To Be Clear

My wife Jacky gently encouraged me, then strongly suggested to me, and finally - subtly and swiftly - started me on an anti-inflammatory diet. To be honest, just the idea of it seemed a bit inflammatory! But to her credit, and to my surprise, it’s been an eye opener, and the entire process has helped me see things with a new and healthier lens.

The Game On team and I have been focusing on the importance of “observing with clarity”, and how it can impact our approach to presentation and public speaking skills training. Little did I know this anti-inflammatory diet can be part of that process, can help play an important role in that journey, and can be a guiding light in our noble pursuit for all of us to present well and observe with clarity.

To be clear, as I committed to this new plan, my eyes were not only opened to all the processed food I consumed and all the unnecessary fillers I took in, but after my body and mind adjusted and things began to take shape, re-shape and change shape, what happened next was far beyond a change in my diet. The fog began to lift, and my vision became a bit clearer. When all that was inflammatory in my diet was removed, what came to light for me was how much all the processed stuff and all the unnecessary additives can seriously and powerfully affect our critical thinking, decision making, thought process, how we see ourselves, and how we see the world.

With this sharper lens, what if we looked a little closer and identified and acknowledged a few of the inflammatory things in our lives? Not just the sugar, not just the processed cheese, not just the pervasive white bread. What if we looked at our lives and did our best to remove, avoid, or at the very least, minimize some of the inflammatory thoughts, interactions, conversations, behaviors, relationships? Imagine starving those things that don’t serve us or others well, and instead, feeding that which is good.

It’s not just what we eat and drink. We should all take stock in the information we consume. We could do better to moderate the television, movies, social media, sports, entertainment, and general content we take in. We could benefit from better measuring the inflammatory behavior from ourselves and others that we digest on the daily. It’s all around us, and if all of it, or most of it, or even some of it is inflammatory, our clarity in what we think, observe, take in, and do, will be affected…subtly and swiftly moving us from consumer to consumed.

I don’t just gently encourage us - but to borrow from my wife’s cookbook - I strongly suggest we get started (or continue if you’re already doing it) on a commitment to ourselves and others to minimize the inflammatory, and be more intentional about consuming well. It may feel bland at first, but with a little seasoning, flavoring, spice, and discipline, I promise you in due time you won’t miss all that processed stuff. In fact, you may find your body, mind, and soul will begin to crave that which is authentic, healthy, natural, and good…all with a renewed sense of clarity. Bon appétit.

Inflammation Off. Clarity On.