You hear a lot of stories about “downward spirals”.
“Yeah, once she broke her hip, it started a downward spiral…”
“As soon as he retired, you could see him go into this downward spiral…”
It doesn’t just apply to people. You see it in companies and organizations as well.
If a business doesn’t keep up with the times, they generally get run over…Sears & Roebucks pops into mind for one.
People with addictions also come to mind…
In many cases (people or companies), the people immediately around them are largely helpless to do anything.
Any halt to the spiral has to come from within…
Today, I’d like to describe the unlikely steps involved in an “upward spiral” for the average individual looking to change their situation.
In fact, I’m giving it a name: “The Un-Sexy Upward Spiral”
(explanation to follow)
NOTE: I’ve actually seen these steps in action…I know they work.
The person I’m going to describe is a composite sketch of my typical clients.
- Female (although these steps apply across genders)
- Over age 50
- Roughly 20 or more pounds overweight
- They have some joint pain and muscle stiffness
- They feel regular stress and are always over-scheduled
- Usually, they own their own business or are in a management position…although some are not working
- And they are universally tired…a lot. Sometimes this results from excessive daily demands, other times it’s because of very poor sleep patterns
- And, although they try, poor nutrition seems to be the norm
I’m guessing one or even more of these traits sound familiar.
Correct?
If so, here are some recommendations…
I’ll tell you right up front that these are NOT sexy. There’s no supplement out there that’s going to give you boundless energy, inspire brilliant creativity, and guarantee health and riches.
Let’s talk about something that’s NOT in the movies…
Step 1: Spend about 1 month focusing on sleep patterns.
Seriously.
This is the foundation for EVERYTHING that follows.
Fixed sleep involves 4 major steps: Environment, Timing, Sleep Quality and Mindset
Now, diving into each of these is beyond the scope of this article, but you can turn your entire world upside down (for the better) by paying attention to the “thing” we take for granted.
Step 2: Play upon your new resilience
Here’s the deal…
Once you fix sleep, you’ll suddenly find yourself with more resilience…meaning the usual “obstacles” to good decision-making seem to get swept aside.
- The desire for carbs
- The lack of energy to workout
- Exhaustion (obviously!)
- Negativity and lack of patience with others
Now we’ve started an upward spiral.
As humans, we are naturally drawn towards positive people with lots of energy.
Sadly, most of the time, that’s NOT us…
Your increased resilience helps you make better food decisions, as well as better activity decisions.
Soon (I mean within weeks) others will notice this change.
Social life improves because people are drawn to you and vis versa.
Step 3: Make these patterns your new normal
Finally, you become “that person”…
The one people count on…
The one who inspires others to do the same…
NOTE: People who insist upon keeping negative patterns will NOT want to be around you because you make them very uncomfortable.
And that’s a VERY good thing!
As personal development guru, Jim Rohn once said, “You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
Think about that…
It all starts by creating your own personal “Un-sexy Upward Spiral”.
It’s not flashy or trendy…but it’s real and VERY powerful.
In fact, people who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night dramatically increase the likelihood of poor brain health later in life…it’s THAT important!
CHALLENGE– Spend January looking at the sleep patterns you’re currently following…
Do you:
- Go to bed too late?
- Eat too close to bedtime?
- Drink alcohol too close to bedtime?
- Deal with noise or other environmental disruptions?
- Have stress issues that keep you awake?
- Some other reason?
All of these things can be addressed.
Then make mental note about how much more resilience and self-control you now possess.
Put that resilience to use and make it your “new normal”!
If you’d like to chat about how you can make this happen, reach out and ask! I’m happy to help.