Thought For Living In The Moment.

"The secret of health for mind and body
is not to mourn for the past,
not too worry about the future,
or not to anticipate troubles,
but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."  
-Buddha          

Get Serious About Keeping A Healthy Weight - Change Your Mind Set.

When we begin our journey of making changes to better our lifestyle lets look at some ways to live healthier happier lives. Its important to create a blueprint of what you want to achieve. In doing so you can edit it whenever you wish. This will help you keep on top of all the things you want to achieve and need to do to reach your goals. Diet and body weight are related to our health status. Good nutrition is important to the growth and development of children and keeping all of us at our healthy best. A healthy diet and keeping to an exercise routine, from walk-running to yoga, also helps Americans reduce their risks for many health conditions, including:

• Overweight and Obesity
• Malnutrition
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Some Cancers
• Fatigue and Lacking Energy
• Inability to sleep well
• ...and many other health issues

Because weight is influenced by energy (calories) consumed and expended, interventions to improve weight can support changes in diet or physical activity. Doing some research about how you are caring for your body and the foods you ingest are a good way to assess your own bodies condition. This can help enhance and change individuals' knowledge and skills, reduce exposure to foods low in nutritional value and high in calories, or increase opportunities for physical activity.

One thing is for sure, when we become active and responsible about the health of our bodies we learn to fuel it with good calories, energy and lasting health. What people need to do is see themselves in a state of observance. Meaning instead of seeing yourself as a body with a soul, look at yourself as a soul with a body. Learn to appreciate and take care of your body and it will take care of you. Healthy mind and the body will follow. That saying: You are what you eat, is more valid than you may think it is. Its like filling up your vehicle with lousy gas and expecting it to run at its best. It will sputter, run slower, stall and cause you more headaches' than you should have in your life. Where as if you fill your vehicle with good, clean gas it will run smoother, longer and have less wear and tear on its engine. Well the body isn't much different when it comes to that principle. Feed it poorly and you'll get poor results. Feed it healthy and you'll get healthy stronger results.

The keys to maintaining optimal health are as follows. Individuals who eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day are less likely to be overweight or obese and less likely to suffer chronic disease. Fruit and veggies are our bodies cleaners. They are vital to good health and preventing many diseases. Instead of reaching for those salty or sugary snacks, reach for those fruits and veggies. You can eat as much as you like of them so long as you don't add in abunch of unhealthy additives such as dressings, sauces, too much salt and sugar. Stop eating all those processed foods too. They may taste good but beware.. they aren't good for your body. Have you checked out the ingredients label on those processed foods. Its ridiculous! Due to all the chemicals, additives, preservatives, etc that these foods are made with, its no wonder you feel lethargic and fatigued. A key rule to rely on when looking for healthy foods to eat is: If you can't pronounce it don't eat it!  

A key point to remember. When buying fruits and veggies, try to buy organic fruits and veggies. They are cleaner foods and have none or much less pesticides and are never GMO - genetically modified organism foods. Its also very important to hydrate your body. I'm not talking about drinking soda, coffee, teas, artificially flavored drinks etc. I'm talking about the one main substance that is the elixir of life. Did you know that the majority of illnesses that lead to serious health issues are created by not being hydrated? That most people in our society and probably around the world are chronically dehydrated? According to healthgrades.com and other medical resources researched, the following information is vital as to the state of dehydration and why its so important to make it a habit of drinking more clean, filtered water as a daily routine. Dehydration is an abnormal condition in which the body's cells are deprived of an adequate amount of water.

                                                                                                                     

Water and fluids make up about 90% of fluids throughout the body. Its distributed throughout muscles, bones, organs, tissues, cells, spinal and cerebral-fluids and plasma throughout the body and is crucial to many of the body's processes. Dehydration negatively affects important bodily functions, including toxin elimination, delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the cells of the body, energy production, and joint lubrication. Severe dehydration affects every body system and can also impact the proper balance of vital electrolytes. Sodium and potassium are electrolytes essential to healthy functioning of the body and critical processes, such as muscle function and a normal heart rhythm. Complications of severe dehydration can be serious and life threatening and include shock, coma and death. Dehydration is categorized as mild, moderate or severe, based on the extent of the body’s fluid loss. Moderate and severe dehydration can be a life-threatening emergency.

