Mid-January 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and a magical juicy Mid-January to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about how we're being programmed, or choosing our own self-programming. Enjoy!

When we're little children we usually adopt our parents' beliefs without question, soaking up their attitudes and even their mannerisms. This process of enculturation is necessary for young ones to learn their group's habits, and to be educated about the society where they live. Then when we're teens we often start to rebel against what we see as rigid rules, or closed-minded ideas. "I can't believe my Dad still thinks that way in this day and age!" we exclaim, when he probably said the same thing about his own father when he was young.

As we grow, we gravitate to beliefs which feel right and logical to us, maybe those our peer group or religious or political "tribe" believes too. I like to think folks (myself included) are regularly questioning those ideas which come their way, not just does my role model or leader agree, but does it make sense to me? Back to the example of the growing child, a youngster can often move from complete acceptance of the status quo, to knee-jerk rebellion, rejecting everything.

Rejecting all the suggestions and ideas which come toward us, like a toddler having a temper tantrum screaming "NO!" to whatever adults say, is no better than blindly accepting everything. Discernment is needed, deciding whether this particular input is to our benefit or not. It's similar with vision: is what you're viewing, and the manner in which you're using your eyes, good for you and your visual brain, or not? Is it pleasing you, or is what you're seeing straining you, making you tired, or sad, or angry?

One of my favorite teachers is often asking "does that nourish you, or deplete you?", to help us make wiser decisions. The words we read can comfort us (as in the image above), or enlighten us, or they can upset us. The same is true of movies, or video images like the news on TV. Sometimes it seems this type of programming is not trying to inform us, as much as it is trying to scare us so we'll keep listening. A lot of advertising is similar, pointing out something we're doing wrong which only their particular product can remedy.

What's your self-programming like? Do you have a voice in your head telling you you're a loser, that this new endeavor will probably be a flop like your past failures? How much more helpful it would be to tell yourself that whenever something doesn't work out the way you'd hoped, you learned something. This is what Thomas Edison told himself when it took him so many tries to invent the light bulb. An encouraging supportive friend, teacher, partner, or coach can be a wonderful resource, especially when your own motivation starts to sag. Though if your biggest fan or cheerleader is inside your head, you have an even greater advantage.

We need some sort of programming, or we'd be wandering in circles with no direction, about as functional as a computer without an operating system. Think of the type of programming you would choose, then direct your energies and actions toward having that. I tell myself regularly that I'm fit, healthy, can see well, and am constantly learning and growing, at a pace which is comfortable for me. (Feeling the need to rush has been one of the hardest habits for me to overcome.) How do you want to program yourself, now that 2024 is well underway, for the rest of this year? See yourself thriving, helping others, improving in all the areas where you want that. Then watch, and appreciate, as it happens.

To read about self-talk regarding eyes and vision, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the second half of this jump-starting (we hope!) month of January. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!