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What does Living Your Best Life mean?

MatthewA

MatthewA

Active Member
Hello you and welcome.

What does living your best life now mean to you?
How do you to go about living the best you can now?

Considering that ; from my experience; would you consider people whom are in nursing homes; that are sick, ill, growing old and maybe nothing really wrong other than the body is broken from movement.


Would you consider near the end of life the best part of life?

What are your thoughts on the topic?
 
Spirit of Light

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
MatthewA said:
Hello you and welcome.

What does living your best life now mean to you?
How do you to go about living the best you can now?

Considering that ; from my experience; would you consider people whom are in nursing homes; that are sick, ill, growing old and maybe nothing really wrong other than the body is broken from movement.


Would you consider near the end of life the best part of life?

What are your thoughts on the topic?
Click to expand...
Speaking only for my self, and what i see as the best part of my life.

Right now, is the best part of my life. Every day when i wake up is the best part of my life. As long i am able to live in the moment, nothing that happens feel as "Bad" as it did before. Accepting that life does have ups and downs and it can hurt when life is down. It make sense to me to focus on what i can do right now, instead of thinking about the past or worry about the future.
 
JustGeorge

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
For me, it means trying to be my best me.

I can't control my circumstances to any great extent. But I can practice controlling my responses(I'm not always there yet).

My two grandmothers have taught me a lot about aging. One aged gracefully. She is in her mid 90s, and doesn't look a day over 80. She accepted herself as she aged. She wasn't bitter, and when it was time to let something go, she let it go. She remains mostly positive about the things around her.

My other grandmother is younger by about 5 years, but she looks much older than she is. Her mobility is gone for the most part, much of it due to injury from refusing to accept that the body was aging and couldn't do the things it once could. She is very bitter about things, and often talks about her losses. She is appreciative of those who help her, but she focuses on what she doesn't have, not what she has. I love her very much, but I don't want to age like her. I hope to age like the afore mentioned grandmother.
 
Rival

Rival

se Dex me saut.
Staff member
Premium Member
First thing that came to mind is this Chassidic tale,

A rabbi named Zusya died and went to stand before the judgment seat of God. As he waited for God to appear, he grew nervous thinking about his life and how little he had done. He began to imagine that God was going to ask him, "Why weren't you Moses or why weren't you Solomon or why weren't you David?" But when God appeared, the rabbi was surprised. God simply asked, "Why weren't you Zusya?"
 
MatthewA

MatthewA

Active Member
Conscious thoughts said:
Speaking only for my self, and what i see as the best part of my life.

Right now, is the best part of my life. Every day when i wake up is the best part of my life. As long i am able to live in the moment, nothing that happens feel as "Bad" as it did before. Accepting that life does have ups and downs and it can hurt when life is down. It make sense to me to focus on what i can do right now, instead of thinking about the past or worry about the future.
Click to expand...

Living in the present is a very good thing to do.
Along with being conscience of what is going on in a persons life.


JustGeorge said:
For me, it means trying to be my best me.

I can't control my circumstances to any great extent. But I can practice controlling my responses(I'm not always there yet).

My two grandmothers have taught me a lot about aging. One aged gracefully. She is in her mid 90s, and doesn't look a day over 80. She accepted herself as she aged. She wasn't bitter, and when it was time to let something go, she let it go. She remains mostly positive about the things around her.

My other grandmother is younger by about 5 years, but she looks much older than she is. Her mobility is gone for the most part, much of it due to injury from refusing to accept that the body was aging and couldn't do the things it once could. She is very bitter about things, and often talks about her losses. She is appreciative of those who help her, but she focuses on what she doesn't have, not what she has. I love her very much, but I don't want to age like her. I hope to age like the afore mentioned grandmother.
Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing the differences between your Grandmas lives. (Thankfully you got to learn from them and am glad that you have and had gotten to spend time with your family.) Most assuredly.

Rival said:
First thing that came to mind is this Chassidic tale,

A rabbi named Zusya died and went to stand before the judgment seat of God. As he waited for God to appear, he grew nervous thinking about his life and how little he had done. He began to imagine that God was going to ask him, "Why weren't you Moses or why weren't you Solomon or why weren't you David?" But when God appeared, the rabbi was surprised. God simply asked, "Why weren't you Zusya?"
Click to expand...

Never heard of Zusya, who was he, and what was he about, Rival?
 
