Written by Dr. Eric Perry
Image Credit: Pixabay
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” ~Marcus Aurelius
I am at a place in my life where I am able to slow down and momentarily pause. Every now and then it is important to stop to appreciate and reflect on our life’s journey. We must make a conscious decision to be fully present when facing life-defining moments. Learn to be happy and content now. Don’t rush to set another future goal that will only reward you with future happiness. It is a cycle that is difficult to break, but we should try to live life in short spurts followed by reflective pauses instead of never-ending loops with no respite. By always looking ahead, we forget there is life to be lived right now. Pause for a moment in the present and savor what life has to offer. Like I always say, why stop and smell the roses when you can live in the rose patch.
As I ponder the life I am living, I reflect on whether I am truly living my life or am I rushing through it mindlessly jumping over rote hurdles. How do we measure whether we are truly living? Is it by the length of days or the quality of our lives? Some days may be long, but feel stale and unrewarding. Other days will pass in a blur of activity and feel full of endless possibilities. It does not matter what stage we are in life. I prefer to use the quality of my life as the unit of measure to define my life. Whether we have more time behind us than ahead of us, we can take an accounting of our lives and determine the areas we can improve in order to enrich our existence.
Here are some ways to assess the quality of your life:
1. How many times a day do you express joy?
Strive for a day full of laughter and happiness. Imagine that we start our day with a large empty container. It is our duty to try and fill it each day with as many positive emotions as it can hold. Life is special and we should treat it as such. Rejoice at being alive and don’t take any day for granted.
2. Measure your physical health
Physical health plays a big role in our mental health. Make sure you are living a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising when possible and sleeping regularly.
3. Emotional footprint
Upon your death how would you like to be remembered? How many people have you had a positive impact on? It is important that your interactions with others leave a positive emotional imprint on them. Imagine each interaction you have throughout the day as a chain of positivity. What you give out will have a ripple effect on those around you and the world. Don’t break the chain of positivity.
4. Measure your growth
Decide on a time frame and reflect on where you were a year ago. No two people are the same so the amount of growth will depend on the person. Instead of using others to compare against, use yourself as a benchmark. Don’t just measure material gains. Look at your personal and emotional growth. Are you happier now than you were a year ago?
5. Have you loved?
One of the most important ways to gauge the quality of your life is to ask yourself if you have you loved in your lifetime? It does not have to be romantic love. It can be the love of family, friends and even love of your pets. The important thing is that you have felt the bond of love.
The thoughts expressed in this blog post are my own and are not meant to create a professional relationship with the reader. This blog does not replace or substitute the help of a medical professional. Please note, I am unable to answer your specific questions as I am not fully aware of all of the circumstances.
Kindly,
Dr. Perry
“I help ambitious and high achieving individuals manifest a life of success and fulfillment in order to achieve the life they truly desire.”
Dr. Eric Perry | drericperry.com
© 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Reblogged this on A Well-Tuned Soul and commented:
Another great post from MakeitUltra! Eric , this is a beautiful writing that empowers us all to make “conscious choices”. Gives us the opportunity for growth, especially when we chose incorrectly. I think that leads to transformation. We are each a “work in process”.
Debbie
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Thank you Debbie ✨
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Fantastic article, posted to Facebook to share with others, love it!!
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thank you!✨
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Posted to Facebook. This is a post worthy of rereading many times.
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Wonderful article it really makes you think deeper about your life.
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Great post full of motivational energy
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Thank you! I am glad you liked it ✨
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Congrats Eric you rock, also awesome post
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Thank you Addison!
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Beautiful post Eric touching on what truly matters in life. “Living in the rose patch”, I really like that. Wonderful things to ponder here, thank you.
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Thank you Miriam ✨ I always appreciate your comments and hope you are well ✨
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Hi Eric, no worries at all. I’m well, sounds as though things are going well for you too. Congrats on your achievements. ✨
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Thank you Miriam! ✨✨✨
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Love this post! And congratulations on a huge accomplishment!
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Thank you Bonnie ✨✨✨
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Another wonderful post from you Eric! It is so sensible and meaningful. Loved each word of it!
