How to Keep from Catching the “Mind Flu”

When I was 12 years old I read “War of the Worlds” by HG Wells. The book was really scary and the image of giant alien tripods  stayed with me for a long time. When I saw the most recent movie version though, something else stuck with me that I didn’t remember from the book.  (Beware: Movie Spoiler!) The aliens die in the end because they had no immunity to the diversity of bacteria and viruses to which we developed immunity millions of years ago. I thought that was cool; the aliens were killed off by the common cold. They probably weren’t getting enough sleep, being busy destroying the world and all…

Since I’ve had kids I’ve been catching two or three colds a year. Sheesh! I’m too busy to be sick!  Lately, though, since this whole H1N1 thing, I’ve been reading a lot on how to avoid getting sick. (Check out Dr. Mercola.com.)

I’ve come to believe that the key to staying healthy is to have a strong immune system so that you can fight the  cold and flu bugs that are always around us and that will inevitably breach your castle wall. For example, many health and wellness practitioners recommend keeping your immune system strong by getting enough sleep, avoiding sugar, taking the right supplements, and managing stress. They suggest that getting chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture or massage can be helpful as well.

Consider that your mind works the same way. Let me ask you, have you ever had the experience of catching the what I call the mind flu? Perhaps one day you became aware that you’d become so negative, discouraged, and defeated that even your dog didn’t want to hang out with you for fear of catching it.  You caught the negativity bug! Like Zig Ziglar says, you were infected with stinking thinking and needed a check up from the neck up!

What you’ve got to do is to immunize your mind to the virus of negativity that is always out there: in the news, on the internet, in social conversation, in your own language, in your mind.

So how do you keep your mental immune system strong enough to ward off the mind flu that always threatens us?  By taking your mind vitamins! Supplement your mind daily with positive material that keeps your mental immunity strong. Always be listening to motivational or inspirational material. Exercise and expand your mind by reading literature that challenges you and inspires you. How about a “mental adjustment” or ”mind massage” by coming in for a hypnotherapy session?  It’s perfect for  a quick reduction in stress.

In last week’s post I suggested some links to audio files that have been helpful in keeping me inspired to be positive and focused on my goals. This week, I’d like to suggest some reading material that has really impacted my life  that can keep your mind so healthy that no negativity bug can infect it.

“Real Magic” by Wayne W. Dyer. I’ve been a fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer since I discovered a copy of “Your Erroneous Zones” on my parent’s bookshelf. (I picked it up because I thought it said “Your Erogenous Zones”. Hey, I was in high school.) Not everyone relates to Dyer’s somewhat New Agey philosophy, but after reading this book, I had people asking me “You seem really happy, what’ve you been up to?”

“Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz. For me, at the time I read this years ago, the idea of controlling your thinking  and positive mind programming  was an astounding discovery that I  didn’t completely get at the time.  I recently recommended this to a client who said it was the best book he’s ever read. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece.

“Illusions” by Richard Bach. By the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a short but fascinating parable of a reluctant messiah in modern times. Easy to read but capable of creating a real shift in your perception.

“Unlimited Power” and “Awaken the Giant Within”. Anthony Robbins. Regardless of what you think about Tony Robbins, he’s come a long way from where grew up in Azusa, California. Here’s a guy that I’m told used to be called “Baby Huey” because of his weight and height as a kid. Now, with no credentials to speak of, he has become a multi-millionaire and arguably the reigning Self Help Guru of our times. In these two books he offers some practical techniques that are simple but effective.

“The World’s Greatest Salesman”. Og Mandino. This book was given to me when I was in sales training for door to door book sales. A must for any sales person.

“Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill. The grandaddy of success literature. Published  first in 1937, some claims suggest that it has sold 30 million copies since then. This book contains what many people consider the fundamentals of success. I really like the version I have, which uses updated language and cites modern success stories such as Bill Gates, Ray Kroc and Steven Spielberg.

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. I know, I know, I’m always taking about this book. Sorry, but it’s my blog! I’ve read it 4 times and will probably read it again.

Spiritual and Esoteric Literature. The mind and the spirit are linked. Don’t discount the ancient texts for keeping a happy and positive mind. The Bible and the Tao Te Ching are just two examples of essential guides that throughout history have given millions around the globe direction  for living. Some I have read but not all.  

