I just finished reading a really wonderful book;  in fact, I just wrote a book review for it on Self Help Daily. 

The title of the book is Do It Anyway: Finding Personal Meaning and Deep Happiness by Living the Paradoxical Commandments. It was written by Dr. Keith M. Kent as a guide to his famous Paradoxical Commandments. You can find these in the post linked above as well. I’m sure you’ve seen them before, but a refresher course is always a good idea when the material’s this good.

Remember in high school when you were faced with the task of choosing subjects for the upcoming semester?  If you were planning for college, you were careful to select subjects that would meet your chosen school’s criteria.  If you had a career in business in mind, you chose classes that would prepare you for that road. 

If you went to college, you became even more expereinced in choosing subjects.

The subjects we chose in school determined our degree and shaped our education.  Good selection was of the utmost importance! However, we choose even more important subjects on a daily basis without even truly realizing it.  Yet these very choices determine far more than an education or degree - they determine our character and shape our life. 

I’m talking, of course, about our thoughts.  Our thoughts are often found woefully lacking, which sadly, rubs off onto our character.  Given the fact that our character pretty much determines the life we’ll lead, it’s easy to see why we should start paying A LOT more attention to the thoughts that we allow, and even invite, into our heads.

In a brilliant little book titled Inspiration and Ideals, from 1917, Grenville Kleiser put it this way:

If you once form the habit of selecting and dwelling upon important subjects only, you will have neither time nor inclination for the petty worries that beset so many lives.  Anxiety, irritation, despair, fear and the like, are mental, and therefore must be destroyed mentally.  As you realize the folly of these habits, you will more diligently strive to eliminate them from your life.  They are not only worthless, but a serious handicap in the face for success.  Think constructively, and doubtful and discordant elements will fall away from inanition (starvation).

I love that - starve negativity to death!

Notice how he refers to negative thoughs as “a serious handicap?”  If we were to start thinking of the following thoughts as handicaps, I’m certain we’d work harder to get rid of them:

• Worries
• Regrets
• Guilt
• Self Doubt
• Self Ridicule
• Pointless Daydreams
• Anger

Let’s vow to start recognizing these negative thoughts the very minute they show up.  Instead of inviting them to kick up their heels and get comfortable, let’s show them the door pronto. After all, if they’re invited in, they’ll invite other unsavory characters over and…well, nothing good will come from any of it.

Just as we’re careful about the people we associate with, we have to be careful about the thoughts we entertain. 

Positive, constructive thoughts will take us places!  Negative, destructive thoughts will take us nowhere.

Positive, constructive thinking will make us.  Negative, destructive thinking will break us.

The choice is ours.

Click HERE for an elaborate post detailing how you can make a difference in protecting and preserving our environment. No matter what Kermit may have told you, it IS easy being green.

Even the smallest changes add up, so if we all educate ourselves and do our part, we can make certain the beautiful world we enjoy today will be the one our children and grandchildren can enjoy tomorrow.

All of us - every single one of us - has at least one change we need to make in our lives. We know full well what change needs to take place, and we certainly know WHY we want it to come about. The WHY may be more money, better health, better relationships, or better organization. Whatever the details, the change will be one that we know will add happiness and harmony to our lives.

Seems simple enough, right? What person in his or her right mind wouldn’t do whatever needed to be done to bring more happiness into their lives?

Unfortunately, there’s a reason I wrote “Seems simple enough” rather than just “Simple enough.” Change is hard!

Funny, we always look at people around us and ask, “Why won’t ____ just change?” or “Why can’t ______ just give up smoking? He’s not even trying!” Yet, when it comes to ourselves we fully recognize how difficult it is to change habits - many of which are habits of a lifetime. Trying to develop a new, better habit while trying to ditch an old one is like trying to create a new bike path, while ignoring the one that’s already there. It’s so easy to steer back to familiar territory, isn’t it? Keep Reading……

I have a great website (well, actually it’s part of an amazing website) that I want very much for you to bookmark and visit each day. It’s a section of one of my favorite websites of all time: Prevention.com.

The section is called Brain Games and it will keep your mind as fit as the other sections will keep your body. Be sure to read the articles that you’ll find in this section as well (such as What Brain Games Can Do For You)

The games are really challenging and downright fun! I know you’ll enjoy them and your brain will be charged, stretched, and challenged. Don’t let mental fitness be one of those things that you think, “I’ll get around to that one of these days.” This IS one of those days!

Make each mental workout really count,
~Joi

Longevity is top on all of our to do lists, but if we don’t keep our minds sharp it won’t be all it’s cracked up to be. Even with all of the jokes about “getting older” and forgetfullness, research shows that there is only a slight decline in mental acuity over time. It just takes a little longer sometimes!

Some problems, however, become more common with age and can certainly hinder your mental abilities. Hearing loss, changes in vision, medications - they’re all things that impact the way we receive and process information. Medications can actually affect concentration, initiate memory loss, or change the levels of key brain chemicals.

Did you know that Imaging Studies suggest that hypertension actually causes small strokes that damage the brain? People with high blood pressure are more prone to memory problems than those with normal blood pressure.

