt for what happened in the past serves no useful purpose. Let it go. It is done and over with.”

It all comes back to living in the present moment, does it not?

Budda says, “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

It is estimated that 85% or more of our disease processes is related to stress. Where does stress come from? From living in the past or the future, and it serves no useful purpose. Living anywhere but the now torpedoes our health, both mind and body, but oh my, does it take discipline to stay planted in the now.

As George Orwell states, “To see what is in front of one’s nose requires constant struggle.”

So it seems the first step to health and happiness is to stay in the now. But what about that stress thing? Might the second step be to correctly interpret what is happening in the now? Here is what Neale Donald Walsch has to say about it:

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

…that it sometimes looks like “one thing after the other,” but really, it is Blessing After Blessing.

I know, I know…you don’t experience it that way.

But that’s because you don’t see it that way.

In this business of life, ‘What you see is what you get.’

If you think you are looking at struggle, struggle is what you will experience.

If you decide that you are looking at a gift (even if you can’t see it clearly in this exact moment), a gift is what you will get. Just wait.  You’ll see. I mean that literally. You will see.

Love, Your Friend….”

What is the bottom line of this message on this pretty little day in May?

1. Live in the now.
2. Use every moment in your now doing the right thing, living life to your fullest.
3. Trust that everything that is happening in your now is a blessing.

Og Mandino writes, “I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.”

Here’s to the best day of your life.  :  )

It was Christmas for me today…and now you.

When I visited my doctor this morning, he told me about the incredible results he is having in his life after reading and following the advice given in a little pocket guide written in 1926. The book is titled It Works. The author would not identify himself because he felt the book was to be a gift to everyone, and he should not receive credit/praise for it.

It is an amazing little book. There was a pocket of strong energy going on back in the 20s and 30s as noted in the works of C. Clements Stone, Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Frances Scovel Shinn, Neville Goddard, and Wallace D. Wattles, Here yet is another of the many of gems produced during that era.

I sat in my doctor’s office after my appointment and read it cover to cover. I took notes so I could share with you:

¨  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.

¨  No need to analyze how this Power within you is going to accomplish your desires. The method of accomplishment will unfold quite as mysteriously as the ear of corn appears on the stalk, and in most cases much sooner than you expect.

¨  Be definite – if it is a car that you want, decide what kind, style, price, color, and all other details including when you want it. If a home, write the location and cost. If you want money, write the amount. If a sales record, write the total, the date required, the number of items you must sell to make it, list your prospects and put after each name the sum expected.

¨  When discrediting thoughts appear, give thanks and assert credit to your Omnipotent Power. You can’t give thanks without gratitude – and be happy. When giving thanks, let it be reflected on your face.

How to obtain a copy of It Works:

DeVorss Publications

DeVorss & Company

PO Box 1389

Camarillo CA 93011-1389

www.devorss.com

(800) 843-5743

I intend to follow the advice. Want to do it with me and see what happens? Will the tricky part be getting clear on what we definitively want? Just as I had that thought, I remembered two quotes that appeared in my mailbox today:

“You cannot transcend what you do not know. To go beyond yourself, you must know yourself.”
— Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it…”

—  Johann Wolfgang von Goeth

When the student is ready, the teacher will come…

Such was the case for me yesterday. I got my feelings hurt BIG time…and I must admit it took me several, several hours till I got my boat turned around. Anger, resentment, silent treatment, projection onto others…I worked it with the best of them.

Finally, a couple of hours into it, I asked myself, “What is the lesson in this?”

Just an hour or so prior to my fiasco, I received the following message from someone who is also currently trying to turn his boat around. Maybe the message was a heads-up for what I was about to experience?

“We only have one life, and we don’t know how long we’ll be here. We might as well live it up and be happy. Forget the worries and sorrows. That’s why you run with it.”

After going out for a jog to release the anger, followed by going into silence to reflect on the situation, I started to really take an introspective look into the target of my anger. Was this a mirror reflecting me back to me? Are the challenging situations occurring in your life a mirror reflecting back to you?

When you look at it this way, what follows?  Perhaps empathy, then understanding, then love. Yeah, love. What is there to do in a case like this? Shine love into the darkness. Take the high road. Be the example, no matter how difficult. Learn the lesson.

Curious that this morning the following statement appears in my inbox from oprah.com: “Many Buddhists consider huge difficulties to be a sign you’re an old soul—the bigger your misfortunes, the closer you are to enlightenment. Whether you believe this or not, it’s certainly cheery to reframe all your life’s bad events as tests of your character. If you feel particularly tested right now, ask yourself what the heck you’re being tested for! Patience? Compassion? Resilience? Forgiveness? Open-mindedness? What strengths must you develop further? Now consciously go out there and develop them!”

Ouch! If you read a little further, there’s the R word:

Let Go of Resentment
Keep in mind a fabulous Carrie Fisher quote: ‘Resentment is the poison you swallow hoping the other person will die.’ Recognize that when you resent someone, you are not only hurting yourself, you’re also giving this person control of your emotions—and you don’t want to give this person bubkes!

