Vegan Fitness Girl's 3 Keys To Overcoming Any Obstacle In Life By Jeff Sekerak

A great girl-friend of mine who's also a vegan fitness star, yoga-practitioner, and writer, just told me her true story of dealing with her extended family while maintaining her plant-based lifestyle. None of her family with the exception of her daughter are vegans. And she's maintained a strict diet with absolutely zero animal 'foods' for nearly three years now.

Her decision has led to numerous uncomfortable encounters with her family; ideological arguments, disagreements about what is a proper diet for children, as well as simple things like how to handle family events when one family member is vegan and the rest are not.

The latest 'uncomfortable encounter' came as a result of my friend's declining to attend a family function. The function was held at a restaurant that specializes almost exclusively in meat-based dishes. She did not attend for two reasons. One, she did not want to see her family consume animal fare. And two, she does her absolute best NOT to patronize establishments that serve it.

Several of her family members took her refusal to attend the event as an insult. They seem, still, weeks after the event is over, to be waiting for an apology from my vegan fitness friend.

None has been forthcoming. Why? Well, therein lie the 3 keys to overcoming any obstacle you may face in life; and coming out a winner. Here they are:

First, be willing to accept the consequences when you choose to stand for something; because the mass of Men do not. Most men and women, as Thoreau stated, 'live lives of quiet desperation.' Why? When things get uncomfortable, they are, almost always, more than willing to sacrifice their beliefs and ideals to 'keep the peace'---especially, in my experience, when it comes to disagreements within the family structure. It's so much easier to NOT stand for what you believe in, when your beliefs contradict those of other family members.

She chose to stand by her vegan ideals, in this case; to the dismay of several to whom she's very close. But would they respect her in the long run, if she chose NOT to live by the ideals in which she so firmly believes? Likely not. She has accepted the fact that not everyone will be happy with you when you choose to take a stand on a controversial issue. Do the same, in similar situations and not everyone shall like you. But they'll learn to respect you. And without respect, can there be love? I doubt it!

Second, redirect your focus. She is already helping others who've had similar issues within their own families. She's developing a product designed to bring together vegans from all over the world, so that they are not alone in situations like this one. Instead of dwelling on her family issues, she's now focused on productive activities that reinforce her identity and ideals; a much better solution than complaining, doing nothing, or attempting a 'half-hearted,' unnecessary apology to 'keep the peace.' Redirect your focus to productive activity when facing any challenge. Do this and your mental outlook will immediately get better. And you'll likely help others you'd never have met along the way.

Third, move your body. Moving your body with vigorous exercise is often far more effective than sitting around, thinking about the 'why's and wherefore's' of a given challenge. In this case, my friend chose to reinforce her vegan fitness ideals, this time, by going for a great, hard run on the beach! This one is just minutes from the hotel in which we're at, on a short vacation. When she returned from that run, she told me she felt so much better; not just physically, but mentally.

Tough workouts have that effect on you. Everything in life seems to take on less 'weight,' after you've just finished a workout that challenges you to the core! Try it yourself and you'll immediately see that this is true.

So there you have it folks. My great vegan fitness girl-friends' three keys to overcoming any obstacle you may face in life. One, be willing to accept the consequences when you choose to stand for an ideal. The 'mass of Men' do not! Two, redirect your focus to productive actions that support your ideals and identity. And three, move your body with vigorous exercise; you'll feel better right away!

Try these, the next time life seems to have 'pushed you into a corner.'
You'll come out a winner. Guaranteed.

Jeff Sekerak

Jeff Sekerak is a former Alaskan Commercial Fisherman, and fast-food addict, turned 'Super-Fit Vegan.' He is the author of the book/DVD, The Super-Fit Vegan: Raw Plant Foods and Body-Weight Exercise for Natural Beauty, a Lean Athletic Body, and Life-Long health, From the Inside Out. Sign up for great, informative, useful blog updates on the 'super-fit vegan' lifestyle, at http://thesuperfitvegan.com Plus, read Jeff's current blog posts at http://thesuperfitvegan.com/blog (he's got a TON of great, free info there right now!)
*copyright 2012, Jeff Sekerak, all rights reserved. Consult your doctor before engaging in any diet or exercise program.

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