Introduction: A Large number of Laws
Most educated people have heard of God's laws (contentious, confusing, conflicting and confounding), the law of Gravity, the law of Thermodynamics, the law of the Land, Parkinson's law, Murphy's law and so on. Most are named after the author of a succinct observation described by the law. Laws range from A (i.e., Aitken's law - describes how vowel length is conditioned by environment) to Z (Zipf's law - a linguistic observation a few words are used often but most are used rarely).
Because the wellness field grows and evolves, perhaps it's time for a REAL wellness law-or many such laws. In that case, you will want to associate as much as possible with one's own name?
Grandiose, perhaps, but when I don't take action, another person surely will and see your face just might produce a mess of it. Wellness in corporate America and elsewhere in the world is described and presented in wildly inappropriate and dysfunctional ways; you will want to eradicate the babble with a few transformative REAL wellness laws? Such laws, should they sound right and lead humanity to sounder thinking, might well contribute modestly to improved health and life outcomes.
In addition, one does not need to formulate a law that's named in his/her honor as well as be aware of a law to be suffering from and to live relating with it. We've all complied with Galileo and Newton's laws about gravity, well before we became alert to them.
Anyone who would like a law to bear his or her name should present some credentials. Mine are modest, simple but adequate for the honor. Around this writing, I've written 15 books, posted well over one thousand essays at Seekwellness.com/wellness, 74 eight to twelve-page hard copy wellness reports commencing in 1984, 657 weekly electronic REAL wellness newsletters, at least one thousand lecture presentations in a dozen countries while spending 43 years (since 1970) dreaming concerning the methods to and odds of vastly improved environments and cultures for greater health and happiness.
That has resulted in this moment-the time when I offer the universe Ardell's two laws of REAL wellness.
Ardell's 1st Law of REAL Wellness: Random Chance, Natural Selection and Contingencies Trump All Else
Life's largest events often follow random, seemingly inconsequential small actions which we remain unaware.
Secular rational freethinkers place stock in knowledge, commitment, reason and persistence in shaping and fine-tuning lifestyle habits. We embrace perspectives and behaviors on matters existential and otherwise designed to render positive states of enjoyment and well-being. We consciously seek happiness, freedom, physical fitness, love, mutually satisfying relationships and multiple skills. What matters most, what affects our successes and outcomes, appears pretty much to be under our field of control. Alas, this functional and preferred way of thinking is basically illusory. You can find three a lot more consequential realities not under your influence in any way. Furthermore, these three factors render the product quality and duration of one's existence unpredictable and unknowable. They're: 1) random chance or fortune; 2) natural selection; and 3) contingencies.
Ardell's 2nd Law of REAL Wellness: Relative to Ardell's 1st Law of REAL wellness, other REAL wellness laws don't amount to much.
Considering the immense black hole power of the initial law, additional such laws play a moderate role in efforts to shape life quality and longevity.
But, that doesn't obviate the case for added laws of REAL wellness. The fact is that all of the eponymous laws on the books are useless to the majority of people but are yet of interest and even great for a few. I'm within my eighth decade; I'm not alert to any special occasion when I could have benefited from an awareness of Aitken's law or Zipf's law. I heard of neither until I started the research because of this essay. Ditto a lot of other laws.
Relative to the very first law above, this law and the ones that follow don't amount to much. Nevertheless, I hereby offer a few more, just the same. They can't hurt.
Ardell's 3rd Law of REAL Wellness: Finding your passion is fine but keep going-become great at it.
Since few people enjoy royal lineage or handsome trusts that assure first-class travel in life with little if any dependence on labor, we must choose trades of sorts to cover our way through life. Thus, we are a good idea to adopt a long-term goal of studying and laboring at a trade that'll prove enjoyable and satisfying, in addition to properly remunerative.
When this challenge is met, your way of earning a living won't look like work.
Thus the 3rd law - master a passion. Start by following varied interests and, after years and years or even decades of trial and error, settle into one of them, immersing yourself in it.
Be somewhat realistic but guard against premature realism-while not everybody can get elected, take the movies or play in the NBA or NFL, a select few can. Focus about what excites talents and gifts. Put in the time necessary to qualify for Carnegie Hall (i.e., practice, practice, practice-take account of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours rule).
The target here is that sooner or later in your career somebody, somewhere, for the right or strange reason, can pay you to accomplish everything you enjoy doing-because you're so spectacular at whatever it is you have honed to a level of artful mastery.
Robert Frost expressed the notion of this law in his poem "Two Tramps in Mud Time:"
My goal in life would be to unite my vocation
with my avocation.
As my two eyes make one in sight.
For only where love and need are one
And work is play for mortal stakes
May be the deed ever really done
For heaven's and future's sake.
Ardell's 4th Law of REAL Wellness: Easier to chase after fun than to flee from pain.
Forget a whiff of prevention. Which could indeed be worth a pound of cure, but a grain of REAL wellness may be worth a huge amount of prevention. Prevention is so old school-it's vintage medical thinking focused upon avoiding negative outcomes. Furthermore, there's no fun in working whilst not to have an adverse outcome.
Rather than preventing something, pursue very good results via proactive initiatives that amuse and satisfy. REAL wellness initiatives guided by reason, exuberance, athleticism and liberty are more likely to be exciting and enjoyable. Such efforts will reinforce good intentions far a lot more than hanging around for negative states not to occur as a result of preventive strategies!
Naturally, SOME prevention is good. Contraceptive prevention is good, disease prevention is good-you get the idea.
Ardell's 5th Law of REAL Wellness: Scrutinize the role you played in any scene, good or bad, and make adjustments.
Make personal responsibility your default setting. Yes, initially it is simpler, cheaper and more convenient to blame, excuse, deny and/or ignore responsibility than to embrace it. Such are the current default settings in many cultures, including our own. In the long or even medium range, however, it is healthier, more satisfying and more efficient to assume at least some degree of responsibility. This method allows you to make adjustments independent of actions by others. Your personal actions are the surest steps to supporting your interests. DUI
Ardell's 6th Law of REAL Wellness: Dead, bloated rhino equivalents are the staff of life.
All aspects of REAL wellness aren't likely to be equally essential for everyone. We're all quite different in so many ways, though we are alike in many ways, as well. But, our circumstances, resources, capacities and such vary significantly. Among the most important elements for enjoying life ought to be the connection with plentiful, an energetic interest in and life-long openness to new meanings and a commitment to and maintenance of an incredibly fit body.
Therefore, in addition to mastering an understanding and acceptance of the reality of Ardell's 1st Law of REAL Wellness, produce a point of always trying to appear on the bright side of life. If the latter seems difficult, take comfort from what expressed by the mother of Woody Allen's character in Annie Hall. Having just read that the universe is expanding, Allen's character laments that he's too worried to accomplish his homework. "Someday it'll break apart and that could be the end of everything."
"But," his Mother snaps, "you're in Brooklyn! Brooklyn is not expanding."
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