. . . clearing your mind. One of the best methods of personal change and mind clearing is travel. I first noticed its effectiveness years ago after I learned that the handsome man I had been dating for some months was in fact married. I had heard rumors, asked him about it, and he actually provided a legal looking document indicating that he was divorced. (Yes, some people will go to any lengths and yes I should have wondered why he kept it in his car’s glove box.)

I didn’t love him, so it wasn’t upsetting in that regard, but I felt stupid and upset about the subterfuge. Turned out that along with three or four other also-married men, he rented/owned a houseboat in Sausalito, California in which to have trysts. (It is SO tempting to name them all here, but I’m reasonably sure they are all divorced by now anyway!) During a Sausalito outing, I decided to stop by the houseboat to say hello, not thinking anything would be amiss with that.

It was obviously the “wrong” night. He was with another women. I had a sense of what was going on finally — yes, I know I should have asked a few more questions, but I used to trust people — I shoved him into the Bay after saying “good thing I don’t love you.”

He, before hitting the water, exclaimed “What? You don’t love me.”

A few tears slid down my cheeks as I walked up the gangplank to shore. Within hours I knew they weren’t tears of pain, but were tears that would wash him away. Rather than waste the energy, I drew the feeling (right).

That, and a week in London got me back on track quickly.

Jimmy Buffet’s “Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude” is always on my mind. I worked for an airline at the time, up came a $60 round-trip package to London and off I went — after scrambling to get a passport within a week. (I didn’t have one at the time as I had not taken any trips out of the U.S.; now I’m never without a valid passport.)

Since then, with my family, I’ve been to about 40 countries. If I have any money, I hop a plane or a ship. (More about that at InternationalHarbors.com

Anyway, a couple of things that are necessary for your “spring cleaning travel” are top notch travel insurance (more about that later) and a good credit card for emergencies — and for emergencies only!

We just found VISA Black, which allows 24-hour Concierge Service and entry into airport lounges which are reserved for VIPs; if you are ever stuck in an airport for more than 2-3 hours, you will cherish this card. With my young daughter, we were stuck enroute to beautiful Bora Bora (above right) and while the trip was exquisite, having to sleep on an airport floor was less than enticing and my daughter was quite sick by the time we landed in Roratonga after our week in Tahiti (more about that later also).

VISA’s newest offering states: Black Card membership is limited to ensure the highest caliber of personal service is provided to every Cardmember. Our 24-hour Concierge Service is ready to assist members with all of their personal, business and travel needs. We’ve included our Exclusive Privileges below to help you promote Black Card to your customers:

• Limited Membership
• 24-hour concierge catering to all of your entertainment, travel, business, and lifestyle needs
• Access to over 600 airport lounges worldwide (That is worth its weight in gold in my opinion!)
• Redeem points for airfare on any airline with no blackouts or restrictions beginning at only 25,000 points for a ticket worth up to $500
• Redeem points for 1% cash back
• Zero liability provides complete protection against unauthorized purchases
• Made with carbon, creating a more unique and durable card

How do you determine when something isn’t good for you and, more important, how do you find the strength to let it go?

We often think of bad habits as entailing too much alcohol (or other drugs), poor food choices, lack of exercise. However, occasionally people need to be “pruned ” from your life because they are bad for you. Spring is on the horizon;  consider taking time for  ”people pruning.”

It’s not always “them” of course; I unintentionally easily offend some people, and there are those that have the same effect on me. However, many of us will now reach 100 years. If someone is physically or psychologically harmful, there is no reason on earth to stay around them. Life isn’t too short; it’s too long, especially to put up with any type of “battering,” be it physical or psychological.

(Of course it is more difficult when a family member becomes abusive. However, no one should ever put up with physical abuse; that is a separate issue and not addressed here. But please seek professional help if anyone is physically abusing you. )

Current examples of letting go: For more than two years I’ve been working with a group of homeowners trying to save their homes from foreclosure. Two of the people in the group have repeatedly insulted me (and others, so I’m in good company). It has come to a head.

