important!

dear sweet potato,

sometimes it's hard to know what's important and what's not important, so i thought i'd share some things i've learned during my 40 years on earth:

ONE

important!: love yourself. everything else starts here.

not important: self-consciousness about what self-love means. if you don't already love yourself--and know it--i'm sorry. i've let you down.

TWO

important!: eat for health. it's much easier to maintain good health than to reclaim your health, and healthy food tastes good, too. (learn to cook.)

not important: being the odd man out when everyone else is eating deep fried food or sugary food or over-processed food...

THREE

important!: use your body. walk when you can. find a vigorous form of exercise you enjoy and do it regularly.

not important: how you exercise. run, do martial arts, play team sports, dance...

FOUR

important! be true to yourself

not important: "friends" who don't support you. ditch the fake friends and seek out the ones who enrich your life.

FIVE

important!: recognize that life is change, that everything is impermanent. appreciate the people and things you love, fresh air, clean water, trees, animals, blue skies.

not important: the mystery of life. no one knows why and no one will ever know why (despite what they tell you).

SIX

important!: express yourself. let your love be known. love drives all good in the world.

not important: feeling foolish. you'll get over it.

SEVEN

important!: your mind can be your friend or your enemy. make friends with it through meditation.

not important: meditation is boring. you can't sit still. you'll do it later. that's your enemy mind talking.

EIGHT

important!: believe it is possible. whatever it is that matters to you, no matter how long the odds or how bleak the landscape, believe it is possible. then act.

not important: being dismissed as a dreamer. dreamers invent the world.