Finding value in your life

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”

~  Khalil Gibran

So I know I don't write much in my blog. I come up with things I want to write about all the time but when I sit down to lay it all out my mind is usually not clear enough to make that happen or my perfectionist qualities come into play and I don't like anything I have written so I scrap the whole thing. Definitely not the appropriate way to go about things considering my blog is for me most importantly and it is to help others that relate to me and learn from my life experiences. Which is kind of what this blog post is about. Have you ever sat back and realized that other people see more value in your life then you? Or that other people believe in you more then you do yourself?

It can be a struggle to live life to the fullest. If you want life to be easy it can be but you won't really go anywhere or see anything. To dream dreams is the easiest thing but to live dreams can be one of the hardest things you may ever do. When something bad happens in your life you can make it worse by thinking the worst. When someone dies do you dwell over their death or celebrate their life and memories? Our bodies are controlled by our minds. The 3 lbs or so of tissue in your head controls everything. Whether you live or die.....whether your happy or sad. Pretty amazing when you think about it. Happiness is definitely a choice. If you make a mistake or something is not going your way sometimes you just have to let it go. Let it be ok. Don't try to run from your imperfection but try to learn from them. If your ok with the possibility of failure it decreases the chances of it actually happening. 


We exercise our mind and body but how often do we let our mind relax. Are you one of those people who live on the edge all the time. I learned in a class I took recently about zebra's reactions. They will be just standing around chilling and then they get chased by a lion. Just say even one of the zebra's die. After the lion is gone they slow down and say that was close and go right back to what they were doing. They don't stand around and dwell on what just happened. It is over. It turns out we need to be more like zebra's in our life. Most of the time we react to things like it is a life or death situation but in the whole scheme of things it doesn't really matter and our life is not at risk. We spend a lot of time worrying about things that we can't even do anything about which when you think of it kind of makes it pointless. Unnecessary worry. When you get stressed and anxious you are making your nervous system go out of control. We have what they call the fight or flight system which is why when our life is at risk we are able to react to it immediately without even thinking about it. But when our bodies are in fight or flight response things shut down so it can use that energy to deal with the life or death situation. So when you live life stressed and anxious all the time your body is not functioning very well because you are making your bodies nervous system react unnecessarily. This is why living with anxiety, depression, fear will cause the body to break down and not function properly. 


So then what happens when we realize we are slowly killing our self and not really living. Not enjoying a great quality of life like we could be. Well we take the necessary steps to change things. Basically one step at a time will get us there. The first step may be the hardest but after that you just keep climbing with an occasional trip but if you just get back up and start climbing again you will make it to the top. There are many different ways people gain strength and mindfulness. Some people pray, some meditate. Now what do I do. I continue to learn and seek new ways to help because yes I have one of those anxious minds. I fight negative thoughts and my mind seems to be continuously running. I have gained much better control over it and I have even experienced mindlessness. A silent mind. It is really one of the most peaceful things. I have experienced the zone in sport and am still amazed at what I can do when I am not even trying to do it. In order to keep the body and mind in balance, I get regular massages, acupuncture, and see a chiropractor. I read books and take classes. I take yoga classes and drink herbal tea. I exercise and watch my diet. All these things help to keep my body and mind in line. 


Are you in control of yourself or is yourself controlling you?

Remember positive thoughts equals positive results. There is good to be found in all life's circumstances.