What If We Just Did It?

There used to be some shoe company advertising on television - way back when I watched television 'programming.' Said shoe company always had a catchy slogan about 'doing it'. I won't mention the exact slogan or the shoe company (I know I don't have to) - but I could use a new pair of runners....so who knows. Perhaps the universe company will grant me the new shoes. Stay tuned - we'll see.

Either way.....

The slogan really caught me. I loved it. I can't say I ever used it and consciously thought about it but I'm certain it was a stored 'item' that I drew from when I needed to. It was (and still is) meant for consumers to purchase mass quantities of their products, but for me it was more of a kick in the brain. It all starts in the mind, after all. I needed something - a spark. That slogan was a little part of it all.

My biggest 'brick wall' - something I had to get past instead of allowing me to sit down and stop - was myself. My mind. I could think of a bazilliion different ways to get out of something I didn't feel like doing in a moment.

So the question I have that stems from this company slogan is this; What would happen if we attempted to disconnect the wire on the brain that allows the excuses through and we just went ahead and started something we knew (or previously thought) we wanted anyway? Why do we have to dredge up all of those past feelings of yuck - the ones that make us want to crawl under a blanket and chalk the day up to a 'maybe tomorrow?

The fact is - we don't. We are 'dredging up' these things as mechanisms. We learned how to do this and we can learn how to stop. Twenty one times makes a habit....and these habits we form are undone within the same number of repeats. Getting someone to believe it before seeing it is much more task intensive.

I tried a 'me experiment' once. I really didn't want to workout. I had avoided it for almost a week and although my body knew we should get moving, I had less and less energy the more I thought about it. The experiment? Force myself.

What? Force myself? Y'mean....'make me?' I still didn't want to.

I can sit here and think constantly about the things I'm not liking when it comes to my wellness, or I can get up and start moving. I was walking by the DVD player the next day when my brain screamed at me to throw in a DVD workout and get moving. Without thinking, I did - and 50 minutes later I felt incredible and energized!

After the workout, I questioned this whole process - analyzed it. What was the difference this time? Why was it so easy to get started that day? If you go back and re-read the first couple of words in that sentence.....'Without thinking....' is the key you are looking for.

I was just going ahead and getting it done! Before I knew it, I was finished and felt really proud of my accomplishment for that day. Small steps to start off doesn't mean we take one step and then feel good and stop when we should have taken another 6 steps. Keep moving.

Once we find that spark that tells us we are passionate about something (like feeling good and being well) there is still the issue of old habits and reworking thought. It will happen. Be patient and kind with yourself.

Keep moving.

Meeting Your Needs

When I attended post secondary education (sounds important, doesn't it?) I learned about Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. 

I learned that Maslow's main contribution in the area of Psychology was to think positive and move forward - everything else that lurked in the realm of the negative thinker made them sick. He wanted people to realize how amazing we can be!

The triangular visual aid Maslow created to explain his theory, which he coined Hierarchy of Needs, depicts the levels or steps of human, psychological and physical needs human beings have to ascend to reach self-actualization. Going from the bottom up:

1. Basic Needs or Physiological Needs - these are somewhat obvious and necessary for basic human survival. Without food, air, drink, warmth and sleep, the human body cannot continue to function.
2. Safety Needs - Once physical needs are somewhat satisfied, focus on safety needs take precedence and dominate our behavior. These needs being satisfied quell our need for an orderly predictable world where unfairness and inconsistency are under control.
3. Belongingness and the Need for Love - Once basic and safety needs are met, human needs become  social and involve a need for acceptance and to love and be loved. If these elements are absent, social anxiety and depression can arise.
4. Esteem Needs - This level is is attained when individuals feel comfortable with what they have accomplished from a success and status standpoint.
5. Cognitive Needs - At this point, we feel a need to increase our intelligence and we chase knowledge to gain a better understanding of the world around us. We now feel a need to explore and desire new experiences.
6. Aesthetic Needs - With the previous needs satisfied, we now find  we need to refresh ourselves with the presence of beauty, nature, art, music and the other aesthetically beautiful things the world has to offer. This leads to a beautiful feeling of intimacy and oneness with nature and everything beautiful.
7. Self-actualization - This is our instinctual need as humans to make the most of our abilities and to strive to be the best we can be. Quoting Maslow "What a man can be, he must be." It is also at this level that individuals experience extraordinary moments called Peak Experiences which include transpersonal and ecstatic states tinged with themes of euphoria, harmonization and interconnectedness.
8. Transcendence - Having personally self-actualized, there is a desire to help others self-actualize. In doing so, we connect with something beyond the ego and we experience states beyond normal human consciousness and take things to another level of being.(thanks ConsciousAging.Com)

When we are aware of where we are sitting on this triangle, we can devise a way to keep going. Positive thoughts coupled with positive actions can do incredible things. WE can do incredible things.
Thanks, Maslow!