How often have you grimaced when someone told you to “take care of number one first?” I know I used to do it ALL. THE. TIME., but it wasn’t until I decided to start living life unbound that I really started understanding the importance of taking care of myself, and the impact that has on my business and my family. Now I see taking care of myself as an investment and ultimately into my own happiness.
Let me tell you today that your happiness matters. We weren’t placed on this earth to go through the motions until we die. We were placed here to make a difference, and in order to do so, we need to be the best we can be.
Are you the best you can be? Only you know that, but I have learned that we’re never really complete. Whenever we reach a new level of body, mind or soul, there’s always another level of improvement to strive for – and I think that’s the magic of life. Each level comes with its own unique gifts and excitement.
My 3-step process includes taking care of the:
Body: Enjoying the good life, by ensuring that my body is healthy and that I have the physical strength to do what I want to, when I want to, but not forgetting that the body has certain needs and enjoys certain pleasures, too.
Mind: Constantly stimulating the mind with new ideas and expanding on older ideas. Learning is food for the mind and I enjoy learning new things every day.
Soul: Your ultimate connection within yourself, to the world, and beyond that keeps mind and body together and in tune.
When these three areas are in synch, life feels good!
Most of my readers know by now that I enjoy the simple life, made up of waking up slowly and enjoying long walks on the beach. Apart from those two luxuries, I also have one golden rule that I follow wherever possible:
“Only do what you want to do.”
Whenever you do something you “have” to do, you are likely not to give it your best, and therefore, you can’t enjoy the most awesome results because you are in a place of responsibility, commitment, and basically “service.”
Okay… I know that there are some commitments you can’t get away from:
- The kids have to get to school at a certain time.
- The house won’t clean itself.
- The cupboards don’t fill themselves with clean dishes and yummy food.
True enough, but there are always ways to bring more joy into your commitments. You could start by giving yourself a few mornings a week to lay in bed a bit later. You could put on some of your favorite music and pour yourself a glass of wine (or crack open a delicious micro-brew) while you dance with the broomstick – and that takes care of your exercise too. 🙂
Have you noticed the difference between dragging yourself to cook those same boring meals week after week and the joy of whipping out ingredients from your brand new Thai cookbook?
When you do what you want to do, you feel free, open and unbound, and you will feel good about what you’re doing. When you free yourself from should’s and have-to’s, your experience will prove more joyful.
Set yourself free today and do what you want to.
Here are some of the little things I do most days to make me feel great:
1. Meditation
Meditation is a great way to get your mind, body, and soul in sync. If you don’t do any specific kind of meditation, you can just sit and relax, lie on the grass looking at the clouds, or walk on the beach… whatever floats your boat.
2. Affirmations
There are so many cute ways to use affirmations these days, from wall art to fridge magnets, coasters, and t-shirts. My favorite t-shirt has the slogan: Love What You Do, Do What You Love.
You can also use post-its, or create a desktop background for your PC using your affirmation.
3. Read
Reading is a great way to escape from the busy-ness of life. Read something that inspires you, whether it’s an interior design magazine, a self-help book, or a travel magazine.
4. Create
It’s always fun to create something that makes people talk or just something that makes you feel good. Pinterest has some fantastic ideas of things you can create, especially when it comes to liven up your office space.
5. Exercise
Get your heart beating and your lungs pumping with some exercise. Yoga, running, spinning, Zumba – with so many options, you’re bound to find something that works for you… and if not, you can always count running after the kids as exercise.
6. Napping
Few things can get you back on track as easily as a short power-nap in the middle of the day. Tired, overworked? Have a light, healthy lunch and then enjoy a short siesta. You will feel like a new person.
7. Laugh
Laughter IS the best medicine. Have lunch with your friends watch a funny movie with your family, or call your bestie for some girl-chat. If all else fails, head on over to your favorite funny-page on Facebook.
There you have it – some of my favorite feel-good cures to keep your body, mind and soul in sync.
Do you have some remedies I didn’t think of? I’d love to know – so please share in comments below.