Stay Centered
Recognize that when you respond with hate to hate, anger to anger, bitterness to bitterness, you are ironically becoming part of the problem. Choose to resist becoming like them and instead put in the conscious effort to remain a loving, soulful, happy person.

Get Revenge Positively
Contemplating revenge? The best kind of revenge is living a successful, happy life. If you train yourself to consistently be more loving in thoughts and actions, your energy will attract more positive people and positive results. As Albert Einstein said, ‘You can’t solve a problem by staying in the same energy in which it was created.’ To stay focused on highly positive thoughts, repeat this meditation ritual throughout the day: ‘Love, forgiveness, letting go, peace.’

Whew, it would you agree that it does take conscious effort to remain a loving, soulful, happy person?

Love, forgiveness, letting go, peace…perhaps that is the lesson.

Front page in today’s local paper: Painful grimace on a 21 year old’s face as he sits in his wheelchair with a physical therapist on each side of him conducting arm resistance exercises. Paralyzed since a motocross accident in 2006, he affectionately calls one of his therapists his “torturer.”

And what was I feeling sorry for myself about just prior to picking up the paper? Did you wake up today feeling sorry for yourself? This young man will never be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of handwriting out the monthly bills, walking into the dentist’s office, or changing an unexpected flat tire when you are already late to work.

It is all a matter of perspective.

No matter how bad we think we have it, there is always someone experiencing more pain. Why is it we so quickly forget that fact as we wallow in the depths of our own personal despair?

The gurus of all times encourage us to embrace our hardships, for without the contrast we would not create or appreciate the more pleasurable aspects of life.

Og Mandino says it this way: “I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.”

What if, just for today, when you catch yourself whining about something, you turn it around into gratitude and appreciation for the experience? What soul growth is happening as a result of the trauma? How will you feel and how will your day, your life, unfold if you come from a place of joy and appreciation for all that happens today?

Cancer survivor Lance Armstrong advises us, “Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into
a life of action, and purpose.”

You and I have the power to appreciate everything about this beautiful day. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Enjoy this morning’s message from www.soulsjourney.net.

Since 1995, the “Imagine a Woman” poem has circled the globe, inspiring books, screenplays, videos, life transitions, professional portfolios, ministries, coaching practices, relationships, virtual communities, social networks, and organizational missions. This year Imagine a Woman International is celebrating the poem’s 15th year anniversary with a new website and new programs and opportunities for personal growth and professional enhancement. You’re invited to the “Imagine a Woman” poem’s 15th Birthday Party TODAY APRIL 2 at www.imagineAwoman.com. We’ll be partying all day so get your party clothes on, invite your friends, and come on over.

Imagine a Woman by Patricia Lynn Reilly, M. Div.

Imagine a woman
who believes it is right and good she is woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman
who believes she is good.
A woman who trusts and respects herself.
Who listens to her needs and desires and meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman
who has acknowledged the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman
who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and to her wisest voice.

Imagine a woman
who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs her own spirituality and allows it to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman
in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates her body and its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman
who honors the face of the Goddess in her changing face.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her precious life energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman
who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

Yesterday at breakfast a friend pulled a book out from her purse. It would not be till later in the day that I would fully recognize the gift I had just been given.

My friend excitedly told me about this book that she had found at a second hand store…The Greatest Secret in the World by Og Mandino. She mentioned a plan that he recommends you to follow. She was following the plan. Curiosity got the best of me. A check of the publishing date found it to be 1972. Her excitement about the book caused me to jot a note of the title and author before returning it to her.

Later in the day, I made a trip to Barnes and Noble. I held my breath as I asked if the book was available, fearful it might be out of print. One of the workers overheard my request, and took charge with “Follow me. I am sure we have it on our ‘Bargain Books’ rack.”

Sure enough, there it was. A glance at the title caused my heart to sink…The Greatest Salesman in the World. Before the clerk could get away, I exclaimed, “Oh no, this is not the right one.” She came back to point out to me that the book was a trilogy. A closer look at the title revealed, “Og Mandino’s Great Trilogy with The Greatest Salesman in the World.” This little gem did not contain just one book but three. The third book is titled The Greatest Miracle in the World.

I turned to the middle of the book to find the second book, The Greatest Secret in the World. This little book is fabulous. If you want to change your life, this is the book for you. The instructions detail what you must do each day for 30 days….nothing difficult, only discipline is required.

The following paragraph will give you a hint of what is expected:

“As I repeat the words daily they will soon become part of my active mind, but more important, they will also seep into my other mind, that mysterious source which never sleeps, which creates my dreams, and often makes me act in ways I do not comprehend.”

Order or pick the book up at a bookstore today. You will see for yourself why my friend was so excited. Now you too have been given the gift.

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.