So yesterday I walked in and out of McDonalds to use the bathroom.

It’s the first time in years I’ve crossed the threshold of The Golden Arches.

What I saw was lifeless place full of seemingly bored people, poisoning themselves with processed food.

The environment was plastic molded, neon fluorescent in the middle of the day.

A complete contrast to the advertising: a happy land full of family fun, smiles and “healthy” alternatives.

Not one person looked to be gorging on health food.

Not that this should be of any surprise of course.

Who actually goes to McDonalds for anything other than the toilet or junk food?

I guess my surprise is due to the stark contrast of my regular choice of eating out.

I’ve made a point for so long of giving my money over to more high-vibing, health conscious alternatives where and when I can.

Small independent businesses that at least try to give a shit about the health of their clientele. At least attempt to have a positive impact on the health of their community, the planet.

Sure, all business is marketing

The organic, whole foods, fair trade, super-food yada yada is definitely a well-crafted and targeted form of marketing.

But when you engage in purchasing food you can’t not be responding to marketing.

Whether it’s cashing in on the health aware or unaware markets – it’s talking to your needs right?

So if I can’t help but engage in marketing as a consumer I’m going to vote with my values. I.e. My health and the health of all.

We can’t always be perfect

The funny thing is my distaste highlighted my own incongruencies.

Sure I eat very little processed food, have cut carbs by about 60% and dropped ½ a jean size in a month.

AND…

I could exercise more.

I could drink less beer on weekends.

I could work with less stress.

I display the occasional unhealthy social habit.

I have a parasite I’m finding it hard to shake.

So I’m currently getting dietitian and naturopathic support to take my diet and health consciousness to another level.

Before I’ve even begun I can feel it challenging me and funnily enough challenging a few people around me. I have had the experience of others passively questioning my choices and feeling as though they have to defend their own.

The increase in diet awareness, research and knowledge in both integrative and mainstream medical fields is showing a massive link between the quality of food, gut health and psychological issues.

We have an increased incidence of food intolerances and mental and emotional health – at the same time????

Many write it off as some modern hypercondria, a new wave of marketing induced hysteria or diet fads.

The diets in many cases aren’t all fads, some are a response to physical and mental health conditions that didn’t exist previous to modern days. That, or flew under the radar.

Things have changed

Food has changed.

Farming methods have changed.

The food chain has become highly modified, from grain to hoof. The full outcome of which has not been discovered (or admitted) yet.

More gluten, more hormones, more chems.

Produce more – quicker, bigger, stronger, cheaper NOW!

As long as it looks and tastes good (or we can make it look and taste good right? )

It’s an evident response to population and food requirements.

I guess also its response to the value of money decreasing rapidly. It’s perhaps a push by chains to keep food affordable and meet their bottom line.

It seems we may be paying the price in other ways though.

It means if you want to get health conscious you need to assess your food wisely.

You need to judge your food not just by how it looks and tastes but by how it was farmed, what it was fed, if and how it was processed along the way and what’s been unnecessarily added to it.

It’s confronting to think that finding stability within yourself may require such radical awareness and discipline.

I think in many ways that’s what the world is afraid of.

We fear CHANGE

AND the effort and expense of change.

I feel it TOO!

That fear.

Awareness brings the need for active transformation.

YIKES!!!

In many of ways it’s a lot easier to take medication or continue on life-as-usual than address your diet. It’s easier to think those around you who’re making change are swept up in hysteria rather than being right on-point for THEIR OWN NEEDS.

McDonalds didn’t invent the old, “tell them we’re healthy and they’ll feel better about eating our junk” trick.

WE DID!!!

Their rebranding over the years is a response to our fears.

Our need to justify to ourselves that what we eat is okay.

That we can continue business as usual even when our mental, emotional and physical health may be jeopardized.

What I learned

My moment in the magical land of Ronald really pressed my buttons about my own judgments and how I can improve myself.

In this way it has reaffirmed my choices.

I’ve realised I need to have compassion for my own health choices and just respond to them.

At the same time I need to respect the choices of others without judgment.

It also helped me become accepting of why the western world is so locked into its ways.

We’re afraid.

We FEAR change.

More than anything it’s inspired me to step through the fear of change I’ve been harboring in myself.

To me The Golden Arches was always an evil symbol of unethical, multi-national food monopolies dominating the world and our food markets.

Praying on the mental state of the population and their resulting eating habits.

(Which I still believe is true)

But now I also see it as a symbol of the necessity to BE the change.

Thanks Maccas, in a backward way my visit to your toilet has inspired me to improve my own diet which will ultimately change my life.

So let me ask you a question

Does the FEAR of change hold you back in business and life?

That fear does NOT attract health, wealth or wisdom.

You know that.

It doesn’t empower you to become your best, to follow your purpose and build the lifestyle you dreamed of.

You know that too.

It’s okay we’ve all felt it…

The question is…

How long do you want to put up with it sabotaging your decisions, your actions, your outcomes, your dreams for your business?!?

Or more to the point…

What are YOU going to do about it?!?

The Next Step

If you’d like to know how to step through your fears and into your true potential to achieve greater impact in business and life lets connect.

Just click the button below this post and book yourself in for a 10-15 minute phone/Skype chat.

Together we’ll rapidly achieve 3 things…

1. Discover your number one blocker to becoming your best self,

2. Identify the change that needs to take place in order for you to step into your true potential, and

3. Brainstorm the 3 actions-steps you can take now to back yourself with confidence and kick arse in 2018 and beyond.

Just click the button below.

All the best

Heath

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