Healthy Living DIY

My first thought upon reading the question is that it stands in good company. Since the person who asked this question is a past participant frpm my coaching program, I know she's gonna love this answer ;-).

Here's what I mean by good company:

• Do you constantly find yourself being diverted into one time-consuming project or the next -- of someone else's?
• Do you find yourself asking everyone else what they think you should do when you actually know what you want to do yourself -- basically asking for validation before you act?
• Do you find yourself being drawn like a moth to a flame when it comes to other people's great ideas for what you should do next in your life?
• Are you a health opportunity seeker (to use the terms of Internet Marketing guru Rich Shefren's recent Manifesto) -- constantly signing up for the next great instant cure-all?

There are a lot of options out there in the natural health marketplace. And for someone who has a vague notion of "getting healthy somehow" it's very easy to get caught up in one thing after the next, with very little idea of whether you're getting the results you want or not ... or even moving in the right direction.

And let's face it - it's expensive. Not just in terms of cash, but in time, energy, and attention.

Add to that these confounding factors:

• Since natural health solutions are often oriented toward creating a sturdy and balanced foundation, it may take a while before the results you're looking for begin to show up on the outside - even if you've made a wise choice. Not unlike waiting for a business investment to pay off, or for that little pine tree you planted a couple years ago to finally hit its growth spurt. Given that, it's easy to see that the scattered approach can make you "jack of all trades and master of none," leaving you disappoingly short on results.
• It may take more than one approach, pursued together, in order to get the result you're looking for. It's one of those "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" situations. You don't have to choose between healthy foods and exercise; between massage therapy and acupuncture; between dealing with the fact that your job no longer suits you and taking a nutritional supplement. Ultimately, you may need to address them all.

Hmm.

So what do I suggest?

#1: Get to know yourself and your core issues. Once you think you've got yourself all figured out, continue because there's another layer. And another after that. And another. And so on.

#2: Once you have clearly identified your next most pressing consideration, seek out a strategy, solution, supplement, treatment modality, or educational program to address that specific concern. Don't let your friend's cousin talk you into a bunch of supplements you weren't looking for.

Ask yourself, "What's next?" Get the answer and follow through. Then ask again.

This is tricky, though, because sometimes the answer will come unexpectedly through an offhand comment or a book that falls off the shelf at you. Maybe even through your friend's cousin. Stay aware. So long as you're clear about what you're looking for, you'll most likely recognize it when it shows up.

#3: If you smoke, quit. That's most likely your most pressing core issue. How many chronic pain patients that smoke come into my practice? Too many.

#4: Make a reasonable effort to eat well, get your rest, move about, floss, and wear a seatbelt.

#5: Develop some reliable way to check your choices. Some people use a pendulum or learn to muscle test. I like the "red light / green light" technique. I must confess that, being a visual person, I made it up. I ask the question and then "look" for a color to show up on the screen of my imagination - either a red or green light. (Green means go :-).

Ok, that's a wrap.

Remember, you can ask your own question at www.AskElizabethEckert.com.