Introduction
Recently, I wrote a critical review of Dr. Ken Cooper’s “12 Steps for Good Health.” One reader suggested that I write my own 12 Steps for Good Health.
I did. Enjoy.
1. The WELLNESS RPORT
Subscribe to the AWR to receive 12 issues. It should not be difficult. All 763 editions of the book are available electronically and subscriptions are free. You don’t have to choose between 12 different editions – any combination of them will get you on the right track to a real wellness mindset. You won’t believe it if you look at veteran readers. Notice how they conduct themselves, their ease, harmony, their effervescent vassals and comportment valves. Also, note their self-poise and independence. You should not overlook their love of athleticism, exuberance, and embrace of reason.
2. Assess Your Mindset
This is particularly important if the mindset is not original.
It doesn’t matter how easy it is to be comfortable with just getting along. Your ideas could really be sucking in the greater sense of things. Maybe your beliefs and rules aren’t so unreasonable. You might still be more successful if you examine what you were taught about life’s persistent problems. To borrow a phrase form Guy Noir, Private Eye. Private Eye was a man who lived on the 12th floor in Acme Building on many dark nights in a city that knew how keep its secrets.
(In case this is a puzzle, it’s a famous skit from Garrison Keillor’s beloved “Prairie Home Companion” radio show.
3. Minimal Exercise
Start today, or if you’re tired and need to sleep at night, go outside and do at least 20 minutes of exercise. Do not use less than five pace pickups. This will raise your heart rate by 30 seconds to one minute. This can be done every day for the rest your life. It doesn’t matter what sport you are, whether you run, cycle, swim, or row. Just do it every day. It’s best to have fun with it, be creative, wear appropriate clothing, and find other people to join you if socializing while exercising is appealing.
4. The Best Diet
Try out different foods and if you are able to manage it, you might consider becoming a vegan. It is possible for only 6% of Americans to do it, me not included. I am a mostly vegetarian who succumbs to the temptations of egg whites, gruyere cheese, and cream in my coffee. Ecotopia is not my goal. Veganism is not the goal. It’s great for your health, such as weight control, and it can provide endless delicious options. Veganism is worthy of serious consideration due to the extent of animal cruelty. It also helps slow down global warming by reducing emission-heavy animal farming. You will be delighted by the variety of taste options available.
5. Heroism, Your Style
Do a heroic act. A heroic act is not defined by the government. The term is used to describe an extraordinary and triumphant experience. This is a series of moments in time that, after months of preparation, you achieve that which is challenging, special, and meaningful in your eyes. Then, celebrate the fine-tuned state you have achieved, with a bit (or a lot!) of luck and support from special aidors and abettors, hard work, and energy well spent. There are many options. These are just a few guidelines for a heroic act. You can also set your own criteria. It should be physical and take at least three months to prepare. It should also be difficult, but it can be done. And it shouldn’t be an end-all be. Once you’ve completed one heroic act that meets these criteria, or your own, continue to do so – either once a year, twice yearly, or whenever feels right.
Do not be lured or tempted into extreme endeavors such as climbing Mt. Everest, or participating in the NFL and NBA. Such quests are unrealistic for most people. You can choose something achievable, but it must be difficult and challenging, but within your reach.
You have to be able to perform heroic acts. (Hint: Practice, practice, practice. Good luck.
6. Conscious Meaning Re Life
Until new insights and information are available, think about the MOL. It is worth bringing into conscious awareness your beliefs about why you are here.
Richard Dawkins argues that the fact we will die makes us the fortunate ones in “Unweaving The Rainbow: Science, Delusion, and the Appetite to Wonder.” This is an excerpt from his argument:
“Most people will never die, because they won’t be born.” Potential people who could have been there in my place, but who will not see the light of the day, outnumber the sand grains in Arabia.”
Don’t panic, folks. Let’s say you are too rational for the belief that a sky god sent you here to accomplish a purpose. What should you do? What should you do? Perhaps you will decide, like Ingersoll that there is meaning and joy in contributing to the happiness others. You might find ways to express and nurture your talents, and “reap your greatest reward in being loved” by those whose lives have been enriched.
Human flourishing can be achieved through fulfilling, challenging, and satisfying forms of meaning and purpose that are based on your unique personality, talents, personality, and circumstances. It is up to you.
7. Healthy Models
You should surround yourself with people who have adopted wellness mindsets. This means that they are optimistic, kind, positive, happy, realistic, and take care of themselves. People who are positive, optimistic and embrace common decencies, and take care of their family, friends, and associates, are also favored. You should also enjoy making friends with people who live in harmony with reason, enthusiasm, athleticism, liberty, and others.
It will be easier to have and sustain good intentions in a company like this.
8. Daily Learning
Learn and explore more than ever before. Explore new opportunities and pursue education that expands your horizons. This is important at any age, but it’s even more crucial in later years. To put it mildly, this is a time when you may feel like slowing down because important organs and body parts become problematic. A renewed spirit should be summoned to find creative ways to increase and sustain the vitality that a real wellness mindset offers. Imagine the endless possibilities available to you as if the entire world were (and it is) a huge museum. You can explore the many collections and feel like a dilettante traveling through the world of science, art, history, culture and nature.
