Day 56: Who Do you Take Advice From?

Today is Day 56 of my juice feast and I am learning daily new insights on this journey. I've had some recent happenings and conversations that brought up the topic of today's post.

One, I have a friend who's recently been admitted to the hospital and two, a few friends who have shared with me their reluctance to listen to advice from a well-known raw food author due to that author's  overweight appearance.

In the first instance, I am attempting to share health information with my friend who is also getting multiple inputs of well-meaning advice from many other people. Of course, if you've ever been in this situation, I'm sure you remember how overwhelming and confusing it all was.

In the second instance, I was recommending a book of a raw food author and both friends shared with me that they couldn't find the information credible due to the appearance of the author of the book not being the picture of health and slenderness.

Here's some common sense wisdom that has helped me over the years and perhaps it will help you, too:

Doesn't it make sense to take advice from someone who has achieved what you are looking for?

Whether it be a medical doctor, personal trainer, hair dresser, landscaper, house cleaner, financial advisor, or advice on parenting, wouldn't you want to know that the person giving you advice in these areas was a stellar example in health, fitness, had beautiful hair, a beautiful garden, a clean house, had a good savings, and had well-behaved, balanced children?

If you are in the hospital and the doctor writing out a prescription pad for some powerful drugs was obese and had pasty skin and went outside during break to smoke a cigarette, is that person really the best person to give advice to you on how to get healthy despite the credentials at the end of their name?

One of the reasons that so many people were touched by the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" was because the Before and After transformation in Joe Cross was palpable and visible. He clearly was someone in the "before" photograph that they could identify with and mirrored their own reality, but his "after" was undeniably HEALTHY....he had been there, done that and could show the way...AND, he wasn't advocating dangerous expensive drugs, but was recommending juicing Fruits and Vegetables!

When I talk about "giving one's power away" this is what I am talking about. Your own eyes and ears are giving you information that the advice you are getting is from a hollow source and YET because you are being told by family, friends, neighbors, etc, that this is the right way to go, you OVERRIDE that input you are getting and stop listening to that inner wisdom that is telling you that this advice is not in your best interests and you find out the hard way down the road that you should have listened to that voice....

Why can't we find the courage to do that?

The inner voice that doubts is what holds us back: what if the healthy-looking person giving advice is only healthy looking due to being young or good genetics and it won't apply to me? it says.

What if I can't stick to it? What if it doesn't work? What if I die? What if? What if?

Also, we often doubt ourselves if the answers we hear deep down conflict with the "majority" even though common sense also shows us that the "majority" are just as fat, sick and nearly dead as we are...the "follow the crowd" mentality is deep-rooted and strong and it takes courage to swim upstream and be different.

 Even if it means getting us healthy, we often think we'd rather be unhealthy and surrounded by friends than healthy and lonely...however, this also is giving away our power: our power to set a healthy example for all who watch us and then are inspired. Look at how Phil Staples became in inspiration for his initially resistant brother and then his whole town.

In your search for answers, listen to your inner voice that knows the truth and use as your criteria the standard that whomever you eventually listen to has to have success in the area that you are seeking advice in and success that was EARNED and not inherited through good genes nor monetarily from rich parents or good "luck".

Find someone who knows how to skillfully guide you back to where you want to go because they've done it themselves and therefore can speak from personal experience.

In the area of health, find someone who is genuinely healthy and who looks healthy....hopefully from someone who used to be sick themselves and found a way to rebuild genuine health.

Your life depends on it....I hope you find it before it's too late. You can't afford to be taking advice from those who really can't help you. I've seen too many people waste precious valuable time in this area only to have it be too late when they find out the wrong way that the person they placed their trust in didn't have the answers.....