Seriously! Stop & Smell the Roses

There's so much going on in our day to day lives that sometimes we feel like we're on the proverbial hamster wheel. But that's only because we make ourselves live that way. I really believe we all need to just "stop and smell the roses"! It may be a figure of speech but it means so much more. Everyday we hear about the economic crisis, people losing their jobs, people dying, all around the world people living in harsh conditions, etc. While most of us who appear to be running ourselves ragged actually have it better than most. We should always remember that life is not easy but also doesn't have to be hard. Life is what you make it and if you can't find the time to be in the moment then you miss more than you know and you'll never be able to get it back. Life's going to keep rolling on whether we decide to sleepwalk through it or spend it like a hamster on a wheel-so why not take time to appreciate life in all its splendor. We need to stop blaming everyone and everything for our shortcomings and missteps and just make up our minds to be better adults moving forward. We need to learn to stop sweating the small stuff and stop living our lives to please others. You have to live "your" best life. When you live your life with others in mind,you kill your true self and you give away the greatest gift ever-your inner spirit.

Some helpful tips from one of my favorite life improvement websites (basically things we already know):

• Smile like everyone you see is your friend
• Work like you don’t need the money
  
• Play like you were a child again


• Greet people like you haven’t seen them in years


• Walk/Drive like you had all day to get somewhere


• Dress like no one would ever notice what you have on


• Give like no one will ever know about it


• Exercise like there is no finish line, just the journey


• Rest/Relax like you had all the time in the world


• Forgive like you have no memory of the past


• Lift like your are Hercules


• Eat like your physical and mental health depended on it


• Live like there is no tomorrow


• Pick your car/house like no one will ever see you in it


• Don’t find flaws in others, you are not so perfect either


• Do nothing like you had nowhere else to be and nothing else to do


• Dream like anything is possible if you want it to be


• Never take anyone around you for granted, appreciate them every day


• Help people like they are your younger brother/sister


• Explore the world like it was all your home


• Laugh with the innocence of a child’s view of the world


• Make your own rules to live/work/play by


• Wake up like you were given just one more day to make a difference


• Be the fool….don’t care what others think….dance and sing to your own music….ignore your critics, let them wonder why you are so happy.