The Wingman’s Path

Improving healing rates at hospitals.
Now that’s something we can all get behind, right?

Recently, I found myself at 2 different hospitals, in 2 different boardrooms, meeting with a variety of different directors from each.
Both meetings however, centered around the same topic, different ways to improve healing rates at their hospital.
It was both exciting, and an honor, to have my work be considered.

Because healing is what it’s all about, be it rehabbing from an accident or from an ongoing disease, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my walks with Dr. Bernie Siegel, it’s that it pays to listen to people who have overcome the odds.

What came from these discussions is OPEP, Our Positive Energy Project.
Realizing this works in so many ways, and not just for hospital staffs, I thought you might like to try it as well.

Tonight at 7 pm, I will be hosting the TalknAngels Radio show (Rita’s off) and discussing OPEP, and how you can be a part of it. To listen, click here, http://talknangels.com, scroll down and click listen live to the show.

Bottom line, by continuing to find the best ways to improve healing rates for the truly sick among us, think what we can do towards prevention, and keeping the healthy, healthy. One thing I’m certain of, bringing positive energy into the situation can only help.

How can you take part? Simple, here’s your homework. Each day, spend one minute a day for the next 7 days, consciously practicing being positive. The homework, is to not only do it, but to email me how you feel after doing it, for this will help you move your mind in a more positive direction.

Simple right, just email me how you feel each day, after doing your one-minute wingman workout?

For this week’s exercise, we’re going to go back to basics, and simply say “thank you”, either out loud or quietly to yourself, for exactly 60 seconds. While saying it, I want you to think of different things you’re thankful for. Try and come up with as many things you can be thankful for in one minute. You can say, “Thank you for ____________”, or just say “thank you”. And to make it even easier, you can use the same things you’re thankful for today, each day, although it helps to try and expand your list.
The beautiful thing about it, is neuroscience will tell you it doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, just say it, and your mind will start wrapping itself around it. Just make sure to say ‘thank you’ for one minute, and email me how it feels.

You’re now a part of OPEP, Our Positive Energy Project.
See what happens to your life and/or business in the next seven days, and I’ll send out a new practice next week.

Keep on practicing being positive, and have a great day,

Michael

Recently, I had the fun and exciting honor of being asked to be part of Miss New Jersey’s success team as she heads to the Miss America competition.  I was to be her ‘confidence coach’, although after reading her extraordinary resume, I wasn’t sure what I’d be able to offer this remarkable young lady.  

After all, she not only had just won the Miss New Jersey pageant, but also prior to that, had been selected for a fellowship to present at the Women’s World Congress in Hyderabad, India. These two successes were just the latest in a long stream of accomplishments.

How could I possibly help? I couldn’t imagine having the confidence to achieve all she’s done, much less walk around in my bathing suit in front of 5 million people.

I decided to approach it the same as every client and after conversing about some of her struggles, one of which was being born with developmental dysplasia of the hips (DDH), we started working on a process I use with successful people to help them stay on top of their game.

And this woman is on top of her game.

We then spoke about my one-minute wingman practices and how certain words or affirmations can really help keep us focused and positive. Especially those quiet few minutes before the ‘big game’.

“Others have done it, I can too” is a wonderful practice I’ve used in my Wingman Workouts, and it’s not just for those heading into big competitions. Many clients have told me it’s helped them overcome a variety of challenges. The reason it works is that by saying it over and over again, your mind starts believing it.
And as you and I both know, once you start believing, anything is possible. Even winning the Miss America crown.

Maybe it can help you too. Give it a try. 

So… this coming Sunday night, if/when you’re watching the Miss America Pageant and Cierra comes on, please say out loud to yourself and to her, “Others have done it, you can too”.

And let’s see if we can get some positive energy going for all of us.

Confidently,

Michael

This story is a little bit out there, but this is what happened.

It was about 7:30 am, Sunday, August 10^th. It was a beautiful morning and I had just finished my morning walk along the coast in Belfast, Maine.  
I was standing on the side of the road, in the driveway of a small business right off of Route 1, when a Toyota Prius zipped by me, going faster
than I thought a Prius could go. Passes me, makes a U-turn on the road, and pulls into the driveway, right up next to me.

