A Tale of Possibility

You know you are getting old when you do more reminiscing when you should be paying attention to the present time. Yes,everyone wants to relive a very special time in their life that stirs warm memories of  years gone by. It's hard to forget the past because of it's significance in our lives. Of course we can do away with the unpleasentries and focus on life changing events which we fondly remember. If I were to ask any of you what your best years in life were your most likely answer is either during the time you met your first love or the independence brought about by your first car. If you really sit down and think about it these two epic moments in our lives signify all that is beautiful in youth. They represent our thirst for freedom and our quest for true love. And if you were to REALLY think about it, nothing epic has happened to you lately if you are approaching your middle years. Nothing grand can be said about work or mortgage and bills and even the kids' college tuition. Then you come to the sad realization that you need to recapture some of that magic or vitality back in order to try to make sense of getting old. Sounds familiar? Of course it does. Take a seat and join the club. 

How much possibility laid before you then and although you may not realize it, the same chances present themselves to you now. You do not have to be bound by circumstance or obligation to the point of helplessness. You have a choice to CHANGE all that is around you and recapture or relive all of your memories of what used to be good. It all depends on what you are willing to accept and change, and eventually give up. What I am trying to say is life doesn't have to begin at 40, or 18, or 21 or even 50. It begins NOW, this MOMENT. It's what you choose it to be. I don't understand why people continually live with their burdens and, in the process, make anxiety and stressful living a daily routine in their lives. You have to ask yourself if it is really worth it. More importantly, to whom does this suffering afford the greatest benefit to? Let me tell you a story about two little boys and before I get  into what this particular story entails, let me give it to you plain and simple- the lesson of this story is about Possibility. It's about Opportunity. It's about taking chances and living  by the "choices" we make. Note that we can easily interchange "choices" with "mistakes" in the previous statement.

So, here goes...

Once there lived two little boys on a seaside town in some unnamed country during an unnamed time. Of what year this event transpired is really of no importance, just that these two boys were dearest of friends. They shared many interests, these most unlikely of friends, and consequently, as boys often do, they have spent many a summer day just laying around a lone tree in a field overlooking the vast ocean just over the horizon. Let's call one of the boys Charles, and the other Richard. Charles came from a well to do family 

coming from a lineage of educated merchants and business professionals. Just like his father and kin before him, Charles has honed an eye towards skepticism, economy, opulence, and security. In other words, he is a realist in the very sense of the word. Richard, on the other hand, comes from a family of farmers. His fathers knurled hands is testament to the hardships they must continually face in order to survive. To Richard, halls of splendor or even dining on a long table lined with fine linens and silverware is a thing of the books, a world away. Richard would spend most of his days daydreaming about a better life. To him, any life must be better than the present one. It was because of this polarizing difference that made the two boys the best of friends. Richard would listen with eager ears and fervent eyes as Charles would narrate a recount of the dinners and parties held often at his family's manor, as if he was simply blurting out details of a stone he found, unfeeling and simply disinterested. This "good life" added more fuel to the poor boys daydreaming and wishing until he often found himself staring into empty space, imagining, and wondering, and hoping.

One fateful day they encountered an old graying man sitting under their meeting tree, fanning himself, desperately trying to ward off the miserable summer heat. Cautiously, they took their place in their favorite "spot" and Charles, being the bold one, asked this seemingly hermit-looking figure of a man, what he was doing sitting under their tree. 

"Why, I am simply resting these old bones, my lad. It seems being old does has its setbacks after all.", the old man answered coyly.

After several minutes of hasty introductions and some background inquisition on both ends, they settled into a leisurely pace of  telling stories amidst a number of fancier tales. It was after an hour or so when Henry, the name the old man gave to be his, asked Richard why he isn't sharing much and was simply contented being an avid listener.

" What's to tell about a poor boys life?" blurted Richard. 

"There isn't much to eat at our house. On some days we have to make do with reheated broth and molded bread.", he added further.

"Well, I am terribly sorry to hear that my boy." replied the graying Henry, with saddened eyes.

After a long silence Henry broke the veil with a question.

" Let's suppose for a minute that we forget about your way of living, the both of you. Let us start anew, a clean plate, if you will. Let me pose a question to the both of you and I want you to be honest with your answer. I want you to speak of what your heart tells you. Now, suppose I were to ask you that if you had a choice to start a new life what sort of life would you like to have and why?"

Another long silence, longer perhaps than the one it replaced.

" If I were to have a new life I want to have one like Charles. I don't ever want to sleep with a rumbling tummy ever again and I want to wear better clothes, not these worn rags tethered together by more rags. I want to be able to afford the things I only dreamed off and not just see them in pictures.", Richard said with much gusto.

"I want a life like Richard.", exclaimed Charles, much to his friends surprise. "I am tired of this life where everybody isn't real. They only want me to be their friend because of my family's wealth and they don't even appreciate the things I truly want. I want a simple life. I want a life where I can still taste the salt from the sweat falling from my brow after a hard days work."

"Well,well,and well. It seems the both of you don't talk much about this after all, judging from the way the both of you exude surprise. It seems you both want a better life than the one you lead but don't know HOW or WHERE to begin. Am I correct for assuming so?", Henry posed. "The answer to your problems is rather very simple, my lads. You have the power to harness the possibility in front of you and explore where your humility may take you. Charles, all you need is to share to the less fortunate, be the answer to their needs. Richard, all you need to do is strive to work for your dream. Make it a reality and not just a dream. Work hard, develop good work ethics, educate yourself, and make your fortune with your bare hands."

And yet another long silence broken by Henry's abrupt preparation to bid these two boys farewell. After disappearing into the distance, he left two boys behind wondering if what just transpired in indeed real. 

Under the setting sun, the two boys walked alongside each other deep in their own thoughts and lighter hearts. Tomorrow is indeed a chance to begin. A new life awaits.

When I first heard of this story it didn't hit me as rather life-changing. I thought it was bland and didn't quite get the picture in it's entirety. When viewed from a different angle, that of from an outsider's point of view, I began to understand it's depth. The power is indeed in the choices we make. We can choose to remain in this way of living,  or we can choose to rise above our struggles or conditions and strive for something better.  Until our next post, you guys take care. JowelMD signing off, but not signing out.

See You Around The Bend

     Hey, everyone!! I figured I might as well take some time off and just write about what it means to live in today's world. Have you ever thought of how people must have lived, say, around the 18th or even the early 19th century? Well, let's just take it all in perspective. For sure technology isn't as it is today and the leaps and bounds we experience in medicine that we often take for granted wasn't available to people then so we can pretty much expect their life expectancy to be much lower without the advent of antibiotics. People back then didn't really have the creature comforts we have at home like heating and pretty much have to do with spartan accommodations. Travelling meant either via horseback or carriage. You pretty much get the picture, right?

     Well, fast-forward to today. Have you ever wondered what sort of pressure we have to constantly cope with just to keep up with the times? If you aren't proficient in almost anything it's hard to keep abreast with the goings on with today's fast-paced living. I guess the most  obvious question I would like to pose is this," Is technology imprisoning us?". Are we so dependent on it that we simply can't live without it? Imagine losing your cellphone for a week and the stress you have to put up with trying to update contacts and replying to messages. Is life really easier this way? Well, let's step back for a minute and try to see the whole dilemma on a more natural light. Technology is in and of itself a tool. A tool we devise and utilize to make our lives easier, to say the least. Yet, as we progress and as the world's population continues to grow we find ourselves facing more diseases, more wars, more epidemics than before. Yet we tiptoe on the belief that there is always a cure, somewhere, around the bend. Are we really finding more solutions to problems we ourselves incur? 

     There is no real answer to the question when the question itself seems rather inadequately asked. Life is full of mysteries but certain things in life are immovable. These truths do not change regardless what timeline you wish to live in or what type of lifestyle you aspire of living. Don't be caught up so much with the world around you because there is so much more out there. So much more for you to see, to feel, to experience. There are parts of the world where television, the internet, or even cellphones are non-existant but people still live in harmony with nature. A place where people listen to what nature tells them, where they still tell time by the seasons and not by the hours of a day. They are more intact, more real in their relationships with one another, and there is a rather discreet genuine aura around them. When we picture a society like this we immediately associate it with tribal groups of people or people closed off to the world outside. 