Infants, children, athletes and the elderly are particularly prone to dehydration and severe complications, although dehydration can occur in any age group or population. You can learn to make your own electrolyte drink so there won't be all those chemicals in it. Or you can simply add a lemon slice to your water for more flavor. Get creative with the many ways you can drink water with flavors organically. Its really amazing all of the flavors you can create and enjoy which are truly healthy for your body. But you have to change your thinking about drinking more water. Its only because the manufacturers came up with all sorts of artificial flavored drinks with way too much sugar, that you may think you don't like water. Change your thinking, change your life.

And of course a BIG part of feeling our best is to exercise. Develop an exercise routine that works for you. You may have to experiment with different types of exercise routines before you find the one that works well for you. But either way.. get a routine going. The more you do this the more it will become habit, a good habit. People have a misconception and think that if they are on their feet throughout their workday that they don't need to exercise. This is far from truth. If you are some one who is on your feet all day you still need to "unwind" or "de-stress" after work. You may not have to do a routine that targets weightloss as much for someone who sits all day at work. But a routine that de-stresses the mind and body is key to better health. If you are someone who sits most of the time at work an exercise routine that will target weightloss is key for you to achieve better health. Whichever routine you choose, any one of them will benefit your body, mind and spirit. You just have to get started. Have courage and commit to a balanced way of living. Your journey of making changes to better your lifestyle is well within your reach. Some research information and excepts have be taken from www.healthgrades.com/conditions/dehydration . Enjoy the day.

Copyright(c)2014.Get Serious About Keeping A Healthy Weight-Change Your Mind Set.Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.  

Skinny vs Fat - We Need To Have A Change In Mindset

In a discussion about overweight people and how they are seen. I couldn't help but interject my perspective about it. I see the problem of there being too many conflicting opinions out there. Altho' doctors have proven that being overweight is unhealthy and it can be for us. Certainly being at our proper body weight for our height is key to not being susceptible to many health issues. The views that a woman who is overweight is of lower value or appreciation than a skinny woman is merely due to the concreting of lustful desires by people who are in a position to put it out there that this is how it should be. It goes as far back as the dawn of man. The same applies for men who are too skinny or overweight also. The man who looks like Adonis, all cute, gorgeous, has a nice body with ripped muscles. Will definitely turn heads and is pleasant to see.

We all look at attractive people and seem to appreciate their looks over someone who may not be as attractive or as in shape. Because most people only see the outside. This is due to what we've always been told, what we've all seen growing up, what kind of examples we're subjected to, whats always been in magazine covers and movies. We've been programmed to accept a thin attractive person over a fat person. Even when applying for a job, it seems that a thin woman or man would be more likely to get the position first. I'm not saying we shouldn't be healthy and care about our bodies. I'm saying we need to have a change in mindset that allows people to develop a healthy attitude towards their bodies and people need to be taught, from childhood, a form of living healthy and having a positive attitude about themselves. Some would say that a person who is overweight is usually compensating for some sort of insecurity, lack of belief in themselves or they may lack the ability to correct or change their negative thinking. Of course that IS wrong thinking which can be and needs to be changed.

Healthy mind, healthy body. Everyone is born with their own ability to achieve what they aspire to. But sometimes people receive negative feedback or are subjected to wrong thinking. Because we have the ability to change how we think and feel, we can overcome negative input and turn it into our strengths. In doing that we learn self confidence, we have positive self esteem and there's a positive energy we feel and we reflect outside ourselves. Have you ever noticed how bright and attractive a positive person is? They have a healthy energy or glow that is nice to be near. Thats the beauty we ALL need to develop within ourselves. Seeing a person that is beautiful on the outside is pleasant to look at, like a beautiful painting or work of art. Whatever things you may think about when you look at a beautiful person is of your own making. It doesn't determine that we have to look like that person in order to have self worth or value as a human being. Young people truly need to learn this truth. I've never seen it etched in stone that we only have self-worth or value if we are handsome or pretty, thin or fat. That view was man made.

