Author Topic: RAWK's Bloggers' Musings, Wisdom & General Positivity for 2019 & beyond! (Read 57598 times)

jillcwhomever · « **Reply #240 on:** March 18, 2018, 11:26:43 pm »

So glad you are continuing with this fantastic thread. I have really hit a busy time at work so I've been unable to keep up with it sadly. But hopefully tomorrow our work-load will return to normal and I will have the chance to catch up. In the meantime keep up the good work.

24/7 · « **Reply #241 on:** March 19, 2018, 08:18:11 am »

Thanks jill hope the work calms down sufficiently for you to appreciate the things in life you want to more.....

24/7 · « **Reply #242 on:** March 19, 2018, 08:28:52 am »

March 19th - Monday (71 to go)

"There's no defeat except in no longer trying." - Zig Ziglar

Boom! This is right. Zig Ziglar is one of my faves in this diary of mine and here he delivers a belter.

Give up and your goal is practically certain not to succeed. What's the point of that?? It's a wonderful victory......against yourself! I am far more willing to accept defeat if I know I've done absolutely everything I can than giving up part way through, knowing there's something else I could and should have tried........

I guess these things are pretty relative too, right? Is the task worth the extra effort? Is the reward far less than the energy invested in it? Is it the right time to be battling harder on something that's not going well? Only you will know the answers to these questions, so be honest with yourselves.

As for something being worth the extra, maybe assessing the principles involved is the benchmark - also, you might be putting in a HUGE amount of effort into something when there is no apparent, extrinsic benefit to yourself...........yet you know that others will benefit greatly from it. Success is sometimes its own reward.

There are numerous causes I've worked with over the years where the previous paragraph definitely applies. The latest one - World Cleanup Day - benefits every single human on the planet and a considerable amount of the flora and fauna. There will be no defeat. We keep going.

What are you battling at the moment which requires you to dig deep at times and not even contemplate defeat? What's important to you? Who can help you?

jillcwhomever · « **Reply #243 on:** March 19, 2018, 08:36:36 pm »

This latest observation sums up writing. The first really major story I wrote came to me like a volcano in the early stages. I was writing chapter after chapter so many ideas brimming out of my imagination, to the extent I took it all for granted. Then one day I woke up devoid of any sort of inspiration, it was like my mind had become devoid of ideas and had just come to a shuddering halt. I didn't worry too much to start off with, gave myself a couple of weeks off thinking it would all come back to me. Suddenly the weeks turned to months, then another month and before I knew it I was utterly depressed and in despair of what I was going to do.

To make matters worse I had people begging me to continue, but I couldn't find either the motivation or worse still the idea's to continue the writing. I was on the verge of giving up, when suddenly someone suggested simply go back to the beginning. It took an awful lot of time and effort but eventually the story began to re-emerge into my mind, and the ideas began to appear once again. It actually was a great and painful lesson, sometimes you have to go through the pain-barrier to come out the other side. The best thing I learnt was no matter how much you love doing something, you're going to have days when everything becomes a real grind, even when its something you feel passionate about. But don't let it beat you, just take a step back and don't be afraid to re-assess what you have done. When I eventually put the completed story on the website it became such a huge positive step in my life, and actually made me try other things too.

We all need to try something different sometimes, just to give life a bit of a lift. Use this month to try something new everyone, and see what you get out of it.

24/7 · « **Reply #244 on:** March 20, 2018, 07:53:07 am »

Brilliant example, jill - and you are a great writer too by the way

24/7 · « **Reply #245 on:** March 20, 2018, 08:02:03 am »

March 20th - Monday (70 to go)

"To be agreeable when we disagree is a goal most of us have to keep working at." - Eugene P. Bertin

Who?! Well, apparently a Doctor who did a lot of work with X-rays. He certainly saw through (badum-tsssh!) the practice of disagreeing with someone in such a way that you make them feel bad/wrong/attacked! Seems to be a dying art, letting someone know in a positive and constructive way that you don't agree with something they've said or done.......

One of the exercises I do in Rapport Building skills sessions is to have people engage in a discussion on a topic they both AGREE on but stay consciously OUT of rapport with the other person. It rarely succeeds - it's not meant to. So then I have them discuss a topic on which they both DISAGREE but this time consciously make the effort to stay IN rapport with them (using the skills discussed in the module, e.g. mirror, match, pace and lead) It's a great NLP-based tactic and often ends up with people reviewing their positions on a subject as a result of having had a positive debate - even though they started out from opposing positions.

