No Successful Business Can Be Built In The Sand

To build anything successful, we must come from a place of wholeness.nnMind, Body, Heart and SoulnnThe Connection~nnAddressing the whole person … The importance of re-channeling stress, proper nutrition, exercise, and Positive Mental Attitude and what effect they have on our True Success.nnAll things need to be built on a strong foundation.nnThere is really no debate regarding the profound connection between our mind, body, heart and soul. We are an intricate orchestration of cells, proteins, glands, and organs combined with subtle energy and vibration to complete the whole of who we are. This interlocking system of energy and matter has an amazing capacity to keep us living, and interacting with the world around us. The word 'living' is italicized because there seems be many definitions. We have an amazing capacity to be so much more alive than many people realize. It goes without saying that a large percentage of people have completely lost sight of the fact that we were created to feel a whole lot better! Too many people consider themselves 'living' as long as they breathe, speak, go to work, eat, and sleepwalk. Our culture seems to have sold-out on ourselves, thinking that everyday fatigue, depression, aches and pains - and a severe lack of enthusiasm - are normal. Some of us have even talked ourselves into believing that disease is par for the course … an inevitable stage of growing old. This is really sad, and absolutely not our inheritance. Health and happiness, often times, can simply boil down to a choice. Tapping into our full potential is just a matter of choice – and of course, education and discipline.nn There are four primary focus points, or branches, in cultivating a healthy state of being. They are: stress management, nutrition, exercise, and PMA (positive mental attitude). It would be difficult to say that any one of the four is more important than any other. They are all very significant in creating and maintaining a healthy and balanced whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Each of these four areas needs to be at the forefront of our attention every day simultaneously. nn The first area to be discussed is stress. It would be ridiculous to say that a person should set out to eliminate all forms of stress in their life. Stress is a natural part of the human experience. Stress occurs any time your body is called upon to adapt to different circumstances, and there are "good" and "bad" stresses. Anger, negative thoughts, and depression are stressors that harm your "doctor within" (Fox 1989). Stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to send out high-voltage chemicals that eventually harm your health. nn Being aware of stress is a good place to start. It is important to identify areas of our life that need to be modified so that stress may be reduced. In some circumstances, it is quite possible to reduce "triggers" that add to our daily stress. In other circumstances, stress is stress, seemingly inevitable. In these situations, acceptance is the key. It is very important, however, to practice stress-reducing techniques as taught in the Inner Harmony Style. Often times, we need to actually remind our system how to relax. Taking time each day to re-direct stress, essentially de-fusing it, is an essential aspect of keeping ourselves optimally functioning. nn Through the implementation of simple breath-awareness techniques, we instill the relaxation response. When our body goes into the relaxation response, the antidote (endorphins) to the stress chemicals are released, bringing our body into a state of balance. This type of deep relaxation allows the body to re-charge, re-integrate, and heal. It is so important to have a daily practice morning and evening. The practice allows the body to call on the memory of this state of relaxation even in the midst of life's daily stress. Of course it is profoundly helpful during the actual practice, but it is also profoundly helpful in all other moments as well. This memory of wholeness can be accessed almost immediately on the next inhale … so long as we are nurturing our practice daily. Re-channeling stress, as you can see, is an important aspect for balancing body and mind.nn The next important area to be discussed is nutrition. We've all heard it said that "we are what we eat". We've heard the analogy of the car needing quality gasoline in order to run well. It's interesting, I think often times people hear this, accept it as truth, but somehow seem to draw the line when it comes to them. This, to me, is such an interesting phenomenon. Where is the glitch? I suppose it has something to do with the notion of "instant gratification" that is such a huge part of our culture. People have accustomed themselves to actually enjoying the S.A.D. (standard American diet). For them it is instant gratification, not considering the consequences even if they've learned them. For some, fortunately, gratification comes from eating well. The key is to be been able, through education, experimentation, discipline, and practice, to break down the old patterns that fool you into thinking fatty, salty, sugary, and completely dead foods are gratifying. Thankfully, a significant number of people are waking up to the truth that eating a "super foods diet" is rewarding – instantly, and certainly in the long run. nn Eating well provides the essential raw material for our body to run efficiently. Our health and well being directly depends on having the proper fuel to carry out the very large amount of daily tasks necessary to function. We consist of such an amazingly intricate formula of vitamins, minerals, etc. This formula is specific and particular, and largely depends on the food we eat. It also depends, however, on our level of stress, and how we manage it. So you see how each of the four branches depends on the other to grow. nn The next area to be discussed is exercise. Again, our culture falls into the throws of gratification. Seemingly, there is some thought process that many people tap into that leaves them extremely lazy. The notion of "exercising" seems like such a stretch (no pun intended). In fact, the thought of even walking a short distance to get somewhere, or going up the stairs rather than an elevator, is unheard of to many. This way of thinking is killing us. We were created to be active! Our well-being depends on physical activity immensely. There are so many benefits of exercise. First, it significantly improves a person's outlook on life. It provides the opportunity to work hard and feel strong. This in exchange creates a happy frame of mind. The wheel continues to turn … happy mind, healthy body … healthy body, happy mind. Exercise improves the quality of the interior landscape by balancing body chemistry. Additionally, exercise strengthens your heart and immune system, lowers bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol, reduces triglycerides, lowers blood pressure, increases oxygen intake and circulation, tones the muscles and strengthens the bones, and helps achieve and maintain optimal body weight. nn Combined with the first three aspects to creating a healthy lifestyle is the powerful notion of PMA (positive mental attitude). The power of our thoughts is absolutely profound! It is no understatement to say that PMA is the thread that weaves wellbeing into a beautiful tapestry. You could eat well and exercise, but without PMA, you could be VERY unhealthy. (Note that I left out "stress management" in the previous statement. I believe it would be difficult to truly practice stress reducing techniques without a positive mental attitude. I think a negative attitude would sabotage the effort.) nn "As we think, so shall we be." End of story. nn These four branches discussed provide the formula to be well. They all compliment each other. Eat well and nourish your body and you will have the strength to begin exercising. Exercise and you will have the wherewithal to want to eat well. Exercise and eat well, with a positive mental attitude, and you will long to spend time in silence nurturing your inner wisdom that knows exactly how to deal with any stress that life could offer. nn…viola, hats off to a healthy - and OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL us!