Persistence Over Perfection
One of my favorite quotes from the past year is “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”. As a recovering perfectionist, this sentiment is my daily reminder to keep trying. It’s easy to get lost in all of the conflicting messages, inflated promises, and strict protocols in the health and wellness space, but, if I’ve learned one thing this year, it’s that I’m the only one who knows if I’m doing the right thing for my body.
When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t know what to do but everything felt more urgent. I started reading a lot of books and listening endlessly to podcasts, and meanwhile, trying out the recommendations that resonated. Each one seemed to have “the answer”, backed by science as well as the usual convincing anecdotes. I tried being vegan (plus a few eggs) for a month and I loved the new recipes I discovered but, despite the substantial evidence in the book, I found it didn’t feel like the answer for my body. Then I did a gut reprogram to heal my gut lining and diversify my microbiome. It sounded like this could be the root cause of my chronic inflammation and digestive symptoms, and isn’t that the root of chronic disease? I did feel better. But did this mean that I should follow the gut health diet recommendations forever? It turns out, no. The next thing I discovered was grounding. This is what happens naturally when you touch your bare skin to the earth. Your body immediately comes into balance with the earth’s charge, which means an influx of electrons, nature’s antioxidant in an easy and abundant form. Hmmm…does this mean I’m just deficient in being outside? One thing led to another and down the rabbit hole I went.
This is a common experience and often times people give up before they resolve their problems. I know that had happened to me throughout the 10 years prior when I felt my health declining and had tried to resolve my problems using various diets while experiencing temporary effects. Having a cancer diagnosis really fueled my desire to keep going until I found the solutions to my health issues. This is how I came to discover the key that makes everything make sense. It’s a lot like the old adage about the blind men and the elephant. All that noise in the health and wellness space is like each of us shouting out “our cure”, the thing that worked for us, at least for a little while. Each of these perspectives describes something real on the surface that points to a deeper truth, but is not the truth itself. It’s true that an elephant has a trunk but knowing about the trunk doesn’t tell you how to make an elephant.
I discovered the heart of the matter by finally seeing my body through the lens of quantum biology. This view focuses on life through the relationship between light, water, and magnetism. We are bodies of water, charged by light, and ruled by quantum forces. This changes nothing and everything at the same time.
Viewing life through the quantum lens brings up a whole new set of rules for how to maintain our health and vitality. Now we know how necessary it is to go outside, not only for the grounding but also for the light. It just makes plain old good sense when you think about how we evolved. Our modern life has taken us dangerously far from what we need to maintain our health at the cellular and subatomic levels. But how do we follow these new rules? It’s both a perfectionist’s dream (a simple set of rules) and their nightmare (impossible to follow).
This is why people need coaches. I could never have found my way through without the guidance of my instructors and colleagues. The rules are simple “go outside, eat locally grown food, and drink fresh clean water from the earth”. But the real questions we all have are: When? How often? How much? Where do I get that? Can I get away with doing this or that? Is there anything that’s safe in the modern world? And the answers are: Yes and No, Sometimes and Always, or It depends and Listen to your body.
Navigating these choices and making the best decisions can be different for each of us. Even with support it takes persistence, trial and error, and forging a deeper connection with your intuition. It’s a lifelong pursuit but it does get easier and there are celebrations along the way. All I can say from my perspective today is - 1000% YES!! Do this for yourself and for those who love you.