     In my travels I have met some of these people and my first assumption  of our encounter was they would see me in awe. A man with a camera and a medicine bag, with stethoscope in vest, must seem rather strange to a group of people who still pound tree barks or dry deerskin for clothing. I assumed wrongly. Yes, they were curious and no they weren't awed by our presence. They simply asked a lot of questions and although, try as I might, answer their questions to the best of my abilities and somewhat limited understanding of what they actually understand about 21st century living, I probably induced more confusion than clarity. It was until my interpreter told me that they couldn't quite grasp why we have lost our connection to mother nature, why we need to drink medicine in the form of tablets or capsules when the leaf of the plant I was sitting next to can do a better job curing my indigestion. Where have we gone wrong? Why don't we harness knowledge like this? 

     Sometimes I think it is we who are primitive because we simply can't live in a world without technology. If we were thrown back to the byzantine age we probably still don't know how to start cook fire with primitive tools. Heck, we can be thrown back to the 15th or 16th century and we still couldn't do it. We have lost a lot of skills and knowledge when we became slaves to technology. Most importantly, we are beginning to lose ourselves. We feel less connected with the world and one another, less accessible, and less available. We simply run out of time to connect with the people we love and the world in general. The internet has made it easier for us, albeit less genuine. We need to feel more, hug more, pat each other on the back more, shake each others hands more. A connection more real and tangible than emails or even social media can provide.

     So when I see you around the bend in this road called Life, I'll make sure to ask you how your'e doing, if your travels have been light, and if the road you are planning to take ahead is easy. You are never alone. We are also fellow travelers, and it makes no sense travelling alone when we can share a good story or two along the way. Until our next post, folks. Take Care. 

Reinventing Yourself: Attaining Inner Calm

Imagine for a moment that you are staring at a painting from up close. If it were a landscape rendition you would probably see minute details such as blades of grass or boughs of trees precariously hiding a nest or two. You see how each detail plays a part in portrait. However, if you take a few steps back and look at the whole painting in perspective you'll see that you can no longer appreciate the minor details as you would have before, but, rather, have a keener sense of understanding how each contributes to the whole portrait or theme portrayed by the painting. Now, imagine if it was YOUR life portrayed in that painting and it was you who was looking at it from at close and from afar. Do you see the difference? Can you honestly say that there is harmony and fluidity in it?

They say everything is a matter of perspective. How you perceive, process,and react to certain aspects or events in your life ultimately defines who you are, essentially. I think that's not true. Yes, everything can be seen from a perspective or any perspective, for that matter,  but the true power lies in our ability to choose. It is the power of CHOICE which defines us. It is the one true thing which ultimately dictates our actions.  More importantly, our choices are the road maps which gives our life direction.

Amid the hubbub of daily living there arises a need, eventually in all of us, to be able to stop for a minute, take a deep breath, assess or reassess our bearings, and forge ahead. It is during these times when you need to find your inner calm, your quiet moment of peace. It is when we hurry through life that everything seems a blur, leaving us questioning, if not wondering, at times, if we could have done better. Well, as all eventualities, the outcome is a result of two things, really; what we set out to do and what we actually do. The choices we make defines the paths we take in life.

The key ingredient to make wise, informative,and better decision making lies in one's ability to remain calm. To be able to assess any situation from the placid to the gravid or to even the lucid depends entirely on a firm composure and an open mind. Inner calm or inner peace, if you want to call it that, can only be attained if we realize this truth: how we see and interpret events in our lives dictate our reaction(s) to them. What I mean by this is we don't necessarily need to be controlled by life's problems or challenges, we can take control by dealing with them directly, neglecting them altogether, or choosing to deal with them at a later time. In other words, we need to be in control of life's stressors. Mind you, many things in life stresses us and they can run the gamut of from the most mundane and heedless worries to the most life-threatening situations and anything imaginable in between. One thing remains the same regardless of what faces you, you need to convert whatever input you gather from the situation into a decisive plan of action.

The question remains, then, and as with my other posts, the how-to's are the gist of it all, is how do we attain inner calm? First and foremost on this short but rather How-To list is learning how to relax. Well, ok, let's make a quick rundown and cover the finer points in detail later.

How To Achieve Inner Calm

1. Relaxation is Key

2. Open Mindedness

3. Eliminate Stress and Stressors

4. Proximity and Relativity

5. Be Like Water

Lean to relax. Relaxation is not just sitting around sippin' your favorite concoction, no, far from that. Relaxation must entail not just physical rest but emotional, spiritual, and mental, as well. In other words, you have to view relaxation in a whole different light, from a holistic approach. Deep breathing exercises in slow but constant rhythm allows your cardiac rate to slow down and be regulated. The role of relaxation in achieving inner calm is that it prepares you for the next subsequent phases.

Open your mind to any and all possibility. Lose your standards. Know that in this vast world full of rich and vibrant life and cultures, you are essentially naive and ignorant to anything beyond your zones of familiarity. With an open mind acceptance becomes easy and second nature. It is when we accept that we essentially say we are committed to THAT particular truth. Having an open mind allows us to view options and choices not in the context of preference but in their value in finding solutions to a problem or situation.

Eliminate stress and stressors in your life. I have covered this point repeatedly in my previous posts and stated clearly how stress is unhealthy and may even cause disease. Know, however, that anticipation is, in and of itself, a stressor as well. When we know something bad is going to happen and know that it will happen and we wait for it to happen, well, we are causing ourselves undue stress. 

Proximity and Relativity has something to do with the way you perceive events and situations in your everyday life and how you assign value to them. Are they in your priority lists or are they not? When you assign a level of importance or value to something it causes you a lot of pain and discomfort when you are in discord with it or if when you have no control over it or even if you lose it. Let's take for instance a mundane everyday happenstance such as leaving at 6:30 in the morning in order to get to work by 7:30. Imagine the stress you will be experiencing if you had to leave, say, 7:05? This example cites a common problem we encounter daily: our relationship with time. 

Lastly, go thru life like water. Overcome your obstacles not by knocking them down, but going over them, going around them,wearing them down with the power of your will and your resolve. You have in you infinite strength you just don't realize or maybe even accept it. Flow in your everyday life. Don't flow like a raging pipeline in Hawaii but rater, like a quiet mid-autumn spring, slow but with constancy and clarity. Know that whatever comes your way, you are prepared for it, and you will overcome, just as you have in the past, and just as you will, again and again and again. You will realize that your only real true enemy in the end is yourself, for your lack of faith, trust, and belief in yourself. Flow like water. Gently and surely. Until our next post, folks. Take care and love one another. 

The Power of Decisive Action

What's stopping you or most people from doing what you've always wanted to do in  life? It can be anything, really, but let's cite a realistic example for argument's sake. Losing weight, for instance. Why is it so hard to begin and harder still to finish anything that is worth undertaking? Why do most people FAIL to succeed? A lot of questions but not a whole lot of answers. Let's digress for a minute on a simple thought; the power to put words into action. Let's take that notion one notch higher by stating the power of taking Decisive Action. What is decisive action? It is action which is done with complete commitment and vindiction in order to see completion or fruition of a certain desire or need.

In order for us to understand why we fail in implementing worthwhile changes in our everyday lives let's understand one fundamental human behavior: change is often times painful and there is comfort in staying the same not straying too far from comfort zones even if it meant having to do so is essential for personal growth. Why is that you ask? Well, it's simple, really- we are afraid of the unknown, of uncertainty, and of taking risks. Our desire to live a healthier and longer life, for instance, is greatly hampered by our lack of motivation and fear of not succeeding. What are we afraid of? Failure, for one, but there are other factors which we put stress and emphasis in avoiding as well. Let's enumerate those "other" factors now:

1. We are afraid to change or try something new because we essentially underestimate our potentials.
2. We are afraid because we don't want to commit ourselves into something which has no known guarantees
     besides the fact that normalcy will take a backseat from now on.
3. We are afraid too change because we don't want to be stereotyped by anyone's standards.
4. We are afraid to change because having to begin again takes too much time and effort on our part.
5. We are afraid to change because we cater to the notion that people should respect our individuality and
     that our imperfections define who we are.

Do any of the top 5 statements sound familiar to you? It should because they pertain to all of us. While they may be true on some regards, it all depends by what we mean by "changing". In essence, what is CHANGE? Know that we act upon a certain need or desire based on two different principles. If something causes us pain, we veer away from the cause or avoid it altogether. If something brings us pleasure we strive towards a certain goal which allows this pleasurable feeling to be experienced time and again. There is no other given set of stimuli which clearly defines our need to take action than the two previously mentioned. However, as we grow and acquire maturity ( physical, emotional, spiritual), we have clearly defined a given set of standards or set of rules which dictate how and what we should do in times of struggle,pain, or even joy. What I am saying here is that we have closed our minds to the possibility ( which is more likely than unlikely) that as we face life's challenges there will be an inherent NEED to RESET our standards and change towards adaptability.  But what does all of these have to do with the ability to take decisive action? Simple. By having an open mind, we can assess a given situation, or any situation, for that matter, as they are, free of our stereotypes and ideals, and act upon them properly.

