A menu for a healthier life! Random thoughts on our everyday choices…

At times, I let fancy take flight, and think that maybe I should become a “Life Coach”. But then who am I to fancy this….. Life itself is the best coach that there can be. Provided of course one wants to learn, to adapt, to improvise and to overcome, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune…..

Over the course of the past few decades, I have often parted freely with advice, solicited or otherwise, and always considered that the person who take advice is far wiser than one who gives such…..

What follows is a message I composed for WhatsApp , to send to my friends….. piggybacking on the ever popular concept of eat all you can Buffet meals , which pile on the calories and satiate you guiltily.

And lest you think that it be original…. Well, is there anything original on the Internet?

I will gladly acknowledge the source, if I can find one….or if someone wants to lay claim to these.

So , dear reader, here is a buffet spread for you to indulge in!!

A meaningful life …. the style – choice is yours.

We start with the premise, that you agree that Health is actually the only true wealth. 

Starters: (pick any 2)

1.   Get up early (you can accomplish 20% more during the time frame of 0500h to 0800h)
Do note that to get up early you have to sleep early! So switch off your smartphones at least half an hour before your intended bedtime, and your TV too in case you are the kinds who keeps these TVs in the bedroom.

2.      Exercise for at least 30 minutes on most if not all days of the week (you have no choice with this)!  Do anything that counts as exercise. Install an app that monitors your steps in the day, on your smartphone. I personally use Pacer (available on the app store).

Try to aim for at least 10000 steps a day. Studies have found that having an app installed on your phone makes an individual competitive, in trying to achieve the 10000 steps per day challenge. 

3.      Meditate /pray/ visualize positive things/do yoga for 30 minutes every day. Breathe deep, breathe long….

This is your ‘me time ‘ don’t relinquish it for your phone or for the TV …. try not to check your phone till you finish with ‘me time’. 

Main course (pick any 6)

1.   Dress well at all times along with having good shoes and proper socks  (this is mostly applicable to men, as the ladies usually dress and adorn themselves well enough…. Dont have ‘home clothes’ !
2.  Outsource everything, which is not your core competence .
   You cannot do everything… let someone else do for you what you cannot or should not. For example, let a CA do your tax returns, let a cook make food for you, let a maid clean your house for you.  
3.  *Reduce your mobile time by 30 % * The new IoS 12 has a feature which monitors your screen time for you. Delete all unnecessary apps and unsubscribe from Notifications and Alerts.  
   Exit all unnecessary WhatsApp groups and don’t forget to Switch off the phone , at least half an hour before sleeping
4. Take bold decisions!  Do what you have always been scared to do . (No one wants to die with regrets – do you?)
5.  Train your brain to think creatively every day. Try to do different things to exercise your brain~ start playing some new sport, go to new restaurants, visit a garden or a park  and look at other people, listen to different music genres, watch others playing, spend time with senior citizens and those older than you ! Dance if you can, sing if you must. Read the newspaper every day. 
6. Do good for others, anonymously if possible. Give of your time to others! Be a part of something bigger than yourself ! When you are a mere dusty picture on the wall, what will people , your family , remember of you, 10 years along the road? 
7. Start completing things left undone. Discard unwanted & unused stuff from your house and your mind.

Accompaniments (Must have)

1. Watch one movie in a cinema hall/ play in an auditorium every month (get off your phone and meet real people)
2. Read at least one fiction book in a month and one self improvement book every six months.     Donate your old books to school or college libraries
3. Take at least 2 vacations in a year       Go on…. for whom are you working or saving money for? Travel enriches the soul, and contributes to the economy. Travel in style, eat frugally, drink minimally, shop less, see more.  

Desserts (pick all)

1. Devote at least one hour a day for family and friends

                Give people your time

2. Smile at all possible times and especially if no one is watching you … make it a habit

3.  Every month get in touch with one old friend or batchmate with whom you have not spoken for years

Paan 

The sweetest of all Paans—– Laugh often!!

Hope you had a lovely meal!

Have an Awesome Life!!  It’s your choice , remember! You can eat as much or as less as you like . You have already paid for the buffet that life is,. 

Nota Bene :

This is not just another of those copied forwards….. it’s edited , proof read and value added!

With love and best wishes to y’all ! And to your loved ones…

Cari

As I have spent a considerable time in the Himalayas, this may be considered as the gyaan of penance.