“You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the universe, deserve your love and affection.”
Buddha
It’s a perfect time to talk Love. Loving YOU and taking care of YOU, that is. Stay with me here as I explain what I mean. I read the following quote in a book I’m reading called Straight-Line Leadership: “Accountable has no sense of blame. It means, count on me.” They were talking about business. I feel this quote is as applicable to our personal selves and our health as it is to business. Even more so. Is it possible that this is exactly what our bodies and minds must be thinking about us, their “owners” all the time? If you took this different perspective of stepping outside of your body and looking at how it works, you could see that it’s our responsibility to do what we can to take care of and treat ourselves well. It’s our job to exercise and move our bodies a lot, eat healthy, whole foods, get good quality and restorative sleep, spend some time outdoors in nature, and always have a life of purpose and passion.
After all, our bodies and minds are counting on us. They have no one else to rely on, therefore, we have no one else to blame in how we take care of ourselves. Remind yourself often: “It’s up to me. My mind and my body are counting on me – what I eat, how (and if) I exercise, if I get enough sleep – all my choice and my decision. I am accountable.” The body responds to your mind and your mind is affected by how you feel in your body. We can really show that we are there for ourselves by the choices we make. Tell yourself “you can count on me” and then prove it! Be accountable to yourself. You are the only YOU there is. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will? As the saying goes, you can’t love anyone else anymore than you love yourself. If you love yourself enough to choose good and healthy ways of living, you will be amazed by what your body and mind will do for you in return. Then you can exude all those good loving vibes out to others.
It’s up to YOU. Always. What we tell ourselves, day in and day out, we believe. Repetition deepens the thought, which deepens the habit. If you were to start making yourself accountable to yourself, knowing that your body and mind can only work with what you give it, would you look differently at the choices you are making? We change the process by thinking differently and asking different questions. New answers and ways of doing things then present themselves. The more we do something, the more ingrained it becomes. So, look no further than making the first decision that you will hold yourself accountable and be there for yourself in the best ways possible.
Love yourself. Be accountable. No excuses, no blame.
Lovingly,
Irene
