Q: Are you Doing Everything Possible to Create Vibrant Health to Serve Others?
Happiness is created when we close the gap between who we currently are and the person that we can be. All anxiety and depression exist in that gap. The goal is to ‘self-actualize’, to be our best-selves moment-to-moment in service to the world. Abraham Maslow, father of modern psychology tells us that, as we move up his “Hierarchy of Needs” and have met our needs for shelter, clothing, food, etc. the need to self- actualize will become just as important as these basic survival needs. Although some of you may live more comfortable than others, the majority of you reading this article have met your physiological needs, and must address your need to self-actualize. If we don’t prioritize these needs. we will be punished with anxiety and depression. these diseases don’t seem as dire but can be just as debilitating over the long run.
When we live outside the needs, we are like a fish trying to breathe out of the water; we may be able to survive for a moment, but we can’t sustain and flourish for very long.
To ‘self-actualize’ it’s helpful to choose to view our bodies as the ‘temples’ that they are. It’s empowering to view your human body as a “God” given gift that was created for a reason. Its purpose is to honor whatever higher power created us (even if you don’t believe in a higher power, it can be powerful to choose to believe so) We weren’t designed to waste our lives, we were designed to serve the world. This is why we feel unhappy when we are lazy and selfish.
Therefore, we need to take responsibility for doing everything possible to keep our bodies and minds in vibrant health. The way to do this is to honor our fundamentals (eat, breath,sleep,focus/breath) and live with virtue, consider living the Pillars of Utah Lacrosse: (be honest, be humble, trust yourself and others, be passionate, and be grateful).
A simple trick to help you do this is to think immediate, medium, and long term before you take any action. For example, before eating that extra dessert, think how it will affect you (short, medium, & long-term?) Before you say something unkind, think how it will affect you (short, medium longterm?). Hint, we want to delay gratification and play the long game!
Taking a brief moment to consider the ramification of your actions will take you a long way towards staying in vibrant physical and mental health!
#Fundamentals #Purpose #Soul Oxygen #Pillars
