Most of us know that St. Patrick is credited for driving the snakes out of Ireland. St. Patrick is also my hero.
Maybe it has something to do with being born o
n St. Patrick’s Day, or perhaps the amazing story (some say legend) of how he was captured into slavery and taken from Britain to Ireland, spent years oppressed by his masters, escaped as a result of listening to God’s inner direction, and ultimately went back to help the Irish. It’s the stuff of fantasy, triumph, despair and determination.
He overcame almost insurmountable odds to be become a priest and then later a bishop. He risked being disowned by his wealthy parents, almost certain death when he returned to face his captors, and later persecution by the Church for his unorthodox hands on approach and ministry. St. Patrick persevered in spite of the prevailing ANTS of his time, both his own and others! The snakes may be long gone from Ireland, but those ANTs are still alive and well.
Fast forward from old world Ireland to New Jersey. My sister called yesterday and mentioned she’d had an unrelenting toothache for several months. I took her through a Bridge Process™ (pardon the pun) to help her identify the issues being represented by her aching tooth. As she got in touch with her answer, she laughed and said it was the ANTS at work! “What do you mean?” I asked. She giggled as the pain had already diminished, and said, it’s my automatic negative thoughts. She asked me if I had heard of Dr. Amen and his PBS series. Actually I hadn’t seen the series, nor read his books (they’re on my list), but I’d referred a client to him. He’s a brilliant psychiatrist, whose cutting edge research is changing how we look at brain dysfunction and aging. See more at Change your Brain and Change your Life.
Our ANTs are alive and well. They are so ingrained that most folks never notice them. ANTS are toxic to our health. Science proves it and I’ve experienced it first hand! Left unchecked they stop us in our tracks and keep us from expressing our brilliance. Continue eating daily doses of ANT food, and you will find your health and relationships at risk.
What can we do to banish ANTS in our life? A lot. Pay attention to those negative thoughts! Set an intention to pay attention to how you feel, notice what thoughts trigger your upset, and begin to build a bridge to your own inner wisdom and brilliance. Relinquish the ANT food story you tell yourself: judgments, blame, shame, guilt, anger resentment, etc. and you are sure to experience far greater health, fantastic relationships, increased abundance and joy.
As the Irish say, “You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was.” Let’s drop those ANTS today, because everyday is a great day to PLANT (Place Loving And Nice Thoughts) for ourselves and others. It takes nothing less to become our own visionary leader and a leader in the lives of those we touch.
