How often do you take time out from your busy life for just plain fun? How often do you stop to smell freshly mown grass or throw your head back and laugh with delight? Most of us would answer "not often enough."
Inner voices from childhood remind us to work hard, achieve, be good, don't do this, don't do that. Somewhere in my head I can still hear my mother saying, "Don't be so unladylike! Would Mrs. Schultz do that?" Mrs. Schultz was our oh-so-proper next-door neighbor. I remember thinking that Mrs. Schultz didn't seem to have much fun.
Life isn't a dress rehearsal. This is it. You can't go back and do it over. When it's over, it's gone-forever! So if you don't live fully now, when will you?
The point is, Ya gotta be juicy! Ya gotta savor life, devour it, relish every minute, feast on every precious experience--with gusto! Enjoy all your senses--luxuriate in that gorgeous sunset, in the sweet smell of a spring morn, in all the sounds of life around you, in every touch, every smile, every loving voice. Laugh till it hurts--so what if you sound a little raucous? Why not lust after a scrumptious meal or a sensuous goblet of ruby red wine or someone you love? Why not feel ignited by love and beauty, music and dance, laughter and fun? Why not pack your life full of bodacious delights?
Of course, you need to use good sense with your juiciness. Be sure not to hurt yourself or others in your reveling. It's healthy to be juicy, and it's healthy to use wisdom to set your limits.
I wonder, if Mrs. Schultz had known how much fun being juicy is, would she have enjoyed life more?
You'll know best how you want to put more fun-more juiciness-into your life. Go ahead, indulge--live life to the hilt!
| Acknowledgments | ix | |
| Introduction | 1 | |
| Part 1 | Your Time is Now | |
| 1 | Your Best is Yet to be | 7 |
| 2 | To Grow or Not to Grow | 13 |
| 3 | The Power of You | 19 |
| Part 2 | Discover Your Best Self | |
| 4 | Openness | 25 |
| 5 | Ya Gotta be Juicy! | 29 |
| 6 | Cut Yourself Some Slack | 33 |
| 7 | Discover Your Goals | 37 |
| 8 | Create Your Own Future | 41 |
| 9 | Find Your Passion--and Pursue it | 47 |
| 10 | Positive is Better | 51 |
| 11 | Magic Moments | 57 |
| 12 | Leave a Trail of Gladness | 61 |
| 13 | Give Back | 65 |
| 14 | Begin with Today | 73 |
| Part 3 | Your Winning Attitude | |
| 15 | Decide to be Happy | 79 |
| 16 | Generosity of Spirit | 83 |
| 17 | Let Go of the Kids | 87 |
| 18 | You Can Always Be Attractive | 91 |
| 19 | You Can Choose How to React | 95 |
| 20 | Beyond Conformity | 99 |
| 21 | Go with the Flow | 105 |
| Part 4 | Habits of Growing Adults | |
| 22 | Mindfulness | 113 |
| 23 | Listen to Your Feelings of Dissonance | 117 |
| 24 | Learn to Disengage | 121 |
| 25 | You Can Become More Creative | 125 |
| 26 | The Power of a Smile | 133 |
| 27 | Be Softly Assertive | 137 |
| 28 | Put Your Ego in Your Pocket | 143 |
| Part 5 | Health Is Wealth | |
| 29 | To Deflate Your Problems, Massage Them | 151 |
| 30 | Meditation Works | 155 |
| 31 | Exercise for Your Body--And Your Brain | 161 |
| 32 | Nothing Tastes as Good as Being Slim Feels | 167 |
| Part 6 | The Process of Growing | |
| 33 | Visualize Your Future Self | 179 |
| 34 | Growing Means Risking | 183 |
| 35 | Grow Your Brain | 189 |
| 36 | Learning is Growing; Growing is Learning | 193 |
| 37 | Pacing Helps You Grow | 201 |
| Part 7 | The Power of Communicating Well | |
| 38 | The Power of Listening | 209 |
| 39 | Listen to Understand: the Power of Empathy | 213 |
| 40 | Treat Feedback as a Precious Gift | 219 |
| 41 | Dialogue--A Better Way to Communicate | 223 |
| Part 8 | Friends and Lovers | |
| 42 | Your First Three Minutes | 231 |
| 43 | Grow Your Romance | 235 |
| 44 | Don't be Afraid to be Single | 245 |
| 45 | Real Friends Fluff Your Aura | 255 |
| Part 9 | And Finally... | |
| 46 | How do You Know if You're Growing? | 261 |
| Suggested Reading | 269 | |
| Index | 271 |
Overview
In extensive studies of exceptionally vital,...