More <3 Energy* [en-er-gy]/: a source of usuable power

Activity is the key to life.. if we aren't moving then we ain't livin' .. duh! :) Unfortunately, we often feel fatigued, tired or even unmotivated to keep active. Our busy lives /schedules exhaust our energy. Soooo the trick to keeping active is learning how to regulate our energy for more effective use.  Here are some tips on how to restore, regain and replish our enerrrgy !

 

#1-  Energy Comes From Sleep! Sleep is essential to function. "Sleep is a time for repairing and restoring and it is the true source of our energy." Make sure to get an adequate amount of sleep in order to be at your best the next day.
                            
#2- A Low-Fat, Raw Diet Gives You More Energy! Not all of the food that you eat becomes available to you as food..the digestion itself requires work and therefore fuel (calories)... that's why  after a big meal people fall asleep. The digestion of their meal took so much energy that they had to sleep it off. However, the digestion of fruit takes no energy. "Fruit contains simple sugars that require no digestion. The water it contains also requires no digestion, as well as the fiber, which is evacuated. The sugars in fruit start being absorbed under the tongue as soon as you take that first bite of peach or melon. It is the ultimate “high-energy food”: no digestion required, plenty of fuel available. Raw vegetables also require very little digestion but what they give us are mostly vitamins and minerals, as well as water but very few calories. Fatty foods as well as starchy foods require more energy to digest. They require more digestive enzymes, they stay longer in the stomach, and they require more energy to be available to you as fuel." So, eating a low fat diet composed essentially of fruits and raw vegetables gives you more energy!

#3- Avoid Energy Drainers!  If you want more energy.. you must avoid energy drainers!  Energy drainers are all of those things that tend to drain your physical and emotional energy, as well as the things that decrease your motivation to take care of yourself. Energy is limited so it should be your goal to get rid of as many energy drainers as possible!!!

Energy drainers include: negative relationships, stressful jobs, pessimistic or cynical associates, financial concerns that cause stress, living in a polluted /unhealthy environment, reading/watching the news.. etc.

 

Motivation drainers include: a messy room/workplace where nothing can be found, an overwhelming long list of to-do's, lack of purpose in life, lack of self-esteem, being unfit and unhealthy without any desire to change, living a life that is incongruent with your innermost values.. Sooo, make it a priority to elminate energy drainers in order to maintain your own energy!

 

"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results." <3

The Positives <3 Accentuate*[ak-senCHoo-āt]/: to make more noticeable or prominent..

"You've got to accentuate the positive.. eliminate the negative and latch on to the affirmative.. don't mess with Mister In-Between"

So many people catastrophize a situation/event and seldomly take notice of the positives about the situation/event... Or in a like fashion, people focus on what is going wrong in his or her life rather than acknowledging the good nor appreciating what he or she has. People complain, people compare, people rant and rave about insubstantial things. A key to genuine happiness is learning how to accentuate the positives in your life and learning how to be appreciative of the things you DO have and/or to be thankful of the situations in which you DO have control... People often feel that "life isn't fair" and they question "how or why he/she gets everything, has everything, goes everywhere". Thinking that way is detrimental and destructive, it only reduces your own potential for happiness. The truth is we all come from different walks of life, we all have experienced our own tradegies, pains and joys, we are all dealt different cards and are living out our own lessons and blessings.. this is what makes us all unique.. we all have something different to offer to the world. So, instead of questioning and beating yourself up over the negatives, the how comes, the what ifs.. start realizing the postives and can bes. Try to adopt an attitude of appreciation. People who consciously attempt to be thankful and appreciative tend to feel happier and are more at peace. Be thankful you woke up. Be thankful for the family you do have. Be thankful for your accomplishments. Be thankful for your dreams. You might not have what you want in life nor be where you would like to be but you have everything you need. Be cognizant that unfortunately somewhere in this world there is a person without a home, without legs, without arms, without a guaranteed next meal, without vision, without the ablitity to read/write and so on. So just be thankful.

