The Single Character Trait You Need to Improve Your Digestive Issue Symptoms

[00:00:00] And so today we’re going to talk about something that is the key – the single character trait that you must develop whenever you are growing or changing or shifting things in your life. Especially when talking about your digestive issue symptoms.

[00:00:13] Hey, everyone. Welcome to The Nourished and Thriving Show. I’m your host, Katie Lovitt. I’m a registered dietitian on a mission to help you increase your impact and legacy on the world while healing your gut and reducing your IBS and digestive issue symptoms. I’m so grateful to have you here. Each week I’ll inspire you to live vibrantly and provide valuable resources and information that empowers you to take bold action towards your health goals. Before we dive in, make sure you follow or subscribe to my show wherever you’re listening so you never miss an episode. Ready? Let’s go!

[00:00:52] All right. So whenever you start out working to find answers to your digestive issue symptoms, you probably expect – at first – that the answers will be very simple. I found myself on a journey over the past year seeking an answer to a question that I – a year and a half ago – thought was a very simple question and that it would be really easy and fast to find the answer to.

[00:01:25] But it wasn’t. I wanted to give up many times. I wanted to let the lies in my head keep me from finding the answer many times. And it was a really challenging journey and quest a lot of the time. But I’ve now found peace in my answer. But I was searching for a year and a half for something that I thought was going to be a very simple answer that somebody out there somewhere had the answer to and knew the answer. But the thing was, I didn’t need someone else’s answer to my question. I needed to find my answer to my question. And whenever I was able to do that, I had certainty and peace and so much confidence in it. Much more confidence in it than I would have had if I had just taken someone else’s answer.

The Key to Unlocking the Answer You’ve Been Looking For

[00:02:28] And used it to patch over my question. Having the confidence in yourself and the trust in yourself to know the answer to the question you were asking is the key to having an answer that you feel really good about. Now, what does this have to do with gut health and digestive issue symptoms? You’re probably asking, because my question in that instance did not.

[00:02:51] It had a lot more to do with my spiritual journey with God. Who I am in his eyes. My purpose on this earth. Stuff like that. Your questions and your gut health may be more related to that than you actually think that it is. And that is probably part of your journey that you are on right now. But the point that I want to focus on right now today is expecting the answer quickly and simply, and for it to come from somebody else. That’s what your digestive issue symptoms have in common with the questions I was asking. You probably expect the answer to your symptoms to be simple. For it to come quickly whenever you employ or take action on the answer or the advice or protocol that you were told to do.

[00:03:49] You expect to see results quickly. And you expect for that information to come from somebody else.

[00:03:57] And so today we’re going to talk about something that is the key – the single character trait that you must develop whenever you are growing or changing or shifting things in your life. And that character trait is persistence. Golly, boy, I learned a lot about persistence in this last year in a lot of different ways. And I thought I was a pretty persistent person.

How I Got the Nickname Franny Pearl for my Persistence

[00:04:23] When I was in high school, my sophomore year I turned 16 in March. And at our campus, we had people who had reserved parking places, and then we had general parking. Now the general parking lot was a train wreck. You had to get school early in order to even get a spot. Otherwise you were stuck parking on the streets, somewhere in the neighborhoods surrounding our high school and hiking to school.

[00:04:51] Now those of you guys who know me personally know I’m not typically early to things. I typically push the timeline as much as possible. So no way did I feel like fighting the other students for a parking spot, getting there early to get a parking spot. I really wanted to reserve spots, so I knew my spot was there for me, and I didn’t have to worry about finding one. Now the problem is these reserved spots were given out based on seniority. So the high school seniors got them first. And then if there were any leftover, the juniors got them. And then maybe if there were some left over the sophomores, turning 16 in the summer and the early fall would maybe snag the last few.

[00:05:35] But by the time my birthday came around in March, there’s no way that there were any reserved parking spots left. But I really didn’t want to have to park in the general parking lot. So, what did I do? I thought, and I thought, and I thought, and came up with the idea that I knew there were some high school seniors graduating in December. And they would no longer be needing their parking spaces in March.

[00:05:56]  So I had been into my principal’s office a few times. We had principals talking about this parking lot situation, you know, asking for him to come up with a solution for me: “You know, I really don’t want a general spot. There’s not anything you can do? There’s no reserved spots available?”

[00:06:19] And then I finally had this light bulb whenever I was thinking about it. And went into him and said, “You know, I had this idea. There are some seniors who graduated in December who have no need for their parking space anymore. Can I contact them and see if I can buy their parking spot from them? Or I can pay the school? I’m happy to do whatever it takes to make sure it’s all legal and done correctly.”

[00:06:47] And he was like, you know what? Fine. I give up, whatever. You’re obviously not leaving me alone until you get what you want it, so it’s fine. So I did. I found the list – I don’t even remember where I got it now – of the seniors who graduated in December, went line by line, reached out to them and asked if they would be willing to give me their parking spot.

[00:07:07] I got a front row parking spot, literally 20 feet away from the doors to my first period class, which was very helpful since I tended to run a bit late in the mornings. But he said, “You were like a Pearl.” You know how an oyster makes a Pearl is it gets this little piece of sand inside of it and it irritates the oyster and the oyster ends up turning this piece of sand into a Pearl. So he was like, “You are a Pearl.” My family still calls me Franny Pearl.

