Health & wellbeing
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What do you believe?
“What you believe yourself to be, you are.” ~Claude M. Bristol, The Magic of Believing World War I veteran Claude Bristol (1891-1951) was a pioneer of the positive thinking movement. He wrote The Magic of Believing to help his fellow veterans adapt to civilian life — yet his book also resonated with others who struggled to overcome trauma, self-limiting patterns, or negative attitudes. Bristol was convinced that success in any realm depends on dedication, belief, and character. His philosophy explains how some people triumph over adversity while others remain stuck. Bristol’s “magic” was about unleashing the power of the subconscious mind. You are what you believe. You achieve what you…
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Time management
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to do it.'” ~Cheryl Richardson How many times have you heard the phrase, “We’ll have to get together sometime” — but nobody ever follows through on the suggestion? There are so many things we postpone because we claim we don’t have time for them. For instance, we might put off scheduling certain medical tests, finding a better job, cleaning a closet, or reading all those epic novels that everyone says we should read. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we realize that it’s not really a matter of time management. We often postpone…
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The freedom to decide
At first glance, today’s quote got me thinking about democracy and our duty to vote in our elections. But then I thought about how “our ultimate freedom” extends far beyond politics. Every single day, our ultimate freedom is expressed in the way we use our talents; what we choose to eat or drink; how we dress or decorate; what we read; how we care for our health; how we treat others and how we allow others to treat us. Just for starters. Every day, we make life-enhancing decisions, including how we spend our time and with whom. We often take this “ultimate freedom” for granted. Sometimes we settle for what’s…
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The heart of the matter
“To love well is the task in all meaningful relationships, not just romantic bonds.” ~bell hooks While Valentine’s Day was originally designed to celebrate romantic love, the holiday has evolved to include our love for friends and family. Hallmark produces Valentine cards for everyone in your life, from siblings to parents to best friends. You can even buy a Valentine for your dog to give a loved one. Love is a wonderful thing. As medical experts advise, spending time with people we enjoy promotes longevity and supports mental health. Ideally, when we connect in person with others, we step outside of ourselves and our world expands. This week, think about…
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Happiness is …
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love While we’re focusing on optimism and positive thinking this week, we might draw some inspiration from countries that seem to master it. Finland continues to rank first place in the World Happiness Report, with other Scandinavian countries topping the list as well. What’s going on up there? You can learn more…
