Rules From The Heart

Who likes rules? Why do I want to follow rules? Rules are everywhere. We are tired of rules. What if we had our own rules? What if our rules helped us?

If we wanted to achieve something specific like a goal to become a comedian, what would that set of rules look like?

• Look at things through a comic lens
• When people say strange things, write them down right there.
• When people say trite, meaningless things, write them down right there.
• When people say boring things...
• Always have a notebook and pen.
• Write up 3 new jokes every day.
• Try a joke on one person a day.
• Daily solo walk to run through funny ideas.

Or, how about rules for becoming a crafty one?

• Make sure I always have room on my crafting table.
• Give myself an hour each day to craft
• Have an ongoing list of 3 crafts to do.
• Since there is no time, wake up early to do crafts by myself.
• Since I don't want to wake up, go to bed early.
• I want this more than anything, so I will do it.
• Make it fun to craft, should not be work.
• Post to pinterest to show off.

By having our own rules, we are establishing a baseline for what we really want to do. We write these things down and then they become our mantra. This is what we want. No one is forcing these things upon us.

What if we wanted to just be healthy, based upon what we knew about health?

• Limit my added sugar to 36 grams a day
• Get 7 hours sleep a night.
• Eat fruit and vegetables all day long as snacks.
• Prepare lunch of fruit and vegetables each day.
• Don't eat after 8pm each night.
• Limit meat to one meal a day.
• Eat vegetables until I am full
• Limit dairy to just breakfast or not at all

But hold on! What if we are writing things down we don't believe? What if we don't really want to give up meat or dairy? What if we hate vegetables?

Then, stop! Our rules have to be rules from the heart. We have to want to follow our rules. Our rules have to be lifelong rules. Our rules have to have conviction. Our rules are guided by experience and a desire to change. 

We already deal with enough of society's rules. We stop at stop signs. We pay taxes. We take our kids to school. We put up with our "friends" on social media.

My rules are for me. This is what we believe based on our desires and our education. Our rules change as we learn. 

We make our rules and follow them so we can change the way we want. 

Brilliant and Sick

Sick
Why? How? How come we are sick? Why is heart disease the number one killer in the United States? It should be something we can hardly control like cancer, but it is not. It is a disease that we are mostly inflicting upon ourselves.

When I look up basic information on heart disease, I see this:

High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking are key heart disease risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three risk factors.

Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including:

• Diabetes
• Overweight and obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Excessive alcohol use

People I love have many of these problems. Most of these. So what is causing us to have all these symptoms?

Speaking to some friends, they agree that it is stress, which oddly is not listed above or on that website link. How much is stress getting to us with our jobs, family and all the demands in our lives? Stress causes us to overeat, not sleep, make bad decisions, be sedentary. When we are not feeling well, life is not fun.

Momentum
Momentum is a funny thing. Snowball comes to mind. We start down a path and we pick up speed. 

There must be some joy in it for a time, so we stay there. We don't fight against it. Perhaps we find acceptance in this place. There are others who have also gained momentum in this area. But we do not realize all that we have accumulated through the ride. 

Perhaps on the way down in the back of our minds, we start thinking that we should do something, but we don't.

And we are busy. We have jobs to do and work to accomplish. We just don't have time to deal with that part of our lives. One day...

By the time we get to the bottom of the hill, we are in danger and we have to look inward to know what to do.

People Are Brilliant
I work with some of the most amazing people who have incredible work ethics and brilliant minds. They are able to conceptualize things so quickly. They build out solutions to problems that many would not be able to dream of.

Other people I know do incredible things and are able to serve others in a huge capacity. They are Teachers, Landscape Architects, Builders, Managers, Salespeople, Truck Drivers, Delivery Drivers, Financial People, Restaurant Workers, Artists. The list goes on, but one of the main things these people can all do is work really hard. 

And it seems to me that our country is built upon the backs of people who have worked really hard to get it there.

To be so sick and out of shape seems incongruous with our tremendous work ethics.

We have to be wondering how we are sick when we can do so much, when we can accomplish so much.

Why Me?
Why am I sick? We need to ask ourselves this question. Most of us seem to know why or at least we have a pretty good idea. Many people blame their weight or chronic conditions. Many are just procrastinating until a day when there will be so much more time to do things. But let's face reality. By the time that day comes, we will probably be too old to accomplish much.

First, let's find out what is wrong. Go to the doctor and have some labs run. 

• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Blood sugar

Let's find out what your vitals are. If cholesterol is bad, let's visit that. Blood pressure too high, perhaps we need to work on stress. Blood sugar too high or too low, another path too. These are basic vitals that require our attention NOW!!!

We want to live! Let's live as long as we can! Let's take care of ourselves now so we can feel better.

Purpose

An Important Message.

Diet is a very personal thing. Many people have had to confront diet or diets as they live. Overeating is easy to do. Each of us grows up with a certain conception of what we are supposed to eat. And like politics, religion, world views, and music preference, each of us have our beliefs and generally stick to them all of our lives.

I feel like I know of a certain truth and I want others to know it too. But I don't think many would be willing to face it. I know I wouldn't. I don't think hitting people over the head with something is enough to get them to really change or care or see things another way. 

I feel that the only way to approach people is through thought. Ask questions and see how people respond? Take important issues. Grab important facts. Then, see what people say about them.

I love thinking about the future. I love the ideas that come about through our possible progression. But I also have a conservative background. So, I want to approach things through a positive lens. I think doomsayers and those who predict nothing but calamity and are continually being negative are not helping us. They just make others think they are wackos.

I hope to be able to take common people and ask them complicated questions and see how they respond. What would they want to do about our future? Do they care?