10 principals of optimal living

Tonight Id like to talk a little about a interview by Tera Warner with philosopher Brian Johnson. He has a book out called "The 10 principals of optimal living." I would just like to quickly go through each subject and give a little of my own feed back. I think all of these principals are important for all women, and men.

The first is OPTIMISM: We must learn to shape our own thoughts. A little science behind the mind, we have about 60,000 thoughts a day with an average of automatic 80% of those thoughts being negative. We must change the way we think and interpret things. There are different tools we can use to do so. One of those that I learned from Brian Johnson is the "thank you" trick. Whenever youre feeling down or having negative thoughts, think of everything you're thankful for, and repeat these words out loud "Thank you, thank you, thank you..." Another great phrase to always remember is, "I fearlessly approach all challenges in my life."

Second, is PURPOSE: I know I have questioned myself many times, "What's my purpose here, what's my highest calling?" We must remember that life is about plateaus, not the negative moments on our climb or descent, but when we have constant happiness. There are many things you can do to find your purpose, the way I like to think of it is do what makes you truly happy.

Third is SELF AWARNESS: This is pretty simple& sweet. It is knowing what your strengths are. Everyone has strengths and certain things they are better at then others.

Fourth is GOALS: Once you have worked on the first three, you must take your goal out of the abstract and put them into practice. Every here the saying, "Actions speak louder than words"..? Here ya go, get to work!

Fifth is ACTION: You must take action and get it out of the theory mode. Baby steps are OK, as long as you are making moves!

Sixth is ENERGY: Because it will be hard to concentrate on all of the above if your physical health is failing. You will have a hard time getting out of bed and living to your full potential if you have no energy!

Seventh is WISDOM: Have the wisdom to know your strengths, your weaknesses, and the fact you have the power to overcome ANYTHING.

Eighth is COURAGE: We must have courage, we must move forward in the face of fear. It may seem scary now, but think of how powerful and good you will feel after conquering your fears.

Ninth is LOVE: Where would we be without love? NO WHERE. This is all about good vibes and solid relationships with friends, family, and your lover. Support from family and friends can go a long way!

And last but not least, tenth is EN*THEOS (God within): This is your connection to a divine spark. No matter your religion it is important to have a good connection with your higher power.

All of these principals I have been putting into play in my own life and in little time have already seen an improvement in my own mental, emotional, and physical health. These are all important factors in our life's and I believe it is important for every one of us to learn to filter out the negativity. I know it seems near impossible with everything that goes on in the world today, with all the stresses, ect. BUT it can be done.

This past weekend Katie, Diane, and I completed out first hike. Although it proved to be a little challenging at the end (after 3 hours we were really ready to be done!) we pushed though and accomplished our first goal! This week we will be doing a detox and I will post some of my personal favorite recipes. I know Katie will have some updates on our hike. Everyone have a nice night and thank you for reading!

-Carissa