Living A Healthy Life

By Jerry Lopper

On most days, do you feel energetic, enthusiastic, and satisfiedwith your life? If not, perhaps it’s because you’ve given upcontrol of your life to others. Many of us give upaccountability for our lives, depending on others for ourinformation, advice, and decisions. Each life is unique. Eachlife belongs only to one person-we normally realize that fact,but still often give up accountability to others. Sometimes it’seasier that way, though less satisfying.

It’s not surprising that this occurs so frequently. In our earlyyears, we look outside of ourselves for everything we require.As young children, we are totally dependent on parents orcaregivers for our very lives. They feed, clothe, and shelterus. We remain alive and secure only to the degree they continueto provide for our needs. Later, our parents teach us the rulesof childhood living-the do’s and don’ts of every aspect of lifein their home.

We go to school and learn the three R’s, as well as culturalnorms for getting along in classroom and playground. Perhaps wehave religious training, providing the rules of God according tothe religion of our parents. Again, all selected for us. It’snot until our teens that we begin to question; then we questioneverything, to the dismay of so many parents. But then we alsolearn a new set of rules-staying in the good graces, if notbeing popular, among our peers. We enter sports, hobbies, band,music, dance, and many other activities, each with an adultteaching us.

Late teens, perhaps early twenties, and we’re now adults,perhaps even parents ourselves. Are we still looking to othersfor the rules of life? Perhaps, and it shouldn’t surprise us,for now newspapers, magazines, movies, and certainly TV allbombard us with their views of life, often describing views oflife bearing little resemblance to real life itself. So-calledreality shows are a prime example. Depicted as real life, theseshows are tightly scripted and managed for optimum viewerattraction.

Are you living the life of your dreams, or the life someone elsehas dreamed for you? Or perhaps you feel that life happens toyou, that you are the recipient, with your only control beingyour ability to choose how to react

It may be helpful to think of life as a play, someone writes thescript, someone directs the actors, and someone plays thestarring role. Thinking of your life, put names to each ofthese: scriptwriter, director, and star. Did you put your namedown three times? To feel fully alive and have a chance at afulfilling and satisfying life, we must recognize that we areall three; scriptwriter, director, and star. We are living thelife we scripted, even if we took on the script of someoneelse’s life. It was still our decision to do so.

If you’re a person who hasn’t been fully in charge of your life,you might be feeling discouraged about now, but the awarenessthat you’ve been giving up control of your life can be thebeginning of an exciting new journey into self development. Canyou recall the day-dreams you had as a child? Do you rememberthe excitement and wonder you felt at seeing yourself in yourday-dream future? The enthusiasm you felt for life when you wereeight years old can be yours again at twenty eight, thirtyeight, or fifty eight. Life is exciting, a wonderfuladventure-but only when it’s your life.

If your life now seems a boring, unsatisfying, and humdrum dayto day existence, why not start writing a new story? Just forthe fun of it, take out a piece of blank paper and put this atthe top: My New Life Story. But before you start writinganything, do this. Remember the story of Aladdin’s Lamp? Aladdinfound a magic lamp and when he rubbed it a genie appearedgranting him three wishes. Well, you’ve just found your magiclamp. Rub it and see the genie appear, granting you the power towish anything for your life that you desire.

Now go back to your piece of paper with My New Life Story at thetop, and start writing. Write the next chapter of your life.Describe the star of your story in great detail. The star isyou. How do you feel? What do you do? Who are you with? Doesthis new story excite you? Does it feel more like the real you?Don’t answer these questions with your head; your heart willtell you the truth. You’ll know deep inside if what you’vewritten is the right path for you. It may be scary to thinkabout, but if it feels right then it is right.

At this point, perhaps your initial excitement starts to waneand you’ve put down your pen in frustration, discouraged andthinking that this just isn’t practical; it’s unrealistic, justanother day-dream. This is your ego protecting the status quo.Change is hard, and it can be frightening, but dreams do cometrue.

Scientists know that people who visualize their goals in greatdetail and with strong emotion, generally achieve those goals.You, too, can change your life, though not instantly as in theAladdin story. Even though it will take some time, energy, andcourage to change, taking control of your life can be verysatisfying in itself. Just knowing that you are in charge,responsible and accountable for your life can bring newsatisfaction and fulfillment to each day. Life’s difficultiesand challenges can become more manageable, seen more astemporary obstacles than permanent blocks.

Once you decide to take back control of your life you’llprobably find yourself picking up books, magazines and internetsites that provide self improvement advice. Read as much as youcan. Try on suggestions for improvement. If they seem to fitkeep them, if not discard them. Your path of growth is unique,just as you are unique.

This article was originally published by and appeared atSuite101.com, where I am a contributing editor. Find additionalself-empowerment articles and participate in discussions athttp://www.Suite101.com/Welcome.cfm/9822.

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