Would you rather be the richest person in the graveyard or have a degree in hindsight?
Setting The Scene
In 1991 I was so addicted to McDonald’s I couldn’t even drive past one without stopping. Looking back I seriously believe that I was subconsciously planning my route everyday to ensure that I received my daily fix. My addiction for fast food took control of my mind and my waist for a few years, seeing me balloon to well over 200 pounds or 100kg in weight.
Mind Games
I needed a reality check to understand and digest the complexity of the human body, so ultimately I could win back control.
We arrive on this planet in a unique shell, with a fully functional brain. We are encouraged to climb our hereditary tree of knowledge, and taking the path of our forefathers, we use our educational sponges to soak up as much information as we can.
Some of us develop faster than others, some of us have more capacity than others, and some of us are simply side tracked by a multitude of distractions. But the one question that remains unanswered is; why do we keep falling out of our tree?
We fall, we break, we fail, but what if we could rise, heal, and overcome?
Before we can master our own minds we need to understand why we always seem to learn our lessons the hard way?
So here is my challenge for you!
Grab your remote control of life, right here and right now and press your PAUSE button.
Take a step back, because it’s time for reflection. I’d like to share with you the 12 steps of how I changed my life, how I ultimately took control of my mental health issues and most importantly how I finally gained control of my brain. I hope you can gain some inspiration from it.
1. Mind Over Matter
Think about this, why is it that a greater power seems to control our every move?
- Do you feel like you’ve made the wrong decisions?
- Do you get cravings for things that you know are really bad for you?
- Do you find yourself battling your feelings and emotions and no matter what you do you have no control?
- Do you find it hard to change direction, through self-doubt and a lack of confidence?
We all know deep down that cigarettes will damage our health, that too much alcohol will transform us from Jekyll to Hyde, that too much caffeine can end up leaving us shaking for more. We also know that eating just one bar of chocolate can soon lead to two or three and we also know that adopting a takeaway lifestyle will simply leave us requiring bigger clothes.
We all have this urge to simply ignore what is happening to us. It’s normal isn’t it? Well only if we want it to be. Until we accept the fact that abusing our body leads to unwanted stress, anxiety and ill health, we won’t be able to maximise our ‘work-life’ balance.
It’s all so wrong, we know it, so why do we all keep doing it?
Let me tell you this gently. Your greatest ally of all these years, your wingman, the one you thought you could rely on 100% of your time, your inner mind, your soul and your vision is actually really a conniving, vindictive traitor and an embarrassment to everything that you stand for.
I am of course referring to ‘your brain’.
It let me down so many times and continually guided me down the wrong path.
Never fear though because it’s never too late to change, so if this article is resonating with you in any way then maybe it’s time to prepare yourself for your own reality check.
2. The Solution
Now is the time to get things right and now is the time to see the light.
– It’s time to reprogram the impulsive side of your brain before it takes control over your life forever. Keeping it at bay, like a genie in a bottle, allowing it only to function under your new terms and conditions.
– It’s time to recognise your past mistakes and put them right, it’s time for you to change.
– It’s time for you to be healthy and it’s time for you to be successful.
3. So How Did I Make The change?
I asked myself why? Why was my brain constantly leading me into temptation and not delivering me from evil. I needed it to be back on the right wavelength, my wavelength and once I’d seen through its failings I decided to take back control, adopting an all new attitude because ultimately;
‘My Health Was To Become My Wealth’
4. Seeing Through The Marketing Hype
The sooner I realised that diets didn’t work, the sooner I was on the road to healthier living. Slimming organisations are turning over $1.5billion a year and employing 18,000 people. They tell you they have the holy grail of solutions, but if they did we would all be slim and they wouldn’t have a business? My advice is to think of them as just another marketing machine. Think past their power of manipulation, their power of repeat prescription, because the four words you might be looking for right now to change your life are as simple as
Move More, Eat Less
5. Jump Aboard Your Boat Of Self Control
So here’s the plan; what we need to do is reprogram our brains so that ultimately we can maintain a healthy lifestyle. I conditioned myself through willpower and sacrifice with the positive thought of having a new healthy lifestyle. That’s ultimately what we all need to grasp. The sooner we do it, the more energy we will have and the better work-life balance we will all enjoy.
