I have to say that I really enjoyed this exercise. I pictured my grandmother who passed away about 7 seven years ago. I have no grandparents left and with this grandma inparticular I had a special bond with her. Being able to picture her again and in such a great light was awesome. Thinking about her was just a positive and relaxing feeling. She was such a calm person too so it was perfect for this meditation exercise. Sometimes through the busy hustle and bustle of your everyday life you seem to forget the greater things in life so having a reason to look back at someone who has passed and have such a great exercise with it was awesome. I think that trying to remember and instill this in your busy life can make you feel better. I do often think about my grandma or even just other positive people that I have in my life. In certain situations I sometimes try to think about what they would do in a bad predicament so that I can try to stay level headed and positive about the whole thing.
So for the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself," I think that it also goes with the saying, "practice what you preach." It is really easy for me to sit and tell someone how they should live their life but unless I am following the same rules and guidelines why should they listen to me. If I can show someone a better way of life by showing them my own life, they are more apt to do what I am trying to teach them because they can physically see the results from me. If I sit and tell someone not to smoke because it is so bad for your health, yet I sit and smoke, they probably won't take me to seriously. So as a health and wellness professional, they should live their life the way they tell others that they should. Practice meditation, exercise, eat healthy and all the things that they are trying to teach, they should do. That way their clients can see themselves how it looks. If an obese person says eat healthy and exercise, you won't probably listen to them or take them serious. So, yes I do believe you have that obligation to be the person you are trying to teach your clients to be.
This meditation was similar for me; it calmed me down and made me really look at my situation. I can relate to how you feel, I lost my grandmother a few years ago- she was my only grandparent ever, so she was very special to me. She also had a special way of dealing with life’s situations. These memories sneak up on me sometimes and make me smile, and often, laugh out loud! Having that type of influence stay with you is priceless!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience this week. My grandmother on my mother's side passed away nearly 10 years ago. She was everything I wish to be one day, and more. I only hope to be able to achieve her health and wellness inside and out. She was physically healthy as well as mentally healthy. She always had a smile on her face and kind words to offer, her presence just made you feel better. She was a beam of light in my eyes. I agree that one should practice what they preach. At first I was torn with the statement being offered as to whether or not I agreed with it. But then I realized that it does not mean that a health and wellness professional has to have experienced the same pain or turmoil as their client but they need to have practical knowledge on their suggestions for improvement for their client. I plan to become a substance abuse counselor and I don't need to have abused substances in order to help the individual but I should be sober in order to do so. I like your example of an obese person telling someone to eat healthy and to exercise, their client probably would not be as apt to listen when they look as though they have no idea what they are talking about.
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