Life Lessons Love Yourself In 10 Practical Ways 12:39 PM Love yourself. You only have one you. Written for The Praying Woman You don't have to be told to love yourself or to be taught on how to do it. But do we really do it? Allow me to remind you (and myself) on how to REALLY love yourself and show it. Love Yourself In 10 Practical Ways Get lots of rest. Working hard has it's rewards but don't let yourself get overworked. Learn to prioritize so that you won't be behind your schedule and compromise yourself. You need 6-8 hours of sleep everyday. Don't abuse your health by staying up late doing nothing important or sweating the small stuff. Invest wisely. Because you don't want to starve if you have to or want to stop working. Because you would want to afford your own medicine when you get old and sick. Because you don't want to be a burden to your family when you retire. Because you would still want to enjoy life traveling, eating in restaurants your heart desires, buying stuff you like or starting a new hobby in the years to come. Remove toxic people from your life. As I often mention in this blog, toxic people will suck the energy out of you until you've got none left. You can't love yourself but allow others to treat you badly. Walk away from vampires. Or love them from a distance (concept from Bo Sanchez's teachings). Protect yourself from abuse in all forms. Stop chasing the wrong person, stop hanging out with the wrong crowd. This is different from #3 because this is being with the wrong company deliberately. This is knowing what's right for you but sticking with what's wrong. Make the right choice. Select the healthier option when deciding what to eat. Always think about the consequences of your actions. Choose the pain of training and work over pain of regrets and failure. Encourage yourself. Zig Ziglar said "Motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." Do what you can to encourage yourself. Laugh hard and laugh often. Here's another quote: "Laughter is the best medicine." Studies back this up by showing the benefits of laughter in our body. Watch comedy films, read funny books, hang out with funny people. Do more of what makes you happy. Make more time for your passion as it fires you up like no other. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you're tired, rest. If you're hurt, cry and don't hold back. If you're bothered, deal with your issue. If you don't feel well, it must be an indication of something. Don't just take medicine and numb the pain. For the faithful, worship more. Worshiping nourish the soul. And when you nourish your soul, beautiful things happen in your life. For the unbeliever, I think you can focus more on your goals to also find purpose or drive. I'm not sure how that works for you. Maybe you can share in the comment box below. My final word: Love yourself. You only have one you. How do you love yourself? Photos from Google images. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Life Lessons Change The Way You Think And Set Yourself Free 11:36 PM Everything you can imagine is real. -Pablo Picasso Change the Way You Think and Set Yourself Free Imagine this: Imagine a lemon. Imagine yourself cutting it into half. Imagine squeezing the lemon into your mouth. Can you taste the sourness or that distinct taste of citrus? Did your facial muscle do that reflex action you do with lemon juice in your mouth? Question: Was there a real lemon? None. But, why did your body react in a way as if real lemon juice touched your tongue? Now try to recall a moment you felt hurt. Your parents made you feel rejected. Your teacher said or implied that you're stupid. Your friend betrayed you. You have been scammed by someone you trust. You've been taken for granted or abused. Remember your first heartbreak. Remember losing someone or something important to you. Did it hurt? Was the pain real? Yes. Maybe not as intense as it was when it happened, but you felt it. Question: Did it happen again? It didn't. It happened. It's in the past. It was done. It was finished. But the pain is still there because you thought of it. You imagined it. The trauma, the heartbreak happened years ago. Maybe a month ago. Maybe only yesterday or just a few hours ago. But it has already occurred. It happened. It's over. The pain we felt was of our own doing. Although I am yet to read the research done, I've read somewhere that, emotional pain lasts for 12 minutes. Anything longer than that is considered to be self-inflicted. Use this power of imagination to let go of the things that are not worth holding on to. Imagine yourself free: free from despair, free from the painful memories of the past that has been haunting you. Imagine yourself living the life you've always wanted. Imagine yourself climbing mountains, globe-trotting, spending your time on the things you enjoy and not on the things you have to endure. Imagine yourself financially free, absolutely happy, totally at peace with yourself. Imagine yourself having the kind of family you want to have. Imagine yourself serving and giving back to the world simply because you're too blessed and your cup overflows that you have to give some of it away. Imagine yourself becoming the person you've always aspired to become. Imagine yourself taking charge of your life. Albert Einstein said "Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere." What we know of things can only bring us to certain places but our imagination can give us a magic carpet ride ANYWHERE. Change the movie playing in your mind right now, and be ready for the ride of your life. Change the way you think dramatically and set yourself free. I've learned this imagination exercise at The Feast. Gifs from Giphy
