If you were to put me on a TV show called "Life's Most Embarrassing Moments"- I know which moment tops my list.

It happened in the first gym class of my freshman year of high school. I asked the question, "What is a foul?" The question might as well have been "How do you tell time?" or "What is a boy?" At first the girls laughed, thinking I was kidding. Then they looked stunned, because I was serious. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Thankfully the coach of the team saw "potential" in me. Sophomore year I made the Junior Varsity, later the Varsity.

But I always remained the sixth woman. Sometimes I started, but I knew (and so did everyone else) that I wasn't a "starter". always felt second rate.

My conversations with myself didn't help much either. "...They've been playing and practicing for at least six more years than me. I'm a clutz trying to dribble. If only I were two inches taller, I might have an advantage."

The summer after high school I played with the guys in the neighborhood. At college, I played with the guys from the dorm next door. I blossomed. I played ball, fast and hard without negative, limiting self talk.

Six months after graduating, I went back to play in the alumni game, playing against the women I had just played with a few months before, I scored 26 points, stole the ball, got rebounds and assisted in a number of scoring plays.

In my head, the conversation sounded like this, 'I’ll show 'em how to play, I'll show 'em I not only know how to play, but that I'm good, really good. I can do it. My hands are quick, I'll steal this ball. I'm a natural jumper, I'll get this rebound. I've perfected my long shot --here comes 2.:. no problem."

My self talk sounded like night and day, didn't it. Do you think it affected my performance? You bet it did!

After the game, Mrs. B, the coach, came up to me with tears in her eyes. She said, "Katie, why didn't you play like that when you were on the team?" I just said, "You didn't let me."

Did my performance improve that much in six months? I don't think so. I think I finally gave myself permission to play ball and to excel. I let the top off my own box.

The lid came off as soon as I said "I can do it" and I acted on it.

Have you listened to yourself talking to yourself lately? What are you programming yourself for?

Programming yourself for "success" is too global. Let's narrow it down to programming yourself for vibrant health. Do you think of getting a physical when you want to measure your health? What about your emotional, spiritual, and financial health? What about the health of your interpersonal relationships?

Without physical health, it would be difficult to pursue other types of health. If you have a headache, it's hard to be patient. When your feet or back hurt, it' s hard to concentrate or to be creative.

Programming Yourself For Mental And Physical Health

Discipline is doing things that do not come naturally. Eating smart and exercising regularly takes a lot of commitment. Mental commitment is strengthened through self talk that is positive and empowering. Your commitment to physical and mental health is reflected in your attitudes and lifestyle choices.

If you value your physical health there are many small things you can do to enhance it.

Exercise, eat less fat, drink more water, get more sleep, find activities or quiet times that enable you to slow down, pray or meditate. Five to ten minutes a day is a great start.

Five minutes a day of reading about nutrition, positive ways of thinking, or writing in a gratitude journal will give you thirty-five minutes a week of healthier attitudes or information.

Five minutes a day equals eighteen hundred and twenty minutes a year. That's over thirty hours of life enhancing "stuff" a year!

In the next issue, we will look at specific suggestions for emotional, financial and spiritual health. These each significantly impact your physical health.

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