The importance of play cannot be overstated. It has a wonderful effect on mood, health.

Play every day.

Play every day.

Play every day.

How seldom we stop to do an inventory of that which we have been endowed. Although our standard of living is very high (by just about any measure) it’s easy to take it for granted. Regardless of how we’ve obtained it, we feel entitled to have it. You get accustomed to having it and it feels like you should have it forever. Fill up your gas tank these days and it’s tempting to whine about the high prices. But when you stop to realize how plentiful and cheap it is compared to other parts of the globe, you realize you’ve got nothing to grouse about. We are fortunate in so many ways, no matter how you slice it.

Gratitude is the cornerstone of inspiration.

When you notice yourself finding fault in yourself or your circumstances, or in other people, that would be a good time to flip the switch and choose to look at that very same situation from a place of gratefulness. Count your blessings often and feel the shift in your energy for the better. All of a sudden it will seem as if you are swimming with the tide instead of against it.

Gratitude is great.

A strategy for creating a steady flow of energy is more likely to see results if we apply a dedicated effort, day after day, after day. It may not be glamorous but it works. Sustained momentum is the key. The Scots have a saying: “Mony a mickle maks a muckle.” In other words: “Little things add up to something big.” Find your pace and stay with it for the long haul.

Maybe it’s a love of horses, or a longing to travel, or a strong desire to build a boat, or a fascination with the stars. If you’ve always had a special interest in something, but have put the pursuit of it on the back burner, it may be time to move it to the forefront.

Breathing techniques can dramatically increase your energy. We can live without food for a few weeks (not recommended), and without water for a few days (ditto), but deprive yourself of oxygen for just a few short minutes and you may not live to talk about it. Oxygen is so vital to our health and well being that we owe it to ourselves to make a concerted effort to get better at utilizing it. In the past 24 hours you’ve taken as many as 20,000 breaths. Over a lifetime you inhale and exhale 100,000,000 times. That’s a whole lot of breathing, partner. Think about the ramifications. Imagine what a little “breathwork” could do to help your respiratory system function at more of its capacity.

Improving Breathing Techniques

No one teaches us breathing techniques when we are born. We do it naturally and effortlessly. But the modern way of life has a way of taxing that beautiful autonomic system. A combination of high stress and a largely sedentary lifestyle has conditioned us to breathe in a much more shallow way than the original Designer had in mind. Proper breathing techniques are easy to learn, and when incorporated into a busy lifestyle, can help us to be more resilient to stress and give us more vitality every day. Check out “Conscious Breathing”, by Gay Hendricks, for a comprehensive treatment of the subject. It’s the best I’ve seen.