4 Smart Reasons to Start Your Day With Citrus

4 Smart Reasons to Start Your Day With Citrus http://glmr.me/i3eyOu

And the secret to true happiness is… (drum roll please)

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In my last journal entry I spoke about happiness being within ourselves as opposed to some external thing making us happy. How does one weather proof the soul and create a happiness generator within? Well, in my opinion, there are two key components to happiness:

 

1)      Take the initiative and be proactive rather than reactive to your environment. When we “let things happen to us” we are enslaved to circumstance, waiting for the next circumstance to react to. Instead, let the world react to you. Decide on your course of action beforehand and stick to your well thought out intentions and plans despite the ominous well intentioned warnings from people who think they know you and what’s best for you. If you internalize the fears of others, you immobilize the force of your dreams and they are never realized. If you need advice in a particular area, make you get it from people who have proven their success in that endeavor.

2)      Whatever decision you make, make sure it is your decision. There is a difference in deciding to serve others and being enslaved by others. Many people, for their own selfish motives, seek to make you feel obliged to serve them or do things their way. Well, not even God forces us to serve him for he loves a cheerful and willing servant. So we should never do things based on a nod of approval from others, this motivation always proves to fail when our decision proves faulty and those we sought to please suddenly withdraw away from us into the shadows. The moral of the story is, we alone are always held accountable for the decisions we make, and so those decisions should be based on what we feel is right after we’ve weighed the evidence to the best of our ability.

In these two components we are not advocating a selfish me first attitude, which is opposed to enjoying personal interactions or sharing an interchange of thought with others. What we are discussing is true autonomy that enhances our enjoyment in interacting with people who are who they are by choice. Would you rather hear the words, “I love you” from someone who said it just to please you or some moral institution or would you rather hear those words springing forth from a heart and mind that genuinely admires you? Of course, if you’re like most people, you want an expression of affection to be out of a person’s free will, unpretentious.  

 

So there you have it. Happiness is something within the realm of conscious decisions. You choose to be happy or you choose to be miserable when you let happenstance and the wills of others dictate it. Always be the captain of your ship, keep sight of your goals- even in stormy weather- and you will reach all your destinations in life.

 

By Lewis Jackson

Natural Solutions for Total Fitness
http://www.mistergoodbuy.com

Adventure is not outside; it is within...

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Yesterday, my Chinese Fortune cookie said, “Adventure is not outside; it is within.” And today I say, “Happiness is not outside; it is within.”

Hmmm, yesterday my adventure was truly outside, The Jacksonville Gate River Run.” The grim reality of recovery is now hitting my 16 year old daughter. She’s sleeping as I type this, but I’m sure she’s going to wake up like a groggy bear this morning. As for me, it’s 5 am and I know better to be up typing in my journal…

Anyway, there is some good food for thought today: “Happiness is not outside; it is within.” I felt miserable yesterday due to recovering from the flu. Some glimmers of sunshine shown through to my face I’m sure. The happiness and energy that surrounded me yesterday somehow did infiltrate into my inner soul and struck a cord. The energy of people around can certainly affect you. But you have to let your environment affect you; happiness is an inner working that largely is in your control.

Your thoughts and feeling do not happen to you, you generate them and make them happen. You are the captain of your ship. One thing I do know for certain is that when you let others steer your ship it leads to shipwreck. Good advice, “Take counsel from people who have proven their success.” And when you do, make sure it is only after quite reflection that you have come to agree this is the best choice for you.

Okay, I can see this is going to be one of those long and deep journal entries—but I think you get the point. Cherish your autonomy, avoid the habit of reacting to life and instead take time by the horns and plan your future; avoid being superficial, take time to meditate and search your soul for true genuine feeling and thought. These are the ways of the genuinely happy person.

 

By Lewis Jackson

Natural Solutions for Total Fitness
http://www.mistergoodbuy.com

Time to pass the torch...

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My daughter, Shannan, and I completed the Jacksonville, Florida Gate River Run today. It’s a 15k, 9.3 mile course that has a hill, two bridges, at the beginning and near the end. After 8 miles it’s basically all down hill into the coliseum.

 

Today was a new experience for me jogging in the “turtle pack.” No offense guys, knowing many of the 10 minutes per mile plus runners are giving it their all and many are newbies like my daughter. The objective for a first race is always just to finish the race. I took great pride in my daughter jogging the whole way, stopping only for water breaks. So many people cut corners or walked the last mile. Some were injured, dehydrated, or just had a ‘blowout’ from running out to fast at the start—I take my hat off to you as you did the best you could. But I know many simply cheated themselves of a best effort. I ask how can you honestly accept that finisher’s medal and look yourself in the mirror and be proud of yourself?!

For me this was a semi-dangerous run having still some remnants of the flu running through my veins. I felt very weak and sensed a hint of pneumonia. Oh. I hope I didn't have pnuemonia. I expended every effort to prep myself for this race to run with my daughter-- Golden Seal, Cayenne Pepper and Apple Cider Vinegar drinks, eating raw garlic, staying away from meat-- in fact, I went vegetarian, but that's another story.

Anyway my daughter totally surprised. She blew out on a 4 miler just a few days before race day complaining of cramps. I wondered if I over trained her by having her do 2 miles of fartleck at a bridge and then jogging another 4 miles—all this a week before the race. But we stuck to our game plan—nice easy pace without letting yourself get excited by the racing atmosphere.

Oh what an atmosphere (okay, I’m going to use an antiquated word here, watch out)full of such gaiety, nice circa 72° weather, racers hooting, singing, and hollering the whole way, live bands pumping out rhythmic beats, and even livelier spectators who were very interactive with us racers. One boy gave my daughter a necklace, another woman have her a a very enthusiastic high 5. There were people running in Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash costumes. I saw one guy dressed up like a carrot, a fireman with real water tank on his back, a soldier wearing a fully packed backpack. Believe they real know how to throw a party. One spectator group had bear and bacon handouts, really.

Anyway, I looked at my daughter Shannan near the top of that last bridge. She asked me how people could give up and walk so close to the finish line. I looked at her face and she had the look of pure determination. Nothing more needed be said. The last few yards of the race she let loose a burst a speed that caught me totally by surprise. It was time to pass the torch. 

 

By Lewis Jackson

http://www.mistergoodbuy.com