Seeking and Finding Wholeness

Wondering how to be an optimist? Someone with constant positive outlook, dreams and success?  This quote puts it nicely:

“I have become my own version of an optimist.

If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door.

Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.”

~Rabindranath Tagore

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”

A Spanish Proverb

This article contains a couple videos featuring Dr. Plotnikoff offering real, practical and helpful advice to any person with health issues (not only cancer patients)

1-Fundamentals for Cancer Patients, Gregory A. Plotnikoff, MD, MTS, FACP
Dr. Plotnikoff provides insights into some fundamentals for cancer patients through supportive strategies for body, mind, and spirit.

2- Tips for Cancer Patient Appointments & Stress Reduction
Dr. Plotnikoff provides insightful tips to help people with cancer optimize their medical appointments, be supported, and find calm with “skills before pills” in the midst of stress.

If the videos are not playing or not on youtube, let me know, I have these clips saved in my personal archive.

We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.

~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

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Who’s Roderick Thorp? What’s Rainbow Drive? I dunno. (Maybe you do? Clue me in if you feel like doing so.) Call me ignorant. And INSPIRED! Cuz this quote is loaded- with the key to your life being much, much easier.

Be easier on yourself.

We are programmed and bombarded daily with negative images, “news”, and feedback about ourselves. So it’s no wonder we run loops of negative self-talk over and over, throughout the day, most of which, is unconscious. Until it’s not.

CATCH YOURSELF- notice when you are saying something negative about either yourSELF or about your LIFE and say “stop”. If you want to add some extra breaking-power, use an EFT/Tapping technique, where you take your index and middle finger, and tap just below your eye, on the top edge of your cheekbone, and say “I release this thought about myself. I completely accept myself, just as I am. All is well.” Then take a few deep breaths and just relax.

You are gonna have to live with yourself for the REST of your life, so you might as well become the best of friends with your own worthy self. If you think you are boring, mean, or not a good friend to others, then start by being open to feeling more excited, kind, and a good friend to yourself. Remind yourself throughout the day that YOU CAN DEPEND on you.

We are here on Earth to be in relationship to other people- to receive help, guidance, love, and companionship from others. This is a huge playing field in which we learn to expand ourselves into grander versions of ourselves. But you can also expand yourself ALL ON YOUR OWN! And you do that by FEELING GOOD.

So start feeling better- about yourself and your capacity to handle WHATEVER life brings your way. Feel better about your ability to be loving, and helpful- seek opportunities to do so, so you can be amazed by your experiences. Feel better about your life, no matter WHAT is going on (or NOT going on), but tapping that point below your eye and affirming that life can get better, and you are learning to be your “bestest” friend in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD.

Then others will do the same. And you don’t even have to “try”- you don’t have to convince them of anything, or say or do anything to help them change. It will be AUTOMATIC. People may start to watch you, look at you, and wonder “what is WITH you?” and you may reply by saying “myself. I am with me. I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” And you’re here to ROCK the world! To shake it back awake- Our brothers and sisters are in need of love and this gentle reminder. Let yourself remember just how amazing you are.

I love you!

I constantly find myself seeing things differently than people I am with. Cultural norms that people accept as divine laws to live by amaze me every single day. I remember asking “but why” as far back as my memory goes. I probably asked “why” as a baby before I could even talk.

I’d see people do a certain thing, say certain things,  or react in certain ways, then I’d ask myself “why”? I asked why because the actions did not seem positive, or seemed lacking in judgment, logic, or respect. Asking “why” meant that something did not make sense to me.

If I verbalized my questions I usually heard unsatisfying answer, most of the time  the answers went like this: “because that is the culture”, or “because it’s in the bible”, or (this may be my favorite one) “because this is what people do”. Some may call you “weird” for questioning “what people do”. Years went by, my questions never got an answer.

Today, I have much more insight into human reasoning and behavior, coupled with love and understanding. Thanks to hypnosis, varied life experiences and guidance, I understand why people do things better.

Understanding something doesn’t mean I agree with it though. It also doesn’t mean I stopped asking “why”. I continue to ask “why” now purely from sheer amazement.

