It's Never to late to change what is and make it better!

People say to me all the time, things like “You’re almost 65? I would have thought you were in your early fifties at the most!” Then they go on to say, “Well, so you’re almost 65, so you’re probably thinking about retiring, right?” I say to them, “Why ever would I want to ‘retire’ from the thing that gives me the most joy in my life, (second only to my family, of course)?”

There are two key ingredients that (to me) epitomize LIFE, and they are:
1. First and foremost, to be Healthy.

Miriam Dictionary has this to say:
1 a: the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially : freedom from physical disease or pain b: the general condition of the body 2 a: flourishing condition : well-being b: general condition or state 3

2. To have Passion for the thing that you do, so much so, that it truly brings you Joy each and every day!

Miriam Dictionary defines Passion as: (I chose not to copy the first definition as that had to do with the Passion of Christ.)
an (1): emotion, love (2): a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept (3): sexual desire (4): an object of desire or deep interest.

Helping others improve their health is my Reason for what I do, but it’s different from my Why. My Why for what I do, has to do with the real Joy (doing it), brings to me!

When I meet with someone, and hear them tell me that they don’t have enough energy to get through their day half the time, much less enough to go home and prepare a home cooked meal for their family, my joy begins to bubble up, because I know that I can show them how they can not only have more energy to do the things they need to do, but enough left over to do the things they want to do. I simply need to help them discover the How, and of course, it will be different for everyone.

I can also help them discover how easily they might prepare whole food meals that they and their families will love! If they are dissatisfied enough with the way things are now, then they’ll listen and make the changes they need to make. Not only will they become healthier with every passing day, but they will perhaps, in time, rediscover their own personal ‘passion’ in life…their own Why for what it is they do. And yes, they may also come to understand that the life they are currently living is not the life they envisioned for themselves when they began. This kind of thinking may give them the courage to change their minds, and re-embrace their Dreams!

Life, to me, is not LIFE without those two key ingredients, it’s simply an existence.

It is the same as the difference between surviving and THRIVING! The bodies we live in, that miracle of miracles, was designed to be able to stay alive on dirt and water….for quite some time, actually, but that is surviving, not Thriving! We are living bodies that require life-giving, living foods in order to Thrive.

Why not make a commitment today to begin to live the life you dream of? Begin it by taking one small step toward better health today and then another, and another, until you are living a life that embraces a Diet of Excellence and an Optimal Lifestyle.

We all have choices in life and we make them based upon so many different reasons, many of which are not really our own, i.e. we’re trying to please someone else, we get caught up in the status quo (inundated with ads to consume everything), and go with the flow, we become weighted down with stress, (not enough time, energy, money fill in the blank _______), so that over time, we lose sight of the fact that we were once happy, and full of vim and vigor, full of the simple Joy that real Living gives to us.

So today, I challenge you to CHANGE your mind; make yourself your highest priority. Figure out what it is that you need to do to begin your walk toward better health, and begin today with taking that one small step. For you it may mean buying a book, like If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It, by Kelly Hayford, (and then reading it of course). Or it may mean that you join a health club, and begin doing an exercise program. It could mean that you pick up the phone and call a Health Coach like myself, and begin learning how to incorporate a more healthy lifestyle into your own daily life. Whatever it means to you, where you are today, do it! I already know you’re worth it; I want you to know it too!

Plan to Live your life LONG, and die SHORT, not the other way around, (that’s the current status quo)… you can do it… begin it now!

Remember, it’s never too late to change what is and make it better!

Until next time, Be Good To Yourself,
Joi XO