Empower your potential, not your problems!

What an exciting year 2009 has been! Thank you for traveling this journey with me. Here are my Top Ten Healthy Thoughts for 2009. And make sure you read beyond the quotes so that you can also enjoy more beautiful Nature photography, a couple of great videoas, and my number one favorite book!

Empower your potential, not your problems.
This is my all time favorite. (So far...!)

You can't change. You can only hide or emerge.

You are more than just the main character in your life story. You're also the writer, the producer and the director.

Are you hoping for a healing miracle? The miracle is already inside of you, just waiting to be released…

Exercise is for elevating your spirit, not just your heart rate.

Stop worrying so much about IT. Start taking care of YOU!

Each moment, you are in the process of becoming.

It's not whether you have the time; it's whether you take the time.

Sometimes the fog that shrouds the beauty has a beauty all its own.

Your health can change in two ways: by design, or by default. Make 2009 your year of design. (Well, how did this one go...?)

The Photos:

The Breathtaking Synergy of Nature; Selkirk Mountains, North Idaho


Coeur d'Alene Resort Marina, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho


Chimney Rock in the Fog; Selkirk Mountains, North Idaho


Maiden Rock, Lake Pend Oreille, North Idaho




The Videos:

Talk about potential!!!


We are designed to live in harmony with Nature!


AND...My favorite book! (I wrote it!)


Oby's Wisdom is curently available as an e-book in various different formats:
To read all about Oby's Wisdom, download a free excerpt and purchase a pdf download, visit www.ObysWisdom.com.

Oby is available in various other digital formats at:
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader.

Coming soon to Amazon's Kindle e-reader and the Sony e-reader. Print version will be available in early 2010. Stay tuned...!

See you next year!
Dr. Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor, lightworker, energy healer, writer, speaker
Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Empower your potential, not your problems!

Two brothers— Bright Dwight and Silly Willy—had grown up together and decided it was time to leave the cozy hearth of their mother's and father's home, and make their own way in the world. They set out on an early spring morning and spent the days walking the byways and marveling at the beautiful mountains, forests and rivers of the surrounding countryside. As they traveled, Dwight and Willy shared their dreams, excited about the many possibilities that lay before them.

By and by, they came upon an old apple farmer who wanted to spend the rest of his days in leisure and offered to sell them his apple orchard. After a lively discussion and a good bit of friendly haggling, they struck a fair bargain, with each brother buying one half of the orchard.

Growing up, they had learned much about farming. Now, as the months passed, they tended their apple trees with skill and nurtured them with love. When the cool breezes of autumn arrived, both Dwight and Willy enjoyed abundant harvests and each expected to reap a handsome profit when they sold their delicious, juicy apples at the market.

The bustling village market was nearby, just on the other side of a deep, wide river that ran past the brothers’ orchards.

Willy viewed the river with great consternation, worrying about how he would ever be able carry his heavy load of apples across such a great obstacle. He loaded all of his fruit into large sacks and stepped into the flowing river, intent on swimming to the other side. Although he was a strong swimmer, his heavy load caused him to sink beneath the surface when he was still but a short distance from the bank. It took all of his strength to struggle, sputtering, back to the bank from which he had come. He tried time and again, always achieving the same result. Eventually, he used up all of his energy and fell, exhausted onto the ground.

“I give up,” he moaned. Willy cast a forlorn glance at the bustling market on the other side of the river. “This river is much too great an obstacle for me to cross with such a heavy load of apples. I guess I have no choice but to give up apple farming.It's not my fault and there's nothing I can do about it.”

Dwight had not even noticed his brother’s struggles. He had been busy building a boat.

To be continued next week...

Empower your potential, not your problems

This is one of my favorite healthy thoughts. At present, I'm on vacation in Australia taking a much needed break. So, instead of writing new blog posts, this week and next week will be collections of some of my favorite Healthy Thoughts. Enjoy!

What you do makes things happen, but who you are decides what happens.

Don't love unconditionally. Just love!

If we are to have peace on Earth, we must first make peace within our own bodies.

Stop avoiding and start living!

