IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS

What is the first thought or question that comes to mind as the day begins? Is it one that deals with potential conflict or one that deals with potential pleasure? Do these thoughts affect the way you approach the rest of the day or is the outcome all that counts?

Life is NOT just about “end results.” It’s about the PROCESS utilized to get to the END RESULT. Most people don’t think in these terms because they typically focus on the outcome. In reality, it’s difficult to get from an IDEA to an OUTCOME without a GAME PLAN to orchestrate a course of ACTION. This is typically why “wants” fall into “wish buckets” more often than “result buckets.”

• “I want to lose weight.”

• “I want to be healthy.”

• “I want to get out of debt.”

• “I want to own a home.”

• I want to be financially secure.”

These are some of the most common “wants” in life. They are listed as 5 bullet points. Most people view these as 5 separate and distinct “wants.” This view of life makes accomplishing these “wants” so difficult. Can you imagine how much time and effort it would take to establish an ACTION PLAN to address each individual “want?”

In the following diagram, a more effective approach would FIRST address the overlapping area (“D”) that shares a commonality of “wants” from ALL three circles.

By constructing a new mindset to discover changes needed in order to answer section “D’s” requirements, the individual creates an ACTION PLAN that addresses ALL THREE CIRCLES AT THE SAME TIME.

EXAMPLE:

• Circle “A” wanting to lose weight

• Circle “B” wanting to reduce debt

• Circle “C” wanting to become financially secure

Circle “D” might include the following BULLET POINTS (changes) that apply to circles “A-C.”

• PATIENCE: A person with greater patience is less likely to be REACTIVE. Rather than dealing with anger and frustration by going on a shopping spree or treating oneself to pizza and ice cream, the person with patience will look at the big picture to rationally see if the response fits their LONG TERM NEEDS. Anger and frustration can be addressed in a healthier, less costly manner. One example might be meditation. This would reduce STRESS HORMONES (that interfere with weight loss,) avoid unhealthy eating that interferes with weight loss and unnecessary monetary expenses while pursuing a path toward ACHIEVING a DESIRED OUTCOME (Circle’s “A-C.”)

• DEFLECTION: With a similar example that produces anger and frustration, an individual can deflect their emotional response by delaying (if appropriate) their response in favor of an activity, event or location that creates a sense of calmness. Playing sudoku, doing a crossword puzzle, going for a walk, playing or listening to music, etc… Riding out the “storm” in this manner creates a clearer mindset to handling life’s complicated situations. Deflection helps (1) get the mind off eating, (2) get the mind off external sources used to relieve stress (ex. massages, pedicures) and redirects the answers to come from WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL increasing CONTROL of their lives.

These are just two examples showing how Circle “D” addresses many different areas of concern WITHOUT having to address each and every circle individually.

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Decide for yourself what areas in life are holding you back from achieving the goals you seek. Then look for your circle “D’s” concepts and ideas that would place you on a path toward achieving your goals. You will find this approach more effective and more SATISFYING than simply “WANTING” over a lifetime and experiencing DISAPPOINTMENT instead.

As a doctor, this was my approach to addressing disease. Rather than go through the litany of diseases and determining a customized plan for each disease, it made more sense to find the CIRCLE “D” that patients did or didn’t do that lead to dysfunction and disease. Whether a person worried about cancer, diabetes, obesity or heart disease my CIRCLE “D” included lifestyle behavioral changes that reduced the chances for ALL DISEASES. My CIRCLE “D” included, (1) realistic exercise, (2) realistic healthier nutrition, (3) proper hydration, (4) proper restful sleep, (5) stress reduction, (6) proper nervous system function for proper communication throughout the body. These six components were major factors I determined to be ROOT CAUSES of nearly ALL DISEASES and DYSFUNCTION. Of course there were other factors as well, but getting patients started on addressing just 6 components in life prevented the patient from feeling overwhelmed. Just like anything in life, the better they got at addressing these components, the greater CONTROL they began feeling over their lives. As gradual changes were added to the ACTION PLAN, resistance to the concept of change DECREASED. Their new sense of well being and increased energy helped motivate the desire for new positive CHANGES.

We all possess a CIRCLE “D.” The good news is, it doesn’t require unusual intelligence or money to locate it and apply its content. The only TOOL needed is the creative mind within each of us where the ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND. The only other requirement is the willingness to devote some TIME to ONESELF. When the individual decides to team up with rather than compete with their individual human assets, a new attitude is revealed. With this new attitude comes a new foundation that supports this new approach to achieving DESIRED RESULTS. This replaces the old approach of “WISHING” and FAILING.

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WHY NOT MAKE YOUR NEXT STEP FINDING ANSWERS IN YOUR CIRCLE “D.”

Tags: attitude, disease, health, lifestyle, motivation, quality of life, success