A woman, an old school hippie, eating a good looking ham, egg and cheese sandwich, opens her window, looks up at me through sunglassed eyes and asks, “Are you all right, do you need a ride?”

“No thank you, I’m fine”, I replied.
Unsure of why she would think I needed a ride, I decided to ask,“What made you think I needed a ride”.

“I felt your energy as I passed”, she replied.

I could feel my face break into a big smile.

For the next 20 minutes she regaled me with stories.
From her days at Antioch College to her 14 years with the Dali Lama, she spoke, laughed and completely held my interest.

Time passed quickly, I realized it was time for me to go and I told her so.
It was then she said she had a message for me.
“A message, why didn’t you say so”, I exclaimed.

“This comes from the Dali Lama, he wants you to say the mantra to the Green Tara, and pass it on to others.”
“The Green Tara. Huh? Who is that, what is the mantra”?

She looked in her car, and pulled out an old piece of cardboard from I have no idea where, and along with a black magic marker, wrote it down for me.

“What does it mean”, I asked

“I don’t know, but it comes from the Dalai Lama to you.” she answered.

If you’ve been reading any of my blogs, or listening to any of my radio shows, you know I love a good practice.
I’ll try anything which might help in my stated goal of constantly conditioning my mind to be positive.

Besides, I figure if it’s good enough for the Lama, it’s good enough for me.

So I googled “mantra to green tara”.
And I started reading and listening to some of the different versions.

Turns out, in Tibetan Buddhism, the Tara is very well known and is one of the most popular Buddhist deities. A female Bodhisatva or Buddha of compassion and action, a protector who comes to our aid to relieve us of physical, emotional and spiritual suffering.
Specifically, she protects us from eight great fears, externally symbolized by animals and trying situations.

1. Elephants – Ignorance
2. Lions – Pride
3. Fire – Anger
4. Poisonous snakes – Jealousy
5. Thieves – Erroneous philosophies, wrong views
6. Imprisonment – Greed
7. Water – Desire and Attachment
8. Demons – Doubts

So I started saying it and it felt good, which is my first prerequisite for any practice. Rita and I spoke about it on the Talk-N-Angels radio show last Wednesday night.

The next day, I’m getting thanked on Facebook from people who tried it.

If it’s not too woo-woo for you, give it a try yourself. Maybe it can help you with one of the above 8 challenges.

Back in Maine, as I said goodbye, I reached to hug her.
I mean, how often does one get a special delivery from the Dalai Lama.

As I walked back to my motel room, I started questioning my sanity, if this even happened.
And as I walked in, my wife said I smelled nice, of patchouli.

To Your Freedom,

Michael

P.S.  Tonight, on Talk-n-Angels at 7pm, Rita and I will be taking calls about the Green Tara, the mantra, and how it’s been helping.
Listen in by clicking… http://talknangels.com and then click on the ‘listen live link.

Driving up to Providence, Rhode Island last week to visit family, the conversation, not surprisingly turned to my latest wingman practice.
Equally unsurprising was the slight ‘eye roll’ from my wife. 

“I have a perfect practice for us to do on our journey”, I said.

The eye roll became an eye twitch.  If only I could read ‘tells’ like this at the poker table.

She stayed true to form though, sweetly, lovingly asking what type of practice it was, and where had I heard of it.

“From the book “E Squared”, the author, Pam Grout, comes from a science background.
The premise of this practice is that what shows up in our lives is a direct reflection of our thoughts and emotions.”

“Really, how does it work?” she replied with interest, or she had figured out her ‘tell’.

“It’s simple.  We pick an unusual color car to look for, and see how many of them we see”. 

“Ok, what color should we pick”?

We both said, “lime green”, at the exact same time.  Me, because my wife loves the color, and I was excited to have her try out this new experiment with me.
Her, because how many lime green cars do you really see, and it would keep me quiet and focused on driving.

Different goals, same game.

I kept the conversation alive, “How many lime green cars would you have to see, for you to believe?”

