Living on the margin not expecting much and giving even less is no way to live this one life we've been blessed with.
Some people may have started off the New Year with big dreams, high hopes and a list of goals. What about you? Have you brought forward negativity from last year? Are you simply going along, treading your path with no vision, no dream and no enthusiasm? Are you living on the periphery, not expecting much and giving even less? You have this one life to live and it would be a travesty to waste it like this. Appreciate your life and honour it by living it joyfully and purposefully, one day at a time.
The following tips will help you to accomplish that.
1. Rise early, open your heart in prayer, wake up your body with at least 15 minutes of exercise, have a solid breakfast, plan your day and get busy with your work - at home, at your business or at your job.
2. Whatever you do, do it well, do it joyfully, do it as if God is watching, because He is.
3. Set aside the negativity that is out of your control and you will create space and free your time and energies to focus on what you can control, such as your attitudes, your actions and your responses to what other people think, say and do.
4. De-clutter your home and work areas. If you do this on a regular basis, the work will be minimal and your space will always be welcoming and conducive to living well and working efficiently.
5. In the scheme of life, your job earns you a living, but it is your family and friends who make life worth living. Lavish them with love: spend quality time with your loved ones at home, stay in touch with relatives, visit, entertain and have outings with your friends
6. Don’t take yourself too seriously. A happy disposition and a light-hearted view of life quells the workday blues, puts a damper on stress, forestalls the onset of depression and inspires you to get up and keep trying after you fall and fail.
7. Smile a while and laugh as much as you can. It is true, life is serious business but it is made up of multiple layers of experiences that add interesting and funny aspects every day. Look for them.
8. Life is too short to spend with regrets, un-forgiveness and bitterness that profits nothing. Invest your time and energies in remembering the best of the past, savouring the joys of the present and dreaming of the possibilities of the future.
9. Approach each day’s hassles without complaint. Daily hassles are a part of life. They strengthen your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual muscles. Very often they even help to expand your network of friends with similar experiences.
10.Slice a few minutes off each twenty-four hours for silence and solitude to regain the serenity you would have lost in the busyness of your day.
11.Play is important whatever your age. Choose at least one fun activity to add interest and variety to your daily or weekly routine.
12. Practice day-dreaming. It keeps your dreams alive, possible and achievable.
13. Keep count of the lessons you’re learning in the school of life. The main topics may fade but the lessons remain and alter how your perceptions of yourself, other people, your life, your work and your dreams.
14. Forget fair; life isn’t but it is good. Take a look at yours and you’ll see.
15. Diversity is the spice of life. Individuality is the essence of relationships. Be true to yourself and appreciate the uniqueness of others.
16. Your journey is your own. The voyage may be dangerous, filled with twists and turns and interrupted by the need to pause, reassess, refuel and refresh. Prepare adequately and travel bravely. Your may have to travel alone but you will encounter other travellers on their own paths, so you won’t be lonely.
17. When adversity comes knocking, put on faith before you open the door. Then for as long as it stays with you, keep your eyes on God and your hand in His. That’s the only way to endure and survive.
18. Simplify how you live and how you work so that you do your part to protect and preserve the environment.
19 Make time for those who are in need. A dollar for the street beggar, clothes for the orphanage, some toiletries for women in a halfway house, school supplies for children who lost everything in a fire. What needs do you see? How can you help?
20.Don’t go to sleep unless you spend a moment giving thanks for the day’s blessings. In fact, record them in your journal, a special gratitude journal even. In difficult times reading through the blessings you’ve known in your life thus far is enough to buoy your spirits and encourage you to hold on and go on.
Now, live today well, gratefully, simply and passionately. It’s your life; it is a gift; enjoy it.