Love. Live. Laugh. Get your mind right.

Love. Live. Laugh. In that order. We need a strong balance of physical, mental, and spiritual health. All three are very important and intertwined in our overall well-being. There are a lot of interpretations to this phrase but here's the way I see it works in my personal life and other mentally and spiritually strong people.



Love. Love is such a powerful word that is not just a noun but an action and a feeling. It's an intangible spirit (GHS) that fills you up in its presence and will bring you down in lack thereof. Love is defined as a deep intense feeling of affection and something you find pleasure in (Webster) . Who is there to feel that way about first other than yourself? Yes, you! You are the start of all of your love. Loving yourself wholeheartedly will make life better, brighter, lighter, and fuller. A lot of people look for love in material things, people, jobs, money, etc. Now, don't get me wrong, you can love these things but these things won't make you love yourself, which begins within. You cannot truly love another being entirely if you do not love yourself. How can you appreciate the reception of love without knowing how to love? Do you know what you need to work on? What do your closest friends and/or relatives say is an issue of yours? Maybe they're right. It could very well be the underlying reason you are not entirely happy with yourself. Also, if you are not gaining from a relationship, which can be intimate or not, maybe breaking it off is not a bad idea. Gaining does not have to be related to money or any other materialistic substance. It can be a numerous of things such as trust, communication, self-esteem, knowledge, and let's not forget love. Some people, including myself, sometimes get really comfortable and lose themselves in relationships, forgetting who they are and loving someone more than themselves. Well I am here to tell you, Love yourself first. You can be a parent, child, spouse, sibling, friend, co-worker, or boss, you should Love you first. Love you for you and be confident in that. No, this does not mean you don't need anybody because love is meant to be dispersed to others, friendships and relationships are built and sustained by love. If you don't like something about yourself, change it. If you don't know why you don't love you, seek counseling and don't be ashamed of it. There are too many unhappy people and depression in our communities that has a stigma on seeking counseling, spiritual, or psychological help. People will go to the doctors for a broken arm but not for a broken heart. Let down that wall of refusing help. You have to look out for yourself. A heart with love is a terrible thing to waste. Love thyself.

Live. What is the meaning of live to you? Does it mean the life after birth? Breathing? Blood flow? Or working? Or going to school? Or following the same schedule every day? To live is so much greater than those things. Those abilities are simply being alive. To live is living your life to the fullest.  The world is huge and the sky is unlimited. What do you really enjoy doing? What would you do without pay? Is it what you do on a daily, or at least, on a weekly basis? If not, a lot of your energy and life is being wasted. Your energy should be aimed towards getting to your dream or living it. You are no different from the people who are doing what you enjoy and created to be. We are all human with the same bodily components and blood flow. We are spiritual creatures that have a natural drive in us that propels us as young children that we are bigger than life. The year is not over yet where you can begin to research how to live out your dreams. You can network with people who share your desires and go for it. It may be hard but it is well worth it in the end. Just remember positive things that are difficult to get are worth having. Love what you do. Live out life; don't let life out live you.

Laugh. When someone laughs, for the most part, it's because they are happy or think something is funny which will ultimately result to happiness, at least in that moment (Webster). To laugh also means a sound of positivity, in my perspective. People who laugh a lot are seen as happy and positive. It's nothing like having someone in your circle that makes you laugh that you always want to be around. If you are the comedian, everyone wants to surround you.  That is not by accident. It's simply because positivity is attractive and contagious. It is really not healthy to be angry for most of your day. Or get mad at the smallest things which are to each individual's digression. It can affect your overall physical and mental health balance. The physical effects are not limited to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and death. Yes, stress causes death and depression. Negativity can disperse the same way positivity does. Misery loves company and will try to get in where it can and cannot fit in. Things that try to bring you down and kill your happy vibe should be brushed off your shoulders. Tell yourself it's not that deep and it didn't kill me so it will make me stronger. Surround yourself around positive people who are doing positive things because you are who you hang around. Listen to positive songs.  My joyful songs include, but aren't limited to, Happy by Pharrell, I smile by Kirk Franklin, Beautiful Day by Jamie Grace, and Love on Top by Beyonce. These songs make me all bubbly inside and really appreciate all I have in my life. Lastly, do things that are life fulfilling like we discussed before such as living out your dream, helping others, and traveling, just to name a few. If your cries outweigh your laughs, get up and declare that your days ahead will be brighter, and full of laughter and positivity. Whatever or whoever is continuously making you cry should be dismissed or ignored. No longer will it control your emotions. From this moment forward, you will smile and laugh in the face of negativity.

I know this article is different from the others but definitely still important. You have no idea how many people I say these things to. There are some broken people out there that need help. Please spread this article around because there is someone who can benefit from this. Mental and spiritual health is more important than physical health in my opinion. You need that balance. It's time to get your mind right.

Love a lot. Live it up. Laugh out loud. Repeat.