Little did I know that developing and following the Living PowerLife approach to health and well-being would result in reviewing, rethinking, rejuvenating and finally rebooting everything about me. I reviewed past decisions for wisdom, rethought how those decisions could have been different, and rejuvenated my mind, body, and spirit through a wholesome approach to life that included physical, spiritual, and emotional upgrades. My upgrades came with a cost; I had to come to terms with my own mortality.
Only through facing and overcoming the frightening fact that one day I would die was I able to look at the past, present, and future with the same eyes. Coming face to face with my own mortality empowered me to transcend the distractions I used to avoid personal growth. These are the distractions that allowed me to avoid reviewing my decisions in retrospect.
We all use distractions to keep from facing things we do not want to know about ourselves. Distractions such as blame, where we see others as the source of our problems. Anger, when we lash out in efforts to cause pain in others, rather than face why we hurt from within. Drug, food, sex, and alcohol abuse where we over-indulge in efforts to mask our feelings of guilt, loneliness, and inadequacy.
These distractions keep us isolated from one another and more importantly, we are unable to connect with all of who we are. We can see an example of how distractions separate us and stop us from maturing in the current tensions between communities and the police. The talking heads, news papers, social media, and broadcasts are full of distractions such as racism, gun control, and legal justice. In the process, we are only becoming further and further apart from one another based on political, ethnic, or cultural differences. We are less able to see the common needs that connect us as humans, while we focus more on the particulars that make us appear different from one another.
Thinking about the fact that we are given a limited number of days, can frighten and paralyze us. Knowing and consciously accepting this limitation can also empower us. Empower us to see each day as a gift not to be wasted on actions that come from pride, fear, or bigotry. Accepting our own mortality empowers us to focus on ways to rejuvenate our minds, bodies, and spirits with each new day. This means that instead of making choices that separate us from self and one another, we can make life-giving choices that build connections. Rather than succumb to the challenges that we face, we can hold on to the knowledge that no one event or person has the power to diminish who we are.
Indeed, the day we become consciously aware that we will one day lose our lives, is the day we gain the calm confidence to live life completely. The time we understand that any minute can be our last is time we begin to make every moment worth remembering. I know this because one of the benefits of acknowledging and overcoming the challenge described in You Are the Answer is gaining fearlessness.
Now, do not get me wrong. I do not think I can leap tall buildings in a single bound email me if you got this reference. I still avoid pain and understand what could happen if I walk out into moving traffic. The fearlessness I am describing is based on freedom from anxiety. Freedom from the problems any mind can create. With fearlessness, or freedom from anxiety, we own life, powerless is not a word, and the miracle of a rebooted mind takes place.
Rebooting a mind is similar to rebooting a computer. When the computer is sluggish or crashes sometimes taking it to a time before the crash will restore the machine. This is how I experience the results of following Living PowerLife to date; my mind has been restored to a time before I went down the path that led to living a disjointed, fearful life.
One example is that my taste for food is different. A few days ago I realized that, after eating mayonnaise on my sandwiches for decades, I now prefer mustard which has less fat. This is a simple example but significant in the long run. A more complex example is the fact that I no longer have the need to address rudeness from others. When I encounter rude people, I do not have to internally fight the urge to respond. The feeling simply is not there any longer.
Coming to terms with the fact that we all will ultimately die, gives us courage to recognize our mistakes and use the lessons they contain to become better. These are the mistakes we can only see if we are willing to rethink how we lived and be open to new perspectives. Understanding the fact that death is the one thing we all have in common, frees us to focus on the work of becoming better at eliminating the perceived differences that separate us from one another. In addition, accepting death as part of living gives us the ability to refrain from wasting time and energy on situations that are beyond our control.
I leave you today with these thoughts as we recognize, claim, and live the power we have in every situation:
- The more things you know you can live without, the more power you have to overcome adversity.
- Realizing that life is limited and living accordingly is how we leave anxiety behind.
- Whenever you can, regularly take time out from the Internet.
- If your health allows, regularly fast (this does not include water).
- When you take time out and fast, meditate more and listen for your inner voice.
- Keep those who live in love rather than anger close.
- Understand that those who live in anger are full of anxiety.
May your year be prosperous, full of love, and peaceful. Until my next entry...
From my PowerLife to yours,
Elandus
