January Jumpstart
By Mario A. Mancini, O.M.D.

We all have desires. A desire is the seed of all actions that we take. We all are great at planting seeds, especially at the first of the year. But the problem that most don’t realize is that it is only a seed. A seed by itself can never become anything without the right environment consisting of proper soil and ongoing nourishment. To give you some reality on this matter, get a seed and put it on your desk and wait for it to grow. Now for those who say, 'of course the seed needs to be put in dirt and given some water.' Ok, put it in dirt and water it one time and come back a month later and see what happens. We all know that a plant needs to be continually attended to for it to thrive. The same goes for outcomes we want to achieve. In other words, we continuously need to keep our attention on our outcome of what we want. Be very clear on what you want. Most people know what they don’t want. That brings their attention to what they don’t want. Once you decide on what you want, only bring your attention to those things that will move you in the direction of your outcome. Now along the road, you will have many enticing exits that will detract you from your destination. The key here is to keep your attention forward. Along the way you will have some detours, crazy drivers, speed bumps, storms. Continue to keep your attention moving forward. There will be times you will experience gridlock. This will most likely challenge your commitment to stay on the road to your destination or give up. I tell you now that this is where the greatest successes stories are created. The reason is because most others simply get off the next exit. The reason this is can be the most challenging test on the road to your destination is because it requires more fuel than expected. This fuel is the WHY behind WHAT you want.

Your desire for wanting to achieve that goal must be compelling. It must be something that pulls you. When you think about this outcome, it brings joy to your life now. Your point of power is now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, but now. If you have the ability to think a thought that is emotionally charged with the idea of a compelling future; that will be your fuel. The more I interact with people in the process of assisting them to achieve their health goals the more I realize that a strong enough why behind what you want is one of the two most important factors for success. I know you’ve heard this before from me but it is truly the fire behind your desires. The more compelling reasons you have in achieving your outcome the further you will go. If you set up your goal and your reasons for achieving them do not have any powerful feeling behind them then get ready to fail when you get the first few negative hits of daily life (New Year’s Resolution Syndrome).

Most people who fail may have started with a clear, compelling goal but truly never believed they could achieve it in their heart of hearts. They just went through the motions hoping that if they kept trying they would succeed. Some actually do. But over time, if your belief is not strong enough, you will eventually give up. When you generate a feeling of expectation (as if you have just ordered something from a catalog and you are waiting for it to arrive) you have completed your internal alignment of getting what you want. What is interesting is that the physical actions required to achieve that goal then become less work and more a joy of knowing you are on the right path. This is what I call a purpose-driven life. If you would like me to help you in this process make sure you bring it up on your next appointment and I’ll give you more personalized support in your specific goals. If you haven’t been in for a while and you are ready to make a change, I’ll be ready for you.

In my office, I have a picture with a powerful statement strategically placed where all new patients start at our wellness center (that’s just outside of room number one, for those of you who missed it). I would like to leave you with that statement as you start a NEW YEAR of YOUR LIFE. It is a picture of a butterfly emerging from a caterpillar cocoon. It states: “Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are, for what you could become.”