VividLiving. Authentic Health in the 21st Century

Part Two. Chapter One. A New Age of Health

26/4/2020

How Are You Feeling, Really?
In order to discover what authentic health means to you, it’s essential you allow yourself time to honestly assess how well the different aspects of your life are working. This includes an assessment of how you are feeling physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, as well as an evaluation of the contrast between how things are today and how you would most like them to be. This initial step sets the groundwork for the information and activities that follow in this book. I invite you to grab a pen and paper, and find a quiet place to reflect upon your life, free of distractions. Take well-deserved time to move through the following series of questions, drawing your attention to the well-being of your mind, body, and spirit.

Photo Credit: Fotografierende

Physical
First, list any changes you would like to see in the health of your body or physical ability. In what ways would you like your body to be healthier? Analyse these future physical changes based on a genuine assessment of the body you have today, and its realistic physical potential. Consider the differences between those things you can control about your physical health, like lowering cholesterol or quitting smoking, and the attributes that are a permanent part of your physical body. A valuable part of understanding our authentic self is to be able to differentiate between those physical states or features that are the way they are because of our lack of attention to them – these things could be improved - and those states that, like-it-or-not, which are part of us and make make us the amazing and unique human that we are. Acceptance and even love of those parts can go a long way towards improving authentic health.

Describe the physical self, you would be most proud of. List any improvements you would like to see/feel in your physical health.
Determine how each potential physical change would lead to an improved and more enjoyable quality of life.
Everyone has a unique physical characteristic or challenge, without which they would not be themselves. What’s yours? Would the absence of this characteristic allow you to be more authentic, or is the characteristic integral to who you are?
Is it possible for you to embrace those unalterable parts of yourself, and find acceptance of what is?

Photo Credit: Finn Hackshaw

Emotional
Your emotions can motivate you to make positive changes in your life, or interfere with your ability to discern and move forward in a pro-active way. Reflect back upon your day, and assess your emotional responses in different environments: at home or work, during the morning routine verses the evening one.

How often does your emotional response empower you, and how often does it deplete you?
When or where do you emotionally feel your best, and at what times or in what places do you struggle with your emotions?
How do your emotions enhance or interfere with your ability to have a vibrant healthy life?
Are there any areas of your life that would benefit if your emotions were more positive and life-affirming?

Intellectual
Your intellectual self is enhanced when you understand your world and things important to you.

What do you need to learn to be your best and healthiest self?
Do you have an understanding of your body and how it works?
Do you know the causes and possible cures of any illnesses or health conditions you have?
Are you familiar with the resources and support networks in your community?
Do you know how to get what you need?
Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn?
In what areas could intellectual growth improve your quality of life and your ability to be ideally healthy and happy?

Spiritual
When examining your spiritual well-being, reflect upon your choices, behaviour, thoughts, and feelings. Contemplate their alignment with your deepest and most passionate beliefs about your world and place in it.

Photo Credit: Dingzeyu Li

What part does spirituality play in your health and wellbeing?
Do you give yourself enough time to connect with the spiritual part of you?
Do your spiritual beliefs connect, or separate you from that which brings you internal peace?
Do your spiritual activities and ideas empower you? How?

CREATING VIVID GOALS AND DESIRES

Once people have identified areas of their life they would like to change, there’s a tendency to jump straight into action. While action is certainly a critical element to achieving any goal, action without information, and sometimes contemplation, is more likely to be a reaction, and therefore less likely to be successful. Disappointment stalks those who attempt health and wellness plans that focus primarily on action, rather than the motivation behind it. Answering the who, what, when, where, how, and why questions is useful before starting any new plan, allowing answers to arise from honest self-reflection. The who of course, is you and is an awareness of the qualities you want to support and strengthen as you move towards your goals. Knowing what, involves creating a vivid picture of the result you most want to accomplish. The when establishes the time frame in which you will work on your goal, and whether an intended accomplishment date is appropriate. Where you work on your goal depends on whether it is an overall lifestyle change you desire, or specific to one area of your life. How identifies the steps needed to create sustainable and positive change (Chapter 4). And finally why, which is the key to understanding if your goal is authentic of not. The following activities will give you the opportunity to create specific goals, and then identify the new experiences you will create by achieving them.

