Confession #1: I’ve felt sick, on and off, for a long time.
Confession #2: I haven’t done much about it.
Despite being a blogger who writes about health and beauty and fitness, I’ve been scared to go to the doctor. Not only because of what he might tell me, but partially because I know it will make me fully accountable for my entire life. As it stands right now, I’m a medical student, blogger, girlfriend, daughter, home and puppy owner. Oh, and I’m lucky enough to have some wonderful friends too! If something goes wrong and I run a fever or a bad stomachache, I have an excuse to lay down for a few minutes (or a few hours). If the doc tells me I’m fine, saying “I don’t feel well” isn’t gonna cut it anymore.
The personal achievement expert Jim Rohn says that the day we cross into adulthood is the day we start to take full accountability for our lives. Not just the parts we like or the ones that work out the way we plan, but all of it. Even accidents, tragedies, terrible events out of our control – maybe we can’t control what happened, but we can control what we do about it. More importantly, we can take full responsibility for the way we let our circumstances affect our thoughts, beliefs, and actions.
I wrote the other day about holding ourselves back due to our perpetual fear of what others think. Why are we so afraid of looking like we’re trying too hard? There’s really no such thing. Once you try as hard as you can, and do as much as you can, something miraculous happens: You grow. Your limit expands. Pretty soon, we’re running marathons when we thought we couldn’t walk five miles. Besides, I’d always rather overwhelm than underwhelm (unless we’re talking about a first date or something, then maybe play it cool). I’m always drawn to the people who can dazzle, make mountains out of molehills, give a 5-minute presentation that doesn’t even count for a grade or work credit as though their life depended on it.
As for me, I know I won’t be able to live my life to the fullest unless I get myself to the doctor. So, today, I picked up the phone and made an appointment. If he tells me I’m actually O.K., then I’m going to pursue my goals in all aspects of my life with a no-holds-barred type of resilience again. If, on the other hand, if he tells me I am actually ill, I’m going to do whatever he says to get better, and then start living my life to the very best of my ability. No excuses. No more sleeping in on my days off. Really, truly seizing every day.
How many of us feel like we’re sleeping until our “real lives” start? How many of us can look back at 2009, 2010, maybe even 2003 or 2004 and say, “Gosh, that felt like it was a minute ago?” That’s a sign to me that we’re not really living. Every day holds a chance to do something sensational. But first, we just have to make sure we’re healthy enough to make the most of every moment.
What have you been putting off? What about your life do you want to change? Share in Comments, Facebook, or Twitter!