Welcome to the Becoming The Change Podcast. Each daily reading focuses on a different quote on how we can best apply it to our own moral compass and one of the five areas in Social Emotional Learning: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making. Thank you for listening and we hope you consider subscribing to the podcast for future episodes.
The Beauty Of Life
“Life, even the hardest life, is the most beautiful, wonderful, and miraculous treasure in the world.”
-Pitirim Sorokin
How often do you stop and look around you at the beauty of your own life? The miracle that it is. Russian-American Pitirim Sorokin’s quote serves as a reminder that despite the challenges that we face in our own lives from time to time, life is truly is the most beautiful, wonderful and miraculous treasure in the world. We must be careful not to focus on the negative things that happen to us because they are only temporary as long as we don’t fixate on them especially when it is due to certain things we cannot control. All we can do is remember the importance in being in the here and now and not dwell on the past. One of the more inspiring blogs I read recently was Nancy H. Rothstein’s 21 Ways to Celebrate Life on HuffPost. What was so beautiful about this list was that it was inspired by her son’s impact on her who had tragically died at the age of 15 years old when he was struck by car. My hope is that it will have as much of an impact on you as it did on me after I read these:
1. Smile. Smiling makes you and those around you feel good. If you don’t feel good, a smile can trick your brain into feeling better.
2. Eat ice cream.
3. Run on the beach. If you can’t physically do this, use your imagination.
4. Call someone who is ill or lonely. Listen to their story. Take the time. Tell them your story, if they ask.
5. Listen to music that touches your heart and soul.
6. Sing in the shower, or out loud if you are comfortable.
7. Visit the grave of a loved one and celebrate your continued BREATH. And tell your loved one what’s on your mind.
8. Play with a dog.
9. Thank yourself for putting up with all the things about yourself that drive you nuts! Activate your sense of humor!
10. Apologize to someone you have wronged in any way.
11. Take a day, or even a few hours, “off” to do something you always want to do but never take the time to do.
12. Eat something you never indulge in (unless allergic!) and savor every bite….slowly. No guilt permitted!
13. Re-watch your favorite funny or happy movie in your most comfortable clothes.
14. Make plans with 2 friends that you are crazy about but never see…near or far away.
15. Go outdoors to a natural setting. Sit. Close your eyes. Listen to the world. It’s all an extension of you! Your breath connects you intrinsically to the world.
16. Laugh. Do something fun or silly that evokes laughter. It has been said that laughter is God’s sunshine.
17. Place this list in an envelope and revisit it periodically to see how you are celebrating YOURSELF! If you are good to yourself, you can be much better to those around you.
18. Go to your heart and make all your decisions from there; and all will be well.
19. Follow the path that matters.
20. Believe and feel the change you want to see and you will BE the change you envision.
21. ….Yet you must know that in the end, it is LOVE’s garden you must tend.
It is my sincere hope that you not only apply these 21 ways to your own life but are able to come up with many more ways to celebrate your life. Life is a gift and once we realize the true beauty of it, life will only get better.
What does this quote mean to you and how can you apply today’s message towards improving your self awareness?
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Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Relaxing Piano Music” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
A special thank you to Feedspot for recognizing the Becoming The Change podcast as one of the Top 10 Social Emotional Learning Podcasts on the internet. It is an honor to be amongst the other podcasts on this list as we all strive to make this world a better place.
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