Handbook for Life… 2010
Cross Posted (& Edited) from Linda’s Yoga Journey
HEALTH:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is
manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to meditate.
6. (Breathe)
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
PERSONALITY:
11. Comparing our lives to others is fruitless. We have no idea what their journey is about.
12. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones especially about things out of our control. Invest energy in the positive present moment.
13. Try not to over do. Understand limits.
14. Why take ourselves so seriously. No one else does.
15. Gossip drains precious energy.
16. Dream more while we are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. We already have all we need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Let go of our partners mistakes of the past. Focus on our present/future happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Make peace with our past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of our happiness except us.
22. Realize that life is a school and we are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons we learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. We don’t have to win arguments. It’s ok to agree to disagree.
SOCIETY:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is insignificant compared to what you think of yourself.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends & family will. Stay in touch.
LIFE:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. (Higher powers) heal everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how we feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When we awake alive in the morning, be thankful.
39. Our Inner most is always happy. Release your “Inner Happy” on the world every day!
Breath, life, vitality of the spirit.
These qualities infuse not only our name, but also our aspirations, the things we make and how we make them.
Welcome to mindfully designed, built to last products – born from the experience.
68 Responses So Far
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Re: #31
“your friends… AND FAMILY, will”
Thank you! Great advice for all of us!!
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:49 pm@Victoria We missed that edit but will change it now! Thanks
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:25 amthanks for the link love….by the way, a pair of Prana pants are going with me to India for the 4th time…
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:12 pmLinda,
We always try to linnk to original posts/articles
January 4th, 2010 at 9:45 amHave fun in India and feel free to post some pictures to the prAna Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/prana
thanks, I will…I don’t think Prana sells these pants anymore, can’t remember style name…but they are black with drawstring waist, slightly baggy, have cargo pocket on side, and a faint design around the bottom of each leg…the cotton (twill?) is thicker so they have held up well…India is hard on clothes. they are also going to Africa with me!
January 4th, 2010 at 11:50 amLinda, send us a detailed picture of the pants to andre@prana.com and I will see if we can help you find them
January 5th, 2010 at 12:45 pmFor #5, is that a mi-spelling “take time to mediate”. Should it not be “Take time to meditate”?
January 15th, 2010 at 8:40 pmI really needed this. Thank you.
January 16th, 2010 at 5:33 amAhh! Just what I needed to see.
January 16th, 2010 at 7:01 amFor David, I think maybe sometimes you should mediate. We all know what that meant!
January 16th, 2010 at 7:02 amWOW – GOOD INFO!
January 16th, 2010 at 8:21 amThanks, wonderful advice!
January 16th, 2010 at 11:24 amVery Informative info abt prana
April 5th, 2010 at 7:38 pmLovely post.
April 25th, 2010 at 11:08 amThank you for that…….enough there to ponder for many days .
Do you know who the original author of this is? I received these tips back in 2008 via chain email, it was titled tips for a better life in 2008. I recently wrote my own tips for a healthy life in 2010 that was inspired by these lessons. Here is the link if your interested to read mine. Please let me know if you have the source to who created this list it…
Peace
Jonathan
http://enlightenyourday.com/2010/04/25/tips-for-a-healthy-life-in-2010-healthy-living-tips/
April 28th, 2010 at 1:30 pmHey Jonathan, we actually edited it from Linda’s blog at http://lindasyoga.blogspot.com/2009/12/handbook-for-life-2010.html
She may be able to help you with the original author.
Cheers!
May 4th, 2010 at 1:13 pmYou are very welcome skunk!
Cheers!
May 4th, 2010 at 1:15 pmHandbook for Life… 2010
Hello Linda,
Thanks a million for the post.I wish i could you personally and say THANK YOU DEAR over a cup of coffee.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:48 ammeet you personally
June 16th, 2010 at 9:50 ami am greatful for new chances
June 21st, 2010 at 12:58 amLOVE!!!!!!
July 12th, 2010 at 2:23 pmthis is absolutely, 100% unoriginal. and no, “linda’s yoga journey” is not the original source either. And btw linda, if you’re reading this, if #s 21, 33, and 37 are your favorites, why not make them #1, 2 and 3? or at least first in their respective sections?
August 8th, 2010 at 7:47 pm@carlos slim Thanks for the post. We would be interested in the original source(s) if you have the links so we can give the appropriate credit. Thanks
August 9th, 2010 at 10:46 pmWe all need to be reminded of these things…thank you
August 14th, 2010 at 4:34 pm@jacquelyn Thank you!
August 15th, 2010 at 3:56 pmGreat List……(Breath)…go for walk and smile…simple and amazing. Thanks
November 1st, 2010 at 9:33 pm[...] #1. Handbook for Life… 2010 [...]
