Don’t Underestimate Yourself When Handed a Tough Situation

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

It’s the times we are tested in life when we really have the choice to rise to the occasion. When you do, you are all the better for taking on the challenge and letting yourself grow into the strongest character you can be.

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Plant a Vegetable Garden and Eat the Produce

You consciously choose to eat healthier, avoid purchasing packaged foods, and buy organic whenever possible. Still, how can you be certain that your food hasn't been treated in some way with agents you want to avoid (such as those that may cause cancer). Try growing your own food. Plant a postage stamp-sized garden and do companion plantings, (that is, placing plants known to repel specific pests next to plants that attract those pests) to keep down the pest population. You don't need much space for a small kitchen garden, but if space is a major consideration, you can grow your veggies in pots and planters on the patio. Freshly picked tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables taste far superior and have greater nutritional value than their shipped and warehoused counterparts. You'll be happier eating organic food from your garden.

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Offense Or Defense?

Nachiavelli, who supposedly admired Seneca, says in The Prince that “fortune is a woman, and it is necessary, in order to keep her down, to beat her and struggle with her.” Even for the sixteenth century, it’s pretty horrifying imagery. But for a ruthless and endlessly ambitious ruler, it was par for the course. Is that the nasty lifestyle you’re after?

Now compare that view with Seneca’s. Not only is he saying that the more you struggle with fortune, the more vulnerable you are to it, but he’s also saying that the better path to security is in the “impregnable wall” of philosophy. “Philosophy,” he says, helps us tame the “mad frenzy of our greed and tamps down the fury of our fears.”

In sports or war, the metaphor here would be the choice between a strategy of endless, exhausting offense and a strategy of resilient, flexible defense. Which will you play? What kind of person are you?

Only you can answer that question. But you would be remiss not to consider the ultimate end of most of the princes in Machiavelli’s book—and how few of them died happily in bed, surrounded by their loved ones.

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Take Five Deep Breaths at Intervals Throughout the Day

Calm the mind by breathing deeply five times from your belly like you naturally did when you were a baby. Stop the mental thought chatter and just “be.” Experience the present moment as it eternally renews itself in infinite diversity. To be mindful is to have an awareness of the moment without thinking or talking about it. By slowing the breath and thought, you experience tranquility and happiness.

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Daydream for Twenty Minutes Every Morning

Daydreaming can stimulate your mind in creative ways, reduce stress, elevate your mood, organize your thinking, stimulate ideas for solutions to problems, and help you gain new perspectives on troubling issues. Assuming that you are not using daydreams to escape from being fully engaged in your life or retreating from your responsibilities, then a regular period of daydreaming is not only healthy but helpful in solving problems and fostering creativity. Set a timer. Let your thoughts take flight to a Greek island, a trekking path high in the Himalayas, a manicured estate in England, a beach in Barbados, or somewhere else; indulge yourself. Let your thoughts take flight.

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Love is Louder Than the Pressure to be Perfect

Don’t worry about being perfect. Spend your time and energy making sure that you are spending your life giving and receiving love. Nobody will remember you for your imperfections they will remember you for your kindness, good humor, and compassion.

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Go On Vacation Every Year

Take your vacations; they're good for you. One study found that the risk of suffering a fatal heart attack decreased in middle age men who regularly took an annual vacation. Even so, roughly a third of Americans who have accrued vacation time don't take all of the time they are allotted. Vacations can restore balance between work and the other areas of your life by providing relief from the relentless pressures of work commitments, schedules, and deadlines. A vacation can provide much-needed rest, recovery, and renewal, but vacations can also create stress. Make sure to factor in some vacation days just to hang out, sleep, and rejuvenate yourself if you want to return to work feeling happy and recharged.

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