New Year's Resolution

As an expert at New Year’s resolutions, I have tried them all.  After all my research, I am here to tell you there is only one New Year’s resolution that can really change your life for the better. Are you ready to change your life?

You must learn to love yourself like a precious child. The lack of  self- love is the root cause of all of our problems.  We neglect ourselves, sometimes to the point of abuse. We work hard, skip meals or eat junk, don’t have time for exercise, fun…the list goes on. The fact is that many times we put ourselves last. We ultimately end up treating ourselves pretty badly.  We would never treat a precious child this way.

So let’s describe this as though you are now the parent of a precious child (which is you). This child is going to have to rely on you and your knowledge for everything.  You are going to embrace this child for the precious soul that it is, and teach the child how to live a happy, healthy life, rich with all the good things the world has to offer.

Forgiveness- not Judgment:  This is very important. You will need to be gentle and kind with your precious child (PC).  Be forgiving of mistakes.  We all make them and hopefully learn from them.  The key is to move on and do better! You must also make sure that other people do not mistreat the PC. There may be negative people who don’t add anything positive to your life. In fact, these people might even make you feel bad about yourself.  They can suck the joy out of living. Don’t expose your PC to these types.  Sometimes you have to just let go of those toxic relationships. Even though it might be painful-it’s sometimes necessary. Surround yourself with positive, happy people that make you feel good.

Social Interaction: You want your PC to have a happy, balanced life and you know that the social aspect is very important. Studies have shown that this is one of the keys to staving off dementia, as well as living to a ripe old age.  Interaction with others is another important part of a healthy and happy life. It could be meeting a friend for lunch once a week, joining a book club, doing a wine tasting,  taking a class, getting involved with your church, temple or mosque. It’s important to have something fun to look forward to least once a week.

Making a Contribution:  The key to feeding your soul is to do something that you believe makes a difference. I’ve always believed that the best way to make you feel better is to help someone else to feel better.   Make sure that you help your PC find their passion.  Maybe it’s visiting a pet shelter to show some love to lonely dogs and cats. You can touch many lives. Maybe it’s volunteering at a nursing home and spending some time with some elderly folks who feel as though they have been abandoned by the world. You can bring great joy.  Maybe helping to build a house for humanity is more your style.  Or perhaps you can find satisfaction in writing some letters to find justice for a cause that you feel strongly about.

Nurture: You must make sure that your PC gets enough sleep. Sometimes they will need a nice warm bath and a cup of tea to relax.  Maybe even a fragrant candle. Sometimes treating PC to a matinee is just the cure. PC might really enjoy a dinner date at a favorite restaurant.  A nice massage is always a treat. Dear little PC deserves only the best.

Nutrition: You know that good nutrition is important, so you will be sure that your PC get’s healthy food, full of fresh fruits, veggies, grains and lean protein.  Maybe it would be fun to join a group like Weight Watchers, so you can learn about a healthy diet and also have that group support. You want your PC to be at a healthy weight so that they never have to suffer from weight related health issues like Diabetes, heart disease and so on.

Exercise:  To keep little PC healthy, you will also make sure that exercise plays an important role.  We all know that exercise is imperative to a healthy body and life. You can cut your risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia and even cancer!  It doesn’t matter where you start. Even if you have to start with 5 minutes of walking a day, that’s a start.  You can slowly work your way up to 20 minutes a day.  You can actually choose whatever you and your PC enjoy.  Maybe swimming or dancing would be more fun.  Or perhaps a zumba or yoga class might appeal to you. How about a weekend of Ski Lessons? The sky is the limit!

It’s really all about loving ourselves. If we don’t take care of ourselves, then who will? Do you care enough to try?

Happy New Year to all and may 2013 be the best ever!

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