Team BLC

Is Change Possible? 3 Steps to Reinvention...

I'm not going to make it seem like some casual thing because the truth is, change is dang hard! So, before you beat yourself up for eating another donut, skipping a workout or making poor dating choices...consider this:

In a John Hopkins University study, 9 out of 10 people did NOT make lifestyle changes even though they had such severe heart disease that they required bypass surgery. Even when the medical community said to "change or die", 90% failed to modify their lifestyle.

That's a sobering reality, but before you let that discourage you - just embrace that "yes, indeed, change is hard" AND there is a way to create change in your life!

There's a reason you see Love Your Body - Heal Your Mind - Feed Your Soul all over my website. Body, mind & soul are the three steps to creating change in your life - the key to your own personal reinvention.

You must "get on board" in all 3 realms with whatever change you want to create. To do one or two but ignore a category will sabotage your success.

Body is the realm of the physical and biochemical, Mind is the realm of feelings, emotions and subconscious and Soul is the realm of the spirit.

Let's say you decide you want to lose weight and you have really committed to that decision - your Mind is on board, but you are consuming a food that perhaps you think is healthy, but is raising your blood sugar levels, or your HCL in your stomach is low so you aren't metabolizing protein or neurotoxins in processed food is setting off cravings - you will not have success. This is endlessly frustrating because you so want it and believe you can do it, so why isn't it happening? The Body is not getting the care it needs - you can't create success with these kind of physical ailments sabotaging your efforts.

Or, let's say you've got the Body on board and you are rocking it in the physical realm - but still the pounds are slow to shed. What's getting in the way? As you work to release the weight, are issues of self-worth or other emotional pain surfacing? Or, maybe old patterns are wired into your subconscious and you can't figure out how to access them and create a new pattern - to create lasting change it is essential to make adjustments neurologically (plasticity) and in your belief/value system that will encourage your success. Where's your spirituality in this picture? Does your Soul need some awakening so you feel connected, supported and optimistic?

I have found that YES, change is possible - when you bring ALL OF YOU on board.

Love Your Body - what are the physical alterations you need to make in your life, the action steps necessary to support this big change that you desire? Give your Body the fuel it needs to experience success.

Heal Your Mind - what programs are running through that Mind of yours? How, when and where do you need to start rewiring a new set of beliefs and behaviors into your life?

Feed Your Soul - do you feel supported, connected and nurtured by some source "out there" whether it be a higher power, nature, energy...something that helps you to see the optimism in life and open you up to the power of faith.

Now, there is an endless list of mechanisms for "how" to create change in each category - I employ a variety for myself and in my practice. Don't be afraid to try more than one thing as there isn't just "one" answer and often a multi-layered approach toward a mutual goal gets the best results.

Also, consider that to create change you need to connect what you want to your body. It isn't enough to "think" it or "know" it - you need to "feel" it. Body awareness is key. Read the Body Love article for more on how to create this.

Note that you can NOT wait to "feel" motivated before taking action. Actions create thoughts, thoughts create feelings....so take the actions first and the rest will follow. Read The Road to Recovery article for my 10 Step plan to recover from illness & injury.

Know that in ANY effort to create change, there is going to be a cycle of success and failure, progress and setbacks...you have to take the 5,000 foot view to see where you are headed because sometimes when you are mucking through it, you can't see the forest through the trees. Read the Healing article for more on this process.

Some people respond well to making slow, incremental steps to initiate change and others find success with radical, sweeping changes all at one time. Know yourself, test what works for you, do it safely.

Lastly - Who are you? What do you know to be true? You are never too old and it is never too late to discover exactly what you are made of and what is possible in your life. You are the Hero in this journey and this is your story...remember, I'm talking about making LASTING CHANGE here and it IS possible when you get your Body, Mind & Soul on board. Happy Reinvention!

Serving Hands-On Healing,

Dr. Zachary