Coming to an end, to a brand new beginning!

A vast improvement has been made from Unit 3 to this last week. I think that I have developed more of a spiritual and psychological well being and my physical has come along as well. I am very pleased with what this course has done for me and only insist on using the knowledge and material I have acquired throughout the rest of my life.

I think I am well on my way to reaching my goals and only intend to continue to move further along. Nothing is really getting in my way now of what I know I have to do.

My only hope now is to continue with the attitude and hopefulness that this course has given me and be what I've always wanted to be, and that's genuinely happy. Throughout the different techniques and applications, I can most definitely see that happening!

Good luck everyone!

I am me, In all the world, there is noone else exactly like me. To satisfy my ownself creates the happiest self.

Developing psychological, spiritual, and physical health is the key to a wholesome and happy life. Health and wellness professionals should consider this lifestyle first and foremost for themselves because once they have acquired this lifestyle; it becomes very easy to share it with your clients. When you have maintained a fulfilled health, you can really show your clients the true strength you have and that can be quite influential on them.

            As far as my physical, spiritual, and psychological I think I am well on the right track to creating a very healthy Sarah. My physical well being was already well on its way to being fulfilled but as for my psychological and spiritual health, that has taken some work.

            One goal I have for myself physically is to be able to run 10 miles. I am starting this December 1^st and will start out very gradually with only a few miles at a time. I would like to be able to run this by February 1^st. I am giving myself 2 months because it is a very difficult thing for me but I will definitely be so proud of myself once I have accomplished it. Psychologically, I reached my goal. I was able to deal with a confrontation and not respond to the confrontation. Of course, I was struck in the face, but I dealt with it like an adult and therefore, the long term outcome is much more positive. I have been able to bring my psychological level to a better health and really am satisfied with the way I have been lately. My spiritual goal is to be happier. For some reason, happiness lacks in me quite often. I do not know what it comes from but I do know that meditation and prayer has really helped open up my eyes a little bit more and with the help of that, it is making things a lot healthier.

            Over the next six months, I will keep track based on my schedule. I have a schedule being kept that will help me maintain a workout schedule, as well as finding time to fulfill my psychological and spiritual needs. I will probably start a journal or perhaps writing things down because it then will help me keep alert of everything as well. This course has definitely been an eye opener and being 21, it can be very difficult to grow up but stay young. I have been able to develop the understanding of my growth and have become quite happy with it.

The most important relationship you can have is the one with yourself.

I found the most beneficial exercises to be Loving-Kindness and meditation. I find Loving-Kindness to be so beneficial to me personally because I was able to create a certain confidence and love for myself that I did not think would be possible about 6 months ago. I have developed extremely well throughout this course and have learned to love myself and realized how important it is to give kindness and love to yourself before you can give it to anyone else. I also found meditation to be very beneficial because it can calm your mind in so many situations that it creates a natural calm and can tie into creating a subtle mind. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Loving-Kindess and meditation and have used them avidly throughout the past 9 weeks. I have implemented them into my life by changing many things about myself and just letting myself grow into a young adult without fighting it by trying to hold on to my youth. I have come to realize that you cannot control everything, everything happens for a reason and a calm mind is better than a stressed mind. I really enjoyed this course and hope everyone else did too!

"Meeting Asciepius" Exercise

For this exercise the person I chose to visualize was my father. I love my father dearly, probably more than anyone in the world, besides my mother. My father has made me the person I am today and therefore I thought I owed him the delight of being the point of my exercise. I focused on the things my father has always told me, "be brave", "the only person who can decide anything for you, is you", "if someone treats you badly, then they gotta go", "you are your own problem because everywhere you go, you'll always be there, so if you are trying to find a place to get away, you never will". Those were my favorite things said by him and so I focused on that, as well as focused on the love and commitment he has always made to me. Throughout the exercise I tried to see the white light and by the end of it, I did and felt like I was living through my father which in reality, I am. I felt overwhelmed with compassion and love, because I know that no matter what my father will always love me.

