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Have you ever been driving along and think “that guy is a complete moron”? I do it all the time, except I try and keep it in my head. It really doesn’t do much good to yell at people.

1. Most people are on the phone
2. Most people aren’t paying much attention to the world around them.

Lately, it seems to me that the race to the red light is heating up. Now ponder this for a moment, if you are passing someone only to mash on the brakes at a stop light, here are a few things you may want to consider.

1. You might need less coffee in the morning.
2. A less stressful job.
3. More roses to smell.
4. More economical car because of the gas you waste.
5. A lifetime membership to Midas brake shop.
6. Ding, ding, ding the most likely cause…if none of that is possible (see below)

Peace is a very valuable word right now. We could also refer to it as patience. Patience may be the one skill to solve many problems. Patience keeps your car running better, it makes your marriage nearly unbreakable, it keeps your head cool and allows your brain to solve all your problems. Yeah baby.

Probably the most valuable aspect is to solve problems. I am highly guilty of this, so I can attest to the challenge many of you will have with todays exercise.

Many, many people are very stressed right now about money, their jobs, their future, and a host of other things.I understand. But trying to race around and solve problems can be counter-productive. Creativity and problem solving comes from within you, much like inspiration and health.

Some of my best newsletters are written in one sitting, because I have this flood of instantaneous creativity that I have to write down immediately.

Those inspiring moments are not while I’m watching a football game, making supper, or adjusting patients. My best inspiration comes from quiet time, in the shower, in church, in meditation, and even in the middle of the night. Your brain works on problems all the time, but when it is so preoccupied with task after task, the solutions stay behind the curtain.

Find a quite moment every day for 5 minutes and do NOTHING but listen to your breathing, and then be amazed at the thoughts that come flooding through your brain.I can tell you from personal experience that a solution can exist right under your nose, and with the hustle and bustle of activity, it is easy to miss.

This might be harder than you think. Let me know how it goes. Just leave a comment.

So for all of you skeptics. How tough will it be on you if you miss a red light, seriously? If you are scheduled so tight you’d risk life and limb for yourself and the others around you, this video might help.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving with a renewed peace,

Dr. Altman
P.S. The 20% off sale ends Wednesday the 24th on Standard Process.

I see this behavior every time I drive. Young, old, car, truck, even mini-vans… doesn’t matter.

Try this the next time you are driving. If you are a block away from a red light, let off the gas and start coasting up to it. You will make a nice easy stop. Most likely someone will whiz by you just to be sitting at the red light while you pull up next to them laughing. They’ll mash the gas and take off to the next red light.

What if life wasn’t moving that fast? Have you ever driven down a street 100 times and all of a sudden notice a house you’d never seen before? I know I have.

A few of the benefits of slowing down.

1. Less stress

2. Better appreciation of the world around you

3. Greater peace of mind.

Peace of mind may be the best reason of all. “But, doc, I relax.” Did you know that you can’t just go and relax? Try it, go relax right now. Come on, I’m waiting. Trying to go relax is like trying to force the sand to settle in the ocean. Now scoop up some sand and water in a jar and leave it alone. The sand will settle out without you doing anything. In fact, you have to do NOTHING for the sand to settle.

One of the best things I learned on vacation was to do nothing. Your mind can only be clear when it isn’t processing a million facts and projects and deadlines. There is a time and place for those things. Number crunching has to take place every once in awhile, but so does nothingness. I know it sounds very zen-like, and no, I am not wearing robes in the office now.

Here’s how it may help you. Many, many people are very stressed right now about money, their jobs, their future, and a host of other things. I understand. But trying to race around and solve problems can be counter-productive. Creativity and problem solving comes from within you, much like inspiration. Some of my best newsletters are written in one sitting, because I have this flood of instantaneous creativity that I have to write down immediately. Those inspiring moments are not while I’m watching a football game or making supper. My best inspiration comes from quiet time, in the shower, in church, and even in the middle of the night.

Your brain works on problems all the time, but when it is so preoccupied with task after task, the solutions stay behind the curtain.

Want to solve a problem?

Don’t think about it. Don’t make a list of pros and cons. Tell your brain you need an answer by a certain time and put all your issues in a pot and stir them up. Put them on the back burner of your brain and let them simmer. Don’t try look at them or the answers won’t happen. Like trying to watch a pot boil. It takes longer. Your brain will work on them while you carry on life. When the answers are done cooking, they will come out in a QUIET moment. All the ingredients will settle to the bottom.

Find a quite moment every day for 5 minutes and do NOTHING but listen to your breathing, and then be amazed at the thoughts that come flooding through your brain.

I can tell you from personal experience that a solution can exist right under your nose, and with the hustle and bustle of activity, it is easy to miss.

I was the clod who didn’t realize our adjusting table was slowly breaking down over 10 years. And yes, it was due to a misalignment, how funny is that? I was so busy adjusting people I missed any early warning signs. I actually had a patient point out how ironic it was that my table broke because of a misalignment. Luckily, the table is made of metal and it could be welded. I pulled the hydraulics apart, realigned them, and voila, it works smoothly again.

There were interesting lessons in this misadventure.

#1 Misalignments take years to show up. It took our table 10 years and thousands of up and down trips to wear through the metal enough to break. For those of you who took a ride on the table in the last month, you may remember how rough it was and sounded like metal scraping. And that was after I got it welded.

The spine acts the same way. It takes 10-20 years of wear and tear on misaligned bones before they start to show signs of stress on the joints. Some key things to watch for:

…Tingling in the hands. Nothing gets people’s attention

more than their hands falling asleep.

…Shooting pains-across the back or down the legs.

…Grinding noises anywhere- Your joints are just like our misaligned table. They are deteriorating and getting rough. Don’t wait until everything goes haywire. These are warning signs.

…Alas, the spine isn’t metal. You can’t weld it back together. It has to heal from the inside out. All health comes from the inside, so it can take time to heal. Our table got welded in a couple hours, but the spine may take a couple of months to heal.

I got adjusted yesterday, and I am still amazed at how good I feel afterwards. I didn’t feel bad before, but I feel even better now. 

I Almost Forgot…

The second lesson.

#2 Free weight workouts helped.

This was a full body, all muscles working effort to line the table up. It only moved a few millimeters at a time, so this took minutes of sustained effort. Rarely, do you ever use every muscle you have… It was kinda’ fun.  I was thankful that I exercise.

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up. He then asked,“ Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air. “Well”, he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air. “My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson”, he said, “No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless…. and especially to those who love you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or whom we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

You are special - Don’t EVER forget it.

-Mark Victor Hansen