February 2002
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In this issue:
My Grandmother used to say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and with this statement I must agree, and maybe add that the road to bad health is also paved with the same good intentions and unfulfilled resolutions.
At this time of year we may all have had wonderful ideas and made new year resolutions of what we wish to achieve, yet only to feel that we have already failed ourselves after a month into the new year.
When we make a list of things that we would like to do, we need to be pragmatic about it, and also know from the start that it will take some kind of commitment and energy from ourselves to achieve them.
We receive hundreds of e-mails daily with people asking a variety of questions, yet most people are looking for a quick fix with immediate results, requiring no effort or commitment.
How often have you moaned about the quality and tone of your skin, yet you fail to follow a good skincare regime when you return home too late at night, or you are amazed that you do not lose weight when on a diet, yet you continuously nibble at things that are not allowed?
The same goes for following an exercise program, learning a new skill or just looking after your life, your family or friends. Another example is that we often say that we should visit or speak to a friend/relative yet bemoan the fact that we never get around to doing it, but then feel guilty if something happens to that person and you never made the time to speak to them.
What we need to keep in mind when making resolutions this year is to acknowledge the fact that nothing comes easy and that some work is required to achieve anything of value.
When I started my business some years ago I went through a very tough time - financially and time wise - and was sometimes very vocal about how hard I had to work, and how many things I had to give up in life to follow my chosen path. An acquaintance turned round one day and said "Michael - if it was easy everybody would be doing it".
This statement has become my motto, and when I feel that things are just too difficult to do, follow or achieve, I then remind myself that if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.
Our search for excellence in life is not always an easy stroll, and can be littered with all kinds of obstacles and temptations, and therefore this fact that everything needs working on must be kept in mind when resolving to do/not to do something, since it may take effort on your part.
A friend of mine said the other day that the microwave was the worst invention ever, since it reinforced the idea of instantaneous effects and results, without much effort.
So, when we look at what we wish to achieve in the remaining eleven months of this year - let us be practical about it, and realize that some things take time to achieve, and that all things do not always happen as we wish.
With heart attacks and high blood pressure on the rise, we might need to look at reassessing the way we experience life, and how we interact with it.
Do we allow life and life's obstacles to lead us around, or do we take charge of situations and mold them the way we wish them to go.
Although control is a great thing to have, we in all fairness to ourselves also have to accept the fact that some things in life cannot be controlled and should be dealt with in the most positive way when they happen.
For years I used to stress so excessively that I would be late for appointments, because I see it as extremely bad manners to be late for an appointment. Last week I had to attend a meeting in Surrey, England, and found myself getting more and more stressed about arriving on time, since a strike was threatening to upset all my plans.
Luckily I caught myself in time not to stress about it, and to make my arrangements in such a way to prevent me from being late. Needless to say - I was on time and even if I did run a bit late, people would have understood the problem.
Even if we try our best to not let things and people upset and stress us out, it does happen that a very busy day will leave its mark on your body and mind with your body being tense and your mind feeling unfocused and tired.
These feelings do not simply go away on their own - you need to actively look at getting rid of them. Instead of simply flopping down on your favorite chair at night with either a stiff drink or comforting junk food, rather first do some relaxation exercises, breathing exercises and have a long relaxing bath.
We sometimes feel that our job or profession must be the most taxing in the world, and that few other people have the same level of stress, but the truth of the matter is that we all have a tremendous amount of stress to cope with, and that it will not go away unless you do something about it.
You could however ignore it and make yourself feel better in the short term with a variety of unhealthy alternatives, and run the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, or you could deal with it head-on, sort it out, see it in the right perspective and carry on with your life with less emotional baggage.
Other articles of interest 
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