Saturday, April 7, 2018

2018 Wellness Program: Challenge 11 - Take Time To Read

2018 Wellness Program: Challenge 11 for my EPMC 2018 Wellness Passport is to read a book of your choice (preferably a wellness topic).

I chose to re-read a book that inspired me. I have been having a very stressful time in late February, all of March and and the beginning of April as I have been house hunting for a rental place (a chore here in Estes Park.) as well as some other things.

I was boxing up books and saw this book and thought - you know it inspired me when I first read it, I need to reread it and use it for my wellness program book review.

The book is Spiritual Gangsta; the search for truth  by Bailey Chase.



Bailey is an actor. He has starred in many things from Saving Grace to 24:Legacy to Longmire. I have been fortunate to meet him in person at LONGMIRE DAYS in 2016 and 2017.


The thing about the picture above - I was almost 190# in this picture from 2016. I was very unhealthy. In 2017, when he talked about his book I figured I'd buy it just because it was Bailey, not realizing it would help me want to start a serious change in my life.

He wrote the book as a part memoir of his life and part self-help book.

He talks about things that happened in his life from growing up to school to his acting career but he also talks about finding Meditation, Yoga and other things that help him stay in the moment.

Reading this the first time inspired me to get off my rump and do Yoga. Rereading it this time - I took so much more from it that I obviously was not paying attention to the first time or just wasn't in a place to comprehend the first time.

What I mainly took in this time was to control how we react to things. I am a redhead with a hot temper and a lot of passion and righteous indignation.

He talks about witness consciousness - there is no judgement just acceptance and awareness. He talks of getting out of that reactive mode of emotions and think first to see clearly and speak with your true self and not your emotions. Turn off entitlement and expectation. You are not owed anything in this life. Take ownership for one's self.

This is something I have struggled with all my life - my emotions. It's part of the reason I have had such rough relationships and health issues. Reading this a second time really helped me to see what I need to work on and step out of my ever present emotions.

It struck home the need to pay attention to my feelings, be responsible to myself, hesitation changes everything, accept who I am and play the hand dealt me, love myself, be interested in others and let go of my ego.

The first step to wellness is the right mind-set; thoughts and emotions can help or hinder us on our journey. I look forward to practicing meditation, visualization, yoga, having a clear mind, and an open heart. I look forward to changing and working on my perspectives and seeing how this helps my wellness journey this year.  In doing so, I inspire to be a Spiritual Gangsta.


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