Sunday Story...Flip the Switch

Sunday Story…Flip the Switch

There is a point in your life when you flip the switch. The switch that turns the path, steers the car in the other direction, that takes you down a different road. The question I am asking myself today is what is the motivating factor, the underlying reason that we decide to make fundamental changes in our lives?

We have talked about the pain of continuing on a particular path being less than the pleasure of going down a new path. And although this may be reason enough to lose a few pounds or quit smoking or start exercising, I really wonder if it is enough to have you shift your life into a completely different lifestyle. I think maybe, if the fear of pain or the anticipation of pleasure might get you started, might get you boot-kicked onto the path but is it really enough to have truly alter your life style?

So why do we finally flip the switch or pull the trigger, if you will. What has you go from a donut eating, camel straight smoking, coffee drinking cowboy bent on self destruction (me) to a dedicated paleo eating, crossfit fitness fanatic and martial arts maniac (also me)? These two life styles could not be further from each other.

You have been under attack you know. Throughout your life you have been bombarded by images bent on creating conformity within you. Eat this and you will be popular. Dress this way and you will be cool (like everyone else). All the cool people do this. If you want to be skinny eat this and not that. This attack is simply meant to liberate your money from your wallet. If everyone wants the same thing, eats the same thing then there is a lot more of it to sell and a lot more profit. Marketing is not a bad thing, in and of itself. But over the few years too much of that marketing has been selling us a crock of, well, crap. Bad food, worse habits, quick fixes, and herd think has lessened our desire to be the individuals we are meant to be.

It also didn’t happen all at once. It crept up on you a little at a time, 5 pounds here, 5 pounds there, a poor attitude a bit here, a smarmy, sarcastic remark, the t-shirt with a particularly facetious saying on it and the next thing you know…It’s a hundred pounds, your attitude has no gratitude and your hoping just to keep your average, mediocre boat afloat for a while longer.

That is not to say that this isn’t your fault. It is your responsibility for the way your life looks. You didn’t have to drink that kool-aid you know. And you can stop drinking it anytime you are ready. But it may take a time or two before you finally completely and totally stop drinking at the magical mediocrity trough. But you can do it if you really, really want to.

So how do you really get the switch flipped? What does it take to get on the track you really belong on? What is going to be your over-riding impetus to effect the real change you and your soul are so longing for?

It is going to take one thing and one thing only…a decision backed by a commitment. You need to decide that your life doesn’t have to be this way anymore. There is something else, something more, something bigger, something you are meant to do. Then, once the decision is made, commit to creating a process and sticking to it. No matter what. No matter how many people tell you it can’t be done, no matter who ridicules or tries to pull you off course, no matter if you fall off the path. You will keep going. There is no failure on this journey. There is the learning that comes from experimentation. There is the lesson that you get when things don’t quite work out as you planned. But there is no failure because your course is set, your resolve is unbending, you are on a mission.

For myself, I decided I no longer wanted to die the slow, inexorable death waiting for me down the road I was on. The destination on that road had 5 or 6 little brown prescription bottles, a working relationship with several physicians, a non-working relationship with an insurance company, an unhappiness doing work that simply provided a paycheck and a family life that was more at home in front of the television that anywhere else. No Thanks.

I wanted to be able to do anything I chose. Just like I did when I was 8 or 10 years old and the whole world was wide open. Physically I wanted to be able to do whatever it was that I chose to do without fear of injury or chronic pain. Mentally I am constantly learning and keeping my brain engaged in so many processes. I have a vision for my life and what and how I want it to look. I make a difference everyday in the lives of the people around me. I live a life designed with my purpose in mind and designed to fulfill that purpose. I walk my talk. But it was conscious choice. And behind that choice was the will to commit to the process. And in that process was a road of self –discovery…a place where all knowledge was on the table, nothing was assumed to be true anymore. There is no magic bullet, no magic door to walk through for optimum health and wellness. It is work and it is a lifestyle. And it is a journey I plan on continuing to the end of my days.

The legacy, the inspiration I want to leave you with is this…you can still be whoever you want to be. You can still choose what and who you want to be when you grow up. It’s never too late. Or you can continue on the path of your certain future. For me…I’m wearing shades ‘cuz the future’s so bright!

Namaste
John
“Teaching Focus, Inspiring Transformation”
www.martialartsnevada.com

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