Mike Liebner’s Positive Think Tank

Have you ever considered the difference between Doctors and Scientists??? Or for that matter – have you ever wondered why NUTRITION is considered ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE when DRUGS are “traditional”?

I was recently watching an infomercial on TV and while I was originally skeptical, my defenses went down as the discussion made more and more sense.

While I am not here to endorse a product or even method I learned about from an infomercial on TV, I do want to share how I now feel.

The first thing I started to connect with was that doctors and scientists are NOT the same. They are not even similar. In fact – I would go so far as to say that doctors when compared to scientists know far less about what really happens in the real world when research is done and conclusions are drawn.

Doctors mostly are concerned with taking an action so you will leave satisfied. Scientists are more concerned with what research shows and the results that occurs when a certain process is applied.

I know not all doctors are the same and that some are evil and some are angels. I’m not talking about whether thy are good people. In fact their intentions may be good.

What I am trying to convey is that most doctors are taught a very specific curriculum that focuses on applying treatments which many times draws from a reference source that leans towards prescriptions and procedures, many of which require surgery.

Cut it out – prescribe a drug – stay off your feet… that’s the kind of advice you’ll get from a doctor.

In many cases doctors will even fight and try to deny that scientific research has any merit. They’d rather stick with what is in their book that they can prescribe to you so they can get you “off their back”. Sure – they may even realize that most of what they do is a temporary fix and does not necessarily address the problems and cause directly and mostly focuses on making the patients more comfortable or feel better, even if temporary.

So – are doctors really qualified to argue against research???

I am reminded of the Larry King show in which Suzanne Somers appeared with a number of doctors and researchers and they were slamming her. I saw this on other programs too where they could barely even hear what she was saying or the researchers on her side were saying.

Why would someone be so unwilling to consider that if there is proof that there are some positive results and benefits from non-prescription drugs or lifestyle adjustments and nutrition processes that they may be better courses of action than traditional operations and drug plans???

Well, that’s something I may never understand, but I would have to guess that doctors are just too comfortable with the way of the world as it is and they simply do not want to rock the boat too much.

The drug companies are simply in too deep in almost all aspects of medicine so that real research and alternative methods other than drugs and surgery are not taken seriously or in some cases even dismissed as witchcraft and wives tales.

I am not against doctors and I am not down on all medicine. I simply am baffled at why doctors can’t be open to what researchers are showing us and consider that when people have success with alternative methods that it should be put in their little book as a possible course of action to consider.

Why not try vitamins FIRST before drugs or surgery?

In fact – I just can’t even understand why NUTRITION and VITAMINS and HERBS and FOOD and EVEN FITNESS is considered ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE… should SYNTHETIC DRUGS and SURGERY be considered the ALTERNATIVE?

If you asked me – the first and best course of action should be FOOD and NUTRITION and VITAMINS. The alternative and final consideration would be SURGERY and DRUGS that have side effects.

OK – enough of that. But do you see what I mean when I say DOCTORS and SCIENTISTS and very different from each other? You’d think they’d have more in common.

Well, it’s been 9 days since I had to make a decision and put my dog Milo to sleep on Friday, April 2, 2010.

I might not have realized this the first few days after he passed – but I now know that time really does heal.

The first few days were the toughest, but at around the 3 or 4 day mark – life opened up some pathways and more smiles and good feelings crept back into my day to day existence.

At around 5 days – on Wednesday (4 days ago) I have to admit I started feeling really good and have since become energized and have a new positive outlook on life and all the great things happening to me!

I still do flash on Milo and have an emotional feeling rush through me on occasion – but boy – what a huge difference in how I feel overall!

So – while this is not intended to be a life lesson or advice – I will say this – always try to remember that while bad or difficult to handle things may happen and pain and suffering can really take over on a moments notice – that simply focusing on the good and allowing ourselves to be distracted will result in progress over time. Just letting time heal things will result in a better outlook.

So – with that said – I will now honor my buddy Milo with a memory – and describe the background of a picture I have been using on my web sites. It’s the above photo of me and Milo.

The story behind that picture is as follows…

I was living in Sherman Oaks, California at the time and I wanted to take some pictures of myself and Milo and use them to send out custom Christmas cards. I was hoping to have a California Poolside theme with Milo and myself.

