Power-Ups

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." Morrie Schwartz The beautiful thing about any relationship (friendship, intimate partnership, acquaintance, etc.) is that it provides a context for you to get to know yourself better. You might say it is like a mirror; in that, it shows you yourself. Are the benefits of friendship solely selfish? Ponder this: to the degree that you don’t be yourself, know yourself, and love yourself may be the degree that there will be friction and sizeable opportunities for learning in the relationship (a.k.a. challenges!). Building a network of healthy relationships (through small, frequent actions over time) is the ultimate support. When your life moves through a chaotic patch, or your roots are shaken by a storm, it most likely won’t be your work that supports you through it! At the end of the day, all you have is yourself, family/friends, food and the earth. ‘Prune’ and ‘grow’ these things regular...

"It all depends on how we look at things and not on how they are in themselves." -- Carl G. Jung   It is our experience, that a good relationship starts with you. How do you have a relationship (in any form; be it friendship, colleague or intimate partner) without losing yourself? At the end of the day, our relationships may come and go, but 24/7 you are going to be with yourself.  That is why it is important to commit to knowing and, yes, even loving yourself. Are you taking care of yourself? To be able to have a good and meaningful relationship with someone else, you must first have one with yourself.  Below are some gold nuggets to respecting and being confident in who you are.  You will find that when you are confident in yourself, you are able to deal with what other people throw your way much easier and be much more tolerant of others. Be kind to yourself. Your needs and desires are equally as important as anyone else’s. Being comfortable to be with ...

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all other virtues”.  Marcus Tullius Cicero When the movie Flashdance was released, with its hit song "Feelings", it left people thinking about and discussing all aspects of freedom of expression, healthy differences and how people process emotion.   This article may make you feel slightly uneasy as it asks something of you (remember, "life begins at the end of your comfort zone").  It asks that you be prepared to fully allow yourself to tap into, and acknowledge, how you truly feel. With a host of things that will help us become “HEALthier”, this one is right up there.   Our feelings are signals. It is our body’s way of helping us get information about our internal or external environment.  Feelings, like most things, if left unchecked, can control us, and we can become an emotional wreck, or we can learn to read the signs and act on them before we get lost. I fully believe, that...

“Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning.  It’s the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing we receive. It’s worthy of all the hullabaloo.” Martin Luther King Jr. Over the years, many cultures have written and analysed love and formed it into this  complex, indefinable and often elusive  thing.  There is no topic that equals it for the number of poems, songs and books that have been written about it. Is love as hard to pinpoint and define as we are led to believe?  Is it just that something magically takes place when we connect with some people?  Do we like to hold on to the mystery so that somehow we don’t lose the impact or exhilaration? Or  could it be that it is not love that is that complicated, but all the ‘add on extras’ that we as adults join to this powerful emotion?  Let’s leave the ‘suitcases’ at the station for a moment and break down this thing called love . Basic Elements of L...