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Assignment 8.
Overall Balance
By Indigo Irwin Kennedy
copyright © TheWaveRiders.com™ http://www.thewaveriders.com
(PI1005balanceall)
These assignments
are based on the book "The Wave Riders" (order
here), and it does help if you have already read the book.
Don't worry if you have not as you will find a lot of good
information here that will help. If you missed the beginning
of the online workshops here is where we started...
http://www.thewaveriders.com/newsletters/jan05.html
So far, in our
assignments, we have charted our waves and determined what
areas of our lives we would like to improve. Now, it is time
to begin our Life Plan based on what we know about ourselves.
We need to make our plan that will allow our lives to continue
to move forward regardless of what mood we are fighting at
the time. Good planning helps you to create a better future
and helps to prevent things created by up energy, such as
overspending. This month's assignment is about Overall Balance.
Balance is more than watching
the ups and downs of your energy waves it is also about watching
that you have balanced your activities for the Mind, Body
and Soul as well as watching that you have balanced areas
of your life such as Community, Family and Friends as in Assignment
5 http://www.thewaveriders.com/articles/pi0705balancechart.html
If either one of the key areas
of Mind, Body and Soul, in your life are out of balance then
you will pay a price somewhere in your life. The price may
be depression, illness, lack of energy, lack of self-esteem,
unsociability, anger and overspending.
Our finances suffer when we
overspend because we do not allow time in our lives to do
what must be done to keep our homes and our lives in good
running order.
Overextending our minds and
bodies to pay the bills often leaves us overspending to keep
the family fed - using McDonalds and pizza quick fixes as
our nutritional supply.
No one will really care why
you arrived at exhaustion. They will see that you did not
take them to the park or they will notice that you were so
tired you began to mess up at work. The reason it happened
won't really matter. How often do you hear your kids say,
"Mom, I am glad you worked so hard for our benefit that
you are too tired to play with us".
How many CEO's look to their hardest worker after he/she ends
up on disability as says,
"I see you are suffering
from exhaustion. I appreciate your efforts to make this company
a success and therefore I will support you in a manner that
will keep you traveling to all the exotic places that you
want to go. I am sorry that you destroyed yourself to make
me successful. Take care, now and don't worry I will look
after your family but first I must return to the company to
keep my shareholders happy and put keep gas in the limo."
Most people are results orientated
and only care about the result. No one, not even your kids
or parents, will reward you for sacrificing your physical
and mental well being for them. My boss, my family and my
friends expect that I will have the common sense to balance
and to take care of myself so that I can continue to do the
job I am to do. At the end of an overworked life - few will
care about the overwork that you did.
They will only wonder…why
you don't help anymore, why you don't work the extra hours
anymore? You must not care about your work anymore and they
will gladly escort your tired ass out the door when you can
no longer do the job….so you MUST take care of yourself.
Expect no reward for self-sacrifice Success comes only in
self-preservation. I am not talking about selfishness at the
cost of all others - I am talking about allowing yourself
the time to shower, to eat properly, to take a walk and to
buy healthy food to fill your fridge. Time to cook a nice
meal, read a book, listen to music…or simply be silent.
Assignment 8 is all about finding
where you balance is lacking and taking some form of action
to improve in those areas.
#1 Balanced Diet: This
is not a weight loss diet but a balanced diet of what your
body needs to function every day. Balance will give you the
greatest ability to lose weight as you are not trying to maintain
up by eating quick fix foods. Remember as a Wave Rider you
are "burning rocket fuel" so you need to replace
what you burn with healthy foods. If you are not sure what
foods are best get together with a nutritionist and work it
out. Make stocking the fridge with fruits and vegetables a
priority and make sure you are leaving enough time to make
fresh vegetables and that you won't be so pressured to keep
working that you let them rot in the fridge while you pick
up the phone for pizza. Keep the quick fixes(sugars and chips
and pop) ) out of your house. It has been proven that the
brain will go to the fastest supply of energy that takes the
least amount of perceived effort....the brain does not consider
the future consequences - it is just not designed that way.
It sees the chocolate bar as an efficient source but does
not consider the fact that the sugar is an energy spike that
will in only a few hours send you lower in energy than you
were in the first place. That is the brain logic that we need
to fight - it is how the brain works...so you are fighting
your own brain not just your will power. You will have to
override it's natural tendency.
