You have probably heard before that there is no greater investment than in yourself. However, many people fail to make themselves a priority, especially when it comes to their overall wellness and personal development. When there is no balance with one’s wellness and personal development, it is difficult to maintain continued strides towards mastery of your Inner Critic. This is where the negative side of your Inner Critic can creep up and take control, causing a relapse or decline in mastery.
My father devoted all his energy and intelligence to building a successful business that helped diabetics test their glucose through a popular testing kit. He was very smart and used every waking moment to fulfill this venture. However, his purpose was off—his life was unbalanced and it cost him dearly. While physically he was in good shape, he lacked the ability to address his emotional and spiritual wellness. This lack of balance coupled with living in the effect and not resolving the root cause led to great stress in his life. My father never took care of himself fully, and while he had significant accomplishments with patents and business success, these were not as important as the big picture. His accomplishments coupled with taking good care of himself would have been a positive example to his family and associates. Empowerment is truly the greatest gift, and the value offered is endless.
This was the case for me in my early adult years as well. I was physically in good shape, but I failed to address my emotional and spiritual wellness. This was before I addressed and resolved the root cause that plagued me. My priorities were way off; I was focused on working out, which was good, but I was striving to make money without addressing other important wellness areas in my life. This unbalance combined with a large intake of calories to build muscle and stress from heavy weight-lifting led to a strange growth on my back. This growth was just underneath the skin, growing aggressively, and beginning to attach to my spinal column. It was removed several times without success by doctors from various hospitals, including specialty centers. It would grow back in a matter of a few weeks. This experience finally became a textbook case treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Over a six-month period, the doctors there treated this tumor as though it were a form of an aggressive cancer, including radical surgery to remove muscles that were impacting certain nerves, resulting in a lack of feeling in certain areas of my back. While doctors and researchers could not pinpoint what caused the tumor, they classified it as a desmoids tumor. In hindsight, it is my belief that this tumor was the result of imbalances in my emotional and spiritual life combined with too many calories being ingested daily and the heaving lifting that severely stressed my body.
My anecdote is the reality of many: The majority of us seldom put ourselves first. We invest in the latest appliances and gadgets to organize/complicate our lives, hopeful business ventures, and other people’s dreams. We dress according to trends and style our hair from what we see in magazines. But are we doing what we love, or do we love conforming to the whims of the world? Are we truly free, or is our freedom entirely dependent on the impressions of others?
Honestly answer these three questions:
When was the last time I did something I love or felt passionate about?
What have I done currently to better myself in terms of wellness and personal development?
What sources do I consider valuable to listen to for advice?
Your honest answers to these questions will provide you with a better understanding of how your energy is used. It may be serving you—or perhaps not. If it’s not serving you, having the awareness to change this is important. After addressing these questions, if you feel compelled that self-care is what you desire to raise the bar with your overall wellness and personal development, then make it a priority to invest in yourself using the following suggestions.
- Make Your Self-Worth a Priority
Never assume that being in a good place or having high self-esteem will always happen without practice. You should always work to improve yourself by focusing on your strengths so your inner dialogue speaks more positive things than negative. Again, this should never be taken this for granted. Resolving your “root cause” will help to heal old wounds and release perceived fears and insecurities. Self-worth is attractive to others; it empowers them. It is not selfish, but rather delivers value to others continuously. For example, a mother who works hard to improve her quality of health by eating clean whole foods and participating in a consistent workout routine to release significant weight offers more value to her family, especially to her kids. She is an example to her family, and by taking care of herself, she can pend quality time with them. Putting herself last and always doing everything for her family does not serve them long-term. Empowering them through her example benefits their growth in so many ways—from learning to take care of themselves, adopting healthier habits, and spending quality time with one another.
- Be Your Best Friend—Be True to Who You Are
It is important to accept who you are with all your strengths and weaknesses. You may not always connect with everyone, but you will connect with those that see the value you bring to them. Always strive to be of value to yourself and others. You are both perfect and flawed—a unique combination that can never be replicated—and this fact should be embraced. When you truly love yourself in an unselfish way, you empower others to focus on improving their own well-being. It becomes contagious in a good way, leading to great changes and positive development in people.
