by Siljoy Maurer

Ingredients: Thoughts, Attention, Appreciation, Compassion

Tools: Mind, Body, Heart, Spirit, Soul

Preparation Time: Lifetime

Cooking Time: Present Moment

Result: A Whole, Healthy, Authentic "You"

Process:
(1) Consider that ingredient determining all human experience — thinking. Our thoughts create our attitudes, birth our will, lead us through any endeavor. We can choose to use our thinking to sabotage or to wisely support ourselves.
** Experiment, replacing "X happened to me" with "I chose to experience X"…

(2) Next, allow attention — courageously looking into the mirror of reality; evaluating needs; seeing our potential rather than beating ourselves up for not being perfect.
** Assume your situation holds something positive. Choose to discover it — let yourself be rewarded by your curiosity…

(3) Well-being requires a lifetime commitment. Our struggles prove us to be normal, fallible, lovable human beings. Appreciation can help us discriminate what serves us best.
** Appreciate yourself daily for one week, for anything, for trying, even for noticing that You did not appreciate You. Thus strengthen yourself…

(4) Our hearts need to guide us toward greater wholeness. Adding compassion — as much as we can muster right now — we will feel more alive. We can reach into the depth of our humanity, that heartfelt place where we are of both earth and sky.
** Think of the former child in You, sensing your compassion with her/him. Feel that compassion for yourself…

(5) For easier thriving, add your own choice of spiritual guidance. My experience as a Holistic Life Mentor has shown me that when someone stays stuck, unable to resolve an issue, it is often because the spiritual, or its absence, has not been addressed.
** Your longing for wholeness is your connection to the spiritual…

(6) We have as many opportunities to care for ourselves as there are moments— present moments — thinking, noticing, feeling compassion, experiencing guidance, with/in our body, rising to as much humanity and awareness as we can tolerate.
** Knowing your true needs in any moment, gives You the freedom to choose your actions. Graced with the compassion of living authentically — You can celebrate growing whole and well…