Free Your Mind and the Best Will Follow: A Step by Step Guide to Living Your Dreams

By Myrtle D. Russell

If it aint one thing its another was a catchy phrase I often heard growing up. At the time, I didnt give it much thought, except that I heard it a lot. But fast forward a few decades, and I get it; in life, theres always going to be something!

I recently heard a pastor say as he delivered the eulogy for a young man who had battled addiction most of his life: We all have issues. And if you are sitting out there in your pew thinking that you dont have any, then maybe thats your issueyou think you dont have any. Man, was he on target. Theres always something!

Its your health. Disease is robbing you of your joy. Free your mind!
Its your finances. You just lost your job and bills are piling up. Free your mind!
Its your addiction. Your life is spiraling out of control. Free your mind!
Its your weight. You know you need to do better but cant seem to get a grip. Free your mind!
Its your run-ins with the law. Youre an ex-convict, stuck in the penal systems revolving door. Free your mind!
Its your childhood. Abuse and rape have left you with wounds so deep that they have festered into a sore that just wont heal. Free your mind!
Its your relationships. Youve been beaten and battered by your spouse and you dont know where to turn. Free your mind!
Its your gender identity. You are gay and you feel trapped. Free your mind!

Free Your Mind and the Best Will Follow is a guide to letting go of your issues and living your dreams. It is a book of stories, spiritual truths, and activities that will help you realize that you are so much more than your circumstances and conditions.

Now is the time to reconnect with your inner power. Its time to let go of your past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Jul 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452553894

Myrtle D. Russell

Myrtle Russell, MA, CPC, is an educator, writer, nurse, and life coach. She has taught health education and personal development to thousands of students, and facilitated numerous training workshops for health professionals, civic groups, and faith-based organizations. She is co-author of small change: a 28-day guide to eating, thinking and feeling healthier, and is health editor and columnist for a weekly publication. She resides in her native state of Tennessee.

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Copyright © 2012 Myrtle D. Russell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-5390-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-5391-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-5389-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012912085

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Traveling Wounded

Life Isn’t Always Fair

Chapter 2: Free Your Mind And Commit The Time

Chapter 3: Free Your Mind And Put It On Paper

The Reticular Activation System (Ras)

Choosing Your Writing Tools

A Sample Free My Mind Contract

Free Your Mind Through Journaling

A Word On Stress

Journaling Relieves Stress

Gratitude Journaling

Chapter 4: Free Your Mind And Align With The Divine In You

Believing In A Higher Power

Chapter 5: Free Your Mind And Forgive

The Power Of Forgiveness: It’s Not About The Other Person

Forgiving My Parents

Picturing My Parents As Wounded Children

Hurt People Hurt

If You’ve Caused Anyone Pain, It’s Time To Let Go!

Forgive Yourself

Chapter 6: Free Your Mind And Refocus Your Faith

Where Is Your Faith?

Faith And Fear

Faith And Worry

Refocus Your Faith: Believe In A God That Believes In You

Chapter 7: Free Your Mind And Show Yourself Some Love

What Is Love?

Love Through The Eyes Of A Child

Journeys From Victim To Victor

It’s Time To Show Yourself Some Love

Love Lessons From A Dog

Free Your Mind And Think Positive Thoughts

Promise Yourself

Chapter 8: Free Your Mind And Live Your Dreams

Dreams Deferred

Dreams Revisited

Dream And Move; Move And Dream

Vision Boards: Your Preview Of Coming Attractions

It’s All About The Journey

Take Baby Steps And Make Small Changes

The Truth Will Set You Free

Scarcity And Poverty

Don’t Let The Money Fool You

A Word On Success

Closing

Never Give Up

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

Free Your Mind And Keep Stepping

Let Freedom Reign!

Bibliography

PREFACE

After working in the health field for three decades and spending twenty-three of those years in the area of health promotion, I’ve come to the conclusion that diseases that are the leading causes of premature death and disability in the United States—diseases such as diabetes, cancer, diseases of the heart, and drug and alcohol addictions and their related diseases—are merely symptoms of underlying causes that largely have to do with the way we think and how we cope with life’s issues.

Thoughts form beliefs; beliefs influence behaviors; and behaviors determine how we fare in life. When it comes to our health, which includes physical, mental, spiritual, environmental, social, and economic well-being, Americans aren’t faring too well right now. And it is my contention that unless we change our thinking, we will continue to be plagued by ill health and its consequences. Unless we begin to believe that we can take control of our health and that we can turn things around, then the mad cycle of premature death and disability, with all its misery, will continue to spiral out of control.

