Optimal Well-Being

What do your actions reveal about your basic beliefs and assumptions?

Think about it: What if a person who was completely non-judgmental and not emotionally connected to you were to witness the decisions you make every day? What distinctions would they conclude about your reasoning? Would they think you were knowledgeable about wellness strategies, or would they think you were oblivious about how to care for your own mind and body? Would they think that you are trying to be healthier or instead trying to accelerate the aging and disease processes?

The sad fact is that most Americans would be seen behaving as though they hadn't a clue about how to take care of themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for every 100 employees: 27 have cardiovascular disease, 24 have high blood pressure, more than 50 have high cholesterol, 26 are overweight by 20 percent or more, 10 are heavy drinkers, more than 59 don't get adequate exercise and 44 suffer from overwhelming stress.

But when you realize that only between 10 and 30 percent of your quality of life or longevity is being determined by genetics, it becomes painfully clear that your choices and subsequent actions have the greatest impact on your health.

So back to a version of the original question: What actions would reveal your true beliefs about how you think you should take care of yourself?

If you could play the role of a non-judgmental witness who observes your daily actions and even write down what you've observed in a journal, do you think that you might be able to see areas in your life that are incongruent with your intentions?

Chances are that you've been accumulating wellness strategies for disease prevention and anti-aging throughout your life, but have you created the leverage in your own mind to get you to actually follow through with applying those strategies?

What reasons can you think of, real, deep emotional reasons, for living a healthier life? Do you have a child you want to teach how to live well? Do you have a spouse you don't want to burden with your disease development later in life? Have you ever watched someone wrenched with regret after realizing what their lifestyle has done to them?

Holding negative reminders about what you don't want can be a powerful deterrent to poor decisions. Applying the same energy to the images of the things that you do you want can be an even more powerful force to helping you stay focused on the right path.

Wellness is about being actively involved in the process of living, not just stumbling through your waking hours. It's about educating yourself and learning how to get yourself to follow through with life-giving habits.

Commit to keeping a special journal that records your habits, sense of wellbeing and emotions. Reflect on what activities seem to be working and which ones are self-limiting. As you do this on an ongoing basis, ask fact-finding questions about what you see and you'll discover greater and greater realms of energy and success in experiencing life.