Good advice: 'Change Your Mind. Change Your Life' headline

I was reading a fascinating and very appropriate article to our personal responses to the present political and social challenges in America. The author was recalling a TV show back in the 80s in which a very clever guy, named MacGyver, could figure his way out of anything. He had three reliable rules-to-live-by: (1) He knows that everything he needs to get out of a problem is right here within him, in his mind. (2) He never takes any preconceived decision with him into his problem solving. (3) His solutions are based on helping, not harming.

How about relating these rules-to-live-by to our own personal responses to the present chaos. We are being bombarded daily with relentless reporting of political, social, economic, and behavioral problems and concerns. It has an effect on each of us. Maybe we should all try the MacGyver process.

There was a marvelous headline on an article I read the other day. It was: “Change Your Mind. Change Your Life.” It is amazing how just a conscious change-of-mind can turn the response to a problem from harmful to helping. And the one it helps the most is ourselves. I can either be all upset all the time, or I can decide to change my mind, change my attitude, my thoughts, words, and actions. And since we are connecting with other people, this new thinking could be picked up by others. “Plant the seed. It will grow.” “Build it and they will come.”

Just some thoughts of mine during this beautiful winter season.

— Bob McClellan, Polson