Do you have more influence than you think? by Dr Gary Leong

Ride to Life: a no-nonsense program for breaking your family’s cycle of obesity and connecting to a healthier, happier life.

An extract from the book by Dr Gary Leong. See https://2020familyhealthchallenge.com

Stage 12 – The future’s bright: dreaming big and creating a new reality

It can be very easy to get bogged down in everyday life. When problems become overwhelming and it’s hard to see beyond the day ahead, let alone the week; we lose sight of the fact that there is more to life than our problems.

We live in a world where it can feel like external influences, such as our social peers (the Jones’), media (especially social media), celebrities and global challenges (for example, terrorism, climate change, the obesity epidemic and addiction in all its forms) dictate our lives. It’s human nature to be concerned, however, these influences distract and take us away from ourselves and what’s really important for us and our family to be healthy and happy. Focusing externally, we lose sight of our own core values and the compass that directs us to the best (and healthiest) pathway for us.

In this stage, we will:

• Explore the idea that there’s value in having a dream (or two) for you, your child and your family.
• Present the idea of the field of possibilities and how you can integrate this into your life in small ways.
• Start the process of imagining a more fulfilling and purposeful life for you and your family.

Everybody’s got a dream…even if it’s buried a little deeper than we’d like

By looking inward, we can reflect on the things that are important to us. Internal reflection is important because:

• Without this reflection you don’t have clarity about where you are now and where you’d like to go.
• Everybody needs a dream to inspire and give them hope and purpose.
• By having a dream, no matter how big or small, and pursuing it, you become a leader within your own family, setting an example for your children and all in your family to follow. What an inspiration!

I want to remind you not to underestimate the power you have to inspire your children and become the most important role model in their lives. I also want to remind you of my earlier statement around external role models. I see many parents looking to other people to be the important influences in their children’s lives. While others do have a role, by comparison to the influence you can have, just because you’re present every day in their lives, you have the potential to be the strongest and most effective and important role model for them.

To help you and your child formulate your child’s “dream” take inspiration from these wonderful children’s books I recommend to my clients written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara.

“Little People Big Dreams” at https://littlepeoplebigdreams.com/ is a wonderful collection of inspiring stories of a child’s dreams that led that child to become a famous and world-changing adult.  Highlighted in these  books are musicians, artists, sports people, human right activists, including our own Evonne Goolagong, Australia’s first indigenous Wimbledon tennis champion.

These incredible biographical story books describe how the power of a nurturing and caring adult can propel a small child to follow their dream, forever changing that little person’s life to discover their life purpose. 

To obtain the Ride to Life book go to https://2020familyhealthchallenge.com