Finishing up my breakdown of Andrew and Polly’s Forever Young, it’s clear the song hit on some major themes for me. Being able to adjust to the unexpected, whether physical or emotional, and keeping a song in my heart all the while, have been critical factors contributing to my state of health. But engaging life with a youthful sense of awe and wonder and joy is an absolute “must have” as I travel along my personal path of wellness.

I continue breaking down one of my favorite children’s songs. There’s a lot about truth packed into a few lines of lyrics and, though I perceive it very difficult for a child to learn to be truthful to themselves and others, we might as well start teaching it as young as possible. It’s a shame, however, that long before most kids grow to be thoughtful and true they leave the encouraging lyrics of kids music behind and we hope they continue to follow a parent’s guidance and become the best they can be.

Unless an adult has small kids, I don’t think too many are listening to children’s music. But the messages we encourage our kids with can still apply no matter your age. Strip away the music and notice the words. Words to live by as you journey along your path of wellness.

In an unexpected “aha” moment I found myself reflecting on the songs that have meant the most to me during my life’s journey. From the breakups to the joys, the lyrics of a song can teach, support and even guide us. And I encountered a particular favorite during an evening run that struck me with its directly positive and uplifting message. Even just reflecting on music that helped shape my life, unexpectedly pushes me along my personal path of wellness.

Taking care of yourself seems like a simple idea. You’re just supposed to do it. But how do you know what’s going to work for you. After deciding what wellness factors to work on how do you know what the best way is to get you to the goal? How do you know how to take care of yourself?

For one reason or another, there is an aspect to the sleep story that I have left out. It took a bit of work to overcome the seriously unsettling nature of sleeping on my back, which was an important and uncomfortable aspect of learning to sleep. Once again, sleeping becomes very personal but the resulting wins helped round out these important lessons of how to go to sleep.

I could never have recognized how important that “clear year” was to the rest of my life. Yes, I was working on long-term personal improvements but, reflecting back, I can see how much more was really happening. Using breath as a focus was extremely valuable, but it’s what that breath pulled me from that’s had the most impact. It encouraged me to let’s all my troubled thoughts pass on by. I didn’t know that I stumbled on a technique for improving my sense of wellness because I thought I was just learning how to go to sleep. I’ve learned that it was so much more than that.

Once my need for more sleep became very apparent I had to figure how to actually do it. Learning how to fall asleep in a healthy way was a game changer and the technique I stumbled upon is one I use to this day. There are many factors that affect our ability to sleep but having the confidence that you can, at least, fall asleep when time comes can have a huge impact on your sense of wellness and health efficacy.

Having fun, exploring new joys and learning about yourself are all important aspects of a healthy and positive journey along your Path Of Wellness. But that journey will be a very tiring one if good sleep isn’t part of the plan. In fact, so much of the good we try to do for ourselves can be diminished if coupled with poor sleep habits…no matter how hard we try.

The idea of being “aware” of your actions and wellness choices has been one of the running themes in this podcast. So it made sense that I use this 10th episode to emphasize a particular major impact it’s had on my life. Making use of an an ancient system of energy balance and awareness, I took some wellness steps along my Path of Wellness that, quite literally, brought me to where I am right now.