HOPE OF A HEALTHY AND happy 2010

HERE is Part 2 of my 'A to Z' to help you on your way to a healthy and happy 2010.

M is for Music

I just can't imagine a life without music, for me it plays an important part in my daily routine. What you listen to can affect your mood and your brain waves. Mozart to help you concentrate, study and focus, the Rolling Stones to waken you up and perhaps some modern music to help you memorise important information.

Some schools and universities set important information to rap as an innovative way to help students learn and retain knowledge. It is believed that even babies in the womb appreciate sounds and many mums-to-be play music to their unborn. This year why not explore music that you have never listened to before.

N is for Never saying Never

Embrace new friends, new experiences and new ideas this year. It is easy to say you would never do this or that but a whole new world can open up to you when you just open up to it.

One lady I know said she would never go on an organised package holiday with a group, but she did and she met her soon-to-be-husband on that trip, so you just never know what is in store.

O is for Optician

Even if you don't feel you have any eye or sight problems, it is a good idea to visit an optician for an eye check. Many eye problems can go undiagnosed and therefore become more difficult to treat when they are discovered. Age related macular degeneration and cataracts are just two eye conditions that my optician friend tells me need to be checked out regularly.

P is for People

Be honest with yourself, how often do you really notice the people around you everyday? Yes, you notice your immediate family, and your direct co-workers but what about that young man who delivers your water supplies each week, the lady with the tired eyes at the checkout in the supermarket who always has a kind word for you or the fifty-something car wash 'boy' who never fails to turn up in all weathers to wash your car and the cars of countless others just to be able to feed his family.

People matter and we should let them know this whenever we can. A simple smile, a heartfelt 'thank you' a cheery 'good morning' or a friendly 'how are you today?' can mean a lot to your fellow human and at no cost to you.

Q is for Quiet

The older I get the more I appreciate the 'silence is golden' maxim. We are constantly bombarded by noise pollution day and night. Even when we sleep the noise of air conditioners, traffic and noisy neighbours invades our senses. Try to gift yourself a few moments of pure silence each day and restore both your sanity and your senses. I try to save those disposable ear plugs that airlines give away (you can buy them at pharmacies) and I use them for my 15 minutes of quiet. It is amazing how disquieting (sorry for the pun) that total silence can be.

We humans are not used to this nowadays and it can take you a few sessions to really switch off and revel in that pure, dead quiet! No mobile phones, no news channels, no yattering friends or family, it can become addictive.

R is for Recycling

I often hear that there is no point in recycling in Bahrain as too few people do it to matter and it is too difficult to find recycling bins etc.

It is not easy, that's true, but just ponder how difficult it will become for your children and your grandchildren to live in a future world where we have not taken our recycling responsibilities seriously.

S is for Success

You can make 2010 your most successful year ever, if you really want to. First of all, you have to decide what success means to you. Is it a new house, a new job, or car or buying that fabulous designer watch or flying first class? People who are truly successful know exactly what it is they want and where they want to be. Do you know?

T is for Talent

Mention the word talent to most people and they will think of a talent such as singing or painting. They will rarely think of the most important talents such as being able to show compassion for your fellow beings, love for your friends or family, making others feel at ease, being committed to your job, being a responsible citizen, being a good neighbour and finding out what makes your truly happy.

Dig deeper and you may find a hidden talent this year, perhaps you are a better cook than you realised, perhaps you really can write that best-selling novel or design the world's next most loved car or perhaps you will rediscover a childhood talent like tap dancing or singing, but if you are truly lucky you will discover that your true talent is just to be the real 'you'.

U is for Understanding

I honestly don't have enough space here to write about the importance of understanding. Imagine a world where we all took time to understand each other? Utopia! There would be fewer wars, murders, divorces, disputes, less tears and more laughter.

Do your bit by trying to understand why your child was naughty at school, why your partner is moody, and why your sister has all that repressed anger. Misunderstanding is our biggest global enemy.

V is for Violence

I hate violence in all forms. It nauseates me. I believe we are exposed to far too much violence in our daily lives in the guise of 'entertainment'. Just switch on your television or play a DVD or a video game to see what I mean.

Our lives are bombarded by violent scenes and violent language. We are told that the media glamorise violence and this in turn may influence some individuals to become violent.

Think of how many incidents there have been in 2009 of gunmen (they are almost always men) turning up at a school or office building and haphazardly shooting people. Now where do you think they got that idea?

W is for Work

I know it is considered a dirty world or just too old fashioned these days, but I still believe that anything worth having is worth working for.

When I was at junior school, our school motto was 'Nihil Sine Labore' ... nothing without work, and this has pretty much stuck with me throughout my life. Unfortunately not many people teach or share this value today.

Too many young people and lots of 'not so young' people seem to think there is always a short cut worth risking getting what they want. They have no concept of what it means to have worked really hard to earn that university degree, the deposit for a new car, the money for a new computer or the weeks of dedication and study it takes to pass exams or make the school football team on merit alone.

When I was the principal of a college, it amazed me how many parents would turn up to berate me for failing a student who cheated at exams, or who had not submitted the required coursework to earn them a pass. By trying to bully an easy way to success for their kids, they can't see that they are setting them up to fail?

X is for eXcess

Excess in anything is bad for us right? Wrong! An excess of commitment, compassion and love will never be wrong, or enough. Chocolate, however, is another matter.

Y is for Youth

Looking young and feeling young have always been prized by those who are chronologically challenged in this direction. Whoever said 'youth is lost on the young' used to be on my 'idiot' list but now I find them on my 'hero' list so I guess you get the picture!

I believe that feeling youthful is most important, as this can make you look better.

Exercise, keeping mentally active, playing sports, being around young people, eating nutritionally well and including lots of super foods such as broccoli, apricots, garlic, onions, tomatoes, fish, and whole-grains, drinking two litres of water a day, having a little of what you fancy (a couple of squares of 70 per cent dark chocolate) and being able to laugh at yourself and whatever life throws at you.

That is my basic recipe for youthful living.

Z is for Zest

Finding that zest for life in 2010 is your mission if you choose to accept it. If you don't, then just stay safely tucked up under your bedclothes and watch the rest of the world have a ball.

I predict this year will be the start of a decade of determination and dedication, of health and happiness and of peace and joy. So get out there and get on with it.

A happy and healthy 2010 to you all.