Human Well-Being

Each of us is the world's greatest expert on how happy, healthy, and deeply satisfied we are at any moment.  We know at least a million times more about ourselves than any other expert could ever know. We each have a unique, hidden, infinite, eternal potential. The greatest possible good we can do is to discover, develop and make the best possible use of this potential. No one else can do what only each one of us can do. There is no overlap onto anyone else's turf. If we do not find and use the potential we each have, it will go to waste. There are only 3 choices we have at any time and place: 1. Do good. 2. Do harm. 3. Waste time.

To do some good, start by recording how well you are now.   1 = Very Unhappy, 2 = Somewhat Unhappy, 3 = Unsure or No Answer, 4 = Somewhat Happy, 5 = Very Happy.  Score how healthy and how satisfied you are the same way. If your total happy-healthy-satisfied score is at or near 3, you may want to get prompt professional help to avoid danger. If your total  is at or near 15, you may be excellently well.

Then list of all the good things that come to mind from your past, your family, your friends, your environment, your real life experience. Try to make the best possible use of them all. Keep adding to this list as even greater goods come to mind. Any time life gets difficult, refer to this list to discover the best way to proceed.

Another good thing to try is to focus on your #1 concern of the moment. Imagine a neon light in your mind's eye with a word or two describing that concern. Stop thinking or trying, just close your eyes and relax. Expect as you focus on that neon sign that suggestions of the next step to take will automatically float into your consciousness. If possible, have a trusted person write down a key word or two as each suggestion comes to you and say them out loud. About 1 out of 10 suggestions will be extraordinary -- that you'd never in a million years have ever thought of it.  When the suggestions stop coming, open your eyes and point to the most promising next step to take. 

Now repeat the happy-healthy-satisfied total score. If it is the same or greater, you may be on the right track. If the score is lower, stop, do not take that step. Take a break, and try to take good care of yourself until the score at least gets back to where it was at first.

If the score is the same or better, take the step that looks most promising and see what happens. About 90% of the time, it will help you with that particular concern. About 10% of the time, you soon realize it is not working.  At that moment, you'll almost always know exactly what step you should have taken. And when you take it, it often seems too good to be true, but as you get used to it and appreciate it, you realize it is true.

Taking one concern at a time, and one most promising step at a time, your hidden potential to do good will emerge. You'll get better and better happy-healthy-satisfied scores. Life becomes a thrilling adventure. You can hardly wait to discover and take one most promising step after another. If it is pleasant, you can enjoy it. If it is unpleasant, that will be even better, because you'll then discover the step you should have taken, and take it to get an even more unbelievably good result.

I started making home visits to encourage my patients to use this way to get better 40 years ago. I kept in touch with them for at least 6 months. They all reported getting better all by themselves. They did not see me nor any other doctor. I always sent a bill to their insurance companies, which never paid me, except Wisconsin Blue Cross - Blue Shield, afterI had been practicing like this for 3 years, sent a check and a cover letter that said they do not pay for what I do, but those who call me their doctor used to cost them $thousands every year, and now cost nothing. So the check was just to thank me.

If we could use this happy-healthy-satisfied score to find how everything that is done improves human well-being, we'd save a lot of money, time and effort. Anything that makes the average happy-healthy-satisfied score worse should be stopped immediately. Anything that does not change the happy-healthy-satisfied score should be improved. Only those efforts that increase the happy-healthy-satisfied score at a reasonable cost should be continued.

Here's to your well-being and a hard-to-believe wonderful life!