The Seven Pillars of Health and Happiness

We will explore the key components that have validated themselves after my work with hundreds of thousands who were either battling disease or raising their level of well-being. The thought that there is more than one aspect of building health can be overwhelming. What has become a revelation to me is that each of the seven major components affects the others, making each much easier to adapt and use. Relinquish your insecurity about your pure dietary choice and it will liberate you so that your true self will emerge and the joy of a passionate, fulfilling existence will reign.

The Seven Pillars

ACCEPTANCE: This poignant word generally renders an image of you agreeing with something that you really do not want. Now it is time to re-think it. What we must accept, or better yet, whom we must accept is ourselves. Every aspect of what makes us complete has to be built upon high integrity. Whatever endeavor, idea, persona, or thought we contemplate and move forward with needs to be thoroughly accomplished at the highest level of quality which we are able to create. If we do not aspire to this maximum level, we will always doubt our own sincerity and inevitably lose trust in ourselves. To accept yourself, you must fully pursue your purpose. Once you have accomplished the important task of speaking honestly by fulfilling honest actions, you can effectively share yourself with others. Most often we head out half-cocked and unprepared. Communicating and relating shallowly perpetuates the overwhelming confusion that prevails in the human condition and does not serve you or others well. It is time that you re-capture the spark of self- confidence and become a positive contributor to the necessary transformation of the human race.

BECOME: This powerful self-directive allows you to release your self-imposed limitations creating the powerful person that you want to be. Most of us once had big dreams and aspirations. Somehow, we allow them to slip away and be replaced by mundane and wasteful activities. In most cases, we substitute these dreams with the excuse "It is not realistic for me to attempt such a bold dream." It has been a privilege to spend time with each of my four children as they grew. They each share their dreams with me in such a pure and unadulterated manner. It is my hope, now that they have grown into young women and men, who never relinquish their excitement. To become is the full circle of life. It has a starting and finishing point that cannot be distinguished, but is round, complete and with perfect form. It also can roll efficiently and move from place to place without concern. Embrace yourself and erase the roadblocks to your effectiveness.

COMPASSION: Of all the emotions, there is no greater than compassion which is born out of pure love. This feeling emanates from the heart and is fully experienced when we permit ourselves to accept and become. This exuberance clearly frames the most important aspects of our experiences. With the never-ending race forward, it is healing to pause and reflect upon the power and relevance of the heart. The people who have left behind the greatest legacies are those with the utmost capacity for compassion. Do not think that this is an obscure and special gift. It is constantly available and waiting for you to use it. When we relax and permit a little bit of humility, our natural senses lead us into the center of this liberator. There is never a time that we should not employ compassionate action. All that we do in any endeavor needs to be wrapped with this provocative human asset.

DREAM: Our brain, the springboard to the mind, harbors extraordinary ability to create desired imagery. When pure thought is the kindle wood of the mental movie, we create artistic masterpieces. In simple terms, what we put in, we get out. Sadly, as we mature, we are discouraged from dreaming and told that it is the pursuit of the young. Reality displaces imagination and, before you know it, you place yourself in a pigeonhole that is uncomfortable and eventually destructive. Without the freedom of fantasy, we squelch the essence of our life. It has been and always will be the big dreamers who lead us forward toward the sun. Each and every time that you place energy in mental gymnastics, you will be rewarded. It is wondrous to consider that when we hear words or experience environments, or even employ our senses, that they conjure up pictures in the mind. This is godliness at its best. From this starting point, we can paint a landscape that is so vivid, inviting and rewarding, that we will surely rest in the grace of such accomplishments. As a boy, I often attended the concerts of the great jazz artist, Duke Ellington. At the beginning and end of each event, this stunning figure would speak the eloquent words, "I love you madly." From that moment on, the orchestra would roll forward, like a steam locomotive going up and down from the highest mountain to the deepest valley. This multi-sensual experience would place the audience in a dreamlike state, all singularly from Ellington's heart and imagination. You are truly the master and composer of all - just enjoy.