I would usually tweak the pics in Photoshop and make a work of art out of them.

The above picture of Milo and myself was from that “photo session” where I was taking pictures of us together. The problem was I wanted Milo to wear the red stocking santa hat – but he wasn’t too fond of that and wouldn’t sit still or keep the hat on. I had to take a lot of pictures to get one of him with the hat on.

The above shot is NOT one of them. It’s an out take.

While it did not make the cut for the Christmas card – I did end up using it in other applications, most notably on the “who we be” page of Article Underground (who are these guys?).

And that’s the story of that pic of me and Milo.

What’s on my mind today on this Easter Sunday?  The end… His train will leave on time.

Well, there is no easy way to say it BUT I had to make a difficult decision on late Friday afternoon and had to put my dog Milo to sleep.

Last Good Pic of Milo 3-31-10

While I knew he was not well since Tuesday March 30th when he started having trouble keeping food and water down. Despite that I didn’t realize it was as bad as it was.

On Friday April 2, 2010 after 3 days since Milo was still sick and could not keep water down – I took him to the vet again.

Tests revealed he was in really bad shape. He was suffering.

As the vet showed me the first set of tests I asked the vet “Is it reasonable to say this is the end?” and the vet said “Yes – it is.”

I was hit very hard and was not prepared for it.

Yes – he was sick, but for some reason I took Milo there thinking I’d be bringing him home with me.

It turned out things turned quickly and it was the end for Milo. 

I’ll write again soon after I can better organize my thoughts, but for now I will just say it was the right thing to do.

I’ll miss you Milo! You were a great friend!

> A Few Pictures of Milo <

This song has been in my head consistently strangely enough the past 2 days since he passed - it must be the song for Milo – it feels like it is… it’s His Train by Jason Falkner

“His train will leave on time”

Here are the lyrics and below that is a link to one of the services that offers free plays.

HIS TRAIN BY JASON FALKNER

Ryan calls me, says “You’d better believe it, I got the bug, gotta get out with my brother
And so he comes down from the small town, says he’s gotta move out of the boonies someday
And I smile to hide a sorrow deep inside
Because I know that he’s leaving I’m just now believing he’s got to find his own way

His train will leave on time (4x)

He ties his shoelace as a grin consumes his face, we’re out again in the town with intentions
And we’re the ones who say it’s all in fun when it’s understood that no good can be found here
And we talk about girls, what brothers don’t talk about girls
And it was best Christopher Walkin, he says “Go out and get ‘em”, guess who’s the protagonist

His train will leave on time (4x)

And he confides that he wants to be well but he’s always done well
We’re not worried about that

His train will leave on time (6x)

His Train by Jasn Falkner at LaLa

The View from my Desk Part 2 – daytime version

Click to Enlarge. That’s where I am right now as I write this. It’s the view from my desk.

I was doing a webinar the other day with Brian G Johnson and as we were warming up before starting Brian asked me what the weather was like and I said it was warm here at the beach.  I had to clarify because he jokingly said I was on the sand with a Margarita. I corrected him and said Carrot Juice.

Oddly enough, earlier that same day on March 16, 2010 I had taken a picture looking out from my desk area.

It’s hard to put this into words and a picture really shows much better a representation of where I work than trying to explain it.

This is a nice clear day overlooking the Pacific ocean from my home office in my house here in Laguna Beach, CA

I’m about 4 blocks from the beach and about 6 blocks from Laguna Beach Village.

It’s a great place to live and work! The weather is the best anywhere and there is a good vibe here at Laguna Beach. If you’ve been here you know what I mean. If not – it is hard to describe.

For those of you unfamiliar with Laguna Beach – it’s right next to Newport Beach in Orange County California. It’s also where they filmed a show on MTV – Laguna Beach The Real Orange County.

We’re about 50 miles from Downtown Los Angeles and about 25 miles To Disneyland (Anaheim).

It’s a great place to live (and work!)

I have a nice little Canon camera I keep in my pocket and I take tons of photos. Some day I really need to get more of the photos out there where other people can see them! They are hidden on my hard drive.

Here is a shot I took on March 17, 2010 while walking with my dog Milo.