Life is an art, not an act.

Trying to get well quick is like trying to get rich quick.

Health is more than the absence of pain, disease or symptoms.
Health is balance
Health is harmony.

Health isn't something you squeeze in. Health is a priority you plan around.

Live your life as a best seller, not as a rough draft.

You are beautiful and perfect!

Sometimes the fog that shrouds the beauty has a beauty all its own.

Do you have a health challenge? If so, be grateful!



We often think of health challengs -- minor or serious -- as something bad, something we need to fight, manage or cure. We feel like they are only getting in the way of how we want to feel and live. But every challenge in life presents an opportunity to grow, improve, evolve and expand. Pain and disease can take us back inside ourselves and show us our beautiful, divine essence. And from there, we can become more than what we were before.

It happened with me; it can happen with you...



Until next post,
Doctor Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor
Coeur d'Alene, and Sandpoint, Idaho

Is there something you want to do, but believe is impossible. You CAN do it. Time to get started!

This past Thursday afternoon, I pulled on my running shoes and Yaktrax, and crunched down a slippery, snowy trail, elevating my heart rate -- and my spirits -- on a grand trail run. As I ran, I reflected that, lately, I've been having a lot of fun doing the impossible.


One of the gretest inventions of all time!

Just a few years ago, the idea of me going for a challenging trail run would have been preposterous. Anyone who knew me would have laughed at such a notion -- and I would have laughed loudest of all.


Steep, slippery trail

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know my story. For much of my adult life, chronic arthritis pain made it difficult for me to even walk, much less run or do anything else physically strenuous. Now, I enjoy running regularly. In years past...impossible!


Happy runner!

A couple of weeks ago, I went snowboarding for the first time ever. It's one of the most fun things I've ever done!!! When we first moved back here to North Idaho, my son took up snowboarding. It looked so fun that I wished I could try it, too. But, alas, my pain made it ...impossible!

Although I've only been snowboarding once, I can harday wait to go again...and again...and again! On that first day, my instructor said he was impressed with how well I took to it. (Yeah, I know, he probably says that to all of his students. But I'm sure he really meant it for me.) Before the day was done, I was doing flips, spins, cartwheels quadruple axles, and stuff they haven't even named yet. None of those fancy stunts were actually intentional, but, hey, I was having a great time!


This is me. (Maybe...someday...who knows? It's possible!)

Is there something you'd like to do, but feel is impossible due to your health? It's possible. It might take awhile but IT IS possible. Give it a shot!

I'll close with this quote from an Adidas ad campaign that ran a couple of years ago:

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion.
Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare.
Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is nothing."

Have a vibrant week!
Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor
Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint, Idaho

"A path is formed by walking on it." --Chuang Tsu

You are forming a path with every step you take. Will your path take you where you want to go? You have, at your fingertips, some very revealing snapshots that will give you a pretty accurate picture of where you're headed.

The beginning of every new year is a great time for introspection, for reflection, for going deep inside taking a close, objective look at yourself and your life. Do this and ask yourself, "What path am I forming?" If you think you're on the right track, check yourself with these:
How did I spend the last 4 hours?
What was in my grocery cart the last time I rolled through the supermarket checkstand?
How many times did I laugh yesterday?
How many glasses of clear water have I had so far today?
How many times in the last week did I elevate my heart rate, and have fun doing it?
Am I having fun on the path that I'm walking?

I wish you well for a long, enlivening journey!

Your health can change in two ways: by design, or by default. Make 2009 your year of design.

This thought really covers everything in life.

If you just sit back, feel helpless and deal with whatever happens to come your way, your perfect life is not likely to roll out before you.

On the other hand, you can look to the future; envision what you want, and then figure out who you must become and what you must do to realize your vision. As you travel this journey, you can not judge with certainty how your final chapter will read, but if you have a self empowering vision, work on yourself and take positive action, then you will invite success, abundance, happiness, joy and vibrant health into your life.

