Monday, September 16, 2013

We want to help one another!








"MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK /(LIFE)"


The Merck Family Fund did a nationwide survey at the end of the last century regarding quality of life. They found that the three things that people said would add more quality to there lives were:



1) More time with friends and family
2) Less stress
3) More time to contribute to community


Yesterday I read a quote that was written in the 1930's but is entirely relevant today. Poetic. Eloquent. And something we must all think about to guide us to life's NEXT step. We seem to have lost our way to having what we need regarding 1,2. and 3 above. The Merck study actually had people create a term for what they felt was going on in the USA and it was:"out of whack." What is going on in America today is out of whack. Obviously, we need to get BACK in whack!! (Whatever THAT is).


The following poetic message from Charlie Chaplin from the Great Dictator gives a positive insight to we human BEINGS and it seems that as early as the 1930's people of the world had lost their way:


"We all want to help one another, human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in:machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost."



Consider what QOL is for you and your family. Consider what leads to "kindness and gentleness" to those around us. What can we use our creativity and insight for to make the change to a sustainable and cooperative future that spans this magnificent globe!!? We'll talk about it here @ QOL News.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Quality of Life News - LAUNCH DAY

On Launch Day for Quality of Life News, I want to welcome all those who are looking for enhanced life quality!! On this site I want to explore the many ways that people around the world have found to slow down, reduce stress, spend more time with loved ones and be involved in their communities, find more joy and anything else that gives our lives more zest. 




So, lets get started....
First things first. Before we go rushing off too seek and capture the best that life has to offer, I believe some stillness is in order. If you don't already have some activity that helps you plug into your inner intuitive wisdom, it's time to find something. That should be your first exploration at ground level for enhanced QOL. 

"Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe"

                                                                        Tao Te Ching

I meditate regularly and run on the beach or mountain bike the woods as a way to drop stress and bring about an inner calm and 

help myself with reflection on what is most important in this highly distracting life around me. So it isn't always sitting still
that brings about some stillness in life. A nice brisk walk in a park
or an invigorating swim does the trick for some of my friends.

The key is giving yourself some time on a rest break or at the end of an activity to check out what author Barbara De Angelis speaks of so eloquently: "When you choose to be solitary and silent, you witness the thoughts, reactions and emotions that have been interfering with your ability to make clear decisions, or discover the answers to problems, or get to know what your true feelings are."


So, create some Sacred Time that happens at least several times a week--- 1/2 hour minimum. Don't let it be crowded out of your schedule!! It's sacred. Get to where you actually feel "centered." The Japanese call it the "hara," and it's the actual geographic center of the human body. Just below the navel. Get out of your head, concentrate on breathing slow and deep and attend to your "gut." 


In the future, I'll relay a story of how blocked MY gut was until I did some therapeutic Musical Guided Imagery. You'll find that when your gut, head and heart are all in alignment, you've found the Yellow Brick Road to QOL. For whatever reason, many of us have tuned out one or all of these parts of ourselves.



Happy trails to YOU......