Kenneth Patton once said, “By the
choices and acts of our lives, we create the person that we are.”
You’ll often overhear them saying
they want to change…they need to change…that they’ve had enough and can’t take
it anymore! It’s common for them to go through this “new me” process on January
1st, but by January 2nd their resolve is already wavering. I think it’s safe to
say that we’ve all been there.
Change can be so hard, especially
when it’s more of a wish than a commitment, or when you feel stuck and are just
trying to survive another day in the trenches.
One of the most common reasons why
people don’t experience lasting change is because they try to change too many
things all at the same time!
Life is complex with a lot of moving
parts. We’re complicated creatures with physical, mental, emotional, relational
and spiritual dimensions.
But let’s make it really simple. How
satisfied are you with your life? When you consider your physical health,
relationships, career, finances, spirituality, emotions or other aspects of
your life, are you happy?
You’re probably happier with certain
things than others.
What direction are your choices
taking you?
A GLIMPSE
Let’s just consider the physical
dimension of our being and get a glimpse of where lifestyle choices are taking
certain people. (These statistics change often and might have already changed
by the time you read this post.)
In the United States:
- 2500 people die daily of heart
disease. Average years of life lost? 14.2 per person.
- 1500 people will die today of cancer.
- 2 people are diagnosed every 10
seconds with type-2 diabetes.
- 24 million people in the U.S have
diabetes and over 57 million have pre-diabetes.
- Estimates suggest that 1 of 3
children born in 2000 will develop type-2 diabetes.
34% of Americans are obese. 33% are
overweight.
- Obesity can shorten life by 10 years.
This is not a far cry from the
happenings in Africa or Nigeria to be precise
WE ARE WHAT WE CHOOSE.
We make our choices and then our
choices make us (talk about raining on our parade!).
Despite amazing advances in medical
research and treatment, 80% of the chronic, non-communicable diseases from
which people suffer are the results of their lifestyle choices.
But Here’s the Good News…
We have the power to turn things
around by simply making better choices. We are in charge of the quality and
destiny of our life.
New life, a better life
is just one choice away.
THE WHOLE PICTURE
We must keep in mind that when we
talk about health, we’re talking about the whole person – the
mental, physical and spiritual dimensions.
We long for abundant health in mind,
body and soul, not just body. Here on the website and blog RITSPOKE we
discuss total-person-health because people can be disease-free but not well.
Abundant life is having the energy,
vitality and strength in your whole person to live life to the
fullest!
Abundant health is having energy to
burn.
It’s having a reason to get out of
bed in the morning!
It’s having the physical, emotional
and spiritual resources to squeeze every ounce of juice possible out life!
There’s more to health than diet and
exercise. There’s more to health than disease prevention. True wellness
involves the whole person.
Take a quick inventory of your life.
Where might be a good place to start with making change? What one new choice
could you make today?
Maybe change begins by focusing on a
key relationship, or by moving your body more, or by eating less of certain
unhealthy foods; or maybe it starts with blocking off a day just for yourself
to think, plan, dream or feel alive!
I don’t know what it is for you or
where you need to get started because that something that only you know, but
I’d like to leave you with these encouraging words from General Colin Powell:
“None of us can change our yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows.”
Tomorrow begins today…and all it
takes is making a new and better choice in some area of your life where you
want to be happier and more satisfied.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
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