Now let's put the power of decisive action to the test on a real world case scenario. Let's take my example above. Say you are OVERWEIGHT. You are about 15-30% above your ideal weight as dictated by your BMI (Body Mass Index). You know that you are not alone since a lot of americans are also overweight, if not more so than you. So what do you do? You tried dieting, of course, and even tried walking around the block several times every morning to get your heart rate and metabolism up so you can burn your calories more efficiently. You even tried herbal solutions such as slimming teas and dietary supplements to help you win your war against fat. You tried surfing the web to get a better gauge of what your lipid profile and blood sugar should be. You may have even given up smoking and other vices which are known risk factors for lifestyle diseases. Then you ask yourself the most important question after several years of these-why aren't you losing weight? Where did you go wrong since you've tried them all? There is no one correct answer to that question so instead of running around trying to find an explanation, any explanation, let's construct a plan of action which you can implement daily. Make it routine until it becomes a habit, and only then will it be second nature to you. So here are The 7 Steps to Taking Decisive Action.

1. Stop blaming yourself. Give in to the fact that you are not perfect and never will be. Understand that you
    have limits to what you can accomplish but there is no limit in what you can try. Don't blame yourself for
    past failures because you aren't the only one who didn't finish a race.

2. Reassess what your goals are and remap the necessary actions you need to take on a daily basis in order
    to reach that goal. Don't make it lofty. Instead keep it realistic.

3. Understand the fact that you cannot do this alone. You need emotional encouragement and motivation
    from the people you love. By giving you support you have with you at all times a reason why you should
    see things through.

4. Accept the fact that at times you will fail. See failure in a different light. Instead of seeing it as an end see it
    as an opportunity to learn, to reset your learning curves.

5. When the opportunity presents itself or if a need arises ACT immediately and without hesitation. DO
    NOT BE AFRAID. Stand your ground and face the challenge head on. Make decisions and take actions
    with surgical precision. Do not set any given plan in stone. Learn to make necessary changes along the
    way to adapt to any unforeseen circumstances.

Let's answer the question of why we fail. Did we lack planning? Maybe effort or even commitment? Maybe all of the above but that's not really important. It is how we stand up after each fall that counts. We fail because we are human beings. We try, we fail, we learn, and we try again, until we succeed. It's just the way things are. So don't despair. It isn't the end of the world. Learn from your experience and assess what needs to be done the second time around. Once you see that golden window of opportunity take decisive action towards it. Make your move and reap your reward. It's been a long time coming, anyhow. Take care guys. Know that you are never alone in this game of life. This is JowelMD, and once again, signing off, but not signing out.

A World Without Love

     Imagine a world without emotions where even the everyday happenstances that comprise our lives seem as grey and desolate as the skies. Imagine a world where emptiness reigns supreme and nothing is of value not even our very own feeble existance. We can't live in a world like that. Our humanity ( and maybe even our sanity) will very likely be lost. And yet, when we really stop and think about our very own limited time here on Earth, the question begs to be asked why are we not happy? Maybe I should rephrase that into something more tangible. If you know you were to die tomorrow, how would you like to live TODAY? I can   see the gears in your mind turning now, fathoming the endless " Things I need to do" items in your last and final list. Ever wondered why adventurers( or daredevils, for that matter) live for that split second instant which can dictate life or death? It's because only when they cheat death do they feel truly alive. I know you know that nobody in their right mind wanted to feel alive THAT way and everyday of that sort of encounter can drive anybody to a psyche ward anywhere. There is, however, a better way to live a long and contented life. And it starts NOW.

     We are not trivial beings. You can bet almost anything that the things that make you laugh or cry isn't that much different from what makes another individual laugh or cry from a different corner of the world. The point I am driving us is we have SIMILAR NEEDS,no matter what our race, color, or creed maybe. We are not unique in that our standards may be higher or that our statures or professions dictate that we remain special or separated. That is not even important because all that really matters is the legacy we will be leaving behind. How is it that a CEO from a Fortune 500 company be any different from that of a shoe cobbler who takes pride in his work on some alley way in India. Money changes our perspectives in life and it clouds us into believing that our very existance depends on money. Remember that each second which comprises our lives will never be returned to us. We will watch and learn as we grow old, fading into the distance, awaiting our turn to finally becoming one with our maker. That is a fact of life. Time takes away everything, even memories. So how do we start living life to the fullest when we don't even know how or where to begin? The answer is really very simple but it eludes us to the point where we don't really see it or recognize it anymore. So here it is:

LOVE MORE  

     Love more. Just two words but with infinite meaning. How does one love more? Start by loving the people you already love. Words are hollow without action to back them up. When you love somebody,SAY SO AND PROVE SO. In order to reach a higher level or plane of understanding how love really makes the world go 'round there are several plans of action you need to practice on a daily basis until they become habitual. Only when you pass this primary challenge can you progress further. The feeling is indescribable. Only when you GET THERE will you TRULY UNDERSTAND. Here are the things you need to do:

1. Remain CALM at all times

2. Understand FIRST before you speak.

3. Listen with Patience and Earnest.

4. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

5. Learn to Overlook Imperfection

6. Don't take ANYBODY for granted.

7. Practice a different act of selflessness daily.

8. Share your blessings

9. Keep an OPEN MIND

10. Believe in what only YOU CAN do 

11. Learn to LET GO of PAIN and REMORSE

12. Regret NOTHING

What do the 12 things listed above actually prepare you for, you say? Why don't I leave it at that and you can tell me later how you cope with each of them above. Not easy, these 12, but when you take the time to contemplate on how they can change your life, you'll begin to understand that it's so much more than just simply acquiring a different perspective. It's more of about opening your heart to love. Only when you receive love can you share it or even begin to understand it. So, good luck with your journey ahead and remember that whichever way the road may fork, you are never alone. Someone out there always holds you near and dear to their hearts. It's time you do the same for them. Thank you for spending some of your time and for giving me the opportunity to share with you. We can only journey through this life once and it doesn't make sense travelling alone. JowelMD signing out but not signing off.

My Perfect Car

     Everyone has a dream car. Our love affair with automobiles and the freedom they afford us never ceases to amaze me. Car enthusiasts like myself see the connection as more than just a love affair but a passion, which, among car nuts, can lead to hours of car talk. I also see it as a way to express my creativity. picture this scenario; you are driving home one day and by the side of the road of some unrecalled street you see a car with a "FOR SALE" sign taped haphazardly on the windshield. It can be any car,for that matter,as long as it has been in your "I-want-it-so-bad" list and just like any misdirected priority in our life, we go about to seeing we take that car home. This is, in fact, a daily happenstance in everyday America and it still happens even this very second. 

     Well, let me indulge you for a minute on a great story, one, which, in all intensive purposes seems like just another love affair with a car and an enthusiast wrenching away to help him or her relive the glory days of youth. However, this story has a twist. You see, for a long time now, I have great passion of for classic american iron of the muscle car era, to be exact. The deep rumble of big V8's has always been music to my ears. Combine that sweet sound with the perfect stance and a set of "slapper bars" tucked behind steamroller wide drag radials and you've concocted a formula for a perfect street bruiser. Never mind the fact that driving these cars enable gas attendants around a 2 block radius from your house to get to know you better, even on a first name basis. Of course, never mind also the fact that these cars had very poor handling and tend to squeak and rattle over time. All you ever cared about is you looked good driving in one of these behemoths and that no one dared challenge you when the light turns green. Can this be a car you can live with on a day to day basis? Probably not. But you don't care, right? Then you turn 40 and the next thing you know you start paying attention to the Viagra ads by the time 50 rolls around your corner. Then you come to the conclusion that you don't really want to drive around in your old sled anymore. Sounds familiar? Of course it is.

     This is why I love Porsches. What, you say? Well, my perfect car is a 1970 911T without a sunroof, converted to Carrera RS specs but with  modern engine, close ratio transmission, and brakes. Going back to what I just typed; why I love Porsches? Well, they are light, nimble, you can set them up for the track or slalom and still have an infinite number of combinations to fit whatever driving you plan to undertake in. Besides that, that enduring design has been around for as long as anyone remembers and still takes in rants and raves from just about any car nut out there. Ever see a 911 with a Venetian Blue paint reflecting the setting sun? Sinister and mysterious, that one. But looks and performance alone doesn't quite complete a car into the "perfect car" category. There has to be something more. With a 911, there is. 

