What Does It Mean to Live a VIBRANT Life?
At thirty-three, I thought it meant setting goals and working long hours and hard days to make things happen. Living by that credo I accomplished a lot. I earned my Masters from MIT; ran several marathons; scaled a number of 14,000 foot peaks; and lead teams to develop software to launch start-ups and build enterprise applications.
I even met my soul mate, fell in love and was married. I was well on my way or so I thought, but I was a ticking time bomb.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at twenty-seven, I pushed myself to extremes in hopes it would allow me to get on the path of the life I was meant to live.
But I was living in denial—out of balance with the ways that would allow me to maintain my health and well being.
The MS caught up to me in a fierce way. After two years of deterioration, I could barely take care of myself. My wife and family convinced me that I could no longer ignore the reality of my condition. I knew I had to turn things around, but traditional medications, treatments, and thinking did little to stem the disease’s momentum. Frustrated with the direction of my health, I decided to try something different.
During my journey to wholeness, I learned these insights are critical to maintaining vibrant well-being.
Thought, action, habit, desire, and feeling are the lens through which life is experienced.
The power to change comes from changing thought, action, habit, and desire to live in harmony with well-being.
The body is programmed for health. If the junk is cleared out, the right stuff put in (food, water, air, and thoughts), it is exercised and stimulated, then health and well-being prevail.
Hope and love are absolutes. They’re the spark that compels action and maintains connection with self and others.
Since beliefs can be altered, you co-create your life.
Thoughts and actions in the here and now are critical determinants of reality and destiny.
Life is not deterministic based on the past.
Emotion is meant to be expressed not locked away in a box. Being in touch with feeling is critical to maintaining well-being.
Trial and error informs action; it all starts with action.
Changing course takes courage, strength and endurance, but over time, thought by thought, action by action, inertia can be over-come and a new path forged.
Energy is a key enabler; it’s at the heart of the matter.
Uncertainty is a good thing; questions are catalysts.
Routine provides great comfort, but a tremendous opportunity to change life becomes available by changing habit.
Enriching the lives of others, connected to purpose, is at the heart of happiness.
Today, healthier than ever before, I share with all that will listen, what’s put me on the path to a true vibrant life through my blog, my coaching clients, to audiences across the nation, and through my book, Shadow Summit.
You don’t need to have MS to find well-being; it was just my portal. I hope you find my story useful along your journey. All the best!