10 Things To Start Doing For Yourself. #4 Is Absolutely Vital.

 

#1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.
#2. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them. Problems will not disappear unless you take action. Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done. It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch. These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.
 
 #3. Start being honest with yourself about everything. – Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest with every aspect of your life, always. Because you are the one person you can forever count on. Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are.
 
#4. Start making your own happiness a priority. – Your needs matter. If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself. Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you. And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.
 
 #5. Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are. Be yourself. Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms. Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
 
 #6. Start noticing and living in the present. – Right now is a miracle. Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life. So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future. Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past. Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening. Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.
 
 #7. Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. – Mistakes are okay; they’re the stepping stones of progress. If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning. Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again. Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving. Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures. One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.
 
 #8. Start being more polite to yourself. – If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend? The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others. You must love who you are or no one else will.
 
 #9. Start enjoying the things you already have. – The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life – a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc. Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there you’ll likely have a new destination in mind. You’ll end up spending your whole life working toward something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now.
 
 #10. Start creating your own happiness. – If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out. Smile because you can. Choose happiness. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow. Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it. If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it. But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too.
 

Holy Week Lent Reflections

 Lent is about embarking on journey toward the risen Christ. The period is marked by fasting and meditation with intentional spiritual focus. A period of preparation and reflection. Do not test the Lord your God!  Instead, entrust your faith entirely in Him.  Placing your entire trust in God brings you a peace not of this earth.  Have you ever experienced God’s peace?  
  
Reflection
The readings for each of the days in the first half of Holy Week place us on the edge, the rift, the tipping point. There is a sharp disconnect between light and darkness; betrayal and constancy; death and glorification. Today, in particular, there is a sharp turn at the very center of things. The first reading is full of promise as we read Isaiah foreshadowing Jesus, not just a Servant of God, but a Light to the Nations, the One who brings salvation. The Psalm takes up the refrain of trust in God’s rock-solid protection.

An authentic faith – which is never comfortable or completely personal – always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better that we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God has put us, and we love the human family which dwells here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses. The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters. If indeed "the just ordering of society and of the state is a central responsibility of politics", the Church "cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice".

 This upcoming Friday, we will recall this selfless act that Jesus went through in order to ensure that we will have everlasting life. As a Christian, it is incredibly important to share the love and light that Jesus gave to us with others. Jesus’s love is meant to be shared with everyone. Jesus brought a light to those in darkness, so how can we as Christians bring light to those in darkness? We often focus on the large deeds that Jesus did, like dying for us, healing Lazarus, allowing the blind to see, but the light we bring to this world, does not always have to be so powerful. Donating food to the hungry, talking to someone who seems lonely, etc. Sacrificing an hour of time to spend with a child or adult in need, can bring so much light to someone’s life. Jesus died for us all, so we could live forever! Share His love and be the light of the world.
 Prayer

“In you, O Lord I take refuge…Be my rock of refuge;

A stronghold to give me safety, for You are my rock and my fortress.” (Ps.71 1;3)

O Lord, grant that, even in dark times of pain and betrayal, we may find the strength to move forward with the promise of glory ringing in our ears and confidence in God our Father/Mother in our hearts.

5 Cool Ways to Beat Summer Heat

When temperatures and prices for gas and food are all skyrocketing, it may seem like summer can’t come without cost to your health and pocketbook. If you’re struggling to find fun for the family, check out these health-conscious and inexpensive ideas for entertainment.

1. Fake a vacation: try a stay-cation
Keep your vacation bill lower by staying at home and visiting places within driving distance. Like any vacation, you’ll need to do your research. Check your city’s calendar for free events, and explore your town for places you’ve never been, including healthy eating options. Staying home allows you to be more conscious of what you are eating than when you’re in a new place with unfamiliar meal options, and it replaces the long hours of sitting in the car with walking tours of your hometown.
 2. Make a Cool Drink
An activity and a snack all in one! Create popsicles with Innergize! and fresh fruit, or experiment with new ingredients in your favorite Reliv shake to keep your body temperature down. Lemon Innergize! can also jumpstart a favorite summer tradition, the lemonade stand. Delicious and hydrating, a lemonade stand can also be one of the first opportunities to teach your kids about earning and spending money wisely.
 3. Stake a Spot Outside
Stepping out your front door doesn’t cost a thing and is one of the best ways to keep your kids from spending their summer glued to electronics. Take them to a park for time on the playground and games of tag, or hike together for exercise. You can make up scavenger hunts for plants and animals to keep them from becoming tired more quickly, too. For an evening activity, choose backyard camping complete with stargazing and sleeping in a tent. Don’t forget to use the proper amount of sunscreen and bug spray when you’re outside so your fun doesn’t turn sour the next day.

4. Take Up Family Night-In
If it’s too hot or the rain won’t stop, spend an evening indoors. For dinner, let each person pick a dish to make. If your kids are too young to handle the responsibility alone, let them shop for ingredients on a family trip to the grocery store or farmer’s market. Then, let them stir or put the recipe into the baking pan. You can add an extra challenge to see who can create the healthiest part of the meal.
 5. Shake up movie night
Host an outdoor family movie night, which prevents another night on the couch and spending money on sugar-filled movie theater snacks. Invite family friends over so both adults and kids have friends tospend time with, and ask each family to bring a healthy snack like a veggie tray or fruit salad. All you need to do is find a projector and hang up a sheet. Choose a movie from your or another family’s collection, or check out a free one from the library.

