Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility seems to be a lost concept. We think we are simply a product of our surroundings and environment. It is never our fault for the circumstances we find ourselves in.

I am speaking in terms of health, but it does not take much of a stretch to see how we have applied that to many areas in Western culture. Our health problems are the fault of “bad genes” from our family trees, or from “unforeseen circumstances” in our environment. We expect our bodies to perform well under any and all types of stresses and abuse we pile on day after day, year after year. An acute illness like the flu or a sinus infection takes us out for a few days and we bemoan that our bodies have failed us, ‘cause there is never a convenient time to get sick. We dash to the doctor’s office to get a pill for whatever so we can get back to our lives.

If we start noticing something that might be chronic, we still have the expectation that a pill will manage all things. We blame any such diseases on family genes and tell one another that this “runs in the family” and “everybody in my family has this.” Accepting it is our destiny, we carry on with our diet and lifestyle that fits our comfort level.

I think differently.

Genes are not to blame for our current epidemic of chronic conditions. America is not a healthy nation, in spite of spending the most money on our healthcare system (I mean our sickcare system). We are ranked 56th of a list of healthy countries – pretty far down the list. Our genes have not changed so drastically in 2 generations, but our diet, lifestyle, and chemical/EMF exposures have massively changed in the past 60-75 years.

I actually believe this is good news for those struggling with health issues today. There are many things that ARE within our power to change and control. What if we take back personal responsibility for our health? What if we start choosing to eat real food instead of highly processed and packaged meals? What if we aim to change our intake and exposures to chemicals and electromagnetic frequencies that bombard us every day? What if we change our lifestyle from a sedentary society to an active one? What if we teach these principles to our children and let them get engaged in learning these things? We don’t have to change a whole culture. We just have to change ourselves.

Here’s three ways to make lasting changes in your lifestyle:

1. Knowledge

2. Goals

3. Accountability

First, you have to know what you should be doing or need to change. Then set some reasonable and incremental goals based on that knowledge (you don’t have to wait until Jan 1). And lastly, keep yourself accountable to someone to reach and strive for those goals. That might be one person, or it might be a group. My passion is helping people to get through these steps and see lasting and permanent changes in their health.

You can change your diet. You can change your lifestyle. It’s time to take back your health. Start today!