Louise Fisichella...
Louise Fisichella has studied Comparitive Religions,Yoga, nutrition and health for over 30 years
Make Yo Changes
Sooner or later everyone reaches a point when they just want to shed the unwanted burdens in life and just start over... well, how comes they don't? Maybe they are functioning under a belief system that tells them that is just not possible. That because of their age, their economic situation, or that for some other reason, meaningful change is just outside their grasp even though they desperately want it. Perhaps they have tried, to some degree in the past and failed more often than they care to remember.
Although we might not be able to totally change our lives, we can make little changes that add up to big ones. Let's start out with some immediate and small changes. If the first thing you do in the morning is tell yourself something negative like, "ah darn, another day at work", you could change that to, "many people are unemployed right now and I am grateful to have a job"! And that would help you to get off to a better start. Perhaps some light stretching in the morning might help you feel better physically. Maybe skipping the news would help. After all you can catch up on the news anytime, why first thing in the morning when you want to set the mood for the rest of your day?
Or perhaps you wake up and smoke a cigarette. Then tell yourself, “Maybe tomorrow I can quit” and right away you start putting yourself down because you did smoke. Maybe something as small as skipping the first one and drinking a glass of orange juice instead will make you feel better about yourself and add to your self-confidence. What we do for ourselves in the morning, how we start out our day, has the most influence over how the rest of that day plays out. I have found meditation to be indispensable to setting the tone of my day.
Maybe you look at yourself in the mirror, see all your flaws and signs of aging and say, “I give up! I‘m aging and now am less attractive” or “I could just care less”. Maybe telling yourself something like, “my age shows a little more than it used to, I can see the real me and I am a great person with plenty to offer”! It is how we see and what we say to ourselves that makes the biggest difference in how others see us. Taking a brisk 20 minute walk everyday is free and adds color to your face. It makes it light up and gives you a more vibrant appearance. That in turn will make you look healthier and younger! Eating fresh foods gives us a healthier more youthful appearance.
I hope you’re starting to get some pictures in your mind of changes you can begin with ... some baby steps you can take. Small things we can do add up to big changes! We believe what we tell ourselves, especially when we repeat them daily. This is one self imposed burden that we can rid ourselves of and it doesn’t cost one penny.
Designate one random hour and set a timer. After the hour sit down and write out whatever you can remember of what you had said to yourself during that hour. What had you spent the time thinking about, investing your minds energy on? Now make an honest assessment of what you heard. Ask yourself if you tell yourself things that support your gifts or diminish them? If you are already familiar with this technique and have practiced it in the past, do a self-check up and see if you have slipped back into “negative self-talk”.
Any time you choose, take an honest look at what you’re actually doing in your life on an hourly basis, your behaviors, habits and routines. Do you take extra good care when you’re brushing your teeth, combing your hair or showering? Are you showing yourself and your body love and nurturing? Or do you hurry thru these activities wishing you didn’t have to take the time? Allow the pleasure in caring and grooming yourself, taking special care to be gentle and through. Improve your technique? Adding something extra or special to daily routines can revive the pleasure. Buy a new kind of toothpaste, whitening strips, or super minty mouthwash. Admire your improved technique and congratulate yourself each time you give yourself extra special nurturing. All the little things add up on a daily basis to a big change in the longer term.
We all want quick results, and sometimes even immediate results. Ask if this kind of thinking benefits you? No? So quit doing it. Put it in perspective and decide how long it really takes to make any king of change? Then ask, “Does it make sense that I expect big changes in my life after just a short period of time? Change takes time, unless some kind of trauma or crisis occurs. We want to avoid these by being proactive now.
The burdens we carry come from the belief we are stuck with them. That we have tried, failed, or are too old to find relief from them. Some people believe they don’t deserve to be burden free. Some people believe that carrying burdens is inescapable, unavoidable and expected in life, a part of breathing. And guess what, that is exactly what will happen if you don’t work on your thinking. You can change your belief system as long as you believe you can and take action.
I hope your starting to get the picture, change begins with baby steps. Small things we can do add up to big changes! We believe what we tell ourselves and our actions confirm our belief. These self imposed burdens can be overcome. We can rid ourselves of them, little by slowly and it doesn’t cost one penny.
I want to add something to my next article. I want to ask each and every one of you to look around in your family, community of friends and acquaintances and see if there is anyone whom you could spread a little light, love and self-empowerment to and take small steps to help them help themselves. Then write me a note and tell me what you did. I would like to pass along practical everyday things that don’t cost money and that anyone can do to make a difference in their own or someone else’s life!
Look forward to hearing from you at
Louise@Higher-Ground.com
As always you can e-mail me and I will help guide you towards more learning and exploration of alternatives to traditional Western eating!
Contact Louise at Go Figure Body Works
E-mail: Louise Fisichella
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