Knowledge is Power

This week I pulled out a research paper I did in college about personal wellness, just to review some principles. I decided that this week I'd start diving into what personal wellness is and how to attain it. It's my personal belief that knowledge is power. The more knowledge we have, the more power we have to control our situation. Obviously there are things we cannot control: the weather, genetics, other's actions and reactions, etc. But there is so much about our lives that we can control. Over the next several posts, I'm going to discuss those parts of our lives that affect our personal wellness and how we can take control of those aspects of life.

Personal wellness can be defined as a state of healthy living. There are six factors that make up our personal wellness: physical activity, emotional stability, intellectual learning, spiritual understanding, social networks, and environmental influences. Five of the six of these factors we can control, almost completely. We don't have much control over the environment, although we can help to improve that factor for our children and grandchildren. The other factors are in our hands. we can take control of those factors to improve our personal wellness and in turn, our personal happiness.

My tip this week is to start with what you know. There are a few things in this life that we know. We know that smoking is bad for you. We know that exercise is good for you. We know you need food and water to survive. We know you need sleep to function. You know for yourself what makes you happy and what makes you sad. You know your shortcomings and you know your strengths. You know your triggers and you know your releases. These things that we know are "home base" for any journey to wellness.

This week, make a list of things you know. Things you know about yourself. Write down your strengths, your weaknesses, your ups and your downs. Write down things you love and things you hate. Write down things you know about your health, genetic factors and pre-existing conditions. (TIP: if your list of weaknesses, downs, and things you hate is significantly longer than your strengths and loves, look a little deeper. You are stronger than you think.) Use this list as "home base". Next week we will talk about setting realistic goals to achieve optimal wellness.

And always remember: You are here for a reason. You have a purpose in this life. You are of great worth.