It’s a new year and New Year’s resolutions are the topic of the hour. Here at PWC, we could encourage you to set all kinds of goals relating to less sugar, more protein, portion control, exercise plans, you name it. But we are going to offer a different suggestion to you for 2019. It may seem a little contradictory to the active lifestyle we encourage day-to-day, but bear with us as we explain.
How about rather than creating an action list for yourself of things you need to “do”, consider setting the intention this year to ‘do’ less and ‘be’ more. As a society we are quite addicted to ‘busy-ness’ and this abundance of activity leads to an overload of stress and anxiety which is counterproductive to our health and well being. Perhaps it is time to reach a new balance for ourselves, one that includes less, to create more. Is that even possible?
Let’s take a look. What does it mean to just ‘be’? At first, the idea of just ‘being’ sounds passive, pointless, indulgent and perhaps even lazy. But if you have tasted the experience of freedom that comes from feeling that you don’t have to ‘do’ anything, you know that it is often wonderfully cleansing, and even productive. From the perspective of ‘being,’ so much of what passes for productive activity looks frenzied and futile.
The point is not that we should all stop and do nothing, but that we need to recognize how much more creative, considerate and focused our actions could be if they were grounded in a daily experience of just being.
This idea is expressed by Lao Tzu: “Search your heart and see. The way to do is to be.”
The point is that as individuals and collectively we are missing out because we tend to do too much and be too little. It takes a certain amount of training and a whole lot of practice to be able to be ‘quiet, still and solitary’. There is some gentle irony in the fact that those who most value ‘getting stuff done’ are often not so much unwilling, but rather unable to sit still. The one thing they can’t do, is to just be.
Most people in developed countries like ours are overactive, distracted and restless. Even the people who are really trying to change the world for the better are sometimes in danger of letting their zeal and tenacity get in the way of this balance of doing and being. It is often in this realm of ‘being’ that the magic and meaning of life can be discovered.
So, what if all this doing is actually part of the problem? What if, rather than needing to take more action, we actually need to take less? What if our compulsive habit of striving so hard to make things better is actually part of the reason we are so anxious? What if we don’t need technology to speed up, but ourselves to slow down?”
Balance. This is a worthy resolution for 2019. The world needs more of this and it starts one person at a time. Make the choice this year to let it start with you!
As always, we are here to help you at Physician’s Weight Control Centers in any way we can.
January Special -Loyalty Discount
In recognition of your endeavors to become a healthier and more confident you, we would like to encourage your progress with a loyalty discount on your visit.
For existing patients, $10 off on one visit.
For new or returning patients, $20 off one visit. (Expires 2-28-2019, Limit 1)