     One hot summer day back in the day ( 1987 to be exact) I was picked up by a good friend of mine who had just purchased a Porsche 911 Carrera. Blacked out with that signature whale tail that car rode like its on rails. After a leisurely afternoon of just cruising around hoping to run into someone we knew (so that they can tell the girl we had crushes in we were in a Porsche), he decided to go to the freeway and stretch the Carrera's legs a bit. The sound of that flat six wailing away near redline as you row through the gears is music to any car lover's ear. We thought we had the coolest ride until another Porsche came abreast. A 911S probably circa 1969 or 1970 in Signal Orange and wearing 15 inch Fuchs didn't really pose a threat to a much newer sibling. Or so we thought. That car revved so effortlessly and just danced around our black Carrera as if we were just parked and standing still. Until this day I still couldn't figure out why we couldn't catch that little orange 911. Nor can I forget that sweaty summer afternoon back in '87.

  

How to Cure Anxiety

     We live in an ever changing world full of challenges and hurdles. Stress and anxiety are  simply  parts of our daily life. There are many ways to deal with our daily dose of stress and anxiety and depending on the gravity   of such encounters how we INTERPRET and REACT to these situations affect us in many ways more than we are aware of. If unchecked anxiety can lead to recurrent panic attacks which, in the long run, are not only unhealthy and debilitating but are also harder and longer to treat.

     Before we cover deeper ground on how to best deal with our anxiety-ridden life and explore some techniques to lower our anxiety levels as well as reduce stress let's establish a clearer understanding of what anxiety is. How are stress and anxiety related? Well, simply put, anxiety a physiologic response and it is essentially  how our body reacts to stress. Now let's  not confuse Anxiety with Anxiety Disorder because the latter is a disease whereas the former is a natural response  to stressful situations or events. Anxiety Disorders can be broken down into several conditions:

1. Panic Attacks
2. Specific Phobias (i.e. fear of heights, fear of spiders, etc.)
3. Social Phobias
4. Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
5. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

     Know, however, that constant worrying and anxiety CAN LEAD to any one of the above disorders and would essentially require medical treatment or intervention. Since an ounce of prevention is much better than a pound of cure, as they say, having a systematic approach to dealing with anxiety is crucial before it sets in and converts to a disorder. So, let's cover, in the following order, the key steps in living and dealing with anxiety. They are:

1. Our Perception of Fear and Stress; conditioning our minds
2. Assigning Situational Gravity; what's worse and what's not
3. Filtering and  Subduing; fear reduction 101
4. Increasing our Level of Awareness
5. Optimism; Learn it and Assimilate it in Every Way.

      The first thing we need to tackle is our Perception of fear and stressful situations or events. Our perception ultimately dictates how we interpret and receive data or stimuli from our surroundings and it is how we interpret, in turn, which dictates how we respond. From this first level we need to uncover how we can keep our fears at bay, to assess each situation carefully and eliminate apprehension of any type. The mind is a powerful medium which can ultimately affect our better judgement. What I mean by that is most of us anticipate beyond what is necessary.Our apprehension leads us to conjure possible dangers or risks or even worse case scenarios which, ultimately, cripples us from moving forward or even taking positive action. A method I suggest you try us to imagine yourself in a situation which you know causes a lot of anxiety and stress. Now,with that in mind, imagine walking yourself through such an experience, opening your mind to options you may want to consider or take in order to overcome this event. Now imagine in your mind's eye how you will act or feel at that moment and thereafter as you tackle the said situation. Play this exercise out until you become familiar with how you plan and undertake any course of action. This systematic disensitization is one way which allows us to remove anxiety during a stressful event. Though there is no gold standard in dealing with anxiety and curing it, there is, however, a resounding theme when it comes to overcoming it, and that is how we need to condition our minds as a first step towards anxiety-free living. This mind-conditioning self therapy is effective in many ways but its greatest asset is how it relieves stress in our lives. I had already talked about how stress is debilitating to our health in one of my previous posts and helping yourself cure anxiety is the first step towards stress-free living. Here's a video exemplifying how we have in us the power to overcome our fears and relieve ourselves of unwanted anxiety.

     Conditioning your mind, however, is not enough in order to overcome anxiety. You need to form, out of habit, a method by which you categorize immediate threats ( more gravid) and less severe, more distant threats (less gravid). In other words, you need to do away with worrying about useless stuff and be less mindful of them. Remember what I always say in some of my posts," There are a lot of things in life we absolutely have no control over, hence we shouldn't even bother. The things we do have control, however, we can improve upon and change for the better.". Another thing you have to do away with is how you anticipate dangers or even fear needlessly. When it happens, it happens, and only when it does happen do you need to act accordingly and calmly. Assess each situation you feel causes you uneasiness and anxiety and relegate them to the back of your mind only when you feel that there is no immediate threat from them. You also need to focus more and be more attentive. By doing so you increase your level of awareness significantly. The final thing you need to do is practice optimism on a daily basis. Being optimistic keeps your mind open to options you may not even be aware of initially. Being positive and doing positive action assures optimism. Lastly,know that you are only traveling through the road of life once. Don't let fear, anxiety, and stress limit your potential to exploit life to the fullest. This is JowelMD with yet another post. Signing off but not signing out. Take care guys.

Keywords; key thoughts?

     If you ever tried writing on blogs or even write an article, you'll find that the key question hovering on most writer's heads is," How do I reach my target audience?".Simply put another way, " How does one write well enough and at the same time include a good amount of keywords that search engines search for on a daily basis? If you've ever played around with SEO, you know what I mean. The main challenge, at least I believe, is how do you convey your thoughts across a medium and not be a slave to a slew of keywords you know you'd have to insert somewhere just so someone out there gets to read your work. Where do we strike a balance between a well written piece and one that gets picked up by search phrases? In other words, quality v.s. quantity on a whole different light.

     I write because I like to write. Writing allows me a sense of freedom in sharing my thoughts, my ideas, my ideals, to the world. First and foremost it gives me a medium to put my thoughts down even if only to evaluate them later. I also believe writing is an art. You can say a hundred different things about something but find yourself limited when trying to write those things down. I write on a whim most times so I don't really pay attention to what keywords I type down, if any. As a matter of fact, the question begs to be asked regarding what keywords really are. Key words to what? To whom? Ever try writing poetry while minding what key words you jot down? Of course not! I have a deep respect for poets because writing poetry is like seeing your soul on a mirror and describing what you see. Poets write out of passion and whatever moves them is what gives them lifeblood.

     Going back to our dilemma. A good writer writes for himself or herself, first and foremost, before writing for anyone else. This signature must be established in order to cover deeper ground in writing. Writing, you see, isn't just about putting words on paper. It's so much more than that. Your'e written work must flow and convey your thoughts with clarity. On that note I'd like to say that there are two types of writers who publish on the internet; for every writer who writes for himself or herself is another writer who writes for an audience or a group of audiences. The latter targets a specific demographic and keys in on topics which may have some value to these group of people. The former writes about issues and challenges which have profound effects on their daily lives and offers alternatives or solutions to these ailments. Which one are you? Better yet, which of the two would you most likely read published works on. I prefer being a writer who writes from experience. I can write passionately then. 

     Another key topic most writers concern themselves with is Content. How do you cover ground on the basis of delivering quality content? Well, let's ponder for a minute what quality content is. For me, quality content must cover two areas effectively. These key areas are Substance and Delivery. Let's talk about Substance. Say I was searching through the web and typed in a keyword phrase in the hope of finding a solution to a problem I have. On the first page I open the first 5 websites that are keyed in on the question or keyword phrase I typed. Going through the data I noticed that very few of these websites offered ACTUAL, real-world answers to my problem. Instead, what I got out of them are suggestions and not solutions. I want a road-map to solving whatever it is I want solved, not another referral to yet another possibility. Delivery, on the other hand, is an entirely different ballpark from Substance. You have to grab your audience long enough  to convey your message across and not lose them in translation. Do you write blandly or with gusto? Do you at least keep things interesting enough to arouse your audience's curiosity making them come back for more? A good delivery depends on how you structure your written work. You need to flow into your next paragraph and the next and so forth. Avoid using distractors and thought shifts. Don't jump from one topic to the other. Instead,cover them in terms of relevance tackling the most relevant first and  the least last.

