How is your diet?

I have a mini poster on my inspiration board. It reads:

Your diet is not only what you eat.

It’s what you watch, what you listen to,

What you read, the people you hang around…

Be mindful of the things you put into your body and mind,

Emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

After my wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, I went into full investigation mode. What causes cancer? What can we do now?

What I learned transformed me.

Since cancer manifests physically, at first my investigations focused on the physical – food, exercise, etc. All super important and significant changes were made in these areas.

But I now believe the most profound things we can do to protect and enhance our health and physiology are mental, emotional and spiritual. And our most powerful tool may be the word no.

Our culture constantly bombards us with unhelpful and unhealthy messages and offerings. So, like a museum curator selecting artworks for an exhibition, we must be the curators of our lives. We must be conscious and selective of what we allow into our lives and with discipline and courage say no when appropriate.

It’s not an easy task. Our culture has many seductions. What seems on the surface as normal and widely accepted may be profoundly damaging to us, without us even knowing. We likely have negative behavioral addictions of which we may not be aware. Some of our friends and even some of our family may be very negative for our psyche and mental health. We may be ignoring the importance of our spiritual well-being.

By critically evaluating and saying no to damaging activities and negative people, we open the door to opportunity, to saying yes to positive and beneficial activities and people.

Now I rarely watch TV news. I avoid violent and degrading TV shows and movies. I don’t consume porn. I’m off social media. I’m making a sustained effort to find time to be a positive and supportive friend. I am critically evaluating who I hang with. I regularly get out to enjoy the silence in nature and I’ve found some impactful spiritual practices like meditation.

  • If you want a better physiology, which “foods” can you begin to say no to?
  • If you desire to be in better physical shape, which distractions can you say no to in order to create room in your day for movement?
  • If reducing your stress is a priority, what negative stimuli or practices can you reduce? What peaceful and positive stimuli or practices can you begin to introduce?
  • Who are the five people you spend the most time with and how are they impacting you?
  • What small steps can you take to begin or improve a spiritual practice?

Wishing you success on your journey to better curate your beautiful life and improve your diet.

With loving kindness,

Coach Billy