I had a health scare again last week. I swear, you would think I was elderly or something, with all of the physicians and specialists and ER visits I’ve had in the past five or six years.
I think a large part of this has to do with the amount of pressure I put on myself. I’m a subscriber to Success magazine. I read books by Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, and Darren Hardy in my spare time. I write down daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and five-year goals; avidly post inspirational quotes on my walls (and on Pinterest); and I’ve even held vision board parties for my fellow positive-minded friends who live locally. In fact, here’s a new favorite quote I encountered in the past week and enthusiastically posted on Facebook:
”Most people are not going after what they want. Even some of the most serious goal seekers and goal setters, they’re going after what they think they can get.
We come this way but once. We can either tiptoe through life and hope that we get to death without being too badly bruised or we can live a full, complete life achieving our goals and realizing our wildest dreams.
Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites you and scares you at the same time. It must be a goal that is so appealing, so much in line with your spiritual core, that you can’t get it out of your mind. If you do not get chills when you set a goal, you’re not setting big enough goals.” -Bob Proctor
This got me so excited. I was journaling about my upcoming FutureDerm book and the FutureDerm skincare invention I’ve been working on. I was envisioning how awesome they both were going to be. I was working on both ecstatically. Until, of course, I had to go to the doctor again.
I knew there also had to be a way to strive for it all without risking my health. So I sat down earlier this week and really thought about it. Here’s what I came up with (and yes, it’s working thus far):
The Secrets to Doing Your Best Without Harming Yourself
First, make it pleasurable. Enjoy the process, and the results will come faster and easier than you ever thought they could. Make the work fun. Move around, play music, and don’t take it all so seriously. Create games, like challenging yourself to get x amount done in y amount of time. Talk to your coworkers. Play games during lunchtime together.
Same goes for workouts and weight loss: Try different low-calorie or low-carb foods. Experiment with healthy recipes. I made a low-cal fettuccine alfredo this week that I was sooo proud of, you would’ve thought I was Betty Crocker or something. Serious Giada-like skills goin’ on. (Well, maybe not, but I felt like it).
Next, learn to love what most people don’t. Think about it: If exercising, cooking healthy meals, and working long hours were as pleasurable as watching Netflix and eating buttered popcorn with M&Ms, we would all be ultra-fit billionaires. You achieve things when your mind and body start to think the “uncomfortable” things most people don’t like doing are actually fun and rewarding and pleasurable for you. So I’m working on taking the pressure off and making the uncomfortable actually feel pleasurable. That’s accomplished similarly to #1: Taking more breaks, going for walks during the day, and loving what I’m doing and appreciating the people who support me more.
And when I’m not loving it, I’m lucky as an entrepreneur with an amazing team of co-workers, because I can easily delegate and free up time to do more of what I love.
In Summary
When something’s not working, it’s a sign that you have to change. After all, the people around you aren’t going to change overnight. The environment isn’t going to drastically change in a day. But you can. You can change your thoughts, change your perspective, change your philosophy, change your behavior, and change your life.
I’m doing the best that I can. There are still times I am in the habit of beating myself up — why didn’t I get up sooner today, or why didn’t I go the extra mile on that last blog post, or why did I eat that last package of crackers? But looking at my life like it’s supposed to be enjoyable rather than drudgery, and therefore forgiving myself and moving on more quickly, keeps it all light and airy and fun. It is what it is, and I’m getting better, one step at a time.
Follow Friday
- Allantoin is found to be as effective as calorie restrictive diets in preventing signs of aging (CosmeticsDesign)
- Pressed serum is the latest hot skincare product from Korea (Allure)
- Here are 20 timeless skincare tips for women — some I like, some I don’t, but a fun read nonetheless! (InStyle)
- Men now have advanced at-home skincare gadgets too (Men’s Health)
- Apple cider vinegar may dry out blemishes (Age Extension)