39 Tips For Living A BETTER Life February 27, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Health & Wellness, Mindfulness.Tags: Happiness, Health & Wellness, Mindfulness, Simplify Your Life
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I want to share two posts with you this morning that contain a total of 39 Tips for Living a BETTER Life . . . starting NOW!
The first, written by Courtney Carver, a woman surviving and thriving after being diagnosed with MS in 2006, outlines 10 areas to focus on when seeking to improve your health and happiness ~ Diet, Health Care, Water, Colors not Calories, Assess Stress, Debt, Do Good Work, Simplify, Exercise, and Live:
Permission to be Healthy ~ 10 Steps to a Healthier (and Happier) Life
The second article, written by Cat Li Stevenson, contains 29 tips for making the most of life . . . as and where you are: 29 Life Lessons in 29 Years
A few favorites from Cat’s article which tie in to recent posts here on SLTW:
8. No matter what we achieve – whatever our measuring stick of success may be – until our minds and hearts are at peace, there will always be the next chase. To expand on this thought: our understanding of ‘security’ can be less safe than it appears. It is valuable to question and examine our definition of safe.
9. Breathe. Practicing sitting comfortably in silence. A sanctuary awaits us in being able to be still, contemplate and reflect. We discover the most about ourselves when we dissolve our inner barriers, quiet the mind, and hear our inner voice.
18. There is no one-way to live. There is no box, no one-way to happiness, no how-to manual for your unique being. We shouldn’t be influenced by movies, stories, and fantasy. We don’t have to conform to societal ideals, norms, or our portrayal of ‘perfect’. Find your truth, your path, your heart and follow it.
22. Saying no is an important skill. It is one that allows us to protect our most precious resource: our time and energy. In my 20s, there was a period of time where I adopted a mantra of “Yes!”—yes to social gatherings, yes to busyness, yes to happy hours, yes to commitments that didn’t serve me. By saying no, I was able to gain back pieces of my day and my energy.
Breathe. Relax. Repeat.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Her saying to look for color rather than count calories reminded me of what our pediatrician said when our children were babies, “just feed them the rainbow, and they’ll be well balanced.”
I like that you added the SLTW tips from your posts…all four are great things to keep in mind.
Great advice . . . especially for young kids. When we learn to eat and enjoy all the colors of the rainbow, we have no problem getting 5-9 servings of life giving fruits and veggies each day!
Actually, those are four tips from Cat’s article . . . each mirrors recent articles on SLTW ~ e.g., Learn to be Still & Stop Playing Games.
Her entire list of 29 tips is definitely worth a read.
Mantras are necessary in order to gain, maintain, and retain balanced lives. After thinking about it, I decided that my mantra will be, “I’ll think about it.”
Unless I know for sure I can or cannot commit to something, I will check in with my gut to see what it says. Saying “yes” or “no” prematurely could also rob us of balance.;-)
That’s a great idea. Often we feel pressured to decide “on the spot” and end up feeling like we were “put on the spot.”
Here’s to maintaining balance in all things. _/!\_
Lovely post, Nancy. Love all of the tips but number 22 – saying no- that’s at the forefront of my agenda, these days. Quite hard to do for someone who has been trained to please from a young age. However: do- able, I am sure.
Maybe the automatic thing to say is, “I’ll think about it.” (See comment #2). That gives you time to decide whether you have the time and inclination to take on another commitment.
Saying “no” or “no, thank you” is something that many of us struggle with . . . which really gives those requesting favors the “upper hand.”
If we can say “yes” without feeling resentment, great. If not, “no” is probably the wiser response.
Enjoyed the post, Nancy. I used say yes just to please at my expense, but these days I have learned to say no, and it’s not always easy as Kate suggests. Ironically, now that I am not afraid to say no, I rarely come up with situations that require making the other person uncomfy because I said no.
I expect that it’s a lesson that many of us have to learn . . . and once we learn it, we don’t have to keep repeating the lesson.
Life’s fun like that.
I think we all go through the ‘yes’ stage that helps most of us slip comfortably into the ‘no.’
Thank goodness I got there.
It is such a relief, isn’t it?
The first time I consciously said “no, thanks” was when I was invited to a Surprise Party for the 40th birthday of a childhood friend who was no longer a “close friend.” It was in the middle of winter and would have required a 2 hour drive each way to attend an event that I did NOT want to attend.
Instead of coming up with a “socially acceptable” excuse for not attending, I just called the hostess, thanked her for the kind invitation, and said we would not be attending. So much easier than being “roped into” doing something I didn’t want to do.
Aah, that is better!
It is, indeed.
I used to feel so guilty about saying no. Now, I say it all the time. It’s better than disappointing people, and it takes a lot of stress from me. Thanks for these reminders, Nancy. I could read them every day and still need them.
It’s very liberating when we realize that we don’t have to say “yes” to every request.
Cat’s list is “on the money.” The entire list is filled with great advice for living life.
With the name Cat, she’s a shoe-in for knowing how to live!
Duc le Chat just awakened from his day’s sleep. I didn’t know this. There was no sound whatsoever.
I sensed something and turned around.
Ablutions complete, he had struck a gallant pose as he shifted his golden gaze from me to the emptiest dish.
He breathed peacefully and waited for abundance.
It worked as well today as it has for 7 years.
The Portrait of a Cat . . . a well told tale, Amy! Tigger is the same, conjuring abundance with a quick flick of his tail.
The scoundrel!
Cats rule!
Great list Nancy! Thanks for sharing. It’s always good to get reminders.
Thanks, Julie. I love reading over lists like these . . . that condense the lessons others have learned into bite-sized morsels ready for consumption.
Thanks for the list… I use I’ll think about it quite a bit. It helps.
The two articles came from very different directions . . . but complemented each other quite well. Here’s to being of sound mind and healthy body.
I had to say no yesterday. It didn’t make me feel better, but it was the right thing to do.
A pragmatic solution.
Great post, Nancy! I went to Courtney’s article…and then ran over to her blog…awesome lady with spot-on advice about life. Thanks for introducing me to yet another motivating and inspiring person.
Oh, good. Glad you enjoyed Courtney’s article . . . always a good idea to refresh our motivation to eat enough, sleep enough, and exercise enough.
If we don’t care for ourselves . . . who will?