As I write this, we are in the midst of a government shutdown. To date, the United States has experienced eleven shutdowns, eight of which lasted five or fewer days. There are many, many times when I shake my head and wonder how politics have gotten to where they are today. Even when I was young, and paying little attention to politics, I remember noting politicians campaigning on issues and making promises that, once elected, got completely disregarded. It seemed odd to me that we, the American people, would tolerate such nonsense.
There is so much finger-pointing, blame, and name-calling between parties, and I am sure you are vested in one side or the other. But as a country, we all have to agree that our political system is a mess. The fact that we seem to regularly reach a point where our government is in such disarray that it actually has to shut down is crazy. This should be unacceptable. We should expect more from the so-called leaders of our country. And I’m talking about ALL politicians. We must demand more from this system as a whole.
It is easy in life for us to settle. We may eek through life at a job where we are treated unfairly or where our skills are heavily underutilized. We may carry around 20, 30, or 50 pounds of excess body weight, lack energy, and feel lousy. We may work paycheck to paycheck, struggling to accumulate enough wealth to be able to live more freely and with less stress. And we may tolerate friends and family that take too much, give too little, and continuously suck the life right out of us. The question to ask is why. Why do we tolerate so much? Why do we keep accepting such mediocracy in our lives?
A big part of the wellness lifestyle is demanding more. I’m not talking about being super frictional, difficult to be around, being overbearing, or pounding the table with your fist every time you don’t get your way, but at some point, saying enough is enough. We must adopt a higher standard in our lives… in all areas of our lives.
Isn’t it odd that we allow so many artificial and toxic ingredients in the foods we eat and feed to our children? Isn’t it strange that we continue to trust pharmaceutical companies despite their history of fraud, bribery, and misleading data? And aren’t you shaking your head when that contractor disappears for another week in the middle of your construction project, your so-called friend lets you down again and again, or your medical doctor fails to contact you with the results of that “urgent” blood test or scan?
I was at lunch with an older, wiser gentleman once, and the service was horrible. The waitstaff was inattentive, distracted, and mildly rude. There were mistakes with the food we ordered, and it took a very long time to get to the table. Our water glasses sat empty a few times, requiring us to ask for refills. When I noticed that he left a tip that was lower than the customary 20%, I commented on the disappointing service. He made the point that if he were to leave a good tip on such bad service, that it would reinforce that bad service and encourage more of it. By leaving a smaller tip, he said, he was telling the server that how they performed was unacceptable and not worthy of the customary 20%.
How often do you tip 20% on bad service? I know we do… a lot. Way too often. Why? Why do we accept mediocracy in life? Why do we tolerate bad service, empty promises, and false claims?
I say we work on stopping that. I believe we need to up our standards and demand more. If someone tells us they are going to do something, they need to be held accountable. If a business continues to fall short of what they promise, we need to choose another business. If your healthcare provider is rude, won’t answer your questions, is very hard to get in to see, or is not timely with providing you with your test results, you need to find a different provider.
If we continue to accept poor service, inadequate performance, and empty promises, we will get more of those very things. Obviously, we need to pick our battles, and we can demand more without being rude and obnoxious, but we deserve better.
You may not know what kind of service you’ll get when you sit down in a restaurant, you’ll likely get burned by a contractor on a future project, and we will surely continue to tolerate politicians that say one thing and do another. A lot of it is out of our control, and most of it will take time to overhaul, so a great place to start is with yourself. Start demanding more from you.
The biggest impact you can have, the place you can get the biggest return on your investment, is by improving yourself. Take care of yourself. Eat better foods and less of them. Move your body (exercise) regularly. Get adequate and higher quality sleep. Engage in more meaningful work. Embark on fulfilling experiences. And spend time with better people.
This is your life. Stop settling for so little… and start demanding more… more from others, but most importantly, from yourself.
