How to implement a conscious lifestyle choice today so that the thinking mind makes a decision based on an awareness of both the actions required and the consequences of a specific choice. It may seem simple. However, if you have an ingrained routine, a closed mind, and wonder why you are not happy? Or you lack vitality, mental clarity, and the ability to relax at the end of your day? You will want to read this article because conscious lifestyle choices are just what you need.
Are You Your Worst Enemy?
On Sunday afternoon, you notice that you are up a few pounds, your body aches, and your muscles feel tight. At this moment, you say to yourself, “I want to lose weight and increase flexibility and strength. Travel lures you to relax and renew. Yet, you realize that your carry-on bag needs to be lifted over your head to place it in the overhead bin. Or you think to yourself, why bother? Maybe a nice person will be there to help.”
Stop for a moment, and reflect on what you say to yourself. Do you have excuses? Do you avoid exercise because you are too tired or too busy? Or do you eat unhealthy foods or drink a glass of wine to numb your stress at the end of the day?
In the past couple of weeks, I have been overscheduled with family and friend activities that nourish me. Yet, I have missed several yoga classes and feel tightness in my hips. I remember how loose and flexible I feel after a yoga class. And I enjoy my yoga friends. Now, this is where a conscious lifestyle choice can make all the difference. With loving-kindness, I commit to myself to get back on track.
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
― A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
Do You Run on Autopilot?
If so, you may want to consider a chakra balancing exercise, a few deep breaths, a quiet walk in nature, or a meditation to reflect on your choices. At this moment, you consciously recognize that you want to feel more invigorated. Also, you want to bring more energy to your body, clarity to your mind, and calm your emotions. Your thinking mind aligns with your higher self. It is clear what is truly important to you in the long run. Familiar thoughts begin to swirl through your head. “I know yoga helps.” An epiphany, “I can start a daily practice on my own and commit to going to the studio once a week.” Instead of autopilot, you make a conscious choice.
How do you sabotage yourself?
People, places, and things can go out of style and become stale. You would not drink expired milk. Why would you keep people in your life that no longer share your current interests and lifestyle? There are a season and a reason for most relationships, jobs, homes, communities, and even clothes. Review how you spend your precious resources of time, money, and energy.
Do you spend time on activities and commitments that no longer feed your soul? Do you have a closet full of clothes that are out of style or no longer fit? Clutter can limit your ability to make a choice on what to wear in the morning. How do your home and environment reflect who you are today? A conscious decision to create a home that reflects you and who you are today will help to keep you on track. Old routines and obligations do not need to be a lifetime contract. Plan ahead and stock your refrigerator with healthy snacks, review your schedule, and call a friend who resonates with you.
The Impermanence of Life.
Souls’ teach me the impermanence of life on earth. All of us will leave this physical body. Why not focus on what is vital for the growth of the soul versus the human ego. Each of us is born with a soul contract, an inner guidance system to be healthy and become our true self. The inner world of yourself can be accessed through stillness. The spirit will try to be heard, you already know who you are and what will nourish you. A quiet moment to listen to your own soft voice is priceless.
No matter where you were born, your parents, environment, and experiences, there is an internal navigational system that is yours and yours alone. Our culture, parents, siblings, tribal consciousness may or may not support us. Your soul has a mission to evolve. Sift through and keep what is worth keeping and throw the rest away. Discard the thoughts, memories, regrets, shame from the past so that you can live the life you were meant to live. The excuses that you create are voices in your head that you can choose to ignore. Our culture, parents, siblings, tribal consciousness may or may not support us.
Can you make a promise to yourself that you will keep it?
Hurrah, you are on your way. Now here is the tricky part. How do you commit to yourself and know that you will keep your promise? When you write down your goals and place them where you can see them daily will help to keep you on track.
Another option that works really well for me when I am overcommitted is to close my eyes and say to myself, “This breath is for me.” I then settle into a quiet place in my mind and calm my emotions through my breath. Then, I repeat the commitment I made with myself and breathing out any tension in my body. The inspiration is always available, it is free, and it works!
Why Don’t You Make Conscious Lifestyle Choices?
