Live Forward

Is your life feeling a little too tight? Maybe pinching you here and there in your home arrangement or your wellness meter. Well, then perhaps it is time to wise up and change your lifesize.

Most of us are just doing the best we can do day by day.

Most of us have really good intentions to change our lifestyles for the better.

Most of us really and sincerely want to be and get healthy.

For most of us then for our wants and needs to actually happen, here it comes, this words that make most of us cringe… we need to have a plan and a realistic one.

Why? Because a goal, a dream, a desired vision, will never just happen without a plan.

So how do we possibly change our daily and weekly schedules to change our lifestyles? This is the ultimate question and test for everyone of us. The answer lies way down deep inside of ourselves. Pulling that answer out will indeed be the key for each one of us which is to know and understand why we do what we do in any areas in our lives.

Where the mind goes, the body will follow. How about we “make up our minds” to be and get healthier by digging down deep inside ourselves to discover what truly is our hindrance to living a healthier, more enthusiastic and motivated life.

Most of you have heard me write about the amazing books by Dr Caroline Leaf on the newest researched medical advances on brain theory. I highly recommend reading how and why we do what do and how to change our patterns of behaviors.

From the book by Dr. Caroline Leaf: “The Linked Science Concept: Thoughts are real, physical things that occupy mental real estate. Moment by moment, every day, you are changing the structure of your brain through your thinking. When we hope, it is an activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction.” pg.19

I found fascinating insights on the philosophies and research in another recent book on moving forward.

“The science of Habits: Changing your daily deeds isn’t a matter of will, but a matter of reengineering.”

“The process really stems not from intangible forces like willpower and grit, but from tangible changes in your brain that you have to kickstart and and that you can control. Understand, the way we learn to do new things is through repeated use, coaxing the neurons in our brain to preform.” pg.39

Let’s stop beating ourselves up because year after year our New Years resolutions dissolve quickly leaving us with guilt and self condemnation when really we haven’t learned how to reprogram our brains to develop new habits. Brain theory is what is happening today for those that truly want to make changes that last beyond our new year hopes. Let’s stop being so hard on ourselves and learn why we have not been successful in the past and what it takes to be successful in our future. It takes eleven repetitions to learn a new habit, and 28 or more repetitions to break an old habit.

What does it mean to live forward?

Well, to answer this question one way is to describe what NOT living forward looks like or sounds like:

“All my friends look like I do.”

“Everyone I know around my age is on blood pressure medicine and a statin drug. At my age, are you crazy telling me I can get off these drugs with a change in my lifestyle?”

“Time is valuable to me to be with my family and friends and to do what I want to do. Why would I consider helping at a food bank or neighborhood school? Let all those do gooders get out there and do their thing.”

Even if these words are never verbally spoken by hundreds of thousands of Americans, their behaviors, habits, and attitudes are like a clanging bell ringing loud and clear across our country.

But now is the time. Now is THE time. Time for what? Time to LIVE FORWARD.

Just reverse the very common and sadly typical comments above to hear what living forward sounds like:

“Hopefully my friends will want to change like I want to change. Change the way I look and the way I feel… tired, lethargic, and just doing the same ole same old day after day. Enough!”

“I am ready to stop making excuses and get rid of these 30+ pounds and along with my new diet and exercise lifestyle, it won’t be long before I am off most of my meds.”

So change has happened to us all. Change is happening to us all. Change will happen to us all.

What will this change sound like? It is my goal and passion that the sounds echoing across America will be a thunderous roar saying.

“Bring it on, I am ready to LIVE forward.”