Everything is Connected

From quantum mechanics theorem, quantum entanglement, wave function collapse, electromagnetic interaction of electrons, to ancient Buddhist scripts to social science research, by way of television, internet, newspapers, books—and yes, even in one-on-one conversation—we are all connected. In an absolutely mind-bending way everything and everyone is connected to everything and everyone else. It’s true.

John Muir said it more eloquently when he wrote:  "When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.”

So, exactly what does this have to do with wellness and well-being? It ties-in to our tag line: Spreading Viral Wellness ™.

  

More than likely, you’ve heard of Six Degrees of Separation—the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of a friend of a friend statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. (Personally, I haven’t tested this, but someday when I run out of things to do I plan to.)

Here’s where wellness and our collective well-being can come into play. How do these friends of friends feel about their own wellness and well-being? Yes, this is a loaded question. You may not know (and don’t actually have to know) the answer. It doesn’t matter. The point is six degrees, or steps, are only six steps—so what happens if each one us takes a healthy step we decide is important enough to move us in the direction we want to go with our own well-being.  

Think of six simple steps (reduced portion size, a walk around the block, less soda, a few more mindful choices). Now,  imagine what can happen if we share those steps, and the person we share them with shares them with someone else. At this point, wellness does indeed become viral—even contagious. 

Can’t you just imagine where this could lead? Why wouldn’t we all want to go there?

But, It's Good For You

How many times have you heard . . . Stand up straight, it’s good for you. Eat your vegetables, it’s good for you. You need more sleep, it’s good for you. Turn off the TV and go outside and play, it’s good for you. Put the cookie back and go get an apple out of the fridge, it’s good for you.  Guess what? It’s all true.

Yet, in your very heart of hearts, do you know why it matters? Do you know your possibilities and your limitations? Do you know that what you believe, to a great degree predicts and determines the life you will experience?  This too, is true—you can’t fully live a life that’s disconnected from your belief system. What you believe and the strength of those beliefs can weigh you down and anchor you to a life of disappointment if you don’t act on them—or lift you up, opening the possibilities of a life full of what you want it to be.

In your life, there are things you believe in and want to do. It matters that you work toward and embrace them.

Believe it—you can become that person you want to be. Believe in your resiliency, and no matter how far away you think you might be today from where you want to be, know that you can develop those attributes, attitudes and skills necessary to reach your goals. And, if your health and well-being isn’t one of those goals, I’m thinking you will find it hard to reach other goals.

Yet belief is just the first step. If you don’t believe you can rise to the occasion, that you just don’t have it in you, then you will never take the needed next steps toward your dreams, because you won’t believe it’s possible to reach them.

Only fear and doubt stand in your way. When you believe in your potential, you will feel confident in taking those necessary steps to eliminate the obstacles that stand in your way. Your choices in life will determine how you experience your life—the actions you take toward your goals will be influenced by your thoughts and attitudes. And those attitudes will be formed by what you come to believe is good for you.

So, think about what’s really good for you—and for your family, your friends, and community. We’re all connected, after all. Make the most of those positive connections—they’re good for you!

Underground Wellness

Hmmm . . .  underground? Wellness? What can it possibly mean? Here’s what.

We all hear a lot about wellness, unless we’re living under a rock (as in underground). The word wellness is so over-used, it’s hard to decide exactly what it encompasses, and what it doesn’t. It’s hard to decide where it belongs, and doesn’t. At work? In the community? At school? In your own home? Who’s in charge here?  You are. At least, you should be.

No doubt you’ve probably heard about the importance of  creating a Culture of Wellness. “Culture” is key to this idea of underground wellness because culture is defined as the collection of shared belief systems and habits of a particular group.

Think of culture as an underground river, running through our lives and relationships, sending us the very messages that shape our perceptions, judgments, and our own ideas of self and others.

We all belong to and are part of a culture and it is as natural as the blood running through our bodies. It’s what makes each of us who we are. It influences us in just about every way imaginable, and actually can define how we view right and wrong, good or bad, fun or boring—in essence, who we are . Culture contributes to the way we dress, the food we eat, and the people we work with and spend time with. It divides and joins us. It can be the bond between us, or the wedge that drives us apart.