*Check out this printable PDF with more information on creating your health goals, and a place to write down your thoughts.

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ESTABLISHING GOALS

After writing down the hopes and desires you’ve identified for your physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual self, see how many you can re-word into a goal statement. A goal statement is a phrase that describes your intention to complete a certain task, or achieve a certain objective. When writing your goals try - for now - to focus on the end results as opposed to the steps needed to accomplish them. Those steps will come naturally to you as you move through this book.
I recommend keeping your goals as specific as possible in order to maintain their manageability. A goal or desire is usually much easier to achieve when it’s small. Smaller goals create more frequent opportunities for feeling successful, than one large one.
Once you have written your list, decide why you chose the goals you did. List as many reasons as possible why each goal is important to you. These reasons are the driving force behind your success.

A GOAL - OR AN EXPERIENCE?

“When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life. “
Greg Anderson

Hidden among the list of reasons you’ve compiled, are experiences you want to realize. Ultimately it’s experience you want, and any goal you strive to achieve will lead you towards a new one. It’s through experience and contemplation, that the authentic you grows and thrives. If you’re feeling limited by your current level of health or wellness, it’s likely desire for a different experience you’re feeling.
There are many people who feel their health challenges are so immense they put their life on hold, waiting for the day they regain ideal health. For them, the goal of being healthy is so overwhelming it overshadows all other experiences.

Linda had heard the reports on the news and read the articles in magazines, but she never thought she would be the one to get breast cancer. The day her doctor shared the diagnosis, she felt as though the world had just swallowed her whole. As the doctor explained the treatment options and success rates, she barely heard him, as she thought about all she had to lose.
The days passed following the diagnosis, and she kept to herself, spending most of her spare time in front of the television trying to distract herself from her own thoughts. Recognizing how she had pulled away from loved-ones and community, her friends offered to take her skiing, which had always been one of her favourite things to do. Linda found herself making excuses, as she told them she was too busy to go. “Right now I have to focus on trying to get better,” she’d say to herself. “Then I can go skiing.” Although she knew she was physically well enough to ski, her desire to be cancer-free overshadowed all other parts of her life. She had unknowingly given up the things she most wanted, in an attempt to get rid of something she did not want.

In this example, Linda was so focused on a goal that she forgot that the essence of her life is still to experience. The goal to be cancer-free is vitally important, but a singular focus on it stopped her from experiencing life the way she most wanted. Fear and uncertainty can certainly inhibit ones desire to play, yet at the same time, if one is feeling well enough and continue to do the things they love it can maintain ones resilience of spirit; vital when facing difficult times.

In contrast, there are many people who live for experience, and create goals allowing them to enjoy as many meaningful moments as possible. This was demonstrated clearly by a young man who was a student in an intensive Industrial first aid course I once taught. This inspiring man had cerebral palsy, a disorder that affected his muscle co-ordination and body movement. A significant portion of the course involved skill-testing requiring strength, co-ordination, and speed in order to complete the tasks.

Photo Credit: Audi Nissen

I initially wondered about his ability to accomplish many of the exercises, but soon realized he was passionate about completing this course, regardless of his medical challenges. Whenever possible, he came up with creative ways of approaching the activities, allowing him to compensate for his physical limitations. When an exercise became too much of an obstacle, humour carried him through with ease. He believed it was his responsibility to create as many new experiences and fulfill as many dreams as possible, even with the significant physical barriers he faced. If asked, I don’t believe he’d say he had a medical problem at all, but an opportunity to be more imaginative with how he approached his life. To him, the experience was always more important than the goal.

