 |
Health knowledge made personal
|
|
|
Health knowledge made personal
|
|
Last night, I had a thought-provoking conversation with some good friends about our ability to change - both as individuals and as a population.
We first started discussing how change (at the level of a population/country/world) usually only happens when a major event has taken place. For instance, some of the greatest periods of innovation came about because of World War 1 and 2. Dramatic improvements in travel security have been made since 9.11. The examples are many but what is interesting is that it seems to be the same thing at the micro level - that is, at an individual level. And we've seen it countless times where people make no improvements to their lifestyle until something dramatically painful happens. Here are some examples that I've personally encountered:
Again, these are just a few examples of how as human beings we are wired to behave in certain ways and have a very tough time changing who we are as we go through life. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a firm believer in continuous improvement, personal growth, and life-long learning but to be honest, it is very difficult to change unless you experience a tremendous amount of pain that forces you to adopt different habits and behaviours. In fact, social psychologist Morris Massey's research has found that very few people make significant life changes after the age of thirteen! Massey explains that by this point in life, our core values, beliefs, and strategies are locked in and we rarely change (if ever) unless we experience what Massey calls a "significant emotional event." Can you relate? I'm sure there are areas of your life that just seem to never improve. You set a goal or vow to change the way you do something, but then fall right back into your "programmed" ways of behaving. I know this is true in my life. Unfortunately, in most cases, it takes such a painful event to truly change. This type of event causes us to step back, take an inventory of our life, and potentially choose a new direction. Such traumatic events can be life-threatening diseases, loss of a loved one, car accidents, or anything else that causes huge amounts of pain. But why am I talking about this? Well, I'm the first one to believe in the potential of each one of us to make small incremental changes that can lead to incredible results. But part of the strategy is to get uncomfortable with where you are right now. Take stock of your life right now. Get clear. What are you happy about and what is in your life that is just not good enough. Obviously, we don't want to have rely on traumatic events to change us. A simple strategy you can use right now is to simply ask yourself, "What do I not want in my life?" The answer to this question can help you gain perspective and clarity which can then help you focus on what you DO want in your life. Then, the goal is to focus on what you want, not on what you don't want, since what you focus on expands. So why not take action today by getting clear on what's important to you and taking the initiative to make it your reality. Don't wait until it's too late. Be courageous and commit to being a better, healthier person each and every day! YURI |
Write a comment:
|
