A few weeks ago I shared with you the tale of our blocked toilet. If you have not yet read this piece of life-altering material than you can find it here.

The blockage is now thankfully clear but shortly after we had fixed the problem an emotional block that I was experiencing cleared too. I have read that emotional issues can be manifested in seemingly unrelated physical occurrences. For example your front door may be difficult to open, representing a problem that you have with ‘letting people in’ and making yourself vulnerable and open to other people. I am wondering if this is what had happened to me.

About the time that our toilet problem started to occur (which was several weeks before it became completely apparent) I had come up against some problems of a technical and practical nature in the setting up of my venture www.miss-best.com . It was a bit of a stinker at first (much like the first signs of our toilet issue) but I didn’t think it was going to be much of a problem. Well, it needn’t have been if I had just gotten on and tried to resolve it as soon as possible, but I sort of sat on it for a while (the problem, not the toilet!). I knew it would have to be dealt with eventually, but the more days that passed, the more of a block it had mentally created for me until about the time of the peak of the toilet blockage when I really felt I had ground to a halt. This had prompted me to question my ideas, my ability, commitment and enthusiasm to a point that it made me want to give up on the whole idea and go and work for McDonalds. Well, not really…I would never be that desperate. I would rather work as a go-go dancer than for that company. That place is the antithesis of my planned venture. I am hoping to inspire people to live a joyful and fulfilled life and to reach good health. I hope to promote earth, animal, body and soul friendly food and to choose respect over profit.

Image: stock xchng

Anyway, having almost giving up on my planned projects, one can say it left me with a sense of lacking purpose. But it took me a while to figure that out, and in the meantime I was going around with a confused question mark above my head. I knew something was up, so I decided to award myself a ‘free day’ to try and heal and figure out what was going on. So, on that day, instead of plowing on lovelessly with practical things, I stayed in bed.

I woke up without an alarm clock, trotted downstairs and made myself a yummy and healthy breakfast and a big pot of tea, and went back to bed where I allowed my thoughts to wonder freely as I stared at the ceiling, propped against a comfy cushion with a pile of books and notepads at my side. I wasn’t cured of my blockage immediately, but it treated my inner self to a restful day. A day that I prize more than a stay at a 5 star spa. (Why do we only allow ourselves to linger in bed when we are ill and not able to enjoy the experience as fully as we would do were we not coughing and sneezing or nursing a pounding head? It really is such a restorative and healing thing to do for ourselves – you should ask for a day in bed for your next birthday/anniversary/Mother’s day present. Find a nice distraction/minder for your little ones, turn off the phone, resist plugging in online, make a pot of tea/jug of juice or smoothie and just delight in your duvet enshrined paradise.)

But a couple of days ago, for no apparent reason, I felt inside of me an unblockage (and not in the bowel department either!) I suddenly saw my projects with rested eyes, and realised the potential that I have to create the life that I want to lead.

Since then I have resolved the initial problem that initiated this little diversion of mine which then opened up a new phase in my start-up plan. The seeds that I had sown have started to grow a little. Well, you can after all grow pretty flowers from a pile of shit. There I go again, I think I am getting a bit obsessed with toilets. Wonder what that is a sign of?

I invest a large proportion of my energy and resources into my health and well-being. I prioritize good quality, healthy, home made organic food over many things. I would rather forgo a few trips to the cinema/pub every month in favour of ensuring that what I eat makes me feel well, happy and healthy both physically and mentally.

Raw Vegan Cake (Image: Miss Best)

Much of what I read helps my personal growth, and I try to exercise and stretch regularly to keep myself in reasonable shape, and to avoid stiffness and back pain which I can get from sitting at a desk all day. (Notice the ‘try to’…there honestly are days when I can’t be bothered and so my little body scrunches up in to a crippled chair shape until I am literally forced to un-scrunch my self again with a brisk walk and some yoga!)

I know that not everyone has these priorities in life, which I respect. But also know that many people have looked at my lifestyle choice and wonder why I bother. I mean I do spend a silly amount on fresh, health giving food, I go without many things for sake of the environment, and I seriously narrow my job prospects for the sake of not working for obviously ‘evil’ companies that harm my health, the health of others, the environmental or animals.

I think that some doubt the usefulness of investing in their physical and mental health for the future. One person justified their lack of investment in their health by saying ‘Life’s too short – I could get run over by a bus tomorrow’. Indeed that is true, and we must live with this in mind. Not to be depressing, but we need to remind ourselves that life is short and the years tick by so quickly that if we don’t live the life we want to live now, then it may be too late.