What ongoing situation are you facing where adopting a more positive, agreeable stance might generate a totally different outcome? Who knows, you could end up changing your position, having been successfully persuaded by another's agreeable standpoint! Give it a try today.

24/7 · « **Reply #246 on:** March 21, 2018, 05:46:08 am »

March 21st - Wednesday (69 to go)

"Seven Deadly Sins

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Science without humanity,
Knowledge without character,
Politics without principle,
Commerce without morality,
Worship without sacrifice."

- Mahatma Gandhi

There's so much in there to unpick, I'm not even going to try this time - just let them sink in and touch you on an intuitive level then respond to the one that stands out most for you, apply it to your day and do something wonderful with it.

Today I am at a school in Austria near the Hungarian border. I'm not a teacher. Nooooooo! So today I will ensure whichever group I get will understand "knowledge without character". Poor kids - they're going to see my character

What can you do with the above today?

Mutton Geoff · « **Reply #247 on:** March 21, 2018, 10:39:46 am »

if only a few more took on Gandhi's words and lived by them.

Excellent sir

Politics without Principle stands out for me right now.

24/7 · « **Reply #248 on:** March 22, 2018, 05:57:20 am »

March 22nd - Thursday (68 to go)

"Don't wait for your ship to sail in; swim out to it!" - Unknown

A variation on a theme of how you are the master of your own destiny and a play on the phrase about one's ship sailing in. Sitting and waiting for stuff to happen rarely works. Making it happen for yourself doesn't always work, sure, but it's much more likely to if you put in the effort.

Doing gets it done. Waiting for it to be done doesn't.

What 'ship' is just out of reach at the moment but could be if you did a little front crawl through the waves?

*as a side note, that's a shockingly awful picture of a beautiful place. Kanheri Caves are a collection of rooms/buildings carved out of the hillside by hand over a millennium starting over two milennia ago, mainly by Buddhist monks, The temple is amazing. It's well worth the trip if you're in or near Mumbai. I went several times in different seasons and its magical in monsoon. I don't recommend it though at the end of the dry season

24/7 · « **Reply #249 on:** March 23, 2018, 05:36:38 am »

March 23rd - Friday (67 to go)

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no-one ever come to you with leaving happier." - Mother Teresa

I think this one speaks for itself, although there could be a semantic discussion on the nature of 'love' and how it's offered! Sometimes the so-called 'tough love' is the most suitable approach, as it helps us learn more about ourselves. Delivered well, and it works a charm - delivered badly and it's an opportunity for the deliverer to a) attempt to repair the situation and be less 'tough' about it an b) learn the art of offering tough love in such a way that it is received with grace too.

Let us also attempt to understand the perspective of the other person, as that also helps put us in a place where we can better appreciate their position - and, as a consequence, to adjust our own position with them. Acting in such a caring fashion could also be deemed to be a type of love.

What situation are you facing today where you could show love instead of something else?

Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov · « **Reply #250 on:** March 23, 2018, 07:12:54 am »

Very very good quote today. Sometimes it's easy to have people leave you happier but sometimes it's a genuine challenge. I try to live by the motto "treat others the way you want to be treated" which isn't easy all the time....

24/7 · « **Reply #251 on:** March 24, 2018, 07:42:01 am »

March 24th - Saturday (66 to go)

"Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it." - Robertson Davies

Okay, so I have met this year some amazing people in the World Cleanup movement, who face quite outrageously oppressive situations in their home countries, yet they care so much about the environment, about nature and about preventing the spread of diseases that kill their people that they stand up to their own governments and pressurise them to do something positive.

Their reward? Victimisation, bullying, sometimes worse. Still they continue. Truly extraordinary people.

I know people here on RAWK who battle the most incredible obstacles to achieve the outcomes that they see as fair and just, Hillsborough being obvious examples but there are other personal ones too - mental or physical health, corporate bullying, depression, addiction, etc.

Determination to remain true to one's principles and objectives, even when facing outright hostility, can sometimes be hard to see through - but we do it anyway.

What are you facing today that you could either inject a bit more energy into or call on others to assist you to do so? Doing gets it done - and there are people around you who can help.......perhaps more than you realise........

