So I had a profound moment at the dentist earlier today. I mean of course I did right? Leave it to me to find a way to have my mind blown while someone is poking at my teeth with sharp instruments.
Now let me start by saying I am so on top of my dental stuff. I had so many horrific experiences growing up that I spent years far far away from the dentist. In 2001 I had to have a tooth pulled and was forced to go against my will. I found the nicest most amazing dentist in the world and decided it was time to be a grown up and take care of my teeth. I had to put thousands of dollars, and what feels like hundreds of hours, into my teeth. I had braces, tons of fillings, a root canal and a couple crowns. I still get my teeth cleaned 3-4 times a year. Totally obsessed. Today I was told I ended up with 3, yes THREE, cavities since my my last cleaning. What the hell?!
For some reason the strangest chain of events happened back in May and it was like a domino effect of not doing the small daily tasks that don’t really matter. I ended up getting a night guard, my electric toothbrush went crazy, I went on some trips that got me out of a routine, I switched toothpaste and ran out of those little floss pics, all over like 2 months. None of these things are remotely a big deal, like at all. Easy to fix, and no one thing would have caused a cavity. The dentist asked if I had gotten to busy. I told him no, I just wasn’t making them a priority and was focusing elsewhere and I would get on top of it immediately. Seems pretty cut and dry. So why the long Facebook post?
I am always saying that everything is a choice, I am huge on personal accountability and taking responsibility for your own actions. When faced with decisions it may not seem like you have a choice, because the consequences of one choice versus the other are so incredibly different from one another. Like going to work or not going work when you’re on thin ice, one will get you fired, one keeps you employed. It appears you have no choice, however in the end your choice is simply between the two potential consequences of your actions: Employment or unemployment. Still a choice.
When people tell me they “have the right to” or “are allowed to” etc I totally agree, you CAN, but what’s the cost? Yes you CAN say that to your boss or your wife. How is that going to end for you? Worth it? Yes you CAN spend that money or eat that ice cream. Is that taking you where you want to go? Still your choice.
If they tell me they “can’t” or “didn’t have time” ect I point out that’s just not the case. If your child is in the hospital, and you tell me I could not workout, my answer of course is that you CAN, you are making a choice not to. A choice I assume we’d all agree is the right choice for your priorities at the time, yes still a choice. I always like to know if the consequences of that choice are what they are looking for to get them closer to their goals, what they want, or who they want to be. For every action there is a reaction, is it the one you want?
It’s really easy to get that across. It’s way easy for me to get people to see that their decisions affect their lives. What I think we miss, the part that is harder for people to see, is that the biggest consequences so often come from INaction. From NOT doing the thing. From doing nothing. That is really where our demise comes from.
Not starting the workout program, not starting your new coach training and waiting until the “next class”, not doing your workout, not picking up that laundry that you’ve been walking by all week, not reading your personal development book, not telling your other half how much they mean to you, not connecting with your children over dinner, not taking that time to give back to yourself, not taking that walk on your lunch break, not calling your mom, there are so many things we just aren’t doing.
Not buying the new toothbrush head, not flossing every day, not going to get the new toothpaste because the one I have is fine. All of these “inactions”, have consequences too, and added up over time, become cavities. Cavities that will cost time, money and pain, that could have been avoided with a different choice.
The things that will get you closer to having the ideal life that you want are so very easy to do, and they are so very easy NOT to do. Your lack of action is costing you just as much as making a bad choice, hell it IS a bad choice. I hope this inspires you to do something!!!