Simply Social
A spot for random thoughts & everyday life
A spot for random thoughts & everyday life
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When the following words and ideas came into my mind, I had to stop and write them down — I knew I had stumbled upon something life-changing. You can read the original post here. Rather than making any one of these items a goal in and of itself, the idea is that more I prioritize each of these points as consistently as possible over the period of a week, a month, six months, etc. the better I am doing in terms of fostering health, wholeness, and progress.
I want to make it clear that these mindsets and strategies are in their embryonic state. I struggle to implement them and in no way have I perfectly achieved any of these. I struggle with staying consistent or even having the right mindset all the time. What this template has done is given me an unprecedented framework — a solid point of reference and something meaningful to keep striving for.
Redirect, redirect, redirect - The primary idea, the umbrella under which all other concepts fall, is redirecting personal pain and disappointment into worthwhile endeavors. Doing so is tantamount to adjusting Titanic's tiny rudder to keep it from hitting the iceberg but it became abundantly clear that I needed to redirect all the bad stuff into the worthwhile endeavors such as getting fit and healthy once and for all and focusing on school and what these represent: hope and progress.
Focus on whole nutrient dense foods, strength training, and prioritize sleep - I go into more detail about what that means in this post, but it’s pretty much as straightforward as it sounds. I want to redirect my time and energy into doing the one thing that’s going to help me in every area of my life, which is getting physically healthy the right way through proper nutrition, movement, and rest.
Guard heart – “For above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Guarding our hearts encompasses several things, including the content we consume, our social media feeds, the influences we allow to dictate our choices, the relationships we choose to be a part of, and an overall day-to-day thoughtful and proactive navigation and filtering of info, interpersonal communication. Part of guarding our heart also includes becoming aware of triggers that lead to toxic or chronic stress, or significantly disrupt an otherwise positive and consistent mental and emotional flow. I've been good at guarding my heart in many ways, but it became abundantly clear that I need to step it up and become much more aware and intentional about it.
Prioritize prayer and Bible – Prayer and Bible study is something of the spiritual equivalent of nutrient dense food for the body, though in an overarching way much more important and necessary. “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food,” Job 23:12. Prayer and getting into the word of God will never disappoint. It lays the spiritual foundation that provides for every other endeavor. It replaces manmade ideologies and temporary fixes with real truth and lasting solutions for all of our needs and desires. So much of our pain and disappointment stems from seeking solutions and meaning in anything and everything outside of God himself, when in fact, He is the source of all true wisdom.
Investment over spending – I am embracing a spirit of investment over spending in every area of my life, including financially. If any given pursuit or activity does not give back something of long-term value, does it really belong in my life? Is it worth my time? I cringe when I think of how much of myself and my time I’ve spent on pursuits and activities that not only didn’t give back anything of value, but took more than they gave. Life is too short to not live with intention and purpose, and that includes ensuring that our time, energy and resources are invested in things that breed long term health, stability, and wholeness rather than depleting us or keeping us stuck.
Embrace the hustle – Embracing the hustle of the day-to-day struggle rather than fighting so much against it has helped breed sanity and clear-headedness. These days, sanity and clear-headedness are my greatest rewards, above merely “feeling” happy and bubbly. Any day that I can start and end with a clear head, in spite of the day’s many frustrations, laundry, never-ending dirty dishes, errands, and even tears, was a successful day. Sometimes you just have to do what you have in front of you and that’s that (though we never stop praying and working towards something better).
NEW: Self-discipline over motivation - This is a new item that emerged organically as I began to understand what it takes to accomplish meaningful things, from healing to fitness to any worthwhile goal. Self-discipline and a sense of duty and accountability are deeper and more effective than feel-good motivation. This is still an area of struggle for me, but becoming aware is the first step in making the necessary paradigm shift that will ultimately be followed by consistent action over time.
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