And you learn that your body really is your temple.
And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect.
You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water,
and take more time to exercise.
You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and
uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the
body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.
You learn that, for the most part, you get in life
what you believe you deserve...and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
You learn that anything worth achieving is worth
working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working
toward making it happen.
More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve
success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no
one can do it all alone...and that it's OK to risk asking for help.
You learn the only thing you must truly fear is the
greatest robber baron of all: FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and
through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and
to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.
And you learn to fight for your life and not to
squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.
You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't
always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to
unsuspecting, good people.
On these occasions you learn not to personalize
things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your
prayers. It's just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in its most
primal state - the ego.
You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy
and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the
life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.
You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build
bridges instead of walls.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many
of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon
the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a
soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself
by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to
never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire.
And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you
can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep
trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.
Finally, with courage in your heart and God by your
side you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life
you want to live as best you can.