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This month we focus on the first of the
10 Be's of Positivity-Be Honest. Being honest
creates the foundation that can set the tone for how we
life our life for the long run.
Be - Honest
Honesty as policy is powerful indeed.
All that is required is that you truly believe that
you'll grow as a person and blessings will expand, when
you have the gift of honesty, in front of you, at hand
Being honest, especially with yourself, can be a
difficult exercise. You may sometimes be dishonest with
yourself about issues that are challenging, avoiding
them because it's easier to do so. Demands on your time
and energy may cause you to neglect something very
important. You. If you are unhappy about any area of
your life, and you aren't being honest with yourself it
will definitely catch up to you.
Three areas often come to the surface when being honest
comes to mind. Work, relationships and health.
Let's briefly examine each.
Work - How many people do you know who are
unhappy with their jobs? You may even be one of them. Do
you often make excuses, telling yourself that you can't
find another job because your skills are limited, or
you'll never find a job that pays as much as the one you
currently have? But what about the price you pay for
getting up every day and spending time and energy some
place you don't want to be? An unhappy situation with
work can cause stress, sickness, and irritability.
If you are interested in expanding your knowledge base,
but don't have the time or money, consider starting
small. Your local community center or YMCA might have
some free or inexpensive classes in your areas of
interest. The Internet also offers multiple educational
choices. Take one class and see how it inspires you to
take further action. Set a clear intention about what
you want. We all know these are challenging economic
times, but remember that from challenges come
opportunities.
Relationships - Are you happy in your personal
relationships? Do you take time to nurture those
connections? Hopefully you give your relationships the
time and attention they need to grow and become
stronger. Maybe you've outgrown a partnership and you're
staying with a person because you're afraid of being
alone, or don't think you deserve anything better. You
deserve to be happy and to be in situations where you
are not only the nurturer, but are being nurtured.
And yes, it is better to be alone then to be in a
relationship that does not bring you joy. Being alone
can help you learn to appreciate your own company. If
you are alone, but would rather not be, trust that when
the time is right, that other person will appear. In the
meantime, understand that flying solo can be a gift to
yourself when you learn to love and appreciate "you." By
spending that time with yourself and learning to embrace
who you are, the experience of sharing your time with
another will be that much richer.
Health - When you think of your personal health,
what words or images come to mind? Do you think, "I'm
fit, I have healthy eating habits, and I take time out
of my busy schedule for myself?" Or do you think, "I'm
overweight, I eat too much fast food on the run, and the
last time I had time to myself I was coming out of the
birth canal?" I don't need to tell you which one of
these scenarios you want to be chanting. We spend so
much time nurturing and taking care of everyone else.
You cannot do this to the best of your ability if you
don't take care of yourself; if you don't eat right,
don't exercise or are a workaholic. You have to TAKE
TIME FOR YOURSELF! What might that mean for you? A walk
in the woods twice a week? A gardening class at your
local community center? A consciously prepared healthy
meal? A little change can make a big difference.
It so happens that my weakness is sugar, so this is
where I tend to over indulge. I know it's not good for
me; that sugar really has no positive redeeming
qualities, at least for my body. And when I eat it
anyway, I'm not being honest with myself. What I'm
learning to do is stop whenever I crave sugar and ask
myself what is really going on. Am I bored? Tired? In
relaxation mode at the end of a long day? I'm usually
one of these things, rather than my body needing sugar.
When I take the time to take stock of the situation, and
identify what's accurately going on, I generally can
steer myself in a more productive direction, but it's
taken me a long time to get to this point and I don't
always succeed. But at least now I can identify what's
really happening to me and work to react accordingly. We
can each step up to the plate and decide to address the
areas in our lives that need attention.
Honesty Quotes
"Honesty is the first chapter in the
book of wisdom."
Thomas Jefferson
"Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty
is telling the truth to other people."
Spencer Johnson
"If you truly want honesty, don't ask questions you
don't really want the answer to"
Proverb quotes
"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be
believable we must be credible; to be credible we must
be truthful."
Edward R. Murrow quotes (American Journalist,
1908-1965)
"No legacy is so rich as honesty."
William Shakespeare
"Honesty: The best of all the lost arts"
Mark Twain
"An honest man's word is as good as his bond.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra quotes (Spanish writer,
author of the masterwork 'El quijote', 1547-1616)
"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember
anything."
Mark Twain
"Truth fears no questions. "
Unknown
The Power of Positivity Is To Give
Back
A few years ago, on a trip to Central
Africa, I became acquainted with a hard working
organization called the Martin Luther King Jr.
Foundation, located in Limbe, Cameroon. The Foundation
works to promote peace, non-violence, social justice and
sustainable development in Cameroon. To assist with
their educational efforts, I started The Words Across
The World Book Project. I collect books and send them to
the Foundation who makes the books available to all in
the community, as well as students located at a
University near the Foundation's office. To learn more
about this organization, visit www.lukmefcameroon.org. I
sit on the International Board of Directors for this
organization and a portion of book sales goes to support
this worthy cause.
Embrace
The
Day
And
SMILE :)
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