“The love and attention you always thought you wanted from someone else, is the love and attention you first need to give to yourself.”
Bryant McGillns
We are getting right into the nitty gritty. Rate these comments on a scale between zero and 5 (zero = never and 5 = always). Be honest with your rating.
I say “yes” even if I want to say “no”.
I put other people’s needs before my own.
I turn down offers of help from others.
I am uncomfortable when receiving a compliment.
I spend time and money on my own needs and wants easily and effortlessly.
I take time each day to focus on what my body and/or mind needs.
I feed my body what it needs to be healthy.
I am willing to make the changes necessary to improve how I feel.
If you think you may have padded a number either way, have someone that you are close with rate each of these from their viewpoint about how they see you. Compare the 2 scores and notice where the difference of opinion shows up.
Many of us tend to think we take pretty good care of ourselves, yet when other people look from the outside, they see it differently. If those opinions are quite a bit apart, it may not hurt for us to pay attention to other people’s perspective when it comes to how we treat ourselves.
I have been reading quite a bit about the studies of spontaneous healing of illness and disease. The prognosis of most of the subjects studied have been death within a rather short period of time. Many of the subjects made a commitment to themselves to extend the time they have and/or experience a good quality of life for however long they have. They began to make changes immediately with no expectations of healing, but just to feel good while they either begin their treatments and/or turn to alternative options. Some of the subjects made minor changes in their lifestyle and others made more drastic changes. Things started shifting with how they felt. There are even reports where tumors began shrinking within a short period of time after changing things up. Some people started feeling better over time without any medical treatment. Science can’t explain this, but there are many medical doctors and scientists currently researching it.
When asked about some of the changes they made, it seems that the practice of living their authentic life was pretty common. They began living their life the way they wanted to live it. They put their needs and wants first. They became comfortable with saying “no” when they really wanted to say “no” to someone or something. They took time for themselves and with themselves daily. They made a commitment to themselves to do whatever it took to feel good for as long as they were alive. Some began a deep spiritual practice of meditation, prayer, yoga. Some made changes to their diet and several had severed any relationship they felt was unhealthy or toxic. Most of them dug deep into their soul to discover what needed to change to create internal harmony and happiness. They didn’t have time to waste. They were honest with themselves about what they needed and they took action. Life was about THEM!
Jeffrey Rediger, M.D. wrote “Cured: The Life-Changing Science Behind Spontaneous Healing”, which is one book I finished recently. I heard a podcast he was interviewed on and he stressed one important fact about the changes these subjects made in their life… they did not make these changes based on fear. They willingly made change with the intention of feeling better.
Each time I read a book on these “miracle healings” I begin to wonder why many of us don’t make change until we are desperate. I have made many changes in my eating habits and lifestyle over the past 20 years, yet I know there are many more changes I can make in order to live a healthier and more balanced life. It is said that when we balance our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical life, we are living in “coherence”. This should be our ultimate goal for living our best life. If you are already living this way, kudos to you! You are steps ahead of a larger percentage of people in this world.
Many believe it is selfish to put yourself first, but it’s truly all about balance. We can be of service to others, yet we should pay attention to being of service to ourselves.
Seeing as none of us know how much time we have left on this earth, why not live the best, most authentic and fulfilling life that we could live? Review your scores from the quiz above. Which score would you like to change? Maybe you can begin with a small change that is all about you.
