Behind every action there is a force that will drive our decisions. Sometimes this force is one of a negative nature, other times more positive. Either way, there is always something that drives the decision. Here is an example that might help you make the decisions that you know deep in your gut need to be made.
Not too long ago a patient presented to my office with two different complaints that were related. The first complaint was simple, back pain. The back pain this individual had was not that serious, and was not getting worse. In fact when the patient starting explaining what she had felt, and the amount of years that she had felt this way, she explained it in a very nonchalant manner.
Due to the take it or leave it attitude with is complaint, I knew there was something more. As I dug deeper into her health goals and life stresses I realized the emotional struggle that ensued when she mentioned her grandaughter.
You see, her granddaughter was the love of her life. Her husband had left her years before, and her kids were emotionally unavailable. Her granddaughter, however, was her soul mate. This beautiful baby took up all of the love in her heart. The pull, the love, the feelings she had for this child were so strong, she would do whatever it took to be closer to this child. She truly felt love, and was passionate about this child, that within the first 15 minutes of speaking, I had seen no less than 20 pictures of her. That is when I knew what her force was.
Some of you don’t know what your force is, however it’s easy to find out. Look at your behaviors. You make decisions on it, you spend time, money, and energy on it. Your force is more than a place, a thing, or a person. Once you find out, your decisions in life will be more clear. My patient knew what her force was, and she recognized her actions were based around that little child. She simply wanted to maximize her life experience, as we all do. Prior to this child’s birth, her back discomfort was not that debilitating. However, the minute it became a limitation to her experience with her granddaughter, it needed to be resolved.
Every now and then I see an article on a website that is surprising. What makes the article a surprise is the source. Example:
Today on kevinmd, a site known for it’s very old-school, allopathic train of thought, has released an article called:
We need health care instead of disease management
by Robert G. Dorfman
This is exactly what the chiropractic profession has been discussing for more than 100 years now. The trend of sick-care, and disease management is long over. It’s time for a change in the right direction. It’s time to see the “healthcare” profession in our country take on true health care.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
We’ve heard all the quotes that agree with the above. It’s the difference between taking care of our health versus trying to find a cure, or manage a problem. No one that I know would choose disease management over health care. So why do we continue down this road for so many years?
The time for a change is now. Start thinking of your health in this manner, and reap the rewards.
When deciding where to go for dinner, most people think of the monetary cost versus the quality of the experience. For instance, a visit to Taco Bell does nothing to most people’s taste buds, however the monetary cost is extremely low, so it makes up for it…..or does it?
Maybe it’s time that we start thinking of long-term costs as well. Research shows us time and time again that upfront lower costs often have a larger cost down the road. Take clothing for example. Buy a cheap pair of jeans and watch how fast they fade, rip, and tear.
STRATEGY:
With a handful of the decisions that you will make today, do a quick assessment as to long term versus short term benefit. I bet you find that you are programmed to make short term choices. This is neither good for you or your loved ones. If we start thinking long term more and more, the results could be huge down the road.
The most successful people are the ones that have a long term vision, the goals to support that vision, and the drive to achieve those goals.
Everyone in my office has heard me speak of innate intelligence. Innate intelligence, if you have not heard the term, is what is responsible for the healing within all living things. Innate continually does everything it can to keep you thriving in a not-so-perfect world. Without innate, there is no life.
Innate is not a new principle. The idea of innate has been around since the beginning of time. Innate is simply the difference between someone that is alive, and one that is not. Innate is the conductor.
In a highly orchestrated concert, innate is the conductor. Every member of the orchestra is vitally important to the concert. In fact without one member of the orchestra, the sound is diminished, the timing off, and the music will suffer. The conductor keeps it all working together, in harmony.
Today as you eat your not-so-healthy food choices, innate will decipher what it can use, and what it cannot. As you stress over a spreadsheet at work, take a moment to cherish and be thankful for your innate intelligence. For it keeps on working, with whatever resources you provide, to keep you as healthy as possible.
MMM
Are our emotions the results of circumstance, or our interpretation of said circumstance? (And, does this mimic our nerve system stress response?)
Yesterday was one of those days. I got started early, ran through my morning ritual of meditation and reflection. Then, everything seemed to go “wrong”. I left the house on time, however arrived 10 minutes late to my first appointment, so I skipped breakfast. This appointment ended on time, however I had no time to eat before my next appointment which was further away than I thought. Therefore, the second appointment I also arrived late. This time I was also 10 minutes late, so I decided to take the stairs instead of the tram. The stairs to this appointment were wet, which I saw, however were made of metal that was cut to provide traction. (Not enough traction it would seem)
So there I was sliding into my meeting, down 4-5 steps (the exact amount undetermined due to embarrassment). What made the fall significant (AKA bloody) is that the exact feature of the stairs that was suppose to provide grip to my shoes….provided grip to my skin. In retrospect, had I not been stopped with skin gripping metal spikes to my body, I would have slid about 50 feet to a concrete platform. So, maybe the bloody grip worked out in the end!
The meeting was about as expected…it was just a meeting for formality sake, and then I proceeded to find some food. As I took the tram past those dreadful stairs, I decided to check the weather report. You see, the day prior, I had decided that if I was going to go to a meeting that would most likely be boring, I would at least make it fun by driving my motorcycle to the meeting. So, as I ride the tram, I check the weather. Sure enough, the report stated rain was barreling toward my path to head home. (I forgot to mention that we are in a drought right now, so I had no expectation of this issue surfacing)
There I stood, looking at the area where skin was removed from my arm, fingers, and hip….contemplating the opportunity to beat the storm as long as I left right away. In a rush, I continued my stressful day to the next arrival point, hungry.
I did manage to get home without a major weather delay, and proceeded to make breakfast for lunch. Guess I figured I would just start over.
Sure, the day did not go well. I had a fall, was late twice, and did not eat till lunch time. However, I would bet that there were worse events that happened on that day, to other people. Someone lost a job, someone lost a loved one, someone lost a limb that day. Someone did not eat at all yesterday, and I am sure that someone had to walk to try to find a job, and came up empty.
There are constantly stresses in this world. The question that I asked at the beginning of this blog I’ll repeat again:
Are our emotions the results of circumstance, or our interpretation of said circumstance?
My circumstance was not ideal, however my interpretation was more out of context. I was angry, agitated and mad by lunch time. My mind simply did not adapt to the stressors I encountered. Once I realized that my day was really not that bad. That it was just a morning and I was now enjoying eggs and imported coffee. I was able to catch my emotions, put life into perspective and move on.
