Chain Reaction

Day 18: A day full of bad choices.  I had little resources or time to go to the market to obtain vegan choices before I started my day.  As I rushed out, I made a sandwich with what was left in the house:  white bread, lettuce, mayo (didn't use the soy version because I thought it was a waste on this meal), and a slice of cheese.  I ate it 3 hrs later.  Although it was in cool storage, it still was the wrong choice - a wave of nausea swept over me.  I immediately became ill.  I had not realized it but true transformation had begun.  My mind  had not caught up to my body.  I had to remember what I said at the beginning of this process; that this is more mental than physical.  Although the mind had told the body to eat and the body obeyed; the body, all on its own, rejected what was being forced upon it by the mind.  After "giving up" that sandwich, one bad choice lead to another.  I tried to counter my poor stomach with salt in the form of potato chips.  It worked physically but threw me off mentally.  As much as I had achieved in this short time, there was much left to accomplish.  Being my own worst enemy, I tried to "fix it" by making sure I stopped by the market on the way home to purchase better choices.

Keepin' It Real!

Faux Veggie Spinach Bites: Gotta watch out & Keep It Real!

After the debacle earlier in the day, I arrived at the market, sure to correct my mistakes.  Not! Unbeknownst to me,  I once again went down the wrong path.  After selecting obvious vegetables, I decided to check out the "vegetarian" section of the market.  It was not where I normally shopped so I was curious.  In a hurry, I selected what appeared to be a good choice - a breaded veggie spinach bite.  I checked to ensure that there were no artificial preservatives or additives; everything seemed okay so I purchased them.  When I got home, I checked the ingredients more thoroughly.  The item had processed dairy and some "egg product", (whatever that means), in it.  Ugh! I had done it again.  In learning to recognize the "faux foods",  you begin to realize that all that says veggie may not be.    I've got to keep it real with natural and organic selections; learn to "make" instead of not taking the time to prepare better choices and to understand that all chain reactions do not always end up the same way.  Sometimes, if you catch it,  you can reverse the direction in which the chain is going.

Finding Truth - "Begin with the end in mind"

That evening, I logged on to discover that a kind soul who had been following this blog had posted the following quote, ‎"What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"-Robert H. Schuller.   


What an Om Mani Pad Me Hum moment!  (This mantra means "generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, renunciation, and wisdom".  It is often recited to exalt purification.)  

The quote could not come at a better time.  Think about it.  If you could do anything you set out to do with the knowledge that you would not fail, how successful would you be?  Would you be Superman? I was so moved and grateful that it had come just when I needed to re-direct the reaction of my chain.  I went back to Leadership Training 101, the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", by Dr. Stephen Covey.  (I had the pleasure of taking this course with the great Dr. Covey himself and found him to be a most gracious, and humble gentleman.0  The second of his famous seven habits is the one that has the most meaning for me: "Begin with the end in mind".   If you visualize a successful self at the end of your endeavor, you will begin to act, think, and move towards the end you so desire.  You have to find the truth in what you are doing and build upon it.  Despite the short setbacks, my thought processes, patterns, and overall way of doing things had changed.  On the eve of day 21, I have learned:

• my behavior is modifying
• one thing leads to another but I have the ability to change the direction and the reaction
• I can find truth if I keep it real and visualize my success 
• I can be Superman, I can be vegan.

Favorite dish of the day:  back on track cabbage
Exercise:  30 minutes
Yoga: 30 minutes