| Last week I wrote about the power of a positive mindset. As much as I know how powerful our mind is, it still floors me that just a thought can actually change our body chemistry. That said, adopting a positive mindset is all fine and good, as long as we are using it to help move us in a positive direction, rather than use it to make the best of a bad situation. Today I want to ask you a question to emphasize the importance of testing your perceptions. So often we are told something when we are young and it becomes fact and we never question it again. And yet, you can’t deny, the ‘facts’ are changing all.the.time, we are changing all.the.time. Every once in a while we need to test our perceptions against reality to make sure they are still valid. How many of you were told the ‘fact’ that if we get cold we can catch a cold? We know it isn’t true and yet to this day I still hear people worrying about that exact thing. Many of you will have lived through the ‘fact’ that eggs cause your cholesterol to rise and should be limited or avoided. We know it isn’t true anymore and yet people are still asking if it’s ok to eat eggs, and if so, how many is ok? And what about the ‘fact’ that 1 + 1 = 2. Does it always? What if I added some descriptors to that for you? If I have 1 apple and someone else gives me another apple, how many apples do I now have? If you think I have 2 apples you would be correct. But what if my teenager has one pile of clean laundry lying on his floor and he throws one pile of dirty laundry on top. How many piles of laundry does he now have? Just 1. In this situation, 1 + 1 = 1 If I’m lying on my back staring at the clouds and one cloud comes along and adds itself to another cloud. I still only have one cloud. 1 + 1 = 1 And what’s the point of this you say? So often, our beliefs get in the way of our progress. We believe we can’t eat in a certain way because….. We believe we can’t get up or go to bed at a certain time because…. We believe we are a certain way, or life is a certain way, or society is a certain way because… Rarely do we sit back and dissect the truth of these situations, even if these beliefs are harming us we stick with them. Why? Because it is easier to have a box to orient ourselves by, even if that box limits our freedoms, vision and courage. But if you are struggling with getting the progress or success you want you may need to question some of your hard and fast beliefs and test them against reality. Is it really true you can’t go to bed at a decent time? Is it really true you don’t have time to exercise? Do you really not know how to eat to be healthy? Is self medicating with alcohol or food really your only option? Will you only be happy when you are a size 6, 8, 10…? Is it really your job to shrink so others feel comfortable? Or are you just using your beliefs as a crutch? Is it just more comfortable to not change? If you aren’t getting the changes you want in life, whatever that may be, perhaps it is time to test your perceptions against reality and then start to take actions towards what you truly want and not what your conditions or conditioning tell you to do. |
| In other words, stay open to change! Christine xo |