One simple, yet very common example that I came across recently was being at a party, with alcoholic beverages, and seeing a gal tell her friend “have another drink.”  When the friend indicated a “no”, the gal insisted and asked again trying to be more persuasive.

This made me shake my head in disagreement, I probably gave the persons a shocked look as well. I hide my opinions less than I used to do as a kid, some people don’t like that. I don’t care.

Replace the alcoholic beverage seen here with food, fashion, cars, work, computer games, opinions, actions, pretty much anything that a person (a groups, an institution, organization etc) may ask you to do (or think) because they think “it is cool”, or because “it is the way people do things.”

Now, if you take a moment to think about this, you may start notice how common this example is.

If your friend was a true friend, she/he would RESPECT your wishes and opinions. When you say “no” to any idea, a “real friend” would immediately respect your “no”, they will smile and move on to another issue out of sheer respect for you. It’s true that your friend my have the idea that drinking more means “you are having more fun”, she/he may want to see you have more fun based on their understanding of “having fun”, but if you said “no”, for whatever reason then a “no” is a “no”.

You do not need persuasion, you do not need someone to tell you how to have fun. YOU are the one having fun, you decide what fun is to you.

When your gut feeling, desires, or simple leanings go in one direction, if you are happy doing a certain thing, and are then faced with a friend (or anyone for that matter) telling you that this is “not how people have fun”, be bold and say “No.”,

“This is how I have fun.” “This is how I enjoy life”.

Read more…

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Was is worth it?

By Mahatma Gandhi

Is it Worth it?

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Hint: the answer is “No”

Is your cup half full or half empty?

To love is to recognize yourself in another. The others “otherness” then stands revealed as an illusion pertaining to the purely human realm, the realm of form. The longing for love that is in every child is the longing to be recognized, not on the level of form, but on the level of Being.

When another recognizes you, that recognition draws the dimension of Being more fully into this world through both of you. That is Love that redeems the world.

Love is the recognition of oneness in the world of duality.

By: Unknown

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

 Marianne Williamson

Greetings and salutations!

the following is a message that I feel is very worthy of sharing with those of us who are seeking wholeness, especially on this day many call “valentines day”. This message was sent out yesterday from the founder and leader of Young Living brand essential oils. if you don’t know who or what i’m talking about then here’s my quick shpeel: Young Living is passionate and serious about producing therapeutic-grade products; Gary has the strictest standards for purity, potency and safety when it comes to the essential oils that Young Living produces, and he is passionate about bringing a higher quality of life to all of the world. if you are new to ‘essential oils’, they can be considered, but are far from limited to the word aromatherapy. they are basically considered the blood of a plant/tree/fruit/flower and this blood contains enormous healing potential, and is imbued with the intelligence of nature.

I am a distributor of these oils-
i use them in a variety of ways daily, on myself, on dogs, and in my massage and healing practice, so i have stories from using the oils myself, as well as from other people over the last year and a half, since I first heard about Young Living.

i hope you have a wonderful valentine’s day! know that i love you, and care for you so very much. You are an invaluable piece of the giant Cosmic Puzzle, I will say. and that is no small thing! I mean, your ability to realize grander dreams and desires for ourselves and others, is important. Your health, happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction in life IS IMPORTANT. i think you came here to this thing we call “Life” to evolve and achieve deeper fulfillment in your own unique and perfect way. And really, right here and now, you are doing that just perfectly. You are perfect, whole and complete. You are lovely. I love you!

if you would like to get to know more about the Young Living essential oils on your own, you can click here or just get in touch with me.

peace!

~angie

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you … See More spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, It is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

Be kind, the better we treat others the better we feel about ourselves. The more we build and affirm people the more we grow as human beings.

By: Hal Urban

Also, remember, be kind to yourself!
Your opinion and view of yourself is the only one that matters so be careful what you say to yourself, your unconscious mind is always listening.

Happy New Year!

At this time, a week after the celebration of Christmas, we find ourselves gearing up for one more round of parties, celebration, and perhaps some deep reflection and quiet contemplation.   And we carry on a tradition of making , what many people call, New Year’s Resolutions.

