I am blessed to have had a full career in marketing and international business, to become a yoga instructor for the last 15 years and now to embark on a start-up wellness company. With a lifetime of wisdom, experience, and lessons, what advice would I give my younger self? What would I want this young person to know in order to navigate a meaningful and happy life? After much thought, I wrote this letter to a young me as I was about to graduate high school.
Dear Kathryn,
Life is an incredible journey to be mindfully experienced and cherished through good times and challenges. Connect deeply with family and friends, and embrace and learn from every experience with gratitude.
Be gentle with yourself; be okay with making mistakes—it’s how we learn. But make sure to heed the lessons our mistakes offer us.
Develop a personal mission statement and revisit it as you age and grow. Doing so will help you honor your values and stay true to yourself.
Trust your instincts. Know that this is your higher, Divine self, communicating with you.
Cultivate a wellness consciousness—start early with lifelong practices to nurture your mind, body, and spiritual well-being. Create a wellness lifestyle. Your body will change with age, and the more you engage in wellness practices, the more gracefully your body will adapt to physical changes. I suggest the following practices:
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- Create a sacred space in your home where you can relax, journal, and enjoy spiritual renewal, as well as find solace and peace in times of challenge.
- Explore your creativity—painting, writing, playing an instrument, sewing, culinary arts—whatever satisfies your soul. Your creativity is a spark of the divine and will help to keep you grounded and centered.
- Hydrate! Drink a glass of water first thing every morning to gently rev up your digestive system and nourish your brain. Your brain is roughly 80% water; your body about 60%, so hydrate well throughout your day, every day.
- Practice mindful breathing. Be conscious of your breath and breathe deeply. Breath is life. In the yoga culture, it is referred to as prana, the life force. Taking deep breaths oxygenates your blood, which will circulate oxygen to every cell, organ, and gland to nourish and rejuvenate you.
- Practice mindful movement and stillness—high-intensity workouts and active sports are great for cardiovascular health and mental stamina. Mindful movement such as yoga, gentle stretches, tai chi, etc., and the stillness of meditation will center you and put you in touch with your body in a different, empowering way.
- Practice mindful thinking—your thoughts have power, like energy units being sent into the ether, and they attract like energy. Einstein and other quantum physicists understood that human life has a vibrational component not visible to the human eye. Always remember you are much more than skin, bones, muscles, and ligaments. As Einstein said, “you are a walking bundle of frequencies tuned to the cosmos.”
Have a wonderful life!
Love,
Kathryn
Kathryn D. Leary is Co-Founder and CEO of OneFirelight.com
