What do you value most in your life?  Take some time to reflect on your answers before reading further.

If your wellness was not on the list, it is time to change that.  Valuing your wellness means valuing your self, which is critical to self-worth and self-confidence.  When you value your self, you make sure that your mental, physical, and spiritual needs are at the top of the list.

Self-worth is independent of achievements.  Although our culture values status and productivity, true self-worth is an inner process that involves unconditional acceptance of oneself, including weaknesses.  Know that no one is free of faults.  Acknowledging and accepting weaknesses can be an asset as it allows us to focus on our strengths and inherent gifts.

What talent or skills do you naturally possess?  Focus on building these to enhance your sense of self-worth.  If you are not sure, ask a good friend what qualities they see in you.  Often, others see more than we do since our view of ourselves has been influenced by parents and teachers during our impressionable years.  Embrace your gifts, appreciate yourself exactly as you are and commit to developing the unique individual that you are.  There is no other person like you in the whole wide world!  Nurture and celebrate your authentic self!

As many of us know, M&M’s are the little candies that melt in your mouth and not your hands.  These colourful confections are the sweetness of life that arouse the senses.  Tap into another sense by attending Mind Master’s newest workshop: ‘Mindfulness & Meditation’.  Unlike the candy form, this M&M is intangible and cannot be held in your hands.  Therefore, there is no risk of it melting in your hands or even escaping your clutches.   The trick, however, is grasping it!

Join thoughtful conversations and experience a sampling of meditations to heighten your awareness of living mindfully every day.  Mindful living involves conscious awareness of the present moment without preoccupation of yesterday’s problems and tomorrow’s worries.  Learn self-soothing strategies to ease your mind and create greater peace within.  A variety of relaxing exercises will be provided, including breathing, mantra, eating and walking meditations.  Take the lighter path to managing daily stressors and gaining more peace and enjoyment in life!  Register today:  Note change in time, venue, price and registration process:

This workshop takes place on Friday, May 24, 2013 from 10:00 – 12:30 at Wilson Centre, 2150 Wilson Avenue, Port Coquitlam.  Cost $1/$2.  Register in person at Wilson Centre, by phone 604-927-7529 or on-line experienceit.ca  *Adults of all ages are welcome! (You do not need to be 50 years or older to participate.)

Gophers are smart.  They stand erect with a level of alertness that commands attention.  They show us that good posture is necessary for survival.  This is true in the human world as well.  Let me explain.

Good posture goes a long way in helping us maintain proper physical alignment and a strong mental attitude.  Good posture implies confidence, poise and resilience.  It also suggests strength and stability.  With good posture, you can look life straight in eye and stand up to any storm that comes your way.  Withstanding the pressures of life, you lean on others and circumstances only as required.  Self-assured, you maintain good posture and minimize the risks of downfall.

Good posture is the analogy I chose for optimal living.  Optimal living requires a positive mental state that supports self-confidence and self-worth.  In the next few posts, I will provide tips on how to increase your self-worth in order to develop your true potential.  For now, how is your posture?  Check the mirror and pull your shoulders back if necessary.  Imagine a string extending from the top of your head to the sky that keeps you in perfect alignment.  Mimic our friend the gopher and go for this life changing habit!

Change is constant throughout life.  We may not notice the minute changes happening every day but over the course of a year, we can easily see the amount of change that has occurred within ourselves, others and the world around us.  Evolution is a natural part of life and when we embrace this fact, we are able to live life more fully.

Middle age and beyond is typically a time of profound changes.  Aging brings a number of significant changes involving relationships, health and lifestyle.  Loss of parents and peers, changes in work and living environments riddle the landscape ahead.  Are you prepared for these forthcoming changes?  If not, sign up for my next workshop, ‘Bounce!’, where you will learn not only how to cope effectively with profound changes but thrive in spite of them!  Life is not a bowl of cherries but there is certainly no need to live in the pits either!

Take a pro-active approach to wellness and join engaging discussions on topics most important to you.  Gain inspiration for living well as you age gracefully through life.  Whether adapting to small or large changes, designing a fresh new start or coming to terms with a loss, this workshop is packed full of ideas and solutions for growing through changes in a timely manner.  Register today and revel in your resiliency tomorrow!

Note change in time and venue:  This workshop takes place on Monday, May 6, 2013 from 9:30 – 12:00 noon at Glen Pine Pavilion, 1200 Glen Pine Court, Coquitlam.  Cost $35.  Register in person at Glen Pine, by phone 604-927-4386 or on-line coquitlam.ca/registration  *All adults are welcome! (You do not need to be 50 years or older to participate.)

