MIND
There is an amazing thing that we, as humans, are capable of doing each and every day; that is to spread a little love around…
Love the friend who just needs an ear, when it seems so inconvenient for you. The homeless person on the street you pass every day, but never give a dollar. The store clerk who is rude to you, but little do you know she just broke up with her husband. The coworker who gets all the accolades, but deep inside is a suicidal mess. You just never know when the love you express will instantaneously turn someone’s life around, at just the right time.
Love, is not just something that is tangible and can be seen or felt in the sense of hugs and kisses, writing heartfelt cards, buying a dozen roses, chocolates, (or yes, even SEX!), to show your affection. The act of love can be expressed in so many dynamic ways that it reverberates deep within the chambers of the mind and spirit. It’s the act of kindness, the act of inspiration, the act of trust, of respect, of patience, of self-control.
If you desire happiness, make an effort to show kindness every day. If you long to have patience within the realms of your hectic life, tolerate the little annoyances and pick your battles. If you desire a greater sense of confidence, encourage and compliment someone; it’s amazing how a little praise can boost you up! If you lack motivation, help someone else achieve a goal; you’ll gain the ambition living through their accomplishments.
There is a little adage that I truly adore, “you reap what you sow”; what you put out, you get back. If you seek more love in your life, you need to give more love out. Love yourself, love those around; at the end of the day, it will never fail you.
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Tiny
MIND, BODY
Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine…
There is absolute truth to this ancient proverb, which has been told time and time again. However, it’s not only the act of laughing out loud that’s great for the spirit, but being a positive person, having a cheerful outlook and “no worries’ attitude in your way of thinking that can remedy your entire being. Consider humor like your daily multi-vitamin dose; needed to feed the right amount of nutrients for your mind, body and soul. Its essential for producing those intoxicating endorphins that lifts your mood, puts a smile on your face and boosts your self-esteem, as well as reduces stress and anxiety.
Being able to see the lighter side of situations will definitely contribute to a more balanced approach when dealing with people and circumstances. Humour can be found in all things, you just need to be open to and embrace the concept of it. Instead of being reactive, next time, try to see the hilarity in life’s ‘oh so’ challenging times. If your toddler draws a portrait of mommy on the wall with crayon, snap a picture and share on social media of your kids’ first “canvas”. When the office is a little glum and in need of a good howl, get on your paging system and page yourself! This will definitely get people’s heads turning and laughing hysterically.
Don’t take yourself, or others for that matter so seriously. We all make mistakes and are, essentially, running in the same rat race. Don’t waste your valuable energy on being upset, discouraged or bitter because of others’ quarks, or of your own. Life is way too short and stressful as it is. Give those around you a little leniency; it will help improve your relationships and diffuse situations that may arise. Forgive, so you don’t hold on. Let go, so you can be free. Laugh at yourself when things go astray; it’s the best way to accept the unique person you are.
Make it a priority each and every day to find optimism, joy and serenity through humour; its life natural tranquilizer. Once you do, happiness, improved health and positive relationships will chase you down…because everyone loves someone who isn’t a stick in the mud and can enjoy a little shenanigans every once in a while!
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Or
MIND, SOUL
Have you ever thought how astonishing our minds really are? What kind of power they hold? What kind of control it has over our body, spirit and overall perception of all things and circumstances in our lives? Our minds are a valuable, authoritative tool, which if used correctly, can change the direction of our lives.
When you hear someone say, “When my mind is set on something …”, this usually means the person has taken control of their mind, the direction they want it to go, and are confident they can achieve whatever the goal is. This is the kind of determination and gumption you need to have on a daily basis. Don’t ever give into negative, unprovoking thoughts because the only outcome and situations that will arise from this mindset is the same. Like attracts like! Your reality lies in the actions of your thoughts.
Here are 3 inspiring ways to get you driving down the right road and NOT into the slums:
- DON’T set yourself up for defeat – Whatever it is that you are facing, don’t ever give into the self-defeating thoughts. As soon as you do, you’ve already set yourself up for loss. Instead, wakeup in the morning, take a few minutes of stillness and REALLY focus on what it is you want to achieve, whether short term or long term. It could simply be the desire to have a great day or pass that exam, to aspirations of having a family or becoming the top sales person in your company. Whatever your goal, REALLY feel it inside. REALLY believe it will happen. REALLY visualize it like you’re living through it at the moment; how do you look, what are you wearing, who is with you, what’s the atmosphere like, what feelings do you have? When you live the life you desire through your mind’s eye, your reality will follow suit. So don’t look back, look forward and deep inside because that’s where your truth lies!
- BE your own cheerleader – At the beginning and end of the day, look yourself in the mirror and cheer yourself on. Whether it’s a personal mantra or an actual cheerleading chant, you need to speak or sing words of motivation onto yourself! You are the only person in charge of your minds perception and how you view and feel things that occur on a daily basis, or within the deep desires of your dreams. YOU are the only one that can kick start your mind to go in the right direction and take motivated action to make things happen. So stop waiting for the cheerleading squad to come into your life and encourage you. Take hold of yourself, be your biggest cheerleader and sing strong and out loud declaring, “Life is like a box of chocolates”…I CAN control what I get!