All this, is about what we see growing up, taught as children and how we learn to love ourselves and appreciate the beauty within. I heard a quote once and it fits right into what I'm trying to state here: Healthy mind and the body will follow. In doing so we can all shine and share the light of true beauty as it is meant to be seen. Don't be influenced by what you hear from self absorbed conceited people. See yourself and others for who they really are in heart & in actions. Don't believe what you see in magazines, on TV or in movies either. All that fakeness is just to get you to buy something or watch something. Consider the source, its not a rule or way of life. Love yourself and love will be allowed to exist. 


 Copyright(c)2014.Skinny vs Fat - We Need To Have A Change In Mindset.Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.

Self Esteem - It makes us who we are

Self-esteem is a term in psychology that reflects a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. A person’s self concept consists of the beliefs one has about oneself, one’s self perception. Self esteem is that part of our emotional make up that makes us who we are. When we have healthy self esteem we are capable of achieving almost anything we set our minds to doing. Our self esteem is like a lighter that sets off the fire in our emotional furnace. When we are young our feelings get hurt more easily because we have not yet learned how to deal with hurt feelings. Usually a loving hug from mom and dad, some words of encouragement, would make things all better. As we grow older we learn to handle hurt feelings, for the most part, more maturely. But the road to that maturity isn't always easy. There is and will always be bumps in the road that will test our self esteem. When someone treats us badly we can either handle it with a grain of salt and carry on or we feel hurt, angry and uncertain why we were treated that way. We pretend it doesn't bother us but when we're alone thinking, it can bring you down. If there's one thing you take away from this article remember "no one can make you feel bad about how you see yourself except you."  The meaning of that one sentence can take some people many years to grasp. There is always circumstances that will test character. With the correct outlook towards these challenges you can overcome many circumstances the can lead to having a healthy self esteem. Tweens and young teenagers are more effected by low self esteem. At that age they are discovering who they are and learning about so many things that effect their emotional growth. It can be a difficult stage for anyone at that age. Peer pressure, bullies, abusive home life, negative feedback or no positive influence will effect young minds and could cause them to feel alienated, sorrowful, uncertain about their self worth. It could get so bad that they act out in very negative forms. This is why its a vital part of raising children that parents try to be the positive re-enforcement that children desperately require.

You may not have a huge hollywood home, you may not have boatloads of money, fancy cars, high fashion wardrobes or any of the material things that people think make them happy. You could have a cozy two bedroom home, a decent car that runs well, you buy discount clothes, discount foods, discount everything to save money. There's not a dam thing wrong about that. What matters is how you nurture and teach your children how to live a good solid life. How to respond to those negative events that can chip away at their self esteem. When you see your child down or upset, STOP whatever you are doing and talk "with" your child not at your child. Do your very best to be positive, encouraging, teach your children that its not the end of world when things seem bad for them. Just listen to them, let them express themselves. All parents should embrace their childrens troubles and help them to find a way to solve whatever may be upsetting them. In doing this it will teach your child to deal with the negatives of life and give them a sense of power. They will learn that they can overcome negative feelings that may otherwise turn inward. Even if your child goes off the beaten path, as they sometimes do, usually when they are nurtured and loved unconditionally they will find their way back to the path. This is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. So its important as a parent to remember that and follow through. Lets not forget about older folks either. Why are so many older people forgotten? Its as if their families think they are no longer of use or value. Of course, sadly their are older relatives or friends that require care due to diseases that may come with age. But for those who still have their health and minds about them, they can be very helpful when we need wisdom about life. For some people their self esteem is effected by the fact that they are growing older, no longer a young and vibrant person. Thats a hard pill to swallow because none of us want to really face that fact. It effects everyone. I suggest that we all try to age as vibrantly and healthy as possible. We learn to embrace the twilight seasons of our lives and we carry on as best we can. Some people will resort back to an age of youthful thinking to cope with the low tides of self esteem.

