Monday, March 10, 2014

Be Wise With What You Do, Our Bodies and Minds Adjust To Anything

My fav toothbrush that started out as torture
About a year ago, my family migrated from motorized toothbrushes to the "Cadillac" of toothbrushes you see in the photo.  This migration was painful. I remember vividly, me demonstrating for the kids how "easy" it was to use.

Tears were flowing down my face as I brushed with it the first time and tried to keep a smile. The super powered intensity of the toothbrush was painful. It did not feel good at all and was nothing like the toothbrushes we'd just discarded.  I can remember the horrified looks on the faces of my then 11 year old daughter and then 7 year old son.  They could not believe I was still insisting they try the toothbrush that was making me cry. Literally.

But I did insist and now as I look back I am glad I did it. We have all had improved dental check-ups at our last visits and I am attributing the improvement to the new toothbrush and habits surrounding brushing it has created in all of us.  This memory got me to thinking about how my teeth adjusted, rather quickly to the toothbrush with consistent use.  Almost one month removed from my Whole30 diet, I am still reacting to foods and food choices differently than I had before the drastic change in diet. Thinking about the toothbrush and the diet lately,  made me realize how important it is that we are wise in what we do.

Our bodies and minds adjust to anything we do to them.

Marinate in that for a moment.

So....

Destructive self-talk, you mind can adjust to that.
No physical activity to an otherwise healthy body, your body can adjust to that.
Consistent non-use of your best talents, your mind can adjust to that.
Junk food with little to no nutritional value, your body can adjust to that.

This concept was one of my biggest eye opening thoughts during my Whole30 diet. I was certain, I could not live without sugar but alas I did. I was sure I needed corn, bread, lentils, you-fill-in-the-blank, yet I made it without all those things for 30 straight days. I had a few core beliefs about my life that I did not believe I could or should let go of as they had served me well, but I did let them go.

It was not easy and I still have to actively practice letting them go but my mind is adjusting to a new thought pattern, new and better core beliefs to focus on. In the same way that brushing my teeth every day with the super powered toothbrush started out as a painful and tough experience but gave way to a pleasant and thorough cleaning of my teeth. Forcing myself to think differently is tough but getting easier every single day I do it. And just like I can see the results of the adjustment to the painful brushing in my pearly whites every day, I am also seeing the transformation of my life and work by my new focus and beliefs. Plus, it gets easier - it does not hurt to brush my teeth with the super powered brush anymore. In fact, after about 2 months, we didn't even notice a difference. I am banking on that same result from my change in thinking over time. It is still very new to me - about 30 days or so.  It looks a little something like this for me...





Being laser focused on your desires, your mind can adjust to that.
Giving your body the physical activity it craves, your body can adjust to that.
Surrounding yourself with supportive people who lift you up, your mind can adjust to that.
Eating a balanced diet of food with high nutritional value, your body can adjust to that.

GUYS - we must be intentional with our minds and our bodies. If we don't specifically think about and control what we put into our minds and bodies, they just adjust to whatever we do to them. Make whatever you do worth the adjustment your body and mind will make to accommodate it.

1 comment:

  1. Surround yourself with only super people, super experiences, super activities and truly necessary material things every second, every minute,everyday, every week, every month, every year. :)

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