What Is “Wellness”?

Not long ago I gave a talk at our local library.  On the left
side of a white board, I wrote the following words:

Diagnosis
Symptom
Illness
Treatment
Pain

I then drew a vertical line, and on the right side of the
board, I wrote the words:

Wellness
Wholeness
Life
Health
Healing

I then asked the group how they felt as they read each set
of words, and which side of the board they wanted to be on.

How do you feel when you read these words? 

Driving home from an early morning on the beach this week,
I heard Lynn Grabhorn say on a tape of her book Excuse Me
Your Life Is Waiting,

“…it’s fashionable to talk about
what’s wrong with everything instead of what’s right…”,
and I stopped to write this statement down. 

Focusing on what’s wrong is exactly what we’re trained to
do in medicine, which is where most of us turn when we’re
concerned about our health. 

For just a moment, pull up a chair and join me as we explore
new ways to think about your health.

For a moment, forget your diagnosis, your abnormal lab test,
your medications and questions, and your fears.

If you are reading this, you are living and breathing,
and there is an aliveness about you that can be fanned
in to vitality and health.

Let’s begin by shifting your focus…

What are you thankful for?

What’s going well with your body,
your health,
your life?

What did you do well today?

Did you get out of bed–celebrate that!

Did you eat or drink something nourishing–celebrate that.

Did you walk, work out, or exercise in some fashion–celebrate that!

You may be saying, “Yeah, but I still feel lousy” or “My doctor
still says my cholesterol’s too high”–or maybe it’s your
blood pressure or your blood sugar.

That’s okay–that’s where you are today.  That’s your
starting point–but it doesn’t have to be your endpoint
unless you do nothing to change.

However, if you’re with me this far, you’re reading because
you want to change–you want an answer other than what
you’ve gotten so far.  You want to stop focusing on what’s
wrong, and begin to take note of what’s right,
and build on that.

So let’s begin.

Pick one thing you did that was healthy
today, even if it was simply that you took a breath.
Celebrate that, commend yourself, and then choose one thing
that you will do tomorrow for your health.  Will you go
outside for a walk, will you eat an apple, will you do
something else you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t done
yet?

Take that first step.

As we journey together, we will discuss concrete steps
you can take, and I will direct you to some terrific resources.

For today, begin by shifting your focus.

Begin to take note of what’s going well,
and choose something life-giving to do tomorrow.

Your friend and partner in health,

Dr. Ben

Discover the secrets to creating your own Road Map To Health in just minutes a day.

For a wonderful way to shift your focus and
start feeling better within minutes, download the
movie at:

The Secret To You

Enjoy!