Earlier this week I had a medical checkup…and it might very well be my last one ever. I’m not into gloom and doom.
For the most part, I’m exceptionally healthy, but my blood pressure was a little bit high – 140/94 – so of course the doctor wanted to prescribe blood pressure medication. To me, the blood pressure reading is simply a message from my body that I need to make some adjustments in my life… be more consistent with my yoga and meditation practice…eat less pizza…get more sleep…whatever. Or maybe that blood pressure is perfect for me.
So I told the good doc that I had no desire to ever take blood pressure meds. Her reply: “Well…OK…if you want to die of heart failure…”
Heart failure!
For a lot of people, that comment could be an eventual death sentence. Words are powerful! Words from a respected professional such as a doctor can be a seed that will grow to fruition and come true, simply because the doctor said that’s what is supposed to happen.
Take a moment right now to think of some words from well meaning health practitioners that you have woven into the fabric of your life – words that may be adversely affecting your life.
“You have (insert diagnosis here).”
“You need to take these drugs for the rest of your life.”
“You need to take these vitamins for the rest of your life.”
“You can’t do (insert fun activity here) anymore.”
Words like these don’t have to be your reality unless you choose for them to be. Shifting to a more positive dialogue can make your life more positive. Positive words and thoughts aren’t an instantaneous magical incantation that will get you immediate results. But if you think, feel and speak in a certain way, your life will unfold in that way.
And guess what…you are a beautiful and perfect being!!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
You are important right now!
There are two great excuses in life:
"I don't have the money."
"I don't have the time."
Is there something important to you that you're putting off by using one or both of these excuses? The truth is that you probably do have the money and the time. It's not a question of whether you have it, but how you're prioritizing it. I'm not here to suggest how you should prioritize your money, time or anything else -- it's yours to prioritize. I point this out just because so many people never really think about their priorities. They just follow old habits, old beliefs and the expectations of others without considering themselves.
I see this all the time with people and their health. They know and want to do the things they need to do, but they invoke "the big two" to avoid making changes in their lives...even if those changes will ultimately benefit them and those close to them.
What are you putting off? You can probbly do it simply by shifting your priorities. Just do it!
You are important right now!
"I don't have the money."
"I don't have the time."
Is there something important to you that you're putting off by using one or both of these excuses? The truth is that you probably do have the money and the time. It's not a question of whether you have it, but how you're prioritizing it. I'm not here to suggest how you should prioritize your money, time or anything else -- it's yours to prioritize. I point this out just because so many people never really think about their priorities. They just follow old habits, old beliefs and the expectations of others without considering themselves.
I see this all the time with people and their health. They know and want to do the things they need to do, but they invoke "the big two" to avoid making changes in their lives...even if those changes will ultimately benefit them and those close to them.
What are you putting off? You can probbly do it simply by shifting your priorities. Just do it!
You are important right now!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Stop avoiding and start living!
Life is a bike trail...
I love bicycling. Anyone who pedals a bike has encountered a lot of bumps and hazards in the road: rocks, broken glass, potholes, sewer grates, old shopping carts (I speak from experience); you name it. One of the most important skills I have learned for staying upright is to keep my focus on the track I want to take, and not on the hazards I want to avoid. We tend to be drawn to whatever we to focus on. If you rivet your gaze on the jagged pothole in the middle of the bike trail you will probably slam right into it. But concentrating on the path around the pothole will allow you to cruise merrily on by.
When it comes to our health we still worry about obstacles rather than choosing to follow the smooth track. In the last couple of decades our approach to health has evolved somewhat, but we still have not made a fundamental shift in consciousness. More and more we seek alternatives to the invasive drugs and surgical procedures that conventional medicine has to offer, but we do so for the same old reasons—to treat disease and symptoms.
We’re still focusing on the potholes!
Why swerve when you can live? Life will often present obstacles to dodge, but so what? Relish the adventure of your journey.
Stop avoiding and start living!