One suggested I was right 10% of the time, which means wrong 90% of the time. Such comments don’t bother me at all. However, this person calls me at home to ask for my advice. When I give it, she tells me I don’t know what I’m talking about. My last conversation with her closed with “Given that I clearly don’t know what I’m talking about, please stop asking me questions. I have no information of use to you.” And I’m done with her. It IS that simple.

The second person made me realize that with the aging of America, we all may need to develop new levels of understanding about family, friends and associates. Through foreclosure, this man lost the beautiful home he designed and built 30 years ago. It seems he pulled out hundreds of thousands of dollars and cannot pay it back. He is tall and quite sophisticated and appears fully functioning; he looks much younger than his 72 years. His level of stress has caused a heart attack or two through the years. He is angry and accusatory to anyone who doesn’t give him what he wants . . . which was money to save his home. He’s staring at a future of his own making, which includes trying to find housing in one’s senior years. That is frightening and he desperately wants it to be someone’s fault other than his, so everyone else is to blame.

Anyone disagreeing with either of these people is called a liar, crook, and thief, and told they do not know what they are doing. These two people actually accused a non-profit of stealing money. Because it is a non-profit, everything is recorded. They could review the annual filings. But do they? No. It’s much easier to accuse than to learn facts. This again, quite possibly attests to their age and fragile emotional states based on looming foreclosures. It’s sad. Such people do in fact need help. Both have families. Who determines when it’s time for family to step in?

I see my part in this. I, too, am a senior citizen and I don’t like being abused or insulted. I should have walked away from them months ago as their anger towards everyone escalated. Going head to head must stop for everyone’s sake.

Back to the point of this piece: There is NO reason to keep abusive people in your life, not when it includes ongoing psychological battering, which may or may not relate to mental issues beyond your control. You are entitled to your feelings; if someone truly upsets you, you do not have to be around them. Choose to change.

While caught in this dilmena, in comes an article from The Jack Canfield Success Store. The following is excerpted from Pruning Relationships that Don’t Serve You. (Note: The method below seems quite cut-and-dried and somewhat self-serving, but isn’t “self-serving” mandatory for survival at times?)

Everything we want to achieve in life involves relationships. While it’s important to learn how to build successful relationships, it’s equally valuable to choose wisely when determining which connections to nurture.

Drop the Anchors
Achieving goals and greater levels of success require energy – sometimes an enormous amount. Negative people are psychic vampires. They drain us of the precious energy we need to grow and achieve, making relationships with these individuals toxic to success.

Until we reach the point in our self-development where we no longer allow people to affect us with their negativity, it’s best to avoid toxic people at all costs. They will hold us back with their victim mentality and mediocre standards.

To identify which relationships are draining you, make a list of all people you spend time with on a regular basis. Go through the list and put a minus sign (-) next to the people who are negative and toxic. Put a plus sign (+) next to the people who are positive and nurturing. Then stop spending time with the people on the negative list! If you don’t believe that is possible – for example, if you are surrounded by negative people at work – do your best to dramatically decrease the amount of time you spend with them.

Identify Your Best Investments
Another way that relationships can drain our energy is when we feel overwhelmed by the number of relationships we have to maintain.

The first thing to explore is the feeling of “have to.” Remember, there are no “have to’s” or “shoulds” in life. There are only “choose to’s.” We get to choose where we invest our time and energy – and that includes determining which relationships we want to maintain.

“Have to” indicates that the relationships is based on fear. But to create greater success, we want to make decisions that are motivated by joy and excitement, as well as our purpose and goals.

We are equipped with a handy inner guidance system that tells us when we are making decisions that are in alignment with our higher good: Joy. When we are not spending a lot of time feeling joyful, it is a clear sign that we are off course.

Review your list of relationships again, this time with a different set of criteria. Identify the people who bring you the greatest joy, as well as financial and professional success (if those are important to you — they are to me). Which relationships are critical to your bottom line? Which people are you most excited to spend time with? Which people are most important for you to keep in touch with? These are the relationships to cultivate.

