One of the lessons I learned this summer, is to take better care of myself. I tend to get busy with too many projects or over commit to help someone else in need; only to find myself stressed or with several alarms triggered by my worn out body.
Over the last couple of months I have come across many wonderful sources to help my very unbalanced lifestyle, but two very particular ones have proven truly insightful. The first one of these; a cleverly written book, The Happiness Project, by author Gretchen Rubin. I am only half way through her writings; yet, from the very first chapter I was forced to think of the ways in which I could improve my quality of life, and therefore that of others.
I know that helping people and being there for them when in need makes me deeply happy, but not when that takes me to the extreme of neglecting my own self, so I made a commitment to gain some 'catch up' time from here to the end of the year.
I had been making small changes into my overall routine; yet another providential find made my resolutions even more concrete. I ran across a recorded conference given by Matthew Kelly on the topic of Becoming the Better Version of Yourself. I began listening to it and it all came to a full circle!
Matthew Kelly describes the four areas which need to be balanced in order to be happy and the best version of ourselves. He touched on the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual, and it made me realize that some of these had been somehow neglected by my 'busy' days. I realize that although my life is great, it could be a lot better and I could have so much more to offer to others.
I have been thinking about concrete means for each of the four areas, and this morning I realized that in order for me to be encouraged through the process, I would commit to doing one thing to help myself and another to reach out.
To give you a better example, allow me to share a bit on the physical agenda:
~to myself:
- I commit to eating healthier meals and not skipping any of them
- I commit to exercising every week in order to feel less stressed and energized
~to others:
- I commit to contributing to an organization that provides meals to those in great need
- I commit to contributing to an organization that values life and the dignity of a person/body from conception to death.
I am convinced that this will have an effect on multiple lives and therefore create beauty. Please stay in touch as I plan to share more information on my new little plan for life.
Lovely image by photographer Trent Bailey via firefly events