37. Exercise Exceptional Self-Care. Eat right, exercise, and sleep well. These are the fundamental building blocks for a healthy life. Your physical body is symbolic of your emotional health. How you treat your body is an indication of how you feel about yourself.

Remember that you are the resource that your partner has invested in. If you are not taking care of yourself, no one can do that for you.

38. Be Disciplined. Happy people are disciplined people. To be disciplined we must exercise self-control and self-regulation. When considering the five dimensions of our life, we can identify many forms of self-discipline that will greatly improve the quality of our life, and our personal growth and satisfaction. Physical discipline, for example, requires us to exercise healthy eating habits, get regular exercise, adequate sleep, and relaxation. Spiritual discipline may include regular prayer, meditation, or acts of service.

The unhappiest people are those who do nothing, and find themselves in envy of those who do. Discipline requires keeping your focus on what you need, not on what you want. Being disciplined requires that you know what will add to your life, and know what will take away from your life. OUTstanding partners develop the ability to separate their wants from their needs, and they consistently work to make the next right choice toward their highest good.

Michele O'Mara, LCSW