Click to Enlarge. It’s at Crescent Bay Point Park in North Laguna Beach which is a great little spot to hang out and watch the sun go down. You can look down at the rocks and see sea lions and people on kayaks and surfing and all kinds of stuff.

I almost lived in a house a block away from the park, but as it ended up I am in a home a little further south and closer to “the Village”. Milo and I come out to the park all the time! It’s a favorite spot to walk!

It’s March and it is getting busy out here. Weekends especially.

Right now is the timeof year that it is starting to get more and more crowded here at the beach. Especially on holidays and weekends. Sometimes you can barely get from one end of the village to another without getting stuck in traffic. There are people everywhere. It can be a hassle, but it’s also cool to see so many different kinds of people visiting.

Well, that’s a peek inside my life and where I live!

–

Here is Part 1 – a shot at Sunset – have a look!

OK… so I am going to write about my new juicer.

If you knew me, you’d know a juice machine plays a big part in my day to day existence. I’d go so far as to say juicing has improved my health about as much as anything. Changed my life in a big way.

The Jack Lallanne Power Juicer Pro box had been sitting on my living room floor for more than 6o days and last night was the night I finally took it out of the box. I intentionally left it on my living room floor because I thought it would nudge me to get it out and put it into action. 60 days or so later I finally did it!

It’s a Jack Lalane Professional Deluxe model. I’m not going to do a full review – this is just a slice of life (or fruit if you prefer!) with my first impressions.

OK… so I must have had that Jucieman Jr. juicer for at least 10 years.
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I am fortunate that I live and work in Laguna Beach, California. I’ve been here for 2 years now! I work almost exclusively at home doing my internet marketing business thang. It was natural that I place my desk in the best possible spot of the house – to inspire me and motivate me to get down to business!

Being that I am an enthusiastic photographer and I take a lot of pictures, I have snapped many of them inside and around my house. I just ran across one I took last week from inside my house looking out towards the Pacific Ocean from my desk. The view from my desk.

That’s where I do most of my work.

That’s Catalina in the background, around 26 miles from the coast. Also to the right you see the rocks by the Main Beach next to Laguna Village.

It’s a fantastic place to live and work! The weather is the best anywhere and we get a lot of nice sunsets! I’ll post some more pictures soon. The pictures also help to motivate me to work harder and make me realize how lucky I am!

 Which would you like… Abundance or Scarcity? Uhhh… I’ll take abundance please!

I just got an email from an Article Underground member. The basic thrust of what she was asking centered around her paranoia that by posting in the Article Underground blogs that she would be revealing her niches and the keywords she was targeting and that other people would “steal them”. (her words)

Now… what’s funny was she closed with saying “I don’t want to sound paranoid”…

Well… isn’t it funny how sometimes we tell what we don’t want to be like, however we do exactly that?

She may not have wanted to come across as paranoid but that is exactly what she was.

My advice instantly shifted to trying to get her to change her perspective.

There are just some things that are not worth worrying about.

Face it – we could get hit by someone who did not stay in their lane while driving – but hey – do we really need to drive in fear that is going to happen? Being aware of the possibilities is one thing – but living with negative thoughts only brings you closer to that negative stuff.

First of all we all need to open our minds up to ALL of the possibilities and imagine that there is an infinite amount of success to go around for everyone.

I’ll spare a lecture on positive energy, but let me just say that one of the things I regularly tell myself is:

“I am surrounded by abundance” and “I intend to surround myself with abundance”.

Wayne Dyer is to be thanked for that!

Do you want abundance??? Or do you want scarcity???

If you think about scarcity – that is exactly what you will get.
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Seizing Moments of Clarity Equals Success

You know, it’s crazy how many great ideas I get. I’m an idea guy and I am constantly having those “a-ha moments”. Very often I feel that I have come across a winning concept that I truly understand and can embrace to the point of squeezing actual bonafide results from my efforts.

But you know what… those fleeting moments may seem like GOLD and guaranteed success at the time I am thinking about or develoing the concept or idea, but I have found that regardless of how much I have scribbled on paper and/or documented in text files and such, it is almost impossible to recreate the exact MAGIC that captivated and inspired at that moment in time AFTER THE FACT.

