Daily Mystic Messages - Upgrading Vices
Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite hacks for living a healthier, more enjoyable life. It's called "upgrading your vices."
This isn't mine. It came from a health coach that I had years ago by the name of Maria Whalen and she talked about this in the context of food at the time.
One of the things that we do if we want to indulge in something, is we tend to make it wrong. It's like a ‘guilty pleasure’. So we eat the cake and then we shame ourselves for eating the cake. And certainly, you know cake is generally not the healthiest choice on a regular diet if you want to feel amazing in your body and have consistent clean energy.
Let’s consider the chocolate. Let's say that you want to have some chocolate. Rather than reaching for the Hershey bar, or just the standard kind of mass-produced thing, you go after the most beautiful raw chocolate that you can get your hands on. Something that's going to actually feed you and has things in it that really let the properties of that chocolate shine, because chocolate actually has some healthy properties to it. Then it becomes something that actually fuels you rather than takes your energy on a rollercoaster ride.
Another great one is TV. I love TV so this is something that I've applied a lot. Rather than going for the TV show that's just dark and just wraps you so deep into the story, we go for something that actually is more uplifting for ourselves. Something that leaves us feeling better and not having nightmares.
One of those for me was The Great British Baking Show. The Big bang theory is another. I also love Parks and Rec, and I can go on and on, but that's not what this is about. It is about taking your ‘vices’ and upgrading them in some way.
Now, getting back to that chocolate cake, there is no substitute for just a really beautifully made wonderful chocolate cake. So if you're going to go in for something like that, it's best to not be on the fence. If you're going in, go all in with it. Take out the shame, take out the guilt, just enjoy it for what it is and really let yourself enjoy it. Because you have to ask what is more damaging...
Is it the actual sugar and things that cause those reactions in your body, or is it the guilt and the shame that we put on ourselves for wanting it and for having it?
I say take out the guilt and shame, deal with the physical part of it and you'll be better off. You'll be able to enjoy it as well, which is the whole point of bringing it into your life and really enjoy it.
So today, have a look around your life and see if there's a vice that's ready for an upgrade in your life. And if you happen to be going in for something that you already know is maybe not the best, give it a second thought and take out the guilt and shame. Just let yourself fully enjoy it.