There are 10 secrets to living a happy and fulfilling life, but they don’t come from Oprah, the Queen of Talk, or from self-help experts like Dale Carnegie and Stephen Covey. They come from Pope Francis, the world’s trendiest new life coach.
Pope Francis, who is getting more and more popular for his practical yet “radical” teachings in the Catholic Church–continues to surprise not only his devout followers, but also people from other religions. He recently revealed his own 10 secrets to living a better life in an interview with the Argentinian newspaper, Viva, the Catholic News Service reported.
While some of Pope Francis’ tips are no-brainers, most of them are not the sort of common suggestions you’d expect to find in self-help books. The pope’s recommendations include: respecting other people’s beliefs, helping to protect the environment, lending dignity to work, and above all–promoting peace, The Daily Beast reported.
Here is Pope Francis’ list, courtesy of the Catholic News Service:
- “Live and let live.”
- “Be giving of yourself to others.”
- “Proceed calmly” in life.
- “A healthy sense of leisure.”
- Sundays should be holidays.
- Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people.
- Respect and take care of nature.
- Stop being negative.
- Don’t proselytize; respect others’ beliefs. “We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: ‘I am talking with you in order to persuade you,’ No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing,” the Pope said.
- Work for peace. “We are living in a time of many wars… the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive [and dynamic].”
As the old Christian adage goes: man does not live by bread alone.