You can’t carry it around, because you won’t be going anywhere once you die. Don’t be afraid to face the facts and be courageous. Be aware that you will soon become incapacitated, your mind will end before the rest of us, and you’ll be a burden to everyone, even though very few people will admit it. It is easy to forget about death and to lose sight of the reality of it.
9. Humor
Laugh more if your days are filled with more laughs than roller derby. Ingersoll said that everyone should “never fail to find every jewel of joy” in his path. Instead of seeking out trouble or love in the wrong places, look for ways to have fun more often throughout the day. It’s good for your demeanor. You can enjoy more of it, particularly good old-fashioned belly yuks that bring tears to the eyes. Humor can improve your health and almost everything else (social relations and work satisfaction, bodily functions, etc.) will also be improved.
There are many opportunities for humor – it is everywhere. Humor is much more accepted than porn and more popular than humor. The power of laughter in business relationships and personal relationships is celebrated in best-seller books and TED talks; there are also humor conferences (CEU credit available!) Learned medical journals also address comedy science.
Humor can take many forms: satire, absurdity and mischief are just a few examples. It’s possible to have more humor in your daily life. You can make a conscious effort towards finding it. Otherwise, you will miss out on great opportunities.
Be careful if you are going to spread humor. Know your audience. Humor can be dangerous and subjective. Although almost everyone enjoys laughing, the definition of funny can be highly subjective. One person may find a gut-busting joke, or situation, funny and can make another laugh. You wouldn’t want to laugh at Kim Jong Un, for example. What is funny to one person may be offensive to another. Don’t make fun of lawyers, blonds or ethnic groups. (Why don’t sharks bite lawyers?) Professional courtesy.
You can look at the bright side and have a lot more fun than you might otherwise if you aren’t looking for them. There is little risk of side effects or overdose.
10. Effective Thinking
Every opportunity to fine tune your decision-making skills. The media is full of fake news, which is not meant to be a reference Trump’s media reports. But con artists, Russian hackers and get-rich-hucksters, slick prosperity Gospel preachers, lonely souls seeking long walks on a beach with generous soul-mates, and many other charlatans are out there looking for your money. Consider this: Whatever they are selling is unlikely to work, it won’t be necessary anyway, and the claims made about it are unlikely to be true. You shouldn’t believe any of them. Skepticism, doubt, and wariness will keep you on the right track until you have done your due diligence.
Find out as much information as you can about the mysterious three-pound wonder that is you. Our brains naturally gravitate to simplistic explanations of complexity. Therefore, we easily fall for pseudoscience, conspiracy theories and absurd dogmas, quackery, and other forms deception. Another reason for faulty thinking is religions. They teach obedience and not critical thinking. Religions are against skepticism and doubt, which are vital tools to make better decisions.
Ingersoll was a proponent of effective decision-making in religions. He acknowledged that reason is a weak flame, a flickering torch carried by stumblers in the starless night, blown by passion’s storms and yet it is the only light. You can extinguish it and nothing will remain.
With our two million-year-old brains, which are highly evolved but not fully adapted to modern times, reason is a dim and inefficient light. However, it is still the only light in the modern world. Guy Harrison, author half a dozen books about reason including “Good Thinking”: What You Need To Know to Be Smarter, Safer and Wealthier, recommends that such skills be elevated to a moral matter – because the epidemic of poor reasoning is humankind’s greatest unrecognized problem.
11. Service to Other
Expect nothing in return. Seek no credit. To advance a great principle (e.g. To help someone in need, to promote animal welfare, or save the planet, there are endless possibilities for selfless service.
Although personal rewards may not be the point or purpose of service, it will always bring you a bounty in terms of satisfying and healthy returns. Even if no one notices, doing good over time can increase your sense of worth and purpose.
The International Good Deeds Day organizers (April 15th this year) have conducted studies that show that such efforts reduce stress and increase life expectancy. They also promote happiness and make people feel good. This is due to the brain’s natural mood chemicals endorphins.
According to a 2012 study in Psychological Science, thinking back on times when you have helped others makes you want to do it again. Serving others is self-reinforcing. Research shows that reflecting back on past good deeds can make you more selfless and motivate you to do more. It’s a great deal! You get personal health benefits and you help others.
12. Beyond the Pale Blue Dot
The ultimate and fastest stress management method – thoughts about space and time – is always in your mind. It is difficult to reduce the negative emotions of jealousies, fears, grudges, and/or anger after a few seconds of thinking about time and space. What’s the deal with life’s spilled milk? If you recall this advice from Monty Python’s classic “The Meaning of Life”, it will be clear:
“When life is getting you down, Mrs. Brown. When people are stupid, obnoxious, or daft and it seems like you have had quite the experience…
(Danke Eric Idle for the “Galaxy Song”, a great stress relief song.
You can use this reliable stress relief to shift your attention to the fact there are hundreds upon hundreds of millions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. This is just one of many hundreds of billions galaxies that contain hundreds of thousands of stars. Don’t let your hippocampus get in knots trying to figure out the number of planets out there that revolve around a particular star. There may be planets in the deep misty, populated by people who have been taught that they are the center and highest purpose of a grand design.
