August 17, 2016 by Thriving Now

On the Road to Optimal Health

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Let’s set aside for a moment how you got where you are… without the level of health and vitality you’d like. It’s a bit like waking up to find that you are in a swamp, east of Palatka—it smells bad, and you want to LEAVE!  You can gripe and moan, wail and complain, “Dear God, How did I end up in PALATKA!?!” But it isn’t until you choose a compelling vision that will get you excited and hopeful again that you will actually make progress towards leaving “Palatka” behind forever.

When you are stuck in any kind of sickness or disease, it can feel like anyplace would be better than where you are right now. You want to be healthy again… this second! You want to find the mythical “teleportation pad” or “stargate.” Yet, in an effort to find the quick trip away from pain, we can get sidetracked and disoriented.  The road to true optimal health is a life-long journey.

And it isn’t a straight, narrow, or flat path. You will find yourself at crossroads where you must choose a direction. Many of these crossroads will be poorly marked. You may be enticed by the siren song of quick fixes, magic pills, and miracle cures. There may be forced detours, foggy conditions, and dark, lonely nights. What will guide you?

I know your intuition will guide you—if you use your free will in an empowered way… setting your intention and your focus on a positive destination, rather than focusing (as most of us get trapped doing) on what is missing where we are right now.  So take some time for yourself and answer these questions:

– What does optimal health look like, for YOU?
– What does your body look like when it is thriving?
– How does it feel? How does it move? 
– What emotions do you feel when you are healthy?
– What activities do you enjoy?
– How do you spend your time?
– What are the qualities of the people in your life?

Put yourself in this vision. Let yourself truly feel it.  No matter where you are today, if you can imagine and dream of a brighter destination, then you can take steps… even if they are baby steps… towards that destination.

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Let’s say you’re in that swamp outside of Palatka. You envision yourself someplace beautiful—like a gorgeous beach in La Maddalena, Sardegna, Italy! How in the world do you get there?

Most people in Palatka probably don’t know where La Maddalena is!  That doesn’t matter. You know where you are going. You have a clear vision of your destination. You set your desire on it, and then listen and follow your intuition.

Your intuition might direct you to ask for the nearest interstate. After a long, long walk where you feel like you are making very slow (or no) progress, and maybe even doubting your desire to go to La Maddalena in the first place, you find yourself on I-95 headed north. You are offered a ride, but they only take you so far before your intuition says, “They’ve taken you as far as they can.”  So, you head off on foot again, not quite sure what you are doing, but still clear where you are headed.

You feel lost on occasion (when fear blocks your intuition), and have some rough nights, before you connect with a couple headed to Washington, DC. Your intuition says, “Go with them.” They seem a little strange… tapping themselves all the time… but they also seem happy, so you ride with them as far as the nation’s capital.

In D.C. you stay awhile, take in the sights, and look and ask around for clues on what next step to take to get to your destination… La Maddalena. Most people even in D.C. don’t know where it is. But they do know how to get to Italy. And with some help, you end up with a passport and on a plane from Dulles International Airport to…

Chicago?!?  Yep, it seems like you are headed in the wrong direction! Yet, your intuition says, “We are on the right path. Stick with us. All is well.”

This is where you really are tested, where the intuition you’ve trusted seems to have lost its way. It is making no sense. You don’t go west to get from Washington, DC, to Italy!! Or do you…

On this sphere that is the Earth, you can head in ANY direction and eventually get to any other point. Indeed, on one trip I went to La Maddalena, Sardegna, Italy by way of Washington, DC, to… yes… Chicago O’Hare airport, then to Munich, Germany, then to Rome, then by boat to Turkey, Greece, back to Rome, then by ferry, to Olbia, Sardegna, and finally by car to La Maddalena!

Like with my own personal journey towards my vision of thriving health, I’ve been on some really whacky detours, and some that were downright frightening. Almost everyone finds themselves passing through the dump; just don’t make it home!

I’ve had clients call me and say, “Anywhere but here, Rick!” One of the most helpful steps we can all take is to picture and hold a vision for how it will feel to be healthy, fit, and strong. As hard as it may be to do so! Then, start noticing and being grateful for even a single sign of progress!

One of my clients has had terrible migraines for many years. He’s been tapping regularly and yesterday, he didn’t have a headache at all! I’m sure he felt the way I did when my small plane, which had to divert to Palatka years ago due to weather, lifted off the next day headed home. I didn’t know how far I’d get that day; there were still weather fronts ahead and lots of uncertainty. But I was delighted to take a positive step towards home.

Praise progress, and heap on the gratitude! On the road to optimal health, I can’t promise it will always feel easy. Indeed, sometimes it is the contrast—the PAIN—that helps us to become clear on where we do NOT want to go so that we become crystal clear on what we DO want to attract into our lives.

The techniques and practices I teach are meant to be lifetime tools for joy. EFT, meditation, prayer, mindfulness, massage, dance, appreciation, gratitude… all of these contribute “fuel” in the form of higher energy to help us to truly thrive each step of the way, until as we all ultimately do, find ourselves “home” once again.

Peace, joy, and wonderful travels be with you,
Rick@Thrivingnow.com

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