This week I wanted to discuss the importance of using other resources for self improvement and self motivation. In our Latino culture we are seldom taught about using resources such as; literature, film and therapy. Growing up I was told, to pray to God and he will help you. I can’t imagine how people made it through life back then with only faith. Not having access to books like, “The Path to Love” by Deepak Chopra, “Today I Pray” by Iyanla Vanzant and Oprah!
I was looking through “People en Español” for inspiration and I came across an article about ‘Lili Estefan’. The headline read, “Yo Soy Mi Prioridad”. It was an editorial piece within their ‘Renuevate’ section. Lily goes on to speaking about her family, her career and her passions. She speaks about how in our culture we are taught to take care of our priorities, our responsibilities and she did just that. In June of 2008, she had an epiphany that it was time for her to begin making herself a priority. I thought, “Wow, am I reading this correctly”? Someone who I watched as a kid who has progressed from being a model on ‘Sabado Gigantes’ to getting her own show El gordo y la flaca (Univision) is saying that she has still to put herself first? As a child I watched her and read about her in magazines and never once thought she never made herself a priority. From the outside looking in we think she has it all.
Now as an adult, reading that she is striving to make herself a priority was definitely a topic to write about. As a Latina in America we are given so many examples of “What Success Really Means”. I even think my father has used her as an example of what success really is. Lili continues to talk about how she has began the process of making her a priority. She explained that she wanted to work out more, that she needed spiritual rejuvenation and recommended working out, to look for the activities that we enjoyed as children and to always make yourself feel good by dressing in style and to read ‘The Seven Spiritual Laws to Success’ by Deepak Chopra. I think that it is very important to have your faith but it is important to help ourselves so that we reach our blessings that much sooner. Thank you Lili, for emphasizing the importance of making yourself a priority. This is something that I am currently putting in to play!
2 comments:
I believe that loving yourself really is one of the biggest secrets of knowing how to truly love. The golden rule, that has always existed (even in Ancient Egypt dating back to 2000BC), was always "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you". Of course Christ took it to a new level when he transformed that saying into "Love your neighbor as you love yourself". In other words, if you don't have the ability to love yourself, how can you even have the ability to love others. I also look at it as the more love you have for yourself, the more capacity you have to love others.
The way I see it, our faith can and should be a very big part of our self-improvement, but like you said, it's not the only source. And having faith does not necessarily mean having religion. Even atheists have faith in something bigger than themselves. It could be science, it could be history, etc. And you're right- It's always good to have a collection of sources to pull from when it comes to matters of spirituality and self-improvement. If everything we believe is from one source how can we form opinions?
Good read. Totally agree with reaching deeper into life for inspiration from literature, experiences, and faith. I am sometimes suprised when I hear of famous people who are soul searching, but like the rest of us the roller coaster of life can move so quickly you forget to make yourself a priority.
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