Inspirational and Self Help Blog with a Save the World Complex...
“Eventually, there comes a point in every life where you can no longer ignore the enormous and expanding gap between the life you could be living and the life you’ve settled for…. Every day of your life that you’re not actively engaged in staying fit, eating well, and strengthening your body the gap grows.” – Shawn Phillips, Strength for Life (page 10)
You can read my review of Strength for Life here.
Quote About Learning from Lloyd Alexander
Not long ago, I wrote about the importance of reading for mental fitness. Educating ourselves (whether it’s in the realm of our greatest interests or in the realm of current events) does more than keep us sharp, it allows us to stretch our minds and grow mentally.
Always a stretch worth taking, right?
These wonderful quotes about learning and mentally expanding will give you the encouragement you need!
Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. – Henry L. Doherty
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. – Chinese Proverb
I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. – Abraham Lincoln
We learn from failure, not from success! ~ Bram Stoker, Dracula
It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer. ~ Albert Einstein
Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn. ~ Benjamin Franklin
No matter how one may think himself accomplished, when he sets out to learn a new language, science, or the bicycle, he has entered a new realm as truly as if he were a child newly born into the world. – Frances Willard
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. – Henry Ford
We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself. – Lloyd Alexander
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Any fool can know. The point is to understand. ~ Albert Einstein
The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing. ~ Voltaire
“Don’t Just”
Don’t just learn, experience.
Don’t just read, absorb.
Don’t just change, transform.
Don’t just relate, advocate.
Don’t just promise, prove.
Don’t just criticize, encourage.
Don’t just think, ponder.
Don’t just take, give.
Don’t just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don’t just hear, listen.
Don’t just talk, act.
Don’t just tell, show.
Don’t just exist, live.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Continued from Nine Secrets Happy People Know – Part ONE
4. Happy People Know You Can’t Let Other People’s Lives Direct Their Own. A director pretty much dictates how a play is going to happen. He, or she, tells people where to stand, when to walk, how to feel, etc. The director will tell the other people involved in the play when they’re “getting it right” as well as when they’re “getting it wrong!”
They call the shots.
An actor or member of the crew expects it and doesn’t question the director’s right to pull power trips – after all, it’s what they’re there for. It’s all part of the system.
However, this sort of thing most definitely isn’t part of the system when you aren’t on a stage or in front of a camera. Each individual IS their own director in their own life. No one else gets to tell us how we should feel or how we should react.
People are happiest when they are allowed to be their own person, not who someone else expects them to be.
Happy people, at some point in their life came to terms with who THEY are. What’s more, they made up their mind to be that person no matter who was around and regardless of what others think.
The individual who thinks they have to be a chameleon and change how they act, talk, or even think, depending upon who they’re around, is not a happy person. If they were happy and content, they’d wear themselves all the time and never take themselves off.
If you ever find yourself altering who you are as a person around certain people, ask the following question, “Why am I afraid to be me around_____?” If it’s a fear of ridicule, the next question could very well be, “Why AM I around this person in the first place?!”
When I was in high school, I recall that it was a very “in” thing for girls to act ditzy and dumb. I’d watch with my jaw on the ground as some of my friends would go from talking intelligently about class assignments (from Shakespeare to Spanish) to blanking out when a boy joined the group. Some boys would laugh and, I suppose, think the dumb act was cute? Others would look almost frightened and take off in search of higher ground. These boys? They were the ones who’d been worth chasing. The ones who enjoyed the show… not so much.
When I first started going out with my husband, I was pretty nervous at first. I liked him more than anyone I’d ever met and hoped with every ounce of my being that we’d hit it off. I could tell he was really smart right off the bat. I remember my mind running around in circles thinking, “If he’s smart, would he prefer an airhead or would he like the fact that, unlike the Scarecrow, I happen to have a brain?” My mind was busy mulling over the ins and outs of that subject for the first 30 minutes of the first date. Then, I noticed something kind of unique. He kept asking questions – kind of like little “tests.” Looking back, I don’t know… maybe he was testing the depths of the water.
