Your spirit is the essence of the energy that you bring into the world and leave in the hearts and minds of others.
The way you live your life every day defines you.
The spirits of Mozart and Hitler live on long after their bodies have been gone. The mere mention of either name invokes thoughts and feelings in the living. It is the memory of what these men did during their lifetimes that persists in the memories of other human beings. This is what spirit is, and it is what you are building and leaving in the world every moment of every day with every choice you make, no matter how big or how small.
Nature has programmed fitness and survival into our DNA. We are naturally drawn to what supports life and repulsed by what defies it. This includes the people around us. Although generally considered to be something invisible, spirit is what we actually see in others. It is what attracts us or repulses us and it is what drives our interactions with others and ourselves.
Spirit is a reflection of your true nature including your intentions, your thoughts and your actions. You are either contributing to the greater good or taking away from it.
Everything has a spirit. Even rocks and trees and water. The essence of its nature is what defines it and affects and inspires all who become aware of it. We are strong in the spirit of a rock, flexible and powerful in the spirit of water, volatile and tempering in the spirit of fire.
Your spirit affects the world and those around you regardless of your intentions. I have often watched people from my window as they walk by on the streets below, oblivious they are being observed. As we move about in our daily lives we have no idea of who may be noticing our bright smile and peppy walk or our sullen and dragging stride. But it is a scientific fact that observing anything in those around us has a profound effect on us and actually influences our internal chemistry! And that chemistry affects the functioning of our bodies and brains in either a supportive or destructive way.
In the same way, we affect our own chemistry by things as subtle as the way we sit or stand and the expression on our face. Most of the time these are the paved routes, the neurologically easy habits of our existence.
By becoming aware of those habits of gesture and thought we can adjust and manage them to our own benefit and in turn, the benefit of others.
It is easier to be optimistic and positive when things are going well. A healthy body supports a healthy brain which supports a healthy mind which, again, supports a healthy body. Yet, even when faced with terminal illness, your spirit can remain intact and powerful!
Only days before my mother died, she was still helping others face and meet their challenges. That week she learned of the sudden death of another friend’s child in a car accident and the devastation that caused in their lives. At least with my mother, we all knew she had cancer and she still had time to say goodbye. She said, “Never feel sorry for yourself. No matter how bad things seem to be, there is always someone who is facing something worse.”
My mother may not be conscious of her spirit now that her body is dead, but her generous and caring spirit lives on in the consciousness of all those whose lives she touched, and now even in you through these very words I just shared with you.
Spirit is very powerful and you never know where it will lead or on what winds it will be carried forward.
This is the best reason for you to nurture all the best in you that you can. When you nurture a healthy spirit it is not only you who benefits in the now, it is all the lives you touch now and forever going forward.
You nurture your spirit by taking good care of your body and brain and by choosing a mindset on the side of life – right up until your dying breath.
The same three steps that support a healthy body and a healthy brain support a healthy spirit:
- put good things in and keep bad things out
- fill your mind with supportive waters and exercise flexibility so the good can get where it needs to go and the bad can be flushed out
- rest and listen so your spirit can grow
Spirit is a choice.
No matter what your biological age or physical condition, a strong spirit will make you look and feel younger and you will know, firsthand, that the BEST IS NOW.
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