Hungry For Knowledge: Intuitive Connections

Chapter 1 of Intuitive Business Connections

Intuitive Business Connections is a true story about the lessons learned from entrepreneur, Jadi Kindred. She reveals her trials and tribulations of growing a company from zero to six figures as a young entrepreneur and shares what helped her to succeed year after year. Based on the author’s personal experience of entrepreneurship, intuition, and connecting to cultures worldwide, she takes readers on her inspiring journey of growing her business from the ground up and achieving her dream lifestyle.

This book offers countless ways to grow personally, professionally, and socially and will shift your way of thinking about reaching your own potential.

Transcript

Section 1,

Intuition,

Chapter 1,

Hungry for Knowledge.

We ought to be ten times as hungry for knowledge as for food for the body.

By Henry Ward Beecher.

I recently finished a 10-day water fast.

Yes,

That's right.

10 days of zero food,

Zero calories,

Zero salt.

Why on earth would anyone do that,

You may ask?

Well,

There were a few reasons.

Reason number one.

2020 was referred to some as the Great Reset,

And I too wanted a great reset within my body.

I once read that doctors don't encourage long-term water fasts,

Saying it puts too much stress on the body.

From my own research,

I learned that 10-day water fast can actually help to re-stabilize the stomach,

Regenerate your cells,

And make your body stronger,

While also detoxing toxins.

According to health sources,

Protein kinase A,

PKA,

Also known as camp-dependent protein kinase,

Is the key gene that needs to shut down in order for these stem cells to switch into regenerative mode.

It gives the okay for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuilding the entire system.

And the good news is the body gets rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old,

The inefficient parts during the fasting.

Now,

If you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging,

Fasting cycles can generate literally a new immune system.

Nowadays,

We are fed so much misinformation that I wanted to experience my truth myself,

Without any outside influence.

I wanted first-hand knowledge,

And so,

Instead of listening to all the fear-based doctors who still promote eating meat as healthy,

I spoke directly to two close friends who fast regularly and asked about their experience,

Which gave me the encouragement and support I needed.

One of these friends has done many fasts,

And I wondered how he does it.

His first one was a 42-day water fast at one stretch.

I couldn't believe it.

How could a strong,

Muscular man not eat and then do one-hand pushups on the 42nd day of fasting with energy?

According to him,

Studies have shown that individuals who lived to be over 100 years old usually lived in the countryside and had learned to reduce food intake in the spring when there wasn't any food left.

We are just learning now that the less you eat,

The stronger you live.

The longer you live.

He spoke highly of the importance of having a fast long enough that would result in a regeneration of my cells,

And I definitely wanted that.

I asked him shyly,

So I am not going to die after 10 days?

He said,

No,

10 days are nothing.

I laughed.

Of course he would think that.

He was used to it.

I thought,

I guess it all depends how big of a deal I make this.

Ten days was just long enough for me to feel like I really achieved a great challenge and feel proud of myself.

I was also curious as to how my body would react,

Since I have a fast metabolism and I'm usually always hungry.

My other close friend did a 21-day water fast,

So I spoke to her about it as well.

I self-consciously asked her questions about things that could break a fast,

Such as chewing gum.

She assured me that I couldn't fail,

Which gave me peace.

She is one of those rare friends in life that unconditionally loves me and doesn't judge me.

I can confess anything to her,

And she lovingly tells me that I am perfect just the way I am.

She has made such a positive impression in my life.

I left both conversations feeling relieved and with a high sense of ability.

One,

I couldn't fail,

And two,

10 days is nothing.

I decided to begin on December 21st,

2020,

The winter solstice.

In history,

Starvation was common during the first few months of winter,

January to April in the Northern Hemisphere.

These months are also known as the famine months.

Jessica Booth,

A lifestyle blogger,

Writes,

For many cultures around the world,

The winter solstice marks an important milestone.

It's the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year and signals a powerful transition point between seasons that is impossible to ignore.

Because of this,

It has been celebrated and revered in ancient civilizations,

Indigenous cultures,

And various religions,

All of which have their own rituals for taking advantage of the unique energy.

The winter solstice is a time of quiet energy where you get the opportunity to look within yourself and focus on what you want and need.

It's a time to set goals and intentions for the coming year,

To examine and let go of our past,

And to make changes within ourselves.

