Improve Your Life? NOW.

[ElizabethBinary]

Mods Please Delete. Thanks.

[Milims]

I've found that the easiest and most effective way to improve my life was simply to appreciate what I have. That doesn't just mean the things I have but all that is wonderul and beautiful around me. It can be anything - the lovely cooing sounds that our chickens make when they wake up in the morning, a sleepy hug from my kids when I sneak in to say goodnight, the evening song of a robin in our garden, the kids enjoying their food so much they forget to talk, the last kiss at night from my OH and the first one in the morning, waking up in the night snuggled up together, the first sip of coffee in the morning, remembering my bedroom wall paper from when I was a kid......... I could go on. Nothing spectacular or earth shattering - just simple joys that make each day worth living. I guess the gist of this is not looking at what you desire but at what you have and loving it.

[ElizabethBinary]

.....delete.

[MKG]

Well, don't wrestle over it.

I think that the whole point of Milim's post was identifying the things which make you feel good (or "happy" as we romantics would have it).

Look at your life. Identify what makes you feel good and what doesn't. Institute a plan of action which removes the negatives and accentuates the positives. Simples!!!!

Mike

[ElizabethBinary]

Wrestle? I was agreeing with Milim.

[MKG]

Damn - I am so angry with myself! A misplaced apostrophe!!!!

What I meant was Milims' post. That's better.

Mike

[ElizabethBinary]

I must be missing something.... *sigh*

[StripyPixieSocks]

My advice is stop trying to 'find yourself' because while you're attempting to do that you're not stopping to smell the roses and you will end up at 60 wondering why you spent so much time trying to 'find yourself' when you were already there and should have simply lived your life and appreciated what is in your life now.

Honestly, take it from someone who wasted most of her life buried in self-help books and trying to take solace from 'spiritual leaders' speeches and really I should have listened to my own gut instinct and got on with my life as I am doing now.

Don't analyse everything it WILL make you miserable, if you like it... great... if you don't like it then cut it out of your life and forget about it but don't waste your life finding yourself because all you will find is you have wasted your life when you could be enjoying yourself.

Someone once said to me there is almost nothing in life you can't change IF YOU WANT TO ENOUGH... and another friend just simply told me to BELIEVE [in whatever it is I wish and it will happen]... I've lived my life by those simple things and my life is 101% better now that when I was trying to find myself... all that happened to me is that I got lost along the way :)

[MKG]

Sorry, Elizabeth - please excuse my flippancy. No, you're not missing anything. But the "secret" you seem to be searching for isn't to be found anywhere else - it's all there inside you (as any Buddhist would tell you, if in an indirect manner). You already know what you want. Given that, stop searching. DO (yes, capital letters) what you need to do to achieve what YOU have identified as your aims. No-one else can do that for you. There is no deeper meaning in life than pursuing what you believe in - it's as simple as that.

Sometimes, it works.

Mike

EDIT: Just read SPS's post above here - she's right.

[ElizabethBinary]

What on Earth....? When did I say I was looking for something? When have I said I needed others to acheive me goals? All I was saying is we can all support each other in our dreams. When did I say I didn't know who I was? When did I say I didn't stop to smell the roses?

You know what... forget it.

[Rosendula]

Elizabeth, you (or the mods?) deleted your first post before I managed to read it so I don't have a clue what's going on, but I'm getting the impression you need one of these and a big one of these Whatever's going on in your life (or not going on, I'm a bit confused), remember you have friends here. They won't always say what you want them to, but what they say is usually with the best of intentions. Here, have another one
xx

[grahamhobbs]

I've found that the easiest and most effective way to improve my life was simply to appreciate what I have.

I could not have put it more profoundly myself.

We are all sold the dream that we can achieve any goal, any life dream, if only we only we want it enough, if we look into our self and find strength, if we strive hard enough for it, ...if we compete.
This is the capatalist dream that the grass is greener on the other side, that we individuals need more and more things to be happy, that we can all succeed as individuals if we compete harder and more detirminely, that being rich equals happiness.

There is as much beauty in a sunflower as a multi-million pound Van Gogh.

[Millymollymandy]

Elizabeth deleted her posts so I didn't have a clue what it was about either. If you want the entire thread pulled Elizabeth just shout.

[Milims]

How sad that Elizabeth has decided to delete her original post because it was, in essence, a really good idea for a thread, and certainly something worth sharing, especially as we all learn a lot from eachother here. The gist of it was that she has taken steps to change her life in a positive way and she was wondering what we other ishers have similarly done and what the positive effects were. So there you are - go for it if you wanna!

[Rosendula]

So Elizabeth isn't upset or feeling down about something? Oh good. She can still have the hugs anyway 'cos that's what improves my life, lots and lots of cuddles

I was thinking the other morning as well how often I end up sleeping on the edge of my 3YO daughter's bed, and wake up aching and with a stiff neck and a cold bum (she pinches the covers), yet it doesn't bother me because I wake up to the most beautiful smile -- and of course a lovely cuddle