24/7 · « **Reply #252 on:** March 25, 2018, 08:57:24 am »

March 25th - Sunday (65 to go)

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

This is the closest thing that I have to a personal mantra. I live my life by this line.

My entire professional life revolves around the concept of change and I employ various tools to encourage people to be their own agents of change in their professional or personal lives.

This means so much to me that my personal life now revolves around the same concept, with the same line at the heart of it all.

The "Let's Do It, World!" Foundation seeks to exercise massive change, in terms of how we relate to trash, to the production of substances that kill the planet and to the way we manage existing resources that have been strangling the environment for years - and the change that needs to happen most is our own attitudes towards it all.

The biggest responsibilities lie in the governments who govern us and the corporations who should be answering to those governments - who, in turn, should be answering to the people who put them there!

So in this massive circle of influence, what's your role? Sit back and let someone else do the leg work and reap the reward for doing the sum of sweet F.A? Or get involved, even in a small way?

Mindsets need to change. So display your changed mindset around trash when it's changed. That way, you be the change. Make it personal! It affects every. single. one. of. us. full. stop.

One mind at a time, one community at a time, one nation at a time, we only have one planet at a time.

What can you do today to contribute to this change?

Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov · « **Reply #253 on:** March 25, 2018, 12:12:14 pm »

Nothing but love for this quote...

24/7 · « **Reply #254 on:** March 26, 2018, 08:18:08 am »

Quote from: Mediocre Baron Bennekov on March 25, 2018, 12:12:14 pm

Nothing but love for this quote...

I've just had someone point out to me elsewhere that Gandhi didn't say this. So what? Focus on the fucking message for fuck's sake

Talk about pissing on someone's chips. Ah well. In with anger, out with love.......

24/7 · « **Reply #255 on:** March 26, 2018, 08:27:26 am »

March 26th - Monday (64 to go)

"The person interested in success has to learn to view failure as a healthy, inevitable part of the process of getting to the top." - Dr Joyce Brothers

Okay, so "the top" is open to interpretation and will mean different things to different people. I'd replace it with...process of achieving their goal." Either way, the sentiment behind the message remains, that success is not necessarily a joined up series of mini-successes.

So how we deal with 'failure' at any stage of our journey determines whether or not our next 'mini success', or even the end goal itse;f, is achieved, yes?

This is one of the main issues I have with modern education, the principle of "teaching to the test" referred to earlier in the thread. It's become highly noticeable that we do not prepare our children to deal wtih 'failure'. One teacher in Austria told me last week that their new system is designed to prevent anyone from failing - so what you end up with is more people at mediocre level.

Sometimes we HAVE to FAIL in order to understand and appreciate success more. Controversial view? Possibly. The real test of character is how we learn from that, so our subsequent success can be more powerful, sustainable and productive.

So what is 'failure' and how can we move on from it? It reminds me of a line I started to embrace a year or so ago, I don't know where it comes from but I like it.

"Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn."

Failure is not the same as losing. Failure can be turned into victory. If we learn from it. We can turn it to our advantage, it can feed our resolution and determination.

What opportunity is facing you today that, up until now, you've seen as a defeat or a failure? How can you turn it to your advantage, today, right now?

kellan · « **Reply #256 on:** March 26, 2018, 09:14:02 am »

Quote from: 24/7 on March 19, 2018, 08:28:52 am

March 19th - Monday (71 to go)

"There's no defeat except in no longer trying." - Zig Ziglar

What are you battling at the moment which requires you to dig deep at times and not even contemplate defeat?

Quote from: 24/7 on March 26, 2018, 08:27:26 am

March 26th - Monday (64 to go)

"The person interested in success has to learn to view failure as a healthy, inevitable part of the process of getting to the top." - Dr Joyce Brothers

What opportunity is facing you today that, up until now, you've seen as a defeat or a failure? How can you turn it to your advantage, today, right now?

I read last Monday's quote shortly after receiving a phone call to tell me I hadn't got a job I desperately wanted. It was one of the more painful rejections. I'm reading this Monday's quote as I get ready to go to another job interview this afternoon, which I applied for as a result of reading last Monday's quote. Trying to get back in to work is proving to be a long and difficult road but it was this very thread which inspired me to stay on it and, as seen with the quotes of the last two Monday's especially, continues to do so.

Every rejection has been a lesson. I no longer leave interviews feeling I could have done more. I have learnt how to put in place the pieces which I have control over, and if a job offer doesn't come then it's because the other pieces I can't affect didn't fall my way. I'm okay with that. One day they will. So long as I keep trying.

Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov · « **Reply #257 on:** March 26, 2018, 09:56:39 am »

Quote from: 24/7 on March 26, 2018, 08:18:08 am

I've just had someone point out to me elsewhere that Gandhi didn't say this. So what? Focus on the fucking message for fuck's sake Talk about pissing on someone's chips. Ah well. In with anger, out with love.......

But how can we change if the facts are not right...?

*SIGH* Sometimes it's hard for me to understand why some people NEED to look at the holes in the cheese rather than the whole cheese.

24/7 · « **Reply #258 on:** March 26, 2018, 11:47:35 am »

Quote from: kellan on March 26, 2018, 09:14:02 am

I read last Monday's quote shortly after receiving a phone call to tell me I hadn't got a job I desperately wanted. It was one of the more painful rejections. I'm reading this Monday's quote as I get ready to go to another job interview this afternoon, which I applied for as a result of reading last Monday's quote. Trying to get back in to work is proving to be a long and difficult road but it was this very thread which inspired me to stay on it and, as seen with the quotes of the last two Monday's especially, continues to do so.

Every rejection has been a lesson. I no longer leave interviews feeling I could have done more. I have learnt how to put in place the pieces which I have control over, and if a job offer doesn't come then it's because the other pieces I can't affect didn't fall my way. I'm okay with that. One day they will. So long as I keep trying.

Now THAT inspires ME

24/7 · « **Reply #259 on:** March 27, 2018, 08:53:31 am »

March 27th - Tuesday (63 to go)

"How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it." - G. Elliston

I find that kindness begets kindness. It need only be a very simple thing, like opening a door for somebody who has their hands full, or something big like organising an event or celebration. Whatever it is, when the kindness is done with an unselfish heart and with no expectation of reciprocation, I've found that the reward is greater than the effort put in.

What can you do today to inject a little kindness into somebody's day? Feel free to share here what happens in return.

The Bournemouth Red · « **Reply #260 on:** March 27, 2018, 05:54:58 pm »

I did the opening a door thing today, and the person smiled and said thank you.

Maybe this stuff actually works because I felt better.

24/7 · « **Reply #261 on:** March 27, 2018, 06:11:35 pm »

24/7 · « **Reply #262 on:** March 28, 2018, 08:20:38 am »

March 28th - Wednesday (62 to go)

"Expect the best, plan for the worst, prepare to be surprised." - Denis Waitley

Personally, I'm not quite sure how one plans for the worst. I believe what is meant by the statement is to prepare to be surprised when you raise your intentions around how successful your goals will be.

I'm sure you've heard things like, "Always have a Plan 'B'!" or "Make sure you have a contingency, or fall-back option!" Maybe that's what "plan for the worst" means?

The best motivators though advise us to ensure that we have a clear and firm successful outcome in mind when setting our goals in the first place and to invest as much 'spiritual' energy into the task as any other form of energy.

How many times have you done this and been blown away by the outcome? For example, the recent JustGiving campaign to help the Van Riels pay for Carl's funeral - that was an incredible success which blew us all away. The 'Plan B' was to pay for a funeral on a credit card (!) - so in my mind the only realistic option was for 'Plan A' to succeed.....and it did.....

What adjustments can you make to your 'Plan A' today that could have a very surprising effect on the outcome? Give it a go and report back in

24/7 · « **Reply #263 on:** March 29, 2018, 09:40:07 am »

March 29th - Thursday (61 to go.....4 weeks in and still dry )

"Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind." - Gautama Buddha.

Wise words from the wisest one, particularly the last bit. I have learned to appreciate what I receive and I am no longer coveting the things that others have. In the materialistic age, this propensity to envy what others have is increasingly pernicious and in fact feeds the cycle of material desire. Sales & Marketing of course love that!

In fact, I'm going the other way - giving away most of what I own at the moment - CDs, DVDs, vinyl, football memorabilia, books, clothing, pretty much anything that's been sat on a shelf or in a box for more than the last year after my last move. Life laundry of physical things but also life laundry of non-material things.....learning to let go of bad memories, for example......very liberating.

Obtaining peace of mind has been something very necessary this last year, having had the opportunity to move on from some very painful moments and not 'hang on' to the memory of the bitterness held, or envy of others' happiness/security/comfort.

