Today, (January 21st, 2023) just happens to be my birthday!! Today I thought I'd share some of my insights into living my very best life...
1) Don't worry about what others think of you; just get on and be yourself. People will always criticise you or a situation, whether they like it, (or you), or not. Criticism is a common human trait. This life is also your life - who gives a rat's razoo what others think!! Dance that ridiculous dance! Wear those 70's hippy pants! Write that poem! Start that business, go on that journey, and just get on with it!
2) Make your ACTIONS count as your ACTIONS speak way louder than words: I grew up in a very humble and frugal home. What we 'did' for each other and others outside our family meant FAR MORE than the words we could give. Oddly enough my brother, sister and I have all grown up being very articulate in our words BUT I still believe that ACTIONS count - immensely.
3) 'Do unto others, as you'd have them do unto you!': Basically if you want to be treated with respect and Aroha, then treat others the same way; over time it will come back! If you insist upon being a 'twat' to others - then more fool you! You reap what you sow.
4) Be diligent! So when I was young my mum was a total Clean Freak. She would get us kids to tidy everything up and if it wasn't to her satisfaction she would make us do it all over again. For example, if I had to damp-dust my dressing table, mum would run her finger across the top of it and if it still had dust on it she'd (in one sweep of her arm) swipe all the objects on my dresser, back onto the floor and I'd have to do it all over again. However, as bad as that sounds it taught me a few things... A) if you do something - do it properly - not half-pai! Do it Ka-Pai!! B) doing things repetitively helps you to form habits. Think 'The seven habits of highly successful people' and oddly enough I learned this well before Stephen Covey wrote the book to make $$$! C) be patient - there is no quick fix or solution! Get over instant gratification! It's not healthy and is a huge contributor to anxiety. So be patient and diligent, and work slowly but methodically through your process.
5) Have gratitude! While working through the processes of our lives - be grateful! Be grateful that this morning you woke up! You have life and air in your lungs to live another day - so stop sitting around on your backside and procrastinating. Get up and get on with it after all - zero action = zero outcomes, and who's to blame then? Be thankful your two arms and legs work. Having grown up in a frugal family we were taught from a very young age to be forever grateful for life, for the things others did for us, and for the gifts given. Learn to say 'Thank you' for even the smallest of things.
6) Be honorable, and stick to your morals and beliefs: You have beliefs, morals and ethics. Don't change your mind because someone else disagrees with your thoughts or opinions. You are YOU! You are entitled to think how you do. My advice is for you to believe in what you think and feel and stick with it! 'Sod' anyone that says they disagree - that's ok. We don't all think and feel the same so perhaps ask them to explain their ideas, but you don't have to change yours. In this era of the internet, it is clear that many of the issues around beliefs and morals arise from what is posted online and then we start getting into the 'why did you say this?' or the 'he said/she said' problems and things escalate. Stick to your ideals.
7) Be forgiving: How many times do you wish someone didn't do or say something in particular? How many times have you thought 'You twat! I'm never forgiving you for this?' That's ok - you can be forgiven for feeling this. So instead, try forgiving them. It's really not worth your own effort to carry around other people's bad karma. Forgive them, forget whatever they've done, and then move on.
8) Be resilient: I, like many of you, have been through my own fair share of crap! I mean - is there anyone out there who doesn't have/ hasn't had a rough time? There were times when I went back to bed. There were times when I needed a mental health day. There were times when I bawled my eyes out and there have been times when the word 'NO' should've been said but wasn't, and I begrudgingly undertook something against my wholehearted will. Now, I firmly believe that those are the times when you grow. Those were the times when after returning to bed, five minutes later, I hauled myself up and said to myself 'This crap isn't getting the better of me!' Or the time when for one whole year I agreed to do a task at work to help someone out, and I became immensely ill, but I kept turning up day in and day out, kept doing the job and kept on trudging through the proverbial crap to get to the finish line. That's resilience - it won't kill you but it was sent to make you stronger. Take on the situation and grow, or leave it and shrink back into yourself. Too many times we feel it's easier to step away rather, than step up to face our fears.
9) Exercise regularly: I've been a fierce advocate of exercise. I can not stress this enough! If you go to the gym - great. If you swim, do pilates, boxing, yoga whatever, or even just plain good-olde walking - great. We give our brains exercise, how about our bodies? You don't need to do anything drastic or you mightn't ever want to do it again. So be fair to your body - start slow - you know its capabilities and how far you can push yourself. I began exercising at the age of 10 - I was at Kowhai Intermediate and began to play hockey; we trained as a group but we had to complete a training chart, weekly, of all the exercises and activities we did. We had to be accountable and diligent to ourselves and the team. I guess from this experience at such a young age, my fitness journey began. For me, it's taken a variety of twists and turns, from exercising like a trooper and being a life member at Les Mills, body sculpting (back in the day), running several marathons and then on to doing hot Pilates for several years. Now I'm back at the gym once again - but that's life, isn't it? Just go with the flow and get MOVING...
10) Eat well - Your body IS your temple: This tip is the making of you. I've never been on a diet and never will. My belief is that we should eat everything in moderation. Don't gorge yourself on food and alcohol - have some respect for your internal organs. Your mind makes a choice to eat and drink - your organs are merely the recipients of what you 'shove' in your mouth. I've never really had 'weight' issues although I have had a weight gain through Menopause - that said, that's normal for some women. When it comes to the types of foods I eat - fresh is best. Loads of fish and chicken, a bit of meat once every two weeks, loads of fruit and fresh veggies, and lots of pulses and beans. I'm not really into sweets and chocolates - maybe I'm lucky not to have a sweet tooth - having said that though I AM a terrible salt fiend (I try not to abuse the Eta Copper Kettle Sea-Salt flavoured chips). For us, it's now fruit or sorbet for dessert and absolutely nothing after 7:00pm. We miss out on nothing.
So this is it! Live your best life and live the very best version of yourself!! I intend to start this 2023 on a high. New Job, new challenges, and eternal gratefulness for my friends, family, and a wonderfully enriched life.
Let me know what you think about my top tips and please feel free to share and comment below.
Comments
Post a Comment