As I think about the life I desire, I recognize I have more ability to create my “ideal” life when I am conscious of my choices. By ideal I’m not saying perfect. I’m simply saying a desirable life. One I am proud of. One I feel good about. One that I love showing up to.
“Life does not happen to me, it happens through me. I am the vessel for the goodness life has to offer.”
Some pretty bold thinking and yet, truer than we often acknowledge.
Granted, there are many things in life we have no control over. Yet, in many ways, what we do daily determines the quality of life we have. It’s about creating habits that serve us rather than those that stunt our potential.
Commitment is Easy
I’ve been a proponent of personal and professional development for years. I’ve been on a spiritual quest for decades. Through it all, what I discovered is how easy it is to commit to something and equally as easy to let go of the commitment.
The difficult part is sticking with that which we say we want. I’ve seen this not only in myself, but clients, family, friends and colleagues. Whether it be things we commit to personally or professionally, we make a commitment with complete sincerity, but if we don’t have safeguards in place, we are quick to go back into old behaviors.
The Truth is Within Eye-shot
For example, much of what people encounter with dis-ease is not a result of some random act of God. More times than not,
it’s based on behaviors and choices. Our choices have a direct impact on our behaviors.
Lots of people would like to blame something outside themselves for their health, while others accept the truth of the situation.
It’s a proven fact that many dis-eases are a result of the lifestyle someone subscribes to. What we eat, how much we exercise, the amount of alcohol consumed… all of this creates a breeding ground for dis-ease.
Yet, many people act as if they have no say in the matter of their health.
Mind
Why is it that there seems to be more strife today than ever before? What is it that has increased the number of “random acts of craziness” than in the past? I propose it is what we put into our mind.
What we consume through books, movies, news, videos online, or anything that we hear and see impacts our state of mind.
Case in Point
As previously mentioned, I’ve been on my “development” journey for decades. Yet, I sometimes stray from my center. This happens for any number of reasons, but most of all, because I have let go of my center being my priority.
Since implementing the process Hal Elrod outlines in The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM), I have noticed a big shift in many of my choices including the amount of television I consume.
Although I could take or leave television, I got into the daily habit of mindlessly consuming the news and shows that had no socially redeeming value.
Little by little, and sometimes not so slowly, I was reflecting the information I consumed. I was agitated, irritated and had very strong opinions on things that had nothing to do with me. I found myself getting involved in Facebook threads over something someone would post and dug my heels in as I stated my opinion. I could spend untold amounts of time arguing a point with someone I don’t even know. Geeeezzzzzz.
The result was a lot of time spent on activities that were not a good use of my time. Time I could have put into much more productive activities… like blogging on this blog.
Changing direction
Upon making the commitment to implement a morning ritual, which includes uninterrupted writing time, I have noticed a dramatic shift in my day.
First, my state of mind is one of possibility rather than doom and gloom. Two, I am getting more writing done than I have in quite a while. Mind you, I write more than the average person, but I was not living up to my potential.
Three, I am more productive throughout the day. It’s rather counter-intuitive that using the first hour of my day with a morning ritual would give me more time, yet, the results speak for themselves.
Okay, it’s not that I have more time. It’s that I’m using my time more wisely.
Choose Wisely
Bottom line is this, choosing how we begin our day impacts our entire day. Choosing what we read and watch impacts our state of mind. Choosing what we eat and how much we exercise impacts our overall well-being.
Even those of us who have been on a personal, professional, spiritual and health journey for decades can get off the beam if we are not vigilant about our daily choices.
It’s not that we have to be so rigid we are not having fun. Truth be told, when we know what we should do, but don’t do it (yes, I’m “shoulding” on you and me) we miss the juice of life. Some restrictions and boundaries allow for a higher quality of life. Short term sacrifice results in long-term gains.
What are the gains you want? Are you sticking with your commitment to change a habit? Are you resisting giving in on the short term to have long-term benefit? Are you willing to create the quality of life you know you deserve? Do you have a support system in place for those times you may falter?
After all, don’t you deserve to have a life you can feel great about? A life that shows, by example, what is possible? A life that gives you the ability to influence others to be the best they can be?
I daresay… you do.