I was pondering this word on the night of the solstice- when the light begins to return for longer periods than the darkness- and it dawned on me (no pun intended!) that the evening of the solstice felt more like “New Year’s” to me than anything.  A new year was beginning for me that night, as the darkness would be given less time to linger, and the light would be filling our days moreso.  What a great way to think about how we are moving into a new chapter in our lives.  The chapter of 2010-

But the meat of what I got to pondering, on that cold, crisp night here in Minnesota, where I live… was the word “resolution”; what’s with this making new year’s resolutions stuff?  I find there is a lack of feeling and motivation behind this word, resolution.

I wondered how many other people hear that catch-phrase and imagine the plethora of topics that are common in our country:  eating healthier, going on a diet, losing weight, getting in shape, paying off debt, quit smoking, quit drinking, quit this, quite that, stick-to-this, follow-through-on-that, etc.  These things can sound like such a CHORE!  And then it hit me:  the very word itself, resolution, implies there is something to be resolved, and if something is to be resolved, then we must first have a “problem”.

Well, I don’t like the word problem. When we take into account the Bigger Picture, I feel that here, there are no problems.  A problem is a matter of perception.  They are just a sign-post that something is simply out-of-whack in our mind and our heart, and thus is spills forth into our outer lives.  So we must bring it into the light, where it will be TRANSFORMED, brought back into alignment, and returned to us as a fresh perspective, a right outlook, a new energy that will fill us and point us in the direction of where we would like to be going.

After all, nothing can truly be destroyed, extinguished, or ended.  ALL is energy, ever changing, in a state of flux, shifting and moving and altering form as it naturally evolves or as we come along and perceive it and project our energy onto it.  So it’s not that bad habits need to be cut out of our lives- in fact, this can prove to be quite difficult!  Going “cold turkey” just usually doesn’t work that well.  But if we offer it to the Light, it will be transformed and shifted in the way that is most effective and perfect for us.

We are not here to resolve our lives or “fix” the world- WE ARE HERE TO TRANSFORM IT.

And Oh!  What a grand opportunity that is.

May you know that you,

right here, right now,

are FULLY  EQCUIPED to do just that-

Read more…

During your day, periodically bring your attention back to yourself. Bring your awareness from wherever it is, from the ether, from the computer, from other people; wrap it up and bring it all back in, as if you are calling the troops home. Call your energy and your attention from everywhere it’s at back into you. Regroup your thoughts, breath deeply, calm and be present inside yourself.

If you do this you will be aware, present & most importantly alive.

He who fears he will suffer, already suffers from his fear

Michel de Montaigne

People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

When life throws a rock at you (in the form of opposition, challenges, sickness, ideas, etc) What do you do with this rock? Do you throw it away, perhaps throw it at someone else? Do you keep it and put it on the mantle next to the family photos, or do you shape it with a tool?

A rock can be useful.

Place it on the ground in front of you, fill in pot holes with it, put it in a puddle of water and step on it. Step on it, it’s a rock.

Speak well to yourself because your deep mind is always listening.

By Devin Hasting

After quickly reading Improve Your Vision Without Glasses Or Contact Lenses I quickly got a hold of a book called “Relearning to See: Improve Your Eyesight — Naturally!“. I’ve finished 5 chapters already and am very pleased. The book by Thomas Quackenbush is based on the Bates Method of natural vision improvement. This book does NOT have eye exercises what it has are ‘habits’. Apparently myopic individuals (including myself) strain our eyes with bad habits. I can relate to a lot of what I’ve read so far in this book on how I and people like me see the world around us.

Quackenbush did his homework in putting this book together; there is a lot of information on Bates research and how Bates came to his conclusions on restoring vision naturally. I have the Bates book and read some of it (I’m reading both Bates’ and Quackenbush’s books right now). Quackenbush often quotes Bates, from the Better Eyesight Magazine and the Perfect Sight Without Glasses book. Quackenbush then in his own words clarifies and modernizes Bates words.

The habits in this book were totally new to me, just as was the Bates method. Even though I read the 5 chapters today and last night, I can see how these habits do in fact work. My vision today on the commute to and from work was exceptionally sharper and I feel like I live in a 3D world that feels more 3D than it did before. Amazing.