In health, this starts with recognizing yourself as a beautiful and perfect being with breathtaking potential. When you embrace this philosophy, and remind yourself of it every day, this will elevate your level of vibration to facilitate the expression of your highest possible potential. If you consistently use building blocks such as regular Chiropractic wellness care, enjoyable physical activity, fresh, whole foods, plenty of water, an enlivening spiritual practice, healthy relationships, rewarding work, intellectual stimulation, and fun, you will ultimately build a life of robust, vibrant health.

As we embark upon a New Year, you have a wonderful opportunity – now – to plant the seeds to grow a wonderful life of your design!

Chiropractic facilitates ALL healing.

Chiropractic has never healed anybody of anything.

Healing is a deep, complex process that includes your physical body, your emotions, your mind and your human spirit. All healing always includes all of these dimensions to some degree. Healing arts and practitioners can facilitate healing, but, ultimately, your healing is driven by the innate wisdom of your being. Chiropractic works with this wisdom at every level -- body, mind, emotions and spirit.

The people I serve in my practice fall across a broad spectrum of health. Most are perfectly healthy, many are in pain, some are on a journey with some sort of chronic disease. All are beautiful and perfect. And for each person, Chiropractic is integral to their healing and growth.

Healing Comes From Above, Down; Inside, Out

What do healing and skateboarding have in common...?

When I was a student at Palmer College of Chiropractic, I had a really cool decal on one of my notebooks. It said "ADIO" in large fancy letters. Lots of my friends and teachers thought it was great. I got the decal from my son, Matt. At the time, he was an avid skateboarder. ADIO happens to be the name of a company that makes skateboarding shoes. So, why on Earth would I walk around with a skateboarding decal on my notebook, and why would my Chiropractic friends and teachers think it was so great?

It just so happens that ADIO has been a central concept in Chiropractic from its earliest days. Healing, health and life come from Above, Down and Inside, Out.

It starts with the understanding that there is a power in the Universe greater than ourselves. In Chiropractic philosophy we call that power, "Universal Intelligence." The major premise of Chiropractic is, "There is a Universal Intelligence in all matter, constantly giving to it all of its properties and actions, and thus maintaining it in existence." Your body is a collection of many trillions of cells, thousands of chemicals and countless molecules and atoms. Universal Intelligence is what tells that collection of cells, chemicals, molecules and atoms to be your human body. (Above, Down)

Your have within you an Innate Intelligence or Life Force. Your life force is what causes all of your cells, chemicals, molecules and atoms to work together, in perfect harmony, to give you life. It is the core of your being. Everything you experience in life comes from this core. Life, health, healing, happiness, success--everything! (Inside, Out)

ADIO!

Reduce Consumption -- Improve Your Health.

Reduce, reuse and recycle -- great advice for taking care of our Mother Earth. It's also great for your health!

Last Thursday at my yoga class, my teacher, Chris, asked us each to make a personal commitment to helping the planet by reducing our consumption of something. She asked us to think of at least one specific thing we could reduce in our lives. As we meditated and reflected on her request, nothing came to me. I'm already pretty conscientious a about conserving. Still, I knew that there are ways that even the most scrupulous conserver can improve, so I left myself open to discoverig new ways I can reduce my own consumption. I knew something would come up, and it didn't take long. After my yoga class and a great trail run, I ran some errands on the way home. One errand was to a music store to buy a CD I've been wanting. At the checkout stand, I spied some delicious-looking dark chocolate bars, and--on impulse--I bought one. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but after all, I rationalized, I had already burned a lot of calories that morning.

Impulse consumption. Something I've found myself doing a lot of lately, and not something that I need to do at all. Eliminating this impulse buying is a small but effective way for me to reduce my consumption and improve my health at the same time.

Wellness is a way. It is not a goal, an end or even a means to an end.

Your health -- are you going to tank...or win?

Wellness is a way of living—a way of being. Wellness is a popular buzz word today, but unfortunately most people have a fuzzy understanding of what wellness really is. I once heard a prominent physician define wellness as, “the prevention and management of disease.” Doc, I respectfully disagree. Wellness is about health and vitality; it has no relation to disease.

