Responsibility.

It is something not many like to think about, much less talk about, but it is incredibly important when it comes to your health.

Our modern world often has us tricked into believing that we are not responsible for our health. Rather, it is something we outsource, something that happens to us, or simply something we can’t possibly control. We give doctors and health professionals our control because they must know better than we do. We chalk good or bad health outcomes up to our genes or even just luck. We completely overlook our personal responsibility, and the world seems to encourage that.

But here is the truth.

Each of us is responsible for our own health. We don’t have to know it all to be our best health advocate. Doctors and health professionals don’t know it all and many see them as suitable for the role. But you have a leg up on all of the competition because only you know what it feels like to be you and to live in your shoes. Only you know what symptoms you might be experiencing and their severity. I am all for getting a health professional in your corner when it comes to making a plan for health (I do this as well), but we need to remember that whoever that is, they work for you. You are the boss, and if they aren’t serving you well, you have every right to fire them and seek other help. And you should do just that. The buck stops with you.

And yes, this is a scary shift at first. No one likes to admit that they may have contributed to their own health issues. But accepting that responsibility is just the first step. Then you can process the reality of this and any negative feelings this causes, because let’s face it, you may feel like you’ve been lied to most of your life. At the end of that tunnel though, you will find power. After all, if your choices created poor health, that means that your choices can create abundant health too.

Your mindset is the hinge.

Once you are ready for the responsibility, so many doors open. You see that your diet and lifestyle are paramount to your health. Can you control every aspect of them? No. But there is a lot that you can control. Is this a lot of work? Yes. But I promise that your health is worth it. And for those of us who are parents, the health of your children is worth it as well. When the going gets tough, look for someone to support you on your health journey.

Each step that you take to move that dial towards a life of wellness is stepping stone to your own personal health. Some steps will be more challenging than others. Sometimes you might to enlist the help of others to safely make the jump to the next stone. But some steps will be surprisingly easy. You’ll start to notice that some of those steps are bringing in big dividends in terms of your wellness too. The dial will move both slow and fast, but as long as you keep moving it in the right direction, you should be proud that you are taking that responsibility and using it well.

Because in the end, you have the power to create health.