Ella noticed recently that her computer had been slowing down. She began timing it to see how long it took to open one simple window. Up to a minute. Who wants to wait for a minute? Not only did every window take longer to open, the computer sounded strained. Finally, she’d had enough of pointless waiting.
By right-clicking and surveying the properties tab she discovered several files contained excessive gigabytes. Ella records lots of conversations and meetings for reference when working on different projects. Sometimes to make room on her recording device, she’d offload the files to her computer.
The projects had been completed months ago, wasting valuable space. And since they no longer served a purpose. she began a long overdue purge. Through a careful search, she freed up almost 40 gigs of space. As a result, her computer began running more efficiently. Now when each project is complete, she regularly purges extraneous files.
Sometimes we can behave like an overloaded computer. We overwhelm our minds with a constant barrage of input. My dad used to say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” That means the input affects the output. That’s pretty much true of everything. Whatever goes into us, affects what comes out of us. If good goes in, good comes out.
What does this mean for you?
It’s easy to fall into a habit of just going with the flow. We get used to doing the same things and parts of our lives can get stuck on autopilot. If we’re not mindful, a lot of garbage can slip right past us. At first, we may not even notice it. Life would be simpler if we got an instant warning, “This input may be harmful to your system.”
Unlike a computer, we are not able to purge bad, useless or outdated information that doesn’t serve us anymore. When we lack energy, everything feels like a strain. If you’re feeling lethargic, downhearted or your energy has disappeared, begin looking at a few key entry points for possible “garbage in.” What’s going into your body?
What are you listening to?
Have you ever played music that gave you the jitters? Or made you feel angry or depressed? Some of us may have even played calming music for our children to help them go to sleep. Music has the power to deeply affect us. Pay close attention to your environment. I encourage you to discover music that makes you feel hopeful and energetic and listen to it more than music that sucks all the energy out of you.
What’s going into your mouth?
Feeding our bodies the wrong kind of fuel is like putting diesel fuel in our car. Gasoline engines can’t burn diesel fuel, so your car stops running. To repair it, the car would need the bad fuel to be drained out of the gas tank and fuel system. If your body is running on less than optimal food (fuel) you can feel chronically tired and irritable. And that’s just the beginning. Over the long haul, being fed the wrong kind of food and beverages sets the body up for a crash, just like an overloaded computer. By eating less processed food and drinks and opting for pure water and nutritious whole foods you”˜ll notice a shift in your energy levels and improved mental clarity. If you owned a pricey sports car would you fill your tank with cheap fuel? Your body is no different!
What are you watching?
Everything you see is going into your mind to be processed. Many people may disregard the effect that news reports can have on their day to day life. Have you ever heard a news story that bothered you all day long? Too much of the news focuses on the disheartening and depressing. Is that really how you want to start or end your day? If you must listen to the news, see how you can find a way to begin and end your day with something positive and upbeat. Maybe limit the amount of news you watch. If you don’t have to listen to the news, take a break from it for a week and notice the difference.
Do you have garbage sneaking its way into your life? Let us know what you found and how you dealt with it. See you next week!
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