Love Your Life
"If you
have zest and enthusiasm, you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back
in kind." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
I would like you to take a moment and reflect on the words
"my one sweet life." Do you feel a sense of privilege and honor being here,
being alive, being You? I think that we are so blessed to be here and in this
experience call life, and loving this life is a key element for succeeding in
it.
When I learned to love my life, I unfolded a high
state of self-satisfaction; I fully know myself. In getting to know and love your Self, here
are some ideas to consider:
Happy Despite
Your Circumstance. My desire is to be happy
and love life. Loving my life takes a high state of satisfaction and in that
state are opportunities that provide a sense of connection to all those
around me and my Creator. There are also times where I may become
discouraged or unhappy. It's a natural cycle of life. However, by paying
attention to my values, I can love my life all the time, no matter what
the circumstances.
Your Life
Belongs to YOU. With
a grateful hooray
to each of our parents for all their nurturing and input during our
childhood days, we have to step off that path and claim our life as our
own life because it no longer belongs to our parents. As Khalil Gibran said in his magnificent
poem "The Prophet:"
...You may give them
your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you...
You eventually must step away from your parents' hold on you so
that you can step into your own hopes and dreams. If they don't like the path you choose,
respectfully, this is their problem not yours.
You are a unique individual, and you deserve to make your own dreams
happen.
Negative
Messages From Your Earlier Years. Old recordings inside our minds have to be re-recorded. I record right over top of them. If you got a message like "You have to be a
Doctor," you can re-record over it with a message like "I've always wanted to
be a concert pianist, and that is what I will do with my life." You are
entitled to your own choices and decisions.
If someone has told you that you are less than in some way, tell
yourself how wonderful you are in the new recording.
Forgive
Everyone For Everything. I
have learned that not forgiving is like an anchor around my heart. Forgiveness includes forgiving you all your
mistakes. When your parents yelled "You should
have know better, and you internalized it as truth," think instead "How could I
possibly know better? I was just a kid. You should have taught me something
better!" Work to forgive and forget all
the things you and others did to you that made you unhappy. Let them go and they will disappear into
their native nothingness.
Do You Operate from Hindsight? Life's lessons will always be there. The Wisdom of the Ages is
swirling around and bouncing its lessons off you, hoping you'll get it. I have adopted an attitude of "What's the
lesson in this for me?" so I don't feel attacked by my own life
experiences. In learning to love myself,
I turn to my friends to help me through the valleys of life and then I turn
within myself to recognize my power and bring it forward to help me learn the
lesson being taught. Hindsight is always brilliant, and I've learned that I
always emerge from the challenges of life stronger and smarter. Each experience
has a benefit, so I try to learn the lesson while I'm "in it" and not have to
wait for hindsight to teach me.
Be
The Change. There are so many options for happiness
and love in my life. When I feel as if
I'm standing facing a brick wall, I ask myself "How can I change something?" I
know that change is how I unfold more of myself. Even losses are good. Even things that sting have a purpose, so I
try to view everything as some gift of goodness for me (vs. to me) and I look
for the good and praise it when I see it. My focus is on happiness.
Trust
The Inner You. Inside
you, is the real you who wants to be expressed. He or she has wonderful
messages for you that you would be happier if you learn to listen to. I have
learned to listen to my own little voice who unerringly guides me along my own
path. If you feel uncomfortable, and you
don't want to participate in something, it's okay to say "No thanks" or "I
don't care to" or "The timing isn't right for me right now." You don't have to
justify your decision to anyone. Stand
tall within yourself, own it as your own, and step into a happier experience.
" If you love the life you live, you will live a life of love."
~ Star, Jamaica Talk Forum
Good To Know
Coffee Talk: Some Surprising Health Benefits
One of
the best ways to
ward off chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
cancer, is to eat a diet rich in antioxidants. But many of us do not eat the
recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables-considered superior sources of
antioxidants.
So guess where
many people are getting their antioxidants instead? Recent studies reveal
coffee may be a surprising source. In fact, it is the top dietary source of
antioxidants in many populations, including in the United States. Moreover, roasted
coffee residues retain their antioxidant ability; it isn't lost in processing.
Studies show that drinking coffee may be linked
to some desirable health outcomes, such as:
- decreased
risk of Parkinson's disease: A
study revealed that men may experience up to a 40% reduction in risk by
drinking as little as one cup per day.
-
reduced
risk of type 2 diabetes: However, this
reduced risk is only linked to people who drink excess amounts of coffee, which
is not recommended; the risks of drinking too much coffee outweigh this
possible benefit.
-
decreased
risk of liver cancer: Drinking coffee may be
especially helpful reducing the risk of liver cancer caused by cirrhosis, a
type of liver disease that causes scarring of the liver.
So
there is give and take with coffee. If you don't already drink it, the recent
news about antioxidants is not necessarily a reason to pick up the habit. And
for people who already drink it, it's no excuse to stop eating fruits and
veggies. Finally, because of the caffeine content, moderation is still the key
to enjoying it healthfully.
Your best bet is to eat your fruits and veggies, and try to limit
yourself to about one or two small cups-about 8-ounces-of coffee per day.
That way you stay within the recommended limit of no more than 250 milligrams
of caffeine per day.
~
Dr. Oz at RealAge.com
"Improve your business, your life, your
relationships, your finances and your health. When you do, the whole world
improves." ~ Mark Victor Hansen
Sincerely,
Maria
Soufra Daimeh
P. S. Don't forget to sign up for your free issue of the Soufra Daimeh
Magazine here. |
