“What do we mean by saying that existence precedes essence? We mean that humans first of all exist, we encounter ourselves, surge up in the world—and define ourselves afterward.” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism —
We can begin with a simple choice. Choose to change something. Anything. As has been said many times, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If you keep on ending up with the same results, then choose to do something different today. Even in this moment, right now.
Yes, it’s that simple.
Choose to think different thoughts, choose to eat different foods, choose to move different, choose a different environment to be in, choose different people to spend your time with. If all else fails, cast a new positive future vision for yourself and the ideal life you would love to live. Then choose to get uncomfortable stepping into that dream with unapologetic action. Now, that boldness may even result in you selling everything you own and buying a one-way ticket to somewhere that captured your heart a long time ago. Or it may mean creating new experiences that surpass your old ways of living. It may be as simple as starting to walk every day.
Give yourself permission to choose differently.
This doesn’t mean what “appears” to be the “right path.” It’s not about pleasing others, it’s about following your own life’s calling. Everyone’s direction is unique.
Some sit in yoga pants, drinking a green smoothie, talking about how they just went vegan to save the planet. Some may sit at the pub, drinking a beer, smoking a cigarette, and laughing with friends, secretly planning a way to create more financial freedom for their family.
Your way to create a better, happier, and healthier life is uniquely yours. You may not know all the answers, but you don’t need to. You just need to be willing to take one step in the right direction. As Lao Tzu so wisely said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
It’s about choosing every step you take.
Steve Jobs left this message before he passed away.
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money. That’s a very limited life.
Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that others people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”1
Take the keys. Take ownership of it all. Ask for support and offer support to others along the way. We are all simply doing our best, within the context of our own upbringing and lives.
WHO YOU ARE TOMORROW IS YOUR CHOICE
I’m going to tell you this one magical piece of information. Who you are tomorrow is your choice. Scientific studies into epigenetics show us that who you are and who you become is largely in your own hands and decided through your lifestyle choices.2 What you eat, where you live, who you spend
time with, the amount you sleep3 or exercise.4 All of these lifestyle factors ignite chemical reactions in our genes which “switch” those genes on or off over time. In cases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s, various genes are switched away from the natural state of health.5
So, it does matter what you say yes to, and what you say no to. What you lean toward or what you lean away from. We are not a victim to our genes. We can determine how our evolutionary blueprint expresses itself.
We have, however, created environments that are not allowing people to truly bloom and flourish.
19 out of 20 people are living in a restricted, dysfunctional or disease-ridden human body. This means only 1 in 20 people are living in a state of good health and wellbeing, towards longevity.6
That’s only 5 people out of 100.
“THE HEALTHY ONE”
Perhaps it is time to pivot, even if only slightly. Course-correct towards a world that is sustainable, ecological, and a win for all, not just some.
After I healed myself all those years ago, I encountered so many people that needed help. I could see many of those “19 out of 20” people looking for a way to feel normal again. Dreaming of what it would be like to be unrestricted in their human potential. All deeply desiring to have a positive impact on the world but finding themselves stuck and desperately trying to fix their own internal and immediate world.
My drive shot up like a high-voltage surge. I wanted to find real and lasting solutions for everyone. I wanted to find a solution for my mom, who worked to the point of exhaustion. I wanted to find a solution for the mothers, nurturers, and carers who are so passionate about putting oxygen masks on everyone else that they forgot to put one on themselves. I wanted to find a solution for my dad and people that battled addictions and mental health issues. I wanted to help my friends who felt they were lacking in true wellbeing. I wanted to find a solution for the stranger I met in passing.
Now, I want to find a solution for you and the people you care about. So, I did.
It all begins with one moment of truth. Take time to ask yourself:
Am I happy?
Am I healthy?
Am I connected with myself and the world around me?
This is the entry point to your own SelfCare Revolution.
It’s time to take back your control.
You have greatness within you. In the essence of Wilma Rudolph,
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
Your greatness lays dormant until you ignite the spark in what you believe, how you think, and your embodied daily actions.
Greatness is like a bamboo shoot. It may take years to nurture and nourish before it has an opportunity to break through the resistance of the soil and grow 10-foot tall and bullet-proof in just months! Proudly, standing tall for the world to see. No longer a bamboo shoot in the darkness of the soil.
Greatness will require both resilience and persistence to overcome resistance. Like a butterfly, no one can free it from the cocoon. If by chance you help it break free, the butterfly won’t develop the strength in its wings to survive.
Life has its own wisdom. If you try to free the butterfly, you kill it. If you try force a seed to sprout, you destroy it. We all need to have the courage to break free from our own cocoon, our own darkness. We require resistance. Welcome it, so that you have the ability to stand tall like the bamboo shoot, or fly like the butterfly. Shining in a glorious way that nature intended all along.
CALL TO COURAGE
Which of the 4 zones you are starting in? (radical responsibility)_____________________________
Which zone you are moving to next?______________
REFERENCES
This is directly referenced from the amazon best-selling SelfCare Book "Lifestyle Medicine For the People" by Rory Callaghan. If you would like to read more content like this. Grab the free online chapters of the book or a hard copy.
We have done our best to reference everyone’s expert opinions, peer-reviewed science, and original thoughts, all references available here and referenced in the text.
We also understand that most thoughts are not our own and there is a collective unconsciousness, unconsciousness, and universal mind stream of energy that is always at work. How are references are sorted and filtered is here.