Fortunately, researchers have done their homework and serve us up a steady diet of ways to get sharp and stay sharp!

6 of the surefire “Stay Sharp” measures that all experts agree on are listed below: (If you read this blog or the articles on TMFC frequently, you’ll recognize many of them - they’re the same mind-stretching exercises and lifestyle we teach and preach)

Become More Mentally Active.
Make “becomming more mentally active” part of your daily life. Play challenging board games, read a lot more, work crossword puzzles, Jumbles, Sudoku, play a musical instrument - anything, basically that keeps your mind busy. Also, work on acquiring new skills, as your mind absolutely loves this sort of thing! Activities like this expand the web of in the brain and help keep neurons nimble and alive. Great stuff!

Make each moment count double,
~Joi

We’re starting a new “Category” on Out of Bounds today. Joining the categories we already have [ Affirmation, Education, Infiltration, Information, Inspiration, Mental Flexation, Motivation, Quotation, Relaxation, and Versification ] - will be the new category: Rumination. To “ruminate” is, of course, to “ponder, think out, rationalize, meditate on… to put your thinking cap on and use it like it hasn’t been used in a while!”

As a mental fitness guru, I’m just straight up all about that! I want to poke at your brain cells and get them moving and grooving. It’s the best thing in the world for you. Maybe EVEN better than green tea, and you know how I push that.

That’s why we’re launching “Rumination.”

Don’t get me wrong, I want you to think about, and comment on each post I ever add to the blog. I love your comments and certainly learn more from reading your words than I do from reading my own. So, please keep them coming.

I’m going to challenge you, however, with posts under the category, “Rumination.” Sometimes, such as the one today - there’ll be a topic or quote. I’ll ask if you agree or disagree. In the comments, I want you to tell why you agree or why you disagree.

Other times, the post may pose a riddle or mind game for you to figure out and unravel. I love those - what’s more, our minds absolutely thrive on this sort of thing. You can even feel a natural little high after you’ve given your mind a good workout. It’s similar to the one that comes after a great physical workout.

Okay, I think you have the general idea!

Now for today’s Agree or Disagree:

H.G. Glasow once said, “The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion.” Interesting quote, no?

He certainly makes a great point. Some people dig their heels in as deep as they’ll go and raise their voice as high as it’ll go, leaving you with the impression that they’re just trying to compensate for one simple fact: They’re running on little, if any, information.

It’s as though they think that if they’re loud enough, everyone will assume they’re right. They’re probably also thinking that if they come across as angry and definitive, no one will ask any questions. Questions they KNOW they couldn’t answer in a billion Sundays!

However, on the other side of the proverbial fence, knowledge is fuel and the more fuel we have, the more drive we’ll have. Hmmmm…

So what are your thoughts? Even if you have something to say on BOTH sides of the fence, I’m fine with that…just have your say on one side, then climb over and speak your mind there. After all, you’ll be doing twice as much thinking, right?

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

Jonathan Swift said, “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” Is that an amazing quote, or what? The longer you think about it, the more amazing it is.

Whether we call them visions, dreams, or aspirations - we all have them. We each picture how we want our life to be and we picture the “us” that’s in it. We have a vision of just who we want to be and we know the things we want to accomplish. No one else can see our visions but us, and that makes them pure gold. If they can’t see them, they can’t tell us that we’re wrong, they can’t get in our way, and they sure can’t take them away from us. They’re ours, all ours!

A sad reality is that sometimes we lose sight of our visions and dreams. We get busy with this thing called life and we lose touch with what it is we actually want from it. Instead, we get way too wrapped up in what it wants from us. Another pitfall is that we often get caught up in other people’s lives instead of our own. We’ll worry about what this person’s doing, where that person’s headed, what she’s thinking, what he’s doing wrong, etc. While it’s all fine and well - and even highly commendable - to be concerned with others, we aren’t doing them or ourselves any favors when we lose ourselves or our visions along the way.

It helps to frequently spend time alone with yourself and your thoughts. I’d even suggest picking a time of the day to do just that. Whether it’s on the way home from the office, while doing dishes, or even while taking a bath/shower at the end of the day. Set aside a period of time to hold yourself accountable. Remind yourself of your visions and dreams - then ask yourself, “What did I do today that brought me one step closer to my vision?” Also, “What did I do today that kept me rooted in place, neither going forward or backward?” Finally, “What did I do today that took me one step away from my vision?”

Knowing that you’ll have to face this line of questioning at the end of the day will keep your eyes focused on your goal during the day.

One more thing about visions. While it sounds incredibly stirring and wonderful to say things like, “Never give up, no matter what your vision is - never, ever give up….” - there’s something to keep in mind. If you’re playing a sport, it’s good to plant yourself firmly in position right? Let’s say you’re playing in a baseball game. You’re playing center field. You know your position when you take the field, right? You don’t go to the left..you don’t go to the right. You know where center is and you head off in that direction. As the pitcher throws the ball, you’re set in your position. But what if the batter doesn’t hit the ball right to you? How foolish would it be to think, “I’m staying put! If I believe in myself enough, I can stretch my arm a good 12 feet and…” And, you’re off the team, that’s what!

