In keeping with the trend that I have been writing about the past few weeks on why being healthy is hard, I am writing about courage and commitment and how they can help you live a healthier life.
Courage is the ability to do something that scares you and the opposite of this would be cowardice. Now most of us (myself included) wouldn't consider ourselves cowards, but are we walking in the truth that we ARE courageous? Do you look at things in your life that scare you and tell yourself and others around with you that you can and will do them? This can be anything in your life, not just health. Take my fear of heights for example. Can I walk up to a 30 foot cliff and jump into the water below!? At first, I lacked the courage even to do this. My fear was crippling. Even after watching several other people jump and be totally fine (actually having fun) I still had this crazy fear inside of me.
Guess where I found my courage to jump?
It was the community around me that pushed me to overcome my cowardice. I was surrounded by people who wanted to ENCOURAGE me. I really didn't do that much, it was the people I was with who made the biggest difference. I jumped off a 30 ft cliff (which wasn't that big for some of the people that I was with...) and I actually ended up feeling like a stronger and more confident person because of it.
This is one of the first times that I realized that courage and community were connected in a special way.
Commitment is another aspect that I want to focus on. It is very easy to make commitments to yourself and sometimes commitments you make to yourself are the most satisfying, but they are often the first to go when we encounter struggle. The commitments we make to ourselves are also the most vital to our health and well being. So why don't we practice commitments with accountability? Why don't we start with smaller practices that we are more likely to succeed with? Here is an example. I want to commit to losing 25 lbs this year. This may seem like a scary commitment because you have a fair probability of failing and not being able to lose those 25 lbs, so you don't tell anyone. This commitment to yourself is actually REALLY important, you know you would be healthier and happier if you commit to this.
Here's the deal: we are ALL human. which means on our own, we typically make mistakes on a regular basis.
If you think your exempt from this, you should probably do some self reflection and really think about it. I also have good news for you. We as humans, THRIVE on community. we were meant to live and interact with one another. Here is a second look on how making a commitment to others can impact your life differently than when you make them to yourself. This doesn't mean to stop making commitments to yourself, just practice more with commitments to others! the commitment is the same lose 25 lbs, but this time you're surrounding yourself with useful tools. You also speak to a trainer or good friend who you tell that the next 8 weeks you are committing to workout for an hour two times a week and you need them to check in with you. Next you write this commitment down on paper and tell AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE. This might sound crazy, but the chances that you follow through with this commitment skyrocket when your community is involved. You might even find that they find ways to help and ENCOURAGE you on your journey.
So how do you align yourself with courage and commitment in your life? Look back to a few weeks ago and this theme is becoming clear: Surround your self with like minded people.
I gave you a few ways to do that a couple weeks ago but I want write a few more out so you can get yourself on The Road to Better Health.
- Join a fitness Facebook group
- Follow motivational Instagram accounts
- Join a CrossFit gym (not just any gym)
- Speak with a health and wellness coach
- Join a wellness challenge like The Whole Life Challenge
- Invite friends to a cooking class
- Attend a fitness or wellness expo
- Go to a farmers market
- contact us @The Road to Better Health
These are just a few of the numerous ways that you can join a community of people that will encourage you to grow and support you in your commitments. If you have more that you think I should add to this list, add them in the comments! I want to hear from you!
Don't forget to subscribe and share with friends. My mission is to positively impact as many people as I can in my life and if I have improved your life in any way, chances are your friends might be encouraged or informed too.