Essays and Quotes for the Mind and Spirit

"I think maybe needy people are just people who don't feel needed. Well, I say to you: Feel needed. Feel needed because you are." Daniel Quinn

WORDS TO SUCCEED BY:

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent peopleand the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest criticsand endure the betrayal of false friends:

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better,whether by a healthy child, a garden patchor a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easierbecause you have lived;

This is to have succeeded."

Written by Ralph Waldo Emerson

1.Welcome

Welcome every day that you possibly can as a gift. Take time to appreciate the vast and varied pleasures which make up your life – warm drinks, sunshine, music, the face of a loved one, flowers, inviting scents, a loving touch, a gentle breeze… Take a few moments to breathe deeply and to experience gratitude. Acknowledge the lessons in even painful experiences - for they are often our most powerful teachers.

2. Engage

Engage in activities that foster emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Too often we allow ourselves to get so caught up in the details that we fail to provide ourselves with the necessary ingredients that make up a balanced and meaningful life. When we deprive ourselves of what we truly need, it’s easy to begin to perceive life as a struggle rather than a precious journey.

Engage in meaningful contact with others, engage in the moment, and engage all your senses. To engage is to promise, promise yourself the gift of your life.

3. Learn

Life consists of one lesson after another. Pay attention to them when they present themselves, even when it hurts. When we learn - we deepen and empower ourselves, and we expand our horizons. Learning diminishes limits and widens our trail. In general, those who live to learn - live longest.

4. Laugh

Laugh often and loudly. Laughter improves the immune system, relieves stress and lightens burdens.

5. Be

Be where you are this minute, not lost in tomorrow or yesterday. While plans and goals can be important; and reflection may offer wisdom, it’s the now that guarantees - only the now that pledges itself to you. The past has left you, the future eludes you, yet the now enfolds you. Embrace it. You’re already in its arms, allow it to cradle you.