Monday, January 12, 2015

Usually with a health blog, there are fun little tips or friendly reminders. There are recipes and nutritional suggestions. But I am a Holistic blog; meaning I deal with wholeness, or the mind/body/spirit connection. Often here we talk about the body or the mind. Today I want to discuss that spirit connection. Because without the healthy trinity, we still aren’t obtaining that wholeness.

Let’s delve in, shall we………………..?

First, let’s talk about that big ole driving force behind so many; that thing that comes in many sizes and has varying shades of dysfunction. What might that be, you ask? Hmmm. That thing that drives many or equally keeps people from doing more? That little (or maybe noisy) voice in your head? Yeah, that guy: EGO. You know him well, right? Maybe he tells you that you are a much better person than Ms. Smith because you _________________ (fill in the blank with whatever adjective works: give to charities, go to church, run marathons, eat organically, are thinner, are prettier, only by local, and the list goes on and on and on). Maybe he tells you that you aren’t good enough because you ___________________ (are quiet, like Twinkies, have a mole, dress sloppily, are short, have gas, or are over/under weight). Ego is that voice that can be very helpful in driving a person to succeed. But it can also be the thing that gets in the way of not only success (and I don’t mean financial gains but rather personal success) but that balance. If the only reason you eat well is because you want to be better than someone else, you are only going halfway. True, it does lead to a healthier lifestyle. But if your mind isn’t healthy from all of the ego thoughts, you aren’t helping yourself.

Life is messy. Life is filled with pain and heartache; joy and exuberance. Each experience is building a person. Each person is based on their experiences thus far. Some might seem stuck at a certain age, while others seem to change their personalities like they change their clothes. I think the key is always trying to learn from the experiences. If we always keep trying, keep pushing forward, we can gain some insight. And let’s face it, humans are nothing more than a big ole ball of ‘try’ wrapped up in a sticky ribbon of life…… But that try, that is what is important. And not that ‘trying’ because we need to usurp each other. The other try, the one that makes us realize we don’t want to give up; we want to meet that challenge. Some tries will be better than others. But each day we start anew. So do our tries. For peace of mind, if you have been trying to be better than someone else, instead, trying being a better you.

Now that we are keeping Mr. Ego in check (a healthy amount is good for motivation), shall we discuss that gavel in your hand? Eh? Wha?JUDGEMENT! We have all done it. We have all had those feelings of , “I am so much farther ahead of him spiritually!” or “Ugh. She won’t leave that person who is treating her poorly?? She must deserve it!”. But let us not forget, each of us has something someone else can judge us for. No one can win the “I am better” game; no one. Each of us has our own path to walk; our own journey to traverse. Some run. Some walk. Some trip but keep going. But what if we fall? Isn’t it so much more lovely to think that we have someone along the path that happens upon us and reaches down to help us up, instead of pointing, laughing and running farther ahead? Like it or not, we are all in this crazy human experience together. Why not settle our sh$t, band together, and knock this journey out of the park? Because sitting high up on your self imposed pedestal with your gravel at hand will only lead to nose bleeds and knock downs. As I said before, I believe we are a sum of our experiences. So maybe that person that buys tons of prepackaged processed easiness doesn’t yet know of the healthier choices available. Or that person in a terrible relationship? Perhaps they have never experienced real love and have been convinced no one else will ever love them. We cannot possibly know a person by judging them. It leaves you open for judgement as well. I know people who profess to be health nuts but drink diet soda by the case. And people who feel that they are healthy because they are slim, but drink alcohol like it is prohibition days. None of us are immune. By clearing out our mind and realizing we are all on the same damn ship ,we can forgo the attitude and judgement and start living our own healthier life. Because it is our own life that should be important to us, not someone else’s.

Ok, we are now aware of some of those pesky human issues we carry with us. Dang, I don’t remember asking for any of those when I was picking out “characteristics”, do you!? 😉 I believe it must be our base model. So how do we go about expanding our base model? How can we stop judging and competing and letting ego barrel through? My thought is this; self-awareness is the key to personal growth. So by hip checking your mind when you notice you are starting some of that, you can move toward a more peace filled mindset. There are so many wonderful books out there right now that can help illuminate your path and perhaps extend that hand to help you up. There are movies and documentaries that embody peace and kindness. There are even spiritual or mindfulness channels out there. Look, learn, explore. In my profile, I have a list of some of my favorite helper books to those that are interested. Check them out if you wish. Or contact me on my Facebook page and ask which ones I would recommend. Please remember, everyone moves along this thing called LIFE at their own pace, with their own set of rules/morals/guidelines. Though you can help people along on their journey, it is still theirs, and theirs alone. It does not matter to anyone but them. Just as your ride is yours. You don’t want people telling you what you are doing wrong. You also don’t want unsolicited advice. So when you meet up with someone at a different stage in their growth, try to keep compassion in your heart and kindness in your being. Or, at the very least, remember that they are different beings with a different set of experiences. They are not worse or better. They just ARE.

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