Words of Wellness

July 11, 2012 | The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner

"It's All About The Application"

  Living Compass is excited to announce that we have just released a new “app” for smartphones and tablets.  The app, or application, is called “Living Well With Living Compass” and it is available for free in the app store for your mobile device (iPhone, iPad, and Android).  Our app includes a variety of wellness resources, our Living Compass Self-Assessment, and a tool to help users create and track wellness action steps.  In addition to a public cheering section, a place within the app where users can share intentions, successes, and cheer each other on, there is also the opportunity to create your own personal “cheering section” where you can invite and connect with friends and family who are also working on their wellness steps.  We invite you to download it and try it out.  We will update the app regularly as we to work to make it a powerful tool for those seeking to create an abundant life, and would appreciate your feedback which you can give us through the app. Like everything with Living Compass, this is a team effort.
 

     Releasing our application has given me an opportunity to reflect upon the word application.  It is a fascinating word that has great relevance to wellness and wholeness.  


     It seems to me the essence of living well involves both having the knowledge of what choices create wellness and wholeness, and then applying that wisdom on a daily basis.  I know that when I find myself stressed and out of balance, it is not because I don't know how to handle or avoid stress better, but because I am not currently applying what I already know.  

    
     An analogy might be helpful.  Imagine you go to the beach on a sunny day.  You know it is wise to protect your exposed skin by using sunscreen and so you buy a bottle and plan to put in on as soon as you arrive at the beach.  Once you get there though, you get caught up in the excitement and forget to apply the sunscreen.  You have a great day at the beach, but arrive home sunburned and concerned about the harm you have done to your skin.  The problem was not that you didn't know what to do; the problem is that you literally forgot to apply what you knew was good for you.

    
     Applying this knowledge to my own life,  I know that taking time each day to nurture both my spiritual well-being and my physical well-being helps me to be centered and balanced throughout the day.  Fifteen minutes of prayer and/or spiritual reading and forty-five minutes of exercise makes a world of difference in the way I feel. Just as importantly, it makes such a difference in the kind of energy I bring to my interactions with others throughout the day.  When I forget to “apply” the wisdom of caring for my spiritual and physical well-being, my wellness suffers and this, in turn, affects the wellness of others around me, too.  

    
     Leonardo da Vinci was right when he said, “Knowing is not enough, we must apply.”  Most of us already know what practices and daily choices will enhance our spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical wellness.  Just like taking that bottle of sunscreen to the beach, we have to remember to apply the wisdom we already possess.  It does us no good to carry that wisdom around in our backpack, forgetting to apply it to our lives.

   
     So in honor of the release of our new app, it's good to remember that when it comes to wellness and wholeness, it really is all about the application!  Download our free app, “Living Well with Living Compass”, today --it won't protect your skin from the sun, but it is a tool that will help you apply what you already know to other important areas of wellness in you life.  

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