Listicle Monday Gratitude List 4 9:24 PM Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. -Marcel Proust Get your grateful hearts ready! Monday is here! Monday Gratitude List 4 1. I'm grateful for people like Jon Morrow. I've been benefiting a lot because of his generosity in sharing his blogging knowledge and experiences. 2. Writing keeps me sane. The world plus PMS (!) can be really really tough. Thank God writing is so therapeutic. 3. Reaping the goodness that I sow. What goes around comes around. So I make sure that I plant as many good seeds as I can. You'll never know what's going to get you someday. 4. The Word that guides me when everything seems blurry. It's like a lighthouse on a dark stormy night. 5. I am grateful for the supportive and encouraging messages I get from friends and strangers alike. Words are so powerful. It can do wonders. What are you most grateful for today? Join the Grateful LinkUp. Get the InLinkz code here. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Faith To A Devoted Mother Who Never Left My Side 10:00 AM When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! -John 19:26-27 I was baptized as Catholic, went to Catholic schools from kindergarten to college and grew up in a household observing Catholic traditions. Having said that, you would think I would automatically be a Marian devotee. Wrong. I wasn't. I knew her from the lessons in our Theology class. I knew she's Jesus' mother and I've been told she constantly prays for her children. I prayed the rosary because it was required. I didn't know her on a personal level. I never felt her presence in my life before. I even doubted her role in my Catholic faith at one point. Then one day I was so hurt I couldn't bring myself to pray. I didn't know what to ask or thank for. I felt all my prayers were in vain. But my faith---or resilience made me hold on to what I believe in. That...All things work for good to those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28). I don't know how exactly I survived that dark age but this I'm sure: 1. I took it one day at a time. 2. I've got an army of supporters. 3. I've got a Mother who never left my side. When I couldn't bring myself to talk to her Son, she was there to listen. When I couldn't seem to put an end to the pain I felt, she held me. When I was so troubled I couldn't sleep, she comforted me until I can get some rest. When it felt like the nightmare won't stop, she was my defender and constant companion. When I felt like straggling from my faith, she held my hand and made sure I won't go astray. Of course I know Jesus was there but I was so clouded by doubts and pain I didn't want to believe He exists. How can He let me suffer? So, His devoted mom took over. There was a presence of motherly comfort as I cry myself to sleep every night, holding my rosary beads in silence, not really praying but just trying to be still. And in the morning, the pain did not go away magically but I always felt a bit lighter than I was feeling the night before. Like I've been embraced to healing. Like I've been showered with love. No non-Catholic nor non believer can convince me that Mary has nothing to do with my life after that. Nothing compares to a mother's devotion and great love. Happy birthday, Mama Mary. For sacrificing your youth to give birth to Jesus at such an early age, you taught me obedience. For patiently walking the dusty long road to your cousin Elizabeth's place and take care of her when you had your own needs, you taught me service and selflessness. For being silent while your Son takes the limelight, you taught me humility. For accepting your fate and the fate of your Son no matter the consequence, you showed me trust. For believing in your Son when He Himself felt He was not ready, you taught me to have faith in myself and in others as well. I'm eternally grateful that God gave us a mother like you. I love you!
Life Lessons Envy Kills 8:38 AM Envy turns you into a monster that harms you more than it harms the person you envy. Envy kills, both literally and figuratively. The first crime ever recorded in the Bible is due to envy; the story of Cain and Abel. It was envy that the devil used to trick Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Envy keeps you up at night. Envy eats you alive. Have you seen the movie The Joneses? If you have, you know what envy did to the entire neighborhood. You see, you may be up until the wee hours of the morning thinking about how happy or successful the other person is. How you hate his guts. How you would do anything to be where he is. And there he is, sleeping like a babe not having a care in the world, basking in his success and blessed life. You may start to spread nasty rumors to try to undermine others. Some people may believe you (you know, your friends who are just as envious as you are). But your envy will only be all the more obvious. What Susie says of Sally, says more of Susie than of Sally. We may sometimes feel like we're doing so much but the other person is still more blessed than we are. When you feel envy creeping in, try to turn that negative energy around. Instead of feeling envious, be challenged. Be inspired with what is happening to others. Aspire to be like them. Don't turn into the green eyed monster. Make it your goal to be better than you were yesterday. If you are in constant competition with others, you will always lose. Because you will always feel like you still need to do more. If you are competing with yourself, your victory is always guaranteed. Envy will kill you...unless you kill it first. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
