Msg # 6562   
Date: 06 May 94  08:19:00
From: Bob Johnstone
  To: All
Subj: RELAX TO THE MAX
____________________________________________________________________________

  (RELAX TO THE MAX, part 4 of 9)

 INTELLIGENCE OR IQ LEVELS

 Some have had the notion that individuals who are more intelligent
 have the ability to be much happier or make more money and enjoy life.

 The notion that intelligence is measured by your abililty to solve complex
questions, to read or write and compute at certain levels is false.  This
vision of intelligence is based upon formal education. It encourages a kind
of intellectual superiority that brings with it demoralizing results to
others.  Many think that someone with more education or a degree is a better
person than those who were not as fortunate to have someones support
emotionally or intellectually in a manner which enabled them to have a better
education.  Someone who has an understanding of Math, science, a huge
vocabulary, a memory for useless or useful facts, and fast readers are
thought to be very "intelligent."  Yet, I have worked in mental hospitals
overflowing with patients who had all the credentials, genius level IQ's and
they were unable to enjoy life.

 In my opinion the true barometer of intelligence is an effective, happy
life, and it is quite easy to be happy, if we allow ourselves the TIME
NECESSARY to make the changes in life which will enable us to BE happy.

 If you will Spend at least 10 minutes a day practicing, you will
achieve some measureable benefit.  IF you feel your stress is greater, simply
practice TWICE a day for 10 - 20 minutes and you can speed up the results.
The greater the problems an individual might have, the better the results.
Why?  Because that individual has more to motivate them, so they spend more
time practicing.  Results are determined in everything we do, by the time we
spend doing it.  Someone can learn to drive a car by practicing once a week,
another will learn faster by practicing daily, etc. Think of your "stress"
like a loaf of bread, each time you practice, you cut off a slice, eventually
you dont have a loaf or stress and each day you can reduce the effect of that
days experiences.  Some may have a bigger loaf to begin with, practice twice
a day and even if it is double the size, you reduce it in the same number of
days.

 Perhaps you would be surprised to know, there is no such thing as a "nervous
breakdown.  Nerves don't break down.  Cut someone open and look for the
broken nerves and they will never show up.  Those who have the ability to
control or change their THINKING, never have "nervous breakdowns" because
they are in charge of themselves. They know how to change their thinking, so
they are in charge of themselves and you also have the ability to choose
happiness over discomfort or depression and resentment.  They know how to
deal with the problems that present themselves in their lives.  Notice I did
not say SOLVE the problems.  Instead of measuring their intelligence by the
ability to solve problems, they measure it with the capacity to create a
healthy, happy, and worthy life even if the problems are never solved.

 By practicing these mental exercises in the following pages you can realize
that you are truly intelligent on the basis of how you choose to feel in the
face of trying circumstances.

 The struggles in life are pretty much the same for each person who faces
uncomfortable circumstances.  Anyone who is involved in any kind of social
context has difficulties.  Arguements or conflicts and compromises are part
of what makes us all human.  Aquiring money, natural disasters, disease,
accidents, and other events happen to virtually all humans.

 Those in disasters in the past years were rich or poor and intelligent or
not but they all suffered from the same hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods,
etc.  Those who were poor, actually lost much less than the very wealthy, but
some who were rich and others tho poor picked themselves right back up to
begin all over again.   Attitude made the difference, not how much you had or
lost and many were unable to avoid imobilizing depression.  But, those with a
positive attitude rich or poor were able to think of many reasons they were
better off than others, so in spite of the "problem" they were happier and
took charge of the future.  Those who recognize problems as a human
condition, do not measure happiness by the - absense - of problems and
because of the difference in attitude, are the most intelligent persons that
we know.

 Learning to take charge of your thinking involves breaking the old cycles of
thought or re-programming that biological computer we call our brain.  In the
past it was difficult, because society programmed us to believe that we could
not be responsible for out own emotions.  We have the ability to feel
whatever way we choose to feel at any time in our life.  This is a radical
notion to many, you probably have grown up believing that you can't control
your emotions. That anger, fear, frustration, jealousy, depression, guilt and
love, or joy are things which happen to you.  That we dont control emotional
or physical feelings and have been just accepting them.

 Emotional or Physical feelings are not just experiences that happen, they
are reactions we can choose to have or not have.  When we are in charge of
our own emotions, we can stop the self-defeating behavior or reactions to
others.  Once we learn that we can feel what we choose to feel, we are on the
road to "intelligence".  You begin to see the emotions you experience as a
choice rather than an experience in life.

 The simple mental exercises on the following pages will give you the ability
to break self-defeating cycle of thoughts which have been preventing you from
changing or controlling your emotions and behavior.

  (continued in part five)

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