Packaged foods are conditioned to suit the taste of the consumer, which
varies from country to country. Bread is baked differently in cities
that are just a hundred kilometres away. Our culture feeds on sugar
contained in cakes, cookies, ice cream, and alcoholic drinks.
Opponents
of the Western diet will warn you that sugar is going to kill you.
Actually, not only sugar, but also alcohol, red meat, white flour, and
other elements of the modern fare. Contemporary medical studies have
proven those admonishments true to a good extent, but they also
acknowledge that death will very rarely be the penalty for eating a beef
hamburger.
Check the facts before making decisions
The reasonable conclusion is that some foods create
certain health risks; you should be aware of them and select your meals
accordingly. Nowadays, few people contend the principle that bad food is
detrimental to your vitality.
If you don't make a minimum effort
to gather correct dietary information, you will make random choices. If
you eat appallingly, you will suffer the consequences. In terms of
food, science has established that sweetness is not always conductive to
wellness.
Prejudice and fear are counter-productive
Can we remove counter-productive actions also from
other areas of our life? How much of what we believe about the world
holds true upon detailed examination? Are our convictions solidly based
on facts? What about our ethical values and fundamental goals? Do we
resort to prejudice in order to hide irrational fears? Do we appeal to
tradition in order to safeguard inefficiency?
It takes a strong
will and massive efforts to modify the way we eat. On many occasions,
men and women undertake such changes only as a last resort, for
instance, after having suffered a heart attack or being diagnosed with
cancer.
Social pressure to do the wrong thing is difficult to resist
Embracing a better diet becomes a major challenge when
individuals endure constant social pressure to behave irresponsibly.
Business meetings in Russia are still being closed with rounds of vodka.
When colleagues and customers push you to drink, it is very difficult
to resist, even if you are conscious of the negative consequences of
your actions.
Inferior food and excessive alcohol undermine our
health. Falsehoods sabotage our interests and place heavy burdens on our
shoulders. Misrepresentations can be pleasant and enticing despite
their lethal consequences.
Train yourself to make better decisions
The bigger the falsehood, the less
that will remain of your independence. If you subscribe to
misrepresentations, they will erode your entrepreneurial abilities. You
will forsake your initiative and become psychologically dependent. How
can you replace common myths by effective truths?
1. Trust you initiative more than empty hopes
Misplaced hope should make way for initiative. Do you ever tell yourself that
someone, somewhere is going to recognize your talent? Good things do not
necessarily happen to those who wait long enough. The effective truth
is that, if your talents are underutilized, you'd better take action to
promote them. It is up to you to improve your situation.
2. Concentrate on rational goals
Irritation should make way for constructive action. Imagine that, after
suffering some minor abuse or discrimination, you become enraged,
lusting for revenge. Is someone going to come to fix the world and put
an end to unfairness?
The truth is that everybody makes mistakes.
It is seldom worth it to devote your time to correcting other people's
minor faults. Put the unpleasant story out of your mind and move on.
Apply your efforts to pursuing your goals, not to telling people off.
3. Make workable plans, discard the rest
Passive acceptance should be replaced by workable plans. Put yourself
in the shoes of someone who gets divorced in his mid-forties. For this
man, it feels good to hang around his old friends and be comforted for
the difficulties that he is encountering, but is this an effective
behaviour?
Maybe they will introduce him to someone nice who will
put his life back on track. Otherwise, he will just have to get used to
loneliness, won't he? The truth is that he needs to make a workable
plan to rebuild his life. Should he join a health club? Should he use
on-line dating to meet a new romantic partner?
4. Figure out how to start right now
Postponement
should make way for entrepreneurship. Imagine that you practise a
beloved hobby that you would like to turn into a source of income.
Unfortunately, everybody is telling you that you should not take risks
at your age. You hear that your best chance of success is to stay put in
your job until retirement age.
The effective truth is that it
takes a long time to establish any sort of business. The sooner you
start your entrepreneurial career, the better off you will be in the
long term. Postponement does not reduce risk. A sensible approach would
be to start up your business on the side, devoting your evenings and
weekends to it.
Entrepreneurship is the key to personal growth
In every single case, hesitation delays progress.
Do not allow wrong ideas to park your projects for years. Do not be
contented with bromides that waste your life. Throw away
misrepresentations and adopt an entrepreneurial attitude based on facts.
Waiting only keeps you down. Action solves problems.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by gmmail under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]