How To Become A Better You With A Holistic Health Approach

Before starting your Holistic Health Journey, it’s important to understand where you are. On this series, we’ll take a closer look at our starting point.

To improve your Holistic Health next year and beyond, you must know what you want and what you don’t want for yourself. Make an inventory and put everything side by side. Let’s choose what matters to you the most.

The countdown to the new year has officially started. We are less than a month away to welcome 2016.

For now, I’m sure that all you have in your head is holiday shopping and the celebrations. Even if you don’t commemorate these days, I’m sure you also have to deal with all the stress and chaos around you.

Whether these festivities are your thing or not, for at least most of us, we cannot run away from the fact that a new year is coming soon. It brings hopes and dreams we all want to see fulfilled. And the magic word that comes along with these dreams is “resolutions”.

Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. - Les Brown #quote #holistichealth Click To Tweet

Taking your resolution(s) to the next level

By now, you probably know I’m not absolutely fond of the word. So I’ll spare you the nagging. But what I am going to tell you is that resolutions got a bad name (to me) because they hardly bring out commitment.

Just wanting something is not enough to make it happen. You have to go deeper than what scratches the surface.

I want you to be successful in the next year and beyond. I just got sick and tired of seeing people wasting time, money and energy with goals they are not engaged. It’s time to turn the table!

I want to guide through this process of goal setting with a Holistic Health approach.

Before anything, I’ll ask you to download my 4 questions for clarity. They are going to be the foundation of our of work for this and the next weeks.

Let’s define some S.M.A.R.T. goals and stop this cycle of failure and build one of accomplishment.

Read also these posts about goals:

What is your number one struggle today? What is the thing you need to change the most in your lifestyle?

One of the mistakes made when choosing resolutions is that we want everything at the same time. Everything we haven’t done in the year(s), we wish to fix within the next 12 months.

However, you didn’t:

get the extra pounds in a couple of weeks
let stress take control after the first problem
lose mindfulness yesterday

While it’s great that you want to change your life radically for better, it might be too much to do it all at once.

Remember that it takes awhile to build a new habit. Whether it’s the traditional 21 days or the more recently announced 66 days (1), it doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye.

Besides there is always pressure when one tries to make a consistent change in their lifestyle. And I’m not talking only about peer pressure. It’s just that thing in your head reminding you all the time to do B instead of A.

If you have been driving for some time, you already forgot the time when you had to look at the shift before changing the gear. Chances are you’ll say you never did it. It’s just that you incorporated it in your driving routine so well that it has become automatic.

Discover where you are before setting your goals. #holistichealth #resolutions Click To Tweet

The thing you want the most

Remember I told you guys to keep an eye on my Periscope?

Well, since I’m blogging only once a week, my broadcasts have become the best way to catch up with me. And the best part of them is that you get the chance to talk to me live. It’s almost like a Holistic Life Coaching call with me for free.

Well, last Friday I gave my viewers some homework for the weekend.

In case you have missed it, here is the replay:

You know why I asked you first to write down a dump list? How many times have you said (or heard people say) that:

if I were younger, I’d do this
if my parents had allowed me, I’d have done that
if it were not for my partner, I’d dare to quit this job
if I were older, that promotion would be mine

And it goes on and on.

I want you to have a look at everything you want and think what you really want for yourself.

There’s only this much we can do within a lifetime.

Thinking over “what-ifs” can become a waste of energy. A lot of times they aren’t dreams, only fantasies. Once you put them all side by side, it starts to ring the bell.

I’m going to use myself as an example. There are 2 things that I wish I could keep doing for the rest of my life:

ballet
play video games

It’s a strange combination, isn’t it?

I love ballet! I have tears in my eyes just by looking at pictures of dancers. I loved doing it, but my mom didn’t let me take it to the next level because it was a profession without a future in Brazil. The salaries were too low, and she wanted “more” for her daughter.

Maybe I would have quit it myself if there was too much pressure from my studies, for instance. But since it wasn’t my option, it remained a “what-if” in my mind for many, many years.

On the other hand, I have this thing for computers and video games. There was a time when I used to spend most of my days (and nights) gaming. It’s a world of its own, but I loved it.

The picture below was taken in 2008 in Paris during the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. I worked there, and you should see my face when they officially announce the release of Diablo III.

While these are things I love with all my heart, when I put them together with other hobbies and aspirations, they lose part of their importance.

I am not saying I don’t care about ballet or games anymore. Yet, I care way much more about Holistic Health.

Also, when it comes to ballet, my age makes a difference. And my eyes and reflexes are not the same as 10 years ago for gaming.

When it comes to my health, though, there’s a universe of possibilities.

I have learned so much the past years, and I know I’m only scratching the surface. Besides, with my knowledge and experience, I can help others, and that’s a blessing to me. Giving it back is priceless.

You have to decide you can't live without achieving your #goals. #holistichealth Click To Tweet

What you want versus what you don’t want

I combined both topics together because I want you to reflect on what you want for yourself in the next year, without losing sight of what you don’t want.

There’s a chance you don’t want to follow a particular dietary regimen recommended by your doctor. He or she asked you to remove all your favorite (comfort) foods. It sounds like a nightmare for you, and it’s absolutely not something you’d include in your wish list.

But you don’t want to stay sick either. You and only you know the pain and suffering you’ve been going through. The money spent in consultations and medication is too much, and health is something you dream of.

While changing your eating habits isn’t your dream, when put alongside the conditions you are going through, it’s the best thing to do.

I know it’s an extreme scenario, but unfortunately, it’s a common one.

The same goes for learning a new language or exercising when it’ll cost you the time you spend watching your favorite TV program.

Do you know the story of the howling dog?

Probably you have already spent weeks, months, or even years crying over an obstacle you feel unable to overcome.

I hope it’ll hurt enough when you put your dreams and struggles side by side. I want it to hurt so badly you’ll feel like jumping out of your comfort zone and getting things done.

Whether through your goals or your pain, I want you to become a Better You starting right NOW!

For more holistic tips read also:

Please check the list of link parties I join here.

Be Healthy and Live Fully.

Resources:

1. Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. Euro J Soc Psychol. 2010;40:998–1009.