LOVE is the True Meaning of Christmas

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:16-17

For God, the ultimate act of love and sacrifice was to become a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. Why did He do such a thing? Because He loves us more than we can imagine. At Christmas, he sent us his only Son, his equal, his representative. And why does God love us so much? Because He is love itself. Why do we celebrate Christmas each year? We do it to remember that no matter what's happening in our lives and what we're going through at the moment, love is eternal and Jesus is always with us. Jesus is God's gift to us. 

We celebrate the birth of this extraordinary child by giving each other gifts and worshipping Him. We celebrate His birth and His divine presence by loving and forgiving each other, mending our relationships, and spending quality time together. We celebrate His arrival by being especially conscious of those less fortunate, the poor, the sick, the injured, the abandoned, the neglected and the forgotten. Jesus didn't hang out with rich, beautiful and successful people. Instead he preferred to mingle with beggars, destitute and homeless people, prostitutes, tax collectors: the outcasts of society...

The true meaning of Christmas is LOVE. God loved his human sons and daughters and by sending us his own Son, He provided a way, the only Way, to spend eternity with Him. He gave his only Son to take the punishment for our sins and free us from this cycle. He was crucified and paid the price in full, delivering us from the burden of guilt and condemnation. Thanks to Him , we can now accept the free gift of LOVE.

"But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

Wishing you a Merry Christmas with love and blessings,

Bella 

Painting: "Mother's Love": Mary with baby Jesus by Akiane, aged 11.

Appreciation and Fulfilment

You can travel the whole world in search of what you need, and come home to find it!

You often look outside yourself to satisfy your desires. You crave for more, for something different. You want easy solutions, instant fixes to your problems, coming from external sources. You do this instead of developing your ability to live happily in the present moment. But appreciation comes from the inside. No matter how small or big something is, you need to be grateful for it before you can enjoy it. This is a quality you can develop in your daily life.

By looking with fresh eyes at ordinary things like a rose, a rainbow in a puddle, or the intricacy of a spider web, you practice enjoying these. You practice saying "thank you" while rewarding yourself with instant bliss. You practice feeling good, even when adversity strikes. It's even more important to be grateful during difficult times, as it will help you get over hurdles quickly and with a minimum of pain. A person who is appreciative can face all sorts of obstacles and shortages, while still having a contented heart.

Appreciation brings fulfilment. The more you appreciate everything in your life, the more fulfilment you'll have! When you're grateful for something, life will give you more of it. Life is a never-ending source of positive, healing energy that's there for everyone, not only a few chosen ones. When you feel blessed, you attract more blessings.

Every morning, look at yourself in the mirror, smile and say to yourself: "Something good is going to happen to me today." Say it with emphasis, with emotion. Be open to the possibility that you may actually be lucky for a change. Life responds to whatever you think and say. Say good things about yourself,  about others, and about the world in general. Love life, and life will love you!

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognising and appreciating what we do have." - Frederick Koenig

With lots of love,

Bella

Painting:"Little Pink Rose" by Matthew Bates

An Attitude of Gratitude

The easiest way to develop an attitude of gratitude is to keep a Gratitude Journal. Write down all the things that you can be grateful for. You don't have to write an essay about it, just a few words are enough to get you started. What is there to be thankful for? Sometimes the simplest thing, like being alive and breathing...

Gratitude is a powerful force, because the more grateful you are for what you already have, the more you are likely to attract similar positive aspects into your life. You become tuned to the good in what is, instead of putting off your joy by wanting something different all the time. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but it's always out of reach too. Right now, you only have the grass on your side and even though it may seem less green, it can be just as tasty. Begin to live a truthful and fearless life, by opening yourself to the now, which is a gift and that is why we call it the "present".

To comfort someone who has problems, people sometimes say that every cloud has a sliver lining. It is always possible to extract something positive from a situation, now matter how unpleasant, difficult or painful it may seem. Grief is a natural process. Allow yourself to feel the pain, anger and disbelief until you are ready to move through to a point where you can accept new hopes and dreams.

Don't take things for granted. Even the smallest detail is worth that you take the time to notice it, to be aware of it and say "thank you". Go to your diary at the beginning and at the end of each day, and write gratitude lists. The act of being thankful is a small daily miracle that you can allow yourself to experience, and that will lead to more and more miracles. It makes you feel good It will grow into something substantial and meaningful to you. Eventually, with a tiny bit of patience, you will reap the bountiful rewards for this wonderful practice.

Painting: Mandala Colour Tree (unknown artist)

What to Consider When Embarking on a Weight Loss Journey!

Losing weight begins in the mind.

It’s a lifestyle change.

It’s a commitment to good health and quality of life, as well as increased life expectancy. Being overweight or obese may shorten your lifespan and make you prone to chronic diseases. Even though you can enjoy yourself while carrying extra weight, shedding it will change the way you participate in your own life and contribute to the lives of others. 

Once you’ve decided to embark on a weight loss journey, you will make a commitment to being healthy and addressing all your lifestyle issues, not just your extra weight. For instance, if you smoke or drink excessively, you will need to look at these habits and at ways of quitting them.

Look at your thought processes: do you see the glass as half full or half empty? Positive thinking is essential to your success, because it will help you overcome hurdles and plateaus, which you will inevitably encounter. It also alleviates stress - and stress is a number one factor for weight gain!

Commit yourself to losing weight slowly and gradually. Change your habits progressively. Drastic changes are spectacular, but they usually don’t last very long. Habits need time to become established and take root permanently.

