feed the good

one of my friends posted this on facebook today.....and i couldnt help but save it.....it made TOTAL sense to me when i read it.  i feel like this is an internal battle that i know i fight.....its hard to label it as "evil" - because i really dont apply that label to myself  - or really anyone i know.....but the analogy certainly applies.....whatever emotions we fuel, are the ones that rise to the surface - hate and negativity spawns sadness, meanness and depression.....where love and positivity bring joy and happiness......and its not that anyone is all or nothing - hence the good day/bad day thing.....but if we look at feeding our emotions the way we feed our bodies - it might be easier to understand WHY we feel the way we do.

you know you have days where you feel really good - you workout, you eat right - and you are generally more upbeat - you are treating your body RIGHT, and therefore reaping the positive results.

and then you have days when you eat french fries and ice cream....ok and maybe a cupcake and a big plate of pasta - and sit on the couch all day - and you feel like CRAP.....those individual moments of eating that yummy food are immediately replaced with guilt, right - and the negative momentum starts.....then since you already feel bad, you may as well keep eating bad things - because the damage is done :)

our emotions are just like our body.....its awfully hard mid stream to switch them - you wake up feeling crappy, yell at your kids, and spend the day grumpy - you complain about work, and your commute - what to make for dinner.....and it just keeps deteriorating......if we aren't careful, its these "bad days" that turn into bad weeks, months and eventually leave you popping pills for depression.  its a cycle - a bad day feeds the negativity that lives inside of you - the one that we feed french fries and ice cream....which in turns leads to feeling fat and bad about our bodies......which feeds the cycle.....

SO, how do we fix it?  i mean aside from the pill popping thing, which i wont even go in to......we find ways to FEED the GOOD inside of us.  we look for positive reinforcement, we are kinder to ourselves, and we look for INSPIRATION.....we are by no means going to be perfect.....(kris looked at me tonight and just said deadpan "wow, chips really are your kryptonite"...thanks honey)  it happens - we slip - or we eat what we want and dont allow the negative emotions to make a comment - dammit i want that cupcake and its going to make me HAPPY, not depressed - if you can do THAT, then go for it...but dont allow it to feed the negativity anymore.....if eating a cupcake, or fries, or chips is going to make you feel bad, then go grab some carrots or a salad....

we've all heard the saying "you bring about what you think about" - and its true - maybe not in a prophetic kind of way - but you know once you've uttered the words "i'm having a bad day", then guess what?  you know you are!!  it can also be true in reverse....if you are not good at saying positive or nice things to or about yourself - borrow an affirmation from a website......i never really gave it much thought at the time, but i have taped to my mirror a poem that jake wrote for me....i see it every morning when im getting ready for work - and the days i actually read it, my life seems so much better.....just leaving the house with that little bit of sunshine in my heart makes it all seem better.....when in reality all of my days at work are pretty much equal.....how i VIEW them is very different.  now i am BY NO MEANS a life coach of any kind.....i'm just mostly thinking out loud here.....and watching REMEMBER THE TITANS....which is our favorite family movie - we can all quote this movie pretty much line by line and watch it whenever its on.....and i find it so incredibly moving and inspiring....which led to the theme of the blog in a roundabout way :)

of course, we have a fairly warped sense of humor around here.....and are all about sports movies in general...but these are my favorites:
"I don't scratch my head unless it itches and I don't dance unless I hear some music. I will not be intimidated. That's just the way it is"

"Water is for cowards. Water makes you weak. Water is for washing blood off that uniform and you don't get no blood on my uniform, boy you must be outside your mind!"

and then of course, the ones we throw at eat other all the time "attitude reflect leadership, captain".....and "you're killing me, Petey"
there are probably a million more inspiring movies out there - but i love this one because for my family its a common bond....we ALL love it and quote it.....and the overall message is UNITY and the power of TEAMWORK......big themes for us over here.....but mostly because this movie brings up a million quick memories of the kids quoting it - and that always makes me smile.....you find INSPIRATION in whatever works for you.  for me its mostly music, but there are movies i've watched a million times with the boys.....the rookie, hoosiers, blindside, invincible, miracle, secretariat.....and most recently moneyball - because the sports theme works for us....but we've also watched soul surfer and dolphin tale, toy story and miracle on 34th st....sound of music, and shawshank, lord of the rings and field of dreams....braveheart and apollo 13.....you get it - there is inspiration EVERYWHERE - you just have to be open to it......and then go find it!!

"Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down, because you told them the truth. And that truth is that you did everything that you could. There wasn't one more thing that you could've done. Can you live in that moment, as best you can, with clear eyes and love in your heart? With joy in your heart? If you can do that, gentlemen, then you're perfect."Friday Night Lights

"It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. Sometimes it takes a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see. Ask yourself, how many people in the world can truly make you feel rare, pure, and extraordinary?" ~ John Grogan (Owen Wilson) in "Marley and Me" (2008).

i guess the challenge we each face is toWHERE to  find that something that inspires us.....motivates us to be better or stronger.....only you can answer that.....but it doesnt have to be anything big or profound....i'm only just now deciding to throw this picture up here, because it really is a kind of weird thing.....but anyway - i'm a tattoo fan - i have a few...one says "be strong" - its on my wrist and i love it - i guess you could call it my PERMANENT affirmation.....but rather than tattooing phrases all over myself (which would help me) - i usually just use magic marker (i know, i know, i know!!)  but it works for me :)  this one is a reminder to work out.....and yes its still there right now....

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

be the best, happines YOU you can be :)  and if you find great inspiring things, please pass them along!  FEED the GOOD!!