Gifts
The last week I have been blessed to be given a great number of gifts! Gifts came in all colors, sizes and shapes. There were gifts of words, wit and wonder. Gifts of laughter in an elevator and the gift of honesty. Several gifts of time were given to me by unlikely gift givers. The Kuwaiti government gave us all two extra days to celebrate Kuwait Independence Weekend! A three day weekend suddenly became a five day weekend. When found time arrives I smile. Time is precious. For far to long I haven’t been as mindful of time as perhaps I should be. I am looking forward to choosing how the gifts of time will be spent!
From the random and unexpected strawberries at the door to the gift of true friendship, a gift that never stops giving, there are moments where the simple beauty of those in my community just amaze me. It has been said,” The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.” The same is true with your heart. Love can’t live in the same heart as hate. I like that I am surrounded by people who get that and remind me to keep giving!
the lululemon manifesto
- Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.
- A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress.
- Do one thing a day that scares you.
- Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.
- Write down your short and long-term GOALS four times a year. Two personal, two business and two health goals for the next 1, 5 and 10 years. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer.
- Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
- Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
- That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.
- Stress is related to 99% of all illness.
- Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.
- The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
- Friends are more important than money.
- Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.
- Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.
- Don’t trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.
- Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment.
- The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
- Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water, Vancouver will do nicely.
- Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.
- Practice yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.
- Dance, sing, floss and travel.
- Children are the orgasm of life. Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them.
- Successful people replace the words “wish”, “should” and “try” with “I will”.
- Creativity is maximized when you’re living in the moment.
- Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life.
- lululemon athletica creates components for people to live longer, healthier and more fun lives. If we can produce products to keep people active and stress-free, we believe the world will become a much better place.
- Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.
- SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.
- Communication is COMPLICATED. We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.
- What we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
- The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.
What is your word for 2010?
As a wordsmith. I used to have words of the months. Big words, fun words and little words to help me focus on what was truly important. From no to yes, water sports, friendship, play, boundaries, grace, communication, mindfulness; there were lots of words. This year there will be lots of wonderful words along the way but I have decided that I need two over arching themes. Two big bad, wicked, wild words that all the other little words follow. That set the pace, the tone that the other words to follow.
If I step back and look, really look at last years words they were all words that built up to these two. The 2010 words of the year are:
Love: This comes first because to be disciplined you need love. Parents love their children but they show that love by reminding them to brush their teeth, to go to bed on time and eat their vegetables. Love is everywhere. At the same time true love hides in special places. I am tired of hiding what I really love. To make room in your life for all that you love, you need the second word of the year. They work in partnership. Hand in hand.
Discipline: A strong word, for strong people. This word just doesn’t happen over night. It is a word that is worth spending a year, a lifetime to make it part of you. What you do everyday defines you. How you do it also defines you. You need discipline to say no. You also need to be disciplined to say yes to the things you really want. It is a noble quest to go after what you really want. Both discipline and love eat fear for breakfast! They also both help define what you eat for breakfast!
Discipline and love bring about surprises, interesting things and adventure. I look forward to seeing how I use these beautiful words and what they will bring for 2010!
What are your words for the year?
“Disciplined people, doing disciplined things, in disciplined ways.”
“Good To Great” by Jim Collins
Kuwait City, KUWAIT
Christine Oastler is a freelance travel writer, teacher and artist, currently living in Mahboula, Kuwait. Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Christine obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Trent University and her Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Currently traveling around the Middle East she finds herself riding the odd camel and embracing a new culture!