Do you have a “story” about your health? You know what I mean… right? What you say to other people when you talk about how you feel… how your body looks… your weight… your age and especially your eating habits. Oh… and if your not talking about it to other people… I bet there is a little voice in your head that tells you about it. I’m sure most of you are saying… “I don’t have a little voice in my head!” Guess what? That’s exactly the voice I’m talking about. I don’t know about you… but I have more than one voice in my head. lol I explain to my coaching clients that the most important thing we can do is become AWARE of that little voice that dictates how we think, feel and act. Once you can identify what you are thinking in terms of your physical appearance and your health… then you can begin to control what your outcome and results will be in the future.
All I heard other people say when I turned forty years old was… “It’s all down hill from here.” I can’t tell you how much that got me ticked off… because that’s “Common” thinking. I want to be an “Uncommon” thinker. My Grand Master in the martial arts is in his late sixties and looks half his age. He does finger tip push ups and gives speeches at our banquets as he is doing a split on two chairs. His thought process is… “As we get older… we should be getting better because we have more experience training.” I don’t know about you… but that’s how I want to think as I get older.
So what’s your story? I want you to really internalize how you think about getting older. What do you say to other people when it comes to your health? Once you become aware of how you really think towards your health…then DECIDE what your new “story” will be. Let me give you an example on an old story:
Old story about health
I am noticing symptoms in my body that worry me. If I get older… I feel less strong …less stable… less healthy… less secure. I worry about where I am headed health wise. I’ve tried to take care of myself but… I don’t see that it has helped that much. I guess it is just normal to feel worse as time goes on. I saw that with my parents… so I am really worried about my health. I am feeling tired and less vibrant. My body feels weaker and not as flexible. My parents died young… so it seems that I will die young too. All my relatives had diabetes and high blood pressure and it runs in my family. As I get older… it just gets worse. Everyone in my family dies young.
AHHHH! I don’t know about you… but I feel depressed just writing this. The sad part is… most people only hear this voice and are truly not aware of another voice that could create a whole new outcome. If you have the ability to choose your thoughts… why not choose a story that will empower you? So let’s create a whole new story okay? Try this on for size:
New story about health
My body responds to my thoughts and everything I think about. The better my thoughts… the better I feel when I think them. I like knowing that there is an absolute connection between how I feel and the dominating thoughts I choose to have. I like knowing that those thoughts are meant to help choose better feelings and emotions…which will produce a better feeling body.
My body is so responsive to my thoughts and that is such a good thing to know. I am getting rather good at choosing my thoughts. No matter what condition that I find myself in… I have the power to choose my thoughts. My state of physical health is simply an indication of my dominating thoughts. I have control of both.
A physical body is an amazing thing…. I am impressed with the human body…and the intelligence of the cells that make up the human body… on how my body accomplishes so many important functions…without my conscious involvement. I like that its not my conscious responsibility to move the blood through my veins or the air through my lungs. I like that my body knows how to do that and does it so well… like a machine. The human body in general is such an amazing thing. It’s an intelligent, flexible, durable, resilient, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching thing. My body serves me very well.
I enjoy my stamina, my strength, my youth and my flexibility. I love living life and I am so pleased with my ability to see the beauty all around me. I enjoy my body’s ability to hear, smell, taste and feel. I feel appreciation for my body’s healing ability… as I watch wounds rejuvenate and heal.
I like understanding that my body knows how to be well. ..and is always moving towards wellness. Wellness must prevail with my choice of positive thoughts. I like understanding the value of my emotions…and I understand that I have the ability to achieve and maintain physical well being because I have the ability to find and maintain positive thoughts. I am feeling younger, more vibrant and healthier every single day. I love my body… it is my temple and I only provide it with the best source of nutrients, exercise and rest that it needs to rejuvenate and feel energized. I am living a long, strong and vibrant life… I am living my life to the fullest and maximizing every single day I am alive.
Doesn’t that sound better? I actually got energized as I wrote that story. Wait… let me do some push ups.
Okay… I am back and feeling GREAT! 🙂
Seriously…take a moment and think about what you may say when it relates to your well being or health. Truly become aware of how you think and DECIDE what you really want to think. Once you choose a new story… start telling people. So how can you start creating a new story around health?
Three steps to creating a new story
- Focus on the things you want. You could focus on the things that you fear or what you don’t want to happen… or you could focus on what you want to happen. It’s your choice. Find things to appreciate about the new story. Talk about your successes and think about the things you are grateful about.
- Describe how it makes you feel. Talk, express and explain how good it feels to be healthy. Say things like… “I enjoy my stamina, my strength, my youth and my flexibility. I love my body and I am living a long, strong and vibrant life.”
- Know your outcome. I love to tell my clients to “Tell the truth in advance.” Whatever story you continue to say… either negative or positive will eventually become true in your subconscious mind. They’re just narratives we have made up, in our minds, about what’s going on. So if you are going to tell any story… tell one that will end well.
When you are done… let me know your new story and email me… pmelella@empoweredmastery.com
Tips from this article
- Identify your old story and see if it is disempowering you or serving you
- Decide on what you want
- Focus on thoughts and feelings that will inspire you towards action