Some people will keep themselves rejuvenated and healthy so they can overcome the negatives that ride along side of aging. Some people will give up and become angry and unpleasant, because its difficult for them to except that they are growing older. Those who embrace the natural process of life will usually be more happier and positive about living. They will usually have a higher level of self esteem compared to a person who is in a negative state of mind. You are fortunate when you have family members that are in the golden years. Don't forget they've been around a lot longer than you and they've learned a lot about living life to the fullest. So don't neglect them, listen to them when they speak. Give them a hug to let them know they're loved and that you appreciate their wisdom. Share some happiness. Low self-esteem is a constant companion for too many people. Especially those who experience depression, anxiety, phobias, psychosis, delusional thinking, or who have an illness or a disability. For these people its especially important for them to keep to a positive outlook as best as they can. Counseling is a useful avenue to take and for some medications can be helpful. Medical research has shown that a person with an illness or disease heals better even faster when they have a positive outlook and their self esteem is healthy. If you have a friend or relative that has a health issue like these be a good friend and visit them or call them and nurture their emotional health and self esteem. Not only will it uplift and help them to feel better it will make you feel good that you've helped someone in a time of need. Another way to improve your self esteem is to stop comparing yourself to other people. You are a unique individual and you have the power within yourself, by applying positive implementation to rise above the fall of low self esteem. But you have to practice and apply it for it to be successful for you.

There are endless factors that make up who we are, as an individual. When we compare ourselves to others we tend to focus on factors with envy not seeing our own good qualities. Stay aware of your own thinking. Don't let the negative talk in your head control who you really are as a person. Stay positive in thought. Keep thinking of your own good qualities, virtues and strengths. Fire the negative thoughts going on inside your mind. Make it a habit to praise your qualities and congratulate every victory no matter how small. Always consider the positive factors in your life. Practice this everyday especially when the chips are down. In doing so you can alter, change and overcome low self esteem and live for a better quality of life. Enjoy the day.

Copyrights(c)2014.Self Esteem-It makes us who we are. Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.

Living By A Code - Its not just a knights tale.

So I'm feeling a little dismayed this morning. I know I'm not the first to feel that way? It's not about being upset at any of my family or friends, we're fine, its more about our world. The emotional state of our society. So not to make this political, I won't elaborate on the crises in our country(or should I say the politicians.) I'll keep it to how our social structure makes us feel. You might feel this way too while looking for the rainbow through the clouds. At times I get disheartened because I feel like we humans are so messed up. So many inject all of their power into such negative things. A lot of people are so quick to jump into violent-mode and hit some one. As if beating someone up should be praised. Others are affraid to be hurt so they do nothing when violence occurs. Not to say that's a bad reaction, because it isn't. No one wants to confront and get hurt. This violence has spread, like a virus, in our schools, bullying on the internet too. Young people killing themselves. Like a snowball rolling down hill, it keeps getting bigger and bigger. Some say it starts at home. Parents have to stop being their childs friend and become the rearing parents they should be. The friendship will come later when the child has grown up. There maybe some validity in that statement.

Mental illness is very apparent in our society, like many other societies on our planet. Yet we carry on as if it doesn't exist. Then we have people who are so judgemental that they forget they too have their own faults. We can get so complacent sometimes that we end up losing out, getting hurt, or even dying. A lot of people get angered at others short comings instead of trying to understand why things may be that way for that person. They turn away instead of trying to help them find a better way. Some people are just too busy with their own lives to care. Some people place so much emphasis on material things that they forget the true value of good character, empathy and especially unbiased love. Those who may be doing better than others are quickly looked down upon and quickly criticized whenever possible. Its madness! So with all of this negativity going on around us, how is it possible to keep to a positive outlook? Well..I don't know about everyone else but what I've learned works and I try to apply it everyday. There are guidelines or measures one can take. I prefer to call it "living by a code."  *The Old Code. Whenever possible try to be helpful. Its a nice feeling to be appreciated. But don't over do it and don't get walked on. There are some people that will take your kindness for granted, so be wise about it.

