The Art of Letting Go

Chapter 22 Maintaining Yourself

If you own a car, your mechanic will always ask you to come by sometimes to check on your car's total performance. It doesn't come cheap. Yet you will be willing to pay any price rather than to stop in the middle of the road with a broken car. So, you clean it every day, put some water in the radiator, put fluids on it, and many other things. You want it to be on top of its performance like when it was new. Same as a person undergoing this stage of total healing after a breakup, you need to do some maintenance check so that you can be on top of life. These are the things to be checked and maintained every now and then:

First, maintain your standards. In whatsoever circumstances in life, never ever lower your standards for an individual person or situation. Standards are standards. They will determine if the person is worthy to stay in your life. Never compromise your values, principles and standards in life. Because these standards will reflect on how you appreciate, respect and value yourself. These standards serve as your protection but never set a standard that not even the members of the Justice League may qualify. Make reasonable standards and impose them. Guard them as you guard yourself.

Second, maintain your privacy. Court or be courted in privacy. Have a relationship guarded with privacy. Resolve conflict with privacy for not everyone should know what is happening in your life. Also, give privacy to yourself and to your future partner. Never also compromise this like your standards. This will be the only thing that will protect your integrity in life. So maintain a low profile.

Third, never compromise yourself and your happiness. Whenever we say the words 'I love you' what comes first? 'I' right? It is because the fist subject of loving is you. I love myself first so that I will be loved. Loving yourself is the right path towards loving others because it will be the very basis of other people loving you. Never fall into the temptation of feeding your ego with pride too much nor forgetting ourselves in the process of loving. Even psychologists like A. Mashlow and W. Glasser acknowledge the human need of being love and of love. The first person to love and to take good care of you is you. So take good care of yourself because you love you.

Fourth, be patient. There is no good result in rushing things up. It will just cause you stress and the outcome is not satisfactory as an endeavor crafted with patience. Never wallow in sadness if there is no person interested of you at the moment. Best things come to those who have patience and determination. Let love find you. Most of the time love will come unexpected manner so expect the unexpected.

Fifth, engage in personal and professional growth. While waiting or fixing yourself up, invest in your personal and professional growth. This professional and personal growth will keep you updated and knowledgeable. They will make you preoccupied and increases your worth as a person. As a result, it makes you more interesting and fun to talk with. Expand your horizon then you will find yourself growing and enjoying.

Lastly, be mature. Maturity doesn't come from age but from experience. Your past experiences have taught you how to be mature in dealing with things; like the pain must have taught you to deal life wisely. It taught you to be careful in your words, thoughts and actions. Thus, you are expected to act according to your age or beyond it.

To end, I am hoping that you have learned and will continuously learn from this experience. Be mature now and responsible in all your actions so that you may be deserving of the reward God has store for you. Continue the fight and never get tired of loving because you were loved first.

Bible Verse of the day:

Job: 5:1-2

1 Call now! Will anyone respond to you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 Surely impatience kills the fool and indignation slays the simpleton.