To drive the point home, culture is that binding force that brings us and ties us together, providing a sense of purpose and belonging.

Now, an underground culture is a sort of counter-culture, a subculture whose values and norms of behavior deviate from those of mainstream society. Believe it or not, wellness has become an underground culture. Current estimates point out that only 1 in 7 U.S. workers is of normal weight without a chronic illness, and that 67 percent of our society is overweight or obese. About 20 percent of us still smoke. Up to 85 percent of us feel an increasing degree of stress. And, it’s estimated that by 2020, 50 percent of the population will have type 2 diabetes.

So where is this Culture of Wellness we keep hearing about? I’d have to say, it’s gone underground . . . but if we each take the initiative, we can bring wellness back to the mainstream. We really can create that Culture of Wellness—if we decide wellness will begin to shape our lives, be a part of who we decide to be and who we are. What do you think?

The Road to Wellness . . . Step by Step, Plan by Plan

Not all steps are big steps and not all plans are big plans, and not all roads are smooth—the point is to plan ahead and take those steps. How else will you reach your goals? And, without planning ahead, without taking a step forward, how else will you move past the detours and roadblocks when you have a “misstep?”

What you do today, how you utilize the present, has a real and direct effect on how well you will meet your goals tomorrow. And yes, it does require even minimal planning. Start small.

Take a few minutes and think about what you want to accomplish—short term and long term. Be specific. Try to anticipate the roadblocks, and know that you will come face-to-face with a few. But, here’s where planning comes back in to play. If you have a “detour plan” in place, you still know where you’re going.

Commit to your plan. Whether you do it publicly or privately, make that commitment to yourself—and then stay with it. Congratulate and reward yourself when you see that your progress is moving you toward your goals. After all, it’s your plan and they are your goals and ultimately only you can make them happen—so give it all you’ve got.

Finally, don’t let the roadblocks you will face become dead ends. The temptations and setbacks provide an opportunity to prove to yourself that you can move past them. If you stick with your plan and take the necessary steps to move toward your goal, you will find you have what it takes to deal with problems that are out of your own control.

To complete the analogy, you’re on the road to wellness, potholes and all. It helps to remember that the road to wellness is always under construction.

A New Year, An Old Thought—Here We Go Again

We’ve all made resolutions, usually about once a year when January 1 rolls around, resolutions about working toward healthier habits, and ultimately, better health. And, we’ve all, at times veered away from our best intentions, usually unintentionally. This says, “we’re human. It’s what we humans do.” And, it also says we sometimes end up doing what we don’t intend to do or want to do. That’s part of what makes us human. When we make a resolution, or set our sights on a goal we want to meet—and then we don’t, that also makes us human. Maybe not happy with ourselves, but human.

So if we don’t give up, we try again, and maybe we try harder. We fall down six times, we get up seven. But, just how hard are we supposed to try? How hard is this wellness stuff supposed to be?

Actually, it’s about as hard as we make it. It’s really pretty simple. It’s just not easy. So, which is it? Well, like life, it’s a long chain of choices. There are “cues” all around us that move us toward or away from the choices we make—and the reasons why. We make certain choices because we think they are better for us. We associate the choices we make with comfort or denial, success or failure. And, sometimes we choose one thing over another without even knowing why. (Do you know that by simply believing something is good for you, or believing it tastes good, you attribute a higher value to it—and eat more of it. As an example, if you see an expensive looking name on a bottle of wine, you will tend to drink more of it.)

Now, let’s think about less . . . because less of something is also a choice. Less isn’t necessarily about deprivation. As an active choice, less of something can actually be more (no this isn’t gobbledygook, there is a point), depending on how you choose to look at it. Less food can mean better health (more health). It can mean weight loss (more health). It can mean success as you go after your New Year’s resolution (more health). You probably have the idea by now. And, where ideas are concerned, here’s a wild one . . . we know it’s socially acceptable to support each other when we’re trying to break the smoking habit. Think what we could accomplish, individually and collectively, if we made eating a less socially acceptable habit?

Here’s a final thought on the choices we make, the reasons we make them, and what we hope to achieve with our New Year’s resolution of working toward better health and healthier habits. Have you ever thought about what you can accomplish if rather than focusing on what you “have” to give up, you focus instead on what you will get in return?