Students of Life
We may choose to define discipline as “being a student of our own life.” Being a lifelong student may help to increase the health of our minds and possibly increase the length of our lives. We can show up for life-school everyday with an open mind and heart, fully prepared by bringing our A-game and passing thru each day with flying colors!
There is a Zen saying that shares something along these lines: “To the beginners mind everything is possible, and to the experts mind nothing is.” This appears to hold true when we are interested in helping to improve our ability to healthfully manage blood sugar and avoid heart disease. The journal Health Psychology published a study where, over two years, in a group of 1000 people, those with the highest levels of curiosity were the ones with a decreased likelihood of developing both diabetes and high blood pressure. An open mind appears to open blood vessels. Decide today to see the entire world with fresh eyes. Look for the hidden blessings; see the beauty that might have been missed. Slow down judgment and allow life to move through you as a child allows life to come to them, open and trusting the good.
Go after life with an awesome zeal and a curiosity for a life of adventure and love for living well and full out! We may live longer by being awed by life! Another study, published in Psychology and Aging, studied over 1000 individuals aged 60 to 86 over a 5-year period. Those who demonstrated the highest level of curiosity, an openness to learn and expose themselves to something new, were significantly more likely to be alive at the conclusion of the study, even after taking into account age, smoking history, previous or current cancer or heart disease. A love of life is preventative medicine.
Here is your homework assignment, due every moment of your exciting and precious life: Live with passion, open your eyes, ears, heart and mind to living in the now and be a force for growing greater good with the energy and conviction of a child. Enjoy the ride!
September 22, 2010
by Optimum WellnessComments
3 Responses to “ Students of Life ”
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This is an assignment that is both exciting and rewarding! I am a firm believer that we all have a choice and to contemplate actions prior to making that choice shows wisdom.
Thank you for a positively notivating article!
Thank you for your comments Lisa – keep believing! ~ James and Debra
Thanks Lisa!