Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 161 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast!
So that topic…Is the world going insane? Everything I talk about in this episode has to do with the answer, but I’m going to give my answer at the end. You can tell me what you think by emailing me at heidi@heididawson.com
But for now, though. How’s it going? Are you waking up every day excited for what’s to come? Are you feeling better, getting better every single day? You can, you know. Our society would have you believe that oh, you’re just getting older so life just goes downhill. I don’t buy into that. I think that does happen if you let it. But I’m not going to let it. Are you?
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it 100 times, “That’s just part of getting older”. “I’m just getting old”. Maybe you’ve even said it! But I refuse to buy into that because I have seen it work the opposite in my own life. I am more fit and in better shape right now than when I was 25. My brain is clearer right now than it was 3 years ago.
Just because society believes something, it doesn’t make it true. Now it’s true for a lot of people because they have never broken out of the societal pattern of poor nutrition, lack of movement, work and then die mentality. But I’m different and I believe you are too if you’re still listening past the first part…
It’s empowering to know that life doesn’t have to get boring or slow or achy and foggy just because we are getting older. We don’t have to buy into the idea that well, I guess I’m just destined to be like everyone else, going on certain medications because I’m getting old.
We had friends over for dinner last night and we were talking about her health. When she was 41 the doctor told her she needed to take this cholesterol medication, which was causing some other problems for her but he also told her, she wouldn’t have to take it if she would exercise, but at the time, she didn’t want to do that, it just didn’t seem like that big of a deal, everyone else she knew was on something like that so it’s just the norm right? But that medication caused her other problems and once she decided to lose weight, she realized she didn’t need the medication at all.
Her body knew how to take care of itself. She just had to give it the chance and the nutrition to let it.
I also remember a couple years ago, I was upset over something that was happening in the world (doesn’t matter what because it applies to anything) but I had been reading news articles about it and you know what happens when the machine realizes you are interested in a certain topic, it just keeps sending you more and more articles like it until you are completely worked up about it. I had a friend come over for dinner. She was talking all about the fun things she was doing and her work and life was so good and I was like, “But what about this thing going on in the world”? Can you believe that? She looked at me and she had no idea what I was talking about and she was just like I’m so busy, I don’t focus on that stuff.
Right then, I had an epiphany. It only affected me because I was focused on it. It was not affecting her at all because she was focused on things that were fun and interesting and my mind was being drawn to the drama of the week, which is never ending and is like a series on Netflix. They have to have a cliffhanger to make sure you watch next week. And there’s always going to be something new, some new thing to get us worked up about, some new virus, some new terrorism threat, some new way to make us hate each other. But it hit me then that I was just allowing someone else’s agenda dictate my thoughts because I wasn’t being intentional about what I was consuming, so I was being drawn into what someone else wanted me to consume…the food companies want you addicted to food, pharmaceutical companies want you addicted to medication, the news want you addicted to drama, the politicians want you angry at this group or that group.
That’s the same societal recipe that ends up with us saying “That’s just part of getting older”. “I’m just getting old.”
But what if that isn’t true? What if we each decided “I’m 100% responsible for everything that happens to me and what that means is every single thing I read, everything I watch, Everything I eat, drink, every single thing I consume is setting the tone for how I am going to feel, the actions I’m going to take and ultimately the results I create in my life.
Because guess what? That’s the truth, that’s what is going on here. We are each in our own little universe of what we’re focused on. What we are focused on is the lens through which everything else is filtered.
Jairek Robbins had an Instagram story this last week where he had this question where you get to give your answer, kind of like a poll, I love those things, instant gratification, right? Anyway, I read this question as “Are you ok with mandated vaccines?” And the option for answers was heck yeah or no way. Well I believe in each of us making our own decision about this of course and so I said “No way” and then it gave the percentage of who said yes or no, which sort of surprised me but then it moves to the next story he had up and that story said “Isn’t it interesting how when you are focused on something you see it everywhere? Go back and read the question of the previous story again and my brain was like what? So I went back and the question actually said “Are you ok with mandated vacations? I felt embarrassed that I had fallen for that, but a lot of people did because it’s a big focus for us right now, but why? You’re gonna keep getting more of what you focus on.
You get to decide what you focus on. I believe that to be the key to creating the life you want, or just going on autopilot and consuming what someone else wants. You just have to break away from the machine and think for yourself. I don’t know what that means for you, but I know for me, it means I have to do some more work.
And I’m not perfect at this. There are things I still focus on that I KNOW it’s not going anywhere good, but I am at least aware that I’m doing it, which is the first step.
Can you acknowledge right now that there are days where you are on autopilot and the machine has you locked into consuming whatever drug you’re on this week? Maybe it’s the Food drug or the News drug or the latest virus drug, maybe it’s the drama in the office drug or the collective anger at a specific group drug…whatever drug you’re on, that you’re consuming on your phone, or your computer or the internet at all, the machine is just going to feed you more of it until you stop consuming it.
Maybe you WANT to be distracted because you’re bored in life, you aren’t where you thought you would be, things didn’t end up the way you thought they would and here you are in this life and this body that you’re not loving.
This is where it gets good though. You can change it. You have the power to change your course in life. Right now.
The machine, it doesn’t really care what you focus on, it just wants you to stay on the internet longer because that gets them more ad money.
If you start focusing on and searching for things that make you better…meditation, healthy food, organized home stuff, whatever excites you BUT also makes you better…..what if you spend your free time focused only on things that make you better???
The machine is going to send you more of that. You’re going to attract things and people in your life that give you more of that. You will start feeling better and getting better and eventually, someone will say “what do you think about the drama of the week and you’re going to say, “I’m not aware of that because I am only focused on what’s making me better. And now you’re back in control of your life. How good does that sound?
Is the world going insane?
Depends on who you ask and what they’re focused on.
If you don’t like where you are.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
If you think the answer is YES the world is going insane, what are you focusing on? There are always going to people that are thriving and there are always going to people that aren’t. And a majority of that has to do with their mindset. Which are you going to be?
My challenge to you this week, is to be very deliberate about what you choose to focus on. It could be that you pick up a new book that empowers you in one way or another, something that gets you excited. And then start searching for that topic and be very deliberate about it. And If you have a desire to go back to your old habit of consuming something that isn’t going to make you better, be aware of the desire and pause for a minute. Delay it for just one minute, maybe the desire will fade or maybe you still go look at it but at least you are making the big step of awareness…and that is a big step towards making you better. I love you guys and I’ll talk to you in a few days.