EXERCISE: This utilitarian word is really a bouquet of possibilities. It should not be looked at as an effort, but rather a harmonizer. Humans historically walked on the earth, ran up the hills, lifted nature and stretched for the highest point. It has been only in the last few generations that we diminished the development of our bodies. with our sedentary lifestyles and habits. If we do not move, if we stay in one position long enough, our anatomy literally begins to decompose. Use it or lose it is more profound than you thought. As a matter of fact, most of us should be happy for gravity because it is the only force that causes our bodies to maintain any level of homeostasis. Every one of our cells depends upon ongoing aerobic movement (blood flow, oxygen, detoxification and increased temperature). In addition, the muscular skeletal structure requires resistant exercise that assures the density of hard tissue, bones and the shape, size and strength of muscle. The elongation of ligaments, cartilage, muscle tissue, etc. depends upon gentle stretch and flexibility. This trio of body sculpting requirements not only creates a healthy and functional anatomy, it also offers the mind and spirit a proper residence. Ongoing validation by observing people in the process of recovery and athleticism led me to discover that consistent exercise broadens mentality and inspires deep and complete spiritual possibilities. One cannot achieve good health without applying this vigorous threesome.

FUNCTION: This word has a dual meaning. First, it can be stated that all purposeful acts must have a function. Second, the term can mean a gathering assembled for a purpose. Borrowing from both, you can employ the power to function in your daily life. When pursuing something, ask yourself what is the function of doing so. It will help you create a worthy goal? Isn't it required to achieve something with great purpose? Sadly, it may also be something that leads you off track, drains your energy or skews the issue. Obviously, in that case, you should not proceed. On the other hand, you may create a function that does not have to be limited to a gathering of people. It could be the destination you are attempting to reach, and where you finally tie all of the ribbons together that are leading you to greatness. You should always demand wide consciousness before proceeding with anything you do. This contemplative time permits you to build an emotional and spiritual consensus allowing your decision making process to be conducted with grace and success. We must function at the highest level to fulfill our greatest purpose and passionately share that with all other life.

GODLINESS: In our ritualistic spiritual retroact, we somehow have found a way to place a wedge between God and self. This clearly occurred when leaders in the majority of religions used hierarchical methods to convince the masses that they had to come to them to speak to God. Women, of course, were presented with a greater burden since these devious dogmatists were men with an unfortunate view of women. One of my great loves has been to study theology. All the brilliant writings clearly state that we are made in the image of God, not that God is a dictatorial entity attempting to make your life difficult at every turn. With this said, it may ease the fear you have from acting in a godly manner. It is for us to live in the fullest, most complete and integrity rich way. We should never hesitate to do our best. One should question their own sanity if they are involved with anything that they are not engaging 100 percent of themselves. The reason most people are utterly miserable, is that they robotically move from action to action without even the most minimal awareness of what they are doing. As so well stated by Einstein, "We must be the change we want to make." The laws of basic physics prevail in the same time and space as the greatest spiritual environments.

Today you have the opportunity to break the shackles of narrow perception and embrace the endless potential of an elated life. All struggle is manufactured by self-doubt and it is for you to uncover the darkest and most corrupt aspects that hold you back. As difficult as it is, you should willingly face yourself daily with the seven components   and ask, "Am I achieving Acceptance, Become, Compassion, Dream, Exercise, Function, Godliness?" These vivid guides will elevate you to live at a human level. This humanity is an exceptional gift that creates relevance and most important, significance. All too often, we tend to question our motives when we do not have a concise road map and clear goal in mind. When your focus is to live at a maximum level, your results are maximum. The proposition to add these directives to your already busy life is most likely daunting. There is no doubt that when you take the first step, your busy life will transform to a happy productive one. It is never a burden to work in the natural systems of life. Your reward will be greater clarity, diminished fear and, ultimately, more contributions.

Vol 29 Issue 1 Page 10