Bringing Balance to Life: Loving Ourselves

Gaze affectionately into the mirror and repeat, "You are so beautiful. You are so wonderful. I love you so." Is that self-love? No, that's narcissism and a psychoanalyst will put you on the couch for that. Besides, you know what happened to Narcissus, don't you? The beautiful Greek youth gazed at his refection in a pool, pined away, and was changed into the flower that bears his name. The psychological term, narcissism, describing a neurotic obsession with one's own person is derived from that story.

Healthy self-love has nothing to do with narcissism. Self-love involves developing our talents while, at the same time, humbly accepting our limitations. Healthy self-love is marked by these characteristics:

• When we love ourselves we appreciate our unique­ness.
• We give up the unfulfilling quest for perfection by accepting our limitations.
• We learn something new each day.
• We work on improving our personality and character.
• We allow our feel­ings to sparkle with goodwill.
• We laugh often and loudly.
• We feel the joy of daily experiences.
• We fulfill our need for affection and tenderness and bring delight into rela­tionships.
• We cultivate spiritual awareness of the omniscient, omnipresent God who is the source of all love.

If you have difficulty loving yourself, understand that God loves you anyway. God wants the best for you. There's nothing you can do to escape the compassionate, forgiving and accepting love of God. Studying scriptures regularly will help you understand the heart and mind of God. Comprehending God's incredible love for you will enable you to love yourself.

Let's be thankful that we have life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGi2pAikrg

Bringing Balance to Life: Choose Today

With each new day, our happiness depends more on our attitude than our circumstances. If an abundant life depends on our choices and it does why not choose happiness now? Why not choose happiness every day? The following ten choices summarize the essence of living life positively:

   1. I choose, this day, to be happy.

    2. I choose, this day, to adjust myself to what comes my way.

    3. I choose, this day, to take care of my body by exercising and eating properly.

    4. I choose, this day, to improve my mind by reading and listening.

    5. I choose, this day, to do something good for someone.

    6. I choose, this day, to praise the good around me.

    7. I choose, this day, to eliminate hurry and indecision from my life.

    8. I choose, this day, to have a quiet half hour all by myself to think of God.

    9. I choose, this day, to love and believe that those I love, love me.
  10.  I choose, this day, to make the choices that will bring a ful­filled life each day.

....And sing out everyday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC3pKGcUUoA

Bringing Balance to Life: Visualize Success

Imagination powerfully influences successful out­comes. When imagination and willpower compete, the imagination always wins. Force of will never keeps you striving for success, but proper visualization will. Visualization will make you a winner on the golf course or tennis court and it will enable you to be more success­ful in business and your daily life.

All peak performers visualize success. Before shoot­ing a free throw, skilled basketball players see the ball ripping through the net. Before great golfers hit each ball, they vividly picture where they want the ball to go.

Likewise, when we visualize a pleasant and con­tented family life, we will most likely have a happy home. And visualizing business success enhances a good outcome.

A relaxed mind enforces the effectiveness of visual­ization. Practice this exercise: Assume a relaxed posi­tion. Close your eyes. Silently repeat these words, "Breathe in relaxation; breathe out tension." When you feel relaxed, visualize what you want to happen. Focus on this positive visual image for a few seconds. Open your eyes and hit the golf ball straight down the middle of the fairway        …or successfully complete that sales call…or peacefully persuade your truculent child to go to his room.

Bringing Balance to Life: Choose Enthusiasm

At a fruit stand the farmer arranged his blueberries in attractive baskets but said nothing to the first ten customers who passed him. Only one person purchased blueberries.

He offered the next ten a basket of blueberries with this assertive query, "You want some blueberries, don't you?!" Half of them purchased his blueberries.

He asked the last ten, "Do you want one or two baskets of blueberries?"  Four customers bought two baskets; five acquired one basket; only one refused to buy.

Enthusiastic assumptions assure successful outcomes. Corporate presidents voted enthusiasm the most valuable personality trait. It's the biggest single factor in successful selling. It wins ball games. Inspires audiences. Enhances learning. Builds team spirit. Propels careers. 

Become enthusiastic by acting enthusiastically. See your dreams come true. Talk enthusiastically.  Your words and actions determine your level of enthusiasm.

Make dull days bright by adding zip to everything you do. Put a bounce in your step. A hearty handshake indicates you are glad to be alive and happy to be with the other person. A robust smile radiates enthusiasm. Reply to the mundane, "How do you do?" with an attention getting, "Fantastic...and I'm going to get better!" Put spirit into your speech by varying the pace, raising and lowering the pitch, changing the tone and modulation. Talk with more than your mouth----use wide sweeping gestures. Don't hold back. Turn it on. Force yourself to act with enthusiasm and soon you will feel enthusiastic.

Broadcast good news. Take sunshine to work. Positive news promotes good will and spreads enthusiasm.  Talk about the exciting things your company is doing. Compliment people you work with. Always aim to make people feel better than they otherwise would.

Bring rainbows home.  Talk to your family about the amusing, pleasant things you experienced during the day. Be a positive, optimistic example for your loved ones. 

Learn something useful. The more you know about some­thing, the more your enthusiasm for that subject soars. Make an effort to learn all you can about people----ask about their occupation, their families, their hobbies, their dreams and ideas. Keep asking and you're certain to find something to get enthusiastic about. 

Find time to play. Free and spontaneous activity emphasizes enjoyment not achievement. Emotion, not effort, enhances play. 

Cultivate gratitude. Glorify in your blessings, your expectations, and your abundant opportunities.

Bringing Balance to Life: Attitude Adjustment

Two shoe salesmen were given a new territory on a Pacific island. Immediately upon arrival, the first sales­man placed an urgent call to the home office:  "Get me out of here. No one on this island wears shoes."

The second salesman sent an request to the factory, "Please put everybody on overtime. Will need as many shoes as you can manufacture. No one on this island has any shoes."

Attitude----the altitude adjuster----determines whether we fly high or low, crash or soar, glide or slide. Attitude is more significant than what's happened or what's hap­pening. Attitude is more consequential than the past, than genetics, than education, than money, than appearance, or talent. Attitude is more important than what other people think about us. 

A couple of days ago I had a pity party. I became upset with everything and everybody. Suddenly I felt ashamed. I wasn't any better than a spoilsport. I rebuked myself:  Anybody can have a positive attitude when things are going well. It's how you act when things are going badly that determines the strength of your character. An appropriate attitude means feeling hopeful in challenging times. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Count your blessings. Look for the good.

I shared my insight with a friend who, later that day, gave me a adhesive label to place on my bathroom mirror. Now whenever I shave, brush my teeth, or comb my hair, I see the message: Attitude is Everything. This little reminder helps me tidy up my point of view.

Whether we are running hot, running cold, or sim­ply running on overload, we can take charge of our atti­tude by remembering these aphorisms:

• Emotional disposition outshines our social position
• What matters is what happens in us not to us
• Choices, not circumstances, determine how we think
• Activity cures misery
• The most certain way to success is to try one more time
• Act "as if" to get positive results
• What I think trumps what others think
• Contentment depends on our response to events
• Gratitude adjusts our attitude.

Do platitudes help us live better? Do bathroom decals influence us? Are positive stories helpful? You bet!  Inspiration transforms attitudes.