The Quality of Your Life
I am a huge fan of the work of Paulo Coelho. Not only is he an amazing storyteller but he is a deep soul and the person I most want to have dinner with because he is my imaginary boyfriend and the least he can do for his imaginary girlfriend is take me to dinner, right?
Paulo interacts quite a lot with folks who visit his website both with videos of himself asking questions and offering insights, as well as being available through Twitter. This week he has posted on his blog the following video asking his site visitors about the quality of their lives. I’ve decided to answer him here.
I chose the name of this blog as a way to verbalize my life philosophy. I celebrate the curves in my life as much as I celebrate my curvy figure because I believe that everything that happens in life is right. And the quality of my life is directly connected to my having the viewpoint that everything that happens in life is right.
Life is right whether I am happy, sad, or angry. Regardless of whether I had a happy childhood or not, or whether my particular body shape is considered to be most desirable in our society or not — any and all possible experiences that are available in the human experience are right, and according to the laws of physics, could even be considered perfect.
For the most part, people think that the definition of perfection means the exclusion of any experience that is wrong. “If only I hadn’t burned the roast, the dinner party would have been perfect.” But I don’t agree with this exclusionary viewpoint. I believe that perfection includes all possible experiences, even a burnt roast. You are perfect and I am perfect. I do not mean to say “I’m OK, You’re OK” like the 1970′s self help book, which falls somewhat short of perfection. I mean to say that you are absolutely perfect. Your experience of bad and good is attributable to your own judgment of your experience, and perfection includes all experiences no matter how you judge them.
When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.
—Abraham Lincoln, Inscription on Pollyanna’s brooch, a gift from her father
I have been accused of having a Pollyanna viewpoint, but this is not true and I do not share that character’s naive belief in the inherent good of mankind. I watch the news and I see that there are people in the world who cause suffering in others. I do not expect people to necessarily be nice, and I always expect people to be exactly the way that they are. Then it is my responsibility, or even an opportunity, to enjoy the experience of relating with whomever I meet.
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY IN THE MUNDANE
Believe me, this is not always so easy. It is a very real challenge to see the good in this world when confronted with war, pestilence, disease, hunger, bullies, lousy drivers and my mom’s chemo treatments. But I continue to see the world as a good place and see that it is filled with loving, kind, thoughtful people who want to make the world even better. Even when terrible things happen it is still a perfect life that I am living.
As I interpret the above quote by Abraham Lincoln, I can either spend my days focusing on the bad, which will raise my awareness of bad and this will, in turn create more bad or, I can spend my days focusing my attention on the good and this will, in turn create more good.
How I enjoy a high quality of life:
1. Practicing eternal vigilance in seeing the good in people and events.
2. I am thankful for the skin I’m in and so I begin every day by standing naked front of my mirror and I say a minimum of three nice things about my body from the neck down.
3. When I notice that I am feeling a bit gloomy I make sure to connect with a friend and share a laugh.
4. I spend time out in nature. Taking walks, country drives, sitting under a tree. Whatever speed – I find that it is vital that I am out near trees as often as possible.
5. I do these things because I deserve to live a life filled with joy.
So my dear readers I put the question to you. What is on your list of things that impact the quality of your life?