By looking deeper into your goals and desires, and identifying the underlying experience, you will learn a lot about why you chose your goal. You may even discover that a medical problem, physical challenge or desired health improvement provides you with opportunity for original endeavors. Additionally, most people find moving towards an experience more exciting than moving towards a goal. For example, it can be much nicer to focus on the experience of moving and playing effortlessly, than focusing on getting in better shape. Find the experiences in your goals and take some time to imagine how you will feel physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually when they are, in fact, reality.

Looking at your list of goals, and reasons for them, uncover the underlying experiences you want to have, or create?
Here are some examples.

Physical Desire/ Goal: To run five km without stopping. Reason: So I can improve my level of fitness and cardiovascular health. Experience: Being is better shape will allow me to participate in fun recreational activities with my family, that I currently cannot do.

Emotional Desire/Goal: To be less angry with my partner. Reason: A more gentle approach would open the door to honest and constructive communication. Experience: A more loving and respectful relationship.

Intellectual Desire/ Goal: To understand more about the cancer treatments available to me. Reason: Understanding the conventional and alternative treatments available will allow me to make good decisions about which options to choose. Experience: An empowered and successful recovery from cancer.

Spiritual Desire/ Goal: To meditate more. Reason: To stop my thoughts from carrying me into times and places that make me uncomfortable or stressed. Experience: To feel more peaceful throughout my day and to better understand the wonder of the present moment.

DEVELOPING A HEALTH PICTURE

Phoyo Credit: Deniz Altindas

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral” Antoine DeSaint-Exupery French Author, Aviator

A health picture is a vivid visualization of you after accomplishing your health and wellness goal or realizing the experience you wish to have. It’s a detailed imagining of anything or everything you hope and dream for yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and/or spiritually. It may be a general picture of you, healthy and vibrant, or focused in on one area of your well-being. When it comes to improving your health and well-being, creating a vivid picture of what you want is very helpful. Without a clear idea of where you’re heading, it becomes harder to control the direction of your life. If you needed to drive somewhere important but were unsure of the look and location of your destination, arrival would take more effort. To be empowered is to truly have control over, not only the destination, but the journey there as well. Begin the development of your health picture by visualizing a specific change you would like to experience. Start small, and imagine the alteration as though it was true for you today.

Once you have created a clear mental picture of yourself having accomplished your goal, try adding some specific details.

What do you look like? What are you doing? How are you feeling? How are those around you responding to this new you?

Hold the vivid picture of your future-self in your mind’s eye, and continue for as long as it feels exciting to you. Stop if it feels overwhelming or emotionally uncomfortable. You can make this vision as simple or elaborate as you wish, but try to create a picture so real, you almost believe you’re there. Notice how you’re feeling as you do this. Enjoy any positive emotions that arise. To give this visualization even more power and longevity, find a way to create a real visual representation of your health picture. Consider writing about what you visualized, or draw a picture representing your experience in that future time and place. Others may prefer to make a collage, write a poem, or create a scrapbook. Symbols are often used to represent goals. You might want to find or create a symbol from anything with special meaning to you. The best part of this process is - you can’t get anything wrong! Be flexible and gentle with yourself. You may decide to change your vision five minutes from now. Great! Clarify. Refine your thoughts. It’s all part of the process - unveiling and supporting the authentic you.

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A New Age of Health. Chapter One. Part One

20/4/2020

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A New Age of Health

Chapter One. Part One.

“He who has health has hope. He who has hope has everything.”
Arabian proverb

Something is changing. I can hear it in the subtleties of conversation. I can see it in the books lining the store shelves. I can sense it when I close my eyes and feel the energy in a crowded room. One by one, people are realizing there is a power inside them, much greater than they have been taught to believe. You have come to realize that as well or you wouldn’t have started reading this book. You know there has to be a better way of approaching your health – and your life. I offer you VividLiving.
I suppose you might be wondering, “What is VividLiving?” VividLiving is mindful, authentic self-expression. It’s a life approach that allows you to embrace what’s most important to you and to consciously create the wellness you desire.

