Selena From North Carolina Writes:
I feel like there are so many “top diseases” that are mentioned daily in the news. My family is relatively healthy and we don’t have much heart disease or cancer in our genes. With all the research pointing to various illnesses, what do you think is the toughest disease we are facing today?
I get asked this question frequently and this is an easy answer for me. I really don’t think the root cause is simply diabetes, cancer, heart disease, fibromyalgia, or even depression. Those are just the end result.
In my opinion, the greatest health challenge we are facing today is in the way that we think. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said recently that 85% of the root cause of all disease can be found in negative emotional health. Wow! The way that we think is considered the foundation for so much of what we see people deal with in their physical bodies. We are taught and told that family history is everything. That we are our genetics. Genetics do play a role in our health, absolutely. However scientisits are finiding now in the world of epigeneticst that environmental factors can actually change our DNA cellular structure.
What did Albert Sweitzer say about most people today? He stated that people simply don’t think. We get in our routines of daily living, yet we forget about the most important tool we have to achieve optimal health…our ability to think. Many leaders, scientists, philosophers, and religious leaders, have disagreed about many ideas and philosophies in life. However, history tells us that they all agree on this one solitary principle. That we become what we think about. Earl Nightingale said that this was the strangest secret in the world. Most Bible “faith teachers” declare that our thoughts carry the power of determining favorable or unfavorable circumstances in our lives. And the Bible does say in the book of Proverbs that as a person thinks in their heart, so they will be.
So what is the reality?
Our mind is the most powerful tool given to us by God. We can actually change the way we live, including our health, by the way we think. It’s all in what we call attitude. Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude toward us. Our attitude is our state of mind every minute of every day. No one can choose your attitude for you. Only you determine your attitude. Studies show that most people excel in life not by their skill or aptitude in a certain area. However, it is their attitude that promotes them into higher positions and promotions. People want to be around people that add to their lives…not that take away. Attitude is everything, states my good friend Keith Harrell. We may not be able to control our circumstances in life; however, we can control how we react to those circumstances. One of the keys to attaining and maintaining extraordinary health is controlling your thought life. Only about 5% of the population thinks in a positive manner on a regular basis. That means that most of the world is negative. We must come to a new level in our thinking. How is it that a patient can be diagnosed with cancer and a year later is cancer free? A miracle? Possibly…or maybe that person was determined to get well. Determined by thinking correctly, making great dietary and lifestyle choices. You will never achieve abundant health unless you first have the right mindset. It possibly took that patient dealing with any challenging diagnosis into thinking differently by changing their diet, lifestyle, outlook, and daily routine to return to optimal health. Where did that ability come from? It started first in their mind. They wanted to get well first before it ever happened. They began to have the right attitude. Once you begin to control your thinking, then research tells us that everything else has the opportunity to fall into place.
Try thinking of how you can do things, not how you can’t. Start seeing what people do well, rather than what people are not doing. Start looking for the good instead of the bad. Try believing something can happen rather than it can’t. Your life is only as limited as your thinking. Ever notice someone that is full of life and energy? Pay attention to their attitude. I bet it is great. Zig Ziglar said it best, “A positive attitude won’t get you everything in life, but it will get you more than a negative attitude will.”
Want to lose weight? Think Better
Want to lower your blood pressure? Think Better
Want to stop taking insulin? Think Better
Want to have more energy for your kids? Think Better
I can give you the tools to achieve these goal. I can’t, however, get you to have the right mindset to achieve these goals.Your attitude (the way you think) will determine your success in every area in life. Think about it. God has more for you this year. Do you want to achieve your health goals? Then make a decision to think better today than you did yesterday.