Since I actually liked who I was and felt proud of any knowledge that I had, I went with being myself. So when this kid with the prettiest blue eyes I’d ever seen brought up the subject of mental telepathy, I jumped right in. When he fired random questions about random subjects, I fired the answers back – whether it was about the lead singer of Van Halen or what I’d do if I possessed telepathic powers, if I knew it…..I said it.
We’ve been happily married for well over 20 years now and one of the things that has kept the marriage the happiest is that I allow (and encourage) him to be him and he allows (and encourages) me to be me. There’s a total and complete freedom and relaxation in knowing that you can just be you.
People who have to try to “measure up,” “fit in,” or “put on an act” don’t have time to be happy – they’re too busy trying to act. If you have anyone in your life who has this effect on you, do yourself a huge favor and set things right. If you suspect that you AFFECT someone else in this way, do everyone a favor and set things right.
We should always accept people as they are – whether it’s yourself or someone else.
Be happy. Be yourself.
There’s actually a flip side to this, too. Happy people ALLOW others to be who they are without trying to make them fit into a particular mold they’ve chosen.
I am, thanks be to God, a naturally happy person. I believe that, to a certain degree, I was simply born this way. My dad had happy in his dna and I inherited it from him. He loved to laugh more than anything… I love to laugh more than anything. He didn’t judge people… I don’t judge people. He looked for reasons to be happy… I look for reasons to be happy.
However, a lot of happiness has to do with a choice you make every single day. You much CHOOSE to be happy and CHOOSE not to allow anyone else to trip you up.
Here’s an example. Picture two women (both, for the most part, happy) at work one day. A co-worker does something completely illogical but our two happy women react and respond differently.
Learning to let things go before you look like a perfect fool carrying them around hitting people is a big secret to your own happiness as well as everyone in your path’s!
Also See:
Secrets of Happy People Part 1
Eat Slowly if You Have a Hiatal Hernia!
I’ve written about coping with a hiatal hernia before on Self Help Daily (I’ll link to each of the articles below this one) and as I find new things that help me with my own hiatal hernia, I’m sure I’ll be writing more.
As I often say with anything that involves health issues, the tips and advice are only for those who know for certain that their problem is a hiatal hernia. If you do not know for sure, please check with your doctor. Asking a professional if you could have a hernia frees you to know that it isn’t something else (which could be worse OR better than having a hiatal hernia) and it gives you a clear path to take to help yourself.
Something else to keep in mind is that everyone’s experience with their hiatal hernia can be very different. Many suffer from a lot of heartburn with their hiatal hernia. I, however, seldom have heartburn. I do have the frequent feeling that I’m full sooner than I should be, hiccups (usually from eating too fast or not chewing well enough), and… the worst thing, a feeling that food is stuck in my esophagus which leads to pain and, usually, having to “expel” it – and we’ll just leave it at that! No one enjoys talking about upchucking or hearing about it either for that matter.
My hernia also causes me to have more indigestion and to suffer from acid reflux at night. REALLY hate that one!
Most people’s symptoms and experiences with their hiatal hernia aren’t as bad as mine. Heck, a lot of people don’t even know they have one! It all depends on the size, apparently. If you’re one of the ones who has similar symptoms, a few tips for coping that I’ve learned are:
Another simple (and we’re talking painfully simple) trick I’ve learned that has helped me a great deal is this: I chew to the count of 33 with each and every bite. Depending on the size of the bite, sometimes I have to go back to one and start counting again. When this happens, I always remind myself to take smaller bites!
Counting reminds you to slow down and chew. Since I began implementing the tips above along with the “Chew to the Count of 33” trick, I have had incredibly few issues. A while back I had a case of the hiccups and it was entirely my fault. I had forgotten to count to 33 and, basically, must have inhaled the entire waffle fry! The pain and hiccups reminded me to never, ever… under any circumstances forget to count and chew.