Most people believe prevention and wellness to be the same. On he contrary, they are fundamentally different from each other. Let me illustrate the difference by using business as an analogy. Two new business school graduates, Winifred and Tanicus (Win and Tank to their friends) have just earned their MBAs and are charging out into the world of big business to make their fortunes. Tank’s strategy is to steer clear of the pitfalls of the business world so that he can avoid failure. His outlook and approach are based on fear. Tank has a failure consciousness.

Win, on the other hand, chooses to achieve success. She understands what it will take to succeed, and she devotes her time, energy and resources to move in that direction. Win has a success consciousness.

So, time to place your bets. Who will win and who will tank? My money is on Win to win.

The Law of Attraction tells us that what we concentrate on, we invite into our lives. Many “wellness” programs have nothing to do with wellness because ultimately, they seek to prevent disease. They approach health from the same fear based failure consciousness that Tank carries with him into the business world. This does not mean that prevention is bad; it certainly has its place. If it is our main focus, though, it can keep us rooted in the world of disease. A wellness lifestyle, on the other hand, opens the door to success, health, and maximum potential. Which would you prefer to invite into your life?

Maximized Potential Evolves Through Continuous Refinement

I spent last Thursday examining colons.

Frankly, colons have never been of great interest to me so I never took the time to learn much about them. Now I realize that colons are important, even for a Chiropractor like me, so last Thursday was Colon Day for me. I devoted the day to learning as much as I could about colons, and scrutinizing as many as I could find.

I mentioned in a previous post that I am putting the finishing touches on my first book, Oby's Wisdom! A Caveman's Simple Guide To Health and Well-being. I finished the first version of the book over a year ago but, as any writer will tell you, once you've "finished" a book, the work has only begun. Even with the first draft, I knew it was a special book. With every refinement, it is becoming better and better. By the time it is published, Oby's Wisdom! will be a truly remarkable book.

Over the past months, I have been focusing mostly on the content. One thing I've been putting off is checking my punctuation. I'm pretty good with periods, commas, dashes and the like, but I've never been all that great with colons. As I started scrutinizing my manuscript, it became glaringly obvious that I needed to tighten up my use of the colon. So I cracked open my Prentice-Hall Handbook for Writers and honed my colon skills. It took hours, but in the end, it has really improved my manuscript.

As always, there's a health tie-in here. Refinements are always useful. Regardless of how healthy you may be, scrutinizing the details of your wellness lifestyle and making small but meaningful improvements -- nutrition, exercise, Chiropractic adjustments, spiritual awakening -- will allow you to continue to grow, improve and evolve for the rest of your life.

The Furnace; conclusion

Welcome! If you're just tuning in, this is the sixth and final chapter of a serialized story. To read the story in sequence, scroll down September 28 and start there. Enjoy!

Chapter Six (Conclusion)
The Genius…

The next morning, the friend with the malfunctioning furnace still was not present. The others shared most magnanimous concern for their absent friend and hoped he would be able to return soon. After the gathering broke up, one friend approached The Nut.
“I always thought that you only needed to check circuit breakers if you had a problem in the circuit breaker panel. Are you saying that circuit breakers can actually affect things in other parts of the house?”
“Of course they can. Circuit breakers affect the entire house. If one of them trips, there is interference with the power supply to everything controlled by that circuit breaker. This makes it impossible for the house to function at its highest potential.”
“Can checking circuit breakers actually alleviate problems such as our friend’s ‘Malfunctioning Furnace Syndrome?”
“If the problem is caused by a tripped circuit breaker, then turning it back on will solve the furnace problem. If not, it won’t. But the beauty of checking circuit breakers is not in fixing or repairing malfunctions. It is very important to check all of your circuit breakers regularly to make sure there is no interference with the power that runs your house. This maintains your house at its highest potential.”
“Why do I need to have my circuit breakers checked so often? Why can’t I just wait until I have a problem?”
“Many problems are not evident when they occur. If your furnace stops working, you know that right away. But what if your smoke alarm stops working? You might not know that until your house burns down. Checking your circuit breakers is more than just fixing what’s wrong with your house. It’s about taking care of want is right.”
“Wow!” said the friend. “That’s so logical and simple. You’re not a nut at all. Why, you’re a genius! I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t have their circuit breakers checked regularly.”
“Neither can I,” sighed The Genius.
“I sure hope our friend has his circuit breakers checked before it’s too late.”
“So do I…So do I.”