According to Forever Conscious,

The winter solstice celebrates the longest hours of darkness or the rebirth of the sun and is believed to hold a powerful energy for regeneration,

Renewal and self-reflection.

This solstice is essentially tied to a personal awakening.

Once I committed to going through this with the fast,

I decided to record my experiences.

Day 1 During my morning meditation,

I told my body that I would be fasting for 10 days and to go into a relaxed state to rejuvenate.

I started a day earlier since I was so eager and anxious to begin.

I already lost 1 pound and felt weak,

Sleepy and cold.

I did eventually go for a slow 45-minute walk outside in minus 4 degrees weather though.

Day 2 I lost another pound,

Slept well,

Felt less weak,

But I started feeling a little nauseous,

Headache and cold.

I also started craving food.

Fasting is supposed to be a time when all physical activity ceases and you relax without moving.

I really wanted to see a friend who was visiting,

So I joined them for a very slow 1-hour walk outside in minus 10 degrees Celsius weather.

I came home and my toes were purple.

Oops!

Day 3 Christmas Eve was the toughest day during my entire experience.

I had intermittent sleep,

Cramps,

Lower back pain,

Sore knees and a headache.

I also felt weak and cold.

I did lose another pound and my sense of smell heightened.

I was overall very uncomfortable during my last day of detox.

Day 4 It was Christmas morning and I felt so much better.

Even though I had tossed and turned at every 15-minute interval the night before while trying to find a comfortable position to sleep,

The pain miraculously vanished in the morning.

I no longer had a headache,

Was warm and had energy to walk 45 minutes in the rain that morning and another 15 minutes in the snow in the evening.

Day 5 I lost my usual 1 pound,

Slept deeply for 5 hours,

Walked 45 minutes outside and had the most food cravings that day.

Surprisingly,

I discovered that I actually thought less about food while I was fasting than when I wasn't.

It no longer became an option for me,

So instead of feeling the hunger in my body and reaching for any food I could find,

I simply observed the sensation and did not react to it.

This was an important development for me because I emotionally eat.

People would never notice that because I am a petite woman,

But when I get stressed,

I have a high tendency of reaching for chocolate,

Chips or pasta,

Without acknowledging how low these foods would eventually make me feel.

Day 6 I lost another pound,

Slept only 5 hours and walked for 35 minutes outside.

Today,

My boyfriend decided to make gourmet meals,

Which he rarely does.

I was feeling quite bored,

Sleepy,

Cold and frustrated that I couldn't join my partner at those mealtimes.

Day 7 I lost the usual pound,

Felt weak,

Tired and was too cold,

Then too hot to sleep well.

I had to catch up with my book reading goals that day,

So boredom quickly vanished.

My highlight of the day was watching my partner eat those delicious meals.

It brought me so much unexpected joy to feed my dog and watch my partner fill his belly with food.

The smells of food brought a level of positivity I was lacking the day before.

I took this time and called it my Metamorphosis Week.

Metamorphosis is defined by Oxford Languages,

Is a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one,

By natural or supernatural means.

My Metamorphosis Week also meant a week of silence where I was more in listen mode.

My daily walks with my boyfriend gave us space to share all we learned about our day.

Day 8 I lost another pound and experienced insomnia,

Which is rare for me,

I don't usually have that much trouble falling asleep.

It was a low energy day as I felt quite weak and could only manage a 20 minute walk.

It was minus 13 degrees that day.

Day 9 I lost another pound and was able to sleep from 10.

30 to 1.

30 am.

I decided to get up and meditate in the middle of the night.

My boyfriend also woke up and surprisingly came downstairs to make a fire for me so I would be warm.

Wow,

It was those small daily actions that made me fall more and more in love with him.

I did some easy computer work after meditating until I drifted off to sleep again as the sun rose.

I awoke to the smell of coffee and I learned that smelling coffee brings me more joy than actually drinking it.

Day 10 I lost less than half a pound and slept a solid deep 8 hours.

I felt more energized,

But maybe it was just excitement that I could eat again that evening.

I thoroughly loved watching my dog play with his toy,

My boyfriend eating every meal,

And the fire burn in our fireplace.

It is really those small things in life that we take for granted and don't usually stop to enjoy.

That day,

I did enjoy it.

My boyfriend told me that my eyes were brighter,

But I had no idea what that meant.

I realized that when I look at myself in the mirror,

I rarely look at my eyes,

But rather all my flaws.

I never looked deeply into my eyes like my boyfriend does.