You’re a better player than that, though! You reposition yourself according to the flight of the ball and…. And, “Out one!” - that’s what.

Yes, our visions are golden and yes, we should hold them close to us. However, there are certain situations when they may need to be adjusted - according to the flight of life. Take, for instance, the men and women who’ve been told they can’t conceive. They hope, pray, believe, and even envision a miracle pregnancy. While anything is possible (especially if God is on your team), many families would have missed out on the most beautiful thing that ever happened to them if they hadn’t “repositioned” and chosen to adopt. There isn’t an adoptive parent in the world who’ll tell you they had to “settle” - they’ll tell you the absolute truth, they simply had to switch positions to find their precious child. Their “vision” still came true - it simply came from another direction.

Whether you’re able to stand your ground or you have to reposition to get what you want, keep your eyes on the ball. Hold yourself accountable at the end of one day and strive to do better the next. Everything you want from life is just around the corner. The only thing is, it won’t come to you - you have to go get it!

Make each vision count double,
~ Joi

The ridiculously gorgeous
Vision is the Art Art Print (above) is available at AllPosters.com

I was spending a little time alone with Greenville Kleiser last night while my husband was otherwise occupied. Fortunately for all involved, Mr. Kleiser is one of my favorite authors and the time we spend is in the confines of his wonderful books. We met last night in “Inspiration and Ideals” from 1917, and yes…that does make him an older man.

Greenville Kleiser wrote many motivational and inspirational books and self help articles (I’ll be adding these to my Self Help Daily Article’s Section, starting today.) - but one of the best things he ever penned was the following poem, “The Bridge You’ll Never Cross.” I think you’ll love it as much as I do.

It’s a great reminder to deal with things as they happen and not to invite worry or fear into your life. Most things we fret over never even happen!

THE BRIDGE YOU’LL NEVER CROSS

It’s what you think that makes the world
Seem dull or bright to you;
Your mind may color all things gray
Or make them radiant hue.
Be glad today, be true and wise,
Seek gold amid the dross;
Waste neither time nor thought about
The bridge you’ll never cross.

There’s useful work for you to do
With hand and brain and heart;
There’s urgent human service, too,
In which to take your part.
Make every opportunity
A gain and not a loss;
The best is yours, so do not fear
The bridge you’ll never cross.

If life seems drab and difficult
Just face it with a will;
You do not have to work alone
Since God is with you still.
Press on with courage toward the goal,
With Truth your shield emboss;
Be strong, look up, and just ignore
The bridge you’ll never cross.
- Greenville Kleiser

By James LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND

Over the years of working with patients, I have found people really fear losing their mind to dementia or Alzheimer’s. Now, two new studies show that Metabolic Syndrome may be a risk factor of these dreaded conditions. Why? Because at the core of Metabolic Syndrome is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance goes on to become belly fat. Belly fat releases inflammatory chemicals that create the oxidative free radicals that damage our artery linings and LDL cholesterol, and create lesions in the brain. These lesions may become a precursor to stroke, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease.

Armed with this information, any of us would be foolish not get serious about taking care of our health. Here’s what you can do today to lower your risk of Metabolic Syndrome.

1. Eat a low carb diet: Don’t eat more than 80 to 100 grams of carbs per day. Most carbs should be from abundant non-starchy vegetables — so put down the potatoes!

2. Recondition your insulin receptors: The following supplements that are easy to obtain and affordable can help improve insulin sensitivity: chromium, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, and zinc.

3. Exercise: Walk, run, workout, take the stairs…just get out and get some exercise. Many studies show that vigorous exercise will improve Metabolic Syndrome by creating a need for all the glucose building up in the blood stream. But take note that in our clinic I have seen many who cannot lose weight despite intense exercise. This is a sure sign that nutrients are lacking that are needed by insulin and insulin receptors as discussed in number 2.

4. Stress Management: For many people, stress plays a major role in insulin resistance. Controlling the stress hormones that are promoting insulin resistance is vitally important. Relora®, holy basil, and rhodiola are well-studied supplements shown to alleviate stress symptoms themselves and help prevent their unwanted side effects.

Remember that diet, exercise, and well-chosen supplements should be our treatment of choice. Prescriptions that are often used for the pre-conditions of diabetes and heart disease are risky (unless there is an already dangerously high blood pressure or blood sugar present). These meds can even hasten our path toward the very diseases we are trying to prevent by depleting essential nutrients from our body. (See Total Health Breakthroughs article, “Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion” in the February 1 issue.)

[Ed. Note: Jim LaValle is an educator, clinician and industry consultant in the field of integrative healthcare. He is a licensed pharmacist, board certified clinical nutritionist and doctor of naturopathic medicine with more than 20 years clinical practice experience in the field of natural therapeutics and functional medicine. Named one of the "50 Most Influential Druggists" by American Druggist for his work in natural medicine, LaValle has authored 13 books, including his latest, Cracking the Metabolic Code. For more information, click here.]

“This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com.”