December 28th, 2010 at 1:02 amfor david, i think, you mi-spelled it. it said, “make time to meditate.” nice try though…
January 5th, 2011 at 1:29 amai loved MI PIACE MOLTISSIMO
January 24th, 2011 at 10:44 pmThis is something I really needed to stumble across.
Thank You!
January 25th, 2011 at 12:52 amYou are very welcome Scotty!
January 25th, 2011 at 3:50 pm40) be a hippie-like unrealistic wannabe that doesnt understand that life will never be like any of this
January 26th, 2011 at 11:41 amthank you for reminding me
January 28th, 2011 at 7:45 pmSo, I’m a little late in commenting on this, but I just now stumbledupon it (literally). Thanks for this post. It’s really meaningful.
February 16th, 2011 at 10:14 amNo worries ThomasC. We are glad you enjoyed the post and it can easily apply to 2011! Stumble-On
February 16th, 2011 at 3:16 pmGreat list! My favorite is #38: “When we awake alive in the morning, be thankful.”
Thanks for the inspiration!
February 16th, 2011 at 6:52 pmI do not fear the unknown–I embrace it. When death comes I will welcome it with a smile. Also, I personally believe many items on the list above are rubbish. Here’s my take on it:
1. “Drink plenty of water.” Hyponatremia and water intoxication: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/10/AR2005081001460.html
2. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like beggar.” Personally, I rather do all 3 as a beggar–we all know what happens when we don’t respect our sustenance preparers.
3. “Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.” Insecticide/Pesticide poisoning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide_poisoning
6. “(Breathe)” Air Quality: http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi
7. “Read more books than you did in 2009.” Whatever you do, don’t use best sellers lists as a guide: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Awakened/P-C-Cast/e/9780312650247/?cds2Pid=17806
11. “Comparing our lives to others is fruitless. We have no idea what their journey is about.” Do you mean to imply that competition should not exist? Perhaps, you mean to imply that it does not exist at all. Only a fool would expect either from any form of society.
14. “Why take ourselves so seriously. No one else does.” List filler–see #11.
17. “Envy is a waste of time. We already have all we need.” Another filler–see #11.
18. “Forget issues of the past. Let go of our partners mistakes of the past. Focus on our present/future happiness.” ‘Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it’ immediatly comes to mind.
19. “Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.” Do you mean to imply that we can control what we hate? Do you truly believe that you can also control what you love?
20. “Make peace with our past so it won’t spoil the present.” ANOTHER filler–see #18.
21. “No one is in charge of our happiness except us.” Contradiction to #29
22. “Realize that life is a school and we are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons we learn will last a lifetime.” Contradiction to #18
23. “Smile and laugh more.” In other words ‘Lie to yourself and those around you’.
24. “We don’t have to win arguments. It’s ok to agree to disagree.” One painfully tragic example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case What about abortion or even teaching creationism in schools? How well does “agree to disagree” apply to any of these?
27. “Forgive everyone for everything.” I’m sincerely certain you mean to imply the supplement ‘–especially when what you hold sacred/dear is tread upon’. We are nothing more than human. Our genes control our traits–not some farcical idealism.
29. “Try to make at least three people smile each day.” Premeditated manipulation, eh? I have very strong feelings against this–there is nothing I hate more than manipulators save those who plan to manipulate (regardless of intent).
30. “What other people think of you is insignificant compared to what you think of yourself.” Terminally incorrect. One should aim to achieve an equalled balance across this spectrum.
31. “Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends & family will. Stay in touch.” Unless you’ve got the right job.
32. “Do the right thing!” Subjective.
33. “Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.” …until you find things that outmatch whatever you have/had left? That’s like saying ‘If the sun is too hot, stand in the shade.’ Society, as a whole, already does this.
34. “(Higher powers) heal everything.” See #21?
35. “However good or bad a situation is, it will change.” True, but one should be prepared that it can easily change for the worse.
39. “Our Inner most is always happy. Release your “Inner Happy” on the world every day!” You’re projecting.
So, here’s the ones I skipped (creating a much more practical & reasonable list):
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to meditate.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. (duplicate of #5 but, whatever).
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile. (The smiling part is stupid, but, whatever. The list was built around corny forced behavior, I might as well leave some evidence of how it originally appeared).
12. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones especially about things out of our control. Invest energy in the positive present moment.
13. Try not to over do. Understand limits.
15. Gossip drains precious energy.
16. Dream more while we are awake.
21. No one is in charge of our happiness except us. (good statement despite it’s inclusion in my corrections above)
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
36. No matter how we feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When we awake alive in the morning, be thankful.
I promise, I am an optimist. If I were to make a list it would have this one item:
1. Be as considerate as possible to everything/everyone every day to the best of your understandably limited abilities and do not forget.
February 19th, 2011 at 2:46 amI thought I should start by saying that “I would hate to spoil the positive energy fun” with a sarcastic undertone, but it seems “DA” already got started.
I’m normally an optimist, but whenever I read these “nonsense self-help” type of things I can’t help thinking “this is a bunch of bullshit”.
