O Magazine contributor Martha Beck is one of my favorites. I love her writing style and the topics she writes on are easily read and down to earth and usually very inciteful. I don't know about you, but reading O Magazine is a wonderful experience for me. It usually takes me a very long time to get through each issue because it is like savoring a really great piece of chocolate. You just want to save that good feeling and spread it out over time.
Here are a few excerpts from the March 2012 issue entitled Take a Load Off. The topic is What's on your plate which talks about her friend that is dying of cancer and on her deathbed joked about having just one more thing on her to-do list. Martha retorts: "Instead of fretting about getting everything done, why not simply accept that being alive means having things to do?" Well.....as a "To Do Lister" myself....I truly love making to-do lists....for several reasons. First of all, if I don't make a list, I forget to do something and then I waste energy trying to remember what it is I forgot. Now at my age, that can be critical...if you know what I mean.
In the next excerpt from this article, the topic is about your face (and hips, and butt...) she refers to this as the "big kahuna of worries: our appearance." Her advice...."Instead of obsessing over your own appearance, try noticing--and mentioning--beautiful things about everyone else. This will make people adore you, which, last time I checked, is what most of us are hoping to achieve by worrying about our looks in the first place." Wow....with advice like that....how can one go wrong? Now mind you...I will have to really put elbow grease into this one.
Be patient...there's more! The next topic is about everything you're doing wrong....about people who worry about being perfect. Her take on this..."I love the Buddhist concept of enlightenment as living without anxiety over imperfection. You can strain every fiber of your being trying to be flawless, only to face inevitable failure--or you can stop worrying about perfection, which instantly makes everything feel great. Save time and tofu: Choose option two."
The next topic - the past. She writes: "When we fixate on something in the past, we grab our own histories by the throat, cutting off the flow of physical and emotional energy that keeps us fully alive. To start the flow again, look forward. Think how you can apply what you've learned." This would be a permanent "to-do" item.
What people are saying about you right this second is the new topic. Her advice...."Today, pretend you're a Martian gathering data on humans. As you notice what they do and say without focusing on your fear of their opinions, you'll feel less self-conscious, and they'll feel the nonjudgmental attention they've always wanted from you. Win-win." One basic thought came to mind....do unto others....well you know how that goes!
Last topic I found amusing is called your account balance. She calls this the "global sacred rite of worrying about money"....then follows that up with..."People, it has no payoff." She shares about the time in her life when she was unemployed....then she decided to try writing for a living...but was too worried to write. She pushed aside the worry and worked....then admitted that she didn't make money that day, yet felt that she made money sooner because she stopped worrying. But the prize quote was: "Did I enjoy my life more from that moment on, regardless of how much I had in the bank? Abso-freaking-lutely." Oh my God....I am going to add that word to my list of favorites!
Abso-freaking-lutely.....Have fun today!
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