Topic: RAWK's Bloggers' Musings, Wisdom & General Positivity for 2019 & beyond!

[24/7]

February 17th - Saturday

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff that life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin

Good advice that. And slightly linked to yesterday's too, in my eyes at least. What can we learn from time we have wasted? Well, regretting it is.......just more wasted time So stop that, for a start!

There's something I've been putting off doing. I know it needs to be done, it needs to be discussed, it needs to be resolved and needs to be done now. So this weekend I will be doing it. No more wasted time. It will almost certainly cause some upset/pain and it will doubtlessly result in short-term anxiety and stress as the impact of the decision becomes apparent BUT the long-term view is one that requires me to act sooner rather than later.

Because the time I waste now not doing it will never, ever be regained later.

What judicious use of your time can you employ today?

[Mutton Geoff]

February 17th - Saturday

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff that life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin

Good advice that. And slightly linked to yesterday's too, in my eyes at least. What can we learn from time we have wasted? Well, regretting it is.......just more wasted time So stop that, for a start!

There's something I've been putting off doing. I know it needs to be done, it needs to be discussed, it needs to be resolved and needs to be done now. So this weekend I will be doing it. No more wasted time. It will almost certainly cause some upset/pain and it will doubtlessly result in short-term anxiety and stress as the impact of the decision becomes apparent BUT the long-term view is one that requires me to act sooner rather than later.

Because the time I waste now not doing it will never, ever be regained later.

What judicious use of your time can you employ today?

Keep this going because this isnt wasting time, as for the one above i thought almost immediately about this one ' Life is not a Dress Rehearsal'

 The funny thing is now i am semi retired i have more time for myself and do not really make the most of it yet.

[24/7]

Keep this going because this isnt wasting time, as for the one above i thought almost immediately about this one ' Life is not a Dress Rehearsal'

 The funny thing is now i am semi retired i have more time for myself and do not really make the most of it yet.

Thanks Geoff, means a lot to me that, knowing that someone doesn't consider this thread to be a waste of time. I am also glad that it could be inspiring you to make more of this extra time you have. Remember, you worked hard (well, worked ) for it so you deserve to enjoy it too.

Why not help out with World Cleanup Day?

[Mutton Geoff]

Thanks Geoff, means a lot to me that, knowing that someone doesn't consider this thread to be a waste of time. I am also glad that it could be inspiring you to make more of this extra time you have. Remember, you worked hard (well, worked ) for it so you deserve to enjoy it too.

Why not help out with World Cleanup Day?

I will look into it. 

[Ycuzz]

What judicious use of your time can you employ today?

Well, it's been a fairly good day. Got loads done around the house with the added bonus of baking cookies with my youngest daughter and having pizza for dinner. All round good day for the Yc household.

And yes, keep this up Jim. Thanks.

[rob1966]

What judicious use of your time can you employ today?

Took a load of rubbish the recycling centre (aka the tip), then took my youngest football training. Started tidying my garage, ordered a heater and a display cabinet for some model cars I got from her Dad, washed my car, made enough Chili to cover 3 meals. Then heated up a load of chinese buffet stuff and a couple of currys and had a proper family tea with the kids.

[24/7]

That's the spirit people!


I went to a gig where people paid to watch songs I had written being performed live. A first for me.

[afc tukrish]

None of these posts are wastes, J-Dawg...

I read the new one every day.

I don't always agree, but have kept myself from commenting to that effect because the thread atmosphere is important.

Keep it up, por favor...

[Ycuzz]

I went to a gig where people paid to watch songs I had written being performed live. A first for me.

Really? How very cool. Hope you had a good one mate.

[24/7]

Really? How very cool. Hope you had a good one mate.

It was amazing watching/listening to something you created being performed by friends and appreciated by total strangers. Weird but wonderful.

[24/7]

February 18th - Sunday

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A lovely and sweet Waldo moment there. It's the same with negativity and I'm sure you've heard it and/or experienced it - when someone's in a bad mood, it can poison the atmosphere around them - when someone's in a good mood you can become inspired by it.

This LDIW/WCD movement is chocker full of people who inspire me and make me happy, so I want to splash that perfume around a bit and give others the chance to feel it. Watching others benefit from one's own good mood is infinitely better than remembering how they react to my bad moods.........but we're not looking back or regretting, we're looking forwards and learning what we can do with our past experiences

So who around you can benefit from your happiness today?

[Maggie May]

Thanks Geoff, means a lot to me that, knowing that someone doesn't consider this thread to be a waste of time. I am also glad that it could be inspiring you to make more of this extra time you have. Remember, you worked hard (well, worked ) for it so you deserve to enjoy it too.

Why not help out with World Cleanup Day?

Fuck no Jim.  Please keep going.  I read it every day.  And I am absolutely as one with my beloved Turkish as to the preservation of the atmosphere of the thread. 

[24/7]

February 19th - Monday

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared to believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance." - Bruce Baron

Put aside any feelings that might be conjured up by the word "superior" - it's not like that. It just means "higher than". None of us here, in our collective struggles ([insert noble cause here]), places ourselves on higher pedestals - in fact, usually quite the opposite.....

...but one of the things I'm trying to learn is how to accept, with grace, the realisation of something splendid having been achieved.

And then moving on to the next splendid thing. Before it goes to my head.

