Can You Spare a Thought for the Good Side?

I’m reading along this morning from the book Happier Than God ~ Neale Donald Walsch

I’ve been absorbing his take on Self Creation, a simple principal (which he is not the first nor will he be the last) to publish and preach in an effort to help people, as he puts it; ‘turn ordinary life into an extraordinary experience’. The theory has been alive in humanity from the beginning of time and gained enormous attention most notably through the series of books and movies ‘The Secret’.

 --Here’s a secret; the producers of that series didn’t create the theory – they simply exposed it and in the process, sadly, cult-ified It, bringing a legion of naysayers out into the light. It all creates a little more work for those of us who believe in the universal awareness that our thoughts create our world. Thankfully a great many more of those minds were created as well though the series.

Walsch’s book is a little more intrinsically interesting in that he attempts, with great success, to acknowledge and explain and identify God in the process and in the course, in fact, answers a bigger question about the what/who/where God might be. It’s an interesting take that kept me hooked and reading the common theme.

 

And I am grateful for the take that kept me reading because long about page 195 I hit this gem:

‘The energy that creates the solution must be equal to the energy that creates the problem’

And I was paralyzed for a moment.

I am sure I must have heard this somewhere before but for some reason the words hit me with a strange sense of clarity today.

Perhaps because I’ve been wondering quite a lot lately: ‘Why is it so difficult to convince some people that it is possible to turn even the most dreadful of lives into a positive experience? Why do some people get it and others struggle? Is the cynical population exploding? Why do people find it so hard to believe that joy is their birthright—that they are meant to be happy, to live happy, to enjoy life? That Life was never intended to be a sentence.

And there on page 195 was an answer to my question….

Every person is born with the same potential. At the exact moment we are born every one has an equal opportunity to live a positive life or a negative life regardless of the circumstances we are born into. The potential to view the glass as half empty or half full is the same for every one of us. An instant later we are exposed; exposed to a greater collective consciousness. The thought of every person you are exposed to and the thought of every person they have been exposed to and the world views which each of them has been exposed to affects the way we think. In this way we are all undeniably inextricably connected.

Years of progress have cultured an enormous collective consciousness of negative thinkers. There is a seriously high ratio of negative energy, energy that influences us to think the worst will happen and that life is meant to be a struggle….and so the worst happens and life indeed becomes a struggle.

What we think we create.

There is an incredible amount of energy that goes into creating and sustaining our negative life problems and pattern….and a serious lack of energy to convince us otherwise.

Which all leaves even the most positive person frustrated some days; how do you cultivate an equal amount of energy for the solution? How do convince a person, a community or a culture that has spent a lifetime feeding on thoughts and energy of negative thinking, judgement, anger, frustration, hurt, contempt and jealously that there is joy, happiness, laughter, fearlessness and love waiting to be theirs?

How do you spread the notion that we are not meant to be miserable?

Perhaps slowly, in a manner equal to that in which negativity has crept through the world.

Begin with a thought …"Life is good”

Once you plant that thought the universe gets to work creating that reality for you (Yup, that’s the ‘Secret’ that is not a secret). But here is the thing you can’t just think it once on a good day and voila! ….You have to think it every day, even on the worst days. You have to nurture that thought. You have to practice finding the good and the things to be grateful for; you have to tell yourself you are a happy person even if you don’t believe it. You have to maintain a daily devotion to surrounding yourself with positive people and experiences; you have to water your thought with doses of motivation every day. You have to combat the negative energy that’s always at hand and you have to celebrate every single day you wake up and the fact is true: ‘Life is Good’

And when it becomes reality (—yes, and it will)…then…..You have to share your thought with the people you encounter. Plant a seed for them that ‘Life is Good’

Will people think you’re nuts? …maybe….but what do you care? Better to be nuts and happy than mainstream and miserable I say!

Because here is the thing….

What you think you create…and I think we can create an energy for the solution that equals the energy of the problem.

Repeat after me ‘Life is Good’—pass it on.

Love

M

Let's Talk....Mental Wellness

Bell Let’s Talk Day….

No matter what you think of the corporation personally, no other organization has done more to lift the veil on mental illness and to get people talking than Bell with its Let’s Talk initiative. You have to give them a standing ovation for that.

So Let’s Talk.

What do I want to say this year about mental health? I want to say Let’s Talk about Mental Wellness. Mental health is an invisible equivalent of physical health, in varies in degrees, prognosis and outcome. And just like physical health, benefits from Wellness and prevention.

To keep mental illness simple in my own mind I have it broken down into 3 types, knowing full well that it really over simplifies the issue. Really most people with mental illness are a cocktail. That’s not mean, it’s honest. I’ve earned that liberty through my own struggles with mental illness to state it. I think that most everyone I know with mental illness would say the same thing.

My Type 1

Some people are crippled with the mental equivalent of a physical cancer. Their own mind destroys itself through chemical imbalances or hardwiring. Sometimes there are miracles of modern medicine that can help, medications, treatments, therapies but the truth is mental illness in this category is managed but never eradicated for those who suffer. When you have this type of mental illness people talk about how well you are doing.

