Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Biggest Regrets in Life




I tend to scan through most of the inspirational emails that I receive and then delete them, however every now and again I find one that I read from beginning to end and consider it worth sharing. Recently an email found it's way into my inbox that I think is worth commenting on. 
It was written by a woman who worked in palliative care. Her patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. As each patient grappled with their mortality, a few common threads emerged.

The following regrets were mentioned over and over and they are worth contemplating while we still have life:
  • I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me  When our lives are almost over and we can look back, we see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have not lived their dreams and it was due to choices that they had or had not made.                                                                                                                                                   Try to achieve at least some of your dreams. When you lose your health, it is too late. Use the freedom of health to go for it.
  • I wish I hadn't worked so hard                                                                                                     This resonates with many men patients. Due to being a workaholic it is too easy to miss the joys in your children's successes and the love and contentment of your partner's companionship.                                                                                                        Simply simplifying your lifestyle and making intentional choices makes it possible live on another level of income. Creating space in your life opens doors to new opportunities.
  •  I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings                                                                      So many people suppress their feelings in to avoid conflict, which often results in settling for mediocrity and never becoming authentic.                                                                                      Although we cannot control the reactions of others, when we speak honestly, it elevates relationships to new and healthier levels. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you will be living authentically.
  • I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends                                                                            We tend to get so caught up in our lives that we let friendships slip away with time. There have been many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. When you are faced with approaching death, the physical details of life are no longer as important. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end.  
  • I wish that I had let myself be happier                                                                                      Many found at the end that happiness is a choice. They had remained in old patterns and habits allowing comfort of familiarity to rule. Fear of change caused them to pretend to others and to themselves that they were content. However, they yearned to laugh loudly and behave outrageously at times.                                                                                                                

Life is a choice. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.






Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Guide to Healthy, Balanced Living



I received an interesting list of different things to do in order to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle recently and was rather inspired. So, I decided to post a few items on the list to motivate me to live them out as well as to share them generally.

The first lot relate to health matters:
  • drink lots of water
  • eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
  • eat more that grows on plants and less that are manufactured in plants 
  • live with energy, enthusiasm and empathy
  • play more
  • read more
  • give yourselves 10 minutes of silence per day
  • sleep for 7 hours a night
  • take a half hour daily walk with a smile on your face
The next batch of wise words deal with personality issues:
  • don't compare your life with others as you have no idea what each other's journeys are about
  • throw out the negative thoughts about the things you cannot control 
  • know your limits and don't overdo it
  • don't take yourself so seriously
  • don't waste time and energy on gossip
  • dream while you are awake
  • life is too short to waste time hating anyone
  • make peace with the past so that it won't spoil the present
  • you alone are in charge of your happiness
  • life is a school, so realize that you are here to learn and that problems are a part of the curriculum that appear and will fade away, while the lessons will last forever
  • smile and laugh more
  • agree to disagree when necessary - you don't have to win every argument
On issues of society:
  • call your family regularly
  • give something good to others every day
  • forgive frequently
  • spend time with those under the age of 7 and over the age of 70
  • try and make 3 people smile each day
  • what others think of you is not your business
  • your job won't take care of you when you are ill, however your friends will, so keep in touch 
The last few reminders of reality deal with life:
  • do the right thing
  • eliminate what isn't useful, beautiful or joyful from your life
  • no matter how good or bad a situation, it always changes
  • no matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
  • the best is still to come
  • be happy
  • be thankful for life
Enjoy and live them out!