Take time daily to be alone with yourself, away from phones, the Internet and noise. Making time for solitude is a gift you give yourself. Insist on it, and don’t allow anyone, including yourself, to talk you out of it. It's enlightened selfishness and it's a very spiritual way to love yourself. Until your are feeling good about yourself, you can't feel good about others.

Here are six healthy benefits of quiet time.

1. Lighten Up

In a stressed state, it’s so easy to snap at the kids, the pets and your beloved; and then you feel guilty for "losing" it. You love it when you are compassionate and kind. In a relaxed state it's so easy to have a clear mind and connect with a deeper sense of purpose and good.

Meditation and medication are derived from the Latin word medicus, to care or to cure. A time of quiet calmness is, therefore, the most effective remedy for a busy and overworked mind. Anytime you feel antsy and headed into overwhelm, just focus on your breathing and quietly repeat with each in-and-out breath: Breathing in, Calm down, you're okay; breathing out, All is well. (Because you are and it is.)

2. Let Go

Love is always there between the thoughts, behind the drama, underneath the noise. What keeps us from experiencing our natural state of peace is the habitual and ego-dominated monkey mind. Meditation enables us to see clearly, to witness our thoughts and behavior and reduce self-involvement. Without such a practice of self-reflection there’s no way of putting a brake on the ego’s demands. From being self-centered, we can become other-centered, concerned about the welfare of all.

3. Gratitude

Take a moment to appreciate the chair you’re sitting on. Consider how the chair was made: the wood, cotton, wool, or other fibers, the trees and plants that were used, the earth that grew the trees, the sun and rain, the animals that maybe gave their lives, the people who prepared the materials, the factory where the chair was made, the designer and carpenter and seamstress, the shop that sold it—all this just so you could be sitting here, now. Then extend that deep appreciation to everything and everyone in your life.

As a parent, you can nurture your children’s imaginations by providing good books that inspire them to imagine and art supplies that give them a way to express their creativity. If they’re musical, be sure to give them access to musical instruments. One of the best gifts you can give your kids is clutter-free space in which to create.

It’s also a good idea to encourage kids to share their dreams when you’re at the breakfast table every morning, as sharing dreams will cultivate the child’s ability to remember their dreams and learn from them. Children love to talk about their dreams, I know because whenever I get the privilege of being with a messy-haired, sleepy-eyed child, I always ask and it always turns into a wonderful and creative discussion. Try it tomorrow morning as you sit and enjoy the start of your day with your kids. 

The best gift you can give the world is to be healthy and happy.

Consider this: What if spiritually you chose to come to this planet at this specific time, in this specific body with this specific life? And what if you knew before you came that you'd never be alone, that you'd be protected and loved every moment of your experience during your stay?

 What if this life experience you're having as you read this blog is exactly what you signed up for? Shakespeare said, “Life is a stage and we are actors upon it.” So imagine before you came here that you went over a bunch of scripts and you picked a play that really intrigued you and after much consultation with your fellow actors, producers, directors and from your angels you decided to come here and be YOU in this play called This is Your Life.

I had a dream many years ago on this topic. I walked into a large conference room where there was much laughter. I focused in on a very large black man dressed in a glorious, white African tribal chief’s robe. When I approached the oval table he looked at me with great love and his eyes sparkled with joy. He asked me if I had any questions about my life, so I asked him, “What happens to evil people when they die?”

Would you like to have more harmony and peace in your home?

Can you call to mind a family in which each member is happy and loving? Maybe it's your own. Happiness is nurtured at home. A happy home is filled with peace and harmony. Would you like to have more harmony and peace in your home? Take what I learned from a different kind of family...my chorus. 

I love all the women in it: all 110 of them! When I joined ten years ago, it was as if I had an instant set of new friends that shared one of my passions: singing harmony. I’d like to pass on to you some lessons I’ve learned from being in this family of singers that might be applied to having a happy home.

1.   LOVE

Love is the most important element in any happy group. Every one of the singers in my chorus loves music and loves what happens when we sing together with love as our reason to be doing it. Our supreme goal is to have that love reflected out to our audience, lifting each person and changing the atmosphere in the room.

Of course we love our families and when all of our “To Do” lists are crossed off and our fondest figuring outs are quieted; our love is the most important part of our experience as women.

Child Locked in Antique Safe

A few years ago, I was at a grand opening of an internationally known bronze sculptor’s establishment. It was held in an historic building that has been restored to its original integrity. After the festivities, a child accidentally closed the door to an antique, walk-in safe, seeming to seal her younger cousin inside! The mother of the child in the safe went nuclear!

She had been one of the main organizers of the event and all the fussing and preparation for the big ceremony paled to the agony of this mother as she stood on the outside of the safe in hysterical horror. As it turned out, the safe had not locked. All it took was a screwdriver and a few minutes to nudge the heavy door open.

What I observed was a mother who was instantly reminded of what was really important in her life. Love of her child. Organizing the event, which I’m sure had consumed much of her time, was insignificant compared to her child’s life in that moment.

2. JOY