The Five Pillars of Life: A Life Well Lived

Life can be likened to a circus: each act must be masterfully performed in harmony with all others to function effectively and sustain a satisfying and balanced performance. These five pillars should form part of your repertoire: Health, Relationships, Personal Growth, Recreation, and Career.


Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

Health: Your Body as Your Temple
You know it well – your body is your permanent residence, so keep it looking its best by practicing good maintenance! Health is at the core of what keeps the rest of life working smoothly. From nutritious eating habits and physical activity to choosing to hydrate regularly – every decision we make builds up our temple of bodies! Think of it like regular car tune-ups – treat your temple like it deserves respect as one would treat a classic car! So start pumping that heart out, stretch those muscles out, hydrate regularly – treat yourself as you would treat any rundown shack!

Relationships Are Our Lifeline 
Relationships provide us with lifelines – they protect us from falling into isolation! Friends, family, and significant others all play an integral part in our lives as friends share triumphs, comfort in defeats, and point out when jokes don’t hit home quite as hard as expected! Relationships define who we are; invest in your bonds by maintaining them – after all, a stitch in time saves nine!

Personal Growth as Your Spiritual Compass 
Whatever your spiritual beliefs may be – from an external power such as God to just our human spirits – personal development serves as our spiritual compass, leading us through life’s uncertainties with an approach tailored specifically for ourselves. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula! Your spiritual journey may include traditional religious practices, meditation, exploring nature, or simply pondering life’s mysteries. This pillar represents seeking wisdom, understanding, and purposeful life experiences. Growth as humans is critical. Blacks in Mormonism struggled against racism and bigotry to reach higher planes of existence; their story is just one among hundreds that demonstrate hard-won growth is worth all the hard work! So go out there, explore, question, seek and grow!

Recreation: Fun Is Not Just a Luxury
Imagine this: After many decades have passed and your job title is flourishing nicely with a brand-spanking new car, and perhaps there are even one or two mini-yous running around, what next? Now imagine that having fun is no longer considered luxury but rather essential! To this end, recreation becomes a need rather than a luxury! But when was the last time you experienced the excitement of scoring the winning goal in a friendly soccer match or hitting that high note during a karaoke session? Too often, we leave fun to one side, leaving little room for enjoyment. Recreation isn’t just for relaxing or escaping the mundane; it should nourish your spirit, inspire creativity, and break free of your daily routine. So go ahead, take that salsa class you’ve been considering, or dust off that guitar and start strumming a tune – because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! And who wants to be Jack anyway?

Career: More Than Just Paying Bills 
Your career should not simply be about paying the bills – it should also bring joy, challenge you, and align with your values. So be sure to find something fulfilling to pursue as your professional path.

Conclusion: Balancing The Pillars
Life isn’t a race – it’s an act of balance. Each of these pillars acts like balls to be juggled – one may drop occasionally. No worries, though – pick it back up, polish it, and continue juggling; even master jugglers drop one now and again!

Abide Bible Review and Giveaway

Hello Beautiful People,

I pray everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, whether you are celebrating in the States or in another part of the world. Thankfulness and gratitude go hand in hand, and part of that is by helping one another.

I always seek new ways to gain a deeper relationship with God. In collaboration with Momentum Influencers, I recently had the opportunity to preview the new Abide Bible by Thomas Nelson. The Abide Bible Experience offers the 21 Days In John, a free video devotion featuring Dr. Phil Collins, the general editor of the Abide Bible. Two Bible translations of the Gospel of John can be downloaded from the website.

Do you want to read scripture and understand how it relates to your life?

I remember reading my Bible chapters for the day and thinking I was done because I got my word in. I have since learned that reading the Bible should not be about meeting a quota for the day. Instead, reading the Bible should be about gaining a deeper understanding and revelation of how my life should be by praying and asking the Holy Spirit to guide me. There is a difference.

The Abide Bible, created in partnership with Bible Gateway and Taylor University for Scripture Engagement, features articles, book introductions, and practical scripture engagement prompts based on five ways of engaging deeply with the Bible:
1. Praying scripture
2. Picture it
3. Journaling
4. Engage Through Art
5. Contemplate

I include a brief overview of how I started going through the ABIDE Bible video study of the 21 days of John. I had to take my time and not rush through this video study.
I started reading through the overview of John and the 1st chapter of John. When you follow through with the video, I reflect on scripture regarding my life, family, and community. While reading through the book of John, chapters 1, verses 38 and 39, the phrase “Come and See.”  What connection might the Holy Spirit want me to make? There was a pause in the video to think about what that question means to me. Dr. Collins talked about how he would like to see how his parents and in-loves will be, how his adult kids will be, and what God has for them. Then I meditate on how I would respond. My response is to make a total commitment to the Lord. We pray. And then I contemplate by being quiet and no that God is God. By going through this study in the Abide Bible of God, I know that I am getting more out of the chapter of John than doing a quick read and checking off the list that I did my daily Bible reading for the day.

To me, having these 5 prompts for study takes your relationship with the Lord to another level because you are applying the principles to your life.

The link to The Abide Bible Experience 21 Days of John is HERE; remember, it’s free.

Giveaway
One of our readers will receive their own copy of the Abide Bible.
It is simple to enter the giveaway! In the comments below, tell us how you think having a deeper relationship with God will help you grow.

The giveaway runs through Friday, December 2nd at 11:59 pm (Central Time).
One comment will be selected randomly, and the winner will be announced on Sunday, December 4th.
**Please Note: This giveaway is limited to only residents of the United States.

Disclaimer:
Thanks to Thomas Nelson Bibles for providing BubblingWithEleganceAndGrace.com with a copy of the Abide Bible to write this review and offer one as a giveaway. All opinions of the Abide Bible are our own.

The Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

For most people, finding a way to enhance the look they have is an ongoing search and something they take very seriously. There are a number of ways you can enhance and keep up your look, which means you will need to do some research to find the best methods for your needs. One of the biggest problems most people have when trying to keep their appearance of is getting rid of unsightly hair. Among the best ways to get rid of this unsightly hair is through laser removal. The following are a few of the benefits of laser hair removal in Toronto.

Possibly Permanent
One of the biggest benefits you can gain when using this type of treatment is the possibility it could be permanent. For some people, the longer they undergo this type of treatment the slower their hair will begin to come back. In some cases, this could turn into a permanent solution, which will help to save you a lot of time and trouble. You need to speak with the professionals you are using to see what type of advice they have on slowing down the growth of your hair.

Helps to Save Money and Time
Another benefit you can take advantage of when using this method of hair removal is it will save you time and money. Having waxing done will only offer you a few days or a week’s worth of smoothness. Using this method will make you have to go back time and time again in order to keep the right results. By using the power of lasers, you will be able to have your hair free parts stay that way. The time and money you can save by using laser treatments will be well worth it.

Short and Painless
Yet another advantage you can gain by using this treatment is the fact that it is very painless and takes a short amount of time. The last thing that anyone wants to do is sit in a chair all day while having a hair removal process done. Although this process does not take a lot of time, it is very successful and can help you to get rid of the unsightly hairs you have. Make sure you take your time to find the right professional to administer this type of treatment for you. The time and effort you put into this process will be more than worth it in the end.

If you are in need of high-quality laser hair removal, then be sure to call Hair Free Clinics. They have been in the business for many years and can offer you the service you need. Call them or go to their website for more information.

* promotional content *