To live Vividly is to live with awareness; being mindful of the world around you and the effects your choices have on your health and well-being.

To live Vividly is to move through life with gratitude; taking time to enjoy and savour the wonderful gifts around and within you.

To live Vividly is to take advantage of all the great opportunities that await you; to make the most of every day.

To live Vividly is to have passion; to believe in something with conviction and enthusiasm. VividLiving is also about responding to your passions with awareness and balance.

To live Vividly is to tune in to your truly glorious feelings, along with signals asking you to pay attention when something is ‘not right’.

To live Vividly is to live fully in the present moment yet knowing that in this moment your intentions can move you towards an increasingly vibrant and healthy way of being.

In this way, VividLiving has much to offer, as health and well-being is the foundation upon which everything in life is based. The best-made plans and the greatest intentions can falter when illness diminishes spirit and potential. Take a moment to consider what’s most important to you. What’s so essential that, if lost, it would fundamentally change your life? How high up on your list is health? How important is it to have a healthy body, mind, and spirit? Now weigh your answers against how much time you spend each day protecting, healing, and enhancing your health and well-being. Are they a match? For some reason, it seems easier for people to admit their health is important than to behave as though it is. I believe this is because the definition of health, and the steps to improve it, have become too narrowly focused. This narrow view doesn’t allow most people to approach their health in a way that feels right for them. A personal paradigm shift will occur when people allow themselves to embrace their own personal and authentic definitions of health and well-being.

Photo Credit: Nathalie Désirée Mottet

What Is Health?

Everyone seems to have a unique response when asked to define health and well-being. For some, health is to be less sick; for others, it is to be thinner, or fatter, or have more energy, or be physically fit, or feel less stressed, or be happier…

If I were to ask you what optimal health and wellness means to you, what would you tell me?

Now consider, how closely your current life reflects your definition of optimal health.

For some of you, the lifestyle you’ve embraced supports ideal health. For others, there is a wide gap between where you are today and where you want to be. If this is your truth, know it’s the contrast between what you want and what you have right now that creates a desire for change. It’s this desire that provides the launching points for all positive transformation.

To understand health and well-being, it’s essential to look outside of the physically-focused view presented so often today. Health is not simply the absence of a serious illness, and cannot be limited to a body part or a condition. Instead, it’s holistic, encompassing the body, emotions, intellect, and spirit. It’s the comfortable synergy of these parts that results in an ideally-healthy person. The very word ‘disease’ would imply this. The word dis-ease suggests there is a lack of ease in the person afflicted. That somewhere there is resistance or imbalance, preventing good health or happy life. Health, on the other hand, would indicate a level of ease in mind, body, and spirit. That life is flowing freely and without resistance, with all aspects working together smoothly.

Health is the comfortable synergy of the body, emotions, intellect, and spirit.

Photo Credit: Sharon Tomczyk

Your Authentic Self

In my hand I could hold one hundred different seeds. Each of these seeds, although similar on the outside, has the potential within to become a unique and wondrous thing. One may have the potential to be a sunflower, while another could grow to be a giant cedar tree. The seeds could become a strawberry plant, a lilac bush, or a dandelion, but they all start as a tiny seed. If the seed is planted in the right environment it will grow to be a magnificent and healthy version of its potential. As it’s growing, it can be damaged or crushed, it could be exposed to disease, or its environment no longer able to support its ability to grow. All of this will affect the physical structure of the plant yet, it can never alter the potential within the seed. While it’s possible to impact health, nothing can turn a tiny flower into a tree or a tree into a blade of grass.

