Take Control of Your Life

Music is a powerful thing. It can muster up a lot of emotion inside of us and it can spark memories of times gone past. Some songs can evoke such strong emotions that it even becomes a personal anthem that we live by each day. One such personal anthem that I have adopted is the song The First of Me by the band Hoobastank.
Here are the lyrics:

I must make a choice
A tough decision
Listen to my voice
Should I give in
To temptation, admiration
One leads to myself
The other some one else
Just an empty shell
Just an empty shell

It's harder than it seems
When you're told that
All your hopes and dreams
Are yours to hold if
You just give them
What's expected
Something they can sell
Put upon a shelf
But I am not for sale
I am not for sale

[Chorus:]
I hear a voice inside
It's grown into a scream
I'm not the next of them
I am the first of me
'cause I can't live the lie
I am just what you see
I'm not the next of them
I am the first of me

If I can't refuse
The price they offer
I am sure to lose
And I will suffer
Sell my soul to make a profit
All I have to do
Is make believe it's true
That something I can't do
That something I can't do

[Chorus]

So when the waiting's done
It's time to face the truth
You know you're good enough
Deep down inside of you

You've finally woken up
If only just to prove
You were born to lead the way
And be the first of you 

I have gone through and darkened in some of the more powerful lines of the song that touch me the most. I know that the original intention of the lyricist was to talk about selling out to give a message that you may not believe in, but I want to use it to talk about your health.

In my previous post Power Within, I discussed the power your body has to heal itself. Since our body is screaming out to be healthier we need to take that step to take control of our lives. That is why I like this song so much. The lyricist talks about selling yourself to make a dollar, how often do we give into eating that extra slice of chocolate cake or drink that extra soda or even do that drug etc. We all have our own guilty pleasure. I call these examples selling out your body. We know these things are bad for us but we still give into them for the instant gratification. What I am saying, along with the lyricist of this song, is that we do not have to give in to these addictions that hold us from our full potential. We do not have to sell ourselves short. We have the inborn potential to overcome any temptation and addiction that will compromise our health and/or values. It is time for us to say "I am not going to take it anymore." It is time for us to seek out the help that we need to overcome these things that bind us down. In the words of the Hoobastank song, "I am the first of me 'cause I can't live the lie I am just what you see I'm not the next of them I am the first of me... You were born to lead the way and be the first of you." It all starts with you, there is no one else to blame, take control of Your life!

-Mike E