I am a do-it-yourself-er. I do my own decorating, dieting, self-help, self-care, self-diagnosis, self-analysis, I colour my own hair, heck I even cut it myself sometimes (you’d think I’d learn?! ) I paint my own walls, finger and toe nails. I design my own diets, exercise routines and yoga practices.
I’m rethinking these things. How much of this is what I want? Most of what surrounds me is based on what ‘they’ say. The supplements they say I should be taking, the exercise I should be doing, the food I should be eating, the clothes I should be wearing, how I should be feeling, what I should be doing with my life. I’m beginning to see why I’m so tired all of the time. It keeps us busy. It is also limiting to our true selves. We are ‘they’ expressing not ‘self’ expressing. What do I really like, want, feel?
These are the hard questions I have been facing. The discoveries are uncomfortable, but ultimately freeing. I’ve discovered by doing all of these things myself, I have no time left over to do what I really want to do. I don’t want to do 100 pushups in the morning, run 5 K, shop for decorative pillows. I don’t really like green smoothies or carrots or celery. The frightening thought is that if I just do whatever I want, whenever I want, nothing will get done and I will soon die unhealthy. But an inverse law of the universe is emerging here. The more I trust and listen to myself, the more it is steering me to what is right for me. Not for everyone, but for me.
I want vitality, joy, inspiration, ‘flow’ in my life. This compelled me to go to my doctor and ask for her professional advice about my physical well-being. Blood tests next week! No more self diagnosis. I then went to my hair stylist and let her professionally colour and cut my hair. I look like me. This is my best look. I then had a pedicure –having smooth, pretty feet makes me feel good, and when I feel good, I do good. I like running, but only downhill or on level ground, so I run, but I walk up all the hills and it’s fun! I am going to go to a yoga class lead by a qualified teacher next week.
If I’m doing everything myself, I am not supporting those in my community and in turn my community suffers. The professionals are good at what they do, I want them to continue and I want to get paid to do what I am good at doing.
We are meant to be interdependent, not co-dependent, not independent. It is good to be served, it is good to be of service. It’s like alternating between getting a ‘lift’ and giving a ‘lift.’ Together we help each other fly.