I just graduated a couple of weeks ago from a truly extraordinary year long program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and am now a Certified Holistic Health Coach. IIN is the cutting-edge leader in holistic nutrition education, and the largest nutrition school in the world. Through IIN, I studied all the dietary theories from Eastern to Western, ancient to modern, traditional to innovative ~ learning to integrate traditional nutrition philosophies with the most current health concepts.
We learned from the nation’s leading health and wellness authorities, including Andrew Weil MD, Barry Sears PhD, Mark Hyman MD, David Wolfe, and Deepak Chopra MD to name just a few. I really love that the school teaches bio-individuality, which takes in to account that one person’s food is another person’s poison. There is no one “right” way of eating, so my job as a health counselor is to work with individuals by guiding them to discover the healthiest food and lifestyle choices for them.
What I love most is that IIN bridges the gap between nutrition and personal growth by teaching a concept called Primary Food. Healthy relationships, regular physical activity, fulfilling careers and a spiritual practice all nourish our souls and satisfy our hunger for living. With this in mind, the food we eat becomes Secondary. Because while the food we eat plays a critical role in our health and happiness, food can fill us, but it cannot fulfill us!
Throughout the entire school year, I felt my core values and beliefs were re-affirmed time and again, and it was the most rewarding experience. In my last blog post I shared a great tool called Think Right Now that I find to be an amazingly effective combination of affirmations, meditation and psychotherapy all rolled in to one 30 minute a day at-home practice.
So knowing I’m a huge fan of affirmations, it felt natural to share the incredibly powerful and purposeful affirmation that I was left with in my final week at IIN. Our guest lecturer was a very accomplished and inspiring woman, Terri Kennedy PhD, and when she read this affirmation, or pledge, it resonated with every cell of my being.
I immediately ordered her book, The Power Living Pledge, and as I read it I felt like I was reading my personal mission statement for how I choose to live my life, and what I hope to inspire in others! Her “Power Living” Practice is a systematic approach to becoming conscious and living from self-awareness and self-control.
And this is what I blog about ~ making Conscious Choices so that we can truly live and experience life to the fullest! Kennedy says that the ultimate goal of Power Living is to get in the habit of consciousness and action …. and I couldn’t agree more! 
“Power Living is being spiritually connected, mentally focused, physically energized, emotionally engaged, and environmentally supported. It is a way of being that allows life to flow. It is committing your energy to what you care about on a day-to-day basis.”
The practice is guided by Five Principles, each of which represents the five dimensions, which are all inter-related:
1. Live on Purpose (spiritual)
2. Tune your Mind to the Positive (mental)
3. Honor Your Body (physical)
4. Be a Humble Warrior (emotional)
5. Sanctify your Surroundings (environmental)
The bottom line is, if you are NOT currently living a powerful and purposeful life, it is because you are blocking the flow of energy along one or more of these dimensions.
Kennedy shares that Power Living is about knowing who you are and what you value, and then organizing your life around it ~ from what and when you eat, what you do for work, the relationships you choose to surround yourself with, to how you communicate with yourself and others.
It’s about living on Purpose, not just with Purpose.
With this in mind, I want to now share with you The Power Living Pledge. I have been reading it every morning and evening (it seriously takes 30 seconds of your time!), as a promise to my Self to live a powerful and purposeful life each and every day. As I mentioned, this pledge felt like the epitome of what I’m all about and what my work as a Holistic Health Counselor is all about, and so I’m excited to share that with you! You can learn more about my practice at my new website, Conscious Choices Wellness.
Enjoy!
The Power Living Pledge
I live on Purpose every day;
I look to my Creator to show me the way.
I choose thoughts that nurture my mind;
I eliminate views that are negative and unkind.
I honor my body as the temple of my soul;
I choose foods that are nourishing and whole.
I serve my Self, and others with Love;
showing gratitude to my Source above.
I seek order, simplicity and peace,
creating space for my blessings to increase.
I choose wisely in all I do, prioritizing
my energy to live authentically and true.
I pursue every task with conviction;
I view unconscious inaction as an affliction.
I am fully Present, living as if,
this is the last day for me to enjoy my Gift.
I take time to Pause and Play,
giving balance and joy no delay.
I live these power-filled principles every day;
I do my best to get out of the way!
Purposeful and Powerful, indeed!
Kennedy continues the book by explaining each of the 10 affirmation statements in the pledge through discussions on Clarity, Focus, Energy, Gratitude, Simplicity, Choice, Action, Presence, Balance and Faith, and offers questions for journaling so you can fully sink in to your true Purpose and Self.
It is a short and sweet read, yet so perfect that I’ve incorporated this in to my gift package for my clients. It was such a wonderful way to complete my school year ~ the greatest affirmation of my mission and vision in life. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you feel that your friends and followers would enjoy it, you can use the social sharing buttons at the top of the post to pass it along.
With Purpose,