As a newborn, you came forth with the same potential as those seeds. Although, on the outside, you appeared similar to other babies, within you was unseen and miraculous potential. You were born with traits and talents, distinct from what you have experienced or learned. They endure, regardless of your environment or the opinions of those around you. These authentic traits are not things you do or say - although they can be expressed that way - but are more deeply understood to be that which you are. A tree does not have to do anything to be a tree, it just is. Likewise, as a person recognizes and becomes comfortable with their authentic traits, life becomes easier, as uncertainty is replaced with peaceful knowing. The challenge for most people is to distinguish between the authentic them and what they have been influenced to be. To help you differentiate between the two, I invite you to reflect upon the following descriptions of the authentic self, and ask yourself which parts of you fit with the portrayal.

The authentic self is aware of its environment and its response to it.

Its motivation for growth comes from within and not from outside pressure. The authentic self loves growing toward and realizing its potential.

The authentic self is completely comfortable with itself. It does not need validation nor does it need to lessen the worth of others to know it’s important.

The authentic self does not limit itself by beliefs, doctrine, or the physical world, for its essence is not comprised of the physical.

The authentic self is not afraid because there’s nothing that can harm it. It cannot be destroyed, only ignored. It will wait an entire lifetime to be acknowledged, never going away, immediately there the moment it is allowed to be.

The authentic self is in constant communication with the body and mind, signalling whether ones actions or thoughts are in alignment with, or contrary to it. Actions that contradict the authentic self feel uncomfortable in the body or mind. Alignment brings a sense of ease and inner joy.

When you are behaving authentically you feel as though your heart is smiling.

Unlike a seed, that relies mostly on chance, as it’s the earth, weather, and sometimes a helping hand (or wing) providing it with the environment it needs to grow, humans have the ability to create environments that nurture their own authentic potential. To a great extent, individuals can control the body in which the authentic self resides. The physical state can either support or limit authentic expression; therefore your inner self will always lead you towards health.

Likewise, thoughts can enhance or interfere with authentic potential. Since the mind is the avenue through which the authentic self expresses itself to the outside world, the mind can also build and sustain the biggest barriers. Take time to quiet mental chatter, listen deeply and allow yourself to hear your authentic voice.

“You have a spark of divinity within yourself. Step out from the crowd and
discover how much power you really have.”
Paramahansa Yogananda

Continued in Chapter One. Part Two

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VividLiving. INTRODUCTION

20/4/2020

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If you’ve ever spent time closely watching young children, I’m sure you’ve noticed they move through their day with remarkable clarity of purpose, and self-awareness. They know when they’re hungry, thirsty, or tired. They know when they need a hug or need to be left alone. They cry when something hurts, or walk away when things are no longer fun. They laugh freely, and sit in wonder, gazing at the smallest bug or the magnificence of a star-filled sky. We were all like that once. However, for many, the vibrancy of childhood has been pushed aside for the serious matter of being a grown-up. I believe you were never meant to change. To grow wiser as you expand what you know, but never to lose the clarity and enthusiasm of childhood. It’s clarity that provides the basis for the abundant health and wellness you desire.

Photo Credit. Karl Fredrickson

The reason is simple: every moment you are given messages and signals guiding you towards the health, happiness, and success you were meant to have. Most of these messages come from within. They’re in the subtle, internal voice or feeling that tells you something isn’t right, or in the body’s scream when it isn’t happy with how it’s being treated. These signals are sparked by life experiences and are there to teach you, grow you, and show you the scope of your potential. To fully understand the meaning of these signals, you need to be able to look at your life authentically and honestly. From this viewpoint, you will gain an understanding of what you need to do to enthusiastically enhance your health.

Photo Credit. Camilo Jimenez

VividLiving was created after many years of studying, observing, and being thrust head-first into life’s most delicate moments. As a paramedic, firefighter, and educator, I’ve been privileged. I’ve shared happy tears as new human life came joyously into this world, shared final moments with those whose day it was to say goodbye, and fought to save others, who knew it was not yet their time to go. For years I witnessed pain and chaos, hurt and death. Yet, one of the biggest tragedies was seeing people whose choices and environment left them feeling powerless, and without influence. The control and manipulation of others had overwhelmed them. They lived by reacting, merely surviving moment to moment. I began to pay attention to the differences I noticed between those who often found themselves in a place of illness and desperation, and those who seemed to slide through life without a care or worry. It became obvious that circumstances made little difference to well-being.

