In any and every situation, we have choices! 

• We can always find problems or we can always find opportunities!
• We can find our strengths or weaknesses!
• We can find happiness or unhappiness!
• We can feel or despair!

Dale Carnegie wrote about the importance of thinking. 

“It isn’t what you have,
or who you are,
or where you are,
or what you are doing
that makes you happy or unhappy.
It is what you think about”.

Today I would like to share with you some historical quotations and positive thoughts for you to think about and hopefully to give you a boost.  For more quotations I refer you to Beyond Positive Thinking.  How about holding on to this?  “Everything will be greatly in the end… if it’s not great, it’s not the end”.

“People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them” is a timeless quote from Epictetus.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” .  This powerful and relevant quote was from the mind of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“It isn’t your position that makes you happy or unhappy.  It’s your disposition.”  This quotation was from O. S. Marden.

“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” was the belief of  Winston Churchill.

George Bernard Shaw put the importance of choice making into perspective when he said “Some men see things as they are, and ask, “why?” I dare to dream of things that never were, and ask—”Why not?” 

It is important to value the importance and strength of our choice making.  Let us take the challenge from Jack Welch.  “Control your destiny or someone else will”. 

Remember, You Will Live within the Environment Created by Your Choices!

It is not surprising that Americans are experiencing increased stress and physical symptoms over the economy.  What was surprising is the fact that women are experiencing more stress than men.

1. 83% of women and 78% of men reported being stressed over money.
2. 84% of women and 75% of men reported being stressed over the economy.
3. 57% of women and 55% of men reported being stressed over job security.
4. 66% of women and 58% of men reported being stressed over housing costs.

The study also looked at women’s ages related to stress. 

• Women of the Boomer Age (44 to 62) and Matures (aged 63 and older) were more likely to report the economy as a significant stress.
• Women in general are more worried about money than their health.
• Mature Women are reporting a greater increase (17 points to 87% between April and September of 2008) of stress problems affecting the health of family members.
• Mature Women reported a dramatic increase in concerns regarding the economy (up 18 points to 92% between April and September of 2008).
• Mature Women also reported a dramatic increase in concerns regarding money (up 15 points to 77% between April and September of 2008.
• Generation Xers (age 30 to 43) are most concerned about money (89%).
• Millennials (aged 18 to 29) are most concerned about housing cost (75%).

Women are also reporting more physical symptoms than me.

• 57% of women and 49% of men report fatigue in response to stress.
• 65% of women and 55% of men report irritability in response to stress. 
• 56% of women and 36% of men reported headaches in response to stress.
• 56% of women and 39% of men reported feeling sad and depressed in response to stress.
• 56% of women and 40% of men reported unhealthy behaviors to manage stress like eating poorly.
• 25% of women and 11% of men reported shopping to reduce stress.

43% of the people in the study reported overeating or unhealthy eating to reduce stress.  In addition, 18% of people in the study reported drinking alcohol and 16% of the people reported smoking to reduce stress.

There is no doubt the economy is stressing out both women and men.  Women are reporting more stress and symptoms resulting from stress than men.

The study certainly support America’s need for programs and activities for reducing stress.  It is important for women and men to take time out and engage in physical and mental activities that will reduce stress and improve their health.

This following quotation from Doctor Leyton explains the dilemma regarding our unconscious mind and the increasing stress and stress-related illnesses we are prone to experience.  Doctor Leyton wrote:

“When we are stressed today, we tighten the same muscles that we used to fight or flee 10,000 years ago. But today there is ‘nowhere to run’ so the stress builds up. Here are some ways to ‘talk to your unconscious’ so that it can learn new patterns”.

Doctor Leyton’s words ‘talk your unconscious’ may seem strange to you.  Talking to your unconscious may even make you feel uncomfortable. 

Maybe you never even thought about talking to your unconscious mind to change your unconscious mind.  Maybe you never thought about talking your unconscious mind to change or improve your health.  Maybe you never thought about your unconscious mind as causing health problems.  Maybe never thought about programming your unconscious mind to be healthy or overcome illness.

Unconscious thoughts steer our lives without our conscious awareness.  Our conscious mind makes numerous decisions throughout everyday for all of us.  It is important to remember that the power of the conscious mind is either neutralized or empowered by the unconscious mind.

