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What Would You Do if You Had One Month to Live?

By on May 17, 2013 in Life Juice, Mind Matters

What would you do differently if you only had one month to live? Would you change jobs or leave relationship? Would you apologize or be more caring to others? Would you take a risk you’ve always wanted to take? Everyone’s answer will be different. The book One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life by Kerry & Chris Shook can help you answer those questions and guide you along that journey of changing the way you live your life.

From the book:

“Be brutally honest with yourself. Your time on earth is limited. Shouldn’t you start making the most of it? If you knew you had one month to live, you would look at everything from a different perspective. Many of the things you do now that seem so important would immediately become meaningless. You would have total clarity about what matters most, and you wouldn’t hesitate to be spontaneous and risk your heart. You wouldn’t wait until tomorrow to do what you need to do today. The way you lived that month would be the way you wished you had lived your whole life.

If you knew you had one month to live, your life would be radically transformed. But why do we wait until we’re diagnosed with cancer or we lose a loved one to accept this knowledge and allow it to free us? Don’t we want all that life has to offer? Don’t we want to fulfill the purpose for which we were created? Wouldn’t life be a lot more satisfying if we lived this way?

I’m challenging you to start living your life as though you have one month to live, and I’ve designed this book to help you. There are four universal principles in the one-month-to-live lifestyle: to live passionately, to love completely, to learn humbly, and to leave boldly. I’ve divided this book into four sections or “weeks” accordingly, and I encourage you to live these next thirty days as if they were your last.”

I find this book to be fascinating, thought-provoking and inspiring. Happy reading! What will you do with your one month?

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2 Words That Help Me Stay Sane in a Crazy World

By on May 13, 2013 in Mind Matters

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There are days, more and more the older I get, when tasks seem to be everywhere I look, piling up faster than I can even capture them; a full dishwasher, dishes in the sink, laundry to be done, an errand list as long as my arm, emails to be returned, papers to go through, posts to be written, articles to be researched, appointments to be made…

When I start feeling…hmmm. Frantic is the word I guess. The only thing I can do is keep repeating over and over “one thing,” “one thing,” a mantra of sorts to remind myself to focus on just one thing at a time. Just one thing…, then the next…, and the next. I started out whispering it in my head, but now I just say it out loud and don’t care who thinks I’m crazy. Crazy or not, it helps…a lot.

One thing…

Put away the dishes – Check

Throw in a load of laundry – Check

Answer email – Check

Write blog post – Check

Conference call – Check

Research article – Check

Brainstorm name and domain for new project – Check

Call mom – Check

Text kids – Check

Make vet appointment for dogs – Check

Do a few errands – Check

Go to son’s track meet – Check

Try not to think about work I should be doing while at track meet – Sort of check

Make dinner – Check

Walk dogs – Check

Check homework – Check

And so on…

One thing…one thing…one thing…

It works for me…Maybe it will work for you…

Repeat after me…One thing, one thing, one thing…

Let me know if it helps!

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It’s Not Too Late to Choose

By on May 6, 2013 in Life Juice, Mind Matters

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Think about the choices you make every day…the choices you’ve made in the past…and the choices you need to make now.

We have, especially in America, in the 21st century an almost unheard of wealth of choices ranging from the mundane, what I want to eat for dinner, and which cell phone provider to go with, to the potentially life altering, what work I want to do, where I want to live, and how I vote.

Some days it may not feel like we have choices; often it feels as though life chooses its own path and we are just being dragged along for the ride. But even on those days and in those situations where we feel we have no control over our circumstances, no options, we do.

We can always choose our attitude. We get to decide how to respond, and what action to take, or even to go with the flow and see what happens.

Today, give some thought to the choices you have made and continue to make each day.

Are you content with them all? What would like to change? Choose differently? Start today! It’s not too late.

Life’s too short…Use the blessing of choice wisely.

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Real Age Wisdom You Need To Remember

By on May 1, 2013 in Health & Wellness, Mind Matters, Responsible Living

realageSome timeless wisdom you need to remember from RealAge.com.

To Feel Content, Just Take a Stand

Has something in the news gotten your ire up? Taking a stand on it could boost your quality of life.

New research shows that not just believing in a cause, but actively supporting it, tends to translate into a happier, more contented life.

Power Beyond the Pen

In a series of studies, researchers surveyed over 1,000 adults to find out if they considered themselves to be activists for any particular issue, from supporting antiwar politics to championing human rights. And the researchers found that the stronger a person’s activism, the better that person felt — as long as his or her activities weren’t extreme. Specifically, the highly engaged activists reported experiencing more positive emotions, feeling more satisfied with their lives, and feeling more connected to others. (Here’s another get-happy strategy that will help you feel more satisfied every day.)

The Good in Do-Gooding

Investing yourself in issues that are important to you helps strengthen your sense of self and fosters personal feelings of purpose — both of which can help get you through tough or stressful times. So whether you write letters to Congress or start a nonprofit, take an active stand on the things you believe in. And here are just a few more ways that doing good for others does your own life some major good:

It can keep your mind from slowing down.

It can boost longevity.

RealAge Benefit:

Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.

I don’t know about you…but I’m all for feeling younger!

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Why Are We So Obsessed With Doing?

By on April 26, 2013 in Mind Matters, Productivity & Organization

University student sleeping at home

Even when we’re not supposed to be “Doing,”…we try to “Do” our way through “Not Doing.” Confusing, I know. We are strange and perplexing creatures, us humans. Trust me, the rest of the creatures in this world do not plan their rest or leisure time…No, this obsession with busy, doing mode is purely humanoid.

I’m supposed to be lying low this week in planning and recovery mode. In fact I’m taking the day off today…Can’t you tell?

But when I got out of bed this morning, before I had even taken my first sip of precious caffeine gold, my mind was already planning my day, everything that I wanted to cram into my “Off Day” whirling through my brain. Even in rest, our brains have difficulty shutting off.

To illustrate, I thought I’d share my “Rest Day” to-do list:

Meditate

Kettle bell workout

Run/walk 3 miles

Catch up on filing

Pay bills

Catch up on cemetery business – file and mail out deeds, balance accts. (I’m treasurer of local cemetery)

Buy a new purse (strap broke on current one)

Go to the library

Go to son’s track meet

Go to bank

Call my grandson

Text adult children to check in

Check up on mom – recovering from eye surgery

Journal work

Read books – Finish “Without Reservations”, start “Living Deeply” and take notes from “4 Hour Body”

BP exercises from workbook

Creative brainstorming -  Future focus, direction, projects, posts, etc.

Rest on front porch with glass of tea

 

Funny how much my “Rest Day” list has so much “Doing” on it…sigh. It’s a sickness that I’m afraid many of us share.

It’s time to rethink what “Not Doing” means…

Who else is with me on this?

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