Giving Yourself Advice

Here’s a great question to guide you towards living a better quality of life with hopefully fewer regrets.  (Taken from my current study of positive psychology {certificate program} with Tal Ben-Shahar)

You’re over 100 years old and you’ve been transported back to today. You have the wisdom and experience of a long-lived life.  You have but a few minutes to spend with your younger and less experienced self.  What advice do you give yourself?

I invite you to jot down some answers.  They could be quite revealing in what you’re happy with and would like to continue doing/living and what you’d like to change.

Here is my reflection:

“Harriet, I’m over 100 years old and I’m privileged to be able to come back to you now and reveal a few of my acquired life lessons to guide you along your continuing path.

Hold onto these succinct ideas of living well:

• Let go of what you can’t change so it doesn’t continue to eat away at you.
• Pull out the good in people for it’s all too easy to see and hone in on the flaws.
• The sooner you accept that you’re good enough, the lighter you’ll feel and the easier it will be to accept others in their imperfect states.
• Work on loosening up some of the anger part of your emotional being.
• Be more loving to yourself and you will be less critical of others.
• Always maintain your childlike quality.
• Laugh a lot and derive lots of joy from all over.
• Continue to embrace diversity as it keeps you engaged in learning and loving all.
• Keep up your enthusiasm with the wonderment of life.
• Keep up your keen interest and excitement in learning and growing.”

 

This is a great guide in self-work and a way to be more accountable to yourself.  Frequently check back, add to it and see how you’re doing with what’s important to your quality of life. Hone in on more highs and lows that need magnification.

You can read another similar post of interest here.

So what advice do you give yourself?