Don’t be hard on yourself, and don’t expect to be perfect. No matter how much you psyche yourself up, you will never achieve perfection. There is no need to beat yourself up if you had a piece of cake. But you can keep making choices that are good for you, even though you know you may slip at times.

My new book, "The Magic of Sensible Dieting" will soon be out, and it will work like magic to get you back into shape if you follow the strategies I've devised for you. 

The new year is coming closer: it's a good time to make decisions. By following a few easy-to-understand principles, you can start eating sensibly and lose unwanted kilos!

With love,
Bella

What's the Most Important Thing When You Want to Lose Weight ?

Losing weight begins in the mind.

It’s a lifestyle change.

It’s a commitment to good health and quality of life, as well as increased life expectancy. Being overweight or obese may shorten your lifespan and make you prone to chronic diseases. Even though you can enjoy yourself while carrying extra weight, shedding it will change the way you participate in your own life and contribute to the lives of others. 

Once you’ve decided to embark on a weight loss journey, you will make a commitment to being healthy and addressing all your lifestyle issues, not just your extra weight. For instance, if you smoke or drink excessively, you will need to look at these habits and at ways of quitting them.

Look at your thought processes: do you see the glass as half full or half empty? Positive thinking is essential to your success, because it will help you overcome hurdles and plateaus, which you will inevitably encounter. It also alleviates stress - and stress is a number one factor for weight gain!

Commit yourself to losing weight slowly and gradually. Change your habits progressively. Drastic changes are spectacular, but they usually don’t last very long. Habits need time to become established and take root permanently.

Don’t be hard on yourself, and don’t expect to be perfect. No matter how much you psyche yourself up, you will never achieve perfection. There is no need to beat yourself up if you had a piece of cake. But you can keep making choices that are good for you, even though you know you may slip at times.

My new book, "The Magic of Sensible Dieting" will soon be out, and it will work like magic to get you back into shape if you follow the strategies I've devised for you. 

The new year is coming closer: it's a good time to make decisions. By following a few easy-to-understand principles, you can start eating sensibly and lose unwanted kilos!

With love,
Bella

Painting: "A Plate of Veggies" by Clina Polloni.

Most Important Thing When You Want to Lose Weight

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." - Socrates.

What's the most important when you want to lose weight? 
- It’s not counting calories or creating a caloric deficit;

- It’s not eliminating fats and carbs from your diet;

- It's not eating ridiculously small portions;

- It’s not depriving yourself of all your favourite treats; 

- It’s not enduring hunger and cravings day after day;

- It’s not being discouraged because you need to lose sooo much weight and it’s going to be soooo hard;

- It’s not being discouraged because you only need to lose a few kilos but you know they’re the most difficult to shed;

- It's not being discouraged because you think you will regain all your weight once your diet is over;

- It’s not exercising like a lunatic until you pass out;

- It’s not stuffing yourself with vegetables until you despise the sight of them;

- It’s not having to eat fruit all the time instead of cake or candy;

- It’s not thinking you can’t do it because it’s too hard and you don’t like to suffer;

- It’s not thinking you can’t do it because you’ve got no willpower;

- It’s not looking at your past failed diets and predict that you will fail again, so there is no use trying;

- It’s not having to spend a lot of money on healthy food, and extra time shopping and cooking.

The most important aspect to consider when you want to lose weight is none of these! 
It's all about ATTITUDE. 
Your frame of mind will determine your long-term success. I will tell you more about it next week!

With all my love and warm thoughts of encouragement,

Bella

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." - John 14:27.

"There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love." John 4:18

An infant comes into this world with a trusting heart, full of love for those who care for him or her. As you keep living and get older, you lose the natural ability to instinctively expect good from others. Instead, you expect to be cheated, lied to, stolen from, disrespected and humiliated. You learn from your experiences, but you tend to cling to the negative ones, rather than emphasising the good ones. 

Fear is "False Evidence Appearing Real" because it doesn't have to be that way. You don't need to cultivate this bitterness and gnawing sense of foreboding that stems from unpleasant past occurrences. You can turn things around and have faith: there is guidance, and there is protection from Above. You can surrender to your life as it unfolds, instead of trying to control everything. You can trust your intuition to help you make the right choice, while letting go of the outcomes as there are no guarantees. 

If you don't take any risks, out of fear of doing something wrong, you'll never try anything new. To change your attitude and try new approaches, believe that they will make a difference in your life.

Today is the beginning of the rest of your life, and it doesn't matter what problems you have and what your circumstances are. It is how you react to challenges, and how you deal with issues that matters. In the end, only love is real. You can love your life, even though it may appear bleak to you at times. You can love the people in it, even though they may appear to be causing you grief. If you allow events and individuals to steal your joy from you, you will never experience lasting peace.

The PEACE Jesus talked about when he left his disciples was a lasting one, not just a momentary relief. He didn't talk about an emotional roller-coaster, about perpetually shifting moods, the kind of yo-yo attitude that you sometimes think is justifiable and acceptable. The peace Jesus talked about is permanent. It is His gift to us, a spiritual state of mind that cannot be altered by people or events. As love infuses everything, it becomes the origin of your thinking and colours your emotions throughout the day. Hope springs from it, with the certainty that all is well, and all will continue to be well, no matter what...

With all my love,

Bella

Painting: "Red Tree Landscape" by Rachel Bingaman