Mind Body Spirit: Are You Speaking to These?

The mind body spirit connection is an integral part of who we are as humans. When you can speak to all three, you will be able to move many in your audience to action.

In reality, the three need to be in balance, as if on a wheel or flat disk balanced from the center.

When we think of balance, often what comes to mind is sea-saw or balancing scales. The mind body spirit balance is is not this or that.

One of the challenges those in the audience who are enablers will face is not just seeing things as either or.

The balance we need in our lives is like a giant wheel or flat disk, balanced in the center. Circling the center of the wheel or disk are all the things that fill our lives. What needs to be part of the balance is the mind body spirit aspect of our lives.

Often times, the mind body spirit are out of balance.

Only when the mind, body and spirit along with the other things (job, family, recreation, relaxation, sleep, eating, socialization, loving relationships, nurturing, possessions) are in balance can we have our optimal health and the best life we can have.

The challenge to get there for most is not simply telling people they need balance. We need to be told how to easy to accomplish, sustainable steps.

People often cannot or do not want to handle complicated and challenging.

I saw this aptly illustrated. I do not know where it came from. I have modified the illustration and use the ping pong ball rice illustration when I speak on the topic of holistic health or speaking of health and balance. This is an integral part of my holistic nursing practice and when speaking to audiences. It works.

Feel free to use the mind body spirit illustration part of this for your audience. Please kindly give attribution.

The Ping Pong Ball Rice Mind Body Spirit Illustration

With a quart jar, I pour in some rice. The rice fills the jar about half way. Then I explain the rice is the myriads of things we have to do every day of our lives. The things we do with out even giving any thought because we feel we have to do them.

Next I try to put in 5 ping pong balls. Obviously, they will not fit.

Now, lets try this different. Lets put the most important things first. After getting the audience or the family or the patient to identify the most important things in their life (it has to be their idea, thought or concept and they have to own it). The ping pong balls represent each of these important most things.

One is diet, one is exercise, one is our mind and one is our spirit (explaining the difference and how to fill the needs of each). There is a fifth for their choice. It could be love, family or what ever.

When it comes down to it, with out each of these, we would not be able to do the myriads of things. No health, no work. If you loose your mind, you cannot enjoy the stuff you have filled your life with. We need to care for the five to have the best enjoyment and accomplishment of the others.

Placing the ping pong balls in the empty jar and pouring the rice in, there is always enough room for both. Once they see this, I ask which of the ping pong balls do they feel is most important to start with first.

Which ever they say, we come back to the balancing wheel. All are important or there would not be enough room to fit the others in once we start filling our lives with the rest of the stuff we have to do.

Easy, Sustainable Change

So, rather than trying to do all completely, I encourage taking baby steps with each of the five every day.

For the body, starting with a glass of water every day within 20 minutes of getting up. They do this for 30 days before getting the next task to do. For the mind, rather than listening to the radio on the way to work, listen to a self help tape / DVD from the library. And so on. Something easy and sustainable that they will do for the rest of their lives.

On mastering the basics, they can more abundantly fulfill each of the five. They start to learn the importance of mastering the care for their mind, body and spirit.

On taking care of these, they see benefit. On seeing real benefit, they want more and are ready to do what it takes to better care for their mind body spirit.

Inspire Beyond the Mind Body Spirit in your public speaking.

Go to Speechmastery.com: Mind Body Spirit: Are You Speaking to These Resource

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