Let me make this clear, I am not a psychologist or a specialist on diet, food or exercise but I’d like to think I have a lot of common sense. All my opinions are simply based on my observations and experiences.
6. The Trigger
We all seem to be waiting for a reason, a moment to make the change. Pain in our chest, a persistent cough or even our doctors advice, there often needs to be a trigger, but why wait for it to get to that stage? Gaining control of your intake is one of the greatest accomplishments you will achieve in life.
I removed additives from my life such as salt, sugar, caffeine, nicotine and reduced the alcohol intake. This gave me a new ability to focus, made me less tired and had the added assurance that I wouldn’t get diabetes or remain obese. I also made commitments, cutting out sweets, snacks and bread for a year and the rewards were clear to see.
I remember a test that Jamie Oliver did with two twins aged 11. They both accomplished a memory test in the same time of 2 minutes. They were then sent home for a week before completing the test again. One twin who cut out all junk food then completed the test some 30 seconds faster than his brother.
7. Work Life Balance
Back in 1991, I was a young, enthusiastic lad, keen to please my peers, but what I wasn’t aware of, was the damage I was doing to my health, my family and my wellbeing. Along with most, I had never even considered or had any comprehension of the term Mental Health or any comprehension of how to balance my life. Working from seven o’clock in the morning until Midnight wasn’t probably my smartest move and although it got me the work results I needed, there were sacrifices I shouldn’t have had to make. I didn’t give my family enough time, I wasn’t exercising or sleeping enough and I wasn’t eating the right food. I couldn’t now imagine doing this in 2020. I’m not suggesting you don’t work hard, I just feel that we can all do it smarter. Having seven to eight hours sleep a night is essential along with removing unnecessary screen time.
8. Beware Of Burnout
Some thirty years on and all these mistakes caught up with me. Using my degree in hindsight, it’s pretty clear what I was doing wrong in my early years. They say that youth is wasted on the young and now I know I could have been so much more efficient?
9. Dedication, Motivation And Willpower
Finally making the change had a massive impact on my body. I was over 40 pounds or 20kg heavier than I am now. I just wish I had written this blog 30 years ago.
I’ve been fortunate in life that I haven’t had any serious issues other than a few minor operations, but maybe that’s because I made the change early enough. If you want to minimise your chances of a stroke, heart disease, diabetes, knee and hip operations then the sooner you act the greater your rewards will be.
10. Mind Over Matter
We all have emotional issues during our life, but we can all draw strength from our experiences. I found myself leaving my father in hospital every day before breaking down into a flood of tears. I just couldn’t stop. People have always seen me as a strong person, but behind the facade of any confident person is their emotional weakness or their hidden world. The doctor wanted to prescribe me with some drugs but I simply said; “Doc, I don’t want any drugs, I just want to stop crying”.
11. Tipping Point
So what was the decisive moment or the changing moment for me? It was after my mother in law died and my father came out of hospital. The whole episode was a great reminder for me of how we only live once and that we have to gain control of our minds before we can move ahead and make the changes we all want to.
12. Rolling My Dice Of Life
I’m a strong believer that by making these changes as early as possible, I’ve given myself a better chance of longevity when I finally have to roll my dice of life.
So now is the time to pick up your remote of control and press the PLAY button and start enjoying your life with hard work, more sleep, more exercise and more family time combined with less junk, less addictions and less weight. Congratulations you will soon have the chance to focus clearly on your work-life balance objectives.
The Final Word
As long as you remain in control of your brain then ‘your health will become your wealth’.