What Is Your Definition of Success? The SeniorScape®
What comes to mind when you see this question?
Do you think primarily of work or professional life achievements?
Do you equate your professional success with financial success?
Did you have any thought of the success of your health? Of you as a healthy individual?
If the answer is a no, what do you think is standing in the way?
We all probably want to live as healthfully as we possibly can. What gets in the way of us doing so?
Certainly, there is sufficient information available to us from multiple sources on the ingredients to living more healthfully.
There are powerful processes that get in the way of achieving any success, achieving health success is no different. It’s not about blame or shame. But more in understanding that the actual powerful human forces are the impediments to.achieving the success you desire.
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The powerful force of resistance can be described as the process between the action you want to take and the act of doing it. The force of resistance acts for you to drift between what you want to do or achieve, and the actual act of doing it.
This is in direct opposition for the strong calling you get toward that action and the drive that gets you to achieve the actions required for you to achieve that goal.
There are four areas that have been identified as components of the resistance that keeps you from achieving the goal. Two of the four are described below.
1. Procrastination. As unproductive as we know procrastination is, we all have procrastinated from time to time. I’ll start the Diet tomorrow, I’ll start exercising at the beginning of the week, the month, the year.
I’ll start focusing on my health and wellbeing when my job slows down, when my kids are out of school,
when I’m not feeling so stressed.
2. Shadow Calling: You engage in some aspect of what you know you should be doing for your health and wellbeing, but not totally. For example, you start drinking shakes for afternoon snack which helps you feel good that you’ve made a healthier choice. However, you continue to consume cheeseburgers, french fries, 3 slices of pizza, overstuffed sandwiches, three trips of the eat all you can eat buffet, but still eat cookies, donuts, and ice cream.
Strategies of Success
An important step in breaking the resistance that is getting in the way of you achieving your desired success, so that you can live as healthfully and gracefully as you possibly can, is to engage in what JF Benoist calls in his book Addicted to the Monkey Mind, Mindful inquiry. Like appreciative inquiry where you ask probing questions and to engage in dialogue to fully understand, identify and describe the problem you’re trying to solve. The process begins with have an observing mind. In other words, trying to distance yourself from the situation to observe your thought patterns without taking action. When much of what we do and reach for fulfills the need for immediate gratification, this requires practice and self-disciplines. It is important to understand the driver, the components of the resistance, that is getting in the way of taking the action that is in the best interest of your wellbeing. The ability to consciously question your thoughts and actions starts with Mindfulness, the ability to be present enough in the moment, hence the name Mindful Inquiry.
Another important ingredient is taking ownership of your experience. We tend to think the source of our happiness lies outside of us. Consuming food or drink to make us feel better is fool hearted.
Admittedly, this took a lot of work on my part. Growing up, my mother used to tell me to have milk and cookies because it would make me feel better, or that ice cream would be cool and soothing going down. While many parents and cultures express the depth of their caring with food, psychologically this becomes the crutch and familiar story we tell ourselves about why we make certain choices, even if we know they are not serving us at the highest possible level.
As September 23-October 23 is ruled by the astrological sign Libra which is a time of balance and connections, this would be a perfect time to think about your successful healthful journey.
Dedicate time to connect with yourself in a meaningful way using Mindful Inquiry. This can help you rebalance your life towards healthful choices, the choices that will tip the scale towards rejuvenating your well-being for a successful longevity journey.
If looking at your general diet and nutrition seems like an arduous undertaking, one important step you can take on the road to rebalance is to commit to one detoxifying habit in October. Detoxification takes many forms, and it is both internal and external.
Water is the best drink for flushing toxins out of your system and there are reports that suggest 75%of the population is seriously dehydrated. I’ve written previously about the harmful effects of dehydration on our mental, physical and emotional well-being, all of which are well documented in the literature.
Therefore, is not already doing so, set as a goal to drink at least ½ of your body weight in ounces of water/day. Consider adding lemon or cucumber to the water. It not only adds flavor but also intensifies the detoxifying benefit.
Here are a few other detoxifying habits to consider:
1. Reduce your simple sugar intake.
2. Limit your alcohol consumption.
3. Drink green tea and detox drinks.
4. Develop a daily movement routine of 15-30 minutes (I use movement instead of Exercise)
5. Develop a practice of quietude. (alone time. Whatever that means for you. This doesn’t have to include formal Meditation or Yoga. Merely sitting quietly, taking deep calming breaths can be extremely beneficial and has detoxifying effects)
6. Exfoliate your skin
Long-term health and well-being is based on the choices we make on a daily basis, make the good ones!
For more information on Strategies of Success that will help you rebalance your life, email: phyllis@phyllisaymanassociates.com
Originally Published on https://www.phyllisaymanassociates.com/
