Daily Reading - Allen James' Daily Guide to Success series - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

Our reading for April 17th, from "The Journey: A Calendar Book"...."Make love often".

Although sex is a topic many veer away from addressing, it is one which anyone caring to focus on a cultivating a positive attitude and personal success cannot ignore.

Dr. Oz, from Oprah fame identifies 6 health benefits of making love once or twice a week (is that all):

1. Keeps the heart strong
2. Improves sleep
3. Reduces headaches
4. Makes you look 7 - 13 years younger
5. Reduces the frequency of colds
6. Adds years to your life (huffingtonpost.com)

Putting research and health benefits aside, a healthy sex life (emphasis on healthy) builds intimacy, trust, and cohesion between partners. Combining a healthy sex life with a healthy attitude goes a very long way in keeping intimate relationships strong.

But intimacy does not mean sex; each are very distinct from the other, but both are necessary for cohesion. Intimacy exists when individuals share feelings of emotional closeness and connectedness and the desire to share our innermost thoughts and feelings. Intimate relationships are unique due to a sharing of mutual trust, caring, and acceptance.

On the other hand, a key part of our sexuality is our ability to BE intimate: the ability to love, trust and care for others in both sexual and other types of relationships.

In order to have true intimacy with our partner, one must be willing to take emotional risks when they share personal details and stories. Emotional intimacy doesn't automatically occur with sexual intimacy, as people who are sexually involved may still be unable or choose not to share their innermost thoughts and feelings.

There are four key factors to having a healthy intimate relationship:

1. Knowing and liking yourself
2. Trusting and caring
3. Honesty
4. Clear communication (optionsforsexualhealth.org)

Nurture your relationship with your partner. Grow intimacy and connection.

Make love often, both for your physical health and your emotional well-being.

Keep looking up. AJ : )