A Victory For America
11/05/08
I certainly do not pretend to be a political columnist. However, yesterday's election speaks to all of us about the power of intention, hope and belief. I invite you all to allow your lives to be imbued with the significance of this moment.
I actually can't stop crying today. They are tears of joy because I am absolutely overwhelmed with pride for my country. We are a living example to the entire planet that where once there was deep-seated hatred, there can be love. Where once there was bigotry, there can be fairness. A generation that had seemingly given up proved that there could once again be passion and hope.
Americans cared so much about our future, that they got out to vote yesterday in record numbers. Seeing the stories of people waiting in line for three hours to vote and severely disabled people who had to take an ambulance to voting booths, gives a new meaning to phrases like "no excuses" and "whatever it takes." Yesterday was unequivocal proof, that when your dream and purpose are big enough, a way will be made.
What really really really made me lose it yesterday, was the tears in the eyes of older black people across the country, some of them contemporaries of Dr. Martin Luther King. These are people who remember the days when they were jailed and beaten for fighting for the same rights that white people had. They were fired from their jobs for helping black people to vote. They were not allowed to go to school with white people. They were not even allowed to sit in the same section of the bus as white people, or sit on the same bench or use the same drinking fountain. These people have lived through unspeakable human atrocities. To see the look in their eyes that a black man now holds the highest office in our nation, was to know that we HAVE overcome.
Dr. Martin Luther King dared to dream this dream and articulated it to our country 45 years ago. He said:
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
When he spoke these words, many thought he was crazy. Many thought it was impossible. But folks, we have lived to see that impossible dream come true. No one ever thought we would live to see a picture like the one below.
So I ask you, what "impossible" dream do you have? And I'll stick with the topics that are very close to me, health and fitness. Do you dream of one day having a healthy, fit body that feels great to live in and looks hot in low-rise jeans? Do you dream of being free of medical drugs or pain? Do you dream of living to a ripe old age and playing with your grandchildren, but the doctors have told you that you have an "incurable" disease? What you believe and expect is what will happen to you. And all you have to do in this moment is to start moving your thoughts, words and actions in the direction of what you want and one day you will get it. During my career as a nutrition, lifestyle and exercise coach, I have seen diseases disappear without conventional medicine. I have had doctors tell my clients that the healing they've achieved is "impossible" or "miraculous". I have seen people achieve and stay at a healthy weight, without living a starved life!
Yes, it ALL comes down to thoughts words and actions.
Thoughts: You've got to pay attention to what is going on in your mind. When you have a thought ask yourself, "is this the thought that I would like to create my life?" If the answer is yes, then keep thinking that. If the answer is no, do whatever you must to find a better feeling thought. Immediately change thoughts like "I feel fat" to "everything I do enhances my health and fitness."
Words: Listen to the stories that you tell people. Do you want those stories to create your life? This is a tough one because many of us either love to complain or quite enjoy our little comedy routines about all of the things that are wrong in our lives. Even if you are laughing and joking about a subject, if you are still telling the story of how you DON'T want it to be, it will never change. Get some new material and start laughing about other things that you welcome into your life. Now that Obama has won I'll bet trainers and nutritionists across the country won't be honoring very many excuses anymore. "I didn't have time to do cardio." "But everyone in my family is fat." "Organic food is too expensive and hard to get." The reply will always be the same: "Are you kidding me? We have a black president!" No excuse will ever work again.
Actions: Once your thoughts and words are aligned with what you really want, it's time to take action. Find a mode of exercise that you love and feels good to you. Make a decision that you will eat organic food in your house and research the best and most convenient way to get it. Engage in some sort of meditation or relaxation everyday. Put yourself to bed by 11pm the latest (except for historical nights like last night).
I encourage everyone who is feeling elation today to take out a piece of paper and write his or her own "I have a dream" speech for what you want to see happen in every area of your life. As my brilliant teacher Paul Chek says, "When you have a dream, you don't need a crisis." Let's define ourselves by our dreams so that we don't need to attract crises to know who we are. I will be doing this exercise at home today for myself but I'd like to leave you with one dream that I have for you. I have a dream that one day everyone will be able to see themselves as healthy, whole, and deserving and capable of radiant wellness for the duration of their lifetime.