The phone rings. Did you receive my email? are the first words after hello. On this day, you're already behind and your inbox is full of messages. The next week is the same except you're away on business for a couple of days and when you get back the number of messages appears more like a mountain than a mole hill.
To climb the mountain of success, most people adopt the patriarchal approach to life. Be rational. Be in control. No surprises thank you. Success breeds success is the saying as the desire for wealth dominates our culture. This is the way it works and if you want to fit in you follow the rules of engagement; until something happens.
If it's not headaches, it's sleepless nights with insomnia or maybe its digestive difficulties like irritable bowel syndrome or possibly colitis. Stress-related disorders are a new category of medical disorders sweeping through global populations.
Type stress-related disorders in Google and the search reveals more than three million results. Success matters and has always mattered, but we must ask the question, at what expense?
It's a toss up between the health of our body, our mind, our spirit and our planet.
Every individual contributes to the health of our planet and the way we choose to live affects our neighbour, even if that neighbour is on the other side of the planet.
As real as the land we walk on, the air we breathe and the water we drink we are all connected through global consciousness. To make a difference you simply need to start with yourself; it's a paradigm shift with a name - the self-care system.
It's a conscious set of actions that nourish, sustain and empower people to make decisions that serve the highest good.
Every month in my article I will explore the nature of the self-care system, its relationship to the body, mind, spirit and how to live with more meaning.
Inspire by example and live your dream is the mantra.
It starts with change.
A leader in the field of brain science, the neurophysicist Norman Doidge has coined a new word "neuroplasticity". He explores the tremendous potential for creating new behavior patterns at any age. In his book The Brain that Changes Itself, he inspires people to reconsider unhealthy habits, negative attitudes and addictions as changeable rather than fixed thought patterns.
"...by paying constant, effortful attention and actively focusing on something besides the worry, such as a new, pleasurable activity. This approach makes plastic sense because it "grows" a new brain circuit...this new circuit can eventually compete with the older one, and according to use it or lose it, the pathological networks weaken. With this treatment we don't so much "break" bad habits as replace bad behaviours with better ones".
In other words an old dog can learn new tricks and growth doesn't stop at puberty.
Personal evolution is possible and the key is to introduce newness that is pleasurable and support it with repetition to consolidate the change.
I want to leave you with something to consider. Clear some space in front of you. Grab a pencil, a sheet of paper and ask the following question...
If there is one thing I could change about my life what would that be?
Give yourself permission to imagine. Jot down a few possibilities on paper. Tear around the words. Keep the paper in a prominent place and read it daily. To create better habits, plant the seed and watch it grow.
Salvatore Spatafora is a registered massage therapist (RMT) residing in Forest Hill. In addition, clients can experience the profound benefits of intuitive craniosacral therapy. The artistry of his work is guided by a degree in architecture, a love for Japanese calligraphy and raw food desserts. Reach him at 647-286-5157 or visit www.likecloudlikewater.com