Saturday, February 18, 2006

You ARE a Visionary!

You ARE a Visionary
(whether you think you are or not!)

The question is “Are you using your visionary abilities to your benefit?”

Have you ever thought to yourself:
“I don’t think BIG. I am NOT a visionary! I can’t think beyond what’s happening NOW!”

If so, let me tell you a story…

A good friend of mine that I have known for a long time has told me that she is not a visionary like me and that she can’t think beyond now. When I have asked her to envision exactly what she wants to happen in her life, she just looks at me and says “that’s not me; I can’t envision things like you can!” I recently challenged her on this when she started to envision the potential negative in a situation (that didn’t even happen yet). I asked her “So tell me, how come you can cook up in your head these elaborate visions of the negative, right down to every little detail of what “could happen”, but you can’t do that with what you REALLY want to happen in your life?” Then I proceeded to tell her “You are a Visionary – you just choose to only envision the negative side of the future – that’s a choice!”

And let me tell you that my friend had one hell of an elaborate, detailed, creative imagination when it came to visioning the negative aspect of what could happen in her particular situation. Some of her visions (which were tied to her fears) were quite “out there” and far removed from her current situation. She described the series of events that “could” happen just like a movie – with multiple scenes and the big sad ending! I don’t know about you, but I think that if I am going to choose to think “way out of the box” on what could happen in my life, I would much rather be creating positive scenarios that are “out there” as opposed to the negative ones. Would you agree?

Back to the conversation with my friend:
Then, she proceeded to ask me “Why do you think I do that? Why do you think I am real good at running the gamut of scenarios that are negative?” I told her that I really don’t know the exact reason but that it could be a host of things. Maybe it’s the way she has been brought up; maybe it’s the media (she watches a lot of news and reads the paper every day); maybe it’s that nobody ever brought it to her attention that she can choose to use that same imagination in the positive sense… The list can go on. But instead of focusing on the “Why (she thinks this way)”, I told her to focus on the “Why NOT start NOW? (i.e., Why not start exercising your brain to imagine all the POSITIVE SCENARIOS that could happen?)”

It’s fascinating to me that “the negative” side of things is something that most of us seem to be able to connect with, more than the positive side.

I told my friend that day that when I find myself going to a negative thought, I stop and remind myself that the thought I am having at that point may very well influence the outcome in that situation. Sometimes, just this reminder alone, makes me snap out of it! When the reminder doesn’t work, I shift my focus to the positive side of things. My philosophy is “if you are willing to give time to the negative, then at least give equal weight to the positive – make it 50%/50% -- that’s only fair!” The goal would be, of course, to give more weight to the positive than the negative side of a situation (at least 90% positive / 10% Negative - -that’s the statistician in me - -always looking for at least 90% - -I actually prefer 95%! ).

I also suggested the following to my friend “When you find yourself thinking up all the negative scenarios that could happen, ask yourself: Is this what I REALLY want to happen? Is this what God would want for me?”

So, does YOUR mind run the gamut of negative outcomes when you are experiencing a life challenge?

Do you ever stop and attempt to “run the gamut” of positive scenarios that could happen as a result of what you are experiencing?

Don’t fool yourself, YOU ARE A VISIONARY! It’s just a matter of how you are using your visionary abilities --- are they making you feel worse or better? If your visions move you forward and give you something to look forward to and put a smile on your face, then you are using your visionary talents to your benefit. But if your visions only make you feel worse and put you deeper into a depression or “negative place”, then you are using your thoughts and visions to disempower you.

Take note … pay attention next time you are cookin’ up all those wild visions of how bad the future can be and snap yourself out of it! Strengthen your “positive imagination” muscle at that time – exercise it. Think out loud all the things that you would like to happen, all the things that are positive that could happen. Write these positive scenarios down. Keep on developing your ability to envision the positive outcomes. If you do, you will begin to see a change in what you attract into your life and a great improvement in your overall quality of life!

YOU ARE A VISIONARY… now go use it to your advantage!

Warmest Regards,
Maria C. Lesetz,
Maria@MariaLesetz.com
Lovin' Life
Motivational Speaker & Certified Life Coach for Doctors
Statistical Consultant
(541) 686-1326
(541) 484-4146 FAX
www.MariaLesetz.com (or www.MSJustABumpInTheRoad.com)

Other Websites:
www.InvincibleMD.com (for Doctors only)

www.HealingTheDoctor.com (Blog for Doctors with Health Challenges)
www.LovinLifeNow.com (visit to request your FREE CD on my Top 5 Secrets to Lovin' Life Now!)

America's #1 Certified Life Coach for Doctors with Health Challenges!
AND America's #1 Motivational Speaker & Life Coach for People with Multiple Sclerosis!

I specialize in working with Doctors and their families who are dealing with a health challenge AND Doctors who feel like their work lifestyle is beginning to have a negative impact on their overall Health and Well-being.

Read more...

Monday, February 06, 2006

What to tell your loved ones after being diagnosed

When you are just diagnosed with an illness, there is a lot of images and thoughts that run through your mind (either that or you are totally numb and don't know what to think or do).

Then there are the people around us that mean well but they have no idea what to say to you either (sometimes they can say things that make us feel worse than we already may feel!).

Here's a list of the "Top 5 Things to tell you loved ones after being diagnosed with an Illness":

1) I need some time to absorb the news. Please understand if I am quieter than usual or if I need to talk about what's going through my mind.

2) I DON'T want or need a "pity party"! I need your encouragement and support on getting through this with flying colors... which I will! NO STINKIN' THINKIN' AROUND ME!

For those family, friends and acquaintances that say, after hear you have been diagnosed with an illness "Oh, I'm SO SORRY, you poor thing", just reply "Don't be sorry! This is "just another bump in the road" of my life!"

3) If you catch me worrying about the future, just remind me to stay, right here, in the present moment.

4) I need to keep my stress level at a minimum (since stress can create more problems with my health). So, please do everything you possibly can to ensure that I experience a stress-free environment.

5) When I'm "in a funk" and not in the right space & place in my mind, remind me to write down all the things I am grateful for --- shifting my focus on the positives in my life.

Being diagnosed with a Chronic Health Condition or any type of illness can be quite overwhelming at first. It's very important to teach the people around us how to treat us so that they support us in a way that enhances our overall health and well-being.

Warmest Regards,
Maria C. Lesetz,
Maria@MariaLesetz.com
Lovin' Life
Motivational Speaker & Certified Life Coach for Doctors
Statistical Consultant
(541) 686-1326
(541) 484-4146 FAX
www.MariaLesetz.com (or www.MSJustABumpInTheRoad.com)
www.HealingTheDoctor.com (Blog for Doctors)
www.InvincibleMD.com (coming soon!)

America's #1 Certified Life Coach for Doctors with Health Challenges!
AND America's #1 Motivational Speaker for People with Multiple Sclerosis!

I specialize in working with Doctors and their families who are dealing with a health challenge AND Doctors who feel like their work lifestyle is beginning to have a negative impact on their overall Health and Well-being.

Read more...

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