How often are we living our fears instead of our lives? Well, I don't really fear anything, you might answer, but worry is also fear, even if a small one. It is these that we let accumulate in our lives. Worry about paying the bills, worry about getting the project done on time, environmental issues, politics, retirement, health. Now there's one to think about, the last one, health.
Fear or worry, creates stress hormones. A small dose of them every once in a while is good for you. They are like a tonic. The thrill on a roller coaster, bungee jumping, some hard sports. But, like everything in life, moderation is the key. It is when we let these small stresses build up, it becomes toxic.
We have this amazing bio-feedback loop between mind and body. Our thoughts can summon up emotions which are expressed through our bodies. The way our bodies feel then also affect the things we think. Compare your thoughts from the start of the day we you arise after a fantastic night's sleep to the end of a long tiring day. When you're tired and you have aches and pains, its harder to find yourself in a positive state of mind.
So if you are repeatedly in stressful situations, you have less time to recover, not only bodily but also mentally. Then the nasty vicious circle starts. Your body is down, the mind is down, and so it goes around and around.
This is one of the reasons short breaks from long tasks are recommended. Even a short 15 minute walk in the park or nature at some point in the day can regenerate you.
Sleep! Don't cheat yourself on sleep. That is quick road to ruin. I know this one myself. It only takes me five days of shortened sleep, before my immune system is depressed and I feel a cold coming on. Regular sleeping patterns and sticking to them do wonders. Having been a night owl for years, I discovered, the old saying early to bed, early to rise, was not made up as a joke. With an early start, I find I have seemingly achieved a full day's work by the close of the morning while I am still fresh. Then by the second half of the day, I'm not having to resort to stimulants, such as coffee to get me through the finishing line.
But wait! Where's the live your dreams part come into all of this? So far I have only talked about worry, stress and sleep.
"With our thoughts, we create the world." - Buddha.
It is our habits of thought, our outlooks, that set us for success or failure, whether you live your dreams or not.
"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." - John C. Maxwell
The greatest journey always starts with small steps, and many more after that. So when it is said, don't just dream it, be it, the intent is, start with the first step, then another, another, and so on. It is the consistency that makes things real, whether positive, your dreams, or negative, your fears.
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
If you are wondering, after all of that, yes, that is one of my artworks at the top of the article. =)
“Look Ahead”, Leo Plaw, 30 x 24cm, oil on canvas
You can find more on my website. LeoPlaw.com
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