As  prevention or  cure for  the mind flu, these books have worked for me and still do. I acknowledge that these are all older books; I realize there are more recent yet excellent books that I haven’t yet read. I invite you to post your comments on books that you’ve found to be life changing as far as your own personal development. I’d love to hear what has worked for you.

How To Stay Inspired About Your Future

 You’re probably not thinking too much about New Year’s resolutions right now and that’s a good thing. My advice: forget about New Year’s resolutions. They don’t work. Forty four percent of Amercians don’t even bother anymore. If you want to make some changes in your life, don’t wait until January 1st. Start now by firing up your inspiration.

I believe now is the time to start thinking about and planning who you want to be, and what you want to do and have for the New Year and beyond. Throw out the idea of New Year’s resolutions and start thinking  about Goals for the New Year. You’re going to want to write them down. (More about goals in a later post.) But first, let me suggest a great way to get inspired to create some exciting goals.

I don’t know about you, but if I hear another version of “Deck the Halls” I’m going to fa la la off  my rocker.  I guess there’s a little bit of the Grinch still in me. Although I do have some favorites for the season, I can do without  hearing about Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, etc. another 157 times. Hey, if these songs get you inspired and fill you with joy and hope, then great!

If not, then here are some things I’ve been listening to lately for inspiration, motivation and enthusiasm. Let me suggest you pick one and listen to it repeatedly for a number of weeks. If you can do this, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your thinking. You’ve got to always be feeding your mind! (I’ve also given up listening to the news every day. That really helps)

“The Strangest Secret in the World” Earl Nightingale. The Strangest Secret was  the first spoken word message to win a Gold Record by selling over a million copies. It’s simple but powerful message is “you become what you think about”. You can go this link and listen to the recording or download it and save it to your computer.  Or go to this link to hear it along with video.

“As A Man Thinketh” James Allan. Many personal development authors and teachers credit this little book, written in 1902, for providing foundation to their principles. It’s truth is just as profound today as it was then. Clink on the link above for a free download or go to http://www.asamanthinketh.net/ for a free ebook of the text. The language is a little archaic, but it’s still good stuff.

“The Art of Exceptional Living” Jim Rohn. I’d been hearing a lot about Jim Rohn over the last year or so. I subscribed to his newsletter and really liked his message. Then wouldn’t you know, my brother lent me ”The Art of Exceptional Living” which is a great introduction to his work. Considered a legend by many, his teachings have been cited as influential by many in the personal development industry including including Anthony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield. Sadly, Mr. Rohn passed away this last December 5th. Check out Jim on YouTube and if you like what you hear, you can get The Art of Exeptional Living bit by bit or all in one volume via download or CD.

“It’s Not Over Until You Win” Les Brown. I would have to say that of all the self development and motivational speakers I have heard, Les Brown is the best. He is a fantastic and inspiring public speaker, not to mention funny and very high energy. At www.LesBrown.com as well as at YouTube, you can check out video samples and for a measly $15 bucks you can download “It’s Not Over Unti I Win”   at this link.

There are many other inspirational speakers out there that I have listened to and would recommend: Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Zig Ziglar,  to name a few. Check them out on YouTube to find who’s message resonates best for you. What we feed our minds is just as important as what we feed our bodies, maybe more! I hope some of these recommendations help you get excited and inspired about creating your New Years Goals.

I’m Grateful I’m Not A Turkey

 

Here’s my gratitude list for 2009.

I’m grateful:

• that my nose is not any bigger than it is.
• that I’ve never lived in Minnesota.
• that I don’t have a dog.
• that I’ve been to Texas and got out safely.
• that I saw that cop on Gladstone Avenue before he saw me.
• that I live with three beautiful females.
• that I don’t live with four females…
• that my pet fish doesn’t make noise.
• for my really dry and often misunderstood sense of humor.
• for needing reading glasses a lot because it means I can see.
• that I saw Sister Vincent Marie sniffing markers before anyone knew it was bad for you.
• that I had cute nuns like Sister Vincent Marie.
• for not having to worry about my Mercedes Benz because I don’t own one.
• for having the opportunity to lease a Porsche for six months
• for losing the opportunity…
• for still having a full head of hair even though my mother in law says it’s twice as gray since I got married.
• that I got married.
• that even though I’m freezing my butt off out here at 1am in my home office, that I have a warm house to go to just a few steps away.
• that I don’t have to stand on a median selling oranges.
• that I would if I needed to.
• that my father has a garden.
• that my mother always has food for us when we go to her house.
• that I can play “Ave Maria” on my bamboo flute.
• that I discovered Chris Whitley
• that I can play a mean version of “Psycho Killer” on guitar. (you might even get scared)
• that I like beer. (Benjamin Franklin said beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
• that I got to spend lots of time in Coronado dorm
• that I got to ride my bike over Gates Pass.
• for ice cream
• for ice cream ( I really like ice cream)
• that I have little kids
• that I developed a terrible case of iritis more than once because it made me value my eyes so much more.
• that I come from humble people (I know it may not seem like it..)
• that my mouth isn’t any bigger than it is.
• for my books, even the ones I haven’t read.
• that there are people that actually care what I have to say.
• for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What is Lost, What is Gained?