     Write for yourself. Genuine written work is much more appreciated when read. Someone out there will eventually stumble on your article and blog and say, "Wow!". Write from the heart and write your own. Don't rewrite someone else's work just so you can jump in the bandwagon and get some traffic to your site.

Writing is like speaking in front of an audience, in some ways. You can never get everyone's attention but you try anyway. That goes without saying that writing, like speaking, takes patience and practice. You don't need to be a gifted writer. Skill comes with consistency and time. And of keywords? What keywords?

Laugh Your Troubles Away

Ever heard of the age-old adage, " Laughter is the Best Medicine"? Well, surprisingly enough, that may very well be true. I know you probably already read or heard somewhere how Laughter reduces stress in our daily lives but, in actuality, it does so much more. Ok, here's the deal: I am a sincere believer of alternative medicine that offer real life solutions, meaning they are applicable and actually work when applied to the daily   health issues that continue to cripple us, preventing us from living our lives to the utmost. Although many and varied in their categories, alternative forms of medicine are increasingly being practiced by clinicians and even take it up as a sub-specialization. How does laughing some more and more often factor in in all of this? quite simply, it's the cheapest form of alternative medicine you can be doing now. It's free and you can do it as often as you like, when you like , and feel like it. Ok, as I have done in my past posts which has something to do with anything medical, I will list the benefits down first and then we'll delve into each and everyone of them in detail as to why they are so. Although there are many literature on how laughter benefits us, the conclusions are rather iffy at best. No two schools of thought arrives at the same conclusion. This is because the benefits of laughter can't be proved scientifically(yet) and the studies conducted on its benefits are merely to support theories. However, what science can't, or is incapable as of yet, prove doesn't necessarily mean it has no merit. Studies show laughing indeed has beneficial effects and although we can't gauge what those are, we can certainly see clearly how our body responds accordingly.The Benefits of Laughter are:

1.   Laughter reduces Stress
2.   Laughter strengthens your immune response
3.   Laughter as a form of exercise
4.   Laughter is beneficial for better mental health
5.   Laughter as a social tool
6.   Laughter increases our sense of focus and alertness
7.   Laughter lets you sleep more soundly
8.   Laughter lowers your chances of acquiring lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
9.   Laughter  prolongs your life
10. Laughter helps detoxify our bodies

There are very few constants in life and one of those that we can be sure of is Stress. There are many forms of stress whether it be physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stress. What we need to understand about stress, firstly, is what causes it and how our body responds to it. Stress is caused by a number of stressors or triggering mechanisms. It is how we perceive these stressors, and more importantly, how we process their potential effects, whether they be short term or long term which dictates how we respond accordingly. When we see a potential threat to imbalance us our body responds by increasing production of  hormones. In other words, we adapt to engage in a fight or flight response. Hormones which increase in their levels during stressful situations are aptly called stress hormones. Opioids produced by our body such as Corticotrophin, and Cortisol as well as Catecholamines such as Epinephrine and Norepinephrine act by preparing our body for a "fight or flight" response in the face of stressful events such as a life threatening situation. There's a lot of physiologic changes going on during a fight or flight response and they are geared to adapt our body to these situations. These hormones reduce stress and relieve pain. How does laughter factor in in all of these? Well, laughter increases the production of another set of hormones called endorphins. Although there are many types of endorphins, the one that has the most benefit in terms of pain is the type called beta-Endorphin. By blocking pain receptors, these hormones essentially modulate how we feel pain. Laughter, however,has a two-fold effect on stress. The first we have just covered and that has something so do with endorphin production. In this regard, we can modulate pain as it comes to us. The other,perhaps more important, role of laughter in stress management is it's ability to fine tune our focus by increasing our level of attention and awareness in any given situation, allowing us to develop a keener sense of observation. This helps in assessing a stressful situation such as a threat, and modulating our response to it depending on it's gravity.

How then does laughter improve our immune response? Without going into the vast field of Immunology it is suffice for us to know that some immune cells are inherently affected in terms of their function and production when the body experiences stress. Antibody production goes down as well as antibody producing cells ( your B-cells). Laughter boosts our immune response for reasons being unclear but the key point is that we strengthen our immune defense against antigens and infections in general when we are happy and full of laughter in our lives. Another benefit of laughter is a rather not so obvious one. When we laugh our body does indeed get a workout. There's a reason why your stomach muscles hurt when you laugh excessively. With this workout you can see and feel your abdominal muscles tense as well as your other respiratory muscles such as the diaphragm, for instance. Of course, with this form of unassuming workout you can expect your heart rate to go up, delivering much needed oxygen to our tissues, in essence giving them a boost. Another benefit is that diabetics are shown to have a lower blood sugar level when subjected to laughing ( have them watch a stand up comedy session ) and this is partly due to the increased tissue delivery of nutrients I mentioned earlier when our heart rate does increase.

One other health benefit of laughter is it's ability to negate depression. Depression, you see has far reaching effects besides our emotions. When we are depressed our bodies produce a lot of radicals and as you know free radical production damages our cells and it is perhaps the sole reason why we age. A healthy daily dose of laughter can indeed  make you feel and look young by decreasing free radical production. This free detoxification process is readily available and indeed life-saving. When practiced daily along with proper breathing exercises ( you'd be surprised to know that not a whole lot of people know how to breath properly ) helps our organs function optimally in terms of oxygenation, nutrient acquisition, and waste removal. One important health benefit of laughter that needs mentioning is how it affects our mental state. Beyond its psychological standpoint, laughter increases our level of awareness and sense of focus aptly increasing our capacity for better decision hence improving our decision making skills.

Perhaps the most obvious affect of laughter, as most people would agree on, is that it is indeed contagious. It is a social tool in that it binds people together, making fuller and richer relationships, easing tensions, and promotes a conducive environment towards positivity. We don't have to talk about how that enriches our lives because it's pretty obvious  how it does so. On that note let me include, however, that lesser tension means better sleep. On a later post we will cover how sleep affects our daily lives and why we must realize its untapped potential.

The question then boils down to how do we incorporate a little laughter in our lives? Well, to start we should establish some practices which promote humor. There are a lot of things we can do and a prime example is try renting out some comedy movies for a change during movie night. Practice silliness daily. By making someone laugh you are actually doing them some good ( now that you know how). Avoid negative people because negativity only breeds negativity. Lastly, keep an open mind and learn to let go. What I mean by that is learn to not take your problems so seriously. Don't fret over the small stuff and you'll do fine. I hope this post has helped you in your quest for a better and fuller life. Glad to be of help. email me if you need to talk to me about anything any comment would be appreciated. Once again, JowelMD signing off. Until our next post. Take care and feel better today. You deserve it.

Contentment Blues

Why are we never really satisfied with just about anything? Why is that we always feel the need to move up to bigger and better things all in the name of progress, notwithstanding? Have we ever once stopped and think that what we have or where we are is as good as it will ever be? So many questions and yet so few answers. Let me share with you an excerpt of a piece I wrote back in 1987 ( whew! I can hardly remember when that was, only that Covergirls, Expose, and Seduction had some really cute lead singers; anybody even remember them?).

I saw an old man once carrying a really heavy load up a steep grade. Having realized his dilemma, he sat on his heavy parcel contemplating how to get his baggage up and over this small hill. With the mid-morning sun slowly climbing and making it's presence felt, he wiped his sweat from his brow, adjusted his sandals, and toiled on. 

Halfway up, he realized, much to his surprise and dismay, that he could not possibly carry ALL his load and expect to reach the top. SO he devised a plan of action. Having thought of all possible ( at least in his mind) options, he narrowed his rather short and crude list into 3 possibilities.

1. He can wait until the next traveler happens by and ask him or her for some much needed assistance.

2. He can divide his load into two manageable trips, ensuring that none will fall off precariously and be lost.

3. He can, with a moment's respite, trudge on hoping that his rested state will spew forth untapped strength to make the journey ahead.

While sitting by the roadside, under an elm even, contemplating which of the three paths of wisdom should he take, he realized that the three choices he devised were not as easy as he thought them to be. 

The first will test his PATIENCE. How long can he endure on waiting before he deems it unsafe to stay out for long with nightfall approaching?
The second will test his COURAGE. Can he really part with even just half of his precious cargo, especially with bandits and thieves about?
The third will test his PERSEVERANCE. Can he push his already worn and tired state further? 

After much self-deliberation he came to one conclusion. He realized that even if he reached the hilltop, the journey beyond that is even more perilous and lengthy with steeper climbs. In his already famished and exhausted state he already knows what the outcome would be should he push himself further.

