Do I Have An "Effective" and Healthy Life?

by Jill Cody

  
Part 2 of a 7 Part Series

Do I Have An “Effective” and Healthy Life?: A synopsis of Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s  principles as they relate to improving health

                                                     "Happiness is not something ready made... 
                                                 It comes from your own actions." -- Dalai Lama

Health Is Found In The Balance:

When I became ill, unbeknownst to me, my life was totally out of balance.  I actually didn’t give the concept of “balance” much thought.  That’s what I call being on autopilot.  I would work hard and achieve more to be able to own more stuff.  Have you ever seen the bumper sticker which says “he who has the most stuff when he dies wins?”   This was the competition I was in.  Who was I competing against?  I hadn't the foggiest idea.  It was just what I thought I should be doing.  Autopilot.

One of the fundamental principles in the Seven Habits  program is “Production” and “Production Capability.”  This means that what you want to produce must be in balance with what you are capable of producing.  This concept is fairly easy to grasp when we talk about a machine.  Machines, such as an automobile, must be maintained on a regular basis (production capability) or it won’t continue running (production).  Its also easily understood when relating the concept to financial assets.  Your checking account must have the funds to make a purchase (production capability) before you can complete the purchase (production).

However, when we relate this principle to ourselves, for some reason we think we can produce forever without any cost to us.  Or at least that is what I thought and I don’t think I’m alone in this behavior.  If you feel like there is not enough time to get everything done then your Production/ Production Capability is out of balance.  Disease is hidden in that imbalance.

To start we must look at all that we are doing and not just the action, but the emotions behind the actions.  Today, I feel quite busy yet I’m not fatigued anymore.  By being present in each moment we are able to bring balance to each moment.  We can choose how each moment is spent.  Will it be spent with stress, frustration or anger?  Or will we choose to face each situation in the best light?  

Dr. Covey talks about our freedom that separates us from all other creatures on earth, our freedom of choice.  We possess the ability to choose our reaction to any, and I mean any, given situation.  That is if we are present in the moment and not living on autopilot.  Reactive people, those on autopilot, can not see this freedom.  They have handed it over to their emotions.  Do you think the person who has been diagnosed with a disease and is living in dependency can see that they can choose their reaction to their situation?  Probably not.  They are living from their emotions not from their ability to choose their response.  Health is found in the response.  The response is found in the moment.

Habit 1 - Be Proactive

I think one concept which is integral to good health is Dr. Covey’s concept of “Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence.” Think of two circles one smaller and inside the other.  The larger circle represents your Circle of Concern.  The space inside the smaller circle is your Circle of Influence.  Now, follow me on this one.  Most of us are focused on our concerns.  We want a better job.  We want financial security.  We want good health.  We don’t like what’s happening politically.  There is not enough help at work.  Your teenager gets on your nerves.  When we live in our Circle of Concern we feel helpless, trapped, and frustrated.  Some of us live our entire lives focused on what concerns us.  I am convinced that this is where disease gets its start.  Remember the word “disease” comes from dis-ease.  Being overly wrapped up in our concerns, creates constant dis-ease.  This focus eventually creates imbalance in our mind and body.

Now, lets change our perspective.  Let’s make a paradigm shift. Being able to challenge the paradigms of the world we live in is fabulously important to learning new things about ourselves.  Let’s shift our view to focusing on what we can influence, what we have direct control over regarding our concerns.  This is being proactive.  You want a better job.  Well, what is it that you can specifically do to cause this to happen?  Can you take a look at your current job to see what might be done to improve it?  Repair a relationship?  Analyze a procedure that has been giving you a headache and correct it?  You want financial security.  How much  of your pay check do you put in the savings account each month? Can you redefine what financial security means to you? You want good health.  Do you exercise faithfully?  Do you put exercise time in your appointment book like all the other appointments? Have you bought a low-fat cookbook and learned a few new recipes? You don’t like what’s happening politically.  Do you vote?  Do you write your elected officials?   

I think you get the point.  What can you do today to “influence” a change?  Focusing on your “Circle of Influence” creates an action plan; a sense of control.  Focusing on your “Circle of Concern” creates no plan and leaves you feeling powerless.

Being proactive is subtle and amazingly powerful.  As soon as you change your focus to what you can influence in your life, balance returns; enjoyment returns; better health returns.  Your paradigm shifts from being trapped and out of control to one of choice and fulfillment.  Now, the Circle of Concern is not called the Circle of I-Don’t-Care.  

Of course, you are concerned about the issues that face you.  You need to know what they are to determine what you can influence about them.  The difference is that you are not primarily focused on your concerns anymore, you are focused on what you can do about them instead.  Your life is focused on what you can control, not what you can not control.

Part 2 of a 7 Part Series