Have you had your family’s circuit breakers checked lately?

The Furnace; continued...

Welcome! If you're just tuning in, this is Chapter Five of a six chapter serialized story. To read the story in sequence, scroll down September 28 and start there. Enjoy!

Chapter Five
The Slippery Slope…

The next morning, the friends again gathered to discuss matters of grand consequence. But one was missing.
“Where is our friend with the broken furnace?” asked one.
“Malfunctioning furnace,” corrected another, wagging his finger.
“Yes, yes, of course, malfunctioning. Where is he?”
“It seems the strong chemicals have caused many problems. Paint is peeling, pipes are rusting and there is a big stain in the carpet. The furnace specialist has consulted with several other leading furnace specialists. They have decided to use some special tools to cut open the furnace to look for the problem. They might have to remove the furnace altogether.”
“That sounds risky”
“Oh, but these are the finest furnace specialists available. And the family has tried EVERYTHING. This may be their ONLY hope.”
“It sounds like our friend and his family are sliding headlong down a slippery slope, observed The Nut. “Why on Earth would they want to remove the furnace?”
“Because it isn’t working properly.”
To which The Nut replied, “Will it work any better after they remove it?”

Is the Nut really a nut? And what does all of this mean to you? Find out in tomorrow's gripping conclusion, Chapter Six; The Genius...

The Furnace; continued...

Welcome! If you're just tuning in, this is Chapter Four of a serialized story. To read the story in sequence, scroll down September 28 and start there. Enjoy!

Chapter Four
The Nut…

Again the friends gathered in the morning to discuss matters of profound magnitude. The one with the malfunctioning furnace was weary and not of good disposition. He was cold and had not slept well.
“Isn’t your furnace better?”
“No,” was the forlorn and glassy eyed response. “It seems the strong chemicals have caused more problems.”
“Must you stop using them?”
“No, of course not. We again consulted the furnace specialist and he gave us more strong chemicals to counteract the bad effects of the first set of strong chemicals.”
“What if that doesn’t work?”
“Of course it will work! The furnace specialist has assured us of this. It’s all very scientific, you see.”
One began to speak. “You know…”
“Oh, I know,” came a most exasperated reply. “You’re going to tell me to have my circuit breakers checked. Utter nonsense! My furnace specialist said that checking circuit breakers couldn’t possibly help. It’s too unscientific. Besides, I simply don’t have time to have my circuit breakers checked. And my House Maintenance Organization won’t pay for it. You are a very strange fellow!”
And the others rolled their eyes and whispered to each other about how very strange this “circuit breaker” fellow was.
“What a strange fellow.”
“Yes, very strange indeed.”
“He’s not just strange, he’s a NUT!”

Will our friend's woes finally come to an end? Where will he turn next? Find out tomorrow in Chapter Five; The Slippery Slope...

The Furnace; continued

Welcome! If you're just tuning in, this is Chapter Three of a serialized story. To read the story in sequence, scroll down September 28 and start there. Enjoy!

Chapter Three
The Specialist…

The following morning the friends were once again gathered to discus matters of most pressing concern.
“How is your furnace?”
“Well, the furnace specialist came and looked at our furnace. Most impressive! He wears a white coat and an instrument around his neck that he uses to listen to the inside of the furnace.”
“Most impressive indeed! Tell us more.”
“First he used the instrument to listen to the inside of the furnace. Then he shined a very expensive flashlight into certain parts of the furnace. After that he poked his finger into various furnace openings, and then he took samples of various furnace fluids so he could perform some very expensive tests.
Most of those gathered were quite impressed.
“OOOH!”
“AAAH!”
“Very impressive!”
“Yes, most impressive,” said the man with the furnace. “It seems our furnace is suffering from a condition known as, ‘Malfunctioning Furnace Syndrome.” The furnace specialist gave us several strong chemicals which he said will make our furnace as good as new.”
And again, most were quite impressed.
“OOOH!”
“AAAH!”
“Where would the world be without modern furnace specialists?”
One, of course, did not share the others’ enthusiasm. “Aren’t you afraid these strong chemicals might harm your furnace or other parts of your house? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to just check your circuit breakers first?”
“Of course not!” was the indignant reply. “This furnace specialist is very wise. He would never give our furnace anything that could cause harm. Besides, checking circuit breakers couldn’t possibly help anything with such an important sounding name as, ‘Malfunctioning Furnace Syndrome.’”