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself"

This quote speaks so dear to me, because I have been through so many obstacles already and am only in my early twenties, but with that said, I realized I really have learned from my mistakes. An embarassing but true example has stumbled upon me that I wish to share:

Being that I am 21, I recently have started going out with my friends. I tend to have an aggressive personality and will never take anything from anyone, another great asset given to me by my father, or at least up until this point. I was out with my friends and this girl who did not like me, who had a problem with me because of a past boyfriend had confronted me and followed me out of the bar. She insisted on yelling at me, and I did not speak to her, I ignored her and walked away many times and she even shoved me but I did not respond, and finally I went to really walk away and she punched me in the face. Instead of fighting with her and arguing with her like the "old Sarah" would have done, I went straight to the police department and pressed charges and now she might be removed from school, but she deserves to be reprimanded and nobody should put their hands on another. I was injured but am very proud of how I responded as I used to be very violent when someone acted violently towards me, but all I could think about while she was yelling at me was my job and my future and how I really do not want to end up where she was going. It is all because of past experiences that I was able to lead myself to a better path and because of that, my job is going better and so am I. I have begun learning Italian and playing the guitar and have been avoiding the bars at all cost.

I think that by leading myself in a better healthier direction, I am now confident enough to lead someone else, and how can you not lead yourself in a direction without going through the experiences? Anyone can learn from their mistakes and either make the decision to change or not, it is entirely up to them!

Universal Love

I think that the saying on page 93 was pretty interesting. It definitely made me think of how many people are given freedom and how the world is not really free. I just wish in my heart that all individuals really were happy and that all of them really were free. If anything, it actually made me feel very disappointed in today's society, because I know for a fact that many are not free and many are not happy with the way the world works. Of course, that does come off rather cynical but it is the truth. It really did not make me very happy doing this because it kind of made me come to realization with the world.

As for the assessment, I found that to be rather unique. It helped me get a grasp on what I need to do to balance out my life and what things I need to change. I certainly have many things I would like to change, but because I am so young, those are mere plateaus that are helping me continue on the path of growing up, so I don't think I am really going to rush it!

Subtle mind

This week, I enjoyed this exercise a little bit more only because I went to a place that I love the most that gives me a peaceful calm feelings, the lake by my house. I walked around for a few hours after listening to the CD and felt extremely calm and in a place of pure serenity. It brought me back to when I was a child and I used to walk the lake every Christmas morning with my dad. We don't do that anymore, and I want to start doing that again. Looking out on the lake, which is the closest thing to my beach in upstate NY, has helped me escape and open my mind up to more positive things like beauty and purity. The loving-kindness exercise made me think of people where as this week, I thought more about myself and what I need to do to make myself better and put myself in a happier place. It was a great feeling, and I will not forget it.

Only you can control you.

Throughout this exercise and this hellish week I have endured, I must say that suffering is nothing I want to deal with. This exercise was rather difficult for me this week and it did take a few days for me to get through it because I have been dealing with some rather personal issues. However, the feeling it gave me was a sense of belief. I was able to believe in my own thoughts and went into a state of prayer for others who suffer. It was beneficial for the sake of my own mind. I have noticed that from this past week's readings such as Dacher and the belief of the mind, I have begun to think a little bit different at the stressors in my life and what I even have them for. Because of these stressors, I had a terrible week, but quite honestly, these stressors, were choice stressors and all I really need to do was sit down and think if they were really important to me. If they are not, they will not make it to next week, and if they are, well they will be thought through and analyzed.

I think mental workouts are quite powerful because it gives the mind a chance to relax and focus on what has been going on while also releasing feelings that are deep down. It helped me understand the point of life and what living is really for. It's not exactly for other people but for yourself. In order to be helpful, one must be comfortable within themselves. Through this exercise, it helped me do just that.