Sure, I’ll often keep a folder of notes and I have successfully developed ideas that have been big money makers or succeses… I’m not saying it can’t be done BUT what I just realized is that when I have my moments of clarity and feel like I have not only found a winner, but truly feel I am on top of it, that “connection” is unique and a special gift that should be immediately seized and acted upon instead of being filed away for future use.

Some days I have so many of these “connections” that I could never properly develop the ideas, so I don’t have much choice other than to try and document the flavor of the experience as best I can so I might be able to reignite the spark some time in the future.

It’s hard to describe how it feels and what happens, but I suspect that many of you, if not all of you have those moments of clarity and you too have a special connection with a thought or idea. It can only be described as a stream of consciusness that seems to flow from a place that is connected in an unexplainable way.

I’ve heard Wayne Dyer talk about this. In fact, he describes the way he has written some of his more recent books and basically he puts pen to paper and the ideas flow and come out of a place he describes better than I can ever do myself.

But the point is it comes from somewhere and often can’t be properly explained.

This does happen to me a lot. Whether it is an artistic expression or a literary expression or some kind of a marketing or business idea that suddenly makes so much sense.

What I need to do is try to further develop these things while the iron is hot. But what do you do when you have so many things going on? How do you balance the needs of running an existing business with developing ideas or concepts?

Seizing the moments of clarity surely can hold the key to many great successes and achievements. I just need to start doing this more often rather than adding the idea to my cluttered stack of papers and print outs and such.

I guess it’s a good problem to have – but none the less – I needto start fnishing some of the many things I have started.

Focus on something that is inspiring thoughts and ideas and stick with it to the point of producing something solid and concrete from it. That’s what I need to do!

Do you want to improve the quality of your life???

Then get more memory for your computer!

OK, that may seem obvious, but let me just say that I just now opened up my notebook HP DV1000 and swapped out the 2 puny 256 MB of RAM for 2 jumbo 1 GB RAM modules. It was easy and much needed!

It’s not just a number – this makes real world difference and makes computing an annoyance to a pleasure!

So going from 512 MB to 2 GB is a pretty large leap – especially considering my laptop had matured to a crawl these days and seemed to spite me with slow behavior even upon shutting down.

Do you know how aggrivating it can be to wait for a notebook pc to shut down – when it seems stuck and non responsive??? Or even waiting for a borwser window to open… or screens just stuck and not redrawing…

So – take it from me – get more RAM! Improve the quality of your life just like I did and get yourself more RAM. It’s too cheap not to = 51 for a 1 GB module is a great buy and worth every penny, even times two!

We all know the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but can you honestly say that you are doing all that you can with this marvelous and healthful fruit??? Are you getting your share of Apple Pectin???

I’ve always liked apples, same as the person next to me, but I must say that I went through a great part of my early life only eating a fresh apple once in a great while. Usually with caramel taffy on the outside… As a kid growing up my idea of enjoying the taste of apple was more likely in a sour hard candy wrapped in plastic, more so than the ripe fruit which I should have had more often than sweets.

There is nothing quite like eating a fresh apple or juicing it!

It wasn’t really till my late twenties and I was in a personal health crisis from over-indulgance and a fast food lifestyle, that I even considered making a conscious effort to add apples to my daily food regimen.

A day rarely passes that I don’t include an apple in my daily juicing routine, as well as sprinkle in some apple pectin.

I’ll spare the long detailed story about that health crisis, but let’s just say that I was in a state of constant haze and fog and I just wasn’t feeling very well.

After going to a doctor for the white carpet on my tongue (thrush) fatigue and not getting any satisfactory help, I found a life changing book called:

Juicing for Life: A Guide to the Benefits of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juicing

by Cherie Calbom

The book goes for 10 bucks at amazon. You can also read part of it at Google Books.

This book “Juicing for Life” truly changed my life. In fact, I believe the “big change” happened as I was  standing there in Barnes and Noble reading the forward/introduction by Cherie that I had an epiphony and discovered WHY I was feeling like crap.

Cherie too had what sounded exactly like what I did and she explained her history which also had a high sugar load and a diet of mostly over cooked food, just like mine.

Vegetables were always over cooked or from a can.

I’ll skip the lengthy discussion on what I diagnosed myself with, but I will say I bought the “Juicing For Life” book, ran out and immediately got a juicer and the rest is history! It truly changed my life!
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