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.

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!

Here We Go Again

pic by smemon87

Well, another year has passed by and yet another year looms ahead of us. Believe it or not, I have already heard someone utter the words, "this year is going so fast." Even more frightening, I agree as it is time for me to return to the office tomorrow!

This is usually the time when we all smugly sit down and make lists of new year's resolutions with great intent. Of course, by the end of January, most of us have already given up on the vast majority of them. My usual trick is to attempt to learn something new each year and I have done pretty well in the past too.

pic by Tostie 14

However, this year I feel a little different. I do still have a few goals in mind, but somehow they are not in the forefront of my mind, like before. I think that this year will be more about being, than doing. I want to come to the end of 2011 knowing that I lived life fully; that I cried hard, laughed hard, danced a lot, helped out, accepted aid and made others smile. I want to be more spontaneous and find joy, or at least contentment, in everyday little wonders. I want to walk in the rain, giggle in quiet places like libraries and wink at cute children. I want to experiment with wacky hairstyles, even at my age, drink different flavoured coffees and skip along merrily in the shopping mall. I want to sit up all night watching a series I enjoy on TV, drive to some unknown place just for the fun of it and dance madly in the front at a rock concert. I want this year to be full of little serendipities where I contentedly follow the moment. And in the times of difficulty, grief and hardship, may I feel enough to savour the good times, but be able to move on when the time has passed.

Roll on 2011, I don't want to say, "Here we go again," but rather, "Here is a moment to embrace."

Happy New Year 2011

May 2011 be filled with promising ventures and exciting adventures!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is Nearly Over

                                          pic by kira_westland

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month in many different countries. It has been encouraging to see the growth of support by the general public. 

My support this month took the part of a 5 kilometer walk in aid of breast cancer at Mark's Park. I was amazed at the amount of people who took part in the event. There must have been somewhere around 20 000 people or more. There were so many walkers that during the entire walk, we had to stroll as the roads were so crammed with people. The atmosphere was electric and full of hope and it was great to be a part of it.

I know that there have been loads of other initiatives from all sectors of society in aid of breast cancer this month and as a woman I have to say a huge thank you to the organizers of every one of them. I would also like to applaud the survivors of breast cancer and wish them all of the best for their wonderful futures.

The big challenge is for November, December and next year. Now that Breast Cancer Month is nearly over, will we continue to give the fight the exposure and support that it still needs?

The Best Brilliant Ideas for Humanity

Di Smith, from KwaZulu Natal, is one of the entrants of The Best Brilliant Ideas for Humanity contest. This is an interesting competition where the emphasis is on a win-win situation for all. Di came up with the brilliant idea to write an inspiring book about South Africa which is like a journey. The book is called "You're Awesome" and includes daily lessons of life and takes examples from wise South Africans such as Madiba and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
There is a simple message for each week in the year.


Vote for Di, after watching the video clip, as I am sure that you will be inspired. She also has a brilliant website that is worth a visit.

Live Life Fully

Someone sent me this pic on an email recently and I loved it so much that I had to share it. It encapsulates living life fully. The expression on the guy's face is one of sheer childish delight. There is something about the innocent joy of children that is contagious. Kids don't over analyse life, they simply live and explore and experience all that is in their path. They are not afraid to ask awkward questions and they have a genuine honesty about everything that they do.
I want to live like that. I want to enjoy all that is around me in pure simplicity without hidden agendas. I choose to delight in the little things that occur every day. I want to live life fully.