Are you being medicated?

Neil StraussAdvice

For Father’s Day, I took my son to the Great Wolf Lodge water park near Los Angeles.

And one thing I noticed was that the place was filled with candy stores and fast food restaurants for the kids…

And for the adults, there were bars serving alcohol…

And I realized that, from the moment you can walk, you start getting medicated…

Candy, cake, and sweets as a child.

Alcohol as an adult.

And processed food all the way though.

What does it mean to be medicated?

To be in an altered state; stupefied; disconnected from the present, yourself, others, and nature.

So, make an inventory of your habits and routines, and ask yourself about each thing you see, eat, or use.

Is this thing serving you?

Or is it medicating you?

At a gut level, you’ll know the answer to this question.

You can rationalize that eating ice cream is good for you because it brings you joy. But, deep down, you know it’s unhealthy for you.

You can tell yourself that frozen yogurt covered with toppings is making a healthier choice, but deep down you know it’s still junk food. (Fact: Most frozen yogurt has more sugar than ice cream.)

Imagine what your life would be like if you kept all the things (and people) that served and supported you, and removed all the things and people that medicate and harm you.

Sounds simple. But it isn’t.

So I’m not going to tell you to just stop wasting your time, lowering your well-being, and destroying your health on all the things that are bad for you.

Medication is extremely hard to stop.

So for today, just try to find a way to recognize it.

And then start slowly detoxing from it.

It won’t be easy.

But it will be worth it in the end.

Once you notice how good you feel without them, you’ll never want to go back.

One more thing:

Congrats to all those who made the Society International’s Deep Inner Game intensive last week. I’ll send an email next week on a big epiphany we all had: The 51 Percent Rule.

What I love about these Intensives, besides the deep spirit of friendship and support, is that I’m there to get you to do the work. And then to guide you through it and give you feedback. Less lectures means more transformation.

THE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL is a group of motivated leaders that I personally mentor, who share a common determination of helping each other reach their goals.