Placebo effect? I will continue to read the book and do my best to follow the habits. If (or when) I see vision improvement I will let you know.

I hung my Snellen eye chart on the wall today. My vision today with my contact lenses on is 20/20 (wearing -6 contacts). Without contacts it is worse than 20/200.

Book Review:

Recently, I finished reading a book titled “Improve Your Vision Without Glasses Or Contact Lenses” by the American Vision Institute (AVI).  As a newbie to the concept of Vision Therapy and ‘naturally’ improving eye power, I found “Improve Your Vision Without Glasses Or Contact Lenses” a good starting point, but you should not make this book your last to read on the subject. The book is very short and easy to read, making it very practical. The book emphasizes exercising the eye muscles and offers hope to many.

This book may have done more than offer hope, apparently it actually helped people improve their vision! By reading the comments and ratings on amazon.com I found that 42 users gave this book 4 or 5 stars, many of them reporting vision improvement! (I listed some of these comments below).

The 42 positive reviews gave me enough reason to give this book a try. Even if half the 42 positive ratings did not actually have improved vision, even if 21 individuals no improvement, in reality even if only 3 individuals where able to enhance their vision by following some visual exercises, that in itself warrants more investigation and experimentation.

I have been using ‘corrective’ eye glasses and contact lenses ever since I was 11 years old. Back then I barely needed my spectacles, now I cannot even see my wife’s face without them, and I am 30 years old (as of the date of this article).

I caution you from relying on this book as the only source of information on natural vision enhancement because it overlooks the Bates method which has been proven to improve eye sight.  There are so many websites, books and products on this topic. Only a few are worth your time and money.

My next book will be the original Bates Method book to which I will write about later.

Official Product Description:

For the 110 million Americans who suffer some type of vision problem, the American Vision Institute offers a clinically proven program of 20 exercises and maintenance techniques guaranteed to improve vision in as little as 30 days. This complete course in vision therapy helps increase focusing power, decrease eye strain, and prevent further deterioration of vision.

Six users gave the book one star, in other words a negative rating. Most the negative comments where what you would expect in a negative comment for a book that is against the mainstream of thought, basically “if it sounds too good it is probably too good to be true” comments.

One good thing that came out of these negative comments was to introduce me to the Bates Method, and let me know (even before reading the book) how this book followed a different approach to vision enhancement that was NOT the Bates Method.

Read more…

Consider these famous quotes on courage:

Courage, an optimistic attitude, common sense, and a feeling of being at home upon the crust of the earth, will enable (us) to face advantages and disadvantages with equal firmness.

–Alfred Adler

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.
~Ambrose Redmoon

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.
~Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~Winston Churchill

Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.
~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Fear and courage are brothers.
~Proverb

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.
~Raymond Lindquist

Courage is knowing what not to fear.
~Plato

Courage is a kind of salvation.
~Plato

Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.
~Robert Cody

I’ve talked about migraines here before. Here’s a little about my experience with them. I believe I started to have migraines back in 2006. At first I didn’t know they were migraines, I was confused why I kept getting ill and why I had headaches. Then came the auras which made things clear, yes I had migraines, and not so clear because these auras left me almost blind.

By 2007, I was getting one every week. Initially most occurred on the weekend or early in the week.

They were accompanied by the spots of light that usually grew larger, these are the auras, if you don’t know what they’re called. I simply referred to them as bright light spots, or a single bright light spot, that sometimes had other colors mixed in, sometimes had a blank/dark spot as well. The auras often reminded me of staring straight into a flash light.

They would grow and sometimes cover enough of an area in my field of vision that I had to find a place to sit and wait it out because my vision was impaired t a degree that I couldn’t see and operate (walk, meet people or drive) safely.

Naturally other symptoms showed up. Usually after I saw the auras, and even when the auras were long gone, I would deteriorate in terms of weakness and headache intensity until by night time I find myself throwing up and feeling like I am so sick and weak that I could die.

This all became too common, too frequent. I was ‘falling apart’.

As a result of my migraines, I grew to recognize them in their early stages and to catch these early symptoms and listen to my body and start to take action steps to stop the oncoming migraine in its tracks.