So he walked over to his much-loved burden and picked two objects most dear to  his heart, leaving the rest to fate and consequence. After a brief rest and a deep breath he ventured on humming softly to himself, stuffing the 2objects he CAN'T DO WITHOUT in his pockets.

When he got to the top he saw me sitting on a dry-rotten bench beside yet another elm tree. My curiousity getting the best of me, I asked him politely what he took with him and why he took so long to decide what plan  of action to take. He answered me with a weary voice," It took a while for me to decide what  to LET GO and what TOO KEEP. Finally, I just decided too keep the two most valuable object I can see there."

"And what did you decide to keep after all?", venturing my inquiry even further. 

" My  ROSARY and a little picture album of my FAMILY. I mean what else is there, right?", with that final remark he bid me a sour note of farewell and off the distance he prodded, disappearing at the next crest of some yet another unnamed hilltop.

With that I am left to contemplate at those parting words, "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"

Indeed,what else is there?

The Best Pork Adobo Recipe, Ever and Ever.

     Once in a while I indulge myself in cooking up one of the philippines' finest home cooked comfort food, Adobo. You can have it in the chicken or pork varieties and you can add just about anything you want and even put in however many twist to that filipino classic as you deem fit. I, on the other hand, prefer the classic type and in this post I will share how I cook it with less fat without compromising the taste.

     Ok, to start off let's make a list of what you will be needing; A kilo of pork ribs. I prefer younger pork meat and I would like to have the ribs with ample meat on them and chopped in appropriate sizes. I would season the meat with a little rubbing down with salt and pepper and just a pinch of paprika, dried rosemary, dried basil, and set it in the refrigerator for about half a day. Once ready to cook have  2-3 medium sized potatoes peeled and cut into bite size cubes, peel 2 carrots and cut them up in comparative sizes to the potatoes. You will need the following, as well. Pork lean meat or ribs about two and a half pounds (roughly a little over a kilo). Half a tablespoon of salt, a quarter of a tablespoon of ground pepper, a pinch of paprika, several dried bay leaves, dried rosemary and thyme about the same ratio as your pepper you grounded earlier. Also, a clove of garlic minced into little pieces and a whole onion, diced to perfection.

     Saute the garlic and onions first and once you see the onions about half done add in your meat. I like to sear the meat on a separate pan with about two tablespoons of olive oil to lock in the juices before I add them to the sauteed onions and garlic. cook in medium heat until the pork is about half done then season with your salt,pepper, paprika, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Add about half a cup of chicken   stock to the mixture and cover for about five minutes. Chop the potatoes and carrots into equal cubed sizes and have the carrots steamed until half cooked. The potatoes, however, will be fried on a separate skillet until golden. Then comes the best part about cooking adobo. You see, it's the soy sauce that gives it a distinctive flavor making it a filipino cuisine every household is well familiar with. Mind you, not every brand of soy sauce you see on your supermarket shelf is the same. I chose Kikkoman Soy Sauce because of its rich flavor. Add about a quarter cup of soy sauce into the pan and stir. Let cook for about another five minutes before adding the carrots and potatoes.

     I like adobo because it's one of those comfort foods you never tire of. Every household in the Philippines have at least a variant of this dish and is a mainstay of the filipino kitchen. I like to serve it over hot rice with juices flowing over and steaming with flavor. A side dish of Atchara and a tall glass of cold Mango shake and you couldn't possibly ask for more. Ahhhh...Indeed. Well, I hope I tickled your taste buds enough to make you want to try this dish for yourself. As they say," variety is the spice of life".So go try to cook yourself up one of these. You will taste a culture found half a world away, reading this same post, I hope. Well, ta-da and until next time. Happy cooking.

How to lose 10 pounds in 30 days!? Really?

     Ever get tired of hearing how you can lose so many pounds in so many days? I know I am. Weight loss is perhaps the most misunderstood health issue of all time. Losing weight, you see, is not all about shedding the excess weight off with the hope of achieving, or at least getting as close to as, your ideal BMI ( Body Mass Index). More on what BMI is later and how to calculate yours. Losing weight is more of changing our perspective and the way we engage food. It is first and foremost a lifestyle change before anything else. First, some key groundwork working knowledge on what nutrition is, what metabolism is, and what exercise really ought to be for you. When you are finally serious about losing weight know that it always helps to consult your doctor, nutritionist, and exercise specialist or trainer before attempting to undertake ANY program catered to your specific needs.

     Alright, what is nutrition? Understanding nutrition is key in weight loss and it is in the very sense a process and a science. It is the way we eat in order to nourish our body. Nourishment means we sustain our bodily needs in terms of tissue and cellular growth, repair, and maintaining homeostatic, metabolic , and physiologic functions. Boy, wasn't that a mouthful. The key take home point here is that we should EAT TO NOURISH our bodies ( i.e. we should eat to live and not live to eat). Of course it's also important to consider that different people, depending on what level of physical activity they do, require different amounts and levels of nutrition. What I mean by this is that the individual who partakes in arduous physical activity like say your construction worker, your body builder, or a deep sea fisherman require more than the recommended daily intake of calories and other essential nutrients. Your body burns off the macro nutrients you digest (carbs, proteins, fats) in the from of work and naturally, the more work you do the more calories you need. On the other hand, your average couch potato or sedentary patient will not require so much calories to maintain basic metabolic functions.

     Metabolism is a term referring to the set of chemical reactions that happen inside the cells of our body to convert what we ate to life giving energy for growth, reproduction, and for maintaining our body's physiologic functions. There are actually two parts to metabolism ( catabolism and anabolism) but we need not venture that far. What you need to remember, however, is that some individuals have naturally high metabolic rates ( fast conversion) while others have a slower metabolic rate (slow conversion). The BMR is what I am referring to when I speak of metabolic rate. BASAL METABOLIC RATE or BMR is actually the amount of energy required by our bodies to maintain bodily functions while at rest and this energy can be calculated from a rather complex equation we need not know of. It is suffice to say that BMR varies between individuals and between age groups. Notice that as we get older to tend to get fatter and weight loss then becomes an issue.

     So, the question is can we really lose 10 pounds within 30days? YES, WE CAN. How do we do it,you ask? We do it by sticking to a well devised plan of attack: 

1. Know how much weight you really need to lose. What's your ideal weight ( Ideal meaning for your age gender, and height).

2. Eat more of the foods you know you should be eating of in order to lose weight. I don't need to enumerate them for you because I am sure you have your personal list of nasty tasting health shakes, fruits, and vegetables, and other what-not. A point of advice though, if you are considering a rigorous exercise regiment then load up on Vitamin C and Proteins as they are essential for tissue repair.

3. Do light exercise first to get your body slowly adjusted to doing more "work". If you feel comfortable enough to increase duration and/or intensity then do is but do it in increments or sets at a time. Be wary of cardiovascular exercises if you have a heart condition,so you should consult with your doctor first.

4. Understand that as you progress you will feel hunger pangs and your mettle will be tested. Don't give in. Curb your appetite with satiety but do so with bland, low calorie foods. And always increase fluid intake. Energy drinks are fine but water is always best.

5.You need to master the art of self psychologizing ( is that even a word?). Remember that no food, no matter how delicious it is, is worth more than how fabulous you will look when you stick to it. Imagine the comments you'll be getting from friends and co-workers. The Big and Large section in your local department store will be one section you will not be going to any longer.    

     One favorite drink I have a recipe for is I would peel and cut up a cucumber and place it in a pitcher of ice cold water, let it set in the ref for about half a day, then strain the cucumber pieces out of the water, then stir in a tablespoon ( or teaspoon, depending how big or small your pitcher is) of honey. Let me tell you, that its one of the most refreshing drinks you can ever have after a workout. So, there you have it folks. Take care and, as always, JowelMD signing off.

Give Me Some Sugah

     We each have our own points of interests in our lives which occupy the rest of our time away from work, or, if you are lucky enough, what you are most passionate about might actually be your line of work. For some people their hobbies may involve the outdoors like fishing, skiing, hiking; others may prefer indoor activities like handicraft making, knitting, reading. Whatever takes up your time enough for you to devote some considerable amount of effort to sustain it is what drives you. 

