Perception

It is funny how our perception is different from time to time. I had a friend mention to me the other day after being excited over 50 degree weather in March, that in July it will seem to cold. Though in March I was going without a jacket, but sure to put one on in July.

So yeah our perception does change, as we grow up, have different experiences and so on. After all, how many times have you mentioned to a sibling or a close friend about a shared experience and you have almost two different views of what happened. A saying we have in our house is "self perception is everything" and it is, though we have to remember how others perceive us. Mainly the small ones in our lives and who cross our path.

How many times when you were a kid did you hear "do as I say do and not as I do"? I heard it a lot, because I wanted to also eat a glob of peanut butter on a spoon like my Mom or have a drink in the living room. Why the double standard I thought? So as soon as I became old enough I did, just those things. I ate gobs of peanut butter on a spoon and took drinks to sit in front of the TV, because that is what grownups do.

Well at 300 pounds this grownup was looking at a lot of impending health issues at 32 and started making some necessary changes. Though it has been slow going, I have finally reached a point where those changes are becoming more of who I am and not just an idea. It is tough to break the ideas and habits that we create in our mind growing up.
For me one of the hardest things to break was eating out. My perception growing up was that you were "poor" if you eat at home all the time. Now I recognize that I do not have control over what goes into my food if I eat out. I am constantly asking what ingredients are in the food I am being served and looking more closely at what I eat. Now I recognize it is "poor" to eat out all the time, because the quality of the food at most places these days are not the healthiest options for me. They do not care, they do not have to worry with paying chemotherapy bills or to pay for a heart attack or stroke.
Remember that your students, children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and so on are watching you and you have the ability to change their perception of health and how to be healthy. So change your perception and make informed decisions and become a good steward of your health, your life depends on it.
Peace and joy,
Rhonda