- FILTER the buzzkills – Yep, buzzkills. Those people, places, songs, shows, etc., that take you into a negative zone. When you’re overwhelmed with the type of distractions that raise your blood pressure, you intuitively know your Feng Shui will be thrown off. We all have that family member or friend that when they call/text you get a knot in your stomach cause you know it’s gonna be ‘B#@*%H FEST time’ and you’ll be left feeling glum, when you were otherwise happy. Or, when you turn on the TV and watch the news, it’s filled with killings, bombings, politicians arguing, ugh, you instantly feel sad, angry, and outraged at the brutal-ness of humanity. Now, I’m not saying to be a hermit and put your head in the sand; to ignore all negative things, cause let’s face it, it’s probably impossible. However, YOU can control the outside factors that can seep into that sacred mind of yours. Instead of watching a news broadcast daily, tune in a few times a week, just enough to be informed. (And not to worry, if it’s anything like CNN, you won’t miss out cause the repetition of stories can go on for weeks!). Don’t be a sounding board every single time that friend calls. Know your limits and choose those times when you can take those calls or texts. If you’re not at their beck and call 24/7, they’ll get the hint and innately follow the perimeters you set.
Once you put up the filter screen and cheer yourself into focussing your mind on positive, purposeful thoughts, you’ll naturally feel a sense of serenity fill the mind. Do things that inspire and motivate you in order to stir up some wonderful endorphins; create a pleasant environment to feed your mind, so that you’re heading onwards towards your destined wonderland!
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Flâneur, Second Thoughts
MIND
We’re all on this crazy journey. This journey we call life. Although we are all guilty of getting caught up in the rat race from work, kids, school, finances, relationships, etc., etc…we need to realize when enoughs enough, and grab hold of ourselves again! Life is way too short and we need to exploit it for all the goodness it has to offer.
This voyage of RE-Self Discovery REALLY comes down to the fulfilment of your mind, body and spirit. What is it that makes you tick? Inspires you? Moves you? As you travel down this path, be assured that it doesn’t take much but a little DETERMINATION =your desire to be healthy and happy, LOVE = having compassion for yourself and those around you, and HOPE = anticipation of good things to come. Make a pack with yourself, TODAY…(no EXCUSES = justification for you not doing something!), and let me share with you a few ways to tackle, first, the MIND…the one that is always having a wrestling match between good and evil! Read these steps, pin them down and put them into action. Bon Voyage!
THE MIND – Part 1
- Be alone – There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! Don’t feel guilty about it or even be scared to be “a loner”. Alone time is good! Time for inner reflection and to do just the things you enjoy will help to revitalize your way of thinking. When you’re always doing things for others or never making the time to do those “ME” things you take pleasure in, don’t you notice you start to get irritated quicker and you can have a BAD attitude about anything and everything for no reason? Well, I’ll be the news breaker. There is a clear reason…your losing yourself. STOP and take time out for YOU!
- Have a little faith – Whatever it is you do to connect spiritually – do it – everyday. Take a few minutes in the morning when you’re lying in bed and pray a little. Do it in the shower or as you’re applying your makeup or shaving. Send a little gratitude to the big guy (or gal) upstairs and take a moment to set your mind up to tackle the day with a positive mindset by expecting good things to happen to you. Sparing just a few minutes a day for a little meditation can do wonders for you. You must try it!
- Turn up those tunes – Have you ever been in the car when that one song you haven’t heard in EONS comes on the radio? What do you do? How do you feel? Well, of course you get excited screaming out, “I love this song!” raise the volume and sing along as loud as you can (and for some of you, thank God it’s contained in your car, yikes!). That feeling, that energy, that spikes through your mind and body, that’s the feeling you need to capture. (Think, brightly shining firefly captured in a bottle). Download tracks that inspire you; be it music, an audio reading of your fav spiritual leader or novelist and get playing them in your car, at home or on your headphones! Whether you’re going to work in the morning, driving to an interview, or going to see your mother-in-law, you’ll be amazed what a little music therapy can do for your mind and the unmistakeable confidence and energy you’ll get from it.
- Scribble, scribble – Do you remember in grade school when you had to write in your daily journal or when you’d write in your diary (maybe you still do?), how that self-reflection and those personal revelations felt? Think back a minute? There is something about spilling the beans on paper… a therapeutic element to it. It’s like having confession but not being in a confessional, if you know what I mean… Grab a paper and pen and just get at it. Write down what it is you hope to accomplish, what are you goals, how are you feeling, what it is you want from your relationship, etc…It’s amazing when you read back over it, what a sense of “a load taken off ” it has and how mentally you can start to set yourself straight. It can be a starting point for your own “TO DO LIST” in life. Take just ten minutes to reflect on your day or days ahead and write down what’s on your mind!
- Sleeping the night away – Yaaawn….how do you feel when you wake up in the morning after having that whole 8 hours of sleep?? Pretty damn good, I would say! Those types of yawns are not one of restlessness wishing for just a few more minutes, but yawns of feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Just like the image you see in the laundry detergent commercials with the sun shining through the window glistening on a beautiful woman’s flawless face…there she is, as gorgeous as can be first thing in the morning, waking up and ahhh…big stretch, big smile …she’s ready to take on the world. Well, this is a little of an exaggeration, but you get the point. You need to sleep! Not only does your body need to repair and regenerate from the days physicality’s, but your mind needs it too as it helps with your mood, work performance, judgement, memory and even your sex life! Now you want that, don’t you?! So turn out the lights early tonight cause the party’s over. Your mind needs a little R&R…Zzzzzzz….
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Song, Copycat, Transmogrify
