Dr. Mark's Musings

Oh, I’ve had my share of endings over the years.  Recently though, there seems to be a rash of relationships ending around me.  Maybe it’s springtime, or celestial goings-on.  But many people I know are dealing with ended relationships, and they are hurting.

It may sound cliche, but when anything ends there is always an opportunity.  More than that, though, the ending is often necessary on a much deeper level than just offering us the chance to do something else.

To demand that someone stay with you so that you don’t hurt never works in the end.  That’s not to say that some relationships can’t be salvaged.

Everything has its natural progression.  And circumventing that process is always more destructive than letting it run its course.  We see this through our technological “advances” every day.  Interventions to prevent one thing from happening often lead to bigger problems someplace else.  It is rare that we change the course of something without some negative consequence somewhere.

There is natural order of things.  A balance.  And relationships are no different.  We have to trust in this, and let that faith carry us through.

Nothing in this Universe is imperfect.  And Assagioli said, “Nothing is for certain.  Even stars explode.”

So to my friends, I say, let endings of any kind be opportunities.  Let hurt, or, fear, or the inconvenience of not knowing what is next be nothing more than what’s required for you to take the next step on your journey.  Know that without it, you will be stagnant.  And to be stagnant, is to cease to live.

Every experience in this life brings us closer to Divinity.  To cast any aside because we don’t like how it feels is exactly the opposite of what we are here to do.  Don’t let ego label one experience as bad, and another as good.  An experience is simply something to, well, to be experienced!  And whatever your reaction to it, the experience is perfect in every way.

With love,
Dr. Mark

“My endings are perfect in every way. I embrace and honor them, and I act on the inspiration they provide.”

What would it take to realize your wildest dreams? Is it courage? Opportunity? Ingenuity? Awareness? Something else?

All of these things can help; indeed they are critical. But there is one thing that, if absent, will make it impossible for you to manifest your wildest dreams. Unless you believe that it is possible to have what you want, there is little chance that you will.

Acknowledging that something is possible, no matter how remote the possibility might be, is one of the most allowing things that you can do.

If it is possible to have the car that you want…if it is possible that you can buy the great house that you are renting…if it is possible that tomorrow you can wake up to find a great seminar booked…if it is possible that your business can take a shape and form that supports your every desire…if it is possible that you can find your perfect life partner…if any of these things is possible, then there is room for every one of those realities to come into being.

If you say or even think that something is impossible, on the other hand…if the particular reality that you wish to have seems just too unimaginable, then you have already pre-determined that outcome, which disincludes what you want, and the game is over.

What does it take, then, to introduce possibility into the equation? It’s easy!

It simply requires that you say that it is so.

It doesn’t matter how strongly you believe that something is possible, you see. It simply requires that the door be at least cracked open. It doesn’t even have to be a big crack. Just a bit is fine. You will get to a place of believing with certainty and expectation in time enough. For the moment, a glimmer of hope is is all that is needed. A simple acknowledgment that something is possible can move mountains. Indeed, in history it has.

Give it a try over the next few days. Choose one thing in your life that you are truly wanting, and acknowledge that it is possible that you can have it.

Spend a moment each day connecting with the reality of that possibility through a visualization, a writing exercise, or by looking at some representation of what you want.

As you focus on what you want, and if you find yourself thinking that you can’t have it, then redirect your thoughts toward those of possibility. Say to yourself, “Perhaps I won’t get this in the end, but until then it is possible that I will!“

Let it be okay that you don’t know how or when it might come. Just remain open to the possibility that what you want can in fact manifest.

Notice as the Universe conspires to bring you what you need for the manifestation to occur when you need it, and in such a way that any uncertainty will quickly fade.

Possibilities are around us all the time. We can choose to allow them or to pass them by. In time though – and in perfect time at that – and when the balance shifts to more allowing from not allowing, the possibilities that we allow will always become reality.

Why not make sure that the realities that you manifest today are the ones that you really wish to have rather than the ones that you simply think you can get?

With Love,
Dr. Mark

I remember when I worked in communities in South Florida some years ago. These were health-related jobs. Community-oriented. Prevention-focused. I recall the successes and the challenges, and how difficult it was to bring about lasting change.

Diabetes grew exponentially in these communities, even among groups who by all rights should have never dealt with it. Heart disease was rampant. Deaths related to risky behaviors were out of control. Our efforts helped, to be sure, but the bang was definitely small relative to the buck.

Today elected officials in the United States will vote on an historic health bill. Unfortunately the outcome will be more about politics than it will be about health. That opponents would threaten to make proponents “pay dearly” in the next election is testimony enough to that. That a government has been allowed that is for politics rather than for the people, though, gives a wonderful opportunity to take responsibility for ourselves, and it underscores the importance of doing so. There is no better place to start than with health.

No doubt, medical care is needed for those who are ill. And those who need it should have all the access they need without prejudice or judgment.

There is also no doubt that many more medical moments would be better spent educating people in order to forestall or eliminate the future need to treat.

Health care reform might — might — do some good in these regards.

But most, and by a big margin, of what kills us today could have been prevented with little effort. Although prevention is one of the cornerstones of the reform bill, on paper anyway, it does not need to be legislated. And it definitely doesn’t need to cost money.

Prevention takes providers who are willing to take a stand and educate even if it costs them time or money to do it.

And it takes consumers who are willing to trade the time that they practice unhealthy behaviors for time spent living a healthy lifestyle.

The providers and consumers might even end up saving time and money in the long run.

What can we do that has nothing to do with Washington?

Walk — for those who can, it’s free.
Stretching doesn’t cost a cent.
Eat a healthier diet, and you may save money.
Mindfulness? No cost.
Smile at a stranger on the street! Free.
Drop the news. POWERFUL!
Volunteer. Start each day on Purpose. Take a moment for reflection before bed. Lift a telephone book or a bible over your head while you watch TV. Stretch your legs or feet while you sit. All free.

Every one of these things has been shown to enhance health and to play a powerful role in preventing disease.

You can learn more about them in libraries and through community events (plenty are free), or on the internet if you already have access.

Want to learn even more than that? Offer your services at a local wellness conference and get in for free. Watch public television or listen to the radio counterpart. Talk to people. All free, all the time. There for the taking.

While it’s nice that people are thinking about health reform, what is most likely to come of reform is greater access to care. That is critical, but it would also be far less of a concern if we lived a no- or little-cost healthy life to begin with.

All that you need for the greatest impact on your own health and wellness is already at your disposal. It has nothing to do with the politics that our elected officials call health reform. Indeed, even if something good does happen to come from the politics, the impact will likely be minimized by the choices that each of us continue to make every day.

Unless, of course, we reform ourselves and make different choices.

Oh yeah, choices. They are free too!

With Love,
Dr. Mark