…I was having a delightful dinner with my sister and her boyfriend at my parent’s beach house this past weekend. We started talking about food and how it makes us feel. I was sharing how since I have totally revamped my intake I have been feeling energized, alive, awake, and so healthy. My sister’s boyfriend is a very high-end Manhattan-experienced chef and so talking about food is always a joy for him…
…We were in the midst of eating a colorful salad filled with fresh fruits and vegetables we had just purchased at a local farm stand. All of us were “Mmm”-ing and “Ahh”-ing over the tastes and textures. I think Paul started off the conversation with “There is so much flavor in this salad; it doesn’t even need dressing!”…
…Not having dressing in my salads is something I have been also experiencing lately. And I noticed when he put the salads on the table he did the same… a little olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and a splash of salt was all that he added. And he was right- this salad had so many lovely fresh foods it was unnecessary to drown in it dressing. This is what got me started on sharing with them how foods make me feel…
…Cutting out sugars as much as possible, eating lots of green veggies and drinking only 
water are just some of the ways that I have revamped my entire intake. And I went on and on to them about how great I feel. We started brainstorming, talking excitedly, and sharing all of our ideas with each other around how to share these messages with others. And the one statement that I just blurted out was: “You can do anything you put your mind to!”…
…It must have stuck with Paul and Eileen because even as I was driving away that night to return to Baltimore, Paul said to me at the car: “Remember, you can do anything you put your mind to.” These words have been bouncing and rolling around in my head each day since then. You can. I can. We all can. We can do anything we want…
…Which leads me to my title: I am empowered. I believe that any person in the entire world can change, can do anything they want to, can reach any health goal. I really do. I believe this with my whole heart. As I am writing these words right now my breath is quickening, my heart is racing, and I feel the adrenaline pumping. I am getting excited. Because I know that it is true…
…So if we want to do something, if we want to change- how can we do that? What are some of the ingredients that go into doing anything and everything that we want? I have lots, but here are just a couple to get you started:
- You have to really want it. And I mean YOU. You cannot be making a change because your doctor said to, because you saw something in a magazine, or because your girlfriend is. You have to want it for you. Your total being must be in alignment with wanting it. So your head cannot have a thought “Well, I want to run because I know running is good for me” but at the same time your hate to run, have no joy doing it, or your body is not built as a runner. Each part of your being has to want the change you are going to make.
- You need reasons why you want it. If unable to voice your motivators for change, how will you stick with it when the going gets tough? And let me be extremely honest and upfront here- you will come up against challenges. It might rain. It could be cold. It will get extremely hot. How will you continue to run if you are not sure why you are doing it? Why is running important to you? What is motivating you to stick with it? Why now? What is important to you? What are some of the things you value? Know your reasons why you are doing something so you can bring those to the forefront when you feel like slacking off.
…I have many, many others but am mindful of word count. So to find out more… come back tomorrow as I share more ingredients that must be present for you to succeed with change…
In the meantime, what are some of yours? What do you need to have in place in order for you to be successful in reaching your health and wellness goals? Let’s hear from you to see if some of yours match the ones I will share tomorrow!
Great inspiration here Liz! I’d like to add to your point about motivation. So often we take action out of need or to get away from something we don’t like. While this approach can be successful in getting you to get started, it rarely is sustaining. As soon as the we alleviate some of that pain, it’s so easy to tell ourselves that what we’ve done is good enough. So, in creating your ‘why’ it’s much better to pick something that you want to move toward.
Liz, not only do we slack off when that painful state alleviates, we subconsciously create more painful circumstances to motivate us to move forward. It becomes an energetic pattern that we keep on reliving… until we change it.
Yes. If you need something undesired to move you forward, you’ll always create more undesired circumstances to move your forward. I see this a lot in my entrepreneurial clients. They get into action because they need money. They create the money. Then they ‘coast’ until it gets close to the next time they really need money again. They create roller-coaster drama to “enjoy” roller-coaster income. To me, that’s not fun. Another example is around respecting oneself. When you crave respect and recognition, you’ll create circumstances that push your buttons so that you can stand up for yourself to receive respect. When not pushed, you won’t stand up for yourself; in fact, you’ll probably be overly critical. In order to get that next energy rush, you create another situation where you’re not appreciated or supported… forcing you to stand up for yourself again. It’s an endless loop until you work with someone to help you become aware of it and shift it.