It’s not usually a question we’re encouraged to ask ourselves, “What Do I Want?”
When I was in high school, I wanted to travel the world. I thought being a flight attendant would fit the bill nicely, but family members made critical remarks like, “So you just want to be a glorified waitress?”
Those kinds of judgemental messages ~ from family, friends, colleagues, culture ~ can get hard-wired in our psyche. Those critical messages can sometimes even point us in directions that are more to do with what other people want, rather than with what we want for our life.
We’re now exposed to 3-thousand messages a day that keep telling us we’re never good enough, until we buy something or take something to look better or feel better.
North American’s are now considered to be the most stressed, depressed, overweight, and over-medicated population in history. Those staggering numbers provide a clear picture that the majority of people are dissatisfied – with their jobs, with their choices, and with their overall life situation.
My friend, Dave Potter, teaches something called MBSR ~ Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Dave was a student of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of MBSR, who gave Dave his blessing to create this free MBSR program.
When I practice MBSR, it helps me feel less stressed, more at peace, and mindful of what I want. Contrary to societal messages, pursuing what I want is not selfish, it’s self-care. Pursuing what I want keeps me going in the direction I want to go in my life, and it helps me deflect all the negative messages.
Try the free MBSR program, and see how it affects your life. I’d love to hear your feedback.
May the force be with you, and – remember –
YOU are the force!
❤ Tanya
About the Author:
Tanya MacIntyre is a former broadcast journalist who packed up negative news for positive media. In 2018, she decided to start speaking and writing publicly about her challenges to overcome drug & alcohol addictions.
Tanya is passionate about positive media, and encourages everyone to:
“Take the diet that really works… a media fast. Don’t watch, read, or listen to news and feel how much your life improves!”
Her professional focus is healing trauma and addictions. As a CBT Consultant (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), she devotes herself to training, writing, and mentoring.
Tanya lives on the West Coast of Ontario with her husband, Lance, where they run an addiction-recovery business. In her leisure, she likes spending time in nature, riding her bike, and volunteering with mental-health and recovery groups. To learn more about Tanya and her work, visit RedRoofRecovery
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