Whether I'm a voice crying in the wilderness or I'm preaching to the choir, I hope my focus on self-improvement is benefitting somebody out there. I figure you can't hear encouraging things too often and you can't be reminded too much that you should love yourself and value the important things in life, which are not actually things at all.
We have all heard stories of peoples' experiences of being at death's door. They all said their entire life flashed before their eyes. They saw the faces of their loved ones and choices they might have not made. They either realized they had their priorities straight or they realized they had not.
Remembering that time is precious, is a great way to appreciate your friends and family more. If we can't focus on the importance of the present, though, we might be tempted to waste time being offended and angry.
Taking offense is one of the best ways to waste time and energy. Sometimes the drama that ensues is 'Jerry Springer styles' and sometimes it's more of a subtle, inner resentment. Either way, chaos is the result, within or without.
The best way to avoid drama is to maintain an attitude of innocent perception. Seeing others through the eyes of innocence, assuming others are being their highest selves. You can't create a problem with anybody if you take all responsibility for a relationship's harmony. All problems are created in the mind by attitudes we hold, whether we will admit it or not. Intuition will nudge us if something is 'off' about a person or situation, but first we must clear the clutter in our minds, of prescribed ideas, judgments, attitudes, positionalities and memes. We can let go of old ideas by embracing purity of thought. Yes, you can choose what you think about, as much as you can choose what you say or do.
Parents, especially, should set an example of non-judgment and be more aware of the things we say in front of our children. Don't allow ridiculous childish dramas to ruin relationships. We can cultivate a more peaceful co-existence with family and friends.
Lately I've been getting my priorities straight. I have dedicated myself to an increasingly more intense fitness regime and I've gone back to 90% raw food for my diet, with a focus on foods that build my new physique with more integrity and strength.
Working toward a goal of being in a state of homeostatic health has been rewarding so far, because I am training myself to be disciplined. I'm rejuvenating myself and it isn't always easy. So, I work out even if I don't want to and I say no to food when I'm not hungry and I make the wisest possible choices (yes, including hemp shakes) whenever possible. Though for years I had looked to some far-off distant ideal as my motivation, I've embraced my new habits so that I can be strong NOW.
My priorities shifted when I realized a) I'm denying myself ancillary success because I'm not allowing myself inner success, b) nobody else can do it for me and c) I deserve it. I deserve to feel strong enough to kick whatever butt is necessary, whenever the duty calls.
Even when we add new regimes into our lives, we still only have 24 hours in a day. Mind you, raw fooders tend to have more energy so I hope to bend time somewhat, but ultimately we must be willing to give up the things that no longer serve us. If you complain of having too much drama in your life (and the common denominator always seems to be YOU), I suggest working with a therapist or reading self-help books by authors like Dr. Phil. If you complain of not having enough energy, maybe try eating more raw foods and eliminating stressful people from your life. If you simply wish there were more hours in the day, try turning off the TV, talking less and listening more.
Taking my own advice, I'm shortening the word count on my column. I will now take this time to write down a list of my priorities so that I can make more effective use of my time. If she has to, this new Me will clear-cut the forests of chaos for us all!
