Disease is just exactly that – dis-ease, or the presence of excessive stress. The primary cause of excessive
emotional stress is placing way too much emphasis on ourselves, events, conditions and the
behavior of other people. We “sweat the small stuff!”
In his wonderful book “Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind”, Dr. Napoleon Hill reports
that, while he was on the staff of President Woodrow Wilson during the first
world war, he received a silent communication from an invisible source that
contained one of the shortest, but most meaningful sentences of his life. The
three words it contained were simply “Ultimately, nothing matters.” The
profoundness of this thought not only deeply influenced him, but also the
attitudes and behaviors of our nation at the time – possibly including the
ending of WW1.
Doctor Hill observed that far too many bad decisions resulted from over-reacting
to a variety of small fears. He acknowledges that everything matters in it’s
time and place, and recommends that we give everything its due. Yet he
recommends that we reserve a small corner of the consciousness for the ultimate
fate of the ages as well as for today. Doing so makes us more peaceful, makes us
more certain of ourselves, and makes us stronger.
Fears are such small things, yet we give up so much of our power to them! It is
not the fear that is the problem – it is our unconditional surrender to them
that disables, debilitates and determines our fate.
If you are thinking “I am not a fearful person” here is a list of seven popular
fears that are so omnipresent that few people even notice that they are there:
-
Fear
of poverty;
-
Fear
of criticism;
-
Fear
of ill health;
-
Fear
of loss of love;
-
Fear
of loss of liberty;
-
Fear
of old age;
-
Fear
of death
The great slayer of fear and fear-induced stress is knowledge. If you know that
there is really no “boogie-man” in the closet, you can sleep soundly. If you
know that there really is a boogie-man, the more you know about
him, the better able you are to turn the circumstances to your benefit,
escaping, defeating or befriending the threat.
One great slayer of fear is remembering those things that we intensely feared in
the past which did actually occur, then thinking about what ultimate benefits
have come from them. For me personally, two failed marriages cleared the way for
my current relationship – one that has lasted joyfully since May 13th of 1983.
Having my lungs crushed and my heart dislocated by a jeep that rolled onto me
introduced me to the presence of God – a revelation that has positively molded
and shaped my life ever since. If you cannot see the benefits of events that
seemed to be tragedies at the time, you are simply not looking at the “big
picture” yet.
Another great stress-reliever is forgiveness. Don’t deceive yourself that you
are doing the other person, company, organization or even God a favor by
forgiving. Forgiveness is a purely selfish act. It does little or nothing for
others – it clears huge energy barriers in us. It is a wonderful practice to
spend a few minutes before going to sleep at night reviewing the events of the
day and forgiving anything that you are still resenting. You will be amazed by
how much better you sleep, how much more energy you have the next day, and how
much brighter your life seems as a result.
So remember, don’t sweat the small stuff!
According to Napoleon Hill, one of the most successful authors
and teachers of
all times,
“Ultimately, nothing matters.”
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