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A happy Year? Your Choice..

It has been three years ago now when I dialed the number of a Chiropractors office.  The reception's happy voice on the other end of the line said:  " This is Dr. ____ office.  How can we help you?

My words came tumbling out.  " It may seem silly to call a chiropractor's office for my type of problem, but a good friend just told me that the good doctor teaches a class on positive thinking.  I need it badly and I was wondering how I could enroll and when.

That was in September and the following January my husband {he was willing to go with me} and I were sitting in our first class.  They were once a month for a year with lots and lots of homework in between. 

Along with the positive thinking class we were taught how to eat correctly and the importance of exercise. They all work together to help our minds.  I will focus on the positive thinking class as I personally benefited most from it. 

 If you read my post last week, you would know it was three years ago that I started my "college journey" to better my attitude about life in every way.  It seems that it is so easy for some individuals to think negative, and I was one of the worse.  When we read the papers that is all we see.  Negative.  This think positive class and the good doctor played a very helpful part in helping me see life through positive and thankful eyes.

Our minds and the thoughts that pass through them are so mysterious.  The mind is a wonderful little machine and maybe other people don't need help to teach it, but I seemed to.  I am very grateful for the guidance I received from my friend.  The "mind exercise " he had me do over that years time has filled my world with sunshine. 

We have been finished with the classes for a couple years now but we still get news letters from our friend....the doctor.  Just yesterday we got one of those letters, and in it was listed a number of "exercises"  to help make this year the best year ever.  I have decided to share them with you.  Maybe....just maybe there is another person out there like me and these little "exercises" will make the year a little brighter for them.   I hope so.


1.   Stay Positive   Remember I have a choice to either believe success is impossible, or trust with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.

2.   Take a morning walk of gratitude:   Take 15 minutes every morning to remember things you are thankful for.  Go to a quiet place alone and let your mind be filled with all the beautiful things that come to you because you are alive and God loves you.  The sunrises and sunsets every day, your family, your friends, your freedom,  life itself.  We have so much really.  This will get our minds started "down the right road" to a happy day.

3.   Talk to yourself instead of listen to yourself.   Instead of filling your minds with doubts, or fears, or worries, tell yourself good positive words, about life, about others, and yourself.  Our "self-talk" is so very important.  What are we saying to ourselves about ourselves. about others?  The more we repeat something positive or negative, the more imbedded it becomes. Put up a "stop sign" if you catch yourself thinking negative.  Change it!!

4.   Remember that adversity is not a dead end, but a detour to a better outcome.  We were encouraged to look at our problem as a challenge or opportunity.  Recognize your problem. Then list the solutions to the problem.  Focus on the solutions NOT the problem.  You can do something about the solution, but you only worry about the problem.  Sometimes the hardest things in life teach us the most.  It all depends on how we react to it.

5.   Don't chose dollars or success.   Decide to make a difference and build meaningful relationships and success will follow you.

6.   Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you can't control.   Only focus on the things you can control.  Focus on what good you can be to another.  What positive words you can say or positive actions you can show to make someone's life a little brighter.   We haven't "walked in the other persons shoes".  Maybe your smile or a word of love and encouragement will be just what they need to keep "walking on".

7.   Live the 3 E's   Energy,  Enthusiasm, and Empathy

8.   There is no substitute for hard work.

9.   Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.  This is a very helpful quality that I need to work on.  I have had very good examples of this right here in our own community.  This is the lesson I am learning as I walk beside my dear friends and neighbors in their long, hard journeys.  They all have so strongly held up this spirit before me.  They are a excellent example.

10   Smile and laugh more.   They are natural anti-depressants.

11.  I want to add one to this list.  One that I have to practice often.  Forgive yourself.  We will make mistakes.  We are humans.  Don't hold it against yourself. Forgive and move on.  Forgive others also so they too can move on.

So see, my friends, this is one of the things in depth that I am learning in my "college of life".  I keep this list close so I can read it often.  The reason I gave this post its name, is because every time we would visit the good doctor he would remind me"   Remember Happiness Is A Choice....Your Choice."

Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing this Helen. I will keep this list close by me too!

    ReplyDelete

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