My 16-year old daughter came home from school for the weekend and notified us that she’d forgotten her iPhone charger at school and that her phone had died. She was forced to spend a half a day at work without her lifeline to the entire world. She was lost.
Those of us who use technology of any kind know that if we do not charge the device, it dies completely.
That got me thinking about the parallel between technology and humans. With smart phones and notebook computers, all we need to do is plug them into an outlet on a daily or periodic basis and the device will remain charged. What’s the best way to charge humans?
For humans to be our best, we require three distinct sources of energy to run optimally – mental, physical and spiritual energy. Ideally, we would recharge each of these areas on a daily basis. By remaining fully charged in each area, we’re guaranteed to operate efficiently for at least the next 24 hours.
What happens when we’re not properly charged? Instead of just shutting down completely like a phone, we begin breaking down in one or more of the three distinct areas. For many people, we think that these negative feelings are normal. They are normal feelings for humans who do not understand how to properly maintain themselves. They are not normal feelings when we care for our high-performance bodies like they were any of our prized possessions.
Physical break downs manifest with symptoms like excess weight, loss of muscle, physical weakness, high blood pressure and feelings of fatigue. Mental break downs show up in our negative self-talk, criticism of others, cynicism and destructive emotions. Spiritual breakdowns manifest themselves when we’re lacking in faith, hope and love (of God, self and others).
People who cherish their cars wash the exteriors frequently (care for our bodies), detail the interiors at least weekly (care for our minds) and make sure that the engine is serviced regularly by an authorized dealer (care for our souls).
Why do many of us seem to care more for things than we do for our own well-being? I think that it’s just a lack of knowledge because we receive more education in school about language, math, history and science and very little about how to care for our self.
On a daily basis, I see people investing time, energy and resources into their professions and into their families but, they neglect to spend enough time investing and charging themselves. Neglecting our minds, bodies and souls on a daily basis is like heading out the door with a poorly charged cell phone. We will only last for so long before we stop working.
Most of us know how long we need to plug in the computer or cell phone so that it is charged enough to service us for the day. Do you know how long that it takes you to fully energize your soul? your body? your mind?
Would it be unreasonable to allocate 1 hour in each 24 hour day to take care of yourself? If you think that’s a large amount of time to invest in yourself, how much time do you spend working each day? Would you consider yourself to be in peak physical, mental and spiritual condition? Do you have any idea how you would perform every minute of your life for yourself, family and others if you were in peak condition in all three areas?
Technology comes with a manual that tells us how to care for the device. Humans don’t come with a written manual so, we’re forced to figure out how to care for ourselves on our own.
Here is the short version of the Human Owner’s Manual:
Body: Congratulations on the choice of your earthly body. The body that you’ve chosen has been designed to last for a minimum of 100 years with proper care. Below is the summary of how to maintain your body in peak condition. Details can be found later on on the manual.
- Sleep for 6-8 hours each day
- Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day to keep your body in prime condition.
- Eat 5-6 small meals every 3 hours so that you do not overeat from being too hungry
Mind: Your mind was created as a receptacle to hold thoughts about yourself, others and about the beautiful world in which you live. Like a tape recorder it records literally every though that you have so PLEASE be very careful about how you speak to yourself. You create your own self-identity with your thoughts.
- Spend 15 minutes (or longer) per day creating the thoughts that you wish to dominate your life.
- Convert all of the goals that you have into one-sentence, present tense affirmations and read them as if you’re sculpting the ideal being because you are.
- Try not to give sanction to the negativity in the world and please dispute the information that is coming your way from other humans and the media.
Spirit/Soul: You are s spiritual being that is temporarily making residence in a human body. It is critical that you maintain your soul on a daily basis because it is your connection to God and to every other human in the world. The best way to maintain your soul is by maintaining a strong daily relationship with God as you would any other person – by talking (prayer) and listening (meditation).
- It is highly recommended that you spend at least 15 minutes per day in conversation with your Creator.
- 5-10 minutes of prayer for yourself and for others allows you to remain connected to the source of your spiritual being.
- 5-10 minutes of meditation per day allows you to silence your 60,000 self-centered thoughts that you create per day long enough to be able to listen to God. This practice will allow you to remain focused on your really long-term goals (after your life inhabiting your early body ceases)
By allocating 60 minutes per day to your mental, spiritual and physical health, you will remain happy, healthy and peaceful during your time on earth. For questions about your mental, spiritual or physical health, please address your questions in the form of prayer to your creator. All responses will be responded to on a first-come, first-served basis during your meditation time.
