Hello Hello again!
Happiness challenge day 3! Have an apple!
What the heck am I talking about? You're probably asking!
If you read any of my previous books or attended any of my workshops, you would surely be familiar with 'Apples'. It all started when I gave birth to my first child, Youssof. Back then, I was working as a teaching assistant in the faculty of pharmacy. I loved my job with all its time-consuming efforts. But, with a new born baby, I could no longer resume my work. I took maternity leave and spent my days and nights taking care of my child and my house. Janna, my daughter, was born two years later, and my leave extended. I loved my kids, enjoyed a happy marriage and a caring loving husband. Still, I was very stressed, anxious and unhappy. I cried almost every day without knowing why. One day, I read a book that changed my life: Nurturing Yourself and Others. In her book, the author explained how she was suffering from the same symptoms when, like me, she had every reason to be happy. Her counselor put it for her in a simple, yet beautiful way: “Think of yourself as an apple barrel” he advised. The apple barrel is only useful if it actually holds some apples. If we keep giving our apples to our kids, spouse, family, colleagues, and friends, we will soon run out of apples and feel worthless. To restore our function in life we have to replenish our supply of apples.
And this became my first advice to any of my friends, family, students and clients… Find your source of apples!
Apples are things that make you genuinely happy, fulfilled, thrilled, and/or replenished. It might be reading a book, playing with your kid, walking barefoot on green grass, collecting shells from a sandy beach, spending some time with a friend, drawing, painting, cooking, quilting, fishing, running, writing poetry, fixing the car, playing video games, meditating... Think, and make your own list. Pick one apple from the list and have it TODAY!
And most importantly, share your experience with us here in the post!
Have a happy day!
Happiness challenge day 3! Have an apple!
What the heck am I talking about? You're probably asking!
If you read any of my previous books or attended any of my workshops, you would surely be familiar with 'Apples'. It all started when I gave birth to my first child, Youssof. Back then, I was working as a teaching assistant in the faculty of pharmacy. I loved my job with all its time-consuming efforts. But, with a new born baby, I could no longer resume my work. I took maternity leave and spent my days and nights taking care of my child and my house. Janna, my daughter, was born two years later, and my leave extended. I loved my kids, enjoyed a happy marriage and a caring loving husband. Still, I was very stressed, anxious and unhappy. I cried almost every day without knowing why. One day, I read a book that changed my life: Nurturing Yourself and Others. In her book, the author explained how she was suffering from the same symptoms when, like me, she had every reason to be happy. Her counselor put it for her in a simple, yet beautiful way: “Think of yourself as an apple barrel” he advised. The apple barrel is only useful if it actually holds some apples. If we keep giving our apples to our kids, spouse, family, colleagues, and friends, we will soon run out of apples and feel worthless. To restore our function in life we have to replenish our supply of apples.
And this became my first advice to any of my friends, family, students and clients… Find your source of apples!
Apples are things that make you genuinely happy, fulfilled, thrilled, and/or replenished. It might be reading a book, playing with your kid, walking barefoot on green grass, collecting shells from a sandy beach, spending some time with a friend, drawing, painting, cooking, quilting, fishing, running, writing poetry, fixing the car, playing video games, meditating... Think, and make your own list. Pick one apple from the list and have it TODAY!
And most importantly, share your experience with us here in the post!
Have a happy day!
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