By Kelley Vargo
I have been fortunate to have some amazing individuals in my life. Three of them being Jill Coleman, Jade Teta, & Gary Leake of Metabolic Effect. They have given me a wealth of knowledge in the world of fitness and wellness. Beyond exercise programming and nutritional consulting, they have bestowed upon me the most important aspect of optimal health: the power of the mind. This is more valuable than the science, the training, and the diet, for without the correct mindset, how do we achieve our end goal in mind? It is this optimal mindset that they have inspired me to adopt through their actions and practice.
Many times we long for the next great thing in our life to happen. I was guilty of this. We wonder, worry, wait, and rationalize. “When things slow down, I’ll eventually get around to getting that done. When I save up more money, I will buy this. If I were younger, I would have done that. If only I loose X more pounds, I will be happier.” And so the stream of irrational rationalization continues. I am just about finished reading Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret. Part of my slow turnover time is my lack of reading but the other reason is my time spent reflecting on the passages. If you haven’t had the chance to read this, I highly recommend it.
To simplify achieving the optimal state of being, I will combine two phrases I learned from Jade: BE DO HAVE & PURPOSE FOCUS CHOICE for a grand acronym of: B.D.H.P.F.C.
BE. Be the person you want to be right now! This starts in your mind and in your soul. Truly embrace this. Feel it, think it, dream it, act it. This might sound outlandish, but what do you have to loose? Try it. And most importantly BE it.
DO. Stop procrastinating, making excuses, and rationalizing behavior. If you want to do something, do it! We are not promised tomorrow, we merely have today. I am fortunate enough to have my almost 90-year-old grandmother around who is the rock of our family. The DO is what she has done her whole life. When things seem hard to me, that quick phone call back to Youngstown puts me back in my place, and I get back to “DOing” what I was set out to do. Find that person that knows you, supports you, and believes in you. When things seem tough, reach out to them – the will help you get back to what you set out to DO.
HAVE. Once you have adopted the B and D you will soon see the manifestation of the H, the have. Before you realize it, people, events, situations will appear in your life just as you had wanted them to. It sounds kind of crazy, but believe me, again, what do you have to loose? On the opposite end of the continuum, if we wait until we have something, will we get it? BE. DO. HAVE
PURPOSE. The mirror to BE, is purpose. I believe we are all searching for this in life, obtaining a sense of fulfillment and happiness. Ironically, as I was typing this blog I started up a conversation at the quaint breakfast place on Capitol Hill. The waitress explained to me that she packed up her bags and moved to DC to be close to her family, finish up her PhD, and looking for a job. I gave her my email and told her I would put her in contact with a few people I know around the area. I am not sure how far my connections will get her, but she was appreciative and said to me, “That is so kind of you to help me out.” And without even thinking, I replied, “I would love to help, we are all here trying to find our purpose in life and live it out.” Her response was, “You are right, so many people in DC are here to make a difference, and trying to find a way to make it happen.” Now, in no way am I implying for you to pack up your backs and move to the capital in order to fulfill your purpose (Although I wouldn’t be opposed :-) ), the point is once you know what your purpose is, fulfillment automatically follows.
FOCUS. Once we know it is that we want to achieve, everything we think about, act upon, dream about should be a result of what our purpose is. Obsession isn’t healthy, but having a clear picture of what you want is necessary. Whether it is getting accepted into an academic program, losing weight, creating more time for your family, improving your self awareness, or training for a competition – your energy should be put into making this your reality. If you lose focus, and feel yourself feeling lost, it is okay. Take time, meditate, journal, reflect. Give yourself a chance to make you purpose clear again and then begin to channel your energy into focusing on that.
CHOICE. Choice to me is somewhat synonymous to DO. Based on what we are (BE), our purpose, and focus, we choose (DO) what will bring us closer to becoming and living it. If its spending time with your family, you choose making it home for dinner over staying at the office late. If it’s loosing weight, you choose the steamed broccoli over the French fries. If it is training for a competition, you choose the gym over happy hour. If we can simplify life down to choices, one at a time, we will make our purpose and our BEing reality.
In closing, I wanted to leave you with a quote to reflect on (I am a quotation queen):
“Take the next step. Right now. Stop waiting for a “sign” from the “gods.” Your sign is your intuition, wrapped in your desire.”
– Neale Donald Walsch
I love hearing from you! Send me your thoughts, questions, and input! Email me at kmvfitness@gmail.com. Have a great week. BE today, DO today, HAVE today with PURPOSE, FOCUS, & CHOICE! Xoxo, Kelley