When you see violence, be the quiet hero and call for help. It could be too dangerous to interfere directly. It just may save someone's life. If you can spare any change, give to those who are on the street asking for help. Do you know how it feels to know you won't eat good today or you'll have to sleep on the street? Dumpster diving is not a recommended diet. Even if they are not homeless, or they're being dishonest, or they are drunks, give anyway because you never know what has caused this or how their lives got that way. The kindness you show today will be returned to you tomorrow. [The saddest thing I saw the other day was an old woman holding a sign asking for help. I felt empathy and sadness because I know I could be that old woman and I thought, most likely, that she is someone's mother.] Be honest and don't try to win the approval of others by making things up about yourself or others. It will only come back on you someday and bite you in the ass. When you have menial things that must get done, don't just let them lie, take care of them first, complete it and be done with it. It may surprise you how good that makes you feel. It always reminds me of clearing out my minds closet.

And last but not least, keep your dwelling and your possessions well taken care of and neat because this shows your state of mind or your emotional state. Remind yourself upon waking, everyday, that this day is going to be a good, positive day. And let nothing deprive you of that feeling. We are in control of our thoughts and our perceptions of how we see things, how we deal with things and how we think about things. This is reflected in our lives and how we live it. I'm not saying that I know it all because I don't, no one does. But by living by a code we build structure in our lives which is the base for purpose. A life without purpose can be an empty shell. There will be days of sadness but its up to us to decide if we should allow that sadness to bury our positive state of mind or not. Grieve when its called for otherwise don't dwell in sorrow. Strive to be happy. And when those negative things rise up and try to bring us down, we have to get busy and convert those negatives into positives. And never forget: "To thine own self be true" that saying holds more meaning today and value than you think. It stands right along side of being honest. Lying has a way of catching up to us and its usually not a pleasant experience. So don't sabotage yourself. We were not put on this earth to be sad, hateful or abusive to ourselves or to others and yet society seems to follow that stream as a social structure.

Since we are the ones that create how we feel about our lives and how we live our lives, then we can surely change our social structure for the better. But it starts within our own individual selves. You matter. Things matter. We need to care. Living by a code is not just a knights tale. But a better way to live our lives. Lead the way by letting your light shine and others will follow. Enjoy the day.

*The Old Code -
From Lord Wilhelm Da Kalavo

A knight is sworn to valour
His heart knows only virtue
His blade defends the helpless
His might upholds the weak
His word speaks only truth
His wrath undoes the wicked.

 Copyright(c)2013.Living By A Code-Its not just a knights tale.Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.           

Advertising verses Inner Beauty? How it effects our self-image.

   ("Do I look as good as that woman in that commercial?")

One of the biggest struggles facing young people today, is self-image. Everywhere you look, on TV, on billboards, in magazines, videos, movies, 90% of the time it's all beautiful perfect people. Advertising verses inner beauty and self-image all of the time. This suffocating display of everyone being perfect or beautiful, can be very difficult for young people. Especially during junior high and high school years for both boys and girls. Girls worry about being popular, being pretty enough, having the nice clothes, having the prettiest accessories. Whereas boys, although not shown as much, they have to be worried about being cool, hanging with the coolest guys, and when old enough having the coolest car. It just seems to be all material things and outer image. Of course in reality, eventually, this is not the way it is. Somewhere long ago, someone decided that being the perfect, sexiest, handsomest, prettiest, skinniest, finest looking human being, is the best way to sell things, and it's worked, quite well, all this time. How many times have we thought about buying a product and thinking to ourselves that we will get the same results as what we saw in that advertising? You know you did that too..LOL!

