I  have had a little fun lately sharing this cute story, so I thought I would share it with you. 

A young woman went to her doctor complaining of pain. “Where are you hurting?” asked the doctor.

“You have to help me, I hurt all over,” said the woman.

“What do you mean, all over?” asked the doctor. “Be a little more specific.”

The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, “Ow, that hurts.” Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, “Ouch! That hurts, too.” Then she touched her right earlobe, “Ow, even that hurts,” she cried. 

The doctor looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and asked, “Do you think you may have a broken your finger?”

As I begin to set and perhaps reassess my intentions for the New Year, I try to remember that the issues I care to address may not be defined by what I believe they are.

At Natural Awakenings magazine, we continually share a wealth of resources, tools and inspiration that help to create the life we envision, but the possibility of optimal wellness has moved to a whole new level with functional medicine. With all that we are able to discover via blood, gene and gut assessments, there are new possibilities to treat and even eradicate health issues and chronic disease at our fingertips. (literally, if you are having a blood test). With new discoveries being made every day, healthcare and medical professionals are able to get to the root cause of diseases. This, combined with knowledge the individual’s own metabolic and bioavailability to heal, allows functional medicine doctors to fine-tune a personal wellness path designed specifically for that person.

As health care begins to open these new doors and discover these new frontiers, we may be doing away with our present views to adopt a fresh new look at the possibilities.  I recently discovered the concept and value of being a “possibilist”, verses an optimist, or even pessimist. When I embraced the term, I learned it means to recognize that all possibilities exist, although they may not yet be manifested. A possibilist believes that opportunities can be assessed and brought to life. Anything’s possible if you believe it to be so. As my son shared that his creed is the opposite of “Seeing is believing;” he says instead, “Believe it and you will see it,” which means we must be willing to be possiblilist.

I invite you to join me to become a possiblist today. As you begins to set your intentions for the coming year, take a moment to dream of the possibilities —know it is possible and never stop believing. 

Happy New Year!  

Scott & Daralyn