I spent the morning reading some of my previous posts and I’m amazed at how much my life has changed. At first I thought to myself, “Oh my God, what happened to my passion? What happened to that burning desire to educate people about food, exercise and a healthy mindset? Have I become complacent living on this island?” My lack of desire to share that knowledge really scares me because that has been my identity for so many years. By not wanting to fight the good fight and spread the word, I feel like I am losing my identity.
I was living the majority of my time on a cruise ship when I was writing those articles. I was surrounded by processed food and advertisements, bathing in and drinking chlorinated water, breathing recycled and chemical-laden air, and adapting to a mentality to sell sell sell! My co-workers were stressed out and over-worked. The majority of the guests who came to sail with us were also stressed, unhealthy, glued to their cell phones, and found it almost impossible to relax.
There was a huge demand for the information I was sharing at the time, and I was on a mission. I was surrounded by people who were unnecessarily suffering…many of them had no idea that their diet, thoughts and stress were the main culprits in their misery. It broke my heart to meet so many wonderful people who were trying to “fight” cancer, “combat” high blood pressure, “suppress” their hunger…you get the idea. The very language they were using was counterintuitive to the result they were after.
I absolutely loved teaching them easy ways to feel better and help them to realize that they were not victims. Those were my so-called “glory days.” I loved being on stage and impacting people with the knowledge I would learn and share. So why don’t I enjoy teaching about those subjects anymore?
The answer is simple, but I only just discovered it today! I live in Hawai’i now. I have surrounded myself with a loving community and immersed myself in nature. The demand for my previous teachings about the consequences of an artificial lifestyle have dropped dramatically.
People come here to slow down, listen to themselves, and stop making excuses. We have all discovered, but it’s not always easy to accept, that this is REALITY. This is the real world for us now. When I arrived here almost 8 months ago, I referred to this life as “fairytale land” and dreaded when I had to go back to the “real world.” But why rush back to the life that was filled with stress and unfounded expectations? Why can’t rainbows and butterflies be the majority of my existence?! It’s okay to let happiness be the majority of my experience, and hardships be the minority. Why has it taken me so long to accept this? Well, 33 years of conditioning probably has something to do with that!
For years I have been teaching people that their past does not equal their future. Meaning, the horrible things that have happened in the past do not define who you are today. You are in control creating a beautiful life. I find it so shocking that all this time I have only focused on the past that can overpower us as being the negative stuff. It took reading my own articles to realize that the “past that does not define who I am” can also be the positive experiences that I’ve been clinging to and by which I’ve identified myself.
It’s okay to open the door to new experiences, to re-invent yourself time and again. And I can still “fight the good fight” from a million different platforms. Helping to educate, inspire and motivate people doesn’t have to happen from a stage. In fact, at least in this moment, I feel I’m making more of positive impact on myself, the planet and others now that I’ve stepped out of the florescent spotlight and into the Hawaiian sunlight.
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