Our bodies are so capable of so much. They are wired to heal themselves at a rapid rate. EVEryday we create billions of new cells with new life that are meant to replace stagnant or old cells that were previously present. This cellular cycle is a fundamental process of our lives that parallels with baseball in so many ways. Its funny that our natural bodily process is to constantly be undergoing this process of "Getting Better EVEryday," though yet so many of us have absolutely no connection or realization to the fact that this is actually happening. The systems in our body are ruthless about executing the necessary action it must undergo in order for it to perform as optimally as it can, they are relentless in their will to be optimal, they are hard wired to give everything they've got in order to keep us moving. How well do we aide our bodies in this process? Do we take it for granted that our bodies work so hard for us? Or do we heed what it tells us EVEryday and aspire to aide it in being efficient and optimal in order for it to remain at its highest performing level?
Many of us take our bodies and throw them up against a wall with brut force on a daily basis(figuratively speaking of course.) We do this by drinking soda religiously, eating fast food, neglecting to sleep enough, not exercising, and not consciously thinking positive thoughts, etc. The truth is that whether were being conscious or unconscious about the decisions we are making as we shake and move through out our days, that we still make tons of bad decisions. Many times this is due to a very busy life and an immense lack of time. So what is the priority then? At what point do we say, "I'm going to prioritize my health over my laziness or business today. I'm going to make the conscious good decisions today rather than the unconscious bad ones. I'm going to reach for water instead of soda, snack on vegetables instead of McDonalds, and I am going to use the stairs to get up to my office on the 3rd floor instead of taking the elevator...annnnnd I am actually going to skip every other step to make it just a little bit harder(skipping a step when you go up the stairs anywhere is such an awesome way to consciously check in to how can I get better today mentality!!!) I know that my body is an insanely powerful machine that is capable of infinite greatness that I am so thankful for and also in awe of its work ethic, therefore I'm going to actually show it some love and gratitude by being a little more ruthless myself." Well, unfortunately a large percentage of us never think thoughts like this once in our entire lives.
The reality of life is that too much of the world is based on the quest for the dollar, that time is limited, and that we must make our own choices rather than be swayed by the millions of marketing messages and bombardments that rip us off of our desired courses. We have to be RUTHLESS in prioritizing our health. Everything starts with our health! Without our health we have a world of problems...and with our health so many negative things that may otherwise exist in our lives disappear. We do not have to wait for a "wake-up call" or something tragic to happen in our lives before we can achieve the consciousness necessary to be thankful enough to appreciate the wonder of what our bodies do for us. It is not fair to neglect treating them with the respect they deserve as they always unconditionally attempt to treat you with the same respect by cleaning you out everyday, replenishing your cells, and by allowing you to see clearly and capture all the beauty that is present in the world.
Mental health and physical health both START WITH GREAT FOOD. If you ask me great food consists of green vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans/legumes, complex carbohydrates, lean properly raised meats, and WATER!!!!! I am leaving some great foods out, but as you can see, more basic is MORE BETTER! Your mental health starts with food also...because you are making the conscious positive decision to eat the stuff your body naturally yearns for! When you eat that tuna salad you should be consciously thinking about your body saying thank you to you and you smiling back at it and saying, "NO, thank YOU for all of your hard work for me today. And hey body, choosing to eat this delicious tuna salad is just a small token of my appreciation of you." Have you ever thought a thought so corny!?
Its not that corny, really. Its a strategy of consciousness and habitual practice. Its a positive tactic to use consistently to embed these natural little positive thoughts in to your head so you can continue to build on them EVEry single day that you are alive in order to accomplish all the things that you desire to accomplish. It is also a tangible way to lose your ego for a few moments. It is allowing yourself to step back from a situation, assess what decision will be best for the overall good of the whole(you+your body=the whole), and a confidence booster in knowing that you did something good for yourself. If you can't show love to yourself, it is much more difficult a task to show genuine love to anyone else...and we all know that our relationships are the basis of what drives us. We are all in it together so we have to be able to show love to one another the best way possible.
Why get so deep into this, Isaac? Who really cares? Who is to say what I should do on a daily basis? Well...I write this blog to speak to my young players who not only have hunger to make it to the next level but hunger to be better people. I write with a voice that assumes my players have a desire to get better...not just now, not just today, but EVEryday. I aim to instill a fundamental discipline into my players to such an extent that they take pride in the practices of their discipline. They reach for any and every way possible they can so as to separate themselves from the pack in every way imaginable...its nice because when you think like this you can really get creative. This attitude is rooted in thankfulness and appreciation for the life we are given. It is our foundation to the infinite bounds and quantum leaps that we are capable of. It is there because there is no other way. By consistently executing this discipline of prioritizing our health and staying ruthlessly positive towards any and everything that is thrown our way we become fiercer competitors, better sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, and team mates. We go about our lives, trainings, work, school, and all the other things that make up our lives with an undeniable zest that is evident to anyone that encounters us...and it feels good.
