Guest Author: Latisha Greaves-Barker
Our spiritual/personal life, career, family, friends, co-workers/ schoolmates, romance, health, finances, environment. So many things to consider from the time we rise from our nightly naps until the time we allow sleep to take us again.
It is almost easier to cut at least some of these things out of our list of priorities. In fact, so many of us in reality have made that decision, not realizing we will not be able to live a completely fulfilling life if we do not discover a balance. Many of us, have decided that we don’t want or need a fulfilling life. Some of us have even decided that there is no such thing.
That’s untrue.
First and foremost the journey begins ABOVE.
It starts with LOVE, love of GOD (most important), love of yourself (very important), love of life, love of your family and friends and love of your career. Once you have got this department covered, It will be easy to decide “I want more,”
“I want to maximize my quality of life,”
“I want to wake up in the morning and be glad to be alive, I want to smile a real smile, laugh real laughs and even cry tears of joy and gladness, that God has blessed me with another day.”
NEXT, you make a LIST of your priorities, one, two, three, four, let the most important top the list and so on and so on. After you have decided what is more important to you, you set goals, put steps in place to better the way you live your life.
Your list should look like this:
* Personal/Spiritual Growth
* Health
* Family & Friends
* Significant other/Romance
* Career
* Finances
* Physical Environment
The love of GOD, yourself and people should always come first before any physical/material things.
Spend time in the presence of the Lord, PRAY,thank him for life, family, shelter, etc, every morning, night, before eating and whenever he is needed during your day.
EAT WELL; a balanced diet is one that includes a combination of several different food types. What is important is eating in the right proportion, your aim should be to get all the nutrients your body needs and maintaining a healthy weight. Eating at least three servings of whole grain foods could reduce risk of heart disease and certain cancers by thirty percent.
Food groups are divided like this:
* Bread, other cereals and potatoes (6 to 11 servings)
E.g two slices of bread, ½ cup rice, 1 cup Cereal
* Fruit (2 to 4 servings) and Vegetables (3 to 5 servings)
E.g 1 cup raw leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup other vegetables, ¾ vegetable juice One medium apple, orange, banana, ½ cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit ¾ fruit juice
* Milk and dairy foods (2 to 3 servings)
* Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and alternatives (2 to 3 servings)
E.g one egg, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, ½ cook dry beans, 1/3 cup of nuts
* Foods containing fat and sugar (Eat sparingly)
How many servings of each depends on age, gender and activity level.
SLEEP WELL; wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day, don’t take naps unless you are very sleepy, this reduces hours of laying awake in bed at night. Avoid exercising or using caffeine, nicotine, alcohol at least four hours before bedtime, have a light snack and take a cool shower at least ninety minutes before bed. Make sure your bed is comfortable and practice sleeping rituals, e.g listening to relaxing music, etc.
EXERCISE WELL; set out at least twenty minutes to an hour everyday to keep fit. Join a dance, yoga, karate class, go to the gym, take long walks, ride a bicycle or set up your own work out routines to do at home.
Apart from work/school, sleep, pray, eating and exercise, spend some time in other interest and social events. Get together with friends who encourage your passions and stimulate your mind, avoid negative energy. What ever it is you like to do other than work e.g painting, reading, sailing, swimming, work on developing it and enjoying it immensely.
Schedule relax time, quiet time. Lay on the beach, go to a spa or just sit in the patio and breathe in some fresh air.
You will see, once these areas are in place, your work, environment and finances will also come into place. Live life, let love shine and balance out. Peace ya’ll.
Latisha Greaves-Barker is a young ambitious writer whose desire is to empower today’s youth with her heart felt passion for the mighty pen. Learn more about her and read her articles at: http://www.bajeyout.com
Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .
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