     I, on the other hand, have many passions. Like all things passionate you can never stop talking and writing about what you love doing the most, right? One of my favorite past time is about cars. My favorite marque is, of course, PORSCHE. After seeing LE MANS ( a 70's film featuring Steve McQueen ) and hearing that famous 917's flat 12 wailing away down the Mulsanne Straight, I fell in love with porsches. My ideal Porsche? That would be a 1969 to 1973 911 ( pre-1969 versions were shorter in wheelbase). Take out the old and tired 2 liter flat 6 and put a 3.6 liter from the 964 911's. Update the brakes, stiffen the chassis a bit with a roll bar and some plates in key areas, change the rear torsion bars, install a bigger diameter sway bar up front and back, and finally cut out the wheel arches in the bask and install 911SC flares. Sounds like a recipe of a clone of another iconic 911, the Carrera RS, right? The funny thing is as you venture on to create your perfect 911 the more and more you tend to veer it towards the Carrera RS. That car was( and still is) that good. You see, I still adhere to the old notion that 911 means air cooled. Call me a heretic but the older 911's are my thing. Easy to work on and modify and rewarding if you know how to throw it around a corner.

     But like most of you car guys, I spend my time sitting in my garage wondering how and where to start in reviving my lowly 1979 Porsche 924, forever regretting not buying the "other" porsche when it presented itself to me in what may seem a millenia ago, a 1970 porsche 911T. I can never forget that and forever I shall regret not buying it. Alas, as fate would have it here I am in my lowly 924,lacking any luster and care. Covered in tarp and smelling like nothing you ever smelled before, I really feel sorry for it. Potential it has in plenty but the effort to extract it not to mention the cost of doing so just doesn't measure up to what I call the "Is it worth it?"  scale. But don't get me wrong, I will make my little 924 a screamer one day. Just as long as I get my head out of the clouds dreaming of that perfect  911. Oh well, maybe someday.  Yup, Someday. Give me some sugah! Mwah! 

     Ah, but enough of cars. Let's talk about the other finer things in life. We will make my little dreamscape charade above our point in case example. Why do we continually wish for things we may never have (or had but already lost them) when we fail to see what we have in front of us? In search for bigger, better, and finer things we set lofty goals in front of us unaware and perhaps even unheeding of the present, the now, the here.    

I'll say it again as I have said it numerous times in my past posts-" There are many things in life we have no power of changing and controlling, BUT of the few things we have power over, we certainly can change them". Make the moment count by being in it, immersing your totality in it, and addressing the needs that accompany it. That goes for just about every area in your life from the way you treat your body ( health), your lifestyle, your relationships, your outlook, your spirituality, etc. The biggest regret that I can think of is when one day you may ask yourself could you have done more. Were you aware at the time that there was more that needed doing? You understand now?

     Going back to my feeble life, yes my little 924 is my darling, after all, it's my first porsche. It wouldn't carry that badge if it wasn't worthy of the marque, I keep saying to myself. Ahh, the possibilities.... Until then, be passionate,love yourself and one another, keep trying to change for the better, and always fight the good fight. JowelMD signing off.

Free and About

     Anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle know how different the experience really is from being in a car. Exposed to the elements with the wind deafening, hair tugged about every which way the wind preferred, and a panoramic view of anything and everything around you. It is sort of like riding a horse as compared to riding in a carriage. Freedom abound. Danger abound. But we live for danger don't we? It's when we are faced with inherent dangers and overcome them triumphantly do we feel really alive. So why am I writing about motorcycles? Well I am writing about motorcycles because I have yet to see the perfect bike for me. Well, some people prefer japanese,some prefer british,and some prefer american iron. But it doesn't really matter what and which brand you prefer above all else just as long as you can ride it till your butt wears off.

     Call me a hapless romantic but I want my mtorcycle to be as raw as they come, as simple as they come, and as dependable as they come.Yes, I do like choppers, bobbers, cafe racers, and everything beyond that and between but I want my bike to be unassuming, moderate in power, handles like a superbike, and as comfortable as your favorite TV chair. In other words I want a bike I can live with on a day to day basis. My idea of a perfect bike? A custom of course.

     I want my bike to be  zero degrees rake and zero degrees stretch. I want adjustable suspension in the front and rear. I want four piston breaks on both ends. I want a stretched tank. Finally I want a motor somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 130 cubic inch. Say I want something in the neighborhood of Sportster-meets-Cafe Racer but not too street fighter looking. Paint? Nothing flashy really, just flat black. Do you see where this is going? Motorcycle enthusiasts ( as what I politically correctly call bikers) can spend hours on end talking about their bikes and the modifications they have done to them. In fact, a whole culture has spawned from this obsession. The aftermarket following of motorcycles brand A to Z is just astounding. 

     So what am I really driving at here? One word-CHOICES. We all have our passions in life and we CHOOSE to pursue them, we CHOOSE to nurture them, and we CHOOSE to live them on a day to day basis, 24-7. So why don't we apply our tenacity with the same aplomb on other areas in our lives like say, our HEALTH,our RELATIONSHIPS, our OUTLOOK. We pursue the things that interests us the most but pay no heed to the things that matter more in the grander scheme of things. I am not saying we are lacking, no we are far from that. I am merely hinting that regardless how perfect your life may look ( if perfect it is) there are still some areas that needed fine-tuning just like that finely tuned Sportster you may have in that garage of yours. An open mind allows us to uncover areas in our lives in need of polishing. A forgiving heart enables us to accept and overcome whatever shortcomings we may encounter along the way. A free spirit enables us to see the world as it really is, beyond all that bling and zing and katching. So,LET 'S RIDE!!

Why We Advertise

     This topic I am very familiar with even though it's a little on the left field in regards to what I usually post on this blog. Most people think of advertising as a way to promote a business offering a much needed product, service, or even just advice on just about anything. The truth of the matter is advertising is essential to reach a wider demographic audience and for the individual or business doing the advertising, a better exposure.

     In order to advertise effectively, there is a question of how we deliver our ads. What I mean by that is before we consider a platform or a medium to use in order to promote our business we need to go back to the basics. What's the "basics" in advertising you ask? Well, most advertisers don't know how the human mind works, or how human nature works. I know I'm beginning to sound a little weird now so let me describe it to you in just two words- Marketing Psychology.

     In the past word of mouth advertising was the norm and how a business gets exposure depends on how good that "word of mouth" was. Was the person convincing?  Did he or she lay on the butter really good? In the same regard, let's say you were driving down the freeway one day and saw this ad for some tow service. Of course everyone needs a tow truck when their car breaks down on the freeway right? Well, let's just say you couldn't remember what the name of the tow truck company was or even the 1-800 number printed so boldly at the bottom BUT you remembered the phrase-" Tow Me Away",written on a piece of cardboard held by a beautiful young lady, blonde hair in complete disarray, frowning and looking at her cars steaming radiator. Do you see what I am getting at? Textual and visual manipulation is important in a successful advertising campaign. But before we consider how to that, lets cover some basic groundwork first.

     Every ad campaign must answer the following 5 questions truthfully in order to be deemed feasible and potentially powerful. I say potentially because it is not enough to simply master the art of advertising catch-words or phrases. Of equal importance is the demographic you will be targeting. Are you aiming for a selected group of individuals or are you going for a larger audience or may be even the general public. This is crucial in how you select the catch-words or phrases for your ads because of the generation gap and social backgrounds will vary. Ok, on to the 5 questions I mentioned earlier:

1. Have I convinced my potential buyer that he or she has an inherent need of my product or service?

2. Have I included in my ad the reasons why my product or service is of a better quality AND value than that    offered by my competitors?

3. Have I explained to my potential buyers that my product addresses their NEED?

4. Can I assure my potential buyer that I have removed all risks involved should he or she not be completely satisfied with my product or service?

 5. Have I been fair?

Simple these questions maybe but you'd be surprised how many people out there were sold a bogus product or service. I know, at one time or another in my life, I was one of them. You see you can only go so far with false advertising. Besides losing your loyalty base of customers its illegal too. So when you start your ad campaign its wise to consider that.

     So, to start, let me give you a little advice on catch-words or phrases. Use words that COMPEL a person to ACT. Words like NOW, GET, IF, and TRY- are merely suggestive, the person reading your ad may or may not act on it, depending on his or her mood. Words, however,like HURRY, RECEIVE, FREE, UNLIMITED and phrases like ACT NOW, LIMITED TIME, NO RISK, GET YOURS NOW, and 50-70% get a potential buyer to be compelled to act if the advertised product or service fulfills a need. Also, it's wise to remember that most, if not all of us, don't really like to part with our money. In order to convince someone to part with his or her hard earned cash you need to instill upon them, through proper, directed advertising, that what you offer is worth more than what they are willing to pay- that is VALUE. You can never go wrong with value.