My Type 2

Mental Illness that is self-inflicted; triggered and fed by personal choices and behaviour. Alcohol and drug addictions as an example fall under this category. Much the same way a person mistreats their body with poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise and acquires heart disease, diabetes or emphysema; this is mental illness that results from personal choice. And yes, I understand there are guaranteed underlying circumstance; including type 1 suffering, conditioning, environment, upbringing, unexplored personal issues. But….I also believe that like heart decease, a person can, if they are willing to make the sacrifices, put in the work and reinvent the way they approach life, reverse and repair the damage of this type of mental disease. When you have this type of mental illness people talk about how bad you’re doing.

My Type 3

Type 3 is the kind of mental illness you catch. Just like the flu or a cold, if you hang out long enough in the wrong places, breath in enough bad air, ingest enough germs you will come down with it and you will be contagious. Type 3 mental illness is a bad mood that turns into a bad day that, left untreated, turns into a bad life or worse morphs itself into type 2 illness or even a type 3 illness. When you have this type of mental illness, eventually people stop listening.

Nobody wants type 1 or 2 or 3 ……nobody. So we have to be diligent practicing prevention and management. In the same way we eat right, exercise, fill our bodies with probiotics, antioxidants and take vitamins and supplements in the name of preventive physical health and wellness our mental health benefits from the same kind of attention.  There are things we can do every day to boost and maintain our mental wellness.

Here are some of my favourites:

·         Eat for good brain chemistry: limit sugar, artificial ingredients, caffeine and preservatives and yes even alcohol (yes, red wine is alcohol—I’m sorry). Fill up on nutrient rich foods.

·         Get moving: exercise releases stress and tension and produces amazing mood boosting chemicals. You don’t have to train for a marathon if that’s not your thing. Think yoga, go for a walk, join a team, go swimming, ride your bike…Do something you enjoy, it makes it easier to stick with.

·         Unplug: This is maybe one of the most amazing things you can do. We are plugged in and accessible 24/7 and it messes with our mood in ways we can’t even comprehend. Beyond the constant tug of artificial stimulation there is the constant submersion in the emotional world of personal (and not to personal) relationships…good ones and not so good ones. Give yourself a break. Give yourself a curfew; turn off your phone, your computer, your tablet and let go. Spend a weekend out of reach – could you do it?

·         Go out…..side: Something amazing happens when you spend time in nature. That peace and quiet you feel…your whole body feels it. Some people think it is the negative ions given off by nature that sooth the spirit – I think that is very true. Go outside, your body needs fresh air and sunshine and the sound of birds chirping and streams flowing.

·         Sleep: I love sleep. If you aren’t getting any do something about it.

·         Keep good company: the only thing more contagious than a good mood is a bad one. Maintain relationships with people who are positive, who want the best for you and for themselves and who strive to live drama free.

·         Feed your passion: everyone should have a hobby to escape to and recharge their passion batteries—at least weekly if not daily! Especially if your job leaves you unfilled and your family is young and needy (did I just say that?). Read, craft, ride your motorcycle, sing, play music, paint, sew, garden, play cards, write, draw, do marital arts, collect, coach….do something you love.

·         Be quiet: This is one of my favourites… Meditation…so worth learning. Reduces stress, improves sleep, lowers blood pressure, boosts your mood and immunity and provides some great one on one time with yourself to really explore how you feel about life and pull some problems by the roots – (if you want some leads on some great books and how to people and info – just let me know…I’m always happy to share!) Did I mention I LOVE meditation?

·         Have a Bad Day: Everybody has them, if you’re having one embrace, finish it and go to bed.  Wake up to a brand new day in the morning

·         Find somebody to talk to: Talking really is a huge key to mental wellness; we need people to bounce our trouble off of. We need people who will be honest and compassionate and not judgemental. We need people who are willing to listen to our problems not solve them. Find a go to person who always makes you feel better and connect with them often.

·         Find somebody to listen to: When people you love express a concern for you, for your mental health, your stress level your wellbeing------listen! Some things are so much easier to see from the outside in.

·         Get help: If you feel like you should get help—you need to seek help.

Happy Let's Talk Day. Here's to Mental Wellness! 

Love 

M

I AM

2/3 of the children in our home have had the cold/flu in the past week. Consequently ½ of adults do now as well. I pulled the short straw; I write this to you from bed today where I am resting and healing. Healing with a box of Kleenex, a packet of rice crackers and my faithful and loving friend…the dog (I wish he could make tea)

I’ve slept most of the morning but a person cannot sleep forever, eventually we have to wake-up. Even if we cannot find the strength to roll out of bed we have to do something beyond nothing. I chose to entertain my thirst; I booted up my computer, logged into our Netflix account and went in search of a great documentary. I love documentaries. What I found was beyond greatness.

I won’t talk long here; all of the words I could string together in a lifetime would fail to deliver a message so sincerely and succinctly as I AM

I AM….it is beautiful, truthful, begging; an emotional call to healing. I AM will expand your view or change it.

I promised when I rejigged the Space to share with you my finds that fire and inspire. This is one truly breathtaking example. I hope you will watch and enjoy and talk about I AM with people you encounter.

Isn't it funny...I set out today with the intention to heal. I hope, I AM

Enjoy! 

Love 

M

Below is the trailer from the official site for the Movie, the Movement I AM ....The movie is available on Netflix! If you watch I'd love your thoughts :)