In 1989, after accepting a position as program manager for a state-funded, community-based project, I eagerly dived into the field of health promotion, and for the first few years, I felt like we were making progress. People would show up for health fairs; take advantage of free screenings; gobble up educational materials, incentives, and food; and appear to leave happy. Program evaluations always showed that the majority of participants had increased their knowledge on various health topics and were ready to make lifestyle changes to improve their health. I naively took that to mean that things were getting better. However, the project was a pilot project, and as pilots go, the light went out after six years.

I moved on, accepting a position in health promotion with the Tennessee Department of Health as a regional program coordinator. That position led to regional director of community health services, and again, I was excited and hopeful to make an even bigger difference. Community-based health education was the primary focus: diabetes, heart disease, strokes, alcohol and drugs, HIV/AIDS, etc., were the topics covered. And, once again, reports painted a rosy picture of progress.

But the big picture would reflect something different: chronic disease rates were continuing to rise. Something had to be done, and of course, government was charged to do it. We needed to turn up the heat with community-based education, and I would be the one charged to do it in the West Tennessee Region. I thought I knew what would work in the community; after all, it was where I got my start. But I also knew that by the time I waded through the bureaucratic red tape with my bright and innovative ideas, they would be so watered down that the fire would have fizzled out, and I would be left simply blowing smoke.

Still hopeful, I knew what I needed to do: I would do my own thing, my own way. In 2005, grateful for all I had learned, I left the position. I teamed up with my son, a personal trainer, and we self-published small change: a 28-day guide to eating, thinking, and feeling healthier. It was our take on what Americans could do to improve their health.

We took off conducting workshops around the southeast region of the country, and I’d like to think that we were making some small change differences. After all, seven years later, our term small change has become a buzz word in the health promotion arena, even among the medical community. That was confirmation that we were on to something. But Americans are still getting sicker, and the health rankings continue to plummet. I won’t repeat the grim statistics (not here anyway). Besides, unless you’ve been living in a cave for a very long time, you know that we’re in trouble when it comes to our health. You don’t have to look any further than your own household, your own neighborhood.

Contrary to our conditioning, there are no quick fixes to our health problems and health-care system, which have been spinning out of control for decades. We’ve thrown a few dollars into the health promotion pot but haven’t seen any measurable progress. Perhaps that’s because we haven’t asked the right questions.

Given the fact that the leading causes of death and disability in this country have to do with behavioral lifestyles, the question that I keep asking myself is this: Why do we continue to overeat, over drink, abuse drugs and alcohol, smoke, etc., even when we know that it puts us in jeopardy—in danger? Medical professionals, policy makers, program designers, and funding agents should be asking the same question and seeking viable and realistic solutions.

Health education has its place, but it must move beyond traditional teaching and address the cause head-on. People are in pain, and their pain manifests itself in many forms, some of which have not even been named. Each year, millions of dollars are spent researching ways to treat diseases. Perhaps some of those dollars could be more wisely invested in addressing the underlying causes.

When it comes to mental-health issues, many of which stem from drug and alcohol abuse, little time and even fewer dollars are spent addressing the cause.

Shortly after I began writing this book, a younger brother who has battled drug and alcohol addiction his entire adult life got himself into trouble with the law. He ended up back in rehab once again, and I asked myself the question: what is it that makes him repeat the same behavior over and over and over again? I asked him the same question, and we both knew there had to be some deep-rooted causes that needed to be addressed, or he would never find peace. I pondered what I could do to get him to face his demons so that he could begin to see life differently.

As I wrote Free Your Mind, and the Best Will Follow, I shared the basic principles with my brother, encouraging him to engage in the activities along the way. Initially, we were forced to communicate by snail mail, as he had no access to a computer or telephone. And that turned out to be a plus because it forced him to put his thoughts on paper the old-school way, which was therapeutic in and of itself. He trudged along, and things got better.

After thirty-two years of service as a nurse, an educator, an administrator, and a lifestyle coach, when it comes to promoting health and well-being, I have seen, heard, read, and experienced enough to know that if you keep doing it the same old way, you end up with the same results—a broken system, broken parts, and broken people. And I never have to look beyond myself and the people closest to me to find all the evidence I need.

Free Your Mind, and the Best Will Follow is a step-by-step guide to get you moving toward living your dreams. The stories (which I call journeys to freedom), the spiritual truths, and the activities throughout the book are meant to move you beyond the fatalistic (and often contagious) belief that your circumstances and conditions are stronger than your inner power. You get out of life not a bit more than what you are willing to put into it, so you must be ready to do the work in order to experience the freedom and sense of well-being that you have missed out on for so long. And even if you think you are doing okay, if