Photo Credit: Sharon Tomczyk

Some of the most vibrant and joy-filled people had experienced the most difficult situations. The difference was in the sense of self, each carried with them. Some people clearly knew what was important to them, and they made choices that deliberately enhanced their lives. These people often described themselves as happy and successful. Of course, sometimes they slipped, or life knocked them over. But they got up, dusted themselves off and with a smile, kept on going, taking all they had learned with them. These people did not define themselves by their illnesses or their problems, but by their strengths and accomplishments. On the other side of the spectrum, I observed people who felt completely disconnected, not believing they had any real authority over their lives at all. They re-actively did what they always had because they didn’t know they had a different choice. In some cases, this was because they’d come to accept terms and conditions set by others without questioning if these boundaries were right for them. In other cases, it was because they felt like victims, or victims-in-waiting, as the world was full of things to fear. Illness, pain, or problems were always just around the next corner. Sometimes this drove people to a place of apathy. They came to believe that if they shut out or stopped caring about the world, perhaps it wouldn’t notice they were there. For those feeling this disconnection, life was an everyday struggle. Enthusiasm was gone and with it the vibrancy of life. Many people swing somewhere between these two extremes. They glide through some parts of their lives with strength and finesse while other, more difficult parts, are overlooked or neglected altogether. They know they’re capable of greatness in some areas, while in others they feel their life is out of control. It became clear to me if one can make authentic and conscious choices - always - in every situation, they gain mastery over their life.

So that sparks the questions: What is authentic to you? Who are you really?
What is truly most important to you?

With further inquiry we might consider: How do you make authentic choices when you have to consider others? Your family, your job, your responsibilities… What if the authentic choices be selfish? What if it could hurt other people?

My wish is that these questions and many, many others will be answered for you soon. I offer you a guidebook containing a set of processes and principles that can show you how to reclaim your life and improve your health and well-being, and do it in a way that allows the best of you to shine. Throughout the process, it will spark more questions for you, as you learn about your authentic self. Yet, this time, you will have a wider range of answers as you tune in to the wisdom that lies deep inside you.

Photo Credit: Sharon Tomczyk. The inspiration for the book came during a kayak trip in the coastal waters of Vancouver Island. For me, this photo is an inspiring representation of both the beginning and ending of my journey writing this book.

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aUTHENTIC HEALTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

A welcome and introduction from the author. April 2020

Part Two. Chapter One. A New Age of Health

A New Age of Health. Chapter One. Part One

A New Age of Health

Chapter One. Part One.

Health is the comfortable synergy of the body, emotions, intellect, and spirit.

When you are behaving authentically you feel as though your heart is smiling.

“You have a spark of divinity within yourself. Step out from the crowd and
discover how much power you really have.”
Paramahansa Yogananda

Continued in Chapter One. Part Two

VividLiving. INTRODUCTION

Author

Categories

Archives

aUTHENTIC HEALTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

A welcome and introduction from the author. April 2020

Part Two. Chapter One. A New Age of Health

A New Age of Health. Chapter One. Part One

A New Age of Health

Chapter One. Part One.

Health is the comfortable synergy of the body, emotions, intellect, and spirit.​

​When you are behaving authentically you feel as though your heart is smiling.

“You have a spark of divinity within yourself. Step out from the crowd and ​discover how much power you really have.” Paramahansa Yogananda

​Continued in Chapter One. Part Two

VividLiving. INTRODUCTION

Author

Categories

Archives

Health is the comfortable synergy of the body, emotions, intellect, and spirit.

When you are behaving authentically you feel as though your heart is smiling.

“You have a spark of divinity within yourself. Step out from the crowd and
discover how much power you really have.”
Paramahansa Yogananda

Continued in Chapter One. Part Two