Life: It's All About The PB&J

As I look back on my nearly 40 years of life.  I can say it has been full of ups, downs, twists, turn, great times, laughter, harder times, tears, triumphs, trials, and a treasure trove of memories.  Through it all, I have often felt like something was missing from my life.  I was never really able to pinpoint what it was that was missing, but I knew that something just wasn't there that needed to be.

Then, a couple of years ago, an idea began to form.  Over these past two years I have nurtured that idea and tried to help it grow.  While it still has growing to do, I feel like now is a great time to start sharing my view on what makes a happy life.  A genuinely happy life.  And yes, it is all about the PB&J. No, it doesn't stand for peanut butter and jelly.  Although that is one of my favorite food combinations!  To me, PB&J stands for Peace, Balance, and Joy.

I believe that we must each first come to Peace with who we are - past and present.  We must accept our past as part of who we are.  However, we must also learn from our past and let the negative parts of our past simply be what they were.  We have to forgive those parts of our past that were not so wonderful and accept them as part of who we have become.  On the flip side, we must also embrace all of the good from our past.  As for the present, most of us want to improve on our being.  We want to enrich our lives and our souls.  That is the gift of the present.  We have the ability to look forward to what we would like in the future.  But, before we can do that, we must be at peace with who we are in the here and now.  Knowing that the future has so many possibilities for us to grow and nurture ourselves.

Once we have come to Peace with our past and who we are in the present, the next step is finding balance in our lives.  It seems like we get pulled in so many different directions and it is easy to slip into a pattern of working too much or playing too much.  Many people find themselves stressed and depressed because they feel pulled in too many ways.  Bringing Balance into our lives is probably one of the most difficult things to do.  But, it is a necessity for a fulfilling life.  We each need to find balance between much needed "Me" time, family time, time with friends, work, chores, errands, health, and more.  But, once you find your groove in life's journey, you will also notice that balance in life is one of the utmost important things you can do for yourself and others.

The final part of my "Life Plan", after we have obtained Peace and after we have found balance, is to create Joy.  This is the fun part!  Creating Joy is what makes life worth living.  In this phase we focus on activities that bring joy into our life.  But, it is not only about bringing joy into our individual lives.  It is also about bringing joy into the lives of others around us, both those we know and strangers.  It has been said that the joy you give to others is the joy you give to yourself.  Getting out and doing the things that we enjoy in life and helping others enjoy life is fulfilling in itself.

When you bring these three simple words into your life......Peace, Balance, and Joy......you will find that life begins to feel a little bit more in place and you will travel along your life's journey enriching your soul and the world.

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