[00:07:37] My maiden name was Francis. So they call me Franny Pearl sometimes. So I thought I was a very persistent person, but little did I know I still had a lot to learn in the persistence department. So I’m sharing all my learnings with you guys today about that and about what it requires. So success comes through one single character trait that you must build into yourself. I can’t do it for you. Nobody can do it for you. And that is persistence.

How Persistence is Born

[00:08:09] We expect that we should see results faster than we see them. So we stop. In fact, I had a hard time believing that this was even true, but I had a business coach telling me this. For any goal, you know, business goal, health goal, gut health goal, anything. The only reason that you will fail, the only reason possible that you will fail is because you quit.

[00:08:34] That’s why most businesses fail, is because they quit. Instead of continuing to move forward and continue to learn and refine their approach. That’s why most people quit with their health or fail what their health is because they quit. There’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln that I wanted to share with you guys too. He said, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” Are you going to be content if you fail? If so that’s fine. It’s not a priority for you. You’ve probably been taking action from this space, doing things that you felt like you should be doing, instead of things that were truly priorities for you. And so in that instance, it’s probably a good thing that you failed because you could shift your energy over into something else that is a higher priority for you.

[00:09:30] However, if you were going to be un-content or filled with regret if you fail – if you’re not able to heal your gut, if you’re not able to accomplish your goal. If that’s going to fill you with sadness and regret, then the answer is to persist, to not give up, to keep moving forward, keep refining your approach.

[00:09:53] And know that the answers are within you. The answers are within you most of the time. Yes, with gut health and nutrition, it’s really helpful to have an expert like myself who knows the human body and can loan out information and suggestions and tips that you don’t know, and you don’t want to become an expert in.

[00:10:16] But it’s your responsibility to try different strategies, assess how impactful they are, and move forward, continuing with the same strategy or getting help to employ a different strategy or make an adjustment. You’re the only person who can tell if something’s working or not. So you know – and I talk about this too – if you are trying one thing over and over again, most of the time it’s going to be cutting out foods that you feel like are triggering your symptoms. If you’re doing that over and over again, and you find yourself having to cut out more and more foods from your diet in order to avoid your symptoms from blaring. And you’re feeling worse and worse and you’re not actually making better. You’re just treading water.

[00:11:00] There’s other levers out there for you to be able to pull. You may just not be aware of what they are because this isn’t your area of expertise. But it is mine. And I know the other levers that are out there for you to pull and we can keep pulling different levers all day. There’s so many, there’s so many adjustments that we can make.

What Persistence Can Bring You When Improving Your Digestive Issue Symptoms

[00:11:21] There’s so many different levers that we can pull. Something is out of balance somewhere. And if you persist, you will find answers. And you will have that same peace and clarity and confidence. That I now have from the questions that I was asking a year and a half ago. Like I said never, when I first asked those questions, did I think it would take a year and a half, three different Bible studies conferences, lots of prayer, lots of tears to find the answers. I thought it was going to be a simple answer that somebody else could tell me. But the best answers are the ones that come from persistence and consistently showing up, seeking the answers, seeking understanding, and then you will have such clarity and peace.

[00:12:12] Because you’re going to then be empowered. And you’re going to be an expert in your own body. To know what works well for you. It’s going to be so much better for you to have gone through that process, even though it takes longer. And requires much more effort on your part, both mental and physical and emotional and spiritual. It’s going to require a lot more effort.

Determining If You Need a Co-Pilot on Your DIY Journey in Gut Healing

[00:12:34] But the results will be worth it. So, let me know what you thought about this today. Let me know if you feel like you have persistence. If this is a skill that you have been coaching yourself on to stay persistent with. If this is something where you need a coach to help you develop this skill and help you see the other levers out there available for you to pull, I’m your girl.

[00:12:57] I’ve helped over a hundred people reduce their gut symptoms by 80 to 90%. I have helped people improve their relationship with food that was really badly damaged. I’ve helped people shy away from turning down projects at work because they felt bad and actually ended up asking for more responsibility at work from a place that felt really good for them.

[00:13:20] I’ve seen people lead their entire families to a more healthy place by their own example. I’ve seen people regain their sense of adventure and love of travel and connections with family through the work that we do together. It extends so much farther beyond your hot mess gut. It truly impacts your entire life.

[00:13:40] And the journey to healing your guts will transform your life as well through the process of it. So that’s all I’ve got for today. Let me know what you guys think. Let me know what questions you have. Let me know how you’ve been persistent towards your goals in your own life and what it’s taught you. Talk soon.

[00:13:58] Thank you so much for listening to the entire episode on the one thing you need to heal your digestive issue symptoms. I hope you are feeling inspired and empowered to take bold action towards your health goals. If you enjoy what you heard, don’t forget to follow my show so you never miss a new episode. And it would mean the world to me if you left me a review, so others know what to expect from my show. Find where to listen and review here.

[00:14:22] Last, get in touch. Let me know what bold action you’re taking. Let me know how you’re inspired. Follow me on Instagram @the_healthygut_dietitian. Come say hi, I respond to all my messages and I can’t wait to get in touch.