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Thank you! ✨✨
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Great post. Enjoyed reading it.
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Good article. Congrats on almost becoming a doctor. May you have much success.
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Thank you I appreciate it✨
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Great writing and post. I would like to share this on my blog with your permission. Congratulations on your PhD. You have endured a long process that will be completed soon. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I believe this article will resonate with many.
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Thank you!
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Reblogged this on C ing Through Loss and commented:
Sharing…
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Thank you. Great post for perspective and reflection.
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Reblogged this on Art by Nicole Corrado.
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Thank you Nicole ✨
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Another great article. Love that you brought to our attention NOT to compare ourselves to others but our own growth. Enjoy your momentary pause!!
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Congrats on finishing your dissertation and getting your doctorate.
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Thank you so much Diana ✨
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Your pictures of Paris were to my way of thinking, delightful. You have inner peace, happiness and joy as are readily reflected in your face. Inner peace is rewarding and fulfilling as is joy. Thank you for sharing these thoughts as they are really empowering and help everyone keep on track with what is essential in life, particularly for those whose lives are undergoing transitions of some kind. Very delighted you have reached an important phase of life. You are right, rushing headlong from one situation to another without pause thought contemplation acceptance and joy would be a useless waste of living.
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Great post, Eric. I’m going to start ticking off this list now. And congratulations on your Phd.
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Thank you!
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I don’t know how you do it, but every time I read a post from you it’s like you are speaking to me directly. You have a gift! Congrats on completing your dissertation!
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Thank you for such a great comment! I appreciate it!✨
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Thank you for this post. I find myself always worrying about the future. But now I realize I should enjoy the present alot more.
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What a powerful post! You had me from the get go with that great quote! The idea of an emotional footprint is so timely for me right now. Thanks again for an incredible thing to think about!
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I like the image of filling the bucket, definitely going to apply that thought.
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“so many people, so few souls” could go with that post. Love that philosophy!
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Your words are well written. How does one live their own beautiful life? A constant question of mine. It saddens me to see so many around me who but for a choice are refusing to live.
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I love this post. Very enlightening! 👍😊
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Congratulations on this milestone. And thanks for the great posts. Hope you will not stop looking forward to what and when the next one will be. 😊
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I love this post Eric! It speaks to my heart, and was the perfect morning read on a day with a lengthy to-do list. I especially appreciate the idea of thinking of each day as an empty jar to be filled with JOY!
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Amazingly explained by you… It really uplifts me… ☺
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Good web site you have got here.. It’s difficult to find quality writing like yours these days. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
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Congrats on finishing your dissertation and soon to be officially a doctor! 🎊🎉🎈🎂🎊🎉🎈
Great post as always, and I especially agree with the part about comparing against our past selves, not against other people. 😀
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Thank you Nicolle! Thank you always for your comments!
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You’re welcome! It’s a pleasure. 😀
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Loved the post as in the mean time things are blurry but reading this opened my eyes to see what I have been through has made me the person who i am now totally different but stronger thanks and congratulations best of luck in listening to people complain about their life as I did 😊😊
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A very useful piece of blog. comprehensive and compact at the same time.
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It took me a long while to realise I was what I chose to see in myself. I wasn’t a victim unless I chose to be. I wasn’t ‘that kid in care’ unless I chose to be. Today I describe myself (when asked about the past) as a survivor of circumstance. However makeitultra’s post hit home because – he’s right, and the more we hear these things perhaps the more we’ll actually live by them and then the more we’ll believe them. One of my favourite quotes ‘If I believe I have the ability to achieve something. I gain that ability, even if I did not have that ability to begin with’ – Mahatma Gandhi.
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Exactly ! 👍🤗
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I greatly appreciated this post…thank you! I really like the thought of being an empty vessel to fill each day. Much food for thought.
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I’m a first year masters student and I really want to go on a complete a PhD after, but I continued to think that I wouldn’t be able to grow and expand my blog like I imagined. Until I read this post I had not realized that you are a PhD candidate. It was really nice to read that because you’re proof that you can still do academics while having a successful blog. On top of learning this fact about you, I also truly related to the assessments of quality of life. Emotional footprint is something I continue to keep in mind as I write my posts and share posts with others. Overall, great post!
