As the year is closing in, it is time to reflect on those accomplishments, and pitfalls of 2013.
What can we celebrate from the year?
What went right?
What risk did I take?
Did the risk payoff?
What didn’t pay off?
Did it not work out because I took a risk? or
Did it not work because I gave up in some way?
Huge questions, I know. However if you are interested in growing, evolving, becoming a better version of yourself, these are really important questions to ask. Personally, I find that it is human tendency to focus on the negative, the loss, or the challenges. That’s absolutely ok, if it drives me. However, if it causes me to stop growing and evolving, then I have truly wasted time.
Time is the most precious commodity, of which can never be returned. Use it wisely.
Normally, I am one to blog about positive things. Staying away from the negativity that seems to travel across the social media websites is not always an easy chore. In fact there are ways that I defend myself from this garbage. I’ve been asked to talk about this. More often the real question that presents to me is, “How do you stay so positive all the time.”
You see, just like good health, I see “staying positive” as the natural order of life.
If I am not feeling optimisitic, or positive at any moment, then I know something is interfering with this natural feeling, or state of health. This interfering agent could be many things. I believe the main reason for this feeling in most is a lack of congruency in their lives. (Much more on that subject to come in a future blog).
With that being said,
I also don’t over indulge in things that lead to this negative “arena” of thoughts and processes.
For instance, we know that there are certain people in our lives that are more “negative” than others. I don’t associate with those people. I’ve put a lot of energy in thought about what actions bring about negative emotions…and I stay clear of these actions. One example would be participating in gossip. Sure, in a small town it is always interesting to know who did what with whom…however I also know that this sort of conversation, for me, does not feed my health. I start to feel bad for the one being gossiped about, and I just don’t see anything constructive in this. I also know that the more productive you are, the more people know you, and the more they will talk about you.
I know that in the chiropractic profession, I have many times stated that how you feel is not an important measurement of how healthy you are. This statement still holds true today. However, following your “gut feeling” is extremely important. The more you listen to this feeling, the more you will be directed in the life of less pessimism. Who doesn’t want a little less of that in their lives?
Too often, opportunities are lost by not asking ourselves this basic question. Many of us are so use to our current state of affairs, that we see no potential for change or growth. This is the way it has always been, why would I expect it to be any different tomorrow?
It’s called limitations. We all have limitations, however our limitations vary from person to person. Yet, we were all born pretty much the same way. A majority of us had similar opportunities growing up, same basic trials and tribulations. Sure, there are differences in what we ate, who our parents were, and what neighborhood we lived in, however all in all chances are there were no huge stressors to your life that would limit your health potential more than the next guy.
We see the health that exists in some and for some reason we do not think that it can exist within ourselves. As though, this 75 year old 5k runner possesses some sort of extraordinary gene that we were not endowed with from our parents. And maybe the scientific community is a little guilty for making you feel that way.
Here are the facts:
Most people underestimate their potential.
Most people make up excuses for why they can not experience amazing health.
Most people instill these limiting beliefs to their children without knowing it.
Most people have an unbelievable amount of potential for themselves, and an extraordinary amount of potential for their kids health that would change the course of their lives dramatically.
And here is the kicker, most people don’t read this blog. That’s right, they are never told about this health potential that oftentimes just needs to be released. That’s what I do as a chiropractor. That’s what makes my “job” seem more like a calling. Now you know. Chiropractic care releases the huge resources inside of you that are limited in some way at this time.
I leave you with this thought:
What would happen if…? You fill in the blank. What’s the “thing” that you always thought you would do when you were younger? It’s the thing that your adult mind dismissed as a pipe dream. Chances are someone is doing it, why not you?
Last night I gave a presentation to a small group on the subject of health. At the beginning I spoke about something that I feel was the main takeaway of the night…values.
Everyone has them, however many of us do not recognize what they are. If you are one of the few whom have actually thought of your values, then I applaud you. Having values is good, knowing your values is great, however I am interested in the exceptional. The exceptional individual bases their life around their values. Where they spend their money, where they spend their time, and where they spend their energy.
One of my top values:
This is my son this summer at the beach. A top interest in my life, and obviously a very important part of my life. In fact, there is nothing that I would not do to provide safety, security, and general well-being for Mason. Most fathers would not argue with me at all about this feeling that we all have for our family. In fact, my highest value in life has Mason as a underlying reason for that value.
You see, my highest value is my health. My health has to be a priority if I am truly wanting my son to be safe, secure, and happy. Simply put, if I do not take care of my health, I will never be able to take care of his.
I challenge you to list out your highest values in life, and find a way that your health does not matter to all of these values. You will see that your health is of the most importance in order for you to provide for the important others in your life.
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.
