Growth

Stress

It has been a long week! Between being able to visit my first convention with my new job, regular school assignments, making time for family and friends, it's easy for me to see how important "down time" really is! I realized that in order to commit to leading a healthier lifestyle I had to look at my life in a different way. I mean that so often I hear people tell me they don't have time leftover for themselves. That they don't have time to meditate or relax or exercise. Viewing time spent on your mental and physical health as "time leftover", is the root of the problem! If you left your well being in the hands of motivation alone, would you achieve your goals? Despite battling a busy schedule and a bit of a cold, I finally managed to commit myself to meditating everyday! I literally had to set a time, for me it was right before bed, where for only 10 minutes I sit in a comfortable place and position, and focus on my breathing. I have to say I'm a little disappointed in myself that I haven't done this regularly sooner, but that's ok, when you know better, you do better! 

The plan

So don't leave your health up to chance. I don't know many people that don't rely on an alarm clock to wake them up. If you didn't have any deadlines or due dates would you get much work done? My personal plan sometimes includes some pretty stringent scheduling. I knew that I lacked motivation in some areas and I was horrendous at time management. Make your weakness your strength, if you don't come by something naturally it just means you have to work harder at it, it doesn't mean you can't do it. If you need to schedule your time like I do then I would recommend it, what ever works best for you. Look at it this way, you wouldn't call yourself a dancer if you didn't dance or you wouldn't call yourself a writer if you didn't write. You have to MAKE time for the things you love.

 The outlook

Life is amazing in the sense that, to a certain extent, you get to decide and be whoever you want, so why not take full advantage? I would highly recommend taking responsibility for yourself. Take pride in your accomplishments and your curiosities. I didn't know how to meditate, and before that, I didn't know I needed to!  I found this article to be really informative of the basics and it also gives you some great ideas http://bit.ly/1tgcvGk. For me, I really enjoy breathing exercises because I find it very difficult to clear my mind. By focusing on my breathing, I can take my mind off of my responsibilities and re-center myself. What are your thoughts on meditating? Do you schedule time for the things you love? Pass along some tips in the comments or send me some on Pinterest, I would love to hear from you!

My lotus flower reminds me that it is possible

to start in unfavorable circumstances and 

emerge beautifully.

Don't stop growing.