Monica Foutz I get it. Life is not always rainbows and butterflies and Unicorn farts with rays of sunshine. Sometimes it is messy and stressy and super dark and ugly. But all of those components are what make our life “whole”. And where we are in our heads with that is what makes the difference as to whether we are healthy, or not. It’s all in the perspective.
I wake up every day and think, Welp; I made it through another night. So my feet hit the ground and I move in whatever direction they take me. Sometimes it’s to the kitchen, sometimes it’s to the garden, and sometimes I just go in circles, wondering when the ride will stop. It’s not easy being a person in the world sometimes. Often we feel alone, and as if nobody’s problems are bigger than our own. What a crappy feeling. Is it hormones? Is it lack of sleep? Lack of excitement? All of the above? Probably. But KNOWING that is what makes all the difference.
Without a healthy perspective on life, it is so easy to get stuck in a dark and dreary place. Being able to see a light in the dark is what guides us to that lighter place. What is your light? Can you see it? If not, it’s time to change your perspective.
Without some sort of light in your dark place, how do you get motivated for any single thing? You end up saying “no” to opportunities and your kids all the time, you don’t meet deadlines on time, stressing out and forgetting to see what really matters in your short life is a recipe for disaster, and life will always lack quality. Starting small, and starting today is what is important right now. Because sometimes, “Later” becomes “Never”.
People often say, “Time is Money”. I beg to differ for this simple reason: We can always go make more money. But we can NEVER get our time back. And so while we don’t have such a thing as spare time, there is also not one single way to bring back any amount of time. Ouch. Every second spent is forever gone. Never to be touched or revisited again. Ever. That is a harsh reality. So what you choose to do with your time better be worth it, including, and most importantly, how much time you spend thinking, and what mindset you are in while you are doing that.
The reality is, it is hard to stay in a positive mindset all the time. That’s not realistic. No one is super happy 100% of all the time. Just like saying “I never get sick.” Yes you do. We have all been sick before. We have all been unhappy before. It is reasonable to give yourself time to process thoughts and feelings for the sake of allowing for the unpleasant necessity of letting those things sink in so that you can heal. These are your opportunities to see where you need to grow. When it hurts, it’s called a growing pain, and a rational amount of time to heal is your “Tylenol”.
Here are some things to remember, to say to yourself when you have the unfortunate circumstance of not being able to get to a “good spot” to keep going (in case you need to be reminded):
- What anyone else thinks about you isn’t really your business.
- The thing about today is that you don’t have to ever do it over again. In fact, you don’t get to do today over again, so do your best with it.
- Your best today may not be as bad as yesterday, or as good as tomorrow. Be your best that you can be, today.
- Tomorrow is coming, with or without you. So just get through today. That IS an accomplishment.
- Spending time regretting things means that you haven’t learned the lesson. When you are able to let go of regret, the lesson has been learned. The moments we have in life (good, bad, and indifferent) are compiled to make us who we are. Love who you are and that will help you let go of regret.
- When something is hard or it hurts, do this: dig it up, dig it out. Put it on the table and look at it with an open heart and an open mind. Then move on, with your eyes open and your head up.
Find a higher power, whatever that is. The thing that is referred to, as something bigger/greater than ourselves. I call mine God, and that may be different for everyone. Religious or not, this is a general concept that I strive to live by: It is written that Jesus walked on water, and so did Peter. When Peter became afraid, he started to sink. Jesus caught him, and took him back to safety. Peter asked, “Why am I sinking?” Jesus told him, “Because you became afraid and lost your faith, and took your eyes off of me.”
Do not lose sight of your faith, of your higher power, of the thing greater than you. Faith in something is taking the next step. Fear will sink you. Be afraid, and then do it anyway. The greatest things are on the other side of fear. A little faith is better than no faith. All the time.
A healthy mind will lead you to a healthy soul. A healthy soul leads you to a healthy heart. A healthy heart leads you to a healthy life. So, that’s why I say that getting your mind right is where health starts. Health and nutrition is more than just food for your body. It is food for your thoughts, food for your soul, and food for your life. You have to feed yourself, starting with your mind. And in the end, health can be redefined. How much weight you can lift, how much weight you have lost, how long you have adhered to your diet, those things are not relevant for the bigger picture.
What it s relevant is your happiness; being proud and accepting of who you are; being able to sleep with ease at night. Our quality of life is what matters, and that is in our perspective. With a healthy mind and the right perspective, we can do Any. Single. Thing.
You are your only obstacle. You can’t control anything or anyone other than yourself. So you have to know the part you play in your own life and then be proud of that. If you’re not proud of that, change/growth is necessary. But being proud of who you are does not mean being complacent in growth. We ALL have room for improvement.
These things are hard to be conscious of all the time, so remember at least this: your success rate of getting through your difficult times is 100%. You have made it this far. Own that and hold on to it. Because once you get your mind right, you are able to place value on things that are easily taken for granted. And that’s where health begins.