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You have wonderful thoughts. I’m a budding blogger and I’m totally inspired by your writings.
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Thank you. Today, I’ll try to linger in the rose patch lol
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THIS!!!! You asked if we found this helpful or uplifting. So, yes, I reflect on my life journeys and am someone who can find joy in rescuing a bumblebee from my pool, or in the simplest of things. I agree, but my first reaction when I read this was a sense of calm. Your writing didn’t blast to your audience “do this”, instead it seems to nudge the reader into saying, yes… take a minute to ponder, reflect and” invite this” into your life. Hope this made sense. PS. Doctor Eric Perry sounds quite nice. Congratulations.
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Calming, refreshing and thought provoking… I would describe the post in a lot more words but there wouldn’t be enough space to do so… Haha. To laugh, to love and to live in the now. That is by far the best, most amazing take away I have gotten yet. Good read. Thumbs up Dr. Perry.
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Thanks for sharing this, it is something I practice more now since the passing of a dear Uncle. It’s sometimes sad that something tragic needs to happen to remind you that life is a gift!
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Congratulations on your long, hard journey in getting your PhD in Clinical Psychology! I am 30 credits from getting my Master’s and I can tell you, it’s a lot of work! Thank you for sharing your insights. I enjoy reading your blogs!
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Wow 💜 if only all people can relate to this !!
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This is AMAZING! and so relevant to how I am currently thinking and feeling. Life has strange ways of things coming to you when you are ready for them, and reading this has clarified everything I have started to ponder. Thank you so much I look forward to reading your other posts 🙂
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I appreciate the tips its a positive read as I begin my morning.
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“why stop and smell the roses when you can live in the rose patch.”-I really liked that part
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Omg I love this blog! So powerful and inspiring
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thank you for your kind words Alisha!✨
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Definitely re-blogging it!
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Reblogged this on Alisha Imran and commented:
Hey guys! Check out this amazing blog by Dr Perry, his thoughts are so inspirational and motivating! It’s relatable to every day life xx
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Reblogged this on A Place to Heal your Soul .
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Awesome post!
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At times in life you are stuck in a rut and you don’t know which way to go. It is at these times that we need to slow down and pause. The maddening rush to succeed ultimately boils down to nothing when we look back at life.
Thank you for yet another wonderful article that asks us to pause and unwind. Fabulous.
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I really enjoyed this post! Simple truths we sometimes need to be reminded of when we get caught up of the hustle and bustle of life.
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Always appreciate your posts, such a wealth of positive insight and inspiration. Thank you, and good luck on attaining your future goals (while thoroughly enjoying TODAY, of course!). 😉
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Wonderful!! Couldn’t agree more!
Congratulations on the completion of your dissertation!
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Thank you ✨✨✨
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I like your post, a lot! I might write a post about how I feel about it. It affects two very separate sides of emotions and personality. Thanks again.
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wonderful! I look forward to reading your post✨
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I wish you much success in your profession.
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Without the loss of my five children, I’m not sure if I ever would have found the joy in my life…I’m not sure if I was paying attention. After death, there’s a pause for those of us who are left behind. We have to make a choice: who do we want to be after going through trauma? The option to curl up into a ball and give up is always there, but so is the option to grow, to live, to love, to be the amazing creatures we are capable of being. The attainment of joy, true joy, is ours if we want it, and that joy is unlimited when we cultivate a feeling of true gratitude for every thing and every experience in our lives–good or bad. Love for ourselves equates into love for others, thereby leaving an “emotional footprint” on this world that must vibrate with positivity.
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well, this puts things into a proper perspective. my condolences on your life’s losses but I admire your courage. all the best to you.
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Thank you…and my best to you, as well.
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Reblogged this on THE WORLD GONE MAD.
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Very interesting post! Thanks for sharing 😍👌
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Glad you are tackling the real stuff. Thank you… and I will be visiting again.
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such truth… and love your phrase: why stop and smell the roses when you can live in the rose patch.
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Great post full of practical tools that can be implemented “now.” Great reminder to be present.
