Philosophies for your life

So awhile back I found a link to this blog post and at the time it was something I really needed to read. Basically this kid (okay, guy that looks probably around my age) wrote a post about 8 simple philosophies that he thinks leads to a healthy life. I don't know if they are something that he came up with on his own or if they're something that he found somewhere and adopted for his own but I think they're all valid and things we could all benefit from reminding ourselves about occasionally.

I recommend you all go to the blog post and look at each of them but there's a few that I identified with in particular.

3. The right person at the wrong time is the wrong person.
This is something I constantly need to remind myself of. After having my heart broken and spending the last two years constantly searching for that happiness that I'd lost, this last week I've found a bit of peace about it. Dating is exhausting and I'm tired of the Three-Dates-and-Out experience that seems to have been on repeat for me. I finally just decided enough is enough and when it's supposed to happen it will. Don't get me wrong, I'm an impatient person by nature and this reprieve will only last so long. It also doesn't mean that I will stop being receptive should I see something positive coming my way, but the active pursuit has worn me down and I'm finally ready to abandon the idea that things Should and Will happen on my time. Okay God, you win.

4. A healthy body is a healthy mind.
Best quote I pulled from his elaboration of this point: "The prefrontal and temporal lobes of your brain typically shrink 1-2% per year as you get older, or even faster if you watch Fox News." *Insert smirk here* But seriously, this blogger also points out that you can actively reverse this trend by exercising regularly and finding the right balance between taking in the right amount of energy your brain needs but not taking in so many calories that your body uses them to lug your weight around instead of saving them for brain power.

5. The race is only with yourself.
This is a big one for me. I'm only 26 and I've already gotten two Bachelor degrees. I have a stable job. I'm pretty successful at that job. I have a nice apartment that I can comfortably afford. There are improvements I would like to make to myself physically, but I'm certainly no slob and I am actively making progress towards my goals. So what if I'm still deciding what I want to be doing in ten years? So what if I'm considering going back to school, which will have me starting over (again) at age 30. So what if I know people my age that are dating, engaged, or married? So what if one of my good friends is a freaking national level figure fitness model. I don't need to compare myself to them. You will always find someone who can beat you at your own game. Learning to be happy with where you are in your life and with what you have accomplished without constantly measuring yourself against others is probably the biggest key to happiness. As a competitive person it's sometimes a hard lesson for me to learn, but definitely a valuable and humbling one.

8. Act the part.
Fake it til you make it. You want to be outgoing? Talk to someone new! You want to sound educated? Research something that's going on in the world. I have always had an issue with being a little shy and very self-conscious but from sorority rush in college to performing onstage at Sea World to becoming a nurse there hasn't really been a lot of time to give in to the more anxious side of my personality. So I developed almost an alter-ego of myself who was happy, confident, and out-going that I could slip into when needed. And you know what? The more the years have passed, the more I realize I've gradually adopted this alter-ego into a true part of my personality where I don't have to consciously apply that persona anymore. So maybe this whole 'act the part' philosophy has some truth to it.

So some food for thought for the evening. And now I'm off to enjoy some wine and the Oscars :)

Love,
KayCee