3 tips for recognising that 'everything is food'
“Everything is food,” say the Zen Buddhists. Everything we expose ourselves to affects our mind, body and soul. For example, our environment, friends, work and the influences we absorb. Frequently a person is faced by a decision: “How should I spend my time? Should I boost myself by taking-in some ‘positive food’? Or should I hurt myself by consuming ‘poisonous food’?” Let’s consider how you can enrich your mind, body and soul.
1) Positive food.
“My Eureka moment came one morning on the M25,” said one person. “Sitting in the traffic jam listening to politicians arguing on the radio, I found myself getting more depressed. So I switched off the radio, put on my favourite music and let my mind wander. It didn’t shift the traffic, but something changed within me. Now I start the day by listening to music, rather than arguments. Instead of ‘garbage in, garbage out’, I go for ‘good things in, good things out’.”
Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by identifying the ‘positive food’ you want to consume in your life and work. These may include, for example, meeting encouraging friends, spending time in the countryside, doing satisfying work, visiting the theatre or pursuing creative activities, such as painting, writing or gardening. Try completing the following sentence.
The positive food I want in my life and work is:
*
*
*
2) Poisonous food.
Describe the poisonous food you don’t want to consume in your life and work. One person took this literally. He said: “For years I ate unhealthy white bread and felt heavy. Now I have a wheat-free diet. I feel much better and, over the last 6 months, have lost 3 kilos.” The equivalent things for you may be, for example, listening to serial complainers, working with dispiriting clients, meeting in windowless rooms, staying in hotels that have ‘sick building syndrome’. Try completing the following sentence.
The poisonous food I don’t want in my life and work is:
*
*
*
3) Positive food in the future.
“Planning is needed to change the habits of a lifetime,” explained the person who changed his diet. “My job involves travelling around the country by train. Now I get to the station 20 minutes before the train departs - building-in time to buy salad and fruit at one of the recently opened food outlets. Previously I arrived 5 minutes before the train left - then ate crisps and starchy sandwiches during the journey. Now I feel more energetic and creative.”
Describe the specific things you can do to consume positive food in the future. Focus on the people, projects and places you find inspiring. You are then more likely to feel healthy, rather than heavy. Try completing the following sentence.
The specific things I can do to get more positive food in the future are:
*
*
*
“My Eureka moment came one morning on the M25,” said one person. “Sitting in the traffic jam listening to politicians arguing on the radio, I found myself getting more depressed. So I switched off the radio, put on my favourite music and let my mind wander. It didn’t shift the traffic, but something changed within me. Now I start the day by listening to music, rather than arguments. Instead of ‘garbage in, garbage out’, I go for ‘good things in, good things out’.”
Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by identifying the ‘positive food’ you want to consume in your life and work. These may include, for example, meeting encouraging friends, spending time in the countryside, doing satisfying work, visiting the theatre or pursuing creative activities, such as painting, writing or gardening. Try completing the following sentence.
The positive food I want in my life and work is:
*
*
*
2) Poisonous food.
Describe the poisonous food you don’t want to consume in your life and work. One person took this literally. He said: “For years I ate unhealthy white bread and felt heavy. Now I have a wheat-free diet. I feel much better and, over the last 6 months, have lost 3 kilos.” The equivalent things for you may be, for example, listening to serial complainers, working with dispiriting clients, meeting in windowless rooms, staying in hotels that have ‘sick building syndrome’. Try completing the following sentence.
The poisonous food I don’t want in my life and work is:
*
*
*
3) Positive food in the future.
“Planning is needed to change the habits of a lifetime,” explained the person who changed his diet. “My job involves travelling around the country by train. Now I get to the station 20 minutes before the train departs - building-in time to buy salad and fruit at one of the recently opened food outlets. Previously I arrived 5 minutes before the train left - then ate crisps and starchy sandwiches during the journey. Now I feel more energetic and creative.”
Describe the specific things you can do to consume positive food in the future. Focus on the people, projects and places you find inspiring. You are then more likely to feel healthy, rather than heavy. Try completing the following sentence.
The specific things I can do to get more positive food in the future are:
*
*
*
posted by Mike Pegg at
21:23
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