The Choice to Change
Being in the business of change, transformation, and healing, I've done a lot of reading on motivation. It's easy to read copious amounts of information on healthy habits, but it can be more difficult to put it into place. At the end of the day, we know deep down inside our bodies what is good for us and what we need, but putting that into action is another story. I'm sure we all know that it's better to eat veggies over candy, drinking water is a key component to health, and getting enough sleep a night is essential. Getting into the routine of doing those things can be so hard when the holidays tempt us with festive treats, coffee and alcohol taste more fun, and the internets are just waiting to be explored into the wee hours of the night!
So I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to motivate making healthier choices. Going back over my own history, I realized that no matter how much you read or what people tell you, YOU have to WANT it. You have to want it more than you want to stay right where you are. Want it enough to go through the potential discomfort of consciously making change until it becomes a habitual lifestyle (and then there's always temptations to bust through on a daily basis! Oh life, you rascal you!). I read a brilliant, empowering article recently by healer Erin Telford and she writes:
"Everything and all things are available. We are afraid of and resist change because it means that we will need to make different choices and take different action. When you change your way of being, you can get push back on the new you.
True transformation in any area of your life can only happen at the level of commitment that you have to wanting the change. When your mindset is aligned with growth, you know that every step forward is solidifying the foundation for a stronger, healthier-on-all-levels You! Sometimes you need to hit a breaking point in your health to be able to push back and say enough! "
(To read her full post on Do You Believe You Can Change, get it here! It's a good read!)
Two moments from my own life, I would like to share with you:
Moment one: when I was back in college and very overweight, I would drink 2-3 diet cokes everyday. I remember being at home and one of my siblings brought up how unhealthy that habit was in a "mini-interventional" type moment (among other habits I was involved in…like eating too many sweets...) and I got so upset! Having a mirror put up in front of me caused anger, tears, and defensiveness (despite the fact that the intervention was only out of love for me). I wasn't ready to hear it or to face what I was seeing in this mirror.
About a year later, I stopped drinking soda regularly. On my own timing, I finally made a change.
Moment two: at my doctor's appointments back during my rebel stage of not taking care of myself, hearing the litany of complications in attempts to almost scare me into obedience was a regular doctor visit occurrence. Then, at one appointment, the nurse practitioner asked me if I just wanted to take a break from my diabetes. How many months did I want to just let everything go, before I could get back on the bandwagon? I was SHOCKED that he was giving me permission to not make any healthy changes! Instead of being shamed about being "bad", he was validating that taking care of diabetes is a hard, LIFE-long task. I thought about it quietly for a moment, considering my options, and then said I was ready to take responsibility again. That very day. What I needed, perhaps, was to be given the CHOICE to CHANGE.
So, dear star-beings, I am here to hold space for you wherever you are at in your process. If you need to take a moment to indulge in a rebel-stage of your own, I am here for you! Take it! Allow yourself, without guilt or shame, to be exactly where you are! Enjoy it, knowing that you have the power and choice to change directions whenever you are ready.
If you are at the point where you feel ready to take the step to make some changes in your life, I am also here for you! If you have hit your breaking point and are saying "enough!", I am cheering you on and ready to provide loving support, guidance, tips, and inspiration, as it can be difficult and exhilarating at the same time.
The beauty in all of this is that we have choice. We don't have to stay stuck in old habits, behaviors, or programs that are no longer serving us. And it's up to us. It's our decision. How empowering!