VALENTINE - SELF LOvE Month Celebration

When you say I love you ,you are making a promise with someone else’s heart. You should honor it with actions to prove it.Love is not only an emotion . Love is a verb .

 The month of February is usually focused on loving others. That's an awesome thing to do and it's very important when it comes to living a positive life -- but so is loving yourself. So, this year, I've decided that the month of February should also the time of year when we pause and remember to love ourselves as well those around us.

 Honestly, there are too many people in the world who treat others better than they treat themselves. They would never say a harsh would about someone they love, but they're quick to judge themselves and put themselves down. That, to me, is not okay. It's not okay to judge yourself and criticize yourself and, in some cases, even hate yourself. If you want to live the most positive,  present life that you can, you absolutely must love yourself. And you must do it now.

As urgent as this self-love call to action is, it's certainly not an easy task to tackle -- especially if it's something you've struggled with for some time -- which is why I'm dedicating not a post to it, but an entire month of posts. If there's one thing I truly believe in it's self-love, and it's my goal to share all I know about the topic with you this month in hope that someone -- even just one person -- will begin to see how much s/he is worth and how important it is to love him/herself.

  I want to kick off this month of self-love a day early with a few inspiring quotes about loving yourself. Though I have a lot to say on the subject, I'm no self-love expert and so I've gathered quotes on the subject that have inspired me to believe in the value of self-love. I hope you'll take these words of wisdom to heart and use them as reminders to love yourself -- no matter what.

 Self-Love Inspiration

"The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely."
Carl Jung

 "Self-love is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting."
William Shakespeare

 "To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance."
Oscar Wilde

 "Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."
Kurt Cobain

 "A person's worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves."
Jean De La Bruyere

 "We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies."
Roderick Thorp

 "Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror."
Byron Katie

 "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 "Just as much as we see in others we have in ourselves."
William Hazlitt

 "You, as much as anyone in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
Buddha

 "Do not wish to be anything other than what you are."
St. Francis De Sales

Contemplating.......... LoVe

"The most fun is coming up with the possibilities"

Sadden Me Softly
Posted by contemplatinglove in Poetry

Any way you say it it’s still going to pain me
And I don’t know why
and I don’t know
how
but the sadness crept in slowly
and I felt the urge to scream and I felt
the tears waiting on the corners of my eyes
but I did not let them fall
I’d never let them fall
this isn’t me anymore
not this pain, not this sadness
I am whole
immense
strong and weak
and past and present
I am softness and ice and
blood and heart
and you cannot reach me
only sadness can

Ode to my Sin 
 Posted by contemplatinglove in Love

I never knew what exactly you tried to fix in me
but it worked
And I changed and my world collapsed and you rebuilt it again and again
for me, for me only, for you loved me
With the fire and the passion of a mad man
You didn’t care if you were going to be part of it
You only wanted to save me
and you did
So I chose you
over every reason and over every virtue
because what changes your life
stays within you
A sin against all reason
and a sin against all truth
but not a sin against the heart.

 Cause and Effect
Posted by contemplatinglove in Relationship

Push and you will be resisted
Convince and you will be resented
Love and you will be hated
Cherish and you will be detested
Chase and you will be avoided
Beg and you will be cursed
Want and you will be ignored
Hope and you will be left alone

“The most fun is always coming up with possibilities,” - See more at: http://www.nycmedialab.org/blog/2013/11/contemplating-the-big-big-question-of-organizational-change/#sthash.XD3pDKUo.dpuf

“The most fun is always coming up with possibilities - See more at: http://www.nycmedialab.org/blog/2013/11/contemplating-the-big-big-question-of-organizational-change/#sthash.XD3pDKUo.dpuf

“The most fun is always coming up with possibilities - See more at: http://www.nycmedialab.org/blog/2013/11/contemplating-the-big-big-question-of-organizational-change/#sthash.XD3pDKUo.dpuf

“The most fun is always coming up with possibilities - See more at: http://www.nycmedialab.org/blog/2013/11/contemplating-the-big-big-question-of-organizational-change/#sthash.XD3pDKUo.dpuf

“The most fun is always coming up with possibilities - See more at: http://www.nycmedialab.org/blog/2013/11/contemplating-the-big-big-question-of-organizational-change/#sthash.XD3pDKUo.dpuf

End of Year Check-In … 2013 is nearly over and were looking ahead of 2014!

Setting small goals and meeting them is one example. However, setting big goals also can be helpful.

Setting large goals for the year, for example, can help you to think about the big picture. And, once you meet those goals, it can be useful to think about all you have done so that you can develop motivation to move forward. The trick is to set reasonable goals and reasonable expectations for meeting them.

The end of the year is a great time to go back to your big goals and see all that you have accomplished during the year.  As I was looking over what I did for last month, I was a bit down because most of what I did was to continue to revise works in progress. It can be hard to see the progress I am making when all I have to say for November is that I revised a chapter and an article and they are still unfinished. To pull myself out of that slump, I decided to look at all I have done over the course of 2013. And, it turns out I have some major accomplishments to report.

 I find looking back over my accomplishments to be rewarding. It also gives me energy to move forward and keep up momentum for next year. “People are working a little longer at their primary career, and even in retirement they’re saying, ’I could have 20, 25, even 30 years in retirement,”’

ETI Travel and Tours - Travel & Leisure and Travel Agencies and Ticketing

ETI Travel and Tours - Travel & Leisure and Travel Agencies and Ticketing