 I was checking out You Tube  one evening last week, watching Joni Mitchell play “A Case Of You”.  A song of incredible sadness and vulnerability, it speaks of lost love and the pain of letting go. The raw honesty and the craftsmanship of the song’s album, “Blue“, made it a commercial and critical success and helped establish Mitchell as one of the most influential singer songwriters of the late 20th century.

I stayed up late into the night watching videos;  from 1965,  Joni Anderson, before she became Mitchell, on a Canadian hootenany show, Let’s Sing Out, in black and white, fresh faced, a young girl on the verge of realizing a dream. In another, more recent video, a much older Mitchell in front of an orchestra singing “Both Sides Now“, her trademark falsetto gone now, and in it’s place, the smoky and husky voice of age and experience. I wondered how it felt for her to sing this song about  perspective, 30 years after she penned it. Perhaps she felt more keenly the truth of her lyrics that “something’s lost but something’s gained”.

As I continued wading into the video past of 70′s singer- songwriters, (yes I am aging myself, that’s kind of the point) I came across a live version of James Taylor and Mitchell singing a duet on Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes“. A few more clicks and there’s a video of one of James Taylors early television appearances; young, almost adolescent, a full head of hair, wispy moustache, looking like someone needs to give him a good meal. He sings “There’s a song that they sing when they take to the highway, a song that they sing when they take to the sea“.  His journey takes him through self commitment to a mental institution and 18 years of heroin addiction. He talks about this in another video; he is balding, lines in his face, in the sunset of his career. “I should have died  four or five times” he says. Next, I’m watching videos of Sting and Allison Krause playing at a James Taylor tribute. Would there have been a tribute if he had not experienced what he did?

These are songs I grew up with, and they made me think about my own journey. Closing down my computer close to 1 a.m., I went outside to my backyard, stood in the full moon’s glow and thought about my travels as a single guy. I remembered playing my guitar alone in a cabin in Montana, in the shadow of the Continental Divide. I recalled  partying and dancing joyfully with fellow members of a theater group, at the director’s house in Bisbee, accompanied by whatever  we could find,  egg shakers, bongo drums, claves.  In my mind’s eye I looked down from the top of Wasson Peak on solitary monsoon  clouds drifting across the Tucson basin  like air ships floating over a desert sea.

Other memories came to me as well, not as pleasant. Sitting in a Civil War battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia, miserably unhappy, wondering why the hell I was so far from home.  I understood then why someone would want to kill themself. I thought of standing on the mall at the University of Arizona, watching the same moon, cold and alone.

I went inside my house and checked on my sleeping children, and laid down in bed next to my sleeping wife. I missed my carefree life, playing music, hiking, travelling.  It’s true that something is lost there, in time and age, but so much more is gained.  Maybe more valuable than what you lost, if you can choose it to give it to yourself.

The song that you sing when you take to the highway is not the song you sing when you take to your plow.  On the highway there is exploration, out in the fields you work, decision. There’s an intention there to create, to plant a seed, to stick around and nurture it and to see what you can harvest, even if you don’t feel like it. Transformation can happen in an instant, I have seen it, but most of the time it is a slow process, sometimes painful, almost always messy, as we struggle out of the skin of what we are comfortable with and into  what are becoming.

To move forward you must let go, and it’s not easy and sometimes it’s not pretty. Change will happen with or without you, but transformation, that is, change into who you want to be, that requires intention, focus, energy, and a willingness to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you are lucky you can make it happen. If you are luckier it may happen to you.