Get the Most from Yourself – Chapter 3

In previous issues of Computer Times, we printed a 26-month series from the book titled Get The MOST from Yourself, by Dr. Terry Kibiloski.  This is the fourth article of that series.

Image of Dr. Terry Kibiloski's smiling face

Determining the Health of Your Human System

Last month, we looked at the section titled What is the human system? We focused on the first topic area of this section titled What are the components of the human system? We also explained the human system chart shown below. This month we look at the health of YOUR human system and summarize some of the key principles of this article series.

We are spirits having a human experience!

Image of Body, Mind, Spirit chart (copyright Dr. Terry Kibiloski, 1986)

What is the health of your human system?

** Write down where you feel you are in relation to our Body, Mind, Spirit chart. For each of the three areas, make a note whether you feel you are in the healing stage, prevention stage, or the “magic” stage. Label these three areas “Where I Am Now – Body,” “Where I Am Now – Mind,” and “Where I Am Now – Spirit,” You may also want to place a mark in each of the three areas on the chart itself. This will help you determine where you are today and help you track your progress as you begin to get the MOST from yourself.

Many people have found the Body, Mind, Spirit chart to be a great tool to help them understand their human system and their life journey. It is also very useful to help keep things in perspective. When human system problems arise, it is important to focus on the proper area of our human system for the solution. Sometimes, in the confusion of daily problems, we focus on the most illogical area to solve our problems.

For example, when we have problems with our spirit (loneliness, sadness, anger, etc.) we sometimes pump alcohol, food and drugs into our body to fix the problem, even though the problem is with our spirit and not with our body. This is equivalent to pouring gasoline on our computer hardware because we can’t understand a new piece of software. It has no direct bearing on finding a real solution.

It is important to realize that the things we seek the most (happiness, fulfillment, self esteem, etc.) and the things we dislike the most (sadness, loneliness, etc.) are “internal” conditions of the spirit. Thus, “external” things like alcohol, drugs, and physical possessions have little effect on these internal conditions. If “external” things did bring happiness, fulfillment, self esteem, etc., we would not have so many rich and famous people in therapy, many ending their lives in total despair?

With this understanding, and the knowledge of where you are on your life journey in relation to the Body, Mind, Spirit chart, you can see that your journey needs to progress from the top of the chart (healing) to the bottom of the chart (magic). And like with any journey where you buy gifts (souvenirs) for yourself, the greatest gift you can give yourself on your life journey is a deeper understanding of your human system and the inner peace of the Spirit. Only then, will you discover the real magic of the human experience.

Summary

The Human System chart, and all of the principles used in this book, are based on an important principle

We are spirits having a human experience!

We are not humans having the occasional spiritual experience. If you don’t understand this basic principle, much of the information we share with you will make little sense. As a student of life, you may not be ready for some of the principles we discuss. We encourage you to keep reading, though, because one day the student will be ready and the light bulb will turn on. From that day forward, your life will never be the same.

As we begin each new year, many people make resolutions to become a better person, or to have a happier, more fulfilling life. Have you thought about your resolutions this year? It’s never too late in the year to make resolutions to improve your life. We encourage you to recall our discussion of the body-mind-spirit chart when you decide on your resolutions. Remember, our human experience is made up of three distinct areas – body, mind, and spirit. Our spirit controls our mind and, in turn, our mind controls our body. It is essential that all three areas are equally healthy for us to get the MOST from ourselves.

** Write down some resolutions for each area of the Body, Mind, Spirit chart, focusing on things you need to accomplish to help yourself progress to the “magic” of your life journey, and to make your thoughts from chapter one become a reality. Label these three areas “Resolutions – Body,” “Resolutions – Mind,” and “Resolutions – Spirit.”

Thoughts are powerful things, they can bring happiness and health, or they can bring stress and disease. Norman Vincent Peale told us to change our thoughts to change our world.  This principle can be found in many ancient texts.  The Bible tells us the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6 NIV).  In short, the biggest influence on our life is our thoughts, the way we think. Everything we are, everything we do, is a product of our thoughts. The primary difference between a highly successful, happy person and someone who has little success and happiness is the way they think.

Thoughts can make swimmers out of non swimmers, winners out of losers, and survivors out of potential victims. We’ve heard testimonies from returning prisoners of war, hostages, and people trapped in perilous situations, telling us how their thoughts helped them survive. Some of them filled their minds with such pleasant thoughts they virtually escaped their brutal surroundings and no longer felt the physical and emotional pain. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian Jew who suffered tremendous physical abuse by the Nazis at Auschwitz, is a perfect example of a person who used thoughts in a positive way. He kept thinking of the things he would do with his family at the war’s end. These pleasant thoughts inspired him to shave each day with small bits of razors and glass, and maintain his dignity and self esteem. He recognized that happiness comes from within, that you become what you think about all day long. No matter how brutal his external surroundings, Victor chose to think and act positively. YOU can do the same. The “real” you, your spirit, is in direct control of your thoughts. YOU control the way you think, and your thoughts control your actions.

We witness this same power of the spirit when we see a weaker team, or individual competitor, achieve victory through positive thoughts. When a good coach taps into this power of the spirit to generate team spirit among physically and mentally exhausted players, we see them go out and win against all odds. You may have experienced this same thing on the golf course or the tennis court. When you’re thinking positively, when you’re “up for the game,” you play a better game.

So, don’t think the resolutions you are making as you read this book will go by the wayside as so many may have done in the past. As you see, we will be giving you new knowledge about yourself that will help you reach new heights in the human experience. You will learn new principles to help you get the MOST from yourself.

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Now, we’d like to share something with you that was sent to us over the Internet.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR FRIENDS

Friendship!

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull one nail out for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like these nail holes. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.”

Friends are a rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Beginning today, show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a friend even if it means sending it back to the person who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then you’ll know you have a circle of friends.

Much more next month . . . Get the Most from Yourself – Chapter 4

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This file is protected by copyright laws. It may not be copied or reproduced in any way without the expressed permission from the author, Dr. Terry Kibiloski. Readers who purchase a copy of this file from Computer Times, may make a printed copy for their personal use only.