Is Your Dream Compelling Enough to...? (Read Time: 3 min.)

Is your dream compelling enough to:

... stop eating out at restaurants for 3 years so you can become debt free?
... stop eating dairy, sugar, gluten, and wheat so you can lose weight and have more energy?
... go to a therapist so you can improve your relationship communication?
... put together a resume and cover letter so you can stop working at a soul killing job?

Is your dream compelling enough 

to do what you HAVE to do 

so you can do what you WANT to do?

When people talk about dreams, they often talk about their wishes, fantasies, and visions of how life will be "when" but how many people talk at length about how excited they are to give up, sacrifice, endure, or go through whatever it is they have to go through to achieve their dreams?  Even when you talk to people who've reached massive levels of success, they spend far more time talking about the glorious aftermath of the dream than about all the land mines, obstacles, and bumps in the road on their way to achieving it.  Achieving your dream requires that you be compelled enough to stay consistent in the turbulent parts of your dream journey.

Right now, I'm on Day 2 of Body Ecology and the caffeine/sugar withdrawal has kicked into MASS EFFECT.  I'm lethargic, tired, and not able to do ALL the things I'd planned to do today.  In the midst of all of this, there's a part of me that says, "You've got way too much to do.  You NEED your coffee!  Grab some sugar and get that burst of energy that will get things done!" and then there's the other part of me that says, "Don't sell yourself short.  Don't exchange short term energy for long term vitality."  Guess which side is winning?

I'm still on Body Ecology because I have a super compelling vision.  I see myself wearing those size small Victoria PINK sweats, t-shirt, and hoodie, rocking a fabulous HM sweater dress, and giving my next talk in a sharp size 8 Victoria's Secret suit (pencil skirt and heels).  I see myself living in a space of vitality, energy, and enthusiasm ALL the time, waking up energized, going to bed peaceful, and feeling no 3 pm slump.  I see myself feeling great in my body, wearing my favorite pair of jeans, and NEVER again wearing black sweatpants and a sweatshirt because I'm not in the mood to dress.

My vision is compelling so I'm going through pain right now and I'm tempted, in every moment, to drop the ball but NOT dropping the ball means way more to me, in this moment, than running to Starbucks, downing some chocolate chip cookies and paying later with the extra weight, the extra guilt and the lack of self esteem.  Yes, I'm not getting what I want to get done today but I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be doing what I'm supposed to be doing. 

And here's the point:

Everything in life boils down to choice.  

Whenever you say 'Yes' to something, you say 'No' to something else.  

Whenever you say 'No' to something, you say 'Yes' to something else.

Can you have your cake and eat it too?  Sure but not without a stomach ache. 

You CAN have both but you have to understand that decisions will require choice and choice will involve timing.

So I come back to the bottom line: if consistency is your issue, if focus is your problem, how compelling is your vision?  Dreams come true when you have a vision that pulls you, not when you have a goal that you push.  Is your dream journey a downhill slide or an uphill climb?  When in doubt, go with what moves you and keep the feeling of that passion ever in front of you.  It makes the painful parts easier to persist through.

Facing My Shadow... (Read Time: 3 min.)

The past week of Body Ecology has been interesting and eye-opening.  I hit Day 21 of Body Ecology and got struck with excruciating tooth pain, tooth pain so bad that 4 Motrin didn't even cause a dent in the pain.  I waited an entire week before going to the dentist only to find out that I needed a root canal.  The night before having the root canal, I couldn't eat anything hard (no veggies or protein) and, honestly, I was so sick and pissed off about all the time I'd lost for exercising and eating well due to the tooth pain, that I through a HUGE pity party and ate sugar cookies (did I mentioned I baked them?) and pancakes for dinner. 

That crashed Body Ecology.  It's been about a week of being off of Body Ecology and I feel crappy: bloated, tired, insatiably hungry and pissed off that the week before I got off Body Ecology I hadn't lost one pound.  I lost 6 pounds week 1 and 4 pounds week 2 and week 3 NADA.

So here comes the spiritual lesson: I have to find a way to enjoy the process instead of focusing so intently on the event (the weight loss).

It's Easter, I've had pizza, jelly beans, chocolate and sugar and I've made one commitment to myself: To begin Body Ecology again tomorrow with the goal of completing 120 days (not 21 days) of straight Body Ecology before taking a few days off.  I think a few days off in between periods of Body Ecology may always be part of what I do but I want to know what it feels like to have 120 days of Body Ecology healing under my belt... weight loss or no weight loss. 

Inner Wisdom is Priceless... Body Ecology Day 15

The longer I'm on Body Ecology, the more connected I feel to my inner wisdom.  I've known for some time that this was the way I needed to eat... but I fought it.  I didn't want to "restrict" myself.  I didn't want to feel "confined."  I didn't want to give up the foods that were poisoning me.  I wanted to have my cake and eat it too.  All of those excuses boiled down to one thing: I wasn't willing to let go of what "felt" good for what would be great.

It's amazing how much we fight our inner knowing, how frequently we reject our highest good.  Whether it's a matter of deserving or an issue of self esteem, it's a sad day when we learn to no longer trust ourselves. 

It's Day 15 of Body Ecology and I ate well.  My reserves of veggie and protein were low but, at some point today, my body said "I need more carbs" so I cooked some red potato fries in olive oil and gave my body what it needed... and I'm still ending the day at 1,400 calories. 

On Body Ecology, eating comes naturally.  I don't have to think about what I'm eating.  I listen to my body and I feed myself good things.  I combine my foods properly and I don't even think about whether or not I'm losing weight.  I know I am.  I don't obsess any longer about what food I'll be eating next.  I already know.  There's no longer a compulsion to eat sugary foods because sugar is no longer running my life.

Does eating this way take discipline?  Yes.  Does it take work?  No.  The moment I decided to do what I knew was right, the system of eating came naturally.  It was almost like coming home after years away. 

I remember being a personal trainer and learning that muscle has memory, that even when you gain lots of weight, the moment you start working out, your muscles remember past levels of fitness and they come back in a third of the time.  Just as our muscles have memory, so does our appetite. 

If you known what it feels like to treat your body well, your body welcomes even a second of that treatment and ushers in your right and responsibility to honor the temple that carries you through life.  I'm learning how to treat my temple, one Body Ecology day at a time... and it feels good.