Live daily

We die daily. Happy those who daily come to life as well. George MacDonald

Each day brings fresh challenges and with each challenge we tend to worry, get anxious and occasionally panic too; sure shot ways to reduce our life span and die a bit daily. Often we end up being diagnosed as suffering from life style diseases like blood pressure, heart problems and stress related disorders. Life style diseases are nothing but a sophisticated way of saying that we are sick and dying from disorders brought along by the sheer stress of daily living. No doubt that with each passing day we shortening our lives by a day but what we don’t realize is that with added stress and poor personal habits we are future shortening our longevity.

On the other hand, if we observe the elderly around us more carefully we would notice that their longevity secret lies in their ability to cope with daily living with alacrity and discipline. By didn’t of perseverance and courage of conviction, they have chalked out a schedule that ensures that they live life on their terms. Most of them follow an early to bed early to rise policy which coupled with a ‘eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar’ policy ensure that their life style is regimented and orderly. Like most human beings they too are subject to stress but unlike those caught up in the rat race they have chosen to take the slow lane, content with what their achievements and successes. More than anything they value their independence and freedom.

If we take up the gauntlet thrown by our elders we would have learned an important secret of longevity; grateful acceptance of all that we receive. When we are grateful we attain contentment and then every day turns out to be a blessing. Every day lived becomes a life enriching experience and we live without any fear. Our happiness comes from the fact that we have so much to live for family, friends, personal goals, our social commitments, the pleasure of doing a great job etc. On the other hand if every day is drudgery and monotonous, full of anxieties and worry and /or if our life is driven by compulsions of living and earning then every day a little bit of us dies when we go to sleep. What dies is our self respect, our ego, our initiative, our hopes and aspirations.

To come to life daily smile more, worry less; laugh more, cry less; feel enthusiastic, banish negativity ; eat moderately, think big; work hard, sleep tight. Learn to live not just breathe; to love not hate; to swim with the tide and not challenge the waves; to smell flowers not just plant trees; to live within our means and not covet what is not ours!

Remember: “No one ever finds life worth living – one has to make it worth living”

Try this:

Take a pot and plant a seed and watch the plant grow. Do you get a sense of happiness when you see the first leaves sprouting and experience tremendous joy when you see the flowers blooming? Imagine your life to be that plant; how will you nurture it to sprout joy and ensure you can spread a fragrance with your mere presence?
Outline the three activities that give you the greatest pleasure. What are the three worries that constantly trouble you? What alternatives do you have to overcome your worries? Eg. You worry about your job. The possible alternatives are : Change job, change job profile, change boss, find something interesting in your job, find a good mentor etc.

This post is courtesy www.actspot.com