FRIENDSHIP
- Choose your friends wisely
- Appreciate the friends who are there for you
- It’s okay to distance yourself from those that stress you
- “There comes a time when you have to stop crossing oceans for people who wouldn’t even jump puddles for you” Anonymous
MEDICAL
- Always check medical degrees of who is speaking with you
- Never undergo any test / procedure that you don’t 100% understand
- Always get a second opinion and beware of false positives
- “America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system” Walter Cronkite, journalist
DIFFICULT TIMES
- Know things could always be worse
- Become wiser but never bitter
- Look for something to be grateful for
- “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way” Viktor E. Frankl, holocaust survivor
HEALTH
- Read the ingredients on food and know what you are eating
- Exercise keeps the mind and body healthy
- It is important to get enough sleep
- “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates, philosopher
MENTAL
- The brain is a programmable computer
- Stress is an unhealthy tangible response to intangible thoughts
- Replace worrisome lies with loving truths
- “You have to deprogram your human hard drive of its fear-based programming and reprogram it with love-based programming” Alexander Loyd, life coach
BEAUTY
- Makeup is no match for a proper diet
- Read ingredients on beauty / hygiene products
- Dresses are flattering on any figure
- “Happy girls are the prettiest” Audrey Hepburn, actress
RELATIONSHIPS
- Never date someone whose fb has pics of another girl
- Get pre-marital counseling before marrying someone
- Someone who loves you will respect your boundaries and wait
- “A man who wants to make a relationship work will move mountains to keep the woman he loves” Greg Behrendt, author
LIFE
- Visit the senior center
- Show compassion to animals
- Always radiate kindness
- Never give up on God
- “Peace begins with a smile” Mother Teresa, nun and saint
Healthy Identity
- Stay true to who you are
- Don’t let any religious figure change who you are on the inside. Never feel like you should act a certain way to be accepted.
- Don’t change for religion
- The only changes you should make are to be a better person (e.g.- be nicer to friends / family, don’t get angry, volunteer more, etc). But don’t feel pressured to change your dress or mannerisms or finances for religion.
Healthy Discernment
- Actions speak louder than words
- Look at what people do and not just a what they say. Do people volunteer, are they kind, do they help others?
- Know your time and money belong to you
- You do not have to give any of your time or money to those who ask. If you feel pressured, walk away.
Healthy Tolerance
- Acknowledge that many people have good intentions
- Most people say / do what they were taught. Very few people read their religion’s entire holy book or question things. You may not agree with people, but acknowledge most are trying to be good people. Avoid arguments with people
- Do not make statements that convey one party is right while another is wrong. Many feuds are avoided by phrasing things like, “I believe” or “I respect your opinion.”
Healthy Spirituality
- Connect to the outdoors and nature
- Not everyone can find God in a building. Go hiking, smell the flowers, climb a mountain, and admire the majesty of creation.
- Love yourself
- Believe that God loves you and accepts you. While we can all strive to be better people, do not feel the need to prove your goodness to God. Strive for excellence but also be humble.
Healthy Friendships
- Focus on the commonality
- While you may not subscribe to all of someone’s theology, you can focus on the common ground. Excellent topics of common ground are kindness, peace, and justice.
- Be a light in the world
- Listen to others, help animals, make purchases that help the world, and recycle. Be known as that one person who is walking the walk.