Oftentimes we are completely unaware of these thoughts operated in our unconscious mind.  We only see evidence of the thoughts in our lives.  We sometimes fail to utilize our abilities and resources to solve problems, improve our relationships and our health.  In spite of our conscious efforts, their, oftentimes, is a stronger power that seems to dictate the outcome of our lives.  This power is, oftentimes, the unconscious mind.

It is exciting to think that we can change our unconscious mind and improve our health.  In order to do so, we must not only think in a way that generates health, we must think healthy in a very repetitive, frequent and determined manner.  This is where mental fitness training takes the stage and comes in to change our unconscious mind and hence our health.

Mental Fitness Training is talking to our unconscious mind as well as our conscious mind.  Mental Fitness training is repetitive exercises of thoughts that generate greater mental and physical health. Mental Fitness training is repetition of thoughts much as one might do sets of physical exercises.  The more health generating thoughts are repetitively thought, the the stronger the thoughts become in our unconscious mind.  Mental Fitness Training is repeating exercises that change how your conscious and unconscious mind work.

We can change our unconscious mind through mental fitness training.  After our conscious thoughts change our unconscious mind, our unconscious mind can then change our health and our ability to cope with stress.  After we had changed our unconscious mind byconscious repetition of healthy thoughts, our conscious and unconscious mind can then work in harmony to create greater health for us and greater well-being for us in all aspects of our lives.

To summarize, if you want to change your health for the better, don’t forget the importance of your conscious and unconscious thinking.  Learn to think  healthy thoughts and thoughts to change how your unconscious mind works.  Check out The North Star Mental Fitness Program if you’re interested in improving your health and psychological well-being.

Most of us are now looking for a bridge over our bad economic times.  We look outside of ourselves for the magical bridge or the guru to lead us to the promised land.  Sometimes we look in the wrong places.  Today , let us look inside of ourselves to find the bridge over depressing economic times and are pressing mood resulting from the economy.

 Bad economical times has spread throughout our country and the world.  Bad economical times will be shared by all of us, unfortunately.

The question is:  How will the bad economical times effect you? 

For many people who do not practice the power of thinking and good mental fitness, the depressing economy will depress their psyche and mood.  There is no doubt that the economy is depressing.  Therefore, shouldn’t they be depressed?

Even though the economy is depressing, we do not have to be depressed.  We do not need to allow external circumstances and problems depress us!

When people become depressed over depressing occurrences in their life like the depressing economy, unconsciously they are using “because of” thinking.  “Because of thinking” is logical and shows no regard for our mental state.  “Because of thinking” is automatic.  Obviously for many people, they will be depressed because of the depressing economy.  They may never even question why they have to be depressed, when the economy falls apart.

When our economic times are bad, the power of good mental fitness becomes strikingly clear.  A person with good mental fitness realizes they have freedom of choice even in bad circumstances.  “In spite of” thinking thinking can replace “because of” thinking.

When we think “in spite of” the bad economy, we can take control our lives, our mood and even our economics.  For example, we can think “in spite of” the bad economy, we are happy, successful, wealthy, etc. 

“In spite of” the bad economy, we can focus on the what we are grateful for rather than what we have lost. 

“In spite of” the bad economy, we can focus on finding opportunities rather than dwelling on the problems in economic areas of our lives.

“In spite of” thinking can turn our problems into successes and can become the bridge over troubled waters in our lives!

I was not sure what to expect.  There has been a long history of emotional disconnect and conflict in their marriage.  I was surprised when both women reported that the wife’s husband had been less critical in the last few weeks.

I turned to her husband and asked him if he agreed.  He agreed and then informed me “Little Irritating Things Aren’t That Important”.

I was stunned, with the clarity of his thinking and the change in his behavior.

At first I wondered why it takes a tragedy such as a diagnosis of cancer to put into perspective what is really important.  Obviously, for this man and for most of us, our relationships and health are of most importance.  We seem to forget what is really important during the course of everyday living.

Next, I saw myself in this man.  I too get frustrated and angry over small, unimportant, and irritating things in my relationships.  I too have created sadness and disappointment in the hearts of those I love, because of my impatience.  Without realizing it, I too have made insignificant things more important than the people I love and who love me.

It was really a eureka experience for me and I hope it can be for you.  Think about you, your relationships and health.  There are a lot of small irritating things that occur in our relationships.  There are many, small irritating things that are necessary to do maintain good health.

Are you willing to put your life into perspective and say the “Little Irritating Things Aren’t That Important”.