Rival

Rival

se Dex me saut.
Staff member
Premium Member
MatthewA said:
Living in the present is a very good thing to do.
Along with being conscience of what is going on in a persons life.




Thank you for sharing the differences between your Grandmas lives. (Thankfully you got to learn from them and am glad that you have and had gotten to spend time with your family.) Most assuredly.



Never heard of Zusya, who was he, and what was he about, Rival?
Click to expand...
The point isn't about Zusya, it's saying you need to be who God made you and not someone else, not holding yourself to impossible standards.
 
The Hammer

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
MatthewA said:
Hello you and welcome.

What does living your best life now mean to you?
How do you to go about living the best you can now?

Considering that ; from my experience; would you consider people whom are in nursing homes; that are sick, ill, growing old and maybe nothing really wrong other than the body is broken from movement.


Would you consider near the end of life the best part of life?

What are your thoughts on the topic?
Click to expand...

Doing what brings, not only me happiness, but happiness to those around me. So, living ones best life is often in flux.
 
sun rise

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
Rival said:
First thing that came to mind is this Chassidic tale,

A rabbi named Zusya died and went to stand before the judgment seat of God. As he waited for God to appear, he grew nervous thinking about his life and how little he had done. He began to imagine that God was going to ask him, "Why weren't you Moses or why weren't you Solomon or why weren't you David?" But when God appeared, the rabbi was surprised. God simply asked, "Why weren't you Zusya?"
Click to expand...

That reminded me of this story:

"The Baal Shem Tov taught that the heavenly court has neither the power nor the capacity to judge you for what you have done with the life G‑d gave you upon this earth. So this is what they do:

They show you someone’s life—all the achievements and all the failures, all the right decisions and all the wrongdoings—and then they ask you, “So what should we do with this somebody?”

And you give your verdict. Which they accept.

And then they tell you that this somebody was you. Being now in heaven, you don’t recall a thing.

Of course, those who tend to judge others favorably have a decided advantage.
Better get in the habit now."

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman
 
sun rise

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
MatthewA said:
Would you consider near the end of life the best part of life?
Click to expand...

Taking the questions in a different order, I like Robert Browning's statement and not just the oft quoted first part:

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, 'A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!”

MatthewA said:
What does living your best life now mean to you?
How do you to go about living the best you can now?
Click to expand...

I would express my answer as trying to meet each situation from a loving perspective and leaving the results to God.

But of course what is my best? The reflection "am I really doing my best" could easily drive me into despair and depression because my reach far exceeds my grasp. I'm helped out of this trap by remembering a poem Dan Ladinsky wrote inspired by one from Hafiz:

What happens when your soul
Begins to awaken
Your eyes and your heart
And the cells of your body
To the great Journey of Love?

First there is wonderful laughter
And probably precious tears
And a hundred sweet promises
And those heroic vows no one can ever keep.

But still God is delighted and amused
You once tried to be a saint.

What happens when your soul
Begins to awaken
To our deep need to love
And serve the Friend?
O the Beloved will send you
One of His wonderful, wild companions -
Like Hafiz.
 
Trailblazer

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
MatthewA said:
What does living your best life now mean to you?
How do you to go about living the best you can now?
Click to expand...
To be honest, I cannot even think about 'my best life' when I am worried about others who might not have much more life, as I would consider that selfish. Usually it is my cats, now it is my husband, it never ends. :(
 
SalixIncendium

SalixIncendium

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
Staff member
Premium Member
MatthewA said:
Hello you and welcome.

What does living your best life now mean to you?
How do you to go about living the best you can now?

Considering that ; from my experience; would you consider people whom are in nursing homes; that are sick, ill, growing old and maybe nothing really wrong other than the body is broken from movement.


Would you consider near the end of life the best part of life?

What are your thoughts on the topic?
Click to expand...

This, as I see it, goes hand in hand with the fourth agreement with the Toltec philosophy...always do your best.

One's best will vary based on one's circumstances, but there is an optimum for any circumstance.

I take it one step further. Each day I live my best day.

People often ask me, "How are you?" or, "How are you doing?"

My usual reply is, "Fantastic! [This is the] best day of my life!"

People usually think I'm being sarcastic or that I'm joking. I'm not. I seriously intend to live each day I wake up as the best day of my life. It may not come to fruition each and every day, but in my experience, such an outlook brings about great things and is a great way to live.
 
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