Top 10 Ways We Can Have a Better Life Today

Gratitude is the act of being grateful or thankful for something. In this highly technical and complex age, gratitude is a breathtakingly simple concept. Our world feels so out of control and none of us have enough and someone else always seems to have more. It is easy to look at our lives and feel that we've drawn the short straw. However, in any major metropolis and increasingly in smaller towns, you only have to go down to the cities main thoroughfare, to see people making their homes beneath freeway overpasses, to under stand that you are blessed. If you are reading this, you have access to a computer and the skill to use it. You may be at a job or in a classroom. Whatever the case, there is something to show gratitude for. We get so caught up in our lives and seeing what people have and thinking about where we fall short that we fail to see the blessings that are ours. Whatever we take for granted, whether it is our lives; our homes; our families, our careers or our faculties; keep in mind that there is someone somewhere who has less and is grateful for that. Try each day to think of five things for which you are grateful.

2. Practice forgiveness

If we could quantify the pain caused by petty jealousies, ill will and old hurts or diagnose the diseases manifested by long held grudges we would always practice forgiveness. Many times we harbor resentments for some long ago sin and sink into despair only to find that it was a only a mere misunderstanding. God forgives us when we ask and yet as mere mortals we don't deign to forgive. Heartfelt forgiveness cleanses the soul and frees the mind to rest on things of beauty and joy. When we keep our visage clouded with a shroud of unforgiveness we do the world a disservice. Oftentimes, we find it hardest to forgive ourselves and so we pound our psyches until they are unrecognizable. Bruised and bowed down, we are unable to do, be or give our best. Perhaps Alexander Pope said it best. "To err is human, to forgive divine."

3. Practice Unconditional Love

Unconditional love is love extended without condition, guise, motive or stipulation. Perhaps the first person we should practice loving unconditionally is ourselves. Learning to love and accept ourselves without judgment can be the hardest thing to do and yet we want others to give us that regard. By first learning to love ourselves we can understand how to love others. Loving ourselves opens us up to possibilities and options that we may not have know we had. Loving others without judgment gives us wings to fly.

4. Pray

Prayer is the act of dialoguing with the Divine or in the old Southern Baptist parlance, "Having a little talk with Jesus." Whether you are a Christian, Buddhist, or whatever religion you espouse, the act of prayer can have profound benefits. Studies have shown that prayer has been effective across a wide range of disciplines. Taking your troubles to a divinity can only help. The act of praying does require an attitude of reverence but it is not a formal thing. It does not require a host of thees and thous to make your point. In fact you can just talk to God. However, the key in praying is not only talking to God but the ability to be still and quiet to hear the answers.

5. Give

The bible says, "Give and it will be given unto you, pressed down shaken together and running over". Not that giving to get should be a motivation but it does outline the "Law of Reciprocity". For most of us the first thing that comes to mind is money because it is a quantifiable medium and is sorely needed. However, it is not the only way to help. To lend a smile, a hand or perhaps a word of encouragement to someone who is troubled is sometimes all that is required. Whatever we give; when we do it from the heart, we will be overwhelmed by the rewards that come back to us.

6. Take a News Fast

The news is rife with murders, mayhem and talk of economic downturn. It's no wonder the world is in the condition that it is in. Day in and day out the news brings to us atrocity after atrocity which we imbibe and send back out as energy. Every now and then or all the time, if you are of a mind to, take a break from its constant negative stimuli. In fact, it might be a good idea to take a break from TV altogether. As much as I enjoy television, I am more and more reminded that it is filled with the trivial and the transitory. Take a break and think so good positive thoughts for the world to use.

7. Laugh

Laughter is the best medicine. Play with a dog, fly a kite, walk on a beach; look into a baby's eyes. Tell a bad joke or listen to good one. Find some thing that pulls the laugh from the depths of your solar plexus and let 'er rip with a great big guffaw and in no time you'll be feeling better. In fact, a recent study done by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center found that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh than people who did not have heart disease. For more information on the study click to read the full article.

8. Drink More Water

We are made up mostly of water and yet many of us are chronically dehydrated. Consider that the brain is 85% water, blood is 94% and the rest of the bodies systems are 75% water. Water cleanses toxins out of the system, replenishes dehydrated tissues and lubricates our insides. By that I mean pure clean water. There are any number of water purification and filtration systems available that allow us to get perfectly good water from our taps. Why is water a necessity? Because we lose water through a variety of bodily mechanisms, many of which we are unaware of. For instance, several cups are lost throughout the day, just through the mere act of breathing. Add to that, sugar laden drinks which cause the body to utilize its water stores for dilution of sugar in the stomach or caffeine drinks such as coffee and tea which have a diuretic effect on the body and can cause one to lose more water than one has taken in. This creates dehydration. The best way to combat this is to drink enough water. What constitutes the right amount of water? A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. So, if you are a 200 pound man then drinking 100 ounces of water should be sufficient. Some side effects of getting an adequate supply of water are clearer skin and fewer headaches.

9. Get Enough Fiber

Back when our parents admonished us to eat our veggies, we thought perhaps they were secretly in league with the evil one, but as time went on we found that, in addition to vitamins and minerals, veggies had something called "roughage". "Roughage" is just another name for fiber. And fiber is one of the best ways to keep your system clean and clear and free of toxins. You might ask what the big deal with fiber is and I submit that there are few things more satisfying than a good easy bowel movement. I don't mean to be gross but the truth is the light. One of the things that facilitate this blessed event is enough fiber in our diet. In addition, fiber is instrumental in weight loss regimes because it allows us to feel fuller and therefore we eat less. As if that wasn't enough, fiber is also been shown to cut the risk of developing certain cancers. So, for those of you who didn't already know; fiber is good for you and your parents were right.

10. Be Happy Now

Claim your happiness today. Not at some time in the future when you've got it all together. Now wallowing in some past perfection you are hoping to reclaim; but right at this present moment. It is within our control to define our happiness. Though, we may feel we are being propelled through our lives without any control over our feelings, compulsions or actions that is not the case. We live at choice everyday. That means that we choose how we want our lives to be. We are 100% responsible for the things we attract into our life; therefore we have the power to change what we attract and how we react. Happiness is our choice to make.

Sources:

http://www.viewzone.com/water.html

http://www.umm.edu/features/laughter.htm