The realization was a real eye-opener for me.

This year,

I read Jack Canfield's book,

The Success Principles,

And he talks about every evening before going to bed to look into your eyes and tell yourself all of the things you are proud of from that day out loud.

It was a gentle reminder that I needed to restart this daily action if I wanted to remain in a positive mindset.

So,

At the end of my fast,

I lost a total of 11 pounds in 10 days.

I was also able to reset my relationship with food and break free from emotional eating patterns.

According to health sources,

In addition to weight loss,

Fasting also promotes autophagy,

Consumption of the body's own tissue as a metabolic process occurring in starvation,

Which is like a spring cleaning for your cells.

Because your body is essentially eating itself,

It has a chance to get rid of any junk or waste material that may have built up and repair the damage of oxidative stress.

This is one of the biggest benefits of fasting,

Even for people who are already at a healthy weight,

Since it has powerful anti-aging and muscle-building properties.

Fasting is part of many religious and spiritual practices because of its value for meditation and mindfulness.

This was a huge reason I decided to do a fast,

And day 10 was the ultimate test.

At my 240th hour,

I tested my blood pressure to see if there would be any drastic changes,

But the results were 118 over 92,

Which was normal.

I learned that breaking the fast was more dangerous than actually fasting due to what's called refeeding syndrome.

According to Dr.

Jason Fung,

MD,

Refeeding syndrome refers to the potentially fatal shifts in fluid and electrolytes that may occur in malnourished patients.

Refeeding problems can happen once food is given,

Particularly carbohydrate-containing foods.

During the refeeding period,

Insulin and other hormones are activated.

This causes the movement of the major intracellular ions,

Phosphorus,

Potassium,

Calcium,

And magnesium into the cells.

In simple terms,

These disturbances occur due to a reintroduction of nutrition to the body.

If not handled properly,

This condition can be fatal.

However,

Having proper knowledge of how best to healthfully resume normal eating ensures a smooth transition.

Reason number two.

As the saying goes,

When you are given lemons,

Make lemonade.

And that is exactly what I did.

But without the sugar,

Of course.

Some people don't ever begin a fast because they fear social isolation.

A mandatory quarantine inflicted by the government can't be any more isolating.

So I thought this would be the ideal time to go into this deep cleanse.

And all restaurants,

Bars,

Spas,

And family events were closed.

I know that if I had not made the choice to do this,

I would have entertained myself by binging on chips,

Movies,

Candy,

And probably have gained another five pounds.

Starting the year off angry,

Disappointed,

And mad at myself.

I wanted to start the year off being proud of myself,

Conquering my mind,

And regenerating my body on a cellular level.

Reason number three.

It was number 29 on my dream list that I created in 2020.

In a subsequent chapter,

I will give full details on my dream list.

I thought to use these precious vacation slash isolation days to strike one thing off my dream list instead of comforting myself doing mind-numbing things.

I wanted to achieve one of my dreams,

Even if that meant doing nothing at all.

Reason number four.

I wanted to work on my mindset and have more clarity for 2021.

At the end of 2020,

I started thinking about all the goals I wanted to achieve for my 10th year in business.

I wanted to grow and expand,

And there are infinite ways of doing that.

I was starting to feel overwhelmed,

Lost,

Confused,

And rushed,

When normally I am good at being still and following my intuition.

I knew I needed a timeout,

A way to objectively look at my company and be guided on what felt right to do to achieve my big dreams.

The only way to do that was to slow down,

Learn,

And reflect.

With my body as weak as it was,

I had no other option than to slow down to a speed my boyfriend has never seen before,

And it did me a whole lot of good.

During my fast,

I was hungrier for knowledge than for food.

Cutting out food and not having to think about what to eat gave me a different hunger.

I was able to catch up on my reading,

Consuming two new books and completing five others that I had started at one point but was unable to finish.

I easily absorbed all of the new information and was able to reflect on the best approach and action plan for 2021.

I achieved business clarity and a positive change in mindset.

I highly recommend that all entrepreneurs actively decide to take time away from their business and focus on a bit of self-introspection.

Taking time away from your business may sound counterproductive,

But it might just be what you need to reflect on a better action plan to better achieve your goals.

I will talk more in depth about this in the next chapter.

Reviews

Have you thought about fasting at the same time as 10 days vipassana ? Would you try it again ? If yes when and how long ? Again you are inspiring :)