September 13 is Positive Thinking Day! There is great power in positive thinking. Our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. This concept is not new. Navajo Indian lore teaches about two wolves inside us-a good wolf, and a bad. Which one wins? The one we feed.

     We usually get what we expect in life.

     When we expect positive things, we act accordingly and get positive things in return. When we expect failure, we usually fail. When we expect success, we tend to succeed. When we expect health, we make healthy choices. When we expect illness, we are often sick.

     It's said the average person has 40,000 thoughts per day, of which 80% are negative. Every time you have a negative thought, your brain releases negative chemicals that make your body feel bad. Think about the last time you were upset. How did your body feel? Did your heart rate increase, your jaw clench, your breathing quicken? Now imagine one of your happiest times. When you do so, your brain releases chemicals that make your body feel good. You'll notice a slower heart beat, deeper easier breathing, and relaxed muscles. What we think about can change our body function.         

     A doctor shared a conversation he overheard between two other MDs at the American Society of Oncologists Convention. One said, "You know Bob I don't understand it. You and I are doing the same study, using the same application, the same entry criteria, the same procedures, the same protocol. I have a 25% cure rate in my study. You have a 75% cure rate in yours. When we are doing everything exactly the same, how do you explain it?" Bob said, "You're right. We are doing everything the same; we are using the same drugs. We're both using Etoposide, Planitol, Oncovin, and Hydroxyurea. You call yours EPOH. I tell my patients I'm giving them HOPE." With hope there was a 50% greater cure rate.

     Thoughts--their thoughts--our thoughts--either build or destroy tissue.

     A good way to make positive thinking a habit is to create a list of positive affirmations and repeat them several...or dozens!...of times a day. Here is a list to get you started. Modify it to create your own list, then read and repeat them often.

     At first, some of these affirmations are simply lies.   "I don't feel the least bit centered," you say. But when you repeat something over and over to yourself, your brain begins to believe it and it starts to respond to it and cues your body to do the same.

     Positive thinking and imaging are powerful and mysterious forces in human nature, capable of bringing about dramatic improvement in our lives.

     How are you going to incorporate positive thinking and visualization to change your happiness and health?