cardin at optimistlab tagged me the other day with the simply successful secrets experiment (get the details here; it was started by aaron potts at todayisthatday, and it came to cardin via karen lynch at livethepower; it’s also been featured in amsall’s inspirational and motivational carnival).
for a few years now i’ve had what i call my wellness basket. it contains a number of things that i know will keep me happy and healthy. however, they are also things that i need to remind myself of; they are not things that i would automatically do.
for the longest time, i would put such things on a “list of things to do” but i finally realized that that felt too … i don’t know, too puritanical, too “should-y”. now i just see my wellness basket as something lovely that i have the opportunity to reach into every day. they are pretty simple things, really:
drink enough water. i want to do this because it’s healthy. but it’s more than that. it’s about listening to my body and responding to her needs.
quiet time. every day i need some moments when i quieten my mind at least a little bit. it can be any of the many forms of meditation; it can be a little candle ritual; spending 10, 15 minutes singing lullabies to my daughter – anything that will help me step back and rest in my core.
movement. it’s amazing how much better i feel when i have movement in my life, especially when it’s outside in fresh air. half an hour of gardening, a walk under the full moon – it will always clear my mind and refresh my body.
write a poem. it doesn’t matter how short and silly it is. it keeps me connected to that creative spark. sometimes it’s 12:30 at night, i’ve brushed my teeth, and i realize i haven’t written a poem yet. since i know that might happen, i have paper and pen ready in the bathroom.
vitamins. two days without vitamins and i’m wiped out.
as you can see, the old latin saying mens sana in corpore sano – a healthy mind in a healthy body – means a lot to me. the name of this meme is “simply successful secrets”. to me, there can’t be any success if my mind and body aren’t there full-on. and is it a secret? no. this wellness basket is open for everyone. dip in!
let me see who i can tag … i’ll tag people who i’ve gotten to know through stumbleupon – quite a mixed bag:
- the goat’s lunch pail
- real recovery from bulimia and binge eating
- living within samsara
- SEOmoz
- culture kills, wait, i mean cutlery, and
- stark delusions.
isabella mori
moritherapy
counselling in vancouver
Isabella,
Thanks for joining us with this enlightening
exercise. I love the idea of the “wellness basket”, it is definitely sweeter than a “Should” list!
Isabella,
Yay! So glad you found the time to do this. I love how your list feels very body-focused, very nurturing.
Isabella,
For the second time today, I have come across a list of success “secrets” that included some of the most basic – but wildly effective – success habits.
Listening to our bodies is probably the most basic thing that anyone could do, yet it is still something that many people don’t do often enough, or effectively enough.
Kudos to you for keeping your wellness basket well stocked, and thanks for participating in the Simply Successful Secrets project!
Thanks for the tag.