Dan Sullivan, president of the Strategic Coach, teaches his clients to identify their top 20 relationships, as well as a “farm team,” which are 20 additional relationships that should be nurtured as future additions to the Top 20. Create this list for yourself, using joy as the measuring stick for personal relationships and bottom-line success for professional relationships.

Once your key relationships are identified, put the names into a chart, with the names prioritized in the first column. In the second column, add contact information so that it is readily available when you want to reach out to one of these key contacts. In the third column, answer the question, “What result(s) do I want to achieve with this person in the next 90 days?” Do you want them to hire you? Attend your seminar? Buy your book? Send referrals to you? Use this chart to guide your actions over the next three months as you nurture the key relationships.

You Get to Choose
In business particularly, you may feel that you are required to stay connected with more people than you would normally choose. Remember that you get to choose which relationships you want to nurture, how close they are, and how you will stay connected.

As world-renowned marine artist Wyland once said, “There are two types of people – anchors and motors. You want to lose the anchors and get with the motors because the motors are going somewhere and they’re having more fun. The anchors will just drag you down.”

Dr. Weil’s post today talks about a “remarkable science-based supplement.”

Good health begins at the cellular level, and your body gets the energy it needs to live, breathe and thrive from microscopic “batteries” called mitochondria, located within your cells. After age 25, these powerhouses begin to lose efficiency. That means the cells throughout your body–in your skin, heart and even your brain–don’t operate as productively as they once did.

Bruce Ames, PhD is a renowned biochemist, authority on aging, and recipient of 12 prestigious science awards, including the U.S. National Medal of Science (presented in 1998). His research on mitochondria at the University of California, Berkeley led to the development of Weil Juvenon, a patented combination of alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine. These compounds work synergistically to restore mitochondrial integrity and increase metabolic efficiency at the cellular level. Taken regularly, Weil Juvenon can help support healthy aging by increasing the vitality of mitochondria, thus improving and maintaining cellular health.

While we can’t reverse the aging process, Dr. Ames’ research offers compelling evidence that the compounds in Weil Juvenon can help promote health deep in our cells, and healthy cells may be the key to a whole range of benefits.

I encourage you to consider your vitamin and exercise regimen . . . Exercise promotes deep breathing and deep breathing is also necessary for cell health and to aid in balancing and calming your mind.

Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters presents a new book to help with the practice of meditation (a CD is also included to help guide people through the process). Meditation: Achieving Inner Peace And Tranquility includes the techniques Dr. Weiss uses on his patients, many of whom have conquered insomnia, phobias, anxieties, weight issues, and disease. Meditation can also lower blood pressure, strengthen the immunological system, and reduce stress. Or consider Dr. Dyer’s Change Your Thoughts Meditation.

If you wish to begin calming yourself immediately, an simple method is to sit quietly in a favorite chair and just breathe slowly in and out for approximately ten minutes. This is a type of Zen meditation; the idea is to relax and let your mind clear itself without effort. With some practice your mind will stop its chatter and you will relax. If thoughts come up, just let them drift through. Don’t try to control them either way. Just let go. It’s an amazingly effective method of revival without effort.

The simple premise of Asara Lovejoy’s book is that you have the capacity within you to change your life. That capacity is found within unused portions of your brain that you activate through a simple Six-Step Process that teaches you to lower your brain waves to theta. This ability has always existed, but until recently, only those who have dedicated years of their lives to the process have been able to go consciously into the theta state while awake. Theta is naturally found to be most active while we are asleep.

The benefits of consciously going in and out of theta are numerous.

Asara Lovejoy’s The One Command shows you that living life while using another portion of your brain is possible, and highly desirable. At another level, it explains how we think and act in our “humanness,” enabling us to better understand the journey we are taking together, and to discover new ways in which we can grow and change.