What are you hanging on to at the moment, or, upon reflection, realising you envy in others? What can you let go of today?

jillcwhomever · « **Reply #264 on:** March 29, 2018, 10:40:47 pm »

Quote from: kellan on March 26, 2018, 09:14:02 am

I read last Monday's quote shortly after receiving a phone call to tell me I hadn't got a job I desperately wanted. It was one of the more painful rejections. I'm reading this Monday's quote as I get ready to go to another job interview this afternoon, which I applied for as a result of reading last Monday's quote. Trying to get back in to work is proving to be a long and difficult road but it was this very thread which inspired me to stay on it and, as seen with the quotes of the last two Monday's especially, continues to do so.

Every rejection has been a lesson. I no longer leave interviews feeling I could have done more. I have learnt how to put in place the pieces which I have control over, and if a job offer doesn't come then it's because the other pieces I can't affect didn't fall my way. I'm okay with that. One day they will. So long as I keep trying.

What a great way of dealing with one of the hardest challenges in life. It is rarely easy, I had an experience of having to be interviewed to keep the present job I was in. I managed it, but I certainly stressed myself endlessly. Your way is a far better approach, and its great to see this fantastic thread came to you at the right time. Keep on battling that job will be there somewhere.

jillcwhomever · « **Reply #265 on:** March 29, 2018, 10:47:26 pm »

Quote from: The Bournemouth Red on March 27, 2018, 05:54:58 pm

I did the opening a door thing today, and the person smiled and said thank you.

Maybe this stuff actually works because I felt better.

Great stuff, it is so true that as people we are somehow losing the ability to relate to one another, and I'm as bad as anyone else at it too. Each day I go to work listening to my ipod, shutting out people on the journey. But at the same time, the art of communicating with people is being lost. So many of us with headphones on, texting away on our phones eyes down, not making any eye contact. We miss so much as those machines take over our lives. Wouldn't it be great to actually make some conversation with a stranger rather than texting away? I'm going to give it a go.

24/7 · « **Reply #266 on:** March 30, 2018, 08:57:50 am »

It is quite spooky sometimes how these lines fit people's lives exactly at certain times - please keep the observations and comments coming, it gives me a bit of reassurance that this is not after all little more than some vanity project

24/7 · « **Reply #267 on:** March 30, 2018, 09:05:13 am »

March 30th - Friday (one third of the way in now)

"I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act!" - Gautama Buddha

I love this one. Do nothing, shit happens anyway. Do something, you have more chance of shit happening the way you want it to. I trust he'll forgive the paraphrase.

Doing gets it done. Doing nothing rarely does and certainly doing nothing will dramatically decrease the chances of a desired outcome happening - then who's to blame?

I'm reminded too of the Latin proverb, "Fabrum suat esse quemque fortunae!" You are the maker of your own fortune/destiny/luck/etc - not financial fortune per se. I think I've said that here before.......

Additionally, doing one thing, then sitting back and expecting others to finish the job for you is also not very effective. See it through, people!

Anyway. What tasks do you face today that could shape your own destiny? Will you act or will you sit back and allow the universe to dictate the outcome to you? It's your life. You are empowered to effect change. Go do it.

Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov · « **Reply #268 on:** March 30, 2018, 11:30:15 am »

Doing gets it done....

I'm going to the gym again for the first time in 5 weeks. Both my ankles have been fooked (cartilage), so I haven't been able to do any exercise at all. I miss it like hell so today I'm going to start doing again. Them excess kilos will not rid themselves will they?

24/7 · « **Reply #269 on:** March 31, 2018, 08:48:41 am »

March 31st - Saturday (59 to go)

"Experience is not what happens to a person; it is what a person does with what happens to them." - Aldous Huxley

Ah, Huxley, he of 'Brave New World' fame but also 'Doors of Perception; Heaven & Hell'. I highly recommend both. I like this one today, it really speaks to me and my own life. We are greater than the sum of our experiences but only if we are open to what we can learn from them.

Even then, there are positive and negative ways to apply that learning. We can be victims or we can take responsibility, we can complain and give in to circumstance or we can dig deep and resolve to affect circumstance, rather than be affected by it.

Each of us has the opportunity to influence that which we experience and then to learn from it - regardless of the outcome. What we do next with that experience helps define who we are.

What will you do with what you experience today? Will you simply allow yourself to be shaped by it or will you apply it to yourself on your own terms and use it?