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I have never seen that first measure before. How many times a day do you express joy? I don’t know why I’ve never seen it. It seems such a simple question to ask yourself, but leads to profound results. Thank you for that!
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Beautiful topic! Thank you for sharing this. 🌻
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I absolutely bloody love this! It’s so relevant to where I am right now. So helpful and refreshing to read! Thank you!
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I am happy to hear this was helpful! Thank you for commenting!✨
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wow.. you have many great accomplishments and I wish you the very best at all you do! I love reading your work. Extremely insightful and Intelligent. I look forward to more. I’m new here so I am just getting started and already I am Intrigued. First and foremost congrats on all you’ve done! We all have a gift and some of us never use it, It’s beautiful to witness the few that do.
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Reblogging this to my sister site Success Inspirers World
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It’s always very necessary to check the quality of life we are living !! These are points to be pondered!
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Omg, awesome! Congratulations on completing the dissertation!! That is a major accomplishment. I love the work you do and the topics you cover. Just this morning I featured your blog in my Saturday Share (new weekly feature). Cheers & thanks for sharing so generously with your blog community!
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Wow. This- “we should try to live life in short spurts followed by reflective pauses instead of never-ending loops with no respite.”-is powerful. This is exactly how anxiety feels. Never-ending loops with no respite. Something about your writing just makes things make sense. I appreciate how you write and wish you continued success.
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Thank you for the kind words! ✨
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Great post!
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Really love this. It reminds me to pause. Thank you so much.
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So many good thoughts here! Many times we overlook the most important things in life.
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Great Article Doc!
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Just wonderful.
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Wow that kind of stuff makes my eyes sparkle.. Really awesome !
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Good article. Great advice!
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Great post. I often find myself so caught up in the future of life that I forget to live in the present.
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I love the idea of refusing to break the chain of positivity! This is such a thought provoking article…Thank you for sharing it. It’s given me much to think about.
Laura
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Nicely articulated. The quality of life speaks more volume than the number of years we have been in existence. If asked to choose between one year of a fulfilling life and ten of misery, I would surely take that one year and make the most of it to be remembered or admired. Life is all about love. Love for one self and love for others. Love makes us do our best and give our most. Without love, there is no life!
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Reblogged this on ENLIGHTENMENT ANGELS and commented:
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” ~Marcus Aurelius
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Focusing on our legacy is so very important. Thank you for including this point. Many blessings. Karen
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Great article! # 2 Physical Health is definitely the top thing in my life, I need to work on.
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Thank you Cynthia✨
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You’re welcome 🙌
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Reblogged this on Zeal4blogging and commented:
Great pointers from Dr Perry on how to assess the quality of your life. If you can assess the quality of your life you can also improve the quality of your life.
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Thanks for the tips, I am always learning something new from your blog.
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Thank you!✨
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Those are wise criteria!
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Thank you for the reminder, Dr. Perry! It’s so easy to forget how to live in the moment, that we even should. And how our thought patterns affect the Universe.
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You’re welcome. I’m happy this post was helpful✨
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Its a reminder to the existing generation, Dr. Perry. Everyone is lost in a day’s life unable to figure out what they are on to achieve or how it is impacting their lives.
A reminder to pause and seek pleasure 🙂
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Indeed. Thank you for your comment✨
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Well written! We should always try to analyze the present point of our lives and acknowledge something great about it.
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Thank you✨
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wonderful 🙂 I really like this … “Learn to be happy and content now. Don’t rush to set another future goal that will only reward you with future happiness”.
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This is an absolute truth. Thanks for your post.
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You’re most welcome✨
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This was a very good read. Thanks!
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ur posts are always the best to look for.
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This is really beautiful and so insightful. I have been very into my personal growth since last month and one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is about living in the present which is somehow have the same idea with this blog. I’ve been also blogging about my personal experience and I’m happy to take some notes from your blog, Sir. Thank you for this!!
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Really good
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I love this!
Especially at this particular time in my life!
Thanks!
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Awesome post. I enjoyed every word. Very informative. These are questions we should always ask ourselves when we reflect back over our lives. Thank you for sharing.
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