Live for each day. Trust in the feel of the moment.

I'm feeling quite happy these days. One of the reasons is I have learned many new techniques of helping myself to stay well in my mind and also in my body. Individually, of course. This is partly from how I happen to be subscribed to a few email newsletters of self-help geared toward learning to know how to manage myself in thoughts and emotions, and also to help myself stay focused on achieving my goals and success. I'd like to share with readers in this moment some of the fine principles I've learned. I admit not all of the rules for self-help succeed with all people. Not all of the ones I've learned of work with me, either. However, a great deal of the ones I've learned of and tried out have been very helpful with me. Especially when I quickly remember how some of them were principles I'd applied to help myself in the past and they work as well as ever before. I just before had not consciously been aware they were practically the keys to my health in emotional and successful well-being. Here are the 7 fine principles I've found the best for me:

1. Pausing for a few minutes to think about all I feel gratitude for. This is essential to my well-being of remaining optimistic and hopeful as I move forward. I have many things, and people in my life now, to feel a lot of gratitude towards. All of which I write about and will keep writing about in these posts to come. 2. Learning a new thing or two each day. You can see why the Wogglebug would recommend this, I'm sure. And it is quite as helpful as the previous one is, as I've found. I'm always finding out new information through all sorts of things. This means more than research and studying (though it can mean those as well), it also can mean discovering and reading an awesome new book or watching an awesome new movie for any number of reasons. I, as a film maker and writer and screenwriter always find anything I learn from these beneficial. 3. Meditating. This is when I am alone and pause to let the gratitude I feel sink into me. And also all of the things I know of sink into me, especially all the things I wish to sink in the most. So that I can better absorb new knowledge to come and also better know where to find it. 4. Exercising. This is essential to keeping my body healthy. And also essential to keeping my mind healthy and focused, often. I have many ways of exercising. Some can be done indoors. Others better done outdoors. Just a 20 minute or so walk around my area helps in so many ways. 5. Looking at and appreciating nature around me. This is something I've always loved to do form the time I'd been a child. I was just fortunate enough to be around nature more than others. I still am these days. I love feeling the fresh on me, as well as the sunshine. Also viewing the trees with their new leaves at this time of the year. Not to mention the new flowers that have blossomed. I must admit I love looking up now and then at the blue sky with or without some white fluffy clouds and also in the evenings when the stars and moon are out. Whether the moon is full or half. 6. I keep practicing at all the things I want to master knowing how to do. This includes of course screenwriting, filmmaking, prose writing. Also includes other things I'm now learning for the first time because I want to and feel the need to also. This is because the old saying "Practice makes perfect" is quite true. Mastering a skill takes a combination of having talent and a will to succeed, and a great deal of practicing. So I keep plugging away. 7. I do my best to keep away my negative thoughts from my mind and psyche. I mean such thoughts as ones of self-doubt or self-pity. Also ones of anger or envy, or reliving past pain. Over the years I've found various to help keep these away from me, and not just to keep them from reoccurring with me in a new form. I don't know as I'll ever really achieve the level where I will never feel them again. But all the above principles make me optimistic enough to feel they need not burden me the way they once could.