Dream Blockers: Relationships

When one raises the topic of relationships, the first thing that comes to mind is typically a connection with friends, family, or romantic partners.

However, there’s Always More Beneath the Surface
Despite what this topic may inspire you to presume, I challenge you to think broader.

As individuals, we form a multitudinous number of relationships in our lives. We build connections to everything. From our first breath, we interact with the world. Those interactions affect how we see the things or people who cross our paths. Yet, we aren’t always aware.

The Binding Ties (Our Relationship)

Relationships are essential factors of success. We need people. So, it does us well to establish good relationships with others. However, interpersonal relationships are not the only critical factors.

Three other highly critical relational factors heavily affect our success: our relationship to food, money, and ourselves.

Yes, you heard right.

Whether we recognize it, our relationships with these three factors determine how successful we shall be.

Improper and poor relationships equal stagnation, regression, and ultimately failure.

A healthy relationship sets you on a path to success. But, in the words of Michael Todd, “You won’t experience mansion-sized miracles with porta-potty principles.”

What do I mean?

Our connections with food, money, and ourselves are reflected in our habits and approaches to achievement.

A change in relationship= change in habit= shift in life.

Your Relationship with Food.

Our body derives energy from our food sources. Food is the fuel that powers our activities. However, not everyone’s relationship with food is healthy. Some have little fuel, while others keep junk in their fuselage. This points to poor operation. A minimal supply of fuel or corrupted fuel will not get you far. To upgrade your life, upgrade your relationship with food.

Some people are chronic abusers of food, while others don’t think about what they eat. Both are detrimental.

“Both the food you ingest and the way you feel about it can impact you and your life. ”

Lisa Roukin

What is a Relationship with Food?

Remember, your relationship with food determines the level of your health and wellness.

“Porta-potty principles equals porta-potty outcomes.”- Michael Todd (Author of Crazy Faith).

Weak mind, weak body, unchecked emotions are death knells. A weak mind, body, and uncontrolled emotions make success unreachable.

Personal Anecdote Break

My father once said, “I eat to live; I don’t live to eat.” I didn’t understand at the moment, but I understood it more clearly as time passed. Food is a tool. It’s a means by which we sustain a healthy state to operate at peak efficiency, nothing else and nothing more. Living to eat implies one’s relationship shifts from a mutually beneficial one-to-one of indulgence. The body doesn’t respond well to excessive consumption.

A healthy relationship with food permits an individual to move in balance. So improving one’s relationship with food is one of the primary steps toward achievement.

Your relationship with money.

A song goes, “Money, Money, Money, I got to have it!” They knew what they were talking about. That song would become an anthem for how many people live their lives.

However, like food, is an instrument. Money is also a tool. Money itself has no power. How we relate to and use money determines our base of power.

Money can drive, empower, or enslave. If money drives you, it will eventually chauffeur you off a cliff. If money is your sole motivator, your life will always be out of balance. Your life will be one of lack. Money can’t buy love, happiness, or a life.

A slave to money. If one finds themselves a slave to money, they will discover money as a hard taskmaster. As a result, an individual who wants to move to the next level won’t be free to do so.

Used correctly, money can be used as a leverage tool or as an investment vehicle.

How one relates to food and money is essential. However, how one relates to oneself is the primary force behind the success or falling short.

One’s Relationship to Self.

Those with a healthy relationship are positive and engage in activity that nourishes, nurtures, and improves factors necessary for growth and development.

People engage in activities in sync with their self-perception.

Those who maintain a negative relationship with themselves will find many difficulties in life. How? This mindset will struggle with low self-esteem, negative perceptions, negative identity, or no identity. What you perceive of yourself will determine what you perceive you can do and whether you will act.

The most important relationship you will build in life is the one with yourself. And then after that, I’d say once you have that, it may be hard work, but you can design your life. – Diane von Furstenberg

“So eat as you love yourself. Move as you love yourself. Speak as you love yourself, and act as you love yourself.”

Things will fall in line.

Upgrade your relationship, upgrade your life.