The Courage to Be You

Holiday Thinking

The most wonderful time of the year and the most stressful. Filled with tradition and memories and... all those EXPECTATIONS. It's brutal what we do to ourselves when you think about it. Expectations around meals, gifts, decorations, doing it just like your family did, behavior, dress and the dozens of other "should be's."

What if we drastically reduced our expectations and just went with the flow of the day. Where we do the best we can considering the circumstances, we always do, and just let life be as it will be. We have a much better chance to enjoy the moments, events, friends and family if we do. Feel how the stress is reduced just thinking about it.

We won't be very good at it at first, but some lowered expectations are better than nothing. Everyone else around us will have a better time and be more relaxed because of the peace they see in us. Isn't peace a huge part of the season?

So let's give lower expectations a healthy shot, bringing more calmness to whatever the occasion, which enhances joy, and brings goodwill to men - women too of course.

Merry Christmas to you all.  Brad

Is This You?

Do you recognize any of these symptoms of unhealthy thinking? Stress - worry - overeating - lack of energy - health problems - pessimism - judging everything - blaming > add your own. This was all part of my daily game. Here's what can happen when you take charge of your life and get your mind in shape.

I lost 35 pounds, got off of anti-depressants after 9 years, lowered my cholesterol and stopped the meds, eliminated my shortness of breath, increased my energy, gained healthier eating habits, started exercising again, began loving life, and soooo much more. Email me if you wish know.

This was and is accomplished through faith and the learned discipline of healthy thinking. Taking pills to fix my mind and body was killing me. Changing my thinking to change my life was and is the answer.

Heart Attack Thinking

You already know in your gut that stress kills. But it's the other guy's stress that is bad, not mine. I can handle it. We know it can't be healthy to run on maximum most of the time with life stretching us 10 different directions. STRESSED OUT! Look at the faces of people driving, walking, working. That tells the story.

The Society for Neuroscience reports in their Brain Facts pdf download, "Stressful experiences have a direct effect on the heart rate and blood pressure. When stressors are chronic and psychological (my italics), the effect can be extremely harmful and result in an increased risk for heart attack."

Isn't most stress caused by how we process our life - by our thinking? Learning to reduce your stress through healthy thinking may save your life. Read that again. Put the tips on this site to work in our lives by replacing our heart attack thinking. It's a killer ya know.

Reduce Stress - Significantly

As I replace old ways of thinking with new and work towards becoming a Distinguished Thinker, my stress has diminished. I'm not just talking about a noticeable difference. I mean it's significant.

Understanding my emotions and gaining more control of them is part of the foundation. Not judging everything in my life is another. Add to that; accepting life as it is, ego awareness, and allowing God to work in my life.

The destination of this journey towards total management of our thoughts and emotions is peace of mind paradise. This isn't just cheap talk. I'm living it more each day. I want to help you live it too, if you'll just keep coming back.