Stating the obvious with a “relaxation/harmonic/think happy thoughts/everything is perfect/life is beautiful”-attitude isn’t good advice. It’s pointless, a waste of time, and perhaps even a little harmful.
Some people get obsessed with the “harmonic” self-help techniques and stop thinking for themselves. They see these pieces of advice as absolute truths, which is in no way true.
So instead of relying on a list of advice on how to live your life, think for yourself.
February 22nd, 2011 at 2:45 am@Halfdan Thanks for you comment. We have found that people are motivated by a whole spectrum of truths and we in no way suggest that a single post of suggestions is in any way an absolute. It is our goal to post information, articles, stories, images and video that make people happy or have the ability to improve their quality of life… You may be surprised to know that this post has resonated with more than 120k visitors and we can only hope that it brought even the smallest grain of happiness to their days. ~Namaste
February 22nd, 2011 at 12:14 pm@DA Thanks for the lengthy comment and the edited list
February 22nd, 2011 at 12:29 pm@andre@prana/Namaste
Thank you for the clarification of your intentions with the blog-post.
I’m sure some people can retrieve something useful from the list presented in this blog-post, but I’m just worried that it will bring more harm than good to others. I’ve seen this too many times where people do what they think they ought to do, instead of actually doing what they want to. So instead of trying to figure out what actually makes them happy by challenging themselves, they find self-help tips which they then believe/hope will bring them happiness if fulfilled/lived by.
- Halfdan Reschat, Denmark
P.S. I haven’t read any other prAna blog posts so can’t say anything about the blog in general. My comments are only in regard to this single blog-post.
February 23rd, 2011 at 2:39 am@Halfdan, we appreciate your thoughtfulness and hope that your words will also help readers in their personal journeys. Please feel free to read more of the posts on our blog and we think you may be pleasantly surprised at our positive outlook
You can also find out more at http://www.facebook.com/prAna. Cheers!
February 23rd, 2011 at 3:13 pmI also start the day with an apple cider vinegar in hot water with a dab of honey….. This balances the acid/alkaline in our blood which is important to our good health …..
March 6th, 2011 at 2:01 pm@Dayrider Thanks!
March 6th, 2011 at 3:04 pmI love this, it is so inspiring! Thanks for sharing this list!
March 8th, 2011 at 8:33 pm@Monica You are very welcome!
March 9th, 2011 at 10:41 amNow, this is something must sharing, thanks.
March 21st, 2011 at 1:33 pm@Varun Thank You!
March 21st, 2011 at 3:19 pmGreat advice! I would add – g-d gave u 2 ears and 1 mouth, So listen twice as much as u speak!
March 23rd, 2011 at 1:57 pmI have climbed mount Everest and seen the Great Wall…..but sometimes live changing events happen to be small….
Thank you.
March 30th, 2011 at 9:59 pmlife*
March 30th, 2011 at 9:59 pm@PhilW You are so very right…
March 31st, 2011 at 4:40 pmI love “Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.”
Our elders have an abundance of experience that only a lifetime can teach. And the young ones are so carefree it helps remind us to lighten up and appreciate the small things in life.
April 6th, 2011 at 2:22 pmInspiring and thoughtful. Thanks! Now go call your family. Better yet – go spend time with them – esp the ones under 6 and over 70…
April 8th, 2011 at 7:39 pmGreat comments, and love life. time is too short, I would even include the 60′s. No Man or woman is an Island.
Thank you !!..:)
April 9th, 2011 at 3:01 pm@Carl A. Thanks!
April 13th, 2011 at 4:27 pm@Oswald Agreed!
April 13th, 2011 at 4:27 pmImpressive blog, useful comentry, very good for youngsters for a successful life,thank you for writing it.
April 17th, 2011 at 12:19 amWhat a great, inspirational blog. Thank you for your words of wisdom. If you’re interested, I would like to link you to my site, 2147miles.com, & vise versa. 2147miles.com is dedicated to inspiring others to fight for their dreams. Let me know what you think.
Amy Croson
April 19th, 2011 at 4:49 pm@AmyCroson Thanks!
April 20th, 2011 at 6:56 pmALMOST agreed with this until you said “why take ourselves seriously? no one else does” …. which is a contradiction to “dont compare your life to someone elses you have no idea what their journey is”…. nice try though.
April 27th, 2011 at 8:08 pm@Tommy We never claimed to be perfect, just trying to be helpful
April 28th, 2011 at 9:32 amThank you so much
May 12th, 2011 at 3:44 pm@Susan Akers You are very welcome!
May 13th, 2011 at 10:37 amI used to have a real problem with my workaholic symptoms, but once I started focusing on some of these tips, my life is more “prana”
Thank you!
May 18th, 2011 at 8:14 pm@John Wesley Thank You!
May 19th, 2011 at 10:34 amHeal Yourself With Foods…
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