Your Need To Know

Having some stress in your life is a good thing.  It keeps your mind and body active and more alert.  It only becomes harmful when you have too much of it.  Too much = more than you can cope with.  

Everyone has experienced stress at some point and we all know when we are experiencing it.  Our jobs and family life can be stressful when conflict arises and agreements aren’t easily reached. Stress can make us feel irritable, upset our stomachs, and interrupt our sleep.

Even though we intuitively know what stress is, and despite the obvious signs, defining stress can be difficult. 

Stress is defined as the psychological and physiological conditions a person experiences when they perceive a situation as threatening, harmful or demanding. 

Whether we feel stress or not depends on how we perceive these situations we are facing.  What is stressful for one person may not be for another, and there are many factors that influence how we interpret these situations.  Such as:

• Who you are
• Your personality
• Your overall attitudes
• Your skills
• Other events in your life
• Other people in your life

When you are experiencing stress, you may have some or many of the following symptoms.  You may:

• Become irritable
• Eat poorly
• Develop stomachaches or heartburn
• Have problems sleeping
• Develop tense muscles
• Become ill more often
• Feel like you have too much to do and not enough time to do it
• Feel tired or have a noticeable lack of energy
• Not enjoy your usual pleasures
• Abuse or overuse drugs or alcohol

Once you recognize you have stress and the symptoms that go along with it, you need to choose a way to deal with it.  Here are some ways you can deal with stress:

1. Eat well-balanced meals and get enough sleep
2. Stop worrying about things you can’t change
3. Talk with a trusted friend, family member or counselor
4. Meditate
5. Try to look at change as a positive thing and not as a threat
6. Work to resolve conflicts with other people
7. Do more things that you don’t find stressful, such as sports, social events or hobbies

Develop a stress reduction plan. Once you put a couple of methods in place, you can begin to reduce the stress you are experiencing.  When you have a plan, stress becomes much easier to break down and deal with.  You can break it down piece by piece until it is gone – or at least greatly reduced.

Gina 

The whole process of spiritual and material wealth can be summed up in one word: Gratitude. A grateful thought for anything you have received is a prayer from the heart and it blesses you.

A person with a grateful heart is a happy person and a wealthy person.

“Oh Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” William Shakespeare

We should be thankful that we were born into this world. Consider for a moment that you had not been born. You would never have seen a glorious sunset or beautiful sunrise. You would never have seen the beauties of nature or the starry skies. You would never have seen the snow-clad mountains, or smelled the sweet fragrance of the flowers. You would have never felt the affectionate embrace of your loved ones. You would have never felt love in your heart.

We should be grateful that we have eyes to see God’s beauty, ears to hear the songs of birds, and a voice to speak words of encouragement, comfort, and love to others.

There is a Law of Gratitude and to conform to this law is to amass wealth, health, peace and joy in your life. This law is the natural principal of action and reaction. It simply means that whatever you impress on your subconscious mind will be expressed.

So, how do we conform to the Law of Gratitude?

First. You must accept wholeheartedly and completely that there is a Higher Power, an Infinite Intelligence, a Divine Presence, a Supreme Being, or God.

Second. You must believe that this Higher Power responds to the nature of your thoughts.

Third. You relate yourself to this Higher Power by a deep feeling of inner gratitude.

In everything, give thanks. (1Thess. 5:18)

The grateful attitude of your mind for all the good that you share becomes a conviction in your deeper mind. This leads to a grateful heart and a grateful heart attracts spiritual and material wealth. Gratitude brings about a transformation in our mind and heart and becomes a spiritual and mental magnet, drawing toward us all our desires from countless sources.

The value of gratitude doesn’t consist solely of drawing our desires to us because without a thankful heart we become dissatisfied regarding our present circumstances and conditions. If you allow your mind to dwell on any lack in your life or the problems of the world, your mind will take the form of these things. In other words, that which you give your attention to you also experience. Focus your attention on the best in life and you will experience the best of everything in life.

Your gratitude and your measure of thankfulness shouldn’t be expressed as an attitude of seeking favors. You need to be truly grateful for all the good things in your life and you will be when you become aware and appreciate the universal principals of life.

Begin today. Give thanks. Develop a grateful heart by repeating ”Thank you” over and over again every day until your mind and heart are lifted up to the point of acceptance. Believe that your grateful attitude can and will change your life.

Experience the wonders of the Law of Gratitude. You will be so glad you did.

“All things be ready if the mind be so.” William Shakespeare

Gina

There was a young surgeon from Wales who was the son of a miner. His father worked long hours at low wages in the coal mines. As a boy, the surgeon had to go to school barefoot because his father could not afford shoes for him. Fruit and meat appeared on the table twice a year at Christmas and Easter. Buttermilk, potatoes and tea were the main staples for this family.

One day the young man said to his father, “Dad, I want to be a surgeon, and I’ll tell you why. A boy I’m going to school with had cataracts. The eye surgeon operated on him and now he sees perfectly. I want to do good like that doctor does.”

He father replied, “Son, I have set aside $8000. that I have saved over twenty five years. I have saved it for your education. I would rather you not touch it until after you have finished your medical schooling. Then you can use it to open up a beautiful office with all the necessary equipment of your profession. In the meantime, the money will be drawing interest and you will have that security. You know that any time you really need it during your medical schooling you can always draw on it. It’s all yours, but I would rather you let it draw interest until you graduate. Then it will be a nice “nest egg” for you.”

The young man was thrilled beyond words. He promised he wouldn’t touch the money until he graduated from medical school.

He worked his way medical school, working in pharmacies at night and during holidays. He also earned money as an instructor in pharmacology and chemistry at his college. His whole idea was to live up to his promise to his father that he wouldn’t touch the money in the bank until he graduated.

Graduation day finally came. His father told him, “Son, I have been digging for coal all my life and gotten nowhere. There is not a penny in the bank and there never was. I wanted you to dig deeply and find the treasures in the gold mine within yourself, which is limitless and inexhaustible.”

“For a moment,” the surgeon said, “I was flabbergasted and dumbfounded. After a few minutes, I got over the shock and both of us burst out laughing. Then I realized what Dad had really wanted to teach me. It was the feeling of wealth engendered by the thought of plenty of money in the bank to back me up if I needed it. It gave me courage, faith, and confidence and made me believe in myself. My belief that I had $8000. in the bank had accomplished the purpose just as well as if it had actually been on deposit in my name.”

Everything this young surgeon had accomplished was a symbol of his inner faith, vision, and conviction. There wasn’t a single penny to back him up as a student, but look at the wonders it brought in his life.

For every person in the world, the secret of success, achievement, and fulfillment lies in the discovery of the miraculous power of their thoughts and feelings. Our young surgeon acted confidently just as if the money was always there!

Gina