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Personal Growth / Renewal

by on June 2, 2014

Spring and summer seasonally means re-growth and renewal.  Rebirth, vigor, vitality, hope, and abundance come to mind.  New Year’s resolutions come in the dead of winter.  Some resolutions stick and many  do not.  I find spring and summer seasons the best time to work on oneself.

The warmer weather and energy from the sun naturally compel us change–hopefully grow.

Periodically I re-set myself by focusing on my general purpose in life.  I re-define goals and overall take stock of my mental, physical, and spiritual health. Modern life has so many complications and distractions that years can pass without attention to rebooting.

Spiritual Renewal

In my experience whether one is “Religious” or not, spirituality plays a role in not just our health but the quality of our existence.  Finding a peaceful, centered place within one’s own mind can pay huge dividends.

Do you know what you want?  Does your current direction in life fit with what your inner voice requests?  How often do you stop and focus on which way your going at all?  Do you have a purpose/mission?

Many never contemplate these deeper questions.  We often blindly make the coffee, drop off the kids at school, and punch the clock but never stop to ponder the bigger picture.

I find solace in refocusing my efforts and reconnecting with my spiritual side.  I feel more balanced, creative, and energetic when I keep a steady connection with my inner voice.

Prayer, meditation, studying philosophy, and goal-setting are my primary tools.  A focused, happy spirit is the first important step to health, productivity, and quality in my daily life.

Renewing the Mind

I love bookstores and learning.  Every Spring/summer I find myself searching out new areas of interest.  This behavior reminded me of a huge factor in maintaining health–keeping the mind active and engaged.

Renewing the mind means constantly exploring new concepts and expanding our understanding.  Of course as a physician I explore medical, health, and nutrition topics a great deal, but I also enjoy history, current events, and agricultural topics.

Having interests and hobbies allows the mind to creatively work problems, gain greater skill, and generally make us more interesting people.  I am surprised by how many of my patients never read.    Even those who don’t like to read can still renew the mind through audio/video podcasts, cable/television documentaries and free educational programs.

But renewing the mind need not center on academic approaches.  Engaging with interesting people, traveling, and participating in community activities can serve the same purpose.  From the dawn of time we learned through oral tradition–that means talking to each other!

Now more than ever society is both more connected but simultaneously disconnected.

I think renewing the mind, charting new areas of learning, and continual growth are important ways to maintain vitality.  Social connectivity (Not FACEBOOK) can spur us to new heights of understanding and growth.

Spring is a great time to explore.

Physical Renewal

Like checking the oil and tire pressure during a long trip, the physical body deserves a check-up periodically.  I think spring also reminds us to take inventory of our physical reserve.  Energy, mobility, strength, flexibility, appetite, mood, and libido all give us indicators of our current physical status.

Waning energy?  Gaining weight? Poor stamina or flexibility? Low sex drive?

Answering yes to any of the above can indicate advancing disease or at least serious warning signals underscoring the need for correction.

The human body was meant to move 12 miles daily.  For optimal health, aging, mental function and immunity our physical body requires activity.

Regardless of limitation, some activity is better than none.

I enjoy resetting physical goals each spring.  All ages and levels of ability can make new goals.  Examples might  include:  eating healthier, increasing my hydration, beginning a strength or flexibility program, eliminating extra stressors,  completing a detoxification program and improving sleep habits.

A couple years back I went all out pushing myself through a brutal exercise regimen to determine how far my body would progress (Olympus Project).  One doesn’t have to go that far…but our body demands renewal, proper fuel (food), and consistent activity for optimal performance.

Conclusion

Mind, body, spirit.  The triad of being.  The trinity of health.  Ignore one and unbalance the others.

What have you done to renew any or all of the three?  Are you making the most of your ability?  Have you taken the time to plan where you’re going, what you want in life, and how you will maintain your physical vehicle?

I look forward to learning how others renew.  Feel free to submit comments and encourage others…I think that’s why we’re all here.

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