24/7 · « **Reply #270 on:** April 1, 2018, 08:38:26 am »

April 1st - Sunday - (one whole month in)

"Beauty is truth's smile when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror." - Rabindranath Tagore

Had to think a bit more than usual about this one. It seems deeper than merely saying that truth is beauty, beauty is truth, which is the line from Keats of which I'm reminded. It's that part about seeing her own face in a perfect mirror that's throwing me off a little and I think it has something to do with integrity and honesty with oneself.

I've done mirror work before, a technique from Louise Hay. It's bloody uncomfortable at times but powerful. The discipline of holding oneself in the mirror and accepting yourself and then utilising positive reinforcement to build confidence and belief in oneself can be surprisingly hard work.

There are many definitions of 'beauty' and there may be equally many versions of 'truth' - I guess you only really know which one applies to you when you examine it really closely, with a totally open and honest mind. Anything else is merely self-delusion.

So take a good, long, hard look in the mirror today and search for your beauty and truth - you'll find it - some may have an easier experience than others in doing so, some harder - but when you find it, smile.....

24/7 · « **Reply #271 on:** April 2, 2018, 08:55:55 am »

April 2nd - Monday (57 to go)

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." - Mother Teresa

It's funny and comforting sometimes to learn how kindness can go full circle and I experienced that yesterday in fact, quite powerfully. I reached out to someone who was showing me kindness and compassion when I felt I really needed it and, after thanking them, they reminded me that, in fact, I had shown them kindness and compassion some years ago.

I had forgotten all about it and had no idea at the time, or since, how much an impact that kindness had had on them (apparently it helped save their life, something kinda mind-blowing, right?!) - and here they are now, supporting me through something that is literally changing the quality of my life every day.

So yes, an act of kindness can feel relatively minor at the time of doing it and it could be something that comes naturally to us - yet we cannot possibly predict or even realise further down the line just how much that act or those words resonate with the person you're giving them to or the impact you can have on another's life through something selfless and seemingly simple.

Thank you to that person - I hope he's reading this - because he taught me something very valuable.

What kindness can you offer someone today, someone who might be hurting or in need of support, something that is so easy for you to give, something that might have a positive knock-on effect that, one day, might blow your mind or be of such extrinsic benefit to you? "What goes around comes around!" can be a positive thing.....

Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov · « **Reply #272 on:** April 3, 2018, 07:27:39 am »

"Treat others the way you want to be treated."

That's my motto and I live by it everyday. I've had similar experiences in my life where help and kindness came from someone I'd forgotten I'd helped earlier. It's a karma thing I guess...

24/7 · « **Reply #273 on:** April 3, 2018, 09:03:08 am »

April 3rd - Tuesday (56 to go)

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyse you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are." - Bernice Johnson Reagon

Interesting woman, Bernice - google her. Civil rights activist. She makes an excellent point here - adversity often brings out the strength inside us we didn't know we had. What a beautiful discovery that can be. When you rise to a challenge, you might find yourself unleashing creative forces that had lay dormant until then and, all of a sudden, BOOM! You're flying and it feels like nothing in the universe can stop you.....

I'm finding that at the moment on two fronts - the 90 day challenge has its negative side effects, sure, but some of the positive ones are just beyond expectation. I am healthier, calmer, seeing things more clearly, senses on overdrive, more receptive to changing circumstances, more free..........and the World Cleanup Day has its moments too that make me feel like screaming and saying, "What's the point?!"

Sometimes, that's the point though.

Questioning our motives, our purpose, our situations can be healthy. It can give us the space we need to hit pause and look at the issue from a different angle. Then, when new focus is achieved, we might see a detail we didn't see before, a solution or idea for one that had evaded us until then. I'm finding that happening, right NOW as I prepare for some calls about progress made and not made.....

What can you look at today that makes you suddenly realise you're looking at it as if through fresh eyes? What can that experience tell YOU about YOU, TODAY! Enjoy the experience!

jambutty · « **Reply #274 on:** April 3, 2018, 12:34:21 pm »

My philo has always been, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

I'll be happy if we play well against City, but not crushed if we lose.

I'm a big fan of appreciating things as they are in case they don't improve.

My mantra is: Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

24/7 · « **Reply #275 on:** April 4, 2018, 01:20:18 pm »

April 4th - Wednesday (55 to go)

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." - Mother Teresa

Oh, that's just beautiful.........and it's very hard to find the words to follow on from this!

