Soul Food
Let’s talk about Soul Food. If your first reaction is that of mac n’ cheese, fried chicken and greens then it’s time to think again. True Soul Food is something that feeds your soul, your mind and your body all at the same time. The food listed above might feed your body and possibly nourish your soul if it was cooked for you or by you while spending time with family and friends, but it doesn’t nourish your mind. Maybe you had a deep conversation while eating with your family or friends, but let’s be honest real soul food consists of meditation, gratitude and reading. Soul Food is something that feeds the mind, body and soul all at the same time.
Meditation allows your mind, body and spirit to connect at a deeper level. It has been shown that mediation can reduce stress, improve concentration, encourage a healthy lifestyle, increase self-awareness, increase happiness, increase acceptance, slows aging, as well as benefits cardiovascular and immune health. (8 Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Life Huffington Post 9/19/2014) If you’re not sure how to meditate or you can’t control your mind long enough to keep it quiet to relax then try this simple technique- focus on your breath. Literally say in your mind, “breathe in…..breathe out” with each corresponding breath. Set a timer and try to mediate for 10 minutes, then slowly increase the time until you are able to mediate for at least 30 minutes. You will find that your alarm will still need to be set, but this time it will be to bring you out of mediation because you will soon get lost in the beauty of mediation. I find that often 45 minutes can slip by while I enjoy peace and quiet in my own mind.
Gratitude is powerful. It is one of the most powerful and amazing tools that we as humans have been gifted. We are all capable of expressing gratitude (either aloud or mentally). Gratitude can re-shift our focus and open up channels to our goals and dreams that we didn’t see before. Gratitude for what we currently have in our life amplifies the good and sets our focus to that of plenty and thankfulness instead of that of lack, fear, and anger. Think about it, aren’t you more willing to do something for someone who says, “Thank you”, then you are for the person who expects you do something as simple as open the door for them? I know I do! Well, guess what? This is exactly how God, Spirit, the universe (or whatever term you feel comfortable using) feels as well. The easiest way to express gratitude is to write it out. Write out 8 things that are currently in your life that you are grateful for, things that either happened to you the day before or during your current day. Then write out 2 things that you are grateful that you will receive. You can express gratitude for the things you want just like you can be thankful for what you currently have. Always be in the Attitude of Gratitude!
Lastly, it’s time to read. What was the last book you read? Do you know that most Americans only read on average 1 book per year? The majority of those books are romance novels. No offense to Nicholas Sparks (yes, even I love a good romance novel from time to time), but if all you are reading are romance novels so that you can live through the characters in the books then it’s time to change your reading selection. When I’m speaking about reading, I’m speaking of books that challenge your mind by expanding your awareness of the power of your thoughts as well as your ability to set and achieve goals. Books that I have read multiple times and will continue to read include You2 by Price Pritchett, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and Your Invisible Power by Genevieve Behrend. These books can be found on my laptop, bedpost as well as my brief case. What books do you carry with you? You see, the way I see it and the way I was taught is that you are an accumulation of the books read, the programs you watch and the people you hang out with on a daily basis. Take time to really think about this last statement!
If you want to change your results, maybe you should start by looking at your current actions. Are they serving your soul on a daily basis? If not, then start with mediation, gratitude and reading. It’s about time we all start to consume some Soul Food!
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