I started working with her book two years ago during a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii while standing on top of the active volcano Mt. Kilauea.

It seemed appropriate to begin to change my life with the earth’s molten red core below me and the blue heavens above.

After returning home, I loaned The One Command to a friend, life got in the way and I’ve been lost off and on since.

During a recent meeting, one of the participants mentioned tapping, which is an “emotional freedom technique.”

Basically, tapping is an acupressure technique that eliminates negativity. Utilizing Asara Lovejoy’s The One Command or learning and utilizing tapping techniques just might help you find a path in case you feel lost . . . which most of us do at times. Using them together you can literally achieve anything you want. These methods are only two of the methods that can get you on track or back on track . . . and now that they have “re-entered” my life, they will be useful in helping to plan my future . . . and yours if you are stuck anywhere.

1. Nuts, especially almonds, walnuts and cashews, contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Eat a moderate portion every day.
2. Whole soy protein. If you substitute whole soy protein, such as edamame, for animal protein each day, you can lower levels of homocysteine, a toxic amino acid linked to increased risk of heart disease. Edamame is a natural food and as such the flavor is superb and the beans are good for you.
   • However tofu is a highly processed food product. We’re concerned that Dr. Weil includes tofu in this recommendation. We wholeheartedly disagree. The U.S. Department of Agriculture handbook from the early 1900s referred to soy as an “industrial product,” and THAT is what it is. Research I did in 2002 indicated that processed soy products (i.e. soy milk and tofu) can have negative effects on babies and on seniors. American tofu often includes bleach because we do not like the brown color of unbleached tofu. Soy products are not health foods! Multi-million dollar ad campaigns have 74% of U.S. consumers believing that soy products are healthy; basically, anyone that believes that has been brainwashed.
3. Fresh garlic. This medicinal herb may help lower cholesterol levels. Use one or two raw or lightly cooked cloves a day.
4. Green tea. It provides EGCG, a polyphenol than may help to moderate inflammation and lower cholesterol. Substitute a cup of heart-healthy green tea for your morning coffee or afternoon soda.
5. Soluble fiber. It has a powerful cholesterol-lowering effect. Beans, legumes and whole grains are good sources to add to your diet – aim for one or two servings per day.

One of the healthier people we know promotes internal cleansing. So as part of our desire to get back to supreme health this year, we are seeking the best ways to reach our goal and we found Richard Anderson’s site. Anderson is an author, researcher and honorary ND, who founded Arise and Shine in the late 1980’s after an herbal expedition throughout the Southwestern United States of America that ended in a lush meadow deep in the Sierra Mountains. After dining for a time on fresh raw herbs gathered there he discovered the basis of a formula for internal cleansing that has been setting the standard for more than 22 years now.

So much has been said and written about the Beatles — and their story is so mythic in its sweep — they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era, and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other group.

Their trip to India in 1968 changed them and the sounds of the Western world of music forever. The Beatles renounced drug use in 1968 and after attending a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi decided on-the-spot to become his disciples. What followed was an outpouring of music (they recorded most of their White Album at this time), and the popularization of going to India to study mysticism. Rishikesh, a major center to study yoga, became famous.

They were one of the few groups I never saw perform live which has always made me sad.

Seems perfect on Valentine’s Day to sing this, doesn’t it?

Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It’s easy.

There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time – It’s easy.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.
It’s easy.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

In addition to thinking of your heart throb this Valentine’s Day, why not get on track for taking care of your one. I’ve recently become a fan of Dr. Weil, who has been promoting healthy lifestyles ever since I can remember — and that is quite a long time.

