Happy Monday,

(I feel like giving tumblr a 12-hour advance on my usual…)

Before I dive into today’s “The positives about being positive” I want to address my recent blogging experience. Two weeks ago I did a pull-it-out-of-my-ass blog post regarding my “Current health advice” and I received my highest daily blog hits in months. Actually, I was this close to not blogging at all and taking another hiatus because I think I’m at another point in my life where I don’t need this blog as much (we’ll see what next week brings). But, something told me to keep going and I decided to just write a simple post which shared some obvious things to me but could be not-so-obvious to newcomers or sporadic readers. The post included a-day-in-the-life perspectives so it wasn’t too much sweat off my back, whereas last week I posted a no-commentary-figure-the-meaning-out-on-your-own interview between interviewer Bill Moyers and the late Joseph Campbell, a world-renowned myth-buster and saw some of my lowest Monday site visits. Honest to gad, I put so much more effort into simply listening to and writing down the words of that interview than writing some of the reoccurring themes of this health blog. Why? Because I got SO much more out of the interview with Joseph Campbell and to me, at this point in my journey, his perspectives had that much more of an impact on me than my olden days of reading health magazines for “fat-busting foods” or “calorie-burning work outs” or “muscle-building meals.” But, I think that’s where most people are at right now with this age of instant gratification. Information is in-demand to be short, concise, to the point, and in 140 characters or less. And so the post that I believe people can actually take a lot more from - i.e. self-awareness, self-discovery - saw the least amount of hits and the post that appealed more was in a bulleted form that a sheep could have provided. Interesting stuff. Onto today…

Two weeks ago I created an experiment that only I was aware of; it was an experiment of how positivity - being outwardly positive - affects a) myself and b) those around me. I didn’t have much faith on my possible mentality-shift with this little scheme but I, at least, wanted to see if I could brighten the day of those with whom I interacted (since I currently work at a hospital and that shit can get depressing). My day job (because my public health musings and my back-to-basics-warehouse-band guitar playing don’t quite pay the bills yet) has me interacting with a varied public on a daily basis. One by one people come and go, and as they come, I am provided an opportunity to greet someone first. “Hey, how are you doing today?” is my go-to greeting. I usually get, “Well, ok I guess” or an “I’m alright.” And when posed with the return question, two weeks ago I decided to respond with “I’m doing great!” This was a great stretch from my previous “Alright” default because I knew I didn’t feel great… I felt alright and the word “Great” better be backed up by a genuine smile and telling poise otherwise I’d be standing there like Chevy Chase in Memoirs of an Invisible Man. But I convinced myself to convince myself and wouldn’t you know it…

A week into this thing I noticed a few changes. I drew more smiles than usual, I created more conversation than normal, and I began to feel better about myself. Yep, and Bingo was his name-o. I literally felt better about myself - in my brains AND in my bodies. Sure, I had confidence my all-smiles greeting would bring some greatness into other’s lives, but I didn’t think it would do the trick for me. Perhaps I’ve been shat on one too many times or that I’m still wading my way through the sh-tuff, but Mr. Guru Perspective Shift Queen of Oneness over here didn’t have the confidence that a simple response of “I’m great!” really would have a profound internal experience and, thus, a perspective-shifting result! I’d be a Monkey’s Uncle if i said it weren’t true. It’s yet ANOTHER beautiful example of how the mind and body can act upon the same level.

In my seconds on this planet I’ve experienced a handful of people who consistently return with their versions of “I’m great!” and I’m sure you have, too. AND I’m sure you can count those posi-peoples on your fingers. I’m not off when I say that most people do not respond with “Great” - at best we provide a half-assed “Good” with a subliminal “I guess” lagging behind. I want to invite you all to do participate. Because we all know the whole P.M.A. talk doesn’t do a damn thing unless you start walking that talk. I’m on week three of the “I’m great challenge” (aka the IGC) and it’s done wonders for the way I hold myself and the way I am able to interact with others. Seriously. When someone asks how you’re doing, say, “I’m great!” and mean it (insert The Starting Line reference).

jdperryhealth.com
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jdperryhealth@gmail.com

Happy Monday,

Cut to me standing in line at Starbucks some months ago with two teenagers gossiping back and forth just one spot ahead. As their turn neared, one of the girls turns to the food display and began eying up the baked goods while predicting aloud their caloric value. She eyed and described them in succession, reaching what seemed to be the most unhealthy, ball-parked its calories, decided to purchase that good, she then turned to her friend, cocked her head to the side and exclaimed “YOLO!” I shook my inner head at the time and have since retold that story to my friends because I think it’s pretty hilarious that I was able to experience that reality, but there’s definitely something more to it that decided to stick with me…

