For most of my life, I was delighted to offer health advice to anyone in need. I’d watch them light up at the prospect of being well, but more times than not, after investing my time and energy, the person would choose instead to remain in their state of pain or illness.
It baffled me. Why would anyone choose living with a frozen shoulder, the ever-present risk of a detached retina, cancer, migraines, hepatitis, chronic fatigue, back pain, flu, etc. over the freedom of being healthy?
All of the above were real people I encountered who preferred their state of dis-ease over ease and harmony within their bodies. Eventually, I let go of my need to want people to WANT to be well and decided if that’s their choice, then that’s what it is.
What I’ve realized is that wellness can only be claimed by the person who is experiencing the imbalance. And as much as we love and care for someone who is suffering, it is their choice and their responsibility to choose health.
People often give the responsibility of their health away to others—their doctor, their spouse, their acupuncturist, their reiki practitioner, etc.—and by doing so, they give away their own power to heal themselves as well.
It’s easier to blame outside circumstances for your health than to take command of your own health. The truth is that no matter what is afflicting you, whether it’s a common cold or a deadly virus, YOU made the choices that resulted in this manifesting in your body. I know this is a very unpopular view for most people.
What about the person in the car accident where the other driver was at fault? Yes, it was their choice. Just a single second makes the difference between an accident or no accident. What choices did that person make to place themselves at the accident, to lose attention for just one split second?
I know. It happened to me. My family was driving to my grandparents’ wedding anniversary celebration in a Honda Civic hatchback. We were at a stop sign when we were hit from the side by a Mercedes Benz tank that had been hit by another car reversing down a 6-lane thoroughfare at rush hour.
I had made the conscious choice 10 minutes earlier to exchange seats with my sister. I was stuck on the middle “hump” in the back seat and my sister offered to let me sit on the driver’s side back seat. That’s where the car was hit in full force.
What was going on in my life that would cause me to attract a car accident? First, I was in my 20s and trying to please everybody: my family, my boyfriend, my boss at work, my friends. I couldn’t say, “No” even though I felt like I was being pulled in a million directions by everyone around me. Instead, I needed a situation (aka car accident) where I felt it was okay to say, “No.” Now I know that I’d rather say NO then get hit by a car. Lesson learned.
By taking responsibility for the choices you made that attracted illness or accidents into your life, you are actually EMPOWERING yourself. By owning responsibility for the illness or accident, you are owning the power to return to wellness.
Your health is the manifestation of the cumulative choices you have made up to this point. Scary? Here’s the silver lining. The choices you make right now, starting from this very moment, will shape your current and future health. It could be as simple as taking a breath right now to relax your shoulders. Maybe, you might even choose to turn off the computer and spend some quality time with someone you love.
What do you choose?
Wishing you abundant health for 2012,
Holly
