Fit for Life: Embrace Change, But Don’t Conform

Saturday, November 04, 2023

Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor

 

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Last week, I wrote about "separation season" and how you shouldn't conform to the norms that society engrains in our heads. "It's normal" to gain a few pounds during the holiday season. "It's normal" to fall off your routine and run yourself ragged. "It's normal" to stack up a bunch of debt after the holidays are over.

 

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This week, I want to hammer it home and talk about changing your mindset and not falling into the "everybody's doing it category."

 

I am a big advocate of embracing change.

The word embrace does not necessarily mean I need to “like” change.

I embrace the change that technology is ruling the world.

 

But is that better?

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons.

I was born in the late 60's, so I have an old-school mindset.

I prefer pen to pad and making phone calls over texting, as technology is challenging to learn. That said, I realize that without technology, I would get left behind and be lost in this world's cyberspace.

But does that mean I need to like it? Hell no.

Nothing drives me crazier than slow internet or when my devices freeze up, but our choices are limited, and waiting it out is usually our only solution. A change we need to embrace, not like.

 

When I need to inquire about something or fill out an application online, sometimes technology is frustrating.

I tried for several weeks to fill out the census survey. I couldn’t log into my account, so I had to submit help tickets.

 

Finally, someone called me, and the problem was fixed in minutes.

I embraced the change in how we do things, but sometimes the system is flawed.

 

Look around you and try to find someone who DOESN'T have their face stuck in a phone or has one in their hand. You see kids in restaurants on their phones, you see people behind the wheel on their phones, and you see parents "watching" their kids' games while on their phones, but is that a change you want to be part of?

 

It feels like the power of human connection is becoming a thing of the past, and that's one change I won't support or embrace. I want to be present as much as possible with people, so I put my phone away and do just that. I still have one and still use it regularly to navigate through life, but I am not dependent on it to get through the day.

 

They’ve changed our food supply and made it more convenient for us to eat garbage. Is that necessarily better?

 

Let’s look at the statistics.

Look at the cancer rates compared to before they started manufacturing foods.

Look at the obesity rates as things have become more efficient and easy to access.

 

Is eating something with yellow dye or ingredients you can't read or pronounce a good idea?

How about genetically modified organisms or GMOs? Does that sound appealing to you? It doesn't to me. Therefore, these are changes I will never subscribe to, and you shouldn't either.

 

I was talking to a new member, and she was telling me all the things she is currently doing. I said to change your current result, you must change your everyday habits.

 

She was initially surprised when I said that to her, but after it sunk in, she agreed.

 

These are the changes we need to implement and embrace. The changes that will help us succeed and get better on different levels. Not the changes that are forced upon us that are hurting us as a society on different levels.

 

Look at things that surround us today as conveniences and not necessities.

 

Remember the four basics that we were taught in grade school.

Food, water, clothing, and shelter are our basic necessities, and we can live perfectly content when those are accessible to us. Believe it or not, life existed before the cell phone was invented, and we did just fine!!

 

We don’t need cell phones, digital dashboards, fast food, or online shopping.

These are changes that shape the way a majority of the population lives, but at what cost?

 

So, in conclusion, we need to decide what changes are most beneficial to us, but we also need to recognize what changes are detrimental to not only our physical health but our mental health as well.

 

Embrace how the world changes; however, that doesn't mean you need to like it or completely conform to the changes that do not benefit our well-being. Use your best judgment (another lost art) and make decisions based on what you feel will be the most helpful to you. Don't just change because "everyone else is doing it."

 

Committed to your success,

Matt

 

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