His recommendations are obvious, but so many of us don’t seem to do them:

1. Exercise. Regular physical activity helps maintain the health of blood vessels, strengthens the heart muscle itself and can help reduce heart disease risk factors including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and stress. Aim for 30 minutes a day of moderate aerobic activity on most days of the week. For individual guidance, consult a personal trainer.
2. Lose weight. If you are overweight or obese, even modest weight loss can significantly lower risks of cardiovascular disease.
3. Don’t smoke. Smoking is the major preventable risk factor for heart disease and has negative health consequences for your entire body, from your taste buds to your energy levels to your skin. Seek support and guidance in quitting.
4. Manage stress. Uncontrolled stress can raise blood pressure, influence cholesterol and may even increase homocysteine levels. To help manage day-to-day challenges, practice breath work, meditation, guided imagery, visualization or another relaxation technique; participate in regular moderate exercise (including yoga and tai chi); and stay social and laugh often

Eating Anti-Inflammatory for Your HeartHeart-healthy foods are part of Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid. Start your free trial of Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging for access to an exclusive version of the pyramid that has links to recipes using heart-healthy ingredients. Start your 14-day free trial now and save 30%!

Today, he also included: “7 Ways to Prevent a Stroke.”

1. Control your blood pressure either through lifestyle changes or medication if necessary.
2. Exercise. People who exercise consistently have increased cardiovascular health and a lower risk of suffering a stroke.
3. If you smoke, quit. Smoking is the leading preventable risk factor for stroke.
4. Limit alcohol intake. If you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
5. Manage diabetes with an anti-inflammatory diet, and maintain tight control of blood sugar levels – with medication if necessary.
6. Lower total cholesterol levels into a healthy range by adhering to a healthy diet, exercising regularly and working with your doctor.
7. Focus on your diet. Follow an eating plan designed for those with high blood pressure and heart disease, such as the DASH diet – it may be helpful in preventing strokes.

Taking care of your heart isn’t only for you; it is for everyone around you, especially your loved ones. They love you, want you and need you. What isn’t mentioned above is getting sufficient rest. In the middle of our looney lives, when I was raising my child on my own, every night we pulled on our favorite PJs and spent time together. . . sometimes just watching a favorite kids program on T.V., sometimes playing Scrabble or Monopoly . . . oddly my child turned into a superb speller and a banker! Think those games might have anything to do with it?

Someone I haven’t seen in years is moving to my neighborhood . . . literally. I’m single now so this could get interesting . . . or not. I look HORRIBLE. When he last saw me he was attracted to me . . . but I was 40 pounds lighter than I now am. Building websites for a living puts on dramatic weight from lack of motion, on top of a couple of years of unexpected stress. So what to do?

Oh, same old, same old: Exercise and diet. And make sure my health is intact. Okay.

Kaiser Medical Center features online recommendations and plans for various health issues, especially on how to avoid them in the first place. Today’s feature included information about a Mediterranean Diet—a diet that does not consider all fat to be “bad” and yet outperforms many traditional low-fat diets in preventing heart disease.

The Mediterranean Diet isn’t a book or a video. Instead, it’s a way of eating that has evolved over the years among people living along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

But you don’t have to eat Greek or Italian food to follow the Mediterranean Diet. The diet includes so many tasty foods, it can be easy to follow. Also, I’ve found through the years that managing my diet also manages my money. By spending less on food, I save money. Then the savings go for travel around the world to such exquisite destinations as Mykonos (image above). My daughter and I cruised the Mediterranean a couple of years ago; Mykonos was one of the splendid cities we visited.

A Mediterranean diet includes the following:

• Fruits and vegetables—between 6 and 10 servings every day
• Beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and seeds
• Fatty fish, such as salmon, twice a week
• Red meat (beef, pork, and lamb)—only once or twice per month to be replaced by poultry, fish, or plant protein such as beans, peas, and lentils
• Extra virgin olive oil and canola oil in place of saturated and trans fats
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy—1 to 2 servings every day

Many studies demonstrate the health benefits of this diet. The Lyon Diet Heart Study* found that people who followed the Mediterranean Diet experienced the following:

• 73 percent decrease in coronary events such as a heart attack
• 70 percent decrease in your risk of dying
• 61 percent decreased risk of cancer

In addition, other studies have shown that the Mediterranean Diet may lower your risk for Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET SAMPLE MENU

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with fat-free milk and blueberries
Whole-grain bread with nut butter

Lunch:

Lentil soup
Salad with walnuts, vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, and vinegar
Sliced bananas and oranges

Dinner:

Grilled salmon
Broccoli
Brown rice
Salad (as above)
Strawberries

It’s important to remember that there can be too much of a good thing! Eat only enough to support your body at a healthy weight. If you need specific ideas for preparing Mediterranean Diet meals, there are many excellent cookbooks available.