Some advertising has used average people, older folks, mothers with their children, dads with their kids and pets, in an attempt to make the people watching, believe that this advertiser is just like them. The "average folk." That advertising technique works too in a lot of cases. But all in all, these advertising's and commercials are really after one thing, and that is to get the public to buy their product. Some advertising is very funny or have a catchy tune. Those are the ones people seem to remember the most. You can believe these advertisers who create these commercials know this. But just what are these advertisers saying to people that are subjected to the falsity that in order to get the same results or work as well, you have to look as good as those models do on television, have the same great looking car, or beautiful clothes. Sure..everyone wants to look great, but at what price and stress-level does it cost our young people in today's materialistic society? Everyday people are getting ready for work, school, going out and visiting with friends, just being in the public eye. They change outfits, change shoes, put on makeup, spray cologne or perfume and primp, guys do this too, just not as extravagant, to make themselves look as good as possible, all in the effort of being attractive or sexy.

I'm not saying we should all walk around smelly, dirty and grungy looking. Eeeeww! Although for some people that seems to be their way. I just think that in our country, and in many societies, we put way too much emphasis on the outer beauty of things instead of looking inside where beauty is found, is made and lives. There's nothing wrong with having nice things. Things that we've worked for, bought with our hard earned money, built up from nothing. Things that we enjoy, and things that make our lives filled more with gratitude, than vanity. I just think that young people are faced with more materialistic stress then necessary and it's greatly due to the falsehood of advertising and commercials that our children are subjected to on a daily basis. We probably will never get rid of this type of advertising either. So what can we do or how can we help our children? It's up to the parents to teach their children not to be so vain or gullible about what they see advertised. For some young people, they will have to learn this lesson on their own because their own parents are very materialistic. Which makes it even harder for them to learn this life lesson. When we teach our children to believe in themselves, teach them to have good character, to know that they are just as good as anyone else, but not better than everyone else, to be humble, it makes it easier for that child to grow up with a sense of assurance and belief in themselves. Without having to adorn an overpriced, unrealistic result of a product they saw advertised.

Young people that are raised with self-assurance tend to stay in focus as to who they are as an individual all through their lives. Even when people are trying to "find themselves," having been taught self-assurance, will usually lead that person back to their right path. Instead of falling by the wayside trying to keep up with all the falseness in advertising, that they believe may be true. But sad to say, there will be those who will not learn this life lesson. What you will find when people do not learn this life lesson is they become very vain, materialistic and self absorbed. They worry about every little sign that may cause them imperfection. They may even become bitter or angry about the fact that they are no longer able to look like all that false advertising that they grew up believing was true. So the lesson here is, there's nothing wrong with wanting to look good so long as it is not done out of self-serving vanity or being conceited. Being happy and self accepting has always given us an outward glow of beauty, whether we have the most current fashion line or not. Realizing that beauty comes from within, believing in our own abilities and character that is what will shine through from the inside out. That will give us the true beauty within ourselves instead of what we find in all that surface falsehood. That is "true beauty." Food for thought. :)

　

　
Copyright(c)2013. Advertising verses Inner-Beauty? Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.

Mustering the Courage to Face Our Dark Side.

Carl Jung, the famous Swiss Psychiatrist, named our dark side 'the shadow.' He taught that when we do not recognize our shadow side, or are unwilling to look at it, it tends to become demonic. We need to realize that our fears are apart of that shadow side. And when we do not bring those fears to light, they do tend to take us over in ways that seem crazy or demonic. Fear is expressed in a thousand ways. Fear is closely related to apprehension, uneasiness, anxiety and out and out panic.

Fear is behind rigidity, intolerance and fanaticism. Fear is at the root of indecisiveness and hesitancy to take action. Fear is behind much of our disorganization, disorderliness or sloppiness, or their opposites, nit picky organization, compulsive cleanliness or an obsessive need for order. When we bring our fears up for air and look at them in the light of day, they often are not as fearsome as we thought they were. Unconscious forces gain power when we hide from them, when we say, "I don't want to look at that. It's too frightening."

As we shrink from them, they increase their negative hold over us. When we face and name those dark motives, thoughts or feelings, they become less daunting. As we mobilize our heart's higher power, wisdom and love, we turn the light on in that dark space of consciousness. Shedding light on your scary dark side. As an example, perhaps you have a tendency to shade the truth, to lie. Hiding under that tendency is your fear of what might happen if you tell the truth. Your spiritual antidote could be to take the following steps.

