I sit at my mother’s desk as I write this. I picked up an old book copyright 1948 entitled The Magic Of Believing The science of Setting Your Goal… and then Reaching It. Now those of you that know me or have been in my practice know that we start there with treatment. Seeing and believing that you are changing your health and life for the better is a pivotal first step in healing. Sometimes people that come to my practice have been sick or in pain for so long it’s hard to imagine a different reality. Of course this isn’t a new concept as this book is 60 years old and it’s not the first of its type.
This book is written by Claude M Bristol who was a lawyer, lecturer, investment banker and foreign correspondent and author. The next to last chapter is entitled Women and the Science of Belief. Now I admit I thought, what is a man that is a lawyer and a banker from the 1940’s going to advice women to envision? Cynically I thought he’s probably going to tell them how to keep our husbands happy or run a better household. I should have known that was not the case, since he was thinking so differently for his time. He states “Let us realize that when woman awakens, she is going to play a more vital part in the affairs of the world” and “American women, although they may not be aware of it, are potentially in a position to have pretty much their own way, for they actually control the wealth of this country” This stat came just before World War II and showed that of the country’s wealth of approximately 300 billion dollars, about 70% or 210 billion was in the possession of women.
What I found most interesting was the women’s stories he told. He speaks of Empress Eugenie who married Napoleon the Third. When she as a small child she had fallen against the banister and bruised her body. Her gypsy nurse told her not to cry, that she would be a queen and live to be a hundred. She believed in gypsies and her fortune materialized. She became Empress Eugenie and lived to be 94, just six years shy of her gypsy nurse’s prediction
Madame Curie was told when she was a child in Warsaw by an old gypsy woman that she would be famous. The gypsy woman stopped her while she was playing in a park and demanded her hand where she preceded to read her palm and tell her fortune. We know that Madame Curie went on to become one of the most famous women of her time.
Now I don’t know if these prophecies influenced these women or not, but it made me think about things that were spoken to me that influenced me. One was by my mother. She is why I am a doctor today and decided to become one at the age of 12. When I told her at that young age I wanted to become a chiropractor the first words out of her mouth without hesitation were “You can do it!” She didn’t say “are you sure” or “there aren’t a lot women chiropractors” or even the neutral “that’s nice”. She was always positive and excited and when she told me I could do it I believed her 100%.
This made me realize the power of the spoken word. Now that my three children are adults I hope that I have always spoken words of encouragement to them. I realize if I ever thought to temper their enthusiasm it was just my own fear and wanting to shield them from disappointment. I know whenever I am clear and speak a clear intention with true belief things I want move toward me at a rapid pace.
What are words that you remember being spoken to you that shaped your life? I would love to hear your story.
Dr Jackie
