Meow Boom Syndrome

Due to flood conditions up at O’Day Camp, we are republishing notes that were run earlier this year.

Religion is not prevention.

Some people think that subscribing to religion helps prevent bad things from happening. Like Jesus and the other deities are some sort of good luck charm. Jesus is not a rabbit's foot, people.

Here’s a fact: Bad things are going to happen in your life.

Here’s another fact: Good things are going to happen in your life.

Now, which fact do you focus on?

Most people, not surprisingly but sadly, focus on the fact that bad things are going to happen. They assume the bad things will outweigh the good things, so they focus on the bad things -- bad things that have never even happened!

Why? Why spend so much of your energy creating horrible future scenarios for yourself? Not that I don’t understand the attraction. It’s easy. It makes you feel like you’re being strategic about your future in some way.

Believe me, I used to dwell in the land of the negative future. Nobody, and I mean nobody, could spin a negative thought quicker than I could. My therapist in prison was amazed! Apparently it takes most people three or four thoughts to spin into complete despair and horror, but not me! My imagination could go from adopting a kitten to complete world annihilation in one thought. ONE thought!

I call this MEOW BOOM! Syndrome.

Every time my old, negative way of thinking starts to creep in I yell “MEOW BOOM” at the top of my lungs –- no matter where I am. And it makes me laugh and realize how silly I’m being.

Let’s all give our fears a good poke through their cage! Next time we are overcome by our fearful imagination we’ll cut it down to size by shouting at the top of our lungs, “MEOW BOOM!”

I know, it seems silly. And some of you still aren’t ready to cut loose that fear and worry. Some of you actually believe you need that worry -- because you try to use worry as prevention. As in, “If I worry about all the horrible thing that could go wrong I’ll stop those things from happening.” No, you won’t. But you sure will spend a lot of energy focusing on negative things.

Bottom line, you control your imagination, it doesn’t control you. And no matter what, worry is never ever productive.

MEOW BOOM!

I look forward to hearing your stories of immense personal struggle, and will continue to inspire you .