http://directself.com/30-ways-to-be-good-to-yourself/

#1. Make your happiness a priority. You can look after yourself without neglecting those around you, and in fact, if you meet your own needs, it’s likely that you’ll be more able to help others.

#2. Spend time with people you love, who love you, and who are empowering. Keeping the right company helps you to improve.

#3. Avoid stress. Going flat-out all the time is just going to wear you down, so take time to pause, relax, and then move forward. That way, you can stay focused on your goals.

#4. Don’t run from your problems. Your problems don’t define you, but they’re not going to go away unless you deal with them. Big problems might not get solved right away – it’s okay to take baby steps. You’ll get there eventually.

#5. Appreciate your wealth. Of course we’ve all experienced that “too much month at the end of the money” thing. But think about this – you’re not hungry, you didn’t have to sleep outdoors last night, you have clean drinking water, medical care, and of course, the Internet. Be thankful for what you have – compared with a lot of people worldwide, and even in our own country, you’re rich.

#6. Appreciate the small things. Of course you’d like to win the lottery, have the perfect relationship, get a promotion… But don’t be so focused on big things that you miss the small ones. Take time to enjoy a cup of coffee, or watch the sunset. Take time every day to appreciate something small.

#7. Learn from your mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you’ll never learn and you’ll never progress. Most big achievements come only after failing several times.

#8. Nurture your relationships. Tell your friends and family regularly how important they are to you.

#9. Be authentic. Be honest with yourself about who you want to be and what you want to achieve. Be honest about what you need to change, but also about what’s right with you.

#10. Believe in yourself, and embrace opportunities and challenges. They’ll help you to grow.

#11. Don’t expect perfection. Of course you want to improve, but understand when things are good enough. This doesn’t mean that you should settle for mediocrity, just that you realize that even things that are less than perfect can have value.

#12. Listen to yourself. Everyone has an inner voice. Of course it’s always good to talk with loved ones, and get advice and suggestions, but when it comes right down to it, don’t be afraid to follow your intuition.

#13. Be yourself. Don’t try to reinvent yourself to suit someone else’s perception of who you ought to be. Be the best you that you can be.

#14. Compete only with yourself. You can appreciate others, be inspired by them and learn from them, but you’re wasting your time if you compete with them. Instead, focus on breaking your personal records.

#15. Appreciate what you have. So often, we think that we’ll achieve perfect happiness when we just get to the next level – the trouble is, there’s always a next level. Don’t spend your whole life in pursuit of diamonds, only to miss out on the gold that you’ll find along the way.

#16. Be forgiving. We’ve all been hurt at one time or another, either by someone else, or by our own bad decisions. Learn to let go. It doesn’t mean that you’re forgetting the past, it just means that you’re giving yourself permission to move on.

#17. Be in the now. Now is all that you’re guaranteed, so don’t miss out on it while you’re planning for the future. Don’t undermine it by dwelling on the past.

#18. Appreciate others. Tell people what you like about them. Be happy for their blessings and achievements. If you cheer them on to victory, they’ll do the same for you.

#19. Don't beat yourself up. We all do it, and we shouldn’t. If we had friends who were as critical of us as we are of ourselves, they wouldn’t likely remain our friends for very long.

#20. Take chances. If you wait until you’re 100% sure you’re doing the right thing, there’s pretty close to a 100% chance you’ll never do it. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from success – go for it! You’ll either succeed, or you’ll fail and learn something. It’s all good.

#21. Form new relationships. Sadly, sometimes we outgrow our friends. If a relationship isn’t working, then gently let go of it, and be ready to meet new people.

#22. Be open about your feelings. If you’re feeling sad or hurt, tell someone, and give them the opportunity of listening. Just getting things into the open is the first step to feeling better.

#23. Take responsibility for your own happiness. No one else can be responsible for your happiness. Often, you’ll find happiness where you look for it.

#24. Find the silver lining. When things are looking bleak, take stock and look for a glimmer of hope. Remember that you will grow stronger because of your current hardship, and don’t lose sight of the things in your life that are going right.

#25. Focus on good outcomes. You have to believe that you can achieve a goal before you’ll actually be able to do it. Develop positive emotions, and don’t focus on the negative ones.

#26. Surround yourself with honest people. Make friends that you can be proud to know. Focus on what people do, not on what they say.

#27. Every day, do something that gets you closer to your long-term goals.Decide what it is you want to get out of life, and then work toward it. Devote yourself consistently to a positive outcome.

#28. Accept responsibility for your own life. Accept your mistakes and the consequences of your bad choices. Choose to overcome obstacles so you can really live as opposed to just existing.

#29. Don’t allow anyone else to control you. You want to be the pursuer of your own dreams, not a slave to someone else’s.

#30. Concentrate on what you can control. Remember that you may not be able to change everything, but you can almost always change something

Teimosia

Tenho o pior defeito: vejo os outros à minha imagem. Não teria problema algum até surgir aquele momento em que as pessoas são elas próprias e fazem algo que não compreendo. Não sei explicar porquê mas tenho esta resistência natural em aceitar o que não percebo. Tentar entender é uma prisão que me amarra no momento. Sempre fui assim. Penso demais. Deveria tentar viver mais, sentir mais e sonhar mais com o amanhã que não se explica. Devia soltar as amarras que me prendem ao passado, que mesmo sendo meu, já foi, já não é mais. Tentarmos reinventar-nos é tarefa árdua, penosa, mas que no final terá que valer a pena. 

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mas só a electricidade não chega, é preciso o amor. E o amor é uma escolha e por isso depende sempre de quem o quer aceitar e sentir.

Pôr do sol

Vamos ao supermercado. Olhar as pessoas, cada uma na sua vida,com a sua pressa, que é tanta que não vêem que são observadas.
As pessoas vão, vem, pegam em cebolas, em batatas. As crianças fazem birra  porque querem um gelado. E dentro de mim a minha consciência, que tanto adora estes momentos de contemplação, diz-me. "Olha como as pessoas são bonitas. Assim, desligadas do mundo. Olha como as pessoas andam ocupadas, na sua vida, sem olhar para o lado. Olha como as  pessoas se regem por um objectivo que nem tenho a certeza que sabem qual é. Olha as pessoas."
Olhar as pessoas. Gosto de olhar as pessoas. Gosto de tentar perceber em que pensam, do que gostam, se preferem o verão ou o inverno e se dizem muitas vezes, gosto de ti. Gosto de pessoas. Gosto das suas fragilidades, gosto de como acreditam, tal como eu, que estarmos aqui tem alguma importância. Gosto de pessoas. De umas mais do que de outras. Gosto de pessoas que me surpreendem. Gosto de pessoas que gostam de pessoas. Nem sempre gosto de pessoas. Às vezes prefiro gatos. Mas no final do dia volto sempre às pessoas.

Pensamentos...

“I’m shocked at the lack of connection between people because of iPhones. There is so much less of actual physical connection. There’s less touching, there’s less talking, there’s less holding, there’s less looking. People get pleasure from looking at each other. From a smile, and touching. We need touching to make us feel wanted and loved. That’s lacking so much in this generation. Lack of looking, lack of touching, lack of smiling. I don’t get it. I don’t get how people aren’t missing that, and don’t seem to think they are.” Shirley Zussman

Reflexões...