Self-Improvement — #ILLUMINATION

3 Steps to Make the Most of yourself

How to practice self-care.

What do you do when you realize that you have made a mistake?

Do you scold yourself? Or do you learn from your experience?

Most people do the former. I know I do it more often than not.

In the journey of self-improvement, self-care is most important.

We are spiritual beings having a physical experience.

How do you take care of yourself?

There are three aspects to our being; Physical, mental, and spiritual. We need to address all three if we want to be successful. The journey requires that we treat all three areas equally.

Physical

Our body is the vehicle that is taking us on this journey we call life. Just as there are things we do ensure that our cars are in good working order, we must take care of our physical bodies.

“Cleanliness is a part of Faith.” ~Prophet Muhammad

In addition to practicing good hygiene, we must ensure that we are nourishing our bodies properly, and we exercise regularly to keep it in a top working condition.

Mental

Our minds are the engines that keep the body running. While proper nutrition and exercise provide the fuel, we must take steps to ensure the efficiency of the engine by keeping it tuned and lubricated.

Our mental faculties flourish via education and entertainment.

Reading is an excellent activity, along with using audio-visual media to educate and entertain ourselves.

Having hobbies is another great way we can keep our minds sharp, occupied, and entertained.

I enjoy photography. I have been taking pictures since 1980 when I bought my first 35mm camera. I have even used my photos as an inspiration to create stories on Medium with curation for one of them.

From time to time, I would play with other forms of creativity such as playing musical instruments or singing. I have not had success in that area.

I recently took a class on creating mosaic art, and I have been toying with the idea of creating abstract paintings using the pouring technique.

Spiritual

We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, not the other way around. The spirit is our essence. That is who we are. To take care of the spiritual aspect of our life is to take care of our Self.

We are an integral part of the Universe, one of an infinite number of pieces in a multi-dimensional Jigsaw Puzzle. To take care of our essence, we need to stay connected to the Whole.

Meditation is an excellent way to do it. It is nothing more than being mindful of our place. Just as there is only one place for every piece of a jigsaw puzzle where it fits, so are we.

Being in Nature is an almost automatic way of connecting with our essence. It is a form of meditation. So are prayers. I pray as a means of having a one-on-one conversation with the Divine, the Source of it all.

While I belong to a religious community, prayers are always something personal for me. I can and do take part in communal prayers where I practice being a part of a larger cell. That’s just my belief. Yours may be different, and I honor that because you are a unique expression of the Divine as well.

“You can render to God and humanity no greater service than to make the most of yourself.” ~Wallace D. Wattles

To sum it up

Self-care is an essential part of Self-Improvement. To implement self-care, we must harmonize all three parts of our existence. We must practice proper nutrition and exercise, education and entertainment, and prayers and meditation.

Day eight of the 30-day challenge. My theme: Self-Improvement.

As always, thank you for reading. Here are three stories, one on body, mind, and spirit each.

I am a self-proclaimed weirdo, Jack of Many Trades and Master of Some. I live the Freedom Lifestyle — life on my terms, and help those who are interested in doing the same. (Join the Tribe)

“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”