Think for a moment about something you would like to be drastically different in your life experience. What stands in the way of you having a different experience around that “thing”? If I told you you could have a very different experience, where do your thoughts immediately go? What is your response? Common and normal responses are those of listing reasons why that couldn’t happen, or maybe not responding at all outwardly but inside your mind is throwing up a ton of skepticism, doubt, and resistance. What we experience day to day is something that, whether it be unpleasant or pleasant, feels safe and “known” to our brains. Disturbing that status quo automatically feels unsafe and risky to our brains…precisely because it IS unknown. I have many clients who are desperate for a certain shift in their lives around their health. Often it’s permanent weight loss, sometimes it’s just a desire to reclaim who they are, and get their personal power back after years of being at everyone’s beck and call. When it comes down to saying “yes! I’m in!” the resistance I spoke of comes up. Their cerebral cortex brains decide for that moment it is risky and probably a dead end for them to even try. Because (it reminds them) they have tried before and failed. So why even try again? It is this same phenomenon that causes people to be in repeated abusive relationships even after knowing the suffering they will endure. That very suffering is what is known and on some level feels normal and safe.

I am not a psychologist but I have witnessed this countless times in my own brain. To try something new ALWAYS feels like the wrong thing for sure.

STRESS and ANXIETY are things we live with and are very well acquainted with. In fact, we are so acquainted with them that they feel normal to our brains and bodies. We are even more comfortable living in a tight scheduled, frenzied, over-committed calendar than we are making a decision to do something about that and change it to a healthier way of living. For example, if I convinced you that if you gave a new 10 minutes each day toward lowering your stress level your health would be massively changed, would you do it? For how long? What tiny shifts are you willing to make (and I mean implement for good, even if you can’t “see” the outcome)? And the more stress we feel the less we can be convinced to make the changes that will help us. It’s like we are caught in a net.

Put another way, staying warm and comfortable and breathing shallow breaths is the reason most of us decline with age. It gets harder and harder to convince the brain to venture out and go for it. Our bodies slow, weaken and store the fuel we give them because we really don’t have a lot of need for it. This equates to disease.

My friend here is the truth. You are in charge of your future. Don’t wait and hope the winds will just somehow be favorable to you. Those who are successful are those who decide to do the uncomfortable “risky feeling” thing and go for something brand new or to pursue more excellence. Don’t wait for those around you to do the new thing…they may not. Take your power back and make some intentional decisions about how your future health is going to look. Then pursue it as your life depends upon it. It very well may.