Another busy season has begun and it will certainly pick up speed until the end of the year.  It’s not until after all the festivities are completed that we settle into the winter months to reflect and plan for the future.  Each year, it’s like a roller coaster ride of successes and failures of our own personal health quests.  Rarely do people stay on the straight and narrow path the entire year.  I must admit, it’s pretty easy to get off track.  As I pondered the steps necessary for success, I wondered what actions and/or thoughts drive people who are successful in their goals. So here is my 4-D approach that may be helpful for you.  Go ahead and start now.  Why wait until January to begin a new routine? Think about the success of staying mindful during those holiday events and family functions. Wouldn’t it be great to begin the new year weighing the same or less? Or to trade a bad behavior for a good one?

A DECISION

It begins with a decision. Hundreds if not thousands of decisions are made every moment of each day.  Many are automatic and routine, while others can change the course of travel in a person’s life.  The definition of decision is to make up one’s mind.  I’ve noticed some people have a very solid decision-making process, in which once their mind is made up, little will change it.  Other minds, however, seem to be more easily influenced and, are therefore, swayed away from their original intention.  The moment when a decision is made is the crucial time that result in some type of action.  Decisions, in essence is an action-based thought.  Decisions are made in the privacy of our home, in the car, at work or amongst groups of people.  On this platform, I want to speak to those decisions made for the betterment of life and lifestyle.  Individuals make choices all day long about foods, because we need to eat to survive.  At some point in our life every one of us has made a dietary choice to lose weight or to start an exercise program.  Yet, the majority of people fail in their attempts.  In that case, there must be more than just a decision to make a change.  It’s a physical, emotional, and psychological response that must align to be successful.  That moment when a decision to make a lifestyle change is made, the brain becomes transfixed.  The excitement and the energy spent is paramount, at least in the short term.  How does one get all three to align?

 DEDICATION

Every one of us is dedicated to something whether it’s our significant other, our work, our family, or something else.  I read it in obituaries:  A dedicated mother, a dedicated father, etc.  It surely takes some type of dedication to be successful in the end goal. What would it take to be dedicated to yourself?  Many of us have been trained to put others first, and in response, we suffer because of it.  While others first can seem like the right thing to do, it’s not often the best thing for the self.  If your significant other is demanding and needy, overtime, placing that person before yourself will leave you completely depleted.  However, children who cannot care for themselves, need attention and care, but that doesn’t mean you neglect yourself.  

Dedication is the commitment to a task or purpose.  Dedication is essential for success in any area of life, but in particular to a change in lifestyle.  Our brain is a record of the past and each of us have our default system we move to, good and bad.  When we feel certain ways, we gravitate to those behaviors of the past.  Even if it’s destructive behaviors.  Importantly, though, is that our brain can be rewired to new patterns of action.  It requires dedication or a commitment to achieve a certain purpose.

DISCIPLINE

As a child and as a parent the word and actions of discipline were worn out.  However, the act of discipline is teaching so that the child will behave in a certain manner.  Discipline, by definition is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.  Scripture in Hebrew 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  It seems that discipline is a necessary ingredient in our success for lifestyle change.  As it is unpleasant, especially after a few weeks of training, in the long run once a new routine is established, those brain waves will have new patterns of behavior.  Creating a new default system.

DELIVERY

Out for delivery.  That’s what my email tells me when I’ve ordered something.  My package is on its way.  There is an excitement about it.  That anticipation of something I’ve wanted.  Think about your package as a life that is rich and healthy.  There are no quick fixes. It’s taken years or decades for your body to get to where it is now. It will take time to repair damage, create new cells, and feel better. The good news is that people often notice within a few weeks how much better they feel. Your health is out for delivery, but when will you get it?  Are you willing to make the decision, be dedicated, and have the discipline?  If so, then your package is right around the corner.  If you need help getting started, I know a good health coach….

Health Bite: What’s keeping you from 4-D?