Here is your Monday STORY on: LOVE: It has been said that to LOVE others you must first be able to love yourself. But how is that achieved? Start small, understand small, then move bigger… If your self esteem is low we need to immediately recognise what is good about ourselves. Our plus points don’t just disappear! We may be standing in line at a supermarket and the person behind has only two items. Do we think we are busy or do we let the person through? If we let the person through, we are caring and considerate. If we can see a little of this each hour we have enough to start building a foundation of love. If we catch a bee in the house, do we stamp on it or do we catch it and let it out of the back door? If we let it out of the back door or a window, this is another sign of consideration, love and caring. These small things add up. So… Let’s assume we had hit rock bottom; perhaps a few bad days tagged onto each other. It doesn’t mean that we loose our character and determination, it just means it isn’t engaged that’s all. You cannot SEE anything of value when you’re at rock bottom; that is when we need to be reminded of the beauty of PAUSING. When you pause you can let go of where you are at. In effect it allows a shift of perspective and you can SEE the light once more. To pause allows you to see the truth and generate energy, allowing you strength to make changes. If you’ve loved others once you can love others again, but first you must clear the way to LOVE yourself. Take a look back into your past and see a few moments that love was clearly evident. SMILE… You can do it again. You do not need to find new skills, you’ve had them before, you just need a reminder on how to use them again. Today’s excerpt whilst written for women applies to men also. Each line has a major instruction within it. In being able to accept these guidelines is a sign that you have LOVE in your soul. If you can nod in appreciation of the message they give, you’ll be oozing love. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... How to fall in love without losing herself... How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship... When to try harder ... and when to walk away... That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents... That her childhood may not have been perfect... but it's over... What she would and wouldn't do for love or more... How to live alone ... even if she doesn't like it... Whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally... Where to go ... be it to her best friend's kitchen table ... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing... What she can and can't accomplish in a day ... a month ... and a year (Unknown Author) QUOTE: “Exercise alone provides physical benefits of which we know. However, if you also adopt a strategy that engages your mind while you exercise, you can get a whole host of psychological benefits fairly quickly as well.” (James Rippe, M.D.)