I love a good “whodunit” that shares the end scene of a movie at the beginning without spoiling all the twists, turns and developments in between! My mind will race throughout the entire show to determine who the guilty character is as the movie mysteriously unfolds layers of suspense! Imagine in our own movie if we knew what the outcome would look like when a fight is coming in our health and wellness journey, and we already knew we were going to win! We may not be able to define the ongoing process, but the “win” is ours for the taking! So I’m releasing this blog sooner than later. The following section is in the” last” chapter of the book and captures the Priority One mentality when we are about to engage in a fight!
The preparation is set and the wheels are finally in motion to take your health and wellness lifestyle to another level. Modifications are being considered and now the picture of a new mindset is in high definition. You are right in the midst of your thoughts to proceed and something knocks you completely off your game. When life throws us a curve, we know a fight is coming! You will have quite a few of them, and when they occur, it’s time to put your game face on. It’s time to commission your thoughts at another level without hesitation.
This is your life and opportunity to let people know how serious you are. What you’re about to engage in is reaching a higher perspective in every aspect of your journey. So how will you deal with the obstacles that are now in the fighting rink with you? How can you smash the rounds you are about to encounter? How many hits will you have to give and receive before you win? There are three key elements you will need in order to walk away with the title of champion after your fight:
Identification – Know what type of fight is about to take place. When you see it and can recognize it, then you will be better prepared to defend yourself against it mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, emotionally, etc. No one on this earth is exempted from a trial, test or warfare. Example: If a physical fight is coming on (sinus allergies, cold, flu, injuries), it may be a little subtle at first. But then you may encounter a one-two punch out of nowhere. Fever is up, you’re hacking all night, and body feels achy and completely drained.
Even during these moments, you know you must do your part in becoming well. You still should eat when you’re sick. Staying hydrated and drinking water is critical. And you definitely need the proper amount of sleep that is necessary for you to recover. These are non-negotiables when you’re down because you plan not to be there for long. And you don’t want to prolong any illnesses or injuries from days to weeks of care. Let’s get back up and finish this fight, but you must be able to identify the type of fight you’re walking through.
Competition – Check your competition to your left and your right. Who is your competition? I believe this is anything that is standing in your way as you are preparing for your race. They can be negative words or lack of action. Want to know who they really are? Let’s meet them right now. The name of the competition to your left is You Won’t Make It! The competition to your right is You’re Wasting Your Time! The one behind you is You May As Well Quit Right Now! And the one in front of you who is talking the most smack is You May As Well Let The Ref Call The Fight!
These four competitors are all around you at the start of your run to ensure that you won’t meet your goals! They’re not cheering you on, and they are counting on you to trip and fall before the race even begins. As a matter of fact, they’ve already started buzzing your ear with how bad they’re going to gang up on you every time you walk up to the line to commit to a healthier regimen. They’re ready to steal your confidence before you put your foot in the block! Yeah, your competition is gangsta. They don’t like you and you don’t like them!
Choices – When you commit to stepping in your rink to fight, you must make a choice. But it can’t be a namby-pamby choice where much thought wasn’t given to it. It must be the right one. The element of choice can win or lose your fight, and they can literally be life-threatening.
In my health and wellness class, I shared a visual presentation of putting a chair on our platform and placing a rose in it. I told the group that whatever they decide to do in life from that moment forward will always be their choice. And the choice they make must be considered wisely. I stated that they did not want to be defined as a rose in a chair due to unhealthy choices. Their son or daughter is walking down the aisle to get married or graduate from high school or college, and now they can’t lock eyes on their parent because the parent is now being represented as a rose in a chair. I asked them to make their choices matter.
I shared the story of a rose in a chair with my class intending to create a visualization that life can be cut short due to the choices we make. In our health and wellness class we were targeting areas we could change, while making a difference in our lives. The rose in the chair story is focused on areas including the prevention of heart disease, lowering medical numbers, running on four hours of sleep per night, etc. We have a desire to make the right choices in life in general. However, if we don’t make them, we may end up with the type of results that can be detrimental down the road.
I would like to talk for your inner person if you will allow me to. The person inside you is overwhelmed with life-happened moments! Whether it is being stressed, overweight, frustrated, lonely, sad, jobless, homeless, sleepless, marital struggles or facing divorce, illness, etc, your inner person still needs for you to fight for them. Life’s past health and wellness choices may not have been the ones to rave about, but now it’s time for you to RE-present yourself to your inner you. You must fight for them.
Put some grease on your face and paint under your eyes. Put on your boxing gloves or even an entire SWAT gear (depending on your level of fight) and take those challenges on round by round. Generally, people won’t fight for their life until something serious happens. So why wait until something happens to declare that NOW is the time? It’s time to meet the best you that you can be. You are so valuable to your inner person, and they cannot win this race without you. This is not an individual effort. It is a “team” effort between you and them.
It is vital that you make yourself top priority in this program. There are too many things that are going to try to distract you as you move forward. The main focal point in doing so is to secure the right choices in your life. With everything that is on your plate, you’re the only one who knows exactly what you need to do for yourself and your family. For every area in your life that is not terminal but requires modifications, make those choices matter.
Priority One Mindset: We must refuse to have a defeated mentality of “permanent failure” simply because we didn’t achieve the award-winning results we were after in the first round. Technical Knockouts (TKOs) still require determination and grit. When a fight is coming and all the surrounding elements are trying to shut down your focus and motivation to win, let them know you’re getting ready to put them in the dust! Any negative thoughts you have to deal with are not going to prevent you from crushing the round or the entire fight! Keep your head up, stay focused and make sure you continue to charge ahead. Put your game face on and let yourself know you will make it and you will not be intimidated. This time, you are going all the way.
Reflection: Who is this person trotting into the rink with their shiny robe on, hood up and pounding on your gloves? Looks like you’re ready to defeat all those challenges and conquer your goals. Boy, do I feel sorry for your opponent! You are totally prepared to fight for yourself. You know what you need to do to make the right choices so you can live a more productive life. We have no idea how much it will benefit us down the road until we make our decisions now. We don’t have to wait.
Let’s begin to make five-star choices in our lives that will produce a TKO to any negativity that stands in our way. The bell is chiming and the final round is over. Ready to meet the champion who won the fight? Well, that would be you! I see the ref holding your arm up! Congratulations on making the right choices!