“Joie de vivre”, she tells me simply. Joy of living. Nicole says that in her 48 years’ experience she has learned that if your head is fighting your heart and you do not become aware of this, and make a positive change yourself, life will eventually “stop you” from doing things the way you’re doing them.
“You will have an accident, or get sick,” she says with certainty.
Nicole herself made major life changes after suffering health problems. “Your body is your best friend, but it will let you know very quickly if you are doing something wrong.
“Confucius said we spend the first half of our lives trying to get money, and the second half paying money to try to get health,” says Nicole with a wry smile. “We need to prioritise our health from the start, before it’s too late.” “If you’re feeling bad it’s because you’re on the wrong track. It could be your way of thinking,” she says. “Maybe you blame others for the problems in your life. A boss, or someone else causing you grief. But if you look inside yourself for the problem, and change your way of thinking you won’t attract these people to you.”
Again trying to deflect me from picking her brain to pieces Nicole refers to another source of wisdom, The Secret. A current hype in Switzerland, The Secret is a book/film based on the idea that changing your way of thinking will change your life - basically, what you think, you attract. It is claimed to be a universal law believed and practiced by many great thinkers throughout history, and the secret to happiness, love, health, and prosperity.
Of course Nicole says there is nothing wrong with green tea and yoga, but after our discussion it does seem to pale somewhat in comparison to joie de vivre. And she assures me it can be accomplished by listening to your heart, prioritising your health, and controlling your thought patterns so that you focus your energy on what you want from life, rather than on what you don’t want. "What you’re thinking is coming to you," she says.
It doesn’t sound too complicated.
I promise Nicole I’ll give it a go. I’ll get back to you.
To view a clip from The Secret see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b1GKGWJbE8
For more information on Confuciunism see http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/
Anna Tuson – expatica 2008