   

Your Recommended Daily Allowance of Relaxation

Stress is the curse of living in modern times. Everyone suffers from stress. And the stress we suffer takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions and minds. Feeling stressed out, worn out by fatigue or just simply having a miserable day, the best thing to do is relax. The first and foremost method of relaxation I highly recommend is simply a change in attitude. When we condition ourselves and our minds into putting little relevance in stressors we can establish a habit whereby we learn to neglect things, events, and maybe even people, which we know often brings us stress in our daily lives.
 Watching television may be a form of relaxation for some, but is not a recommended method by experts. When we watch TV we are bombarded with commercials, ads, sounds and images. So how do we achieve,and more importantly, establish and maintain relaxation in our daily living? If there are thousands of ways we can get stressed, one of them is not meeting deadlines, there are also many ways we can relax.
 In recent studies, experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger and irritability is linked to mental stress. Too much stress brings about ischemia that can lead to or cause a heart attack. Relaxation takes on added importance in light of this matter. Managing your anger and attitude is significant to heart health, and relaxation can help you manage stress.
 One way of relaxation is transcendental meditation. Recent studies have also shown that this method might reduce artery blockage, which is a major cause for heart attack and stroke. People practice transcendental meditation by repeating uttering soothing sounds while meditating, this is to achieve total relaxation. The researchers found that practitioners of transcendental meditation significantly reduced the thickness of their arterial wall compared with those who didn't practice transcendental meditation. Another study on another method of relaxation, acupuncture, seems to reduce high blood pressure by initiating several body functions for the brain to release chemical compounds known as endorphins. Endorphin helps to relax muscles, ease panic, decrease pain, and reduce anxiety.
 Yoga is also another method for relaxation and may also have similar effects like acupuncture. In another study, participants were subjected to several minutes of mental stress. Then they were subjected to various relaxation techniques, such as listening to nature sounds or classical music. Only those who did Yoga significantly reduced the time it took for their blood pressures to go back to normal. Yoga is a form of progressive relaxation.
 Breathing is one of the easiest methods to relax. Breathing influences alamost all aspects of us, it affects our mind, our moods and our body. Simply focus on your breathing, after some time you can feel its effects right away. There are several breathing techniques that can help you reduce stress.
 Another easy way to achieve relaxation is exercise. Make a daily regiment of just walking in a park, along the shore, or even just around your block. Try different routes regularly so every once in a while you see different views. By exercising you reduce stress and lose weight.
 Another great way of relaxing is getting a massage. To gain full relaxation, you need to totally surrender to the handling and touch of a professional therapist. There are several types of massages that also give different levels of relaxation.
 Another method of relaxation is Biofeedback. The usual biofeedback-training program includes a 10-hour sessions that is often spaced one week apart.
 Hypnosis is one controversial relaxation technique. It is a good alternative for people who think that they have no idea what it feels like to be relaxed. It is also a good alternative for people with stress related health problems.
 Drugs are extreme alternatives to relaxation. They are sometimes not safe and are not effective like the other relaxation methods. This method is only used by trained medical professionals on their patients.
 These relaxation techniques are just some of the ways you can achieve relaxation. Another reason why we need to relax, aside from lowering blood pressure in people and decreasing the chances of a stroke or a heart attack, is because stress produces hormones that suppress the immune system, relaxation gives the immune system time to recover and in doing so function more efficiently. Relaxation lowers the activities within the brains' limbic system; this is the emotional center of our brain. Furthermore, the brain has a periodic need for a more pronounced activity on the right-hemisphere. Relaxation is one way of achieving this.
 Relaxation can really be of good use once a relaxation technique is regularly built into your daily life. Here is what I recommend you should do; take a minute to get pen and paper and make a list of the daily stresses you encounter giving each stressor a numeric value of 1 to 10, ten meaning, of course, being the gravest. After you have made your list make a suggestion to yourself how you should deal with each respective stressor. You have to understand that there are other things going on during the day you simply have no control over and must deal with them appropriately when they do come.Remember that not all relaxation methods may work for you. Find one you are most comfortable or familiar with and stick to that. Good luck and remember," Don't worry, beeee happy".

Your Daily Anger Management Therapy

There are really actually two things which cause us to act. There is a need which we cannot do without so we strive for it. That need may be something which brings us pleasure, a necessity, or even desire. Then again there is the other side of the equation which basically states that we act when we feel the presence of pain, that is we veer away or avoid factors in our life which can potentially bring pain and stress. How we express our content or discontent is, of course, by way of our emotions. An emotion we find ourselves dealing with most of the time is ANGER. Let's take a minute to think about why are we so angry, why we easily get angry, and why we end up hurting ourselves and other people as a result of our anger? Can anger be controlled? That is the question we should always keep in mind. We need to see our emotions of anger in a different light by stating, "being angry motivates us to take action!!". Anger is the only emotion which propels us into taking immediate action. Having said that, the actions we take are often wrong and negative because we fail to weigh other factors, or simply we do not listen. Being angry means being stressed and as with all of life's stressors, we must manage our anger in order to gain control of our lives. There are several things you can do to manage your anger on a personal level. I say personal because I'm assuming you may not yet have been to anger management therapy or anger management group sessions.If you are going to do this on your own you need to do it in stgaes. The first stage is Acceptance; you NEED to accept there is a problem with the way you manifest your anger. The second stage is Recognition; you NEED to recognize the many stressors or stimuli which infuriates you and makes you angry. The third stage is Avoidance; you NEED to avoid these stressors altogether. There are many ways to do this. By not putting any value to them or simply neglecting them can be one such way. The fourth stage is Diversion; you NEED to establish certain practices which diverts your attention away from anger.It is not always easy to do this but taking some lessons on stress management can help. Exercise is also a good, positive way to divert yourself from your anger. It is important to keep in mind, however, that Anger, in all its entirety, has a root cause. It is often best to seek the help of a therapist in uncovering, identifying , and dealing with these issues because given time they have a longstanding effect.Anger management programs offer the individual plenty of information regarding techniques and strategies for dealing with anger. Is there an anger management therapy available for those who feel the need to take their treatment a step further? In the early 1970's, a psychiatrist named Aaron T. Beck, M.D, developed an anger management therapy focusing on problem-solving. This therapy initially called Cognitive Therapy is now also known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or CBT. Beck worked with patients for years using his psychiatric knowledge but was burdened to see his patient's treatment making only slow progress. Beck wanted to use a more intense approach to anger management therapy. Cognitive Therapy is a form of anger management therapy which helps a person to correct or change specific details in their thinking. These details, involving negative feelings, will likely lead to anger and cause behavioral problems. Beck realized that it is during the thinking process, negative thoughts are formed which lead to changes in emotions and behavior. If an individual could be treated at this stage, helping them to change their way of thinking, then they would see changes in their emotions and behavioral pattern. Using strategies and techniques such as relaxation training and assertiveness training, CBT has proven to be a relatively fast method of providing an individual with relief and allowing them to experience freedom through endurance. Cognitive Therapy has proven to be the most effective type of psychological treatment. Its popularity has spread worldwide and is used by many qualified professionals to treat individuals with behavioral difficulties such as anger. Literature about CBT is widely available and there is training in CBT provided for professionals. Many people who suffer with anger-related issues avoid therapy. Some think they don't need it and others see it as a sign of weakness. The opposite can actually be said of an individual who seeks anger management therapy. They are strong and determined, willing to take whatever measures necessary to make positive changes in their life. When a person gets to the point where they can admit they need anger management therapy, it is essential to find a therapist who makes them feel comfortable. It is important to be able to communicate easily with a therapist since this is the person who will help reshape the individual's life. Building a trusting relationship with their therapist is vital when an individual is committed to therapy, no matter how long it takes. Being able to share emotions, whether good or bad, is important in anger management therapy. It is through sharing and trusting that a person begins to discover things about themselves. Once these discoveries are revealed, an individual will begin to work on making changes in their thoughts and emotions which will lead to positive changes in their lives. Anger management therapy may seem tough initially but with a trusting therapist, an individual will certainly make progress. This relationship between the individual and their therapist provides a safety zone, a place where they can feel free to disclose their innermost thoughts and inhibitions. Exploring underlying feelings of these thoughts will eventually provide the tools necessary for success. Anger management therapy, either CBT or meeting regularly with a therapist, is definitely beneficial for people striving to work through anger-related issues. Choosing anger management therapy is a big step and requires the support and encouragement from family and friends.