(rebirth, renewal, restoration)

Christ, I've been away awhile, haven't I? Well, things have been busy with me lately. Oppurtunities in general have been popping up. Given, I've been technically jobless for the last 6 months since graduation, but things are perking up. :) They always do, the question is, can you hang tough till they do?

So, today's post is about keeping yourself in shape. Mentally, physically, spiritually, the works. How many of us actually take the time to ensure we running at optimum levels? The honest answer, not many at all. (this post is in no way an advertisement for my current job. *cough cough*) As much as we decide to pursue our passions, or on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, let things slip out of our grasp, we unwittingly forget to maintain our health (unless your goal is to become the healthiest, longest aged person in history, in which case feel free to read on anyway).


We come from nothing, and we end up going back to nothing, what do we lose? If you're a Monty Python fan, the answer is nothing, but in this case, I'd have to say oppurtunity. Oppurtunity for what? For everything. For love, for exploring, for growth, for whatever you could possibly think of. And if you don't maintain yourself, you lose possible time in the future to take advantage of those oppurtunities. 

At the very core of you, the one thing you want to maintain is your character. Your image of yourself. Not what others think of you, not what you think others think of you, but what you think of yourself. In today's society, this personal facet is often overlooked, and replaced by what society thinks you should be. The question at the end of the day that you should be asking is: 'Is this character who I truly want to be?' 


Start from the basics. Get to know your core principles. Find what matters to you, and no other. Build upon those principles, and imagine them being integrated, flawlessly, into your own daily life.  A really good book that will help you with this is Change Your Life in Seven Days. 

An exercise that will help you figure out your core principles and sort out your life's compass is to wake up really early, say about 5:30 am. Take a piece of paper, and divide it into 6 equal sections. Figure out what 6 things (could be anything, relationships, your job, dreams, intangible objects) mean the most to you, and write them down seperately in those 6 sections.


Next, rule out the 3 sections that don't mean as much to you as the other 3 sections, and tear those first 3 sections out. Crumple them up and throw them in the bin. You can guess what the next steps are: Take out the least important section, crumple it up and bin it. Take a pause now if you want, and then decide on the last least important section. Get rid of it. The section you are left with is what your primary focus in life is. Do this exercise as often as you can, so you know what your core values are, since these may change over time.


I'm going to leave you with an awesome set of quotes on character.

 

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