“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness.”
~ Eckhart Tolle ~
I am beginning this year with a conscious effort to make 2017 a year of self-improvement. There are some person goals I want to accomplish this year. This means that I will need to be more conscious of living in a manner that puts the achievement of those goals as a top priority. I believe that the people who can properly maintain a balance of caring for themselves and the needs of those in their life have truly achieved something special. For some people this is an effortless thing. For me I believe it will take some time to get this in the proper balance.
I have generally been a person who thought that my wants could be put on hold and they really did not matter as much as what others needed. I don’t think this is the optimal balance. I believe I need to change and it will take a conscious effort to achieve a good balance of these two things so I remain a good friend, neighbor, and citizen while still making sure to be good to myself.
I grew up watching the way my mother put her needs behind those of others around her. She always made sure everyone was taken care of in a way that made it seem as if everything was well under control. She was always happy and seemed very content. I have never doubted that this is the way to have a happy life. I can honestly say that I do find joy in making people happy. To know that you have been the cause of placing a smile on someone else’s face gives you a sense of having done something worthwhile.
I never questioned this approach to life. I still believe this has merit and there is always joy in living a life to help others. One of the things I also have come to realize is that if you do not care for yourself, no one else is likely to take on that task. The last thing my mother said to me was “Please do something good for yourself for a change”. At the time I was not sure why she said that to me, but looking back I think I know why.
So in search of doing good things for myself this year, I wanted to start the year with a beautiful photo. I think this amazing photo that Skip Staheli made of me fits that to perfection. Skip has warmed my heart and made me feel very special in this photo. Thank you Skip.:)
So cheers to an amazing year of happiness for everyone and to the achievement of all our personal goals!
Love, EJ
EJ's Closet 