“There are four pillars to a solid human foundation – physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional, each one supports the other.” -Frosty Hensen
Progress is the stage of advancing forward. With progress, we learn, grow, adapt, change, and become better versions of ourselves. However, for most, constantly growing and evolving is can be difficult concept to handle. Making progress involves a lot of uncertainty, discomfort, and unknowns, which is all good. This is because, the end of the day, making progress is impossible without change. Additionally, both change, and moving forward, can become physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually draining. With that said, these are things I have learned in my recovery to keeping a solid foundation while under the stress of making progress. Also, a balanced healthy diet has been proven to play a role in balanced emotions, a key component for coping with stress.
Physical
“Your body is a temple, don’t litter it.”
Jim Rohn said, “Take care of your body. It’s the only one you have to live.” Our body is the only one we have.” Material items, iPads, cars, jewelry, are replaceable however, our bodies are not. Your body reacts to everything you put in it, so make sure what you consume serves a beneficial purpose. Your brain, bones, and muscles all serve us and it is essential to listen to and respect the body. Rest when it is tired, feed it nutritious food when it is hungry, and getting an adequate amount of exercise to maintain, or improve, your physical health are all examples of working on your physical pillar.
Mental
“The strength of your mind determines the quality of your life.” –
Would you allow me to go into your kitchen and continually dump extra large bags of garbage on your floor?
Some of us hang around people who do this in our minds, worst of all, some of us criticize ourselves to point of when our dream has died and our destiny is lost. This act results in the, “Grass is greener on the other side” state of mind. The truth is, the grass is greener where you water it. Imagine criticism as weeds, unwanted, tough get rid of, choking life and productivity out of plants that would otherwise blossom and flourish. If you came to my house and saw me watering a patch of weeds and neglecting my my flowers, you would think I was crazy. Additionally, my blossoms will die, decay, and decompose as the weeds will grow tall and take over the yard. The same principle applies to your mind when you doubt yourself, criticize yourself, or, associate yourself with suppressive people. Do not give your weeds anymore water. Overtime, the undesirable things in life holding you back from blooming, flourishing, and thriving will dissolve. Apply this natural principle to life and you will experience a greater purpose, increased production, and a boost of morale as you successfully eliminate negative criticism from your life.
When a negative event occurs, tell yourself: “You can prepare to suffer, or prepare to heal.” If you are preparing to heal, then you are eliminating the mental garbage. You are making progress and advancing forward with positive intent.
Emotional
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. ” – Buddha
If you victimize yourself, you will not find the strength to rescue yourself. When things go wrong it is is important to have the emotional strength to overcome discouragement and continue pushing forward. You become what you think,and when you face failure and adversity, it is important to keep your emotions in high spirits. Positive results do not negative thinking so it is important to stay strong emotionally. Additionally, making progress or if you progress often depends on you and how you choose to react or respond to circumstances. By remaining emotionally strong you are able to make sound judgments and move forward effectively. Additionally, the confidence gained from the physical pillar reinforces the emotional strength as well.
Spiritual
“You have to believe in something. Believe in god, believe in faith, you have to believe in something.” -Tupac Shakur
When nobody believes in you it is important to know that there is no such thing as a hopeless situation, every circumstance can change.. Nobody knows your mental, spiritual, emotional, or physical strength better than yourself. With that said, keeping the faith that you can overcome obstacles will prevent you from giving up. Furthermore, when hardship strikes, to make progress, it is important to have a proactive spirit. Intead of being upset about the way things are, work hard for the way you want them to be, and believe you can do it.
Steve Jobs said, “You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” Jobs was fired from the company that he created, started a new business, and rescued Apple with the technology he developed elsewhere. If Jobs never got fired then he never would have developed the tools to create the technology revolution we are going through today. More importantly, if Jobs did not believe in his abilities to be successful, again, then jobs would have missed his opportunity to change the tech world as we know it today. Moral of the story is keeping your spirits up in the face of adversity, and looking for solutions when life delivers problems, making progress will become second nature.
To Sum It Up
Frosty Hensen said, “To be a champion, you have to eat like a champion.” Making progress requires a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. For instance, adverse circumstances are are often easier to get through if you have emotional support, you are in physical good shape to handle the deterioration effects of stress, you are headstrong and determined, and you remain in high spirits despite any negativity thrown your way. Furthermore, if you eat healthy, and take care of yourself physically, such as exercise, you will have a higher level of confidence to overcome challenges. These four pillars are like four legs on in a chair, each one supporting the other and if one gets weak, the chair gets weak, and eventually cannot support the person sitting in it anymore. Nat Osburn said, “Your body gets littered on a daily basis in ways that you’re most likely completely unaware of. When you allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, you are littering your body.” Littering your body can come in the form of eating unhealthy food which is obvious, but what is not so obvious is how your body gets littered on a daily basis in ways that you’re probably or might not be aware of is allowing negative thoughts to enter your mind. listening to negative music, allowing people to discourage us from our dreams, and hanging around toxic people are examples of unsubtle ways your body gets littered. With that said, balancing these four pillars of a solid human foundation helps me make progress in my recovery and I wanted to share what works for me with you.
Nolan
McDonnell
Nolan McDonnell 