But I am not just investing in my future I am investing in my now. If I eat non-supportive food today and don’t exercise for weeks then I feel the negative effects immediately; not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally. It’s not just about giving myself the best chance to avoid illness later in life. It still may happen, but if my todays are good then my tomorrows are more likely to be good too. If I have a clear mind (which eating mostly raw food and plenty of greens does indeed give me) I will more likely make better life choices today. Today is my future.

The ironic thing is that when this person told me that life was too short – that he might get run over by a bus tomorrow, so there was no point in stopping smoking – he was working as a cleaner in the office where I worked. My instant thought was: if this guy thinks he may die tomorrow then why the hell is he emptying bins and not living his life to the max spending time with his kids or fulfilling that dream he had always had?

I fully appreciate the commitment and challenges it takes to shift one’s life from a place of bad health to good health, but if we discover that the benefits will be felt immediately then perhaps we would be more motivated to make these changes. After all, someone may live a healthy life and feel great on a daily basis and still get seriously sick at age 80. Someone may abuse their body and mind with bad food, cigarettes and lack of self respect and live till they are 100, but every day might pass with them feeling low in energy, unenthusiastic, unhappy and with a foggy mind. Thinking short term and looking forward to a shift in our well-being in the immediate future may seem more motivating than doing it to prevent an unimaginable, bad thing that may or may not ever happen.

Personally, I know that if I am looking after my physical and mental health it gives me more clarity, strength, creativity and passion to get on with the things I really want to do in life. It’s an investment that gives amazing returns. So even if I end up having to empty bins to earn a living, at least I can do it with a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

I plan to write a blog post someday soon that tells my story. My life isn’t any more noteworthy than any one else’s – I haven’t been kidnapped by pirates, or walked across continents – but I do have a story that routes where I am today.

I haven’t always been transparent about my life. Not that I have lied about anything, but I haven’t really been very open or public when times have been dark. I just didn’t think that it was worth mentioning at the time. Everyone has their own issues.

But over the years I have come to the conclusion that we do need to tell our story, and be transparent about our lives.

One reason is so people can get a real perspective of who you are, what you are experiencing and how your life is. I have had a few people say to me over the years “Oh, you are so lucky”. And yes, I am blessed – we all are in some ways. But what they are envying by saying ‘you are so lucky’ wasn’t something that was handed to me on a plate, and not chewed without choking or burning myself.

I remember one time a friend had said something along the lines of ‘you are so lucky, I can’t imagine you having any problems’. She was at the time lacking self confidence about her physical appearance and perhaps wasn’t in the best place in her life for that moment. I had met her in a coffee shop and I was looking unusually sharp and well dressed. I was on my way after our meet-up to sign over the house I had bought the previous year. It had been a tough few months: I was living in a town I didn’t fit in, my dear sister (also my best friend) had recently moved back to the UK, leaving me almost alone in that foreign town, my darling cat had unexpectedly died, my house had been broken into twice, and I was going through a major shift in my life that left me feeling very alone and misunderstood. That day I had decided to pick myself up, put on a suit and start a new chapter. But she didn’t know that!

By being transparent (and by that I mean open, and not boring people to death with constant moaning without action to remedy your problems) not only can people learn from our experiences, but it also helps them feel less alone. They are not the only ones suffering, or finding life a challenge. And if they admire your life, they may feel inspired to see that you have actually had to work to get where you are at. Not just ‘born lucky”. Which means that they too have potential for great things.

A great example of this was when I read the blog of Selma Melngailis, co-author of Raw Food Real World, and owner of Pure food and Wine restaurant in NYC. Looking at the book, one can be led to believe that gorgeous Selma has a good life, with her equally gorgeous boyfriend/business partner, working with things she loves, surrounded by healthy raw food (and therefore has no problems with sticking to a healthy diet). But Selma’s blog revealed that her life was not quite like that. And indeed people had said to her ‘you have the perfect life’, not knowing of the issues she faced and the challenges she needed to overcome.

I certainly do not rejoice in other people’s suffering (far from it) but it is encouraging to know that we all have challenges to overcome, and that people we perceive as highly successful are still human. They do still have issues to deal with, and despite their success they can still be unsure of themselves and do appreciate to hear positive feedback on the work that they do.