• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
    • Our Advertisers
  • Distribution Locations
  • Past Issues

The Denver North Star

Your Guide to Community, Politics, Arts and Culture in North Denver

Hot off the Presses!
Check out the Feb 15 – March 14 issue here.

  • Community
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Arts
  • Dining
  • Community Calendar
  • Become a Member

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Wellness

July 14, 2020 By Erika Taylor 1 Comment

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” 

-Margaret Thatcher

The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776. We think of this as the birthday of our nation. But the story of our nation’s quest for freedom is a long, winding one. And, it’s not over. 

Yes! I know that by the time you read this, Independence Day will have long passed. And I also know that this is a wellness column and not a history one. But history can teach us some pretty powerful lessons about human nature and how we might better pilot out human bodies. Let’s look back so we can move forward.  

In the early morning hours of April 19th, 1775 the first shots of the American Revolution were fired, bringing to a head tensions that had been brewing for months. When the Founders gathered to adopt the Declaration, America had been at war for over a year. After the signing and delivering of the Declaration to King George III, the war raged on for 7 more years. Peace talks finally started in April of 1782, but took another 18 months to conclude.

Human history is a poignant reflection of human nature. Change happens through a combination of revolutionary moments and tiny incremental steps. Like our nation’s, our wellness path doesn’t start with the declaration of our intention to travel it. It doesn’t end with our establishing wellness practices or any of the stumbles we take along the way. In fact, not unlike America’s struggle for independence, this path doesn’t end.

If we build it well, it is a path we can enjoy travelling for the rest of our lives. And like the path our nation is still on,  it starts with assessing and evaluating where we stand today. In so many cases it is the prejudices we hold, habits we accept as given, and lifestyle choices we fail to even notice we are making that hold us back. 

And as Buckmisnter Fuller said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Once we have a clear picture of where we are, we can build those habits and practices that make up our new models. 

So how do we discover where we are and stay committed to travelling the path we build?

If eating better is on your list, you must know what you are eating currently – so, a food log. If developing deeper connections with your village is on your priority list, you must look at how you currently connect. One of the most effective exercises I do with my clients is to make three lists. 

  • Words you use to describe yourself.  (Without judgement or self-editing.) 
  • Words others use to describe you. 
  • Words you hope folks will say at your funeral.

Circle the words on the first two lists that make your heart sing. These can be the stepping stones in building your path. They are your current reality. And if there are words on the last list that don’t appear on the first two, you know where you want your path to lead. Knowing this can help keep you moving along your path even when it is hard.

 “There’s nothing wrong in suffering, if you suffer for a purpose. Our revolution didn’t abolish danger or death. It simply made danger and death worthwhile.” -H. G. Wells

Once the vision of the new models are discovered, voicing them out loud to our village and accountability partners mirrors the signing of the Declaration we celebrate this month. It is not the first step, it is not the last step.  So today and everyday, not just July 4th, let’s celebrate our nation, our neighborhoods and ourselves for being willing to look at where we truly are and embrace new behaviors and attitudes. Because if we are willing to do the work: we can get well, feel well and live well. ALL of us can. Happy, happy independence days.

Erika Taylor is a community wellness instigator at Taylored Fitness, the original online wellness mentoring system. Taylored Fitness believes that everyone can discover small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant, and that it is only possible to do our best work in the world if we make a daily commitment to our health. Visit facebook.com/erika.taylor.303 or email erika@tayloredfitness.com

Filed Under: Community Voices, Health, Taylored Fitness, Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ardith Mendell says

    July 19, 2020 at 10:28 am

    Thanks Erika, for another great article! Lots of food for thought in this one.😁

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates about The Denver North Star, your new guide to community, politics, arts and culture in North Denver.

Community Events

The Denver North Star community calendar is coming back! We’ve updated our form to better accept physical and virtual events, as well as to collect additional information possible attendees would like to know.

Please use our new form to submit your event!

Mar 02 2021

West Highland Neighborhood Association Monthly Meeting

Mar 02 2021

Chaffee Park Neighborhood Association Monthly Meeting

Mar 06 2021

HD4 Democrats Monthly Meeting

Mar 09 2021

HUNI Planning and Community Development Meetings

Mar 11 2021

Sunnyside United Neighbors Planning and Community Development Monthly Meeting

No event found!
Load More

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Keep Up With Us

The Denver North Star

Recent Comments

  • RaLonda on Council Approves Group Living Revisions 11-2
  • Dan Shah on Hope Shines on West Colfax in Post Pandemic Era
  • Leslir on Closing the Curtains: Denver Puppet Theater Closes Down
  • Joseph Fanganello on Reflections on Black History Month
  • Terri T on Highlands’ Frances Hart encourages: “Take Care of Each Other”
  • Laura Avant on Why the DCTA Supports Group Living
  • Mimi Pockross on More Than Names and Dates: Local Historians Build Community

Our Columnists

  • Educator and mom Jill Carstens writes about parenting in her column, Letters from Miss Jill.
  • Librarian Hannah Evans discusses great reads in her Checking Out: Book Reviews column.
  • Dennis Gallagher tells all in his column, Shaping Our Future by Remembering Our Past.
  • Erika Taylor advocates for community wellness in her Taylored Fitness columns.
  • Kathryn White focuses on issues of interest to older adults in her column, The Gray Zone.
  • District 1 Community Resource Officer Bob Anderson focuses on public safety issues in his monthly column.

Our Archives

  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019

All Categories

  • Arts and Culture
  • Cannabis
  • Checking Out Book Reviews
  • Community
  • Community Voices
  • Coronavirus News
  • Denver North Star News
  • Dining
  • Editorial
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Featured
  • Globeville
  • Guest Column
  • Health
  • Legislature
  • Local Dining
  • Opinion
  • Parenting
  • Politics
  • Public Safety
  • Shaping Our Future by Remembering Our Past
  • Student Voices
  • Taylored Fitness
  • The Gray Zone
  • Transportation
  • Uncategorized

Copyright © 2021 · All Rights Reserved