BARRY LEARNS HOW TO EAT AN ELEPHANT...
Barry - a company director for the past twelve years - was
sitting in my office doing his best not to look like a
frightened man. Aged 48, Barry had suffered a mild heart attack
six months ago and was terrified that he would soon be
experiencing another terrifying episode. His difficulty was that
while he had been given plenty of advice from the health care
experts, he was finding it difficult to put into practice.
Barry admitted that he was a poor patient - and that he had
never done much to look after his health. A stressful working
life, combined with a love of junk food, cigarettes and whisky
had all taken their toll - but even knowing the risk to his
life, Barry was finding it hard to quit all his bad habits.
Feeling overwhelmed with the changes he needed to make, Barry
had simply given up - and felt resigned to the inevitable health
problems that lay ahead. Wisely, Barry realised that he wasn't
going to be able to do it all on his own - which was why he was
sitting in my office early one summer's evening.
As we discussed the advice given to him by his doctors, it
became increasingly clear that Barry felt he was being given an
all-or-nothing ultimatum if he were going to live to a ripe old
age.
With a slight smile, I asked Barry to describe the best way to
eat an elephant. Looking at me as though I was slightly mad, he
shrugged his shoulders and raised an eyebrow.
"The way you eat an elephant," I told him, "is one bite at a
time - and we need to approach your new health care programme in
the same spirit."
I explained to Barry that the subconscious mind works hard to
keep us safe - and that it assumes that what is familiar is
safe, therefore the subconscious mind tries to make us stick
with our habits, unaware that they actually be harming us.
So for Barry to make long-lasting changes, he would need to
adapt his lifestyle slowly - and reward himself for all the
small successes along the way to becoming a healthy individual.
He also understood that moderation was a good watchword - and
that modifying his lifestyle didn't necessitate living a life of
austerity and sobriety.
Barry could see the sense in what I was saying, and together we
worked out a goal and action plan - starting with the end in
mind. I asked Barry to create a clear picture in his mind of how
he wanted to look and feel in a year's time.
Enjoying the image, Barry started to write a forward plan of the
small changes that he would make over the coming year - together
with the rewards for each success. And as he left my office,
Barry looked relieved to know that what had seem impossible was
in fact possible, so long as the problem was attacked in the
same way as eating an elephant.