Combine this with a vitamin regimen designed for your health needs and maintenance. Dr. Weil can tell you about a Healthier Lifestyle; You can try his Vitamin Advisor for Free!

HYDRATE:
If you don’t do anything else, drink fresh water. If you are in an area where the water is questionable, which is true of many older cities or cities with water supplies tainted with garbage such as discarded cigarette filters, then have Cases of FIJI Water Delivered to Your House For as Little as $29.95! Order Now!.

Why Fiji? Capsule Report: Nearly 50% of the water sold in the U.S. is purified municipal water (Aquafina and Dasani) or spring water—not the purest sources of water. FIJI Water is the only brand among the top 10 water brands to come from a pure source—a natural aquifer in an unspoiled continent, made from rain that fell 450 years ago on unspoiled highlands and tropical forests. The great artesian waters have tiny market shares, and are difficult to find. Thanks to strong marketing, FIJI is everywhere. If you’re drinking bottled water for its purity, consider FIJI before the other top 10 brands. 

Studies funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that people who drink water containing minerals experience lower rates of disease than those who drink water with the minerals removed. “Of specific concern are the presence of calcium and magnesium in water: Both contribute signficantly to an individual’s health. Fiji water balance is 17 Calcium and 13 Magnesium.  

Set Four Goals For Yourself . . . And Not One More!

I receive random eMails from a “medium” named Tara. Generally I ignore them, but one arrived today that will benefit everyone I believe, so following is an excerpt. Also, I picked up my first “Oprah Magazine” yesterday; her February 2011 issue states “Yes, You Can Have What You Want.” And if anyone knows that, it would be Oprah; she is the world’s first black female billionaire.

Oprah’s magazine includes a feature entitled "7 Ways to Spark Your Creativity" by designer Anna Rabinowicz. Those 7 ways are:

1. Read "Not a Box" by Antoniette Portis. It’s lesson is that "anything can be anything."
2. Go outside: The natural world is inspirational; it is full of bizarre, beautiful stuff.
3. Start a collection: Anna Rabinowicz collects toothbruses . . . she writes that their simplicity is an opportunity for imaginative design.
4. Touch stuff: Experience with your hands, not just your eyes.
5. Travel solo: You can get inspired by traveling practially anywhere, as long as you are open to what you see. (I, too, recommend travel, but also travelling light so you can move quickly in case you want to add a destination as you go along. Find easy-to-manage luggage at eBags.com. My daughter and I covered 6 continents in two months — from Tahiti to Japan — with one rolling bag each).
   

   Travel is how I embrace change; it started with "Changes In Latitude, Changes in Attitude from "Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hit(s). Whenever something seems stuck in my life, I hop a plane, which started with a trip to London after a heartbreak. When I returned home after seven days in that extraoradinary city, the heartbreak was virtually meaningless. That also was the start of a life-long love of seeing new places people and things; I’ve been to about 35 countries, dozens of states, and write about that at InternationalHarbors.com

6. Don’t check you eMail when you are creating . . . nothing earth-shattering is going to happen in an hour or two.
7. Grab every opportunity. Write handwritten notes. If you’re cooking at home tonight, make something you’ve never made. When hosting a group of friends, make party favors.

And from Tara:

To have a balanced life (which is not as hard as it may seem) you have to set goals for yourself in each of the four main areas: health, financial comfort, personal and social. Limit yourself to a single goal in each of these four areas.

