Following the Leader

By on September 5, 2009 in Relationships

Almost everyone has a to-do list to get them through the day, but does that list include personal and family goals that nourish your body, mind and soul?

In the rush to stay ahead, the goals most essential to our good health and wellbeing: meditation, exercise, eating healthy meals, often get pushed to the end of the list … or off the list.

"I’m too busy to exercise." "I have a business meeting scheduled at 9 am. There’s no time to meditate." "I’ll just grab a snack on my way…." we tell ourselves, then fill the day with "essential" things to do, that are not as important to us, in the end, as staying healthy.

Our children pick up the rhythm of our day and do what we do. Too busy to exercise? Don’t expect your children to make it their priority either. Too busy to eat well? Your children will follow you down this path too.

The plain and simple truth is that in order to instill the values of daily meditation, physical exercise, and healthy meals in our children, we have to role model the importance of these values in our own lives.

Monkey see, monkey do? Our children do exactly what we do. To get our children to chose a healthy lifestyle, we have to model what that looks like. We have to show them, not just tell them. So take a moment to write out a description of what a perfect day of meditation, exercise and healthy foods would look like for you. Then post it on the refrigerator. Use a marking pen to add a star each time you follow your own perfect guidance.

About Alexia Parks

For more than 30 years, my writing and work has had a focus in the fields of energy, the environment, education, parenting, and communications. Recently, I was given the distinction of being the first accredited blogger at the UN Conference on Climate Change, in Bali. Author of seven books, my latest includes RAPID Evolution, a training manual for accelerated evolution. It is solution oriented: as we self-heal, we heal the world around us..

In my career, I have been a nationally syndicated columnist, New York City magazine publisher, and written for the national desk of The Washington Post. I have also served as Director of Communications for a trade association representing 100 major metropolitan daily newspapers. In 1995, I co-founded Votelink.com – the first electronic democracy website on the Internet - and continue as its president today. At its launch, Newsweek magazine called me “one of 50 people who matter most on the Net.”

You can find my books linked from http://www.rapidevolution.org/ or Amazon.

I live and work at Votelink.com

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3 Responses to Following the Leader

  1. mydomainpvt September 5, 2009 at 12:47 am #

    dearest alexia,

    i too have seen it in myself.. we pick up the things which our parents do instinctively :)

    Wish you love, peace and happiness.

    Trisha

  2. Alexia Parks September 5, 2009 at 12:01 pm #

    Alexia Parks, Author of RAPID Evolution, 10 Golden Rules That Guide Loving Families, An American GULAG and more. See: RapidEvolution.org

  3. Alexia Parks September 5, 2009 at 12:03 pm #

    Dear Trisha,

    And some of the things we pick up make us laugh. Yes, it all becomes instinctive. …Sending love, peace and happiness your way today and every day.

    Alexia

    Alexia Parks, Author of RAPIDEvolution, 10 Golden Rules That Guide Loving Families, An American GULAG and more. See: RapidEvolution.org