This is the fourth article in a series from the book titled Get The MOST From Yourself, by Terry Kibiloski, copyright 1996.

Last month, we looked at the health of YOUR human system and summarized the principles introduced in chapter 2. This month we begin chapter 3.

There are many principles that affect the human system, but we will begin with just three -

• The human system seeks harmony and ease, not dis-ease, and is greatly affected by the way you think
• You become what you think about all day long
• Positive thoughts can be applied to all situations and processed into positive feelings, attitudes and actions

When Norman Vincent Peale told us to change our thoughts to change our world, he was right. Even the Bible tells us the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6 NIV).

Before you control your mind with your spirit, it is important to realize that anger and anxiety are created within us, it doesn't come from outside of us. There is no such thing as an anxiety attack. Anxiety does not attack. It is created by our thoughts. As we think, so shall we be.

Thoughts are very powerful. They can heal and they can kill. Many people have recovered from illness when the doctor gave them a placebo and made them think it was a miracle cure. Other people have literally worried themselves to death. Their anxious thoughts have caused ulcers, heart disease, and many other ailments that eventually ended their lives in an untimely manner.

We have grown up in a society which teaches us our problems come from outside of us, from our work, our friends, our family, our social status, and a hundred other external sources. When we buy into that philosophy, it is not surprising that we look for solutions outside of us, like alcohol and drugs. How many times have you heard people say things like "this has been a rough day, I need a good stiff drink," or "these kids are driving me nuts, do you have any aspirin?" The fact is, a day is just a day, and kids are simply kids. It is how we process the day, or think about the kids, that causes us anxiety and anger.

There are many people who could have experienced the exact same day and the same kids, yet still manage to have a great time. Many times we hear things like "she is so great with kids," or "nothing ever bothers him." Take a lesson from these people. They have the same disasters in their life as everyone else, but they process them differently. They see the cup half full, not half empty. They have learned to replace anxious thoughts with positive thoughts which, in turn, program their minds to enjoy life.

You can never take a vacation to "get away from it all." You are "it all." You must change your thoughts to change your world.

A smile is a great way to start to change your world. A SMILE is contagious. From this moment on, SMILE at everyone you meet. It's a great way to start changing your world, and everyone else's world. A smile produces healing chemicals in your body and makes you feel good all over. It is much more than a mental exercise, it is a physiological fact.

The human system can be compared to the personal computer system, which has three major parts - hardware, software, and the computer operator. To maintain the personal computer system it's important to understand:

* Hardware specialists (technicians) help maintain our computer hardware.

* Software specialists (programmers) help maintain our computer software.

* People specialists (teachers) teach the operator how to effectively use the hardware and software. The ideal teacher is the designer or creator of the hardware and software.

The human system is similar to the personal computer system, with three major parts - the body (hardware), the mind (software), and the spirit, or soul, (operator). The Human System chart below illustrates this concept. To maintain the human system it's important to understand:

* Body specialists (doctors) help maintain our human body.

* Mind specialists (psychologists) help maintain our human mind.

* Spirit, or soul, specialists (priests, ministers, rabbis, etc.) teach us how to effectively use our body and mind. The ideal teacher is the Creator of our body and mind.

Each month readers send us stories via e-mail. Two of them from October are printed below.

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband unexpectedly died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students.

As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, "Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves ... and none of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day."

Her eyes beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you all to make me a promise... from now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see - it could be a scent - perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please, look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any time... it can all be taken away."

The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double-dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go any further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

I asked for Strength .........

And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom .........

And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity.........

And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage.........

And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love.........

And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors.........

And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted ........

I received everything I needed!

May your path be bright and full of light everywhere you go. And, I pray your feet will never stumble out of God's plan. May the desires of your heart come true. And may you experience Peace in everything you do. May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy come your way. And, may you gain Wisdom and grow in the Lord everyday.

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