Sometimes, things just don’t go to plan and it always seems to be at the most inconvenient time. None of us are immune to change, but it is inevitable. Some would even say that change is the one certainty in life. When it comes to your health and changes that occur it’s important to reflect on what you CAN do to direct the outcome and your experience of it.
Every day, I help people with changes to their health and fitness that are no longer acceptable to them. These are just a few of the things I hear in my clinic when someone first comes to see me.
- “I don’t know how I got to this state, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
- “I do all the right things, eat well, don’t drink, and yet I have this {health} problem.”
- “Why me?”
- “I know why I am this way, I don’t know why I didn’t take action sooner.”
- “This thing happened to me, and it’s changed everything, I just want to go back to the way things were.”
At the point where you realise that you are no longer content with the way things are, it’s time to start to question what can be done. For some people this takes a matter of minutes, for others months or even years. There is no right or wrong.
Pro-Active Versus Re-Active
At any point in time, you can choose to be pro-active or re-active. If you choose to be re-active, consciously or not, you might find yourself, worried, anxious, frightened, fearful, teary, depressed or angry. Re-active choices mean that on some level you blame circumstances, people and just the general tides of life for the outcomes you experience. As though, someone else is “calling the shots.”
For many, being pro-active takes more effort and practice than being re-active. But, everyone has the ability to strengthen this skill. Being pro-active means consciously choosing to change the things you can, ahead of time, towards the outcome you’d prefer. Some examples of being proactive would be:
- Stretching and warming up before exercise and after, to prevent injuries and enhance the experience.
- Scheduling time for self-care to avoid missing out or burning out.
- Talking to your boss about some of the things that aren’t working for you in the office, and presenting some possible solutions.
- Choosing to eat some eggs and veges for breakfast or a green smoothie, rather than a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes every day.
It’s important to find the balance between planning ahead, being proactive and allowing for a little bit of adventure and dynamism. We don’t get to choose or control all the outcomes, but we can definitely have a say! You have permission to live your best life, and do what it takes to reach for your goals. If you need a little help, please reach out.
“The moment you accept responsibility for everything in your life, is the moment you gain the power to change anything in your life.”
