Potential to Change

Do we really have the potential to change, or do our habits stay with us for life?

I was recently presenting to the Institute of Directors on the subject of Wellbeing at Work. One of the points I emphasised was that our minds are so full of all the things we need to do – meeting priorities, deadlines, fulfilling to do lists – that the pressures of life just take over.

But it’s not really the pressures that control us, it’s how we conduct ourselves. If we give little time to focus on our ‘inner world’ and look at ways of transforming ourselves, then we remain in the repetitive habits that can make us unhappy. In the quest to lead a happy and fulfilling life, looking within is essential.

Mastering your internal communication system is a first step. Being in tune with the subtle messages your body and mind gives you is a skill in itself. You may well think “yes I can do this” but how many of us ignore niggling health issues, or not even look at taming our destructive emotions. A serious meditator will tell you that it can take years of dedicated practice to master a state of calm and equanimity, but for everyday souls like us we often feel trapped within our own external world. For instance, I recently received an email from a colleague saying that a friend of his really needed help but as she was so busy she probably wouldn’t do anything about it.

If you are in tune with yourself and can see very clearly that something needs to be done, the choice is quite straightforward - do something or do nothing. Yes, it really is that simple!

So if you have spent time at New Year re-evaluating your life and have decided to make changes, well done. You may well know the amount of focus and discipline you will require to achieve what you want and then to maintain it without letting life get in the way.

There is a new group of people who are very pro-active in terms of their health and personal development. These people plan what they want from their health and work on it on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. Their daily practice may be eating a nutritionally healthy diet, juicing, getting a 5 minute daily walk for exercise, sunlight and fresh air and meditating. During the year they plan a weekend or a week long health retreat as well as regular detoxification of their body organs throughout the year. They value the time and investment it takes because their health, performance at work and energy are vibrant.

If you think this is too much then think again. You regularly put your car in for service, clean your house and spring clean yearly, even pets get attention - but do you have a plan for maintaining your health?

Rumana will be running a weekend retreat in February please visit her website for more details.

 

Rumana Zahn is a Naturopath and Medical Herbalist and runs clinics in Newcastle (within a GPs practice), Darlington and Seaham Hall’s Serenity Spa. She is a leader within the field of Natural Medicine, writes and speaks extensively on the subject. She can be contacted on 01325 722803 or www.rumanahealth.com

Rumana is a member of the British Register of Complementary Practitioners.