I believe exhaustion is the
main cause of weight gain and avoidance of exhaustion is the
main way to stay slim. I can personally attest to this, as
I battle to keep weight off my body. I do great until I begin
to take on too much or try to stay on the upper wave and then
BAM! - Uncontrollable food cravings and binges - trying to
fill the void I feel…when really - I am tired and need
rest. I am, at that time, so exhausted that my brain decides
that I do not have enough energy to go out hunting for the
best food...I need energy fast and so I make the worst possible
choices.
Write down the actions you
will take to improve your balanced diet.
#2 Balanced Physical Activity:
You should have a least 20 minutes of physical activity every
day. It might be that you simply get up off the couch or away
from the desk for a short walk outside. It might accumulate
by walking the stairs instead of using the elevator, cutting
the grass, cleaning the house, taking a walk, or dancing in
your living room. Whatever it is we need to get away from
the computer, get away from the TV and move our bodies. Circulation
helps to move oxygen throughout our muscles and organs and
improves overall health. Even small amounts of exercise have
been proven to provide hours of "happy chemicals".
Go to the fitness store for your next quick fix. It is common
at first feel less energy when you start a fitness program
but stick it out for at least 3 weeks and even better if you
last 6 weeks and you will feel the real energy boost and addiction
to the new fit feeling will kick in to help you stick to it.
I recently watched a show that reported that more and more
people will hit the high weight levels due to the amount of
time on our computers and in front of our TV's. Recently walls
had to be removed to take a 1200 LB man to the hospital who
was suffocating in his own weight. More and more people are
climbing to the 1000 lb. level...don't let that happen to
you - it happens from the "quick fix to reload"
from exhaustion....avoid the exhaustion and start moving....even
if it is only a little each day...it will grow to more as
your fitness increases.
Write down the actions you
will take to improve your balanced body fitness.
#3 Balanced Mind Work:
What are you learning? What are you inspiring to. I recently
read in the book "Manic Depression and Creativity"
in which they stated that Beethoven knew, that the artist
who feels that they have reached the top, and there is no
one better than them, stops creating and starts decaying.
Are you working the same drudgery every day? Are you stuck
in the status quo? Have you opened your mind lately? You may
be a person who does too much mind work, not remembering to
eat or to sleep. If you mind is all that you nurture expect
to suffer the consequences of the downtime. A nurtured mind
without the balance of body and soul will lash out in anger
when the flood of inspiration begins to run out. Balance Body,
Mind and Spirit,l and you can use the creative energy on a
more consistent basis without the downtime and without waiting
for "it" to appear.
Write down what you will
learn to help your mind to grow.
Or...determine, what you
will do to insure that you will not overuse your mind sacrificing
your Body and Spirit.
#4 Balanced Soul Work:
Did you laugh today? Did you relax today? Did you take a moment
to yourself today? Do you feel that you accomplished something
meaningful? Did you sing today? Dance? Without replenishing
that part of you that feels good about your day you will head
into depression. You will lose the knowledge of where you
find your joy and you will trudge throughout life without
feeling. The things that make you happy and make you laugh
will only appear to you if you have created a safe environment
for them to appear in. If you constantly squash down any fun
thing in your life because it does not seem to have a purpose
or it does not look like it will bring in any money then you
shut off the valve to the greatest source of energy that you
have. Laughter heals. Joy fulfills. Find your inspiration
in quiet times.
Write down what you will
do to balance your Soul/Inner Spirit.
Remember, Survivors - often
only survive because they have "something" that
they have to do. They hold on because they need to get back
to their farms, reopen their stores...whatever it is that
gives them the strength to make it through. To make your life
the best it can be, and to survive through your tough times,
you must give your Mind, Body and Soul/Spirit the nutrition
they need and a dream to inspire to. Don't let the uncontrolled
Wave Riding of the past make you feel that dreams are not
for you. Working with your waves in a more controlled manner
will make you a different person and will give you a better
result.
Yours in Faith,
Indigo Irwin Kennedy
Beyond the mind, around the heart, fill the soul.
Copyright© TheWaveRiders.com™
http://www.thewaveriders.com
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