1. Pray for the courage to speak the truth
2. Muster up the courage a second before the lie sneaks out.
3. Take a deep breath and speak the truth.
4. No matter what happens, congratulate yourself for winning a victory over your dark side. 

Take courage to look into your subconscious, to look into the unconscious, to bring your shadow parts to your outer awareness, to give them a name. Remember how Jesus named the devils before he cast them out? He would say, "What is your name?" For instance, before he cast out the devils from the Gadarene man, he asked the unclean spirit it's name. And the unclean spirit answered through the man, saying, "My name is Legion: for we are many." And the devils are then entered into a herd of swine.

The naming of the inner devils becomes a teaching for us today. Once you name a point of fear, it is no longer an unknown controlling force. You have defined it, circumscribed it and started to detach from it. The fear loses some of it's negative power in the very process of being recognized and named. It becomes a manageable energy that you can cast out and replace. And in that process of replacement you have a turn around in consciousness. You can replace fear with enlightenment. You can replace it with faith in yourself and your inner walk. You can replace it with equanimity in the face of misfortune. You can replace it with loving care for yourself and others. And you begin to realize it's a great life if you don't weaken!

Until next time....Enjoy the day.

*Copyright(c)2010.Post Created by Sherrie Vitello.Titled: Mustering the Courage to Face Our Dark Side.Excerpts taken from the book: Emotions; Transforming anger, fear and pain. By Marilyn C. Barrick, PhD.

Greeting Pain with Mindfulness

Buddist teachings tell us to greet pain with mindfulness, to notice how the pain moves through many phases and to pay attention to the nuances of constrictions, pulsation, intensity and the diminishing of intensity. In mindfulness, we keep our attention focused on these changes even as we experience them.  We observe the flow of our thoughts, feelings and sensations. We become explorers of our inner world, and we learn a great deal about ourselves.

As we do so, we gain insight into the cause and core of our karmic condition, our spiritual initiations and the lessons we are meant to learn. We grow in humility, endurance and appreciation for little respites and moments of joy. We expand in courage and acceptance of life's ups and downs. When we open our hearts to living peacefully with ourselves and fellow encounters, we develop a calming effect on ourselves and others around us. And above all, we become acutely aware that our consciousness transcends the human condition.  

Whether we are dealing with physical pain, distressing feelings or both, we can train ourselves to repond with peaceful contemplation. We are told to embrace pain with courage. Yet that is a somewhat dismaying thought to many of us. It is a bit like wanting to embrace a porcupine. Who needs it? But it is very true, psychologically and spiritually, that pain opens our heart. Pain melts our hardness of heart, humbles us and quickens our awareness of our higher power(God). Actually, it is because of pain that many are on a spiritual path today. True happiness is when everything we think, say and do is in harmony. Enjoy the day.

Written by: Sherrie Vitello

Excerpts taken from the book: Emotions, Transforming Anger, Fear and Pain. Written by: Marilyn C Barrick, Ph.D.

Each Step

Most of us are on a long uphill climb at this moment. It is a climb we are making together and yet a climb we can't do for each other. I can reach out my hand to you, and you can grasp my hand in return. But my steps are my own, just as you, too, can only take one step at a time.
For brief periods we skip, even run, along the uphill path. The rocks and the occasional boulder momentarily trip us up. We need patience and trust that the summit is still achievable. We can help one another have patience.

We can remind one another to trust. We look back at the periods that devastated us so long ago. And now we are here. We have climbed this far. We are stronger, saner, more secure. Each step makes easier the next step..each step puts us on more solid ground. 

Excerpts taken from the wonderful book:  Each Day A New Beginning by Karen Casey

High Expectations.

