The Main Goal

Your (and everyone else's)  main goal in life is to do good to yourself and, as immediate consequence, to do good to your fellow human beings. You cannot pursue happiness while ignoring or overlooking the welfare of others. If you think only of yourself, you become selfish. But the perfect love of yourself cannot be separated from the love towards others. Don't forget that you are connected to everybody else. The good must be shared, because it belongs to all. And those who have a greater awareness are the ones more directly responsible for the sharing.

Positive? Negative?

Are you a positive person? Are you a negative person? It's easy to decide. Choose your beliefs:

* “I am good.” or “I’m not good enough.” 

* “I am capable.” or “I’m not up to the job.” 

* “I can be successful.” or “I’m usually a failure.” 

* “People like me.” or “People are against me.” 

* “The world is basically good.” or “The world is an ugly mess.”

The life you live is according to what you choose to believe.

Now

If you think about your own life, how do you see it? Can you envisage it with an ending? Most probably you can't.  You feel that your life will continue forever, without an actual end, although you definitely know that it will certainly reach its conclusion. How come? Is it a defense mechanism? It probably is. But it is also a means that nature uses to make you feel secure in the present moment that, consequently, might be seen as stretched out forever. In fact, the present moment is your only reality. Try, therefore, to stay grounded in it, and avoid any speculation about the future, because it would only be a waste of your precious, allotted time.

Good Stuff

Although there are many lazy people in this world, and many others who are totally careless, fortunately there are also several who are active, who care, who do good stuff. It's comforting to see how even numerous youngsters dedicate themselves to deserving causes, to discovering their talents and pursuing them, to helping others, to simply being "purposeful". Our world is full of ugliness - which we see, hear and read about on a daily basis - but it is also full of beauty. Not only nature is beautiful, also human beings can be awesome. You can see them if you pay attention, as you can spot lovely flowers among weeds.

Healthy Lifestyle

Ask yourself this question: “Are my body and my mind in harmony?” Think deeply and honestly about the state of your body: weight, general health, exercise, eating, drinking, sleeping habits… How are you doing? See if there is something that should and could be changed and improved. You definitely know what a good healthy diet is. You know that some daily exercise is good for you. You are aware that you need a certain amount of sleep. Do you do your things correctly?

The Slumber Is Over!

A new season is starting and nature continues its transformation. Winter, when everything seemed to be on "pause", is over and the signs of renewal, regeneration, rebirth are becoming visible. What about you? Have you been on pause, too? Have you stopped feeling/being creative? Have you temporarily forgotten your dream? Have you postponed a necessary decision? If you have, now time has come to spring into action, to be "alive" again. You needed a rest, so you rested. But now the slumber must be brought to an end. It's time to wake up, it's time to take action!

Your Talent

What is your talent? You might think that you have none. And you would be wrong! Everybody has "something" special to offer the world. It may not necessarily be something striking, exceptional or ingenious. Even if it's a simple skill, it is worthwhile to nurse it, cherish it, share it. Do you like cooking, drawing, gardening, playing a musical instrument? You may not be exceptionally gifted but, if you endeavor to practice regularly and with enthusiasm, you will improve your capability and achieve significant results. And there will certainly be somebody who will enjoy and appreciate a meal you cooked, a picture you drew, a flower you grew, a song you played.

Usual behavior

If they asked you what your usual behavior is, what would you answer? First of all, would such answer be totally sincere? You certainly believe it would, but... are you sure? Don't you think that you might embellish it a little, try to make it sound more positive than it actually is? If you have a negative trait in your character such as resentment, for example, wouldn't you present it as love of justice? Envy might become a feeling of unfairness, rudeness could be described as self-assertion, and so on. Therefore, be careful in your self-examination. It will greatly help you in truly understanding yourself. 

Perseverance

If your motivation is strong enough, sooner or later you will decide to make some changes in yourself. But you will not see results immediately. For example, if you are the "aggressive" type and try to remain calm without reacting aggressively, you will succeed one time and fail two. It’s OK. If you persevere, your failures will become fewer and fewer You will soon realize that - slowly and naturally - your attitude has changed. Once you become less aggressive, your whole life will become more serene. 

P.S. Similarly, you can become more relaxed, more assertive, more patient, more focused, more self-aware… anything!

Opposite Thoughts

Your mind is like a never-stopping machine. Its job is to think, and this is what it does all the time. Now, a question: do you prefer to spend a lot of time with a friend who is always complaining, nagging, criticizing or with one who is cheerful, pleasant, relaxing? Easy answer, isn't it? So, why do you often accept - or even welcome - unpleasant, worrisome, fearful thoughts rather than try to entertain pleasant, comforting, fearless ones? Yes, "why"?

Self-Talk

Talking to yourself is the only way to teach yourself something. So, if you want to learn anything new, (to become more "positive", for example) you need three steps:

1. Accept the new idea (If you refuse it a priori, it’s useless even to try.)

2. Absorb it, make it your own until you thoroughly believe it.

3. Apply it in your life.

There is no other way.

Water

You know that life could not exist without water. As plants dry up in long periods of drought, you would die if you didn't drink. On a spiritual level, such a situation could be compared to "attitude". Water is a positive attitude, drought is a negative one. When you are kind, accepting, patient, you nourish your soul in a beneficial way. When you are rude, resentful, intolerant, you hurt others but mostly yourself. The result? A serene life versus an existence lived in never-ending turmoil. 

Beliefs and Behavior

Here are some basic aspects of the most deeply-rooted human thinking. They have been labeled as either positive or negative thinking.

* “I am good.” or “I’m not good enough.” 

* “I am capable.” or “I’m not up to the job.” 

* “I can be successful.” or “I’m usually a failure.” ”.  

* “People like me.” or “People are against me.” 

* “The world is basically good.” or “The world is an ugly mess.”

Which of these beliefs are yours? Be aware that they determine your behavior and, consequently, the quality of your life.

Stuff

How important are "things" to you? You need a sufficient amount of stuff to lead an acceptable life but you definitely don't need all the additional objects you are used to surrounding yourself with. You have been convinced that you must have this or that in order to be happy, successful, fulfilled. Must you really? Absolutely not. Why? Because, once you get something new, you enjoy it for a short while and then... start looking for something "more" new. Nothing material is enough to provide lasting happiness and fulfillment. 

Who Are You?

As most people believe they know themselves, you, too, may believe you know yourself. But, if you think about it, what do you really know? What you know for sure is your physical appearance. You say, “I’m tall, I’m short, I’m medium height. My hair is black, brown, long, short straight, curly….” You may say, “I’m fat (just a bit. Need a little diet!) I’m thin, my eyes are blue, brown…”

You look at yourself in the mirror and you have no doubt about what you see. But is what you see enough to make you know who you are? It isn’t. You don’t know who you “are”. You only know what you “look like”.