Life changing experience
In the current time that we are living in, webinars have become very popular - A means to gain insight into certain topics and upgrade your skills, a platform to connect with like-minded people, and sometimes to get the motivation to go on and never give up.
I had the pleasure of attending one such webinar by a truly inspirational lady “Julie Lewis.” A highly motivated, high energy individual, Julie speaks from her heart and her experience of over 30 years. The defining moment in her life was on her 40th birthday when she reached the summit of a mountain, and that’s where she decided to help, inspire and motivate people to reach new heights both professionally and personally by sharing her experiences of health, self-management and self-leadership. Julie has explored all 7 continents with people from all walks of life and of all different ages bringing with her lively travel stories and leadership lessons from the outdoors to share.
She has the ability to energize people to move out of their comfort zone, overcome obstacles, and have the courage to achieve new heights. In the recent webinar that I attended, she shared her expertise on how to prioritise health, wellbeing and happiness emphasizing on the importance of each aspect and how it can help bring out the best in you.
Post-COVID we all have had to think of ways to reinvent ourselves, stay optimistic in the face of the challenges we have faced, and focus on our strengths to achieve success. Investing time in ourselves, focusing on our health-not just physical but mental as well, and happiness builds a foundation for a more fulfilling life. The thought-provoking issues that Julie touched on were
- How powerful are our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions - we are the master of our lives and our thoughts define how we tread through the challenges and obstacles life presents.
“Stand like a mountain, flow like water. “We should stand strong and be resilient but at the same time be flexible and flow like how the water flows, weave through all the obstacles that come in our way to achieve our purpose in life. We get to choose how we think and talk and the words we choose to speak as they have a direct impact on our subconscious mind. We can either be a master of our life by being accountable and responsible for our actions, feelings, and thoughts or play the victim where we always look to blame and complain about how our life is. A positive mind will always help us overcome any obstacles we ever face. As Julie quoted “Everything will be alright in the end and if it is not alright, then it is not the end.”
- How we eat, move and sleep and its impact - food is the fuel that makes our bodies run. Being conscious of what we eat is very important for our health and well-being. Whether we eat smaller meals or do Intermittent fasting, whatever eating habits we adopt in life should, in the end, ensure we are healthy, well-nourished and it contributes to our well-being and happiness. Having a daily ritual to keep ourselves physically and mentally fit, be it exercise, meditation of any form of physical activity is important as it has a direct relation with our mind and our health. The point that we do not give most importance to is to get a good night sleep. It plays a very important role in our health and immune system. To have a well-rested mind and body is the key to achieving success in many aspects of life.
Some of the practical techniques discussed during the webinar which I feel are simple to follow
- Daily Discipline- having a daily discipline is very important. It could be reading, listening to music, exercise, connecting with family. A daily ritual helps the body and the mind in riding through the waves of change we experience.
- Let go of the past and live in the now- the focus in our life should be on the “now” rather than what has passed or what the future will bring. Being in control of the now ensure a stronger and healthier mind.
- Have a positive mind – what we think is what we become. We should think positive and remain optimistic. Exercise, meditate, sleep to reboot our bodies and mind to live a fuller life.
- Focus on social connection- humans are social beings and cannot live in isolation. It is very important to have positive social connections in our lives and try and avoid negative people.
- Focus on things that give happiness- we should do three things in a day that bring us joy. What brings joy gives us energy. The focus should be on having micro-moments of joy in a day, little things that bring a smile on our face.
The key to a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life lies in having a purpose. Focusing on the highs rather than the lows, the strengths more than the weakness and committing ourselves to take daily and consistent action paves way for an enriched life. More than ever, the time we are living today is challenging and uncertain. People are looking for direction, clarity and control. Tuning into our inner compass for direction, guidance and taking charge of our thoughts, feelings and actions will give us the ability to control which direction our life takes.