Tuesday, November 24, 2009

One Step at a Time

An analogy that I read recently really resonated with me. It's about taking that first step to a goal that seems bigger than you, daunting, or unattainable. I believe this is similar to an analogy written in the book, "The Secret".
So, in life we have our goals that we set for ourself. Lose 50 lbs...find the love of my life...start my own business...get that college degree. These are all big goals that take time to attain. Let's say you know your ultimate destination, but can only see what's directly in front of you. The 5 lbs. that dropped off the scale this month, the few dates you've had with interesting people, the good ideas you have for starting your business--you get the picture.
Picture yourself driving in a car from New York to Los Angeles in the dark. You can only see what your headlights light up, perhaps 200 feet of the road in front of you. The only way to see the next 200 feet is to keep moving forward. So, even though your destination is to travel 3,000 miles, having faith in your direction and believing that you'll get there, you'll be fine with just seeing those 200 feet at a time.
With those big goals (that are so worth the risk), we don't get to see the entire path, just a little piece of the destination. So, I encourage us all to take a step even if we can't see anything beyond it.
Here's something I've been guilty of in the past: thinking that not choosing a path and direction will keep my options open. True for the short term. But in the long term it does nothing to put me in the right direction to get to my goals.

On the personal level:
It's almost Turkey Day and I'm really looking forward to it. There will be volleyball, lots of friends, food, and wine. I have many people to be thankful for in life and I have taking a risk two years ago and moving to Austin to be thankful for, too. While it's not been without some hardships, it's been essential to my growth and happiness as a person. I'm really looking forward to starting school soon and putting my nose in the books.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Vision of Life's Purpose

There's a greater tragedy than dying. It's the feeling of going through life and never having lived. If you're able to find your life's purpose, what you do with your time satisfies your soul and I believe you're at a greater advantage for living a life with meaning.

I have a job that is very meaningful and provides value to the world. In many ways, my job has been great to me. It's allowed me to learn how to build meaningful relationships, establish some "family" members from bonds that have developed through such a personal relationship and it's cultivated a deeper understanding of this very mysterious thing we live in: our body. In a lot of ways I've felt I've come to an end. I've done some amazing things in life athletically and professionally. From playing a sport professionally myself, to helping several people shed hundreds of pounds of excess weight, to helping them with pain issues that doctors couldn't solve.

I could easily say I love my job, but still feel unfulfilled. There's something greater out there for me and I can feel it. I've felt that way for awhile, but I think that disenchantment is a feeling that many of us get and don't really follow or oblige. We just think, no no, keep treading along, the water is just fine.

One of the first realizations I had was when I was noticing that when friends, peers, strangers on the street, whoever, ask me questions like, "hey, how can i get bigger arms, flatter abs, rid of my love handles?" You know, typical questions, my response is always to first roll my eyes, second is to scoff, and third is to talk about injury prevention. Injury prevention? Ummm, the person just asked about working out, they don't have pain! But, in the very forefront of my mind, I think about all the little stresses that add up when people exercise and how if they don't do therapy to release the stress they will have pain soon enough! Stress...therapy...this is going somewhere. Take that same "whoever" and have them tell me that they have pain somewhere...their knee, back, shoulder and I immediately drop everything and ask to feel it, see it, I ask questions to offer healing advice. I'm engaged, time doesn't exist, speak w/ passion, have feelings of intense value, it's honest, I'm very much myself, it's so...easy. Just the other day, a client casually mentioned her amazement at whenever she has pain, how easily I just "know" exactly what she means and how to fix it. And I think, I'm happy to help!

So, going back to disenchantment, it's one thing to realize a passion and life purpose, and it's one thing to accept the rigors of what it takes to be able to get to that level. To do that thing that you love to do! I have recently accepted that I'm willing to do what it takes to reach that doctorate goal that I've set for myself. I see a very clear purpose and vision.

My vision is bigger than my current abilities. My vision is to be able to heal all pain that is brought to me. I want to be able to fix what the medical doctor cannot see, what the xray does not show, what the MRI says will require surgery, what science cannot prove. I want to teach every individual how to move their body with a better functional purpose and how to eradicate their pain through a better lifestyle.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Assessing Core Values

We are all entitled to our own belief system. It's essential to discovering the person you currently are and the person you want to be. There are times in life I've felt disconnected from myself and it was perhaps in these times that I wasn't living in accordance with my values.

I took some time to assess my own values and write them down. It makes it easier for me to come back to these beliefs in times of change and challenge and make sure that I'm not doing anything to affect my belief system. What are your core values and how do they help you combat the challenges you face in the world? How do they enable you to help the world around you?

Some of my core values:
I will always be honest with myself, for that is what helps me be honest with others.
I will always speak my mind and speak the truth.
I will give love to everyone in my life.
I will forgive, let go, and not hold any ill will to anyone in the world.
I will take responsibility for my actions and words.
I will have compassion for all living things.
I will maintain the ability to laugh at myself.
I will step outside of my comfort zone and challenge my mind and body with new adventures.

Think about some of your values...how do your relationships, lifestyle, and work fulfill them?