my personal definition of wellness

It's Sunday night & I am lying in bed with the flu. And I am realizing how I am ready for a brand new chapter which will result in massive change. I have been ready for about 14 months but it was around 10:00pm that I realized it was 'Go Time'.

You know how you have those 'few' moments in life where your lifestyle just changes...on a dime? It doesn't happen often but certain lifestyle changes impact your entire future. Some examples: The day someone decides to stop smoking and they actually do it & never look back. The day you decide to propose to your girlfriend and all of that time planning comes to that very moment when are down on one knee to ask her. The moment when after years of wanting to lose weight & join a gym, you actually start working out daily & eating healthy. The day you end a toxic relationship albeit a friendship or love interest. The very moment someone gives their life to Christ. The day you give your resignation after two years agonizing over it.  The list goes on but I am hoping you are thinking of your own pivotal life changing moments. The moments where you make the decisions that change the trajectory of your entire life. 

I am at that 'pivotal time' and it involves wellness. My idea of wellness is best defined as: Maintaining an optimal level of wellness is absolutely crucial to live a higher quality life. Wellness matters. Wellness matters because everything we do and every emotion we feel relates to our well-being. In turn, our well-being directly affects our actions and emotions. It’s an ongoing circle. Therefore, it is important for everyone to achieve optimal wellness in order to subdue stress, reduce the risk of illness and ensure positive interactions.

And if you want to put together your own definition of wellness & need some guidance, I really love this diagram.

I see so many of us caught up in social media & moving at a neck breaking speed or not moving at all b/c we are planted in front of a screen. As a result, I rarely see anyone that I personally know living a truly healthy life.

I think our society has gotten so far away from wellness - peace - balance - that it's very alarming to me. Join me in stepping away to actually indulge further into the real world. Rather than mindless scrolling through FB, call someone that you are actually friends with and meet for coffee (and turn your phone off). Look UP from your phone when you are going through your day. God wants you to see directly what & who is in front of you. Gosh, I wonder how many prayers God is answering for all of us yet there is too much noise to notice.

I love the opportunity that I have in front of me. I am 100% certain that I am called to change - right now.  And I am aware that when you make a massive shift in your life, it disrupts the status quo. And when you are transforming and those around you are used to you being the way you 'were', people try to hold onto what was....sometimes desperately. They try to hold you back often without even realizing they are doing it - without any bad intention. People fear YOUR change for a number of reasons which is prob. a whole lesson in psychology. Think about the friend who stops drinking & going to bars and the friends he had been drinking with don't like that.  'Come back for another glass' they say as they watch someone they love move forward into a healthier lifestyle.  Think of the friend who stopped eating junk food - the one that you 'pig out' with on weekends or want to order a large pizza with. And they are now eating fruits & veggies....all of the time. You want them to keep up their bad habit because it soothes & comforts you.  And what about the people pleaser who is always at your beckon call who is no longer pleasing YOU. The examples are endless.  Think of the friend you gossiped with for years until you realized that 'gossiping is the devil's play' and when you stop, maybe she feels lonely without the drama.  Again, examples are endless.

I am doing a deep dive further into wellness & my faith. I am taking a leap with God into new terrain.  For the first time in my life, I am not looking backwards and I cannot be halted by those that aren't headed where I am going.  And if it means losing touch with some, then that's what it means. I am doing it regardless because as I said, it's 'Go Time'. And when God says 'Go'? You run. You race. You sprint.

Life is really really really short.  Live your truth and live it well.

Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to.
Greg Anderson

Note: My time blogging is going to now be one to two times a month vs. weekly. What is really exciting though is that my next post will be a 'Guest Feature' by Sarah Coulter titled 'Hope for Haiti'. And this will take place in two weeks from this Saturday. Prep your heart to be stirred & inspired.