I love bicycling. Anyone who pedals a bike has encountered a lot of bumps and hazards in the road: rocks, broken glass, potholes, sewer grates, old shopping carts (I speak from experience); you name it. One of the most important skills I have learned for staying upright is to keep my focus on the track I want to take, and not on the hazards I want to avoid. We tend to be drawn to whatever we to focus on. If you rivet your gaze on the jagged pothole in the middle of the bike trail you will probably slam right into it. But concentrating on the path around the pothole will allow you to cruise merrily on by.
When it comes to our health we still worry about obstacles rather than choosing to follow the smooth track. In the last couple of decades our approach to health has evolved somewhat, but we still have not made a fundamental shift in consciousness. More and more we seek alternatives to the invasive drugs and surgical procedures that conventional medicine has to offer, but we do so for the same old reasons—to treat disease and symptoms.
We’re still focusing on the potholes!
Why swerve when you can live? Life will often present obstacles to dodge, but so what? Relish the adventure of your journey.
Stop avoiding and start living!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Focus on process, not progress.
We can learn a lot from little kids.
Last night I was reading the book, Chi Running, by Danny Dreyer, and came upon this passage which really struck a cord with me.
“I would venture to say that most of us could run pretty easily back when we were in grade school and not feeling pressure to perform. But we have since lost that wonderful sense of ease. We often have performance anxiety that makes us uptight and blocks us from feeling ourselves and doing our best. In order to regain this ease and joy we need to consciously teach our bodies how to relax so running can feel as effortless as it once did.”
Although the author is talking about running, that wisdom can be applied to many other aspects of life, including our health. Following Nature’s simple wisdom will always help you to maximize your human potential, whatever that may be. Health and well-being are a lifelong synergy of spirit and action, and not a page of goals, statistics and achievements. “Progress” and “results” are human judgments—nothing more. Simplicity empowers!
Unfortunately, in this high tech world of ours, it is all too easy to lose sight of the simple genius of Nature. Best-selling authors, eloquent speakers, sensible doctors, and well-meaning family and friends bury us under heaps of brilliant, scientifically sound—and often bad—advice. When you become confused and don’t know where to turn, remember that high tech is merely a human design while the elegant genius of Nature is low tech and simple. And Nature’s simple plan always works. When your educated mind is at a loss as to which high tech route to try, go low tech. Instead of fretting over which nutritional supplements are the best for you, go buy some locally grown organic spinach. Rather than stress out over whether you will be able to make it to the gym today, just go out and play.
Nature’s simple wisdom is your lighthouse in the fog.
Last night I was reading the book, Chi Running, by Danny Dreyer, and came upon this passage which really struck a cord with me.
“I would venture to say that most of us could run pretty easily back when we were in grade school and not feeling pressure to perform. But we have since lost that wonderful sense of ease. We often have performance anxiety that makes us uptight and blocks us from feeling ourselves and doing our best. In order to regain this ease and joy we need to consciously teach our bodies how to relax so running can feel as effortless as it once did.”
Although the author is talking about running, that wisdom can be applied to many other aspects of life, including our health. Following Nature’s simple wisdom will always help you to maximize your human potential, whatever that may be. Health and well-being are a lifelong synergy of spirit and action, and not a page of goals, statistics and achievements. “Progress” and “results” are human judgments—nothing more. Simplicity empowers!
Unfortunately, in this high tech world of ours, it is all too easy to lose sight of the simple genius of Nature. Best-selling authors, eloquent speakers, sensible doctors, and well-meaning family and friends bury us under heaps of brilliant, scientifically sound—and often bad—advice. When you become confused and don’t know where to turn, remember that high tech is merely a human design while the elegant genius of Nature is low tech and simple. And Nature’s simple plan always works. When your educated mind is at a loss as to which high tech route to try, go low tech. Instead of fretting over which nutritional supplements are the best for you, go buy some locally grown organic spinach. Rather than stress out over whether you will be able to make it to the gym today, just go out and play.
Nature’s simple wisdom is your lighthouse in the fog.
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