Fit For Life: What’s Wrong With You?

Sunday, January 28, 2018
Matt Espeut, GoLocalPDX Health +Lifestyle Contributor

That’s a serious question, and I want you to think about it both literally and figuratively.

I was driving the other day, and as always, I was deep in thought, so I started getting analytical.

I live in a decent neighborhood but need to pass through some less desirable ones to get home so some of the buildings I pass by aren’t in the greatest condition. I see trash piled up in peoples’ yards, outdoor furniture strewn across snow covered lawns, siding and cable wires hanging off the sides of houses, and started saying to myself “What’s wrong with people, and why wouldn’t someone take a few hours to straighten things up and have they’re properties look nice?”

Then I said (to myself) “Who am I to decide what’s wrong?

And what is the true meaning of wrong?

Imperfect? Sub-par? Something that isn’t totally right?

Then I started thinking to myself AGAIN and determined that there is something wrong with all of us.

Whether it’s our personality, appearance, lack of discipline, failure to be organized, health, ability to do certain tasks efficiently, ability to communicate, bad relationships, ability to be nice to people, problems being punctual, our views on the world and the list goes on and on.

Hell, I can sit down and find a dozen things wrong with myself in a matter of minutes.

We all have problems, and we all have something wrong with us, so having the ability to recognize it, and having the will to fix things and make changes will determine how many things we make “right” in our lives.

Now I like to be positive and I have a saying “Seek solutions, don’t dwell on problems” but sometimes when you are caught up in the tornado, you don’t see the destruction it is causing. If you are unaware, or are in denial that things are wrong, they will go unsolved forever, therefore you need to acknowledge the problem before you can fix it.

What’s the problem?

Is physical? Are you tired and irritable all day long? Do you need a tub of coffee to make it through the day, then find it tough to fall asleep at night? Are you on more prescription drugs than you need to be? Has your weight spiraled out of control to the point you are uncomfortable looking at yourself in the mirror? Are you gassed out walking up a flight of stairs? Or is your problem as simple as organizing your day, so you have more time to yourself? Again, there is something wrong with all of us to a certain level and different people have different perspectives, but a few things aren’t negotiable. Wrong is wrong through all eyes.

What’s a priority to fix?

What’s important to some isn’t that important to others, and there are different levels of importance and urgency to fix certain things. All the things I listed in the first paragraph like trash in your yard etc. were just a gateway to my thoughts and wouldn’t be a priority if you are working 100 hours a week to put food on the table for your family. The issues that truly need fixing go far deeper than material stuff like that.

I was talking to a member the other day, and she was going through a rough patch with her being sick, then her son getting sick, amongst a host of other things that kept her away from her routine for a few days, and I was feeling bad that she had all this adversity creep up on her. Then she told me with a delightful smile on her face that she and her friend have a saying KIPKER.

It means Keep In Perspective Keep It Real. Meaning that she was not letting a few setbacks keep her down. Were there things wrong with her. Yes, but not due to anything she was doing wrong. Sometimes things are wrong with us and it’s out of our control. These are the things that we are aware of and the things that are front of mind and get fixed first. She rested, took care of her son, and for the time being she fixed the situation.

Being aware is the first step in problem solving.

It’s the things that we are doing wrong that we are not aware of that will never get fixed. That’s why it’s important to take an inventory and list the things wrong in your life, and work on making them right. I had a discussion with one of my team members the other day and was made aware that my communication skills need fixing. I have been aware of this for a while and have been conscious about trying to improve, so her statement made me more aware about specific things I could improve on, and from here on I will take her advice and change up my approach.

In conclusion

If you wake and sleep every day without stress and anxiety, have an upbeat mood each and every day, and coast through life with a constant smile, then you have found true bliss, and need not correct a single thing. However, if you are struggling in any area of your life from business to health to relationships to getting better grades in school, STOP! Get a pen and paper, find a quiet spot and ask yourself “What’s wrong with me”? Chances are that you will have a list that you can start taking action, prioritizing and making things “right” again for yourself.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years.