I am just finishing this book- have you heard about it yet? I was invited to visit a book club and this book- Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman- was the choice of the month. I am grateful for having been invited as I don’t think this book (which I have learned is also a tv series) would have come across my radar.
I do recommend the book- so many insights and a very interesting peek at prison life. I won’t give much away here, but would rather like to comment on my “coach-like” thoughts while reading the book.
I was really struck with how Piper, in prison, was able to mentally over come her circumstances and take care of herself- mind, body, spirit. She dug deep to keep her sanity in an insane place! The kinds of choices she was making are the kinds of choices I am encouraging my clients to make every day. They find it so hard to do many times, so the question that comes to me is “do we have to get to the point of being in prison in order to really take care of ourselves?” Piper made sure to get physical exercise every day, she read constantly, she wrote, she helped others, she made well thought out choices. What did she not do?- sit around thinking about those things, or how bad things were.
What kinds of things are you CONSISTENTLY doing to take care of yourself, to feel good and raise the level of enjoyment in your life? If you are not in prison you have everything at your disposal. What’s your excuse? Taking care of yourself at the highest level is not only the best thing for you, but it positively affects everyone around you and everyone who has to cross paths with you all day long.
Make it your pledge to take self care to a new level in October. What will you do to make that happen starting today?