The Accidental Chai

Nearing the end of my first detox week, I’m proud to say I’ve kept some of my goals and abandoned others. I’ve managed to eliminate dairy for the most part…with the exception of what I like to call “the accidental chai.”

I bought the accidental chai –made with real milk, not soy milk!– at the university museum here on campus, a place I love to frequent two to three times a week.  But rather than scold myself for not communicating my dairy restrictions to the woman at the cafe, I found myself amused, reminded of the fact that nothing in life can be done 100% perfectly. My professional work, my relationships, nor my yoga practice will ever be “perfect,” so how can I expect my detox to be without flaws?

There is a kind of beauty in imperfection. -Conrad Hall

Recognizing that intention is much more important than outcome, I find myself focusing on the positive rather than scrutinizing myself for the slip-up. Ask yourself: how often do YOU make yourself feel badly when you “let yourself down” or don’t live up to someone else’s expectations?

It just so happens that I also just started listening to Brian Tracy’s audio CDs on The Psychology of Achievement (a gift I received a few weeks ago) in the car on the way to work each morning. Brian repeats the same message over and over in many of his six CDs: Feed your mind with positive ideas. There’s an undeniable correlation between feeding our bodies with healthy food and feeding our minds with healthy, positive ideas.

Whether or not you decide to try a body detox, you can start detoxing your mind now by focusing on these four important things every day: being grateful, thinking positively, loving deeply, and last but not least…laughing at yourself every now and then, like when you find yourself drinking an accidental chai.