Prioritize your health. Be steadfast in your positive attitude. Realize you will fail, but do not accept it. Focus on your response. Love. Compete. Win.
Thanks for reading,
Isaac
Many of us take our bodies and throw them up against a wall with brut force on a daily basis(figuratively speaking of course.) We do this by drinking soda religiously, eating fast food, neglecting to sleep enough, not exercising, and not consciously thinking positive thoughts, etc. The truth is that whether were being conscious or unconscious about the decisions we are making as we shake and move through out our days, that we still make tons of bad decisions. Many times this is due to a very busy life and an immense lack of time. So what is the priority then? At what point do we say, "I'm going to prioritize my health over my laziness or business today. I'm going to make the conscious good decisions today rather than the unconscious bad ones. I'm going to reach for water instead of soda, snack on vegetables instead of McDonalds, and I am going to use the stairs to get up to my office on the 3rd floor instead of taking the elevator...annnnnd I am actually going to skip every other step to make it just a little bit harder(skipping a step when you go up the stairs anywhere is such an awesome way to consciously check in to how can I get better today mentality!!!) I know that my body is an insanely powerful machine that is capable of infinite greatness that I am so thankful for and also in awe of its work ethic, therefore I'm going to actually show it some love and gratitude by being a little more ruthless myself." Well, unfortunately a large percentage of us never think thoughts like this once in our entire lives.
The reality of life is that too much of the world is based on the quest for the dollar, that time is limited, and that we must make our own choices rather than be swayed by the millions of marketing messages and bombardments that rip us off of our desired courses. We have to be RUTHLESS in prioritizing our health. Everything starts with our health! Without our health we have a world of problems...and with our health so many negative things that may otherwise exist in our lives disappear. We do not have to wait for a "wake-up call" or something tragic to happen in our lives before we can achieve the consciousness necessary to be thankful enough to appreciate the wonder of what our bodies do for us. It is not fair to neglect treating them with the respect they deserve as they always unconditionally attempt to treat you with the same respect by cleaning you out everyday, replenishing your cells, and by allowing you to see clearly and capture all the beauty that is present in the world.
Mental health and physical health both START WITH GREAT FOOD. If you ask me great food consists of green vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans/legumes, complex carbohydrates, lean properly raised meats, and WATER!!!!! I am leaving some great foods out, but as you can see, more basic is MORE BETTER! Your mental health starts with food also...because you are making the conscious positive decision to eat the stuff your body naturally yearns for! When you eat that tuna salad you should be consciously thinking about your body saying thank you to you and you smiling back at it and saying, "NO, thank YOU for all of your hard work for me today. And hey body, choosing to eat this delicious tuna salad is just a small token of my appreciation of you." Have you ever thought a thought so corny!?
Its not that corny, really. Its a strategy of consciousness and habitual practice. Its a positive tactic to use consistently to embed these natural little positive thoughts in to your head so you can continue to build on them EVEry single day that you are alive in order to accomplish all the things that you desire to accomplish. It is also a tangible way to lose your ego for a few moments. It is allowing yourself to step back from a situation, assess what decision will be best for the overall good of the whole(you+your body=the whole), and a confidence booster in knowing that you did something good for yourself. If you can't show love to yourself, it is much more difficult a task to show genuine love to anyone else...and we all know that our relationships are the basis of what drives us. We are all in it together so we have to be able to show love to one another the best way possible.
Why get so deep into this, Isaac? Who really cares? Who is to say what I should do on a daily basis? Well...I write this blog to speak to my young players who not only have hunger to make it to the next level but hunger to be better people. I write with a voice that assumes my players have a desire to get better...not just now, not just today, but EVEryday. I aim to instill a fundamental discipline into my players to such an extent that they take pride in the practices of their discipline. They reach for any and every way possible they can so as to separate themselves from the pack in every way imaginable...its nice because when you think like this you can really get creative. This attitude is rooted in thankfulness and appreciation for the life we are given. It is our foundation to the infinite bounds and quantum leaps that we are capable of. It is there because there is no other way. By consistently executing this discipline of prioritizing our health and staying ruthlessly positive towards any and everything that is thrown our way we become fiercer competitors, better sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, and team mates. We go about our lives, trainings, work, school, and all the other things that make up our lives with an undeniable zest that is evident to anyone that encounters us...and it feels good.
Prioritize your health. Be steadfast in your positive attitude. Realize you will fail, but do not accept it. Focus on your response. Love. Compete. Win.
Thanks for reading,
Isaac