Fast forward to my recent weekend where I ran into an old friend where we happened to be at the same event to share the day with a mutual friend. After we had our fun, the group made its way to a crappy sports bar chain that will remain nameless, but I will say that there are chicken extremities involved. Sports bars aren’t really known as healthy havens. I say sports bar and I think wings, beer, burgers, and vegetable oil. This bar was no different and with menu options of a burger topped with mozzarella sticks and tomato sauce, well it just doesn’t get any more sloppier than this, folks. Now, I’ve always been known as somewhat of a health freak, nazi, stiff, and all around weirdo when it comes to eating food or my eating habits. I’ve come to be rather lax about it, but in my days of yesteryear I would have macguyvered some sort of “healthy” meal at an “unhealthy” establishment by pairing big green salads with grilled-this or from-the-storage-closet fruit with poached-that just so I could maintain my diet. My old friend still had the mentality that I lived and breathed like this, so after we sat down and looked at the menu he promptly asked if I am ok with the food options, am I still eating super healthy these days, yadda, yadda, yadda. I came back with, “I eat whatever. I just don’t care anymore. It’s more of a mental health approach for me because I spent too many days caring so much and being so unhappy all in the name of health.” His reaction was floored, but so excited to hear my personal breakthrough. My close friends, this one included, can relate to not making a big deal, not making such a fuss, and just living your life as best you can because in 2011 we lost a very important person in our lives to an accident. He immediately brought up our late-great friend, agreeing whole-heartedly with my approach to stop giving a shit about… well, stupid shit. At that moment everything kinda clicked for me to be like, “Yeah man, you’re doing it!.” 

I’ve been practicing a “no diet diet” since September of 2012. One day I just had a perspective shift to stop giving such a shit about food and to take the necessary steps towards mental and emotional happiness; allowing for the physical to follow suit instead of the other way around. I can eat all of the healthy food in the world, but if my mind isn’t fully behind it, if I’m doing it because I think it’s better for me, or if eating turns into a chore then, my friends, I will get absolutely no where. And for a very long time I could not get close to where I wanted to be in terms of personal happiness because of this freaking food wrench I was throwing at myself on a daily basis. To show you where I’m at, I am not eating what I define as “unhealthy” food every day, but I’m certainly not limited myself when the opportunities present themselves to eat a few donuts for breakfast, to make an impromptu Wendy’s trip at 2am, to bathe myself in pizza, or to order a sloppy burger, fries, and a beer at some crap sports bar in the company of good friends.

“Suffering ends when we let go” is a quote that I just made up but I’m sure I came across something similar not too yonder ago that didn’t mean much until I was able to experience it for myself. Having said that, it’s time to bring back the YOLO girls at the beginning of this story. Perhaps they may have been just joking about it, but to some people, specifically me, that joke has been such a life-changing-for-the-better experience when it comes to eating and building a path towards my ultimate happiness. A lot of people poke fun at YOLO. A lot of people say it without much thought behind its meaning. I think it’s a damn good approach to living one’s life as the most fulfilling and most meaningful experience one could ever dream of… because we really do only live once in this body and for us to go through that experience unhappy WITH ANYTHING does not make one bit of sense to me at this point in my understanding. 

You only live once. Do everything and anything that you desire. Make the absolute most of our experience on this earth. 

jdperryhealth.com
jdperryhealth.tumblr.com
jdperryhealth@gmail.com

Karma will always come back to bite you in the ass if you give the opportunity to do so. That opportunity presents itself in a state of unawareness. 

Awareness is the ability to be completely conscious, awake, present, responsible, and confident in your current decisions, trusting in whatever the future may bring. 

Unawareness, such as irresponsibility, unconsciousness, carelessness, or an emotional blockage, may lead to consequences that bring a change, fear, anxiety, depression, or “unpredictable” experiences.

I believe that predictions are decided the moment we are either aware or unaware of our present decisions and their future consequences (good or bad). The choice is purely up to us whether Karma exists in a good or bad state within our lives. Although some decisions/outcomes are out of our control (serving a greater purpose), the majority are well within our choice, our reasoning, our reaction, our responsibility to ourselves and others, our wants vs. our needs, our intuition vs. our ego, our past selves vs. our present selves.

Allow your decisions to predict your Karma by being aware, responsible, and confident in your present moment. Make every decision count now so that you don’t have to make up for them in the future. Subtle positive changes develop bigger positive results.