Eat Pray Love

I, along with millions of other people, bought the book Eat Pray Love back when Oprah first talked about it on her show. She had two shows where she interviewed author Elizabeth Gilbert about her spiritual journey to Italy, India and Bali. Elizabeth finds pleasure in Italy, prayer and meditation in India, and ends up falling in love in Bali where she meets her future husband. I read about three quarters of the book, but never did finish it. It didn't have the profound affect on me that other women talked about. One woman even made a trip to Bali to visit Ketut, a Balinese medicine man, who is in the book. It could be that the timing wasn't right for me while I was reading the book. It was hard for me to not be jealous of a woman eating her way through Italy. The movie Eat Pray Love stars Julia Roberts as Elizabeth and comes out August 13. Elizabeth said the movie helped her understand why people love her book so much. It was a spiritual and personal journey for her, but it's also everyone's story in that we've all experienced heartbreak, and disappointment in ourselves and others at some point in our lives.

There were a few points I had written down years ago from her first interviews.

1) Start saying no to things you don't want to do. I've become better at this.
2) Everyone you encounter is meant to teach you something about yourself. I think about this one when I'm having a hard time relating to people.
3) In Mandarin Chinese there are two different definitions of selfishness: doing that which is beneficial to you, and hoarding, being greedy and cruel.
Elizabeth talked about how we've taken these two definitions and grouped them into one. Women sometimes think that anything they do that's beneficial to themselves is greedy, hoarding or cruel. She goes on to say, when you fill yourself up by doing things you love you become an example to others. That in itself is an offering to others for how to live a happy and blessed life.

We all have our own unique spiritual journeys. There are three daily rituals that she shared, and you don't have to travel the world to do them. That makes it nice for those of us who don't have the luxury to hop on a plane any time we want. It is important to be still and take time for yourself.
1) Start a journal and answer the question, "What do I really, really, really, want?" Answer it every day.
2) Write down the happiest moment of every day in a happiness journal and look back on this from time to time to notice any patterns.
3) Refine your mantra. Elizabeth says, "We all actually already have a mantra. We just might not realize that we do. Whatever you repeat constantly in your head is your mantra whether you know it or not, and that is leading you on your way."

I think I'll give Eat Pray Love another try. Maybe this time around I'll be more open to its messages.