For those of us who have had to deal with being let-down by our expectations, this article is for you. I'm positive that we have all been let-down at onetime or another because we didn't get what we expected.  As we have come to stop abusing ourselves with drugs and alcohol, we sometimes expect our lives to become this magical, wonderful place to be, right away. It's like trying to win the Indy500 with a racecar that has fouled sparkplugs. We have to remember, for all the time we spent using, we also closed off alot of the things that could have made our lives better.  Sometimes we probably didn't even realize just how messed up our lives became while abusing ourselves. 

Although some of us were functioning addicts...we believed we were doing just fine when we had our drugs or had our drinks.  Until the next time we ran out of our drugs, or didn't have our drinks.  We had gotten so clouded by our addiction that we lost the true perception of the world around us.  We don't really realize that until we're clean and sober just how clouded we truly were.  We have to remember that it took us time to get that way and it's going to take some time to get back on the right path and begin to see our lives in a more positive light.  But it does happen. 

The best way to get through this, without relapsing, is talking about it to others and learning that it's not just you that has had this problem.  You can also read up on how to motivate yourself.  I believe that if we surround ourselves with positive outllooks and attitudes that we will attract the positive things in the universe. Plus we must also learn that negative things do happen at times, and we must learn to cope and deal with the negative things using a positive resolve.  It's like having the attitude that we are not going to let any negative things turn us back into those addicts we once were. 

So don't be affraid to make goals and stick to them in order to improve your life.  Sure you may have some set-backs, but that doesn't mean you have to regress back to your addictive ways.  Realize it's going to take some time for you to re-establish relationships, of any kind, that you may have damaged during your addictive times.  Know that this can be accomplished by the actions we take now once you've made the decision to break away from your addictions.  Like I tell my daughters even to this day, "Believe in yourself, do your best, and you'll be alright."  I find that to be so very true.  Until next time, enjoy the day. 

  

Trying to Control Things can Make Things Worse....

Most of us have struggled, willfully, with untold numbers of addictions, liquor, uppers, downers, sugar, chocolate, cigarettes, the opposite sex. The more we become determined to control our use or to abstain, the greater the compulsion felt for one drink, one bite, one puff. Giving in completely was the turning point.
Recovery helps each of us find relief from our primary addiction once we humble ourselves, accept our powerlessness, and ask for help. It can help us equally effectively, every day, with any problem we are willfully trying to control. Is a family member causing grief? Is a coworker creating anxiety? Has a close friend pulled away? We expend so much energy trying to manage outcomes! 

In most cases, our attempt to control will invite even more resistance. Recovery offers the way out of any frustrating situation. We can be mindful of our powerlessness and cherish the opportunities offered by our higher power. We can turn over whatever our problem is to God and quietly, trustingly, anticipate the resolution. It's guaranteed. Have faith in yourself, believe in the power of prayer. We're not only talking to God when we pray, we are talking to ourselves.

If you were to look into a mirror at yourself and say, "I feel good about myself today"...chances are you'll feel good throughout the day. You'll have the same effect negatively if you were to say something negative about yourself.  One good rule of thumb I did when I was changing my outlook about myself is, I would make sure that everyday I would say something nice to someone. Not only did it help that person feel good, it made me feel good as well. Try being more positive about yourself. You're on a journey here and you want it to turn out well.  Enjoy the day.
My writings here have been combined with Karen Casey's Book: Each Day a New Beginning.

A Moment of Inspirational Poetry.....

                  

Shadow  of  my    Pen

Shadow of my pen
caught my tired eye
Writing without reason
Follows my desire
Walk along beside me
Tip by tip we blend
Feeling all the rhythm
Flowing through my hand

All the letters bouncing
A bigger life than I
As my pen it dances
Where I choose to fly
Will I share my passion?
To keep my dream alive
Or will I let it slip?
Without the will to try

Stumbled down I have
Lied there reaching out
For anything to help me
Understand what life's about
Now I see this purpose
It has brought me to my knees
But this never ending circus
Keeps me in displease

Still I keep on writing
Through my sense of doubt
Just so I can show you
What I think life's about.

Taken from the book:  Through This Addicts Eyes
By:  Celeste Vitello
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