I’m not sharing any rocket science here. BUT, if you choose to read on, you may just learn something. I will even share 4 actionable items that will change you, TODAY!
Imagine waking up one morning (and have this morning be your birthday), in excruciating pain. Stomach pain worse than anything you can imagine and even worse than child birth…(believe me, I know).
That day was just one of many that led me up to this point. A stomach infection that catapulted me into understanding why foods I eat, affect every aspect of my life.
I have several health issues that have required me to revamp my diet but it goes deeper than that. You see, I am a Mortgage Broker and if you don’t know what that is, here you go…. I work with a wide range of people to help them purchase, build or refinance a home. When I say a wide range of people, it means I work with all kind of situations because every person and transaction is unique. And that uniqueness means you need someone who can handle all types of stressors that can come during a mortgage transaction. BUT, it also means you need to be on top and able to perform your best, every day! The biggest transaction of a persons life depends on it.
This also relates to our bodies and how each person’s body is unique and the things I ingest may not harm the person next to me, but it hurts me…..So it causes us to really learn ourselves…
So how do you positively impact your work, family life and your overall well being?
Every aspect of your life is affected by how you understand yourself. Like a Mortgage transaction….you may think you understand all the aspects of the loan that was placed on your desk until you see a a large deposit into a bank account that is suppose to be used for a down payment, but you quickly realize the money is not source-able….time to troubleshoot. Or when your client, who has a high debt to income ratio already, just bought a new car….that is always fun. And then you get into a groove of eating all the right things and you feel good, until you realize you have inflammation, IBS, food sensitivities and aches and pains, which are causing you to not sleep well at night which is affecting your daily work…. So you have to start from scratch and see what is the cause and how do you fix it.
So this actually sounds complicated right? It really isn’t. You see, you have to be willing to make changes. If you aren’t willing to make changes, your health (your body and your business) will suffer.
I do not have the quick fix for everyone that reads this. What I do have is my story and how it has affected my entire life. You see, I have always had issues with food in relation to self image. However, that insecurity launched several health issues that now linger with me. I am self confident now, but the issues of my past caused forever damage in my body. I have an autoimmune disease called Sjorgren’s Syndrome with Nervous System Disorder (which affects all the mucus and saliva producing glands in the body as well as nerves, digestion and joint/muscle tissues). In short, it sucks….especially when diagnosed at 35 and realizing that I likely had this for over 10 years before understanding what was wrong…BUT, after my diagnosis, I was able to to truly investigate how to BEAT this disease so I could move on with my life and be better at home and work.
Here is what I did….
First Thing: I started to work out again! The pain of this disease has caused a lot of painful and very bad days. When you have shooting nerve pain down your legs and nothing makes it feel better, it is literally a battle to even function. It took several months but I started with just short simple workouts and now, a year later, I am cycling 100 miles a week, lifting weights and even playing competitive coed volleyball again! I realized in the past year that I still hurt, but if I am going to hurt, I am going to hurt doing stuff I love. I could easily choose to just sit and be in pain, or I can keep moving forward and enjoy life, even if I hurt a little.
Secondly: I understood what I could and could not eat….and it seriously changes frequently…. You see, we all need to watch what we eat. And we need to understand that our body’s can become sensitive to even really good foods that we eat. If you drink milk, eat cheese and have queso dip on a daily basis, you will likely have a sensitivity to dairy. Or if you eat almonds, drink almond milk and put almond butter in your protein shake….you can build a sensitivity to almonds.
My recommendation on this one is to take an initial food sensitivities test, OR write down your meals for a week and see what you eat. And potentially meet with a nutritionist to go over it with you. You are likely not eating a variety and the things you do eat may be exactly what is causing inflammation, stomach upset, brain fog and more. Just trying this will give you a perspective on what changes you can make.
Third: Stop drinking alcohol…..I’m serious. Too many people drink it way too much, and it is just bad for you….If you occasionally have a glass of wine or a beer, fine, but too often it becomes a daily habit. You start needing it to get through the night and your stressful job. Or using it to help you fall asleep… Believe me. I know….I was self medicating with alcohol for several years….it wasn’t until just this year that I realized how much it was affecting my work, my health and my home life…. It just isn’t worth it. Also, you will find that if you do the first two things (exercise, and diet), you will find that alcohol becomes less appealing anyway….I dare you to try it!
Last: Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude….I could share so much more on this topic but if you can start your morning with gratitude and end it with gratitude, your life will change. I know there will always be issues in between, but seriously…try it! And when you are writing in your gratitude journal, point out details, not just generalizations. For example. I am super thankful for my husband….however, today, my gratitude journals says this: “I am so thankful that Kevin still kisses me on the forehead, I love when he does that!”
I hope you all learned something from this tidbit and that you understand that YOU can make your days better, more productive and MORE fulfilled, if you start by taking care of yourself. My goal setting, work habits, gratitude journaling, praising, bible time has ALL increased in quality and quantity because I truly started looking after myself. It is a daily work in progress but if you can spend just a few extra minutes each day to evaluate, you will likely close more deals, get more reviews, sell more products, have happier kids and husband, and just feel good!
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