Change One Thing For Life

Human activity tends towards habits. How we drive a car, The order of activities in the morning or at night, when we eat our meals, what exactly we select, prepare, and consume. These habits to a large degree define the fabric and pace of our lives.

Some of these things we do will serve you for years and years. If you are in the habit of checking behind you twice before you change lanes, you will be more likely to notice that a speeding vehicle is approaching you faster than you first thought. Just this could save your life someday.

There are other habits, habits of mind and frequent activities, which may not be good to us. We all engage in activities regularly which we know are not so good. That doesn’t mean we are engaging in the activity because it is unhealthy or ill-advised, but rather for one reason or other we are prioritizing doing the activity in spite of the future detriment. We may be talking about drinking alcohol, smoking, driving tired, eating fatty foods, or drinking soda.

We have control of our selves as long as we can control what we are doing, those activities we invest our time in, food that we eat and drink, people we associate with, places we go. In moments of reflection, we can step back and think about what we are doing, instead of constantly simply acting in our habitual ways. But it is easy to get discouraged if in those moments of reflection we notice too many areas that seem to need work.

I’m advocating a reasonable, step-by-step approach. Be practical in identifying changes. Find a single habit, a single regular (preferably daily) activity that you can change from an unhealthy one to a healthy one. It may seem difficult the first day, you may find yourself forgetting your healthy change a few times in the first week. But there is no one else judging you. This is a change that may only be known to you, and the reason is to lengthen your life, or improve your quality of life. When doing it, thank yourself. Feel good about the change. Remind yourself the big picture, then get on with whatever you are doing. Make the new action as much a part of who you are, your favorite image of yourself, that if you forget and go back to the old habit, you will feel it right away. Soon thinking about falling back into the old habit will remind you how much more you want to change your life, and how much better your new action is.

So pick a change. Stop smoking. Start reading food ingredients and stop eating food containing hydrogenated oils and other trans-fats. Stop drinking soda pop and beverages with added sugar. Stop putting milk into your tea or coffee (since the milk protein interferes with the absorption of antioxidants). Make the room that you sleep in absolutely dark to aid melatonin production. Start a Yoga or Tai Chi practice every morning. Laugh every day for five minutes.

There are many small changes that you can make that will add up to big health benefits over time. Be creative. Be brutally honest. Then make the change. See how easy it is to establish a new habit that works into a positive for your health and your life. Regardless of the effect of the act, just making this one change will make it easier to make further changes later, because now you have a model for making that kind of progress. Your image of yourself will include this new key activity, one of deliberately stepping into a healthier future.