Prioritizing Health

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

The Power of Positive Language

Our ability to be conscious as humans is directly related to the quality of our lives. Cultivating our awareness as a practice on a day to day and decision to decision basis is crucial to our progress, and the level at which we are able to execute this acute consciousness is proportionate to the depth that we can show love to one another. Using positive language willingly and consistently is not only greatly noticed by the people that we surround ourselves with, but it is also deeply affecting to those people as well, on a subconscious level. Consciously using positive language on a regular basis is one of the best strategies that we can use to look at things on the bright side, to put it simply.

Daily we are bombarded by advertisements, messages, news, and situations that can make us feel angst and/or bitterness to our surroundings. The subliminal messages that are constantly thrown at us like 100 mph fastballs at our heads day in and day out really makes it tough to have a foundationally positive attitude towards our EVEryday decision making processes. It's a battle to remain positive though the ups and downs of the roller coaster that we call life.

Using conscious positive language strengthens us from the inside out. It helps to remind us of the good that we need to recognize EVEryday. There is so much beauty in the world and when it is blanketed by negative news, mindless time wasting and thoughtlessness it can be easily overlooked. The words we use dictate the feel, sound and make up of how we communicate. When we make it a point to use positive verbiage with a purpose we feel better about ourselves. This is a practice that I was essentially forced into implementing into my own life in order keep moving forward after I was faced with some very negative cards dealt to me at the age of 19. I had to make a decision to move forward or else I would have plummeted in a downward spiral quickly. I chose to be aware of the language and words that I began to use on a regular basis. Starting to harness the power of words like positive, amazing, champion, CAN, cultivate, nourish, desire, passion, ruthlessness, tenacious, achieve, appreciation, infinite, foundation, focus, health, healthy, inspiration, willingness, yes, attitude, accountable, and of course the mother of all(if you will)...EVEryday, has been a practice and tool that has helped my life more than I can ever put into words.

Approaching the day with this ammunition in my back pocket made and makes me better not only as a person, but as an athlete and for me more importantly a pitcher. Stepping on the mound after constantly brainwashing myself to the idea that I CAN no matter what by using these reinforcing words ALL THE TIME made me a better pitcher, competitor, athlete, and teammate.

For the young players that may read my blog, I suggest you write down the positive language words that can most help you, as a person first and as a ball player second. Use them EVEryday, on purpose. Begin to brainwash yourself into not thinking, but knowing, that no matter what, who, when, or why happens...that YOU CAN. Try it...and get back to me with how it affects not just you, but also notice how other people begin to be influenced by your positive language. Then, do your thing on the mound or in the field and stay a winner...EVEryday.

Thanks for reading,
Isaac