- Always Trust Your Intuition
Your intuition is a specialized intelligence unit that knows you better than anyone else. It knows more than you perceive. Strive to trust your inner voice without hesitation. Over-thinking something only creates confusion. Being self-aware along with being quiet and calm allows you to tap into this specialized intelligence unit in order to receive the right answer. It is important not to second-guess your decision; go with the flow with what your intuition tells you. This works well for those that have fully addressed and resolved the “root cause” in their lives. Your intuition is your best friend and is always looking out to protect you and do what is right for your well-being.
- Go for Your True Requirements Versus What Your Wants
Everyone has unique requirements. Notice that I use the word requirements instead of needs. The word need has no action behind it, but requirement does have action. Look at what you require that plays to your strengths and makes your life meaningful to yourself and others. You may find that when you address and fulfill your requirements that what you perceived you wanted will fade into the sunset. There is freedom and a sense of lightness in our well-being when we focus on our true requirements versus our wants.
- Raise the Bar toward Your Better Self
Life will always present plateaus and obstacles. These are tests to your commitment to yourself as you strive for excellence. Never settle for mediocrity—growth and good things can never materialize without raising the bar with yourself. Visualize what you want to become and bring your thoughts, spoken words, and actions together to work congruently toward manifesting them into reality. Only you can limit you, and it all starts with your thoughts. When you fully address the “root cause” and release it, this process becomes easier as you become your own best friend. Self-confidence increases and positive thinking prevails over the negative with your Inner Critic.
- Do What You Love
Your true self knows what it loves—listen to it. Commit to fulfilling what it says; your joy not only helps you but empowers others. It is a gift that keeps on giving and is contagious. Do not put off doing what you love until tomorrow—begin to implement it today! Watch how consistent joy and happiness fill up the space that once were consumed with shame, guilt, and anger. Seeing this in you also sets the example for others to follow suit.
- Take Care of Your Vessel
It is imperative that you take care of yourself by eating clean, wholesome foods with a low glycemic index and free of GMO and pesticides. Always look for organic foods from local farms if possible and implement super nutrition from trusted sources that use whole foods and herbs (nothing synthetic) to keep the body operating at peak efficiency. Keep in mind that super nutrition in the form of supplements is not considered high quality, especially when bought through retail market or stores. It is best to obtain supplements directly from the manufacturer, as this often signals better quality and value. There are trusted sources out there to assist you with options that best serve you. Find and seek them out.
Balance nutrition with a resistance/cardio training program where 60 to 65 percent is resistance training and 35 to 40 percent is cardio. Please note that resistance training is better overall than cardio, but a balanced combination works well to enhance the quality nutrition you put into body. This goes for women as well, who often just do cardio and skip resistance training. Only you can take care of you. Many people place this responsibility with their doctor or healthcare practitioner. These professionals are there to help you, but they will never be able to look out for your best interests entirely. Self-care always starts and ends with you. Adopt these healthy habits and watch yourself grow stronger each day.
- Be the Example for Others
There is no greater gift than empowerment. Being an example to others means doing things that serve you in a positive way and radiate positive energy to others that observe what you do. When you set an example, you show those around you that you’ve invested in yourself time and time again to reach a level of excellence. Remember, putting yourself first is not selfish—it’s doing something positive that propels you toward success. It empowers others to potentially do the same, which is far better than doing it for them. Success is a process. Jim Rohn always said, “It is what you become in the process that is true success.” Trust the process—what you become is the greatest feeling of all.
- Expand Your Wealth. While building wealth monetarily is important, there is no greater wealth than
having knowledge, wisdom, and compassion. When you are armed with this true wealth, there is nothing that will stop you from overcoming the inevitable challenges on the way to becoming successful. Knowing this allows you to grow, and applying it brings wealth. It is how you feel inside that comes from applying the knowledge, wisdom, and compassion to create wealth.
To your health & prosperity,
Christopher Salem
