In these times when there are many who seem confused, angry, fearful and full of blame, I wondered how would you and I know if we are doing ok? So I did some exploration and came up with 12 personal characteristics of healthy human beings:
1. Self-exploring – healthy people understand that life is an endless exploration of who we are and how we fit into the world. Self-exploration is about lifelong growth, expanding awareness and becoming more conscious, which continues until our last breath.
2. Self-respecting and appreciating – if we have a respect for who we are than we are ahead of the game for a healthy life. If we appreciate who we are and our uniqueness we allow ourselves great freedom for even further expression.
3. Aware of values – if we know our values than we can live at peace with ourselves. Our values are unique to us and when followed we feel uplifted by our daily living. Values can change with time and higher consciousness.
4. Open to change – if we are open to change than we have endless possibilities. Change is a given in the life of a human being and to go with change in a receptive manner allows us to find joy in most experiences.
5. Living life fully – living life with all the gusto we can means we have lived fully. No one was put on this planet to hold back, to be less than we are capable of being. Where can we live more fully is a great question to ponder today.
6. Authentic, sincere, honest – these three seem to go together well if we are authentic we must be sincere in our expression and honest in our actions. Authentic people are a pleasure to be around. Honest people can be trusted and sincerity is always appreciated.
7. Sense of humor – what a huge mess humanity would be in if there was no sense of humor. Humor takes us out of our unnecessary seriousness and brings a lightness to the challenges we face. Imagine real humor in politics and religion and the world would be a better place.
8. Loving and compassionate – Our capacity to love, to care for, to have compassion for and to be kind towards other is limitless. If there is one reason we are here in this life according to the great wisdom traditions of humanity, that reason is to love.
9. Living in the present – there is no tomorrow or yesterday. A person who is healthy knows that today is all we have and to live it with the force of intention that can only come from being fully present. Now is where all the action is.
10. Accepting of others – if we can put to rest the endless judging of our critical mind, we can free ourselves to enjoy the world and our life. Accepting others allows them to be who they are when they are with us, which is very liberating to them and enriching to us.
11. Sees life as meaningful – daily living gives us an opportunity to live with purpose. A meaningful and passionate life comes from tuning into self and expressing our uniqueness and potential for the betterment of the world.
12. Seeks fitness of mind, body, emotions and spirit – healthy people understand that self-care is about nurturing and growing our mind, caring for our body, respecting our emotions and exploring our spiritual nature. Each aspect of a whole person’s well-being is to be cared for to insure a life of balance and harmony.
What of the 12 characteristics do you do well? Which ones could use some further growth? Imagine a world where most human beings nurtured these 12 qualities in themselves and each other.