'Healthy' & Three Decades Of Evolution
/The evolution of "healthy" in my own mind has taken a long winding path.
As a teenager, healthy was all physical. It was solely based on whether or not I was happy with the way my body looked. If I'm being really honest, it was also about the way other people thought my body looked. I was young. I had energy for days and felt good no matter what I was eating or drinking. Emphasis on the drinking. Hangovers were only in the movies. Youth is a powerful thing, but those days are long gone and 32 is the new 22, right!?!
Let me go back in time so you understand a little bit more about me. All growing up my mom was the mom that made our family eat healthy. I was the kid that no one would trade with at the lunch table and the homemade birthday cake that made my friends cringe. I would go to my friends' houses and binge on whatever food they had that my mom wouldn't buy. HELLO Chester Cheeto!!! I never appreciated how I grew up until I was an adult. My Mom prepared me to succeed. Eating a balanced diet is just second nature now and I've grown to realize that's not the case for everyone. But way back then it was never about the inside. My only focus was rockin' that bikini and puka shell necklace. It was all physical.
As I grew older my definition of healthy began to take on a new meaning. I started to see how mentally someone could self destruct. (That's a story for another time.) I realized just how powerful the mind is and I slowly tried to consciously become more of an optimist. By nature I'm a complete realist. My husband argues this self diagnosis and accuses me of pessimism. Being realistic is often mistaken as negativity, but I would love to set the record straight. My glass is always have full, plenty of room for vodka! But being a realist has definitely held me back. I've always made calculated, confident decisions instead of shooting for the stars.
Now as a full blown adult (totally wingin' it by the way) my definition of healthy has transformed yet again. I've come to realize if you're not financially healthy, you're stressed and bluntly, stress kills. Money is such a taboo subject. No one actually wants to admit that they want more of it. Why!?! Because money buys 'things' and we've all been raised that being materialistic is shameful. Life is about faith, love, respect, family, you know all the good stuff and I'm not trying to argue that, but I will call bullshit on not wanting more. I want it all, why the hell wouldn't I? I want to be able to live the life I see for myself and my family comfortably. I want to be in a financially healthy place in life, but here's where it gets tricky. 1.) You better be willing to work for it because we all know money doesn't grow on trees and if it were easy, everyone would do it. 2.) You can't let it consume you. Don't let your dreams and aspirations ruin your current state of mind. Happy has to come first! I love my life, remodel hell and all. Life isn't perfect and I'm a firm believer the grass isn't greener on the other side, it's just different grass (I'll admit I'm not perfect, I too have held out hope. Be sure to Read, When Your Dreams Become Reality & Your Fears Do Too.) But I'll be damned if I'm going to sit back and watch my lawn yellow. It's time to fertilize!
So, Cheers to becoming healthier mentally, physically & financially!
Xoxo