Dealing with mortality

Michael Jackson (50) and Farah Fawcett (62) both died today (6/25/09). Whether you liked them or not, both were fairly young. Deaths like this remind us that life can be short. After I turned 50, my experience is that mortality slaps me increasingly harder every year.

Presently, I have two friends (ages 66 and 36) who are fighting cancer. My parents have been dead for years. My wife has not only lost her parents, but also both her brother and her sister.

What does our mortality try to teach us?

1.That we don't know how much time we have on earth.
2.To be grateful for our health and other blessings.
3.To love and to treat others well.
4.To try to live life to the fullest.
5.To live in moderation and with a healthy lifestyle.
6.For those of us with a spiritual practice, to do just that. PRACTICE it it!

More personally, I think God is trying to remind me to stop my whining about insignificant things.

In the immortal words of Bill and Ted, “Be EXCELLENT to each other!”

Best wishes,
Mike

INNER PEACE

Below is my wish to everyone. To print out, go to http//drmikemiller.com/peace.html


May You Develop
SIGNS and SYMPTOMS of
INNER PEACE


* Frequent overwhelming periods of gratitude

* A tendency to react spontaneously rather than in
reaction to fears

* An increasing tendency to go with the flow and let
things happen

* A lessening inclination to interpret the actions of others

* A decreasing involvement in conflict

* A feeling of contentment and oneness with man
and nature

* An increasing tendency to enjoy each moment

* An increase in the ability to receive love from others,
as well as the ability to give it

* A lessening of the motivation to worry

* Frequent attacks of smiling

drmikemiller.com


This looks nice on the fancy papers you can buy in office stores. You can also change the font to your liking.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

Mike

The How of Happiness (Pt 1)

There has been a relatively recent and growing movement referred to as "Positive Psychology." Much of this has grown from the work of Martin Seligmann, PhD author of Learned Optimism and other books. Historically, most psychology studies focused on depression and other problems. There was a movement beginning in the late 50's called "Humanistic Psychology." Positive Psychology focuses more on "everyday" people and giving them tools to beat negative thinking and living more fully, while Humanistic Psychology has focused more on "extraordinary people and topics such as self-actualizing and peak experiences.

The How of Happiness. A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD was published in 2007. Dr. Lyubomirsky is a researcher at Stanford University. The findings of her and others' researchers on happier people is summarized below:

1. "They devote a great amount of time to their family and friends, nurturing and enjoying these relationships.
2. They are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have.
3. They are often the firs to offer helping hands to coworkers and passersby.
4. They practice optimism when imagining their futures.
5. They savor life's pleasures and try to live in the present moment.
6. They make physical exercise a weekly and even daily habit.
7. They are deeply committed to lifelong goals and ambitions (e.g., fighting fraud, building cabinets, or teaching their children their deeply held values).
8. Last but not least, the happiest people do have their share of stresses, crises, and even tragedies. They may become just as distressed and emotional in such circumstance as you or I, but their secret weapon is the poise and strength they show in oping in the face of challenge.

(pages 22 - 23)

An interesting and worthwhile read. Dr. Lyubomirsky also has a blog on happiness at http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-how-happiness

Best wishes,

Mike