“Simplicity can see right through complexity and complexity will never understand simplicity.”

Our natural state is health and well-being. How does this get out of balance where we lose our health and well-being?  

          A lot of it has to do with our perception. What story are you making up about your life? What are you blowing way out of proportion, what minutia are you giving too much attention to? Where exactly are your priorities? What do you value most in your life?

Stress can be good, real good. But too much stress can be bad, real bad, I mean really, really bad. Where is the balance in all of this?

Start by noticing or remembering what brings you the most joy in your life. Is it realistic to make more moments of joy a priority in your life? I will tell you it is an essential ingredient. For without it, life will be a constant struggle, an uphill battle, every little thing will feel like an enormous force holding you back.

Your life is a magnificent gift. Enjoy the moments of your life and be grateful for where you currently are. Find a way to schedule more time in your week to express and experience what brings you joy.

And find over time with more joy, that the current hardships in your life will either resolve or at least not be at the forefront of your thought any longer. Remember to find ways to keep it simple.

What does forgiveness have to do with the chiropractic care you receive? A lot! Everyone knows and can relate to the expression of “a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” Why do we use that analogy? Because any harbored anger or resentment literally has a negative, deleterious effect on your physiology and the functioning of your body. It wears on you, accelerates your aging, and weighs you down.

When we feel “weighted down” we are actually holding tension in our body. Muscles are tight and unbalanced, we are limited in our range of motion with our neck, shoulders, low back – and it’s a vicious circle that over time layers up with more and more levels of tension. Chiropractic brings balance to these muscles and your body’s function, yet you can take a proactive approach by practicing the art of forgiveness. A simple apology, a phone call, a letter can relieve so much stored up tension – it’s like receiving several chiropractic adjustments with one act of forgiveness.

Forgiveness can even be done in solitude. A letter to someone that you never deliver can still create a feeling of peace about that individual or circumstance. Journaling your feelings and emotions, looking for reasons that past negative experience have actually helped you become stronger, more capable, (whatever it may be) can wipe away the cloudiness of your life.

Mark Twain said it best: “Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds upon the heel that crushed it.”

A university study was performed on college kids. They took a group of them to a field and offered them minimum wage to dig a ditch. They did the job to its fulfillment. After lunch they were asked to fill the ditch back in. When the students asked, “Why?” they were told, it doesn’t matter, it’s part of your job and you’ll continue getting paid minimum wage. They left. Before they left they were offered double pay for the next day of work. Only 40% of them returned. They were paid this day double what they were paid the day before to once again dig a ditch. They did the job to its fulfillment. After lunch, once again, they were asked to fill the ditch back in. “Give me a break, you’ve got to be kidding, WHY!!??,” the students exclaimed. They were told, “It doesn’t matter, you are getting paid to do a job, do it or leave.” They left. Upon leaving they were told, if they come back tomorrow to work, their pay will once again be doubled. Only 40% returned.

The purpose of this experiment was to see if people did a job simply for a paycheck or if they did a job because along with getting paid, they were doing something that had a purpose or value. They discovered people will dig a ditch if it means laying an electrical cable, or funneling water to another source. They won’t however perform a task that has no purpose.

Finding purpose in what you do is paramount in creating for yourself a fulfilling career. Do you ever see people with a lot of energy at the end of the day and wonder, “What is it they have that I don’t?” The answer is those are the people that connect their values, their personality traits and strengths to what they love to do. Their energy, joy and enthusiasm are natural by-products.

Find something you enjoy and check out this excellent source. It’s a book by Dan Miller called “48 days to the work you love.” Here’s the link: http://www.48days.com/. As Dan says, “The best way to predict your future is to create it!”

Situational Ethics was one of the greatest “light bulb” moments for me when I first heard it in Chiropractic College. It was part of a class taught by our college President; Dr. Guy Riekeman.

Situational Ethics means we as individuals do “what’s right” based on the situation we are in. The greatest example of this is the law abiding citizen who lives according to a moral or ethical code – however, is willing to jeopardize that and break the law if it means stealing food to feed their family.

On another deeper level of understanding human nature: author, Neale Donald Walsch says, “No one does anything inappropriate given their model of the world.”

This fascinates me, especially if I catch myself judging or criticizing others. In essence, what I am doing is projecting my beliefs and values on others who are operating with an entirely different set of beliefs and values.

As a chiropractor and wellness educator I give the greatest gift I know to give – an increase in health, vitality, and energy. Yet I am challenged with a society that doesn’t put enough of a priority on their health, vitality and energy until they are in an absolute crisis – then they expect a “quick fix!”

You know what though? It is all WORTH IT!

Thanks for reading…

My 2 ½ year old son got a new pair of shoes yesterday – and they aren’t just any pair of shoes, they are FAST SHOES! He’ll show you too. He runs circles around you. He runs all around our office, around the house, down the hallway, he runs from the park’s playground to the sidewalk near the street. “FAST SHOES,” he says.

I remember my pair of FAST SHOES. I was about 5 years old and everything about them felt like there was nothing better in the world. And, wow, was I fast! At least it felt that way!

Pushing aside the urge to somehow explain to my 2 ½ year old son, that it isn’t really the shoes, it’s HIM that’s fast, I realized, “Hey, look how much enjoyment and fun he’s generating from something so simple?”

Then I looked at my life. I asked myself the question: “How many things am I surrounded by that are great and magnificent, yet I don’t take the time to acknowledge or appreciate them?”

Last night, going to bed, finishing some late night emails, pondering so many different thoughts and to-do’s in my head, my wife said to me: “take a moment of gratitude before you go to sleep, you don’t seem like you’re in a very grateful place right now.” So rather than go into defense and attack mode – I took her advice. I took a few simple moments to think of things I am truly grateful for. I had a great night’s sleep, awaking refreshed and energized for the day.

Oh, and I decided to put on my FAST SHOES this morning!