I am not talking about the financial cost of the pair of shoes you are contemplating buying. Or, for that matter, the cost of the latest electronic gadget that has captured your attention. Instead, I would like to discuss the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual costs of the choices we make every day.
YOUR LIFE IS A REFLECTION OF YOUR DAILY CHOICES
Making a choice sporadically, while it can impact your life significantly, is not usually what creates the major changes in your health and your life. Let’s take someone who is trying to lose weight. Eating healthy one day in the month will not result in your desired goal. However, eating healthy foods and portions ninety-five percent of the time in that month will move you closer towards your weight loss goal. Making unhealthy choices consistently wear you down psychologically, physically, and spiritually, negatively impacting your total health.
YOUR CHOICES IMPACT ALL FOUR PILLARS
When you consistently make choices that do not align with what you believe and your values, you eventually lose trust in yourself. You damage your psyche, and your spiritual and physical health suffers. This makes it difficult for you to believe in your ability to create the positive changes you desire. Yet, all is not lost. Change is still possible with a healthy and balanced wholistic approach. This is not a quick fix though and will require one hundred percent commitment and an emotional or spiritual investment.
CONSISTENCY MATTERS WHEN MAKING CHOICES
If you want to achieve any goal in life, you must first make the choice [decision] to pursue that goal. You must also understand why you are pursuing that goal. Why does achieving that goal matter so much to you? Understanding your why, keeps you focused on your objective when things get a tad rocky. Then you must be committed to achieving that goal, by consistently doing the daily work necessary to achieving that goal. This is where consistency in your daily choices comes into play. You must consistently make the healthy choice every time you decide what to eat or how much you are going to move today. Believe it or not, you must also be consistent daily in your mindset and attitude.
FEELING STRESSED ABOUT HEALTHY CHOICES?
Feeling like your life will become too restrictive, too boring, or too lacking in spontaneity? That is when remembering “YOUR WHY?” comes into play. Your why cannot be a superficial reason and more important your why should be grounded in love and not fear. It is also important to recognize and accept that some days, you will get thrown off the healthy path by unexpected circumstances, life. Having a healthy mindset and attitude will allow you to handle setbacks the right way. Knowing your why will get you back on track the next time you have to make a choice or gets you back on track a lot sooner than before.
STAYING COMMITTED WITHOUT THE STRESS
It is one thing to say you have a goal, it’s quite another thing to stay committed to achieving that goal. After years of trying to lose weight and keep it off, I finally figured out how to stay committed to consistently making the healthier choices. It begins with re-writing your STORY; using a properly functioning GPS; and employing the correct MAP. Once you have those in play, then you can get down to the nitty gritty, which must be practiced daily.
- Maintain clarity about the importance of your goal
- Employ discipline
- Practice the art of acceptance
- Set realistic goals [S.M.A.R.T. goals]
- Make sure you get enough sleep and rest daily
- Replenish your energy tank with prayer and gratitude meditation
- Know your triggers and if at all possible, avoid them
- Stay connected with people who are trying to accomplish similar goals
- Set healthy boundaries
- Have non-negotiables
- Make and keep self-promises
- Practice mindfulness, which is necessary to keep you in the moment
A HAPPIER JOURNEY WHEN YOU ARE HEALTHY
Life is more fulfilling and definitely more joyful when you are totally healthy. Despite the transient and sometimes exciting moments of pleasure you gain from the choices that are unhealthy; your quality of life is never enhanced when you are unhealthy. Stop straddling the fence, choose life, choose to be consistently healthy and live the abundant life you desire.