Will the furnace specialist solve all of our friend's problems? And what of this strange "circuit breaker" fellow? Find out tomorrow in Chapter Four; The Nut...

The Furnace; continued...

Welcome! If you're just tuning in, this is Chapter Two of a serialized story. To read the story in sequence, scroll down to yesterday's post and start there. Enjoy!

Chapter Two
The Plan…

The next morning the friends were gathered again to discuss matters of great importance.
“How is your furnace?” asked one.
“It still isn’t working. We are very, very cold. I have decided to consult with a furnace specialist.”
And one asked again, “Have you had your circuit breakers checked?”
“No, no,” was the answer, delivered with an air of confidence. “This is most definitely a furnace problem, not a circuit breaker problem. This furnace specialist is one of the most respected in his field and he has a very large ad in the yellow pages. We are confident that he will be able to fix our furnace.”

Will our friend's furnace soon be back to normal? Or...? Find out tomorrow in Chapter Three; The Specialist...

Your body is your home. Have you had your circuit breakers checked recently?

The Furnace

This is an amusing story I first wrote when I was a Chiropractic student. It uses your home electrical system as a metaphor for your health. I decided it would be fun to serialize it all week in this blog

Chapter One
The Problem…

Several friends had gathered one morning, as they did every morning, and were discussing matters of great importance. One had a very annoying problem: “The furnace in my home is not working and it is causing my family great discomfort.”
“What are you going to do about it?” asked one friend.
“I’m sure it is nothing,” was the reply. “We will just ignore it and it will probably go away on its own.”
All of the friends nodded and agreed that this was wise.
All, that is, except one. “Have you thought of having your circuit breakers checked?” he said. “If one of your circuit breakers has tripped, it might be causing interference with the electrical supply to the furnace. It you put the circuit breaker back into place, it will restore the electrical supply, and your furnace will once again work properly. Your family will be warm again!”
Incredulously, the man with the furnace problem replied, “Circuit breakers? How foolish! The circuit breakers are in the garage and the furnace is in the basement. A problem in the garage could never cause a problem with something in the basement.”
And the other friends shook their heads and snickered.
“Circuit breakers? What a strange fellow.”
“Yes, very strange indeed.”

What will become of our friend's furnace? Find out tomorrow in Chapter Two; The Plan...

Are you feeling well...really? Or are you tolerating?

"I'm feelin' great, Doc."
I hear this all the time. And often it isn't the truth.

It's not that people are intentionally untruthful with me. More so, they are being untruthful with themselves. People come to me in pain, then after a few adjustments, some decide that they don't need to come in anymore because they're "feeling fine." Really, though, they're just back to the level of pain they are used to tolerating. They have been living with pain -- and limited potential -- for so long that they have forgotten what is like to really feel and be well.

Our society's approach to health and healthcare has become so pain, disease and symptom oriented that after symptoms are gone (or back to where they were), many people leave it at that. It's kind of like having a fuzzy signal on favorite your radio station and not bothering to tune it in better.

As I have said so many times before in this blog, the most important aspect of healthcare is to help you maximize your human potential. Healthy habits and a wellness lifestyle are valuable regardless of your state of health. Whether you are sick, in pain, or well, it's important to incorporate things into your life that will take you to the next level of vibrant health. In other words, tune in your life, then crank it up!

So...are you feeling well...really? If not, what are you going to do about it?
And, if you truly are feeling well, what are you going to do about that...?