It's not what you say, but what you do.

I'm sure you've all heard the saying, "Actions speak louder than words". What I didn't realise was, as much as I loved this saying, and expected my children to live by these rules, the one person that wasn't living it was me. I thought I was, but taking a good hard look at myself I had to admit that I sadly fell short of the mark.

Twenty years ago, while suffering from different illnesses, I unknowingly handed over my power to the many Doctors and Nurses who would end up treating and caring for my wellbeing. They did care for my wellbeing; some better than others, some with more success than others. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying that at the time I didn't need all the different treatments, surgeries, and medications. I'm saying that if I had of kept at least some of that power, I would have been able to actively participate in my health and wellbeing, rather than take each new crisis as the blow to the body that it was. If I was going to be sick anyway, I didn't have to particularly care about what I ate and how I abused my body. My body had seemingly let me down.

The proverbial saying "Straw That Broke The Camels Back" for me, happened last year, when after a feinting spell, I ended up with a fractured skull from the fall. It was a huge eye opener for me. The great thing to come out of this event is that I have now been able to bring about one of the biggest changes of my life. Through understanding that an illness or injury cannot be healed with just surgery or medicine alone, I have been able to improve my approach to my health, both physically and mentally. I'm no longer just waiting for someone else to fix me.
Now, I don't just talk about getting better. I now do better.

Lynda Alderton
For www.unity-qld.com.au

This weeks W.I.N.K. - What I now know

Is that Happiness is a Choice

I used to be the type of person who always saw my cup as half empty. I just accepted that if I felt sad about something, then it must be the way I'm "supposed" to feel. I experienced years of allowing myself to be controlled by my emotions, until it consumed me, and had a negative affect on my ability to function within my family and society.

After being in Intensive Care and having a near death experience, I wondered why I wasn’t one of those people that felt enthusiastic at being given a second chance at life. All I felt like is that I had been ripped off. I now know that I was letting my emotions lead me, instead of making a conscious decision to embrace my second chance at life.
I have now come to believe that I can, and have, taken control back. I can simply choose to see my glass as half full. The great thing about doing that, is the feelings and emotions obediently follow along.

I know it sounds too simple, but it does take effort to break those old thought patterns and let the new ones in. Of course we are not all robots on automatic pilot. Sure, we all have our own instincts and gut feelings, and we still need to allow ourselves to feel emotions like sadness, grief and anger. Allowing ourselves to feel these emotions, enables us to release them, learn from them, and let them go. We can choose not to stay within the confines of these emotions, not to get stuck, and to move past them.

In shifting the way I think about my emotions, I have changed my life for the better. I now think and feel stronger in every aspect of my life. Of course, it's still a work in progress for me, but I know now that I do have a choice, and I choose happiness.

Lynda Alderton
For Unity-Qld http://www.unity-qld.com.au

WHAT I NOW KNOW (WINK!) series.

Introducing ~ Lynda Alderton

Over the coming weeks and months, I’m hoping to share with you some of the new ways in which I’m able to experience life. Through under going ‘Life Coaching’ with Kirsty O’Callaghan, I have been able to work through some of those difficult life experiences that can sometimes be overwhelming, and can easily begin to overrun your life. I had long ago given up on having any control over the quality of my life. The great news is, I’m gradually taking that control back, and through sharing this experience with you, I hope to be able to encourage and explain, that it’s not as hopeless or as hard as you might think. I hope you find my WINK (What I Now Know) helpful and informative.

Lynda Alderton
For Unity-Qld
http://www.unity-qld.com.au/