The Power of Choice

We always carry this power with us.  We can always choose.  No one can take that power away from us.  We can give it away, but it cannot be taken away.  Viktor Frankl shared this in a powerful way in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning: “The last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

No matter what our circumstance, we choose how we perceive it. 

One of my mentors used to say that “nothing has any meaning but the meaning you give it.” 

Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ said it this way: “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,” (Philippians 4:11).

In other words, no matter what your circumstance, you can choose to be
happy, content, humble, in love, in faith, patient, and peaceful.  It is always a choice.  Always.  It is not always an easy choice, but it is always an available choice.  It doesn’t matter what the other person does or does not do.  It doesn’t matter what the other person did or might do.  You have power to choose.  This power will release you from any and all negative consequences of any interaction. 

I once heard a presentation by a lady who had been kidnapped, raped repeatedly, and then survived her captor’s two attempts to kill her.  She escaped, but with permanent facial disfigurements.  A person in the audience asked her, “How does this event effect your daily life?”  She said (according to my memory), “I am not going to give another moment of my life to that man.  He had as much of my life as I am willing to give.  I have let him go and it go.  I am grateful for my life as it is.”

Jesus Christ, in the midst of his crucifixion, the most painful way to die ever devised by man, had the capacity to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

With the idea of choice firmly planted, the opposite of being willing to choose a grateful mindset is the choice to be “a victim.”  This choice, to be a victim, is a very common mindset, and in some parts of society, it is considered a treasured and celebrated “right.”  But as soon as we decide to take on the role of “victim,” we accept a limited field of options in our lives. If we believe ourselves to be victims, we also believe that the only way to escape our negative circumstances is to get others to behave in the way we think they should, to fix the way we feel.  Anytime we give others the power to determine how we feel about something, we surrender to voluntary slavery.  I know that ‘slavery’ is a charged word, but it accurately describes the choice to be a victim: the pain that comes from voluntary slavery is just as real as that which came from the type of slavery that used to exist in our society and still exists in some. 

The problem is that voluntary slavery, or victimhood, is a self-imposed trap resulting from the way we view our circumstances, and we can only be released from that bondage by our own permission.  We have to recognize again our immense power to choose, and the influence that that power has in our life experience, one way or the other—for freedom or for victimhood.

The Bible teaches that “All things work together for good….”  If we believe that, then there is never a cause for letting ourselves be a victim.  

Have a blessed month, and a happy new year!

-Dr. Olson

Reminder: Holiday Schedule

Herbal Spotlight

‘Tis the season of tissues and sniffles and sneezes, but we have some herbal solutions for your beleaguered sinuses. It is important to know that Chinese herbs treat the causes of health problems, rather than merely attacking the symptoms that are pointing to the cause. So, using your symptoms as guideposts, select the herbal formula that fits your underlying health patterns:

Nasal/sinus congestion, itchy eyes—have you lost hope of ever breathing through your nose again? If you feel that the box of tissues is taunting you, you will want to solve the deeper issues causing your nasal blockage. Wind, heat, and dampness in the energy channels of your system can cause itchy eyes and sinus congestion that ranges from a mildly stuffy nose to severe congestion. HB clears obstructions in your energy system, leading to clear nasal passages and sinuses.

Runny nose, watery eyes—is your nose red from constant blowing, and sore from a steady drip? If you feel like the kid who tried to plug the hole in the dyke, you need to resolve the source of your sniffles. Wind and cold in the energy channels of your system can cause what the Chinese call wind cold bi: runny nose, sinus headache, and watery eyes. CB dispels those intruders from your energy system and strengthens your protective energy to improve immune function and allow your sinuses to resume healthy function.

Sinus pressure—you may not have a stuffy nose or a runny nose, but maybe you do have a feeling of pain or pressure in the bony areas above or under your eyes? If the upper part of your face is aching, throbbing, or perhaps feeling like an over-inflated balloon, you need to take a sure step on the path back to full health. Wind, heat, and dampness in the Lung and Stomach channels of energy can lead to frontal and sinus congestion and headaches. QT clears the blockages in your energy flow, ultimately resulting in relief from your sinus pressure.

If you’re not sure which herbal formula you need, give us a call and we’ll set up an appointment for Dr. Olson to pin-point the root of your sinus problems and get you on the road to healing! 

"O" Zone

This month I want to offer three simple steps to improve your health. If you want to improve your digestion, absorption, elimination and stress levels, all in only one minute a day, keep reading.

Are you ready?

First Step To Better Health

First thing in the morning as soon as your feet hit the floor, drink one large glass of hot water. Then don't eat or drink anything for the next 15 minutes.

That's it. That's all. Just one large glass of hot water. 

What does it do? It warms your stomach, it begins the digestive process and, as a result, the eliminative process. It gives the body the needed clean water, with no job attached; the body doesn't need to process or digest anything. Some people like their coffee or tea. The problem is that those need to be metabolized and digested. It takes work, and they both give the body a job to do. But the pure water cleanses, purges, gets things flowing and will help you develop a great daily elimination pattern.

Do it, and you will find it to be very helpful in your health-enhancing efforts.

Second Step To Better Health

Here is another item that will be helpful: Stop using ice in your beverages. Ice in your water (or other beverages) partially paralyzes your digestive process. All enzyme reactions in nature are temperature dependent. Just like water has to reach a temperature to boil, or freeze, and wax has to reach a temperature to melt, digestive enzymes need to be at a specific temperature to break down the vital life- and health-giving nutrients in the food you eat. Drinking ice water inhibits that process significantly. Stop putting ice in your beverage, which I hope is water, and you will take another big step ahead in your health.

Third Step To Better Health

Have a sincere sense of gratitude for the life you have. It is rare for better to come, until you find the beauty in what you have in the present. Give thanks in all things and you will have what you want at all times.

The Path To Health Doesn't Have To Be Complicated

Some of the most important things you can do for your health are incredibly simple. Take these three basic steps toward greater health, and watch your quality of life improve!

Have a blessed month,

Dr. Olson