Lead the life you most desire, be the person you admire! If you fall short of this vision, as many of us do, that’s normal since we are all progressing in our journey.  Know that there are plenty of opportunities for continued growth ahead.  Aging well is a process.  Commit to wellness and nurturing every part of you.

Aging well involves good choices that support emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual wellness.  Every moment of every day presents an opportunity for improvement.  Mindfully choose what serves you best and live your life without regrets.

What do you desire most in life?  What would you like to accomplish?  What are the most important things you can do for yourself and others today?  Middle and late adulthood can be an exciting time of rebirth and re-inventing ourselves, if we allow it to be.  Nurture your inner being and embrace a mindset of possibilities.  Strive for a future filled with meaning and peace.  Change begins within.  Envision yourself a success and you are on the path to aging well!

The road of life takes us down many different paths that lead us away from our desired  one.  We may compromise for the sake of finances or achieving balance with all of our responsibilities.  As years go by, these ventures may lose their appeal as a desire for greater meaning and purpose takes hold.  Advancing age brings us to this realization.  Our happiness is critical to our wellbeing.  Happiness is our birthright and we all have the right to claiming it.

Design your life in accordance to what is most important to you.  Mindfully choose settings and activities that honour and respect your authentic nature, energize you and supports vitality.  Align yourself with pursuits that not only maintain wellness, but enhance your overall wellbeing.  Happiness is the true elixir of life.  Target happiness with every endeavour and aging well will come very naturally.

With each passing year, we gain greater clarity about our what we like, what we don’t like, what serves us well and what doesn’t.  We have all experienced work that was not fulfilling or depleted us.  We have all experienced situations that were less than ideal for our wellness.  As difficult as each of these experiences were, they contributed to our unique character and illuminated our path in life.

One of the greatest gifts that comes with age is the wisdom from life lessons.  The lessons are always there.  We just need to be open to receiving them and learning.  What lessons have you learned from your challenges and how do you live your life differently because of them?  Every new day and every moment brings opportunities for positive change.

Aging well involves aligning your external world with your internal one.  Align your endeavours with what brings out the best in you.  Wayne Dyer, a renowned  author and inspirational speaker states that we each have a song in life, referring to unique talents.  Find your song and sing it loud and proud!

Take good care of yourself.  These five simple words form the basis of aging well.  When you prioritize your emotional and physical needs, life is not only easier but also more enjoyable.  With good self-care, you are more able to weather the storms of life and still have energy left to dance through a puddle or two!

What does good self-care comprise of?  Aside from a healthy balanced diet, adequate sleep and regular physical exercise, good self-care involves effective stress management and a positive mindset.  How do you fare in each of these areas?

It is normal to fluctuate with life’s ups and downs but the important thing is to ensure adequate recovery time and continued commitment to enhancing coping skills with advancing age.  We all know the cumulative effects of on-going stress, with increased risk for depression, disease and disabilities.

The superstress we experience today can be persistent and wearing if we allow it.  Take a proactive approach to wellness and join me in my next workshop, ‘Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts!’ which takes place on Monday, April 15 from 1 – 3:30 pm at Wilson Centre in Port Coquitlam.  This workshop is specially priced at one loonie or two, being a part of the centre’s Adult 50+ Programs.  Register in person at the Port Coquitlam Recreation Complex, 2150 Wilson Avenue; by phone at 604-927-7529 or on-line at experienceit.ca.

Life is a bowl of cherries, pits included!  These pits represent emotional pain from our past.  Do you have lingering hurts that reveal themselves on occasion?  If so, make peace with your past and release what keeps you from living life fully.  Resolve to heal old wounds so that you can focus on what is really important: your health and enjoying the beauty of life’s moments.

Emotional pain from our past is like an open wound.  They continue to hurt until conscious mending takes place.  Some wounds are large and deep, seemingly resistant to healing but that is only a perception.  All wounds can be healed with proper attention and care.

Take responsibility for healing your past hurts.  This can be done through regular journaling, meditation, time spent with a compassionate confidante, a trusted professional or a suitable support group.  Choose one or any combination that works for you.  Healing comes when you honour yourself, your hurts and release what imprisons you.  Gradually, old hurts shrink until there is nothing left but a small scar.  The wound is closed and we return to a healed state as we all began.  Make peace with your past and free yourself from yesterday’s hurts.  Peace gives way to increased positive experiences, a key component of aging well.