After other health issues ocurred, I made a commitment towards my health, and followed through. This lead to less migrains and to my ability to stop them before they get really bad. Sometimes I forget my commitment, and that’s when I get a migraine.

I guess, now, migraines are my body’s way of reminding me to take care of my mental, emotional and physical wellness and health.

If you haven’t visited the National Geographic photo of the day website you gotta check it out.

I’ve said this before, I love the National Geographic magazines and I love the National Geographic channel and every program they have (along with Discovery and the History channels).  I like these media outlets mainly because they go where I can’t go and they show me the rest of the world and nature that I can only wish to see.

Their website “National Geographic Photo of the Day” offers another outlet for me to go and find breathtaking photos of our living world. This is a very valuable resources to those of you who love life and our planet.

Find the website here: http://ngphotooftheday.blogspot.com

Buy your own National Geographic magazines or other educational products (and save money using coupons) here

I have a story for you:

Once Upon a Time In a Land Far Far Away, there was a young king who suffered from mood swings.

He would be confident of his decisions and his own greatness, until he got depressed and fell into a deep depression. When this king was feeling blue, he would sit and stare, he would sleep for hours on end, he would do nothing, and he would also become convinced that he was worthlessness and unimportant.

If this king lived today, we would have called him bipolar or perhaps manic-depressive; but this was a long time ago, and back then no one had names for these symptoms. The king was left with no real help, he brought the best herb doctors and they gave him special attention only fit for a king, but his mood swings did not improve much.

Read more…

According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.

Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list.

Outside of Europe, New Zealand and Canada also made the top 10. The U.S. did not.

The U.S. ranked the highest for child poverty and obesity among the western nations polled.

Other Very Interesting Findings include:

Adult height: Americans are not getting taller. The United States is the only country in the OECD where men and women aged 45-49 are no taller than those aged 20-24 years old, indicating no improvement in health and social conditions determining gains in height.

Health care: The United States spends the most per capita on health care, but despite their high levels of health spending the Unites States has relatively low life expectancy.

Net National Income: The United States is one of the richest countries in the OECD. In 2006, the United States had a per capita National Net Income in excess of USD 35 000. Only Luxembourg and Norway were higher.

Fertility: The United States has a much higher fertility rate than most other OECD countries of 2.1 children per mother, compared to an OECD average of 1.65.

Child poverty: Child poverty has fallen since the mid-1990s but one in five US children still live in poverty, a rate exceeded only in Poland, Mexico, and Turkey

Social protection: The United States is the fourth lowest in the OECD in terms of income shares of public social spending. However, when tax breaks for social purposes and private social spending are also considered, social spending in the United States rises above the OECD average of 28% to 31% of income.

Eating time: Americans spend around an hour and a quarter eating every day, slightly more than only Canadians and Mexicans but less than half the eating time spent by the French. Despite this limited time spent eating, their obesity rates are the highest in the OECD.

Leisure time of men and women: American men have nearly 40 minutes more leisure time than women per day.
Find the report here: http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,3343,en_2649_34637_2671576_1_1_1_1,00.html

Let me ask you,

• Are we a nation of Me’s or a nation of We’s?
• How can one justify that it is more important to have a fetus develop into a baby and then be born than to give that new born baby and child health coverage or keep them from poverty?

We may make more money per capita in the US but we spend most of it on health insurance and other ‘fees’ – These are what I call hidden taxes.

These hidden taxes go to corporations not to benefit other citizens; they suck money up the ranks to make the rich richer, making huge profits and paying CEO’s millions of dollars that are basically denied health care reimbursements to you.. In other words, money from your pocket to theirs.

Taxes are used by governments (i.e. we the people) to benefit the population at large, these fees are simply how some corporations (after lobbying congress) dip their hands in your pockets and ’steal’ your money.

Read more…

Carl Gustav Jung was a famous Swiss psychiatrist, a student of Freud & the founder analytic psychology. I find some of his words very interesting and worth thinking about. This is one of the quotes I like:

I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become

This one is so true.

Many stare at the letters stacked next to a psychologist, counselor, therapist or another mental/social health professional and wonder what these letters really mean.

