Trust Yourself

There was stage in my life where I felt nothing but extreme guilt. This went on day after day and lasted for several weeks. It was horrible. Why was I feeling guilty? It was a case where I had let a lot of little things add up to the point where I was completely weighted down with negative thoughts. I knew I should be exercising more, I had a gym membership that I didn’t use and I had not attended training in months due to simple laziness. I had put on weight and felt like absolute rubbish. I ended up torturing myself inside. I was eating and drinking more. Questions haunted me. What am I going to say to my Sensei? What does my partner think of me? My parents and friends? What do I do? I didn’t used to be this way!

I bet myself up about it mentally and just couldn’t find a way forward. I spent weeks surfing the internet looking for answers. New training locations, new exercise routines, health and fitness tips. I read self-help books. So much research, so much information, yet not enough DOING. It got to the point where enough was enough. I knew that I was wasting time and achieving nothing. Yes, I had learnt a great deal, but knowledge without the ability to apply it is useless. One morning, I transferred all of my thoughts to paper. From here I narrowed down what was truly important, and what was not. I then made a list. Numbered 1 to 10, these were the steps I would take to get my life back on track. This process completely cleared my head and finally, for the first time in months, things seemed a whole lot more manageable. Having a clear head and a clear focus, I made some decisions and stuck to them. I felt excited about life once more.

Any idea you have to improve your life in one area or another is never a bad idea. You may want to take up painting? Or perhaps start swimming at the local pool? You may aim to qualify for the next Commonwealth or Olympic games? If your ambition is genuine, and you’re ready to commit, then go for it. No one is stopping you from reaching the unlimited potential you already possess within. On the other hand, if you are not ready to commit then that’s also fine. But have trust in yourself to recognise these feelings and move on without letting negative thoughts drag you down. When you feel like something is starting to bog you down mentally, write it down, step back and assess whether it is really worth worrying about. If it is, formulate a plan by breaking the problem down into 10 simple steps (or as many as you can). By making the steps small and manageable, you increase your chances of success while staying in control of the situation at all times. With reference to my previous entry, Who am I?, just remember, no one is putting pressure on you. YOU are the master of your mind. Trust yourself.

 

The Beautiful Machine

What machine is so sophisticated, so advanced, that it can sense damage and naturally repair itself? This beautiful machine is the human body. Designed to carry us through our entire life, the human body can heal wounds, build immunity to disease, and incredibly, even repair seemingly unfixable damage caused from neglect and poor maintenance by it’s owner. A car will last for a while without a regular service, and even maybe without the right fuel. But a some point, it will fail.

Have you ever watched someone smoking a cigarette who suddenly starts coughing? Firstly, the human lungs were designed to process oxygen, not cope with the inhalation of toxic gas containing thousands of poisons. When people suffocate themselves by inhaling cigarette smoke, coughing is the body’s natural reaction to this poison. It is not supposed to be there and the lungs are trying to cleanse themselves of the newly introduced tar and filth. Even during the quitting process, an ex-smoker might find that they still cough, even when they haven’t touched a cigarette in weeks. But it’s OK. The beautiful machine is working its magic, and before long, the effects of smoking are essentially reversed.

At the end of the day, the human body is no different to the car. It is a highly intelligent, highly tuned system comprising of several key components that combine to make it run efficiently and reliably. Look after it, and it will not let you down. If it speaks to you, it is trying to tell you something important, so react. If you don’t then you’re just not listening.

To those out there who are trying to free themselves from the smoking trap, I recommend Allan Carr’s Easyway. It worked for me.

 

Who am I?

This is the burning question that everyone at some point or another in their life will feel pressured to answer. But this so-called “pressure”, where does it come from? From your friends, your family, from your loved ones? It is our own mind that issues these unfair demands. They are unfair because if we cannot come up with a meaningful answer we end up subjecting ourselves to overwhelming feelings of guilt, unworthiness, confusion, and most of all, fear.

Let’s just stop and think about this concept for a second. We say that our mind tells us these things.. but wait, how can that be so? Are we speaking about two separate people? Our MIND tells US. This is where we are inclined to slip up, because our mind and ourselves are one entity. We control our mind, and in doing so we control our reality. We control our destiny.

Just remember, no one is putting pressure on you. Putting pressure on yourself in a positive way can assist you towards achieving your goals, but it should not cause you to feel unhappy. You can feel comfortable and proud in the knowledge that you are special, you are unique. You are not like anyone else in this world and no one can be like you. Each day by making small, astute decisions, you map out your unique path in life and shape your own reality.