I have a strong sense of community with close friends. Community provides not only a social network, but it also expands my sense of purpose in who I am and how I am supported.

I plan to live to be a Centenarian. People in areas all over the world accomplish living to be 100 years or more. In Dan Buettner’s Book, The Blue Zones, he finds 5 areas of the world with the largest population of Centenarians. In doing research in these places, Buettner finds that one of the only shared characteristics of the cultures is that the people have a strong sense of community. The people have a strong purpose in their lives, they have strong familial ties, and they have a close network of friends that has been maintained over long periods of time. The sense of community that helps people to live longer has also been shown to make much happier people.

My sense of community comes from various groups of friends I maintain. I belong to a Gratitude Group, a Circle, and a Zillionaire Club. Each of these groups has a different purpose, and each group has evolved over the years. I always look forward to seeing my groups of friends. I have learned so much from each person in these groups.

Find a strong sense of community commitment by joining a group, starting a group, reconnecting with old friends, and always being on the lookout for new friends. We are communal beings, and we are enriched in so many ways through our connections with each other.

I journal frequently in order to balance my emotions by letting them go on paper. Journaling involves writing you thoughts and feelings on paper. Generally journals are for our eyes only, and we do not share them with others.

How does journaling work for me? I ask myself questions, for example: why am I so angry about a particular circumstance or situation? Why does it make me feel so sad? Then I write down my answers. I do not filter my thoughts; I just release them onto the paper. This practice significantly lightens the burden in my head and heart.

There are many ways to journal, and the benefits are vast. Here are a few journaling techniques you may want to try…

Gratitude Journaling:
• Look for things during the day for which you are grateful
• Make a list each day of at least 5 things you’re grateful for at the end of the day; this may be a list or it may be in paragraph form
• You will look at things more positively because of this, and even obstacles become opportunities to appreciate

Morning Journaling:
• When you wake, write everything you can in paragraph form
• Clear your mind by getting rid of negative thoughts or fears
• Liberate yourself to allow the goodness of the day to enter your heart

Victory Journaling:
• Keep track of all the small victories in your day
• This builds self-confidence and enables you to make bigger actions for bigger victories each day.

Dream Journaling:
• Keep track of all your hopes, dreams and aspirations
• By having these in writing, your attention will be on achieving them
• Your dreams will become your goals and then your successes

Each day I allow myself to select the thoughts and emotions I want to have, and I listen to what I am telling myself. I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction is the belief that we create our own reality. We attract those things in our life that we place our focus on.

If I allow myself to have negative thoughts, emotions, and to pass judgments, those will come back to me and will affect the results of my intentions. If, however, I allow myself to have positive thoughts, emotions, and to say positive things, those will also come back to me. Keeping my mind focused on the positive side of things makes all the difference in how my day turns out. I am able to take responsibility for my thoughts and emotions. I am able to shift my thinking and emotions if I start to get off-track.

When I get too busy, I get stressed. Stress blocks my creative thinking, generates unbalanced emotions, and does not allow me to see opportunities for success. When my mind becomes bogged down with the stress, I lose touch with my intuition. My intuition is the compass in my life, and following it helps me to feel comfortable. Without my intuitive 6th sense, I feel as if I would be lost.

Under stress, I have learned to slow down and remove my stressed self the situation. It is best if I let myself rest overnight and see what my intuition tells me the following day. I do believe in a higher power than myself, and I have decided that He/She works best at night!

Time and my intuition bring a peace to any situation. It really works; you should try it, too. Always remember to express gratitude and happiness. The only people who are truly happy are those who express gratitude.

Exercise is very important to me, and it should be important to us all! I am fortunate to be able to exercise under the guidance of an excellent trainer. She knows my limits and knows when I need to forge ahead.

It seems like when I am stressed, I tend to let exercise fall on my priority list. Times of stress are when our bodies need exercise the most. My trainer knows this, and she has kept me on track many times.

Even if you don’t have access to a personal trainer, you can keep your exercise a priority, too. Choose an activity you love, and put it in your schedule. Find a friend to exercise with you – this keeps you both accountable to each other, committed, and motivated.

Exercise has many benefits:

• it can make you feel less anxious & relax you
• it can make you feel better about yourself
• it can help you eat better – one good choice leads to another.

I eat a food plan that fits the needs of my body, and usually I make food choices intuitively according to how I feel on the particular day. Is my body feeling like more protein, more green vegetables, etc.? I listen to my body’s needs. I have to be aware of the effects stress can have on my food choices. It is easy for me to grab unnecessary carbs when I am short on time. I must remind myself that my energy levels stay much more balanced if I eat a balanced food plan.