It will help you slow down and enjoy your meal if you think of it as an experience to be enjoyed rather than something that has to be done. Sometimes I see people inhaling their food like it’s a chore – “Gotta fill the tank and keep going!” This isn’t a healthy habit for anyone – whether they have a hernia or not. We should look for more times in our day when we can relax and enjoy the moment… I can’t think of a better time than when we’re enjoying a meal, especially if we’re in the company of someone we love.
A quick word about taking longer to eat than everyone else… so what?! It’s much better than having pain or getting hiccups. My family never complains, I think they just take it as a cue to eat slower, themselves.
A Few Other Hiatal Hernia Coping Tips
Finally, I have notice such a huge improvement in my hiatal hernia in the past year and one of the biggest reasons is I lost a little weight. I weigh less now than I have in many, many years and it has helped my hiatal hernia greatly. Carrying less weight around the middle is one of the best things you can do for your hiatal hernia health as well as your overall health.
I’m not trying to be preachy, just trying to help anyone who is in the same boat as me. Whether your hiatal hernia causes similar problems or if you’re one of the ones who suffers mostly from heartburn or reflux, if you could stand to lose even as much as 10 pounds, I’m certain you’ll see a difference.
I, personally, have found that intermittent fasting and cutting way back on sugar and carbs (not all the way out, mind you… just back) has helped me tremendously. On top of my other hiatal hernia issues, I used to frequently wake up chocking on reflux – often it would feel like I couldn’t get a breath. Talk about scary!
I stopped eating at least three hours before I knew I’d be lying down and that took care of waking up chocking on a nightmare. My “cut off” for eating ANYTHING and for drinking anything with calories is 5:30 pm. It is absolutely worth it, trust me. I enjoyed snacking while watching tv in the evening as much as anyone but it simply isn’t worth it.
One other “trick” I did to cut back on empty calories AND cut out inflammatory sugar was switch from sweet tea to drinking tea sweetened with Stevia (something that is naturally anti-inflammatory… win/win).
More About Coping with a Hiatal Hernia:
Tips for Living with a Hiatal Hernia
You know the old joke about the weather, right? Everyone talks about it but no one ever does anything about it. In the area of Self Help, our “weather” is definitely happiness. Everyone has it on their mind, and it comes up frequently in conversation. People want to talk about it, and they most definitely want to possess it, but when it comes to doing anything about it….. they kind of fade into the background. The reason might be that they just don’t know HOW to be happy.
I lean toward the belief that, as Abraham Lincoln said, “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” That, of course, doesn’t include people who find themselves in the middle of grief, clinical depression or anxiety, or a physical or mental illness. Depression and anxiety can be serious illnesses that require a doctor’s care and no amount of positive affirmations or “How to Be Happy” articles will cure these issues any more than they would diabetes.
If only that were possible, I’d do all I could to close down hospitals everywhere!
This series of “Secrets Happy People Know” is for the rest of us.
Think about the people in your world. Some are happier than others, right? Some are so happy, being around them is about like watching an episode of Andy Griffith. Even when circumstances are foul, they’re generally light-spirited and smiling – maybe even joking around. The good news is that they aren’t superhuman, so what happy people “have” is available for everyone. Basically, there are nine secrets that happy people have stitched into the fabric of their lives, probably without even realizing that they’ve done so. Three are below, the other six will be hot on their heels in the next article in the series.
What some people don’t realize is that happy people feel the same pains the rest of the world does. If a happy person loses their dream home, for example, they most definitely register the pain. They cry the tears. They feel the loss. BUT they don’t let the situation win. They stand back up, dry their eyes, and look ahead to the great things that lie in the future. An unhappy person would use an experience like this as a crutch – a crutch that will only lead them to one of two places: Anger or Bitterness. Neither place is worth visiting, let alone moving into.
If you’re generally, by nature, a “happy person,” give a big sigh of relief because you’ve learned one of the most important lessons in life. If you’re an “unhappy person,” give a big sigh of relief because you don’t have to stay that way.
Unless, of course, you want to.
I didn’t think so! Watch for this series to continue as we uncover more secrets to happiness!