Having too many goals can distract you, and not give you enough time to make any of them real. You might become discouraged and decide that your old way of living, although it didn’t satisfy you, wasn’t all that bad, since at least you were familiar with it.

Write your goals down, and always keep the list with you. Read it over as often as possible, so that it becomes engraved in your memory, and regularly check to make sure you’re following your plan of action.

Take the time you need to establish one priority in each of the four areas of your life: first health, then your finances, followed by your personal life, and finally your social life (family and friendships).

Pillar No.1. Take Care of Your Health: Without good health you can’t do any of the things that make you happier. How can you expect to take full advantage of life when you always have physical problems, or succumb to negative thoughts and emotions? The health of your body is intimately linked to your state of mind, to your vitality, and vice versa. If you’re not sure What Vitamins & Supplements Should You Be Taking, click for Dr. Weil’s quick free test. Health is your first concern: If your health is good, you can do whatever you want, and deal with challenges, which would not be the case if you were in poor physical condition. Hydrate! Drink lots of water. If the water supply is not good in your area, consider getting cases of FIJI Water Delivered to Your House For as Little as $29.95! Order Now! (Speaking of success and living a dream, the image below is of Fiji; the couple that started Fiji Water brought their own island.)

Set a realistic health goal for yourself, and do everything you can to accomplish it. Do you have a balanced diet? Do you participate in any sports or physical activities? Do you use supplements and natural remedies to help prevent disease, especially during changing seasons or when you travel? Are you strengthening your natural immune system by regularly taking needed vitamins and minerals?

If you answered YES to these questions, then you’re on the right track. If not, change your lifestyle so it includes at least some of these basic measures.

Pillar No. 2. Increase Your Revenue. Do you have the financial resources you need to lead a worry-free life? You don’t have to become the richest person on the planet. Just make sure the belt-tightening you do at the end of the month doesn’t last all month long! If you have trouble making ends meet, find ways of earning more money, either at your job or in some other area. If you don’t have a job, try to find one. If you can’t find a job right now, and it could be difficult in our current economic climate, explore other avenues for earning money. Develop abilities you still haven’t fully exploited. You’re certain to have talents in one or more areas that you thought weren’t worth anything, but which can become sources of income for you.

Work on a project that’s close to your heart. Develop one of your deep desire. By taking stock of what you really want, you’ll probably find something you enjoy that could bring you considerable revenue, either in the short or long term, and even become your primary source of revenue.

If you have trouble finding the treasures hidden inside you, keep working on personal development skills until you find a way of earning enough money to be happy.

Pillar No. 3. Enrich Your Personal Life (hobbies, interests). Aside from your professional life and the physical activities you engage in, you need a pastime that allows you to express your latent talents and abilities, things that aren’t necessarily of use to you at work or in day-to-day living.

Developing these talents will make you a more balanced and mature person. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a manual or intellectual activity. Think about what you do when no one tells you what to do. That may be the key to your happiness and fortune.

Pillar No. 4. Lead A Balanced Social Life (family, friends, community). You need to have a social life, and it should be important to you. You have to take care of it, and try to satisfy your desires in this area. You’re one link in the chain we call society. Your evolution depends, to a great extent, on your environment and the people you come in contact with. Don’t neglect it! Ask yourself whether your social life is completely satisfying. If you could choose, would you be happiest being single, or would you prefer to live as a couple, or with a family and children? Your happiness largely depends on how you respond.

When you find your answer, do whatever you can to make your life fit your dreams, and do it as soon as possible.

It’s important to have friends. Are the ones you have now reliable? Can you really express yourself openly with them? Can you count on them when you need help?

It’s also important to become involved in community activities: Volunteer work, help manage the building you live in (which might give you a rent break), etc.

What kind of relations do you have with your neighbors? Are they amicable or conflictual? Avoid getting upset, which will only add to the stress you already have to deal with in your daily life, and be harmful to your health.

Apply at least one of these recommendations in each area of your life (health, financial, personal and social) and you’re certain to become much happier . . . and wealthier!