In the 4 part of this series we delved into the traps that keep us from winning in the game of life. Very few people are winning their lives because these traps are the stories (not necessarily true ones) that become justifications and excuses for failure. In this article we will present the Secrets or Solutions to Winning the Game of Life.

How do We Win?

Now that we know what the traps are and how to avoid them, how do we actually win the game? What is the difference between someone who is winning the game of life, compared to most people who just get by (if they are lucky)? After all, don’t we all have the same 24 hours in a day to deal with similar stresses? Why are some healthy, happy, enjoying life and thriving while others struggle so hard?

In researching this topic we found 3 main areas where those who are happy and successful do things differently. Within these areas are the solutions to winning the game of life.

Area #1: Awareness

Area #2: Behaviour (Action)

Area #3: Structures

In the area of awareness, happy and successful people are always cultivating the expansion of their own awareness. They study what others are doing and thus take power and responsibility over their health, relationships, finances and anything that is important to them.

What Time is It? NOW.

These people live in the NOW as opposed to dwelling in the past or future. They acknowledge the reality of what IS without worrying about what might be or fantasizing as a way to avoid the truth. This presence can be cultivated with meditation or exercises such as T’ai chi or Somatorespiratory Integration.

Physical Awareness

Physical awareness is also essential to vibrant health. Being aware of the subtle cues of your body is required to be able to take action for your health before a crisis occurs. This also gives us access to high levels of energy at all times – and couldn’t we all use more of that? Exercises like yoga and dancing enhance physical awareness, as do gentle systems of bodywork and certain forms of chiropractic. In fact, these systems actually have the ability to use pain and stress as opportunities to increase our awareness and energy!

Emotional Awareness

Emotional awareness is equally important to the game of life. Successful people are keenly aware of their emotions and do not run from them even if they are uncomfortable. They understand that the purpose of all emotion is to motivate immediate action and for this reason no emotions are “bad.” Techniques such as EFT, The Emotion Code, and Network Spinal Analysis help us to work with the emotions stored as tension in our bodies. When we become aware of our emotions it frees us to take the appropriate actions, which leads us to our next area of solutions…..which we will continue with in the next article.

Start Now!

In the meantime, start cultivating your own awareness, both physically and emotionally. Notice what is, accept it and then decide on what must come next. If you catch yourself dwelling on the past, worrying about the future or fantasizing as a way to escape the present, pull yourself back to reality and ask yourself, “what is REALLY going on here?” Consider incorporating some of the awareness building practices mentioned (or others) into your daily and weekly routines.

By flexing these new muscles immediately, you will be more than ready to start applying the rest of the solutions we will be presenting in the following articles.

As a bonus for reading this far, here is a very funny video to test your awareness, click on the link below.

Awareness

In the previous article, I introduced the traps that keep us from winning in our lives. It is these traps that prevent us from succeeding in the 6 keys required for a healthy life.  These traps are insidious because they are merely stories we tell ourselves that become justifications, excuses, and even reasons we defend while we go about living a less than optimal life.

Let’s look a little closer at these traps so we can be sure we recognize them immediately if they arise and choose a more successful path.

1. “I’m healthy…for my age.” This statement in and of itself is what I call a BS story! Many people think that at a certain age (40, 60, 65) they can expect their health to decline. This is simply NOT true and I can provide countless examples of people who actually get healthier as they age. Regardless of age, you are either vibrantly healthy or not. If your health is not ideal or you find your health declining, it means that something MUST change and it is your job to find out what it is and do it!

2. “No one has any time for leisure these days.” Guess what? More BS stories! I have 4 jobs, 2 small kids, an extremely busy professional wife, own my own business, travel around the world attending seminars and I MAKE plenty of time for exercise, leisure, vacations, and renewal. I understand that many people (especially moms) feel guilty or overindulgent if they take time for themselves. This way of thinking will only lead to one end…burnout…sooner or later. The reality is that taking time out to enjoy life will make you MORE productive in the long run. Please do not learn the importance of this the hard way.

3. “It’s normal to feel tired and unmotivated.” BS! It is true however that many of us have lost our passion for life. Do you even remember the passion you had as a child? If you are tired and unmotivated it means you are already burned out and something must change…NOW.

4. “Everyone fights with their families sometimes.” This one is absolutely true – but here is your gut-check. How connected are you really with your partner, kids, and closest friends? How open are your children and most trusted confidantes with you?

5. “All kids get sick – school is just a Petri dish of germs.” Sorry, more BS. Both of my kids have been in daycare and school for years and while they are a little sick from time to time – usually for a day or two – they have never taken an antibiotic or medication of any kind. Why? Because they are healthy. I do know that many kids are sick all the time. This is a sign that these children are not healthy and thriving – something is wrong. Kids are healthy and resilient by nature. If they are constantly sick it means damaging stress of some kind is accumulating.

6. “I don’t have time to worry about others.” Do I even need to say it? BS! Most of us think that we alone cannot make a difference – it is too hard and takes too much time. In reality, the quickest way to win the game of life is to help others more. All of the greatest rewards (of all types) in life go to those who help others the most. That is certainly true in my business. Make it a habit to contribute to others and watch all areas of your life start to improve immediately.

We all fall into these traps from time to time. The key is to be aware of them and get out as quickly as possible when you do. You definitely do not want to be “average,” or “normal,” when it comes to these traps.

The average Canadian starts to get sick before the age of 65 and takes a handful of pills each morning. They begin to reduce the activities they love before they even retire. They divorce once in their lives and their children no longer speak in a meaningful way to them anymore. At 84 they lay on their deathbed and wonder what happened.

Is this what you really want? Forget ordinary! Choose extraordinary – you deserve it and so do your loved ones.

Next article we move on to the Secrets of Winning the Game of Life.