A busy external world keeps your mind and physical body occupied during your waking moments. Sometimes you forget to eat or decide to grab unhealthy foods because you are rushed. Or you do not make it to the gym or yoga because you stayed late at work, finishing a project that is due tomorrow. All you can think about is, “Will it be good enough? What will others say? Will I be embarrassed? These thoughts come from a dark place inside. A sense of not being good enough and self-doubt. The ego or conscious mind swirls around and around the many questions and choices in life.
Deadlines imposed on you keep you from hearing your voice inside. Responsibilities for work, family, home, and friends can lure you away from self-care. In a heartfelt moment, tell yourself, “I did the best I can.” And give yourself permission for self-care.
Your intentions are fundamentally for the right reasons. For example, to be thoughtful of others, responsible, a breadwinner, and demonstrate to the world your success. What part of you makes decisions? Which voice in your head do you listen to? Have you ever heard a voice inside your head say, “It is time to leave this job? Or It is time to end your relationship?” How do you know where this voice comes? Is it from your ego, inner critic, or conscious mind?
Where in Your Life Do You Feel Out of Balance?
Are you overweight, sedentary, or feel unappreciated? These are signs of imbalance and alert you to the importance of self-care. When you love yourself, you make healthy food choices to nourish your body. And move your body for strength and flexibility and choose friends who accept you as you are and teach you to love yourself more. Friends listen. They tell you the truth from a deep place within their hearts. No one has your best interests at heart more than you and a soul friend.
What Do You Tell Yourself?
Just as the sun shines for everyone. You do not deserve or not deserve the sun. There is no qualifying assessment to determine if you are worthy. As a divine being of light, it is your birthright. Today, tell yourself I am more than enough. And I deserve peace and happiness.
Do you have a successful career, well-appointed home, and family and friends who genuinely care for you? Are you a caregiver for a loved one? Is there someone who takes advantage of you? Yet every time they call, you jump and adjust your plans. Only to find out that you were manipulated again. Who pulls your cords and pushes your buttons? How do you get sucked into spending your precious gift of time?
A fool once again and anger well up inside of you, “If only I were free.” A conscious lifestyle choice nourishes you and allows you to share your gifts with the world. People, places, and things can either diminish your life force or enhance it. Choose consciously.
How to Make Conscious Lifestyle Choices.
Firstly, you need to free your mind and calm your emotions. Secondly, connect to the “I am” essence of your spirit. If you can imagine that you are free in your thoughts, you can be free. During a meditation, prayer, or healing energy session, say to yourself, “This breath is for me.” As you breathe into the essence of you, imagine your physical body dissolves, your mind melts, and your emotions evaporate.
This focused intention with each breath can bring about a state of calm. The soft voice can be heard over the din of stillness. This experience can provide the clarity you need to make healthy lifestyle choices. A connection with your spirit through the breath connects you to universal consciousness, the all-knowing mind. You are never alone.
Conscious Lifestyle Choices for Self-Empowerment.
I hope to shift your perspective, encourage you to believe in you and, awaken something in you. Empowerment requires tools to feel empowered. A shift in perspective can catapult into a new beginning. Think of one small change that you can promise your today.
- Say a morning prayer as you take a deep breath and set intentions.
- Write down your goals.
- Set reminders on your phone and calendar.
- Meditate, slow down.
- Reflect at the end of the day on how you did in a kind, loving way as you reset for tomorrow.
- Walk-in nature and ground to mother earth.
- Breathe.
- Prepare for dinner at a restaurant, read the menu ahead of time, and decide your meal before you arrive hungry enough to eat anything.
- Do not overschedule and go to the gym or yoga.
- Confide in a friend who will gently support you to stay on track? Do the same for them? Find people who share your goals, dreams, and lifestyle choices.
Conscious lifestyle choices come from a deep inner knowing of who you are, what you are, how you share your gifts with the world, and how you choose to be nourished. Meditation and contemplation bring you closer to know your true self. They can clear your mind and calm your emotions so you can hear your inner voice. Choose to be awake! And thrive!
Contact me for a healing energy session if you are interested in guidance to redirect the choices you make in your life. Sometimes a subtle shift in perspective is enough to change your life effortlessly. Try a session! You may be surprised.