These letters are abbreviations that indicate professional licenses and certificates that a particular health professional has.

In this article I am listing all the licenses and certificates within the mental health profession (that I am aware of). To find the graduate degrees these professionals need read my previous article “All The Mental Health Degrees”

Here’s the list:

LCSW, ACSW, LCS, LICSW, CSW
These are used by licensed clinical social workers.  A licensed clinical social worker has a graduate academic degree, has completed supervised clinical work experience and has passed a national- or state-certified licensing exam.

This advanced practitioner holds a license that allows him or her to receive health-care insurance reimbursements.

(Source: National Association of Social Workers)

LMFT or MFCC

MFT stands for Marriage and Family Therapist. A licensed marriage and family therapist has a graduate academic degree (a 2- to 3-year master’s degree or a 3- to 5-year doctoral degree) along with clinical work experience. This therapist has passed a state-certified licensing exam.

Most states offer this license. Along with the two- to three-year full-time masters programs with a practicum and internship, LMFTs are required to complete 1,000 to 2,000 hours of individual or family therapy with 100 hours of supervision. This can take one to three years.

(Source: American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists)

LP or NCPsyA

The licensed psychoanalyst has obtained his license from the state department of education (requirements vary from state to state).

Recipients of this license must have a master’s degree or higher, and must complete psychoanalytic study in a program deemed qualified by the state DOE.

An LP must complete a supervised psychoanalysis program and pass a state-certified examination.

(Source: New York State Department of Education)

LPC or LCPC, LPCC, LMHC, DAC, MFCC
These stand for licensed professional counselor, licensed professional clinical counselor or licensed mental health counselor. These licenses are granted to those who have advanced training, a graduate academic degree, clinical work experience and have passed a state-certified licensing examination.

Read more…

If you are considering attending a school to become a mental health professional (counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc) you probably found that you have many degree options. Psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, counselor, social workers and others have different degree and licensing options.

If you are considering seeking assistance from a mental health practitioner but feel lost when you see the different degrees and their abbreviations, this article will help you.

This article compiles all the academic degrees that all kinds of mental health professionals need to acquire. In the next article I will discuss all the certificates and licenses used by mental health professionals.

Let’s start:

PhD
PhD stands for a Doctor of philosophy. This academic degree is earned after anywhere from four to seven years of graduate study.

Many psychologists, therapists, counselors and coaches hold a doctorate of philosophy.

A PhD in psychology emphasizes research and teaches theory as well as statistics and data gathering. A lot of the PhD holders work in academic settings, as professors or researchers.

If a PhD graduate who does not work in academic setting usually practices as a Psychologist. Psychologist are fully trained in the assessment and treatment of all behavioral conditions ( i.e. anxiety, depression, anger, etc).

(Source: American Psychological Association)

PsyD

PsyD stands for Doctor of psychology. PsyD focuses on therapy and counseling rather than research.

Read more…

I found myself at urgent care having trouble breathing last week. After many hours of tests and waiting, I was admitted in at the hospital and diagnosed with Pulmonary Embolism (a blood clot in the lung with a 30% mortality rate). Luckily, the one I had was small in size and I bounced back on my feet quickly.

If you know me you will know that I’ve always believed that everything in life has positive aspects, even seemingly dangerous, unpleasant or unforeseen situations can still offer glimmers of positiveness, sometimes lots of positiveness. Not only that, but that negative events could be turned around and used as opportunities for improvement. Unfortunately, some people take offense when I mention that ‘bad life events‘ can be positive things.

I am about to share with you actual thoughts I had while I was at urgent care and from the time that followed at the hospital. You will soon notice the majority if not all the thoughts were somewhat silly, somewhat childish, but that doesn’t matter because I know that all of them made me smile.

I am often amused easily by nature and seldom by man made things. I believe that anyone can be as amused as me by what nature has to offer, it’s not difficult; it is also possible to amuse at life events just the same. The way I see it, people and life events are parts of nature.

