Rx: Positive Mindfulness

I once ran a full 26.2 mile marathon and this experience on its own shed so much light on how powerful our mind is. When you are determined and focused on your objective the possibilities are endless. The most I had ever run before that was three miles and not once did I doubt the possibility of accomplishing this goal. I remember feeling so much pain in my knees the morning of the race because I had hurt them on my 20 mile training run. The pain did not make me succumb to forfeiture though. I was committed to this challenge and with all my kind donors who believed in me, that no matter how much pain I felt I was going to endure it until the end. 

At the Hilton-San Francisco lobby about ready for the Nike Women's Marathon 2012! 

I stopped at the 13 mile marker for pain killers and then at mile 22 for ice packs. The doctor advised me to stop running, but what was 4.2 miles at this point? So I kept on running! I wanted to run a full marathon as a personal goal but if I was going to run that much distance I was going to do it for a great cause. I had envisioned myself fundraising for a noble cause, reaching my fundraising goal and arriving at the finish line where a San Francisco firefighter would be waiting for me carrying my little blue box with my marathon finisher Tiffany & Co. necklace. Finishing a marathon requires so much determination and it is one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling experiences... EVER! 

I surpassed my fundraising goal! My fundraising page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sctx/nikesf12/lcoriadnk2

And despite partaking in a run for the cure, I did not expect to one day be at a hospital (exactly three years later) and experience a doctor telling us that our father has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. That is one tough ass pill to swallow. That dreaded six letter curse word that makes you cringe every time you hear it. 

The first two weeks were a dark, negative blur but as the murkiness cleared up I began to do my own personal therapy which always allows me to inevitably see the silver lining. I began to put more attention to my feelings of GRATITUDE, APPRECIATION & LOVE with all our family and friends who have been showering us with so much love and support during these times. We have an exceptional support system going and this only shows how beautiful and inspiring humans can be. It is such an inspiration to see how people get together in times of need. We were all devastated for my Daddy-O, but seeing so much LOVE has been even more POWERFUL and impacting than the time we got the news from the doctor. Our spirits have been uplifted and we have expanded wonderfully in a different way. 

I've convinced myself that cancer or any sickness is not superior to the strong spirit of a person filled with positivity. I strongly believe that WE are superior. I think that it has been stigmatized so much that even just the uttering of those six letters can make you sick. That word makes us wobble; therefore, I prefer to not utter those words but rather tell my dad that he has a 'gripita' that requires a stronger dosage. 

Sometimes I feel the best prescription to any ailment is having positive mindfulness or using positive/ cognitive psychology on oneself.  This means a plethora of things such as being consciously aware of your thoughts, having a strong mind, being emotionally intelligent, being informed yet staying positive despite how alarming some info can be, maintaining the balance, being at peace with where you're at, finding the silver lining in everything and just chillin'; cause we're not coming out alive anyway, so we might as well chill and make the most of our time! 

This may be easier said than done, but if you're at a point where you can't enjoy life due to sickness ask yourself: What can help diffuse the pain right now so I can regain my happiness? What will help me flow towards the cure or solution? 

The strong desire to get better and the envisioning how good you want to feel. Focusing and visualizing on how amazing you want life to be right now will have you going downstream versus upstream. You must have a sense of purpose to be alive. Why do you want to be alive? And then visualize yourself there.

“Therefore the more worry, expressed fear, resistance or panic you have towards negative energy, the more it has the ability to steal your vital life force. Constantly talking about the Illuminati, the government, the 1% or some seemingly demonic forces keeping you or the World stuck, literally gives these forces your power and energy. That’s right, the very act of thinking about how much power negative forces have, is the very way they can take your power from you. Don’t feed the Trolls…they have an insatiable appetite and have no problem feasting on everything you hold dear." (Abraham-Hicks) 

Finishing that 26.2 mile run with a sigh of relief and two thumbs up! 

When you're looking at the direction of where you want to be, naturally you will flow there. How can you expect to get what you desire when you keep on looking at the opposite direction? Be aware of the power of your thoughts! Remember that your thoughts are so powerful that they can heal you or destroy you! 

On the same token: “Without the problem there can never be a solution. Without the problem there cannot be the expansion, and most important, there cannot be the journey from the problem to the solution which is what we are all about.”

Peace & Love, my friends,  ✌ & ♥.