Healthy, Hindered or History? Your Choice

There's a saying that I'm rather fond of, it goes like this: "there are three kinds of people in this world, those that want something to happen, those that make something happen and those that wonder what happened.

Now of course, we all like to think that we fall in the second group, those that make something happen. More than likely that is true of you, at least in some areas of your life. If we are honest with ourselves however, we can probably admit that at times we find ourselves wishing something would happen but not doing anything about it.

There are several reasons why that can be true. Maybe we want to take action but we don't know where to start. Perhaps our life is so busy that exerting ourselves in one more direction just seems too hard. Then there's always the possibility that we know we need to do something, we even have a fair idea what we need to do, but we don't feel any sense of urgency, so we delay.

For some reason, this seems to be especially easy to do when it comes to our health. Have you ever had one of these conversations with yourself?

• I really need to start some kind of an exercise program; I just don't know where I'll find the time. Maybe in a few months after things mellow out a little bit.
• I sure don't like the way my clothes have been fitting lately. I can remember when this outfit was loose on me. Next month I'm going on a diet. This time I really mean it!
• If I don't get things turned around soon, I'll never get back in shape. It has been so long I just don't know where to start.

Clearly, all three of these scenarios indicate that you want something to happen. If you follow through and take action then you become one of those people who make something happen.

Unfortunately, if you don't follow through, then eventually you become one of those people who wonder what happened.

Whether we take action or not has a lot to do with our priorities, that's true. It also has a lot to do with whether or not we feel a sense of urgency. A good example of this would be someone who intends to quit smoking for 20 or 30 years. They know smoking is unhealthy. They know it's expensive. They also know that eventually it will cost them their health. But they still feel pretty good, and they enjoy it, so they delay. Then they have a heart attack or find out they have lung cancer and finally they decide it is time to quit smoking.

Had they quit 20 or 30 years earlier, they probably could have avoided the problem. But there was no sense of urgency and so they postponed taking action. Now it's too late, the damage is done. Now they can look back and wonder, "How could I let that happen? How could I do that to myself?"

This scenario can play out in any area of our life. When it comes to your health, ask yourself; do I need to clean up my diet? Do I need to get more exercise? Do I need to get more sleep? Do I need to let go of comfort foods? And here's the biggest question of all, do I know where to start?

If you knew where to start, would you be willing to take action or would you procrastinate? In other words, would you make something happen or would you just want something to happen?

In the long run the answer will determine what kind of person you choose to be, healthy, hindered or history?

About the Author

Jonathan Wells firmly believes that the mind plays a vital role in our overall health, a role that has been greatly overlooked and vastly underestimated.

He is also very active in sharing health related information through his blog: HEALTHeFORUM and a free 11 day eCourse titled: BECOME THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN HEALTH available at his web site.