Everyday above ground is a good day. <3

Practice <3 Mindfulness *[ˈmaɪnd-fʊl-nɪs ]/: the practice of ɡivinɡ complete and non-judɡmental attention to one's present experience, used as a stress-reduction technique

" Mindfulness is observing the passing flow of experience moment by moment. It is observing all phenomena – physical, mental or emotional – presently taking place inside. It is seeing the true nature of all phenomena – arising, staying for some time, and passing away – impermanence. It is only through actual training in mindfulness you can realize “impermanence”; else it remains an illusory and obscure concept – given by the Buddha and debated by intellectuals "

" Mindfulness is developing present centeredness. It is the observation of what is happening right here and right now. It is riding the ever-flowing wave of time and staying in the present moment and watching everything from there. It is staying clear of memories of the past or ideations of the future – no ruminating, no planning."

*In this moment, there is plenty of time.. in this moment, you are precisely as you should be.. in this moment, there is infinite possibility* <3

Be Water <3 Fundamentals *[fuhn-duh-men-tls]/: forming or serving as an essential component of a system or structure. Here are some life fundamentals suggested by Master Bruce Lee courtesy of positivityblog.com :)

1. What are you really thinking about today? “As you think, so shall you become.” This is a rather simple concept. "Think about what you are thinking today. What do those thoughts say about you? About your life? And how well do they really match your plans for your life and your image of yourself?"

2. Simplify. Eliminating clutter, activities, tasks, thoughts, even people.. that are not so important in your life allows more time and energy for the things you really want to do and for the things that are necessary.

3. Learn about yourself in interactions. "What you see, feel and hear in other people may be a reflection of you. The things you learn by thinking this way may not always be pleasant, but they can be enlightening. They help you to see yourself and also how you may be fooling yourself. And these powerful insights can be very valuable for your personal growth."

4. Do not divide." ' Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.' This is a very useful and powerful thought. It is also one that obviously is hard to live by. Why? Bruce believes it’s because the ego loves to divide and find ways to “add more” to itself. It want’s to feel better than someone else. Or more clever. Or prettier. Or cooler. Or wiser. How can you overcome this way of thinking and feeling? To me it seems to boil down to not identifying so much with your thoughts or feelings. That doesn’t mean that you stop thinking or feeling. It just means that you realize – and remember in your everyday life – that the thoughts and emotions are just things flowing through you. You are not them though.You are the consciousness observing them. When you realize and remember this it enables you to control the thoughts and feelings instead of the other way around. It also enables you to not take your thoughts too seriously and actually laugh at them or ignore them when you feel that your ego is acting out. When you are not being so identified these things you become more inclined to include things, thoughts and people instead of excluding them. This creates a lot of inner and outer freedom and stillness. Instead of fear, a need to divide your world and a search for conflicts."

5. Avoid a dependency on validation from others. " 'Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.' The ego wants to add because it thinks it’s not enough. One way of doing that is by craving validation from others. We want to feel smart, pretty, successful and so on. And the validation makes you feel good for a while. But soon you need a new fix. And the problem with being dependent on validation from other people is that you let other people control how you feel. This creates a rollercoaster of emotion in your life. To find more emotional stability and to take control of how you feel you need to get your validation from to a more consistent source. YOURSELF. You can replace the expectations and validation of others by setting your own expectations and by validating yourself. And so you validate yourself by thinking about how awesome you are. You don’t sell yourself short. You appreciate how far you have come and the positive things you have done. You appreciate your own value in the world. You set goals and you achieve those goals. This builds confidence in yourself and in your abilities. These things will help you to build a habit of inner validation."

6. Be proactive. Create opportunities despite the circumstances around you!

7. Be you. “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” <3

A Lifestyle <3 Minimalism *[min-uh-muh-liz-uhm]/: - where in the subject is reduced to its necessary elements achieve simplicity - the simple and silence of minimalist architecture enhances the light, wind, time and nature in space - minimalist authors eschew adverbs and prefer allowing context to dictate meaning - ultimate simplicity - living with less - working towards real freedom - redefining freedom "Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom." "Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value." <3