Now let me share with you my thoughts. Some of these thoughts were vocalized as soon as they materialized in my mind resulting is some chuckles, smiles or laughs by people that were there. In general, finding the positiveness in little things made the whole experience of being at the hospital much more pleasant for me and more tolerable for others.

You may want to read the post about my Pulmonary Embolism (here) to get the time line of events. The thoughts below are organized in chronological order.

Feel free to laugh at my easily amused self

Why am I sharing theses?

To show you that you can find intriguing, exciting, amusing, beautiful, even amazing and positive aspects to everything and every event, including when you are in pain and at the hospital.

Here goes:

On the CT scan

Thought: Wow, my first CT scan, I wonder how different it is from an MRI.

Read more…

Wont you say that the pursuit of happiness is one thing that is programed in most of us?  Not counting mentally unstable individuals, its safe to assume that we all want to be happy. The interesting thing though is how little we know about what it takes to be happy or satisfied. We often seek happiness only to create suffering.

I use the words ‘happy’ and ’satisfied’ interchangeably, the way I see it they are the same. Suffering also needs to be clarified here, suffering encompasses any of these: stress, negative emotions, misery, pain, etc.

Why is the list below so long (80+ topics)? Well, after getting a pulmonary embolism last week, a potentially lethal medical condition, I decided to write down a list of ideas and concepts that are dear to me in one post and to push them out on the Internet. This article is essentially my message to the world; I was planning on writing an article for each of (or a combination of) the topics listed below; as you will notice some article have already been written; however, who knows if I’ll live long enough or if I’ll ever have the time to write articles on all these topics.

The list below is a compilation of things I learned or developed (through thought processes), philosophies, beliefs and ideas that I consider dear to my heart and I do live by.  I do not want to take credit for any of the topics below, these were passed on to me through people, nature and other life events. I only learned them, tried to sincerely live them, and now, wrote them down. I believe that the more of these that you embrace the more satisfied and happy you will become.

Please share your tips for happiness by leaving a comment.

Message to the world, brought to you by Wholeness Blog:

1. Appreciate and delight in the smallest things and the simplest things.
2. Plan the future but don’t get obsessed about it. You can plan so much, but when something unplanned happens, then it is what it is, collect yourself and move on.
3. Many unexpected things may happen, sometimes things are what they are, sometimes they are not. Know which is which.
4. If you are faced with bad news, a bad reality, you will have to first accept it before you can deal with it. Some people go through denial and other moods, but you cannot move forward until you accept reality.
5. Take what you have and go along with it. Make the best with what you have.
6. See the positives and the lessons in everything  you experience.
7. Don’t see the obstacles and the so called ‘negative’ things, you will only pull yourself away from living a better life.
8. When you dream or plan, be free, explore all the possibilities, identify your dream as if no restrictions exist at all. Then, add the restrictions, examine which are real and which are self imposed, then create plans.
9. There is no good or bad. A few things are absolute good or bad, the rest are all in between, they are shades of gray. Even in your life, what you see as bad, may actually be good, your evaluation of something as bad is your own opinion, your own view, and your view is influenced by your mind set. (Read this on the good and bad).
10. Keep your mind OPEN to seeing the good in everything.
11. Stop and notice nature, birds, the wind, beaches, rain, smells, grass, dew drops, plant leaves, etc.. and see the beauty and life in them.. See the good in them.
12. See the good in you, all you’ve done, all you’ve overcome, the past events and challenges you lived through. Appreciate what you’ve managed to do and deal with. See how all these things made you who you are now and how they made you more mature and stronger.
13. Respect yourself. If you don’t no one will.
14. Love yourself. If you don’t no one will.
15. See the good that you have, your healthy blood, brain, eyes, ears, oh so many things that you are fortunate to have.
16. Demand respect of others, BUT give it back.
17. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
18. Make peace not war, in your mind, in your heart, with others, with nature and with everything.
19. Appreciate what you got. Do not take anything for granted. We got countless of things that should not be taken fro granted, for instance: Your house, the roads, the water, sewers, the food, the highway system, having fuel, electricity, the sun, the clean air, the money you have, your job, pets, rain, the night sky, green plants, fruits and on top of them all your health.
20. Remember, so many people are not as blessed as you are.
21. Read more…