In the words of possibly the most famous of all Liverpudlians, "All you need is love. Love is all you need."

I'm not going to eulogise. Just read the line again and again. It just gets better each time........

How can you show love today, even if it hurts? Can you achieve the same paradox and break through to a state of experience nothing but more love?

24/7 · « **Reply #276 on:** April 5, 2018, 12:53:34 pm »

April 5th - Thursday (54 to go)

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St Francis of Assissi

Ooh I like this one - and it applies to so many situations we can think of, right?!

So when you're looking to achieve a goal, start by determining what has to happen in order for it to be achieved, do the necessary part. Then look at what you can immediately do, what action you can take there and then, anything that is directly under your control. The theory of influence then kicks in - and with sufficient a snowball effect, things that you didn't believe could happen start happening.........

Believing it to be impossible almost guarantees it won't happen. Believing it's possible is half the battle. Take steps.

September 15th 2018. Believe.

What can you work on today that takes you closer to what you previously thought was impossible?

24/7 · « **Reply #277 on:** April 6, 2018, 06:22:55 am »

April 6th - Friday (53 to go)

"No one can arrive from being talented alone. God gives talent; work transforms talent into genius." - Anna Pavlova

Caveat - if the word 'God' doesn't sit comfortably, change it to a word that works, e.g. 'The Universe" or "Gaia" or "Mother Nature" or "Life".......

I'm guessing the point is that we are each born with various talents or innate skills. We even have in our own culture the phrase, "Use your God-given talents!" So choose whatever term works for you.

Our mission in life is to discover, unlock develop and then fully utilise them. The "work transforms" part refers to us practising what we're naturally good at so we can become better at it.

I apparently have some sort of innate communication ability, a "way with words" some say. I've tried over the years to nurture that ability and use it for positive means via various media. I'd stop short of "genius" though

What are you naturally good at that you can utilise today? Maybe you haven't yet discovered your true talent, so explore today what you're best at......if you want to talk about this, find a decent coach to help - cos that's what we do best

afc tukrish · « **Reply #278 on:** April 6, 2018, 01:10:08 pm »

Quote from: 24/7 on April 6, 2018, 06:22:55 am

Caveat - if the word 'God' doesn't sit comfortably, change it to a word that works, e.g. 'The Universe" or "Gaia" or "Mother Nature" or "Life".......

Or Fowler?

jillcwhomever · « **Reply #279 on:** April 6, 2018, 11:38:49 pm »

Quote from: 24/7 on April 6, 2018, 06:22:55 am

April 6th - Friday (53 to go)

"No one can arrive from being talented alone. God gives talent; work transforms talent into genius." - Anna Pavlova

Caveat - if the word 'God' doesn't sit comfortably, change it to a word that works, e.g. 'The Universe" or "Gaia" or "Mother Nature" or "Life".......

I'm guessing the point is that we are each born with various talents or innate skills. We even have in our own culture the phrase, "Use your God-given talents!" So choose whatever term works for you.

Our mission in life is to discover, unlock develop and then fully utilise them. The "work transforms" part refers to us practising what we're naturally good at so we can become better at it.

I apparently have some sort of innate communication ability, a "way with words" some say. I've tried over the years to nurture that ability and use it for positive means via various media. I'd stop short of "genius" though

What are you naturally good at that you can utilise today? Maybe you haven't yet discovered your true talent, so explore today what you're best at......if you want to talk about this, find a decent coach to help - cos that's what we do best

I think you're a pretty damn fine communicator as this thread is proving.

Honing talents though is a challenging forte. The writing website I belonged to had artists attached as well. There was one person in particular who I hugely respected for the graphics that she could put together. She many a time fed my imagination for a story and quite a few of my first ones came directly from her pictures. She was a wonderfully supportive person who was forever encouraging me to have a go myself. Having loved Art at school I finally downloaded the free graphic software Gimp and decided to have a go. It was one of the hardest things I've ever attempted to do, and so many times I was on the verge of giving up, but eventually I managed to put something together. I was well proud of myself when achieved that. It is all about finding something and challenging yourself to do something new. I now have a account of DeviantArt and I still get a kick out of doing something like that, especially with it being such a challenge.

This is one of my fave original one's, forgive the rubbishy "poetry" though.

http://fav.me/dambp5r