“You mean to believe we can set our intention and have the universe bring it to us?” “I don’t know, have to be more then a few. 
Are you saying to sort of believe, or to know without a shadow of a doubt”?
“Let’s just say 6.”

So began our quest to see lime green cars, and with it, perhaps a better understanding of our universe. 

It started out slowly, I’d point one out, maybe 2 or 3 by the time we arrived.
Next day, as we explored Newport, I pointed out 2 or 3 more.  

Since then, and it’s been about a week, it’s reached the point, where everywhere I am I see them. 

To the point where…

… Driving with my brother-in-law, the medical school dean, who doesn’t usually participate in these sort of things, and he actually turned the car around to point one out to us.

… Driving on Route I-76, the Schuylkill Expressway.  Turns out their new state safety patrol trucks are lime green, and I had one on both sides of me. 

… When the producer of my ‘Condition Your Mind to be Positive’ live stream radio show asked me the title of this week’s show, and I told him “Lime Green Cars”, he stated there was one on our commercial running right then. “Of course there is”, I answered. 

And my favorite…  My wife came home the other day and exclaimed, “We have to pick another color, there are just too many lime green cars”.

Which brings me back to the hypothesis of the experiment, if I decide to look for something (lime green cars), will I find it.

I certainly have just proved it for myself.

What now?
Now I start looking for things I want.  You can too.

Today’s practice:  Lime Green Cars:  Pick something unusual, it can be purple feathers, blue butterflies or even lime green cars.  Prove to yourself that what you look for, you find. 

Enjoy the find,
Michael

Imagine you are trying to be healthier.
And your wife and daughter have gone gluten free.
And you’re from Philly, which means you love a good cheesesteak.
And a good hoagie.
And you grew up loving them.

Marie’s Sandwich Bar in Haddonfield NJ

And you tried gluten free. If only in support of those you love.
And you started feeling better.
And your skin stopped itching.

And then you get together with friends, and have some pretty good sandwiches.
And then there’s a dinner party…
And you forget about gluten free for the next six months.
And your skin starts itching again.

And you decide maybe you should try it again.

And you know they’ve figured out Gluten Free sweets. Many are awesome.
And you also know they haven’t figured out the bread.
Cause it always falls apart.

And so, you know you must “fuhgedaboudit”, about cheesesteaks and hoagies.
And you can’t ever imagine that.
Not just not eating sandwiches, but ‘Philly’ sandwiches. On rolls.
The kind you would eat with your brother on so many different occasions.

So you decide to make it into a wingman practice.
Imagining being Gluten Free, not actually doing it, imagining it.
If only for one minute.

And then you decide to actually do it.
And you’re eating a lot of beans, greens and rice.
And you’re lucky… because you love beans, greens and rice.

Almost as much as a cheesesteak, but much healthier.
And you’re doing pretty well.

And you still really miss a good sandwich.
Cause you’re a ‘sandwich’ kinda guy. From Philly.

And your daughter starts telling you about this place.
Taffet’s bakery, in South Philly.  http://www.taffets.com
And they bake great Gluten Free bread and rolls.
Up till now, that would be an oxymoron (sort of).

And the good vibes keep coming.
Cause there’s a sandwich shop right near you, that uses Taffet’s rolls.
Right in Haddonfield. Walking distance even.
And they make a really good sandwich.
Marie’s Sandwich Bar, in the courtyard in Haddonfield.  http://mariessandwichbar.com

And imagine you dropped your spouse off right near there.
Around lunchtime.
And you tried it.
And you were in heaven, if only for one minute.

And the roll was good. Really good.
And it held up.
And while it’s not quite a regular roll.
You were in heaven… if only for one minute.

If you can imagine that, you can imagine where I ate lunch on Saturday.

And maybe you can imagine your own unimaginable. Just takes a little practice.

Give it a try, if only for a minute.

Today’s practice. Think about something you want to change.
Close your eyes and imagine it for one minute.

Here’s to imagining a great July 4th weekend,
Michael

Free Bear Hugs!

According to different scientific research, hugging, even an inanimate object like a teddy bear, has some major benefits.