It’s Not What You Have, It’s Who You Have

By Julie Isphording

Our relationships are everything.

Consider the friends and family who have been there for us throughout our life—in those moments of joy, and in the pain of disappointment. The people who listened to us when we were sad. The friends who always believed in us—even when we lost faith in ourselves. The people who have held us up and loved us unconditionally. The people who know more than us. The ones who teach us. The ones who love us. The ones who laugh and cry with us. These are the people who make our lives a gift and make our whole life healthy in so many ways.

The most meaningful connections may last for a brief moment or for a lifetime; but each is a reminder that we were meant to be a part of one another’s lives—to support each other, to accomplish wonderful things together, and to go further than any of us could go on our own.

Sometimes we must look for them and other times it’s just serendipitous—they appear at the right season of our lives.

And remember that we all play many of these same roles for other people. It makes an impact when we give from our hearts—our big, beautiful, kind, generous, gentle, patient, loving hearts.

Do you awfulize?

Life is already hard enough; but sometimes we get in our own way and make things much worse by awfulizing. How many times have you been in a situation where the anticipation of the event was much worse than the event itself? Many times, the worst that can happen is never as bad as you thought. You don’t realize how much you’re missing by letting your anticipation get the best of you. Try hard to take one day at a time.

What happens when you don’t eat enough protein?

• Muscle loss.

If you don’t meet minimum protein requirements daily, you’ll start to lose muscle mass. That’s because your body will break down your muscles to get the energy it needs. Even just a little muscle loss can impact your movement or strength.

• Weakened immune system.

Proteins make up an important part of the immune system. Adequate protein is critical to producing antibodies, a type of protein that binds bacteria and viruses to protect you from getting sick. Inadequate protein intake can impair immune function. For example, a lack of protein might mean that antibodies are made in lower amounts. This increases your risk of infections.

• Decreased bone development and density.

Your bones are composed primarily of collagen, which is a type of protein. For children, low protein intake can cause a reduction in bone development. For seniors, not consuming enough protein can negatively affect bone mineral density, which impacts bone strength.

• Increased hunger.

If you’re not eating enough protein, you’ll feel hungry soon after eating. Eating protein-rich snacks and meals can help keep you feeling full. Without the need for as many snacks, it may also help you lose weight.

• Compromised skin and hair.

Protein is critical for the growth and maintenance of healthy hair and skin. Not taking in adequate amounts can result in side effects like dry skin, premature aging, and thinning hair.

What are a few things that aren’t worth worrying about?

• Waiting in line.

No amount of complaining or angst is going to make the line go any faster.

• Bad weather.

We will have more fun if we can learn how to play in the rain!

• Mean comments. 

Ignore them. The comments say more about the person who voiced them than they do about us. The best reaction is compassion.

• Better possessions.

The newest phone, car, house, shoes, or kitchen won’t make us any happier than the last one did. Get the most out of every day instead.

• Celebrities.

When it comes down to it, they are just people. We could invest all that time in our own happiness and fun. Investing your reading/viewing time in their life does nothing for us.

• Negative people.

Let them be negative. It’s their choice and should not affect our feelings or mood.

• Social media.

Unless it’s used for business, it should be ignored. It’s no fun to compare ourselves to the highlight reel of others.

• Mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes. They don’t define us. We can learn from them and move onward and upward.

• Problems.

Look at them as life’s puzzles with four options: 1. Complain and do nothing. 2. Complain and do something. 3. Don’t complain and do nothing. 4. Don’t complain and do something. That’s it.

• Control.

Life is a rollercoaster ride. We can either hold on tight or throw our hands in the air as we go up and down, left, and right, take a loop, and spin around. Life will take us on a wild ride, whether we smile and enjoy the ride or complain and are bothered by it.

Do you know what kills more dreams than failure?

Fear!

Of course, failure is no picnic, but at least it teaches us healthy lessons. We learn to do things differently. We learn to try better approaches. When we overcome our fear, we free ourselves to try, to risk, to experiment, and to learn what doesn’t work. In this way, we grow and move forward. “He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

­­­­­­­Olympian Julie Isphording is the director of the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race, an author, and loves to keynote speak. Her talks on living a happy life include unforgettable props, lots of laughter, and a few tears. Write to her at julie.isphording@gmail.com.