Recently, we climbed the hill in our own way - and I look forward to flying that banner again in April - and this year we will clean up the world on our own way.

Splendid things can change history - it doesn't have to on a global level though - sometimes the smallest changes are the most significant.

What splendid thing can you do today for someone, for yourself even?

[Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov]

February 19th - Monday

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared to believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance." - Bruce Baron

Put aside any feelings that might be conjured up by the word "superior" - it's not like that. It just means "higher than". None of us here, in our collective struggles ([insert noble cause here]), places ourselves on higher pedestals - in fact, usually quite the opposite.....

...but one of the things I'm trying to learn is how to accept, with grace, the realisation of something splendid having been achieved.

And then moving on to the next splendid thing. Before it goes to my head.

Recently, we climbed the hill in our own way - and I look forward to flying that banner again in April - and this year we will clean up the world on our own way.

Splendid things can change history - it doesn't have to on a global level though - sometimes the smallest changes are the most significant.

What splendid thing can you do today for someone, for yourself even?

I like this quote. In Denmark / Scandinavia we have a thing called "Janteloven" - the law of Jante which was written by the Danish author Aksel Sandemose in one of his novels from 1933. The law of Jante is the description of a pattern of group behavior towards individuals within Nordic countries that negatively portrays and criticizes individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante There are 10 rules and they are as follows:

You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as we are.
You're not to think you are smarter than we are.
You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.
You're not to think you know more than we do.
You're not to think you are more important than we are.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.

Today's quote is a huge "Fuck you" to this law and I absolutely love it!!

[24/7]

Today's quote is a huge "Fuck you" to this law and I absolutely love it!!

Absofuckinlutely!!!!!!! Jantelagen was the most frustrating thing I experienced in Sweden when I lived there. It's OKAY to go GOOD at something - because you can work with others to reach their own potential - Jantelagen pisses all over that.

[Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov]

Absofuckinlutely!!!!!!! Jantelagen was the most frustrating thing I experienced in Sweden when I lived there. It's OKAY to go GOOD at something - because you can work with others to reach their own potential - Jantelagen pisses all over that.

Things are changing although at a slow but steady pace here. The youth aren't influenced by it so much anymore. Instead they encourage and support each other in achieving their goals. It's marvelous to witness as a parent...

[24/7]

February 20th - Tuesday

"Nothing is so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." - Peter Drucker

Okay I looked this one up. An Austrian-born management consultant, author and modern philosopher? Fair enough...

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment, although there will always be a subjectivity around the final part. On whose terms is this based? I guess it should be a collaborative assessment as to whether or not the task in and of itself is useless. If it has even intrinsic value, it cannot be said to be "useless". Some would argue that picking up plastic bottles and car tyres on just one day is useless in the wider scheme of things.........which is why we also say it's not just about the one day.........there are inevitable knock-on benefits from that one day........

So I guess the real point here is about where one focusses one's energies.

What tasks are you facing today that would suck your energy away if you threw everything at them? Are they even necessary today? Or at all, for that matter?

What task can you truly devote all your energy and attention today that will produce positive consequences along the line?

I'm going to be attempting to continue to inspire 14 year olds who only seem to care about video games or YouTube stars. Done efficiently, I might reach one person's soul and start them along a path that produces the next peacemaker or the next research scientist who cures a diseases........you never know....

[kellan]

Today’s quote and accompanying dissection resonates a lot with me. Especially the part about there being subjectivity around what is and isn’t a useless thing to do. That whole ‘it isn’t important because it isn’t important to me’ attitude has caused some real grief over the years and nearly ruined my enjoyment of some of my big interests. If you ever meet a kid who has a passion for doing or learning something which you yourself don’t really get the appeal of, never let it show. There is nothing sadder than an adult belittling a kid’s enthusiasm for things they themselves have no enthusiasm for and worse still is trying to steer that kid toward something ‘more worthwhile’ by their own definition. It’s not a waste of energy if it makes you happy.

[24/7]

It’s not a waste of energy if it makes you happy.

February 21st - Wednesday

"It's not a waste of energy if it makes you happy." - kellan

[Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov]

February 21st - Wednesday

"It's not a waste of energy if it makes you happy." - kellan

Wise words!

[24/7]

February 21st - Wednesday

"You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time." - Charles F. Kettering

Similar to one or two we've already had this year, I know, but the recurring theme is about judicious investment in one's energies. Regret is something we have already said is a waste of time and energy - so why let it negatively impact on your tomorrow?

So here's my question; think back to yesterday and consider what you hoped for today to bring. Did it happen? If not, was there anything you had brought into today from yesterday that may have prevented you achieving today's goal? Of so, what can you do about it NOW so that it doesn't impact on TOMORROW?

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

Today’s quote and accompanying dissection resonates a lot with me. Especially the part about there being subjectivity around what is and isn’t a useless thing to do. That whole ‘it isn’t important because it isn’t important to me’ attitude has caused some real grief over the years and nearly ruined my enjoyment of some of my big interests. If you ever meet a kid who has a passion for doing or learning something which you yourself don’t really get the appeal of, never let it show. There is nothing sadder than an adult belittling a kid’s enthusiasm for things they themselves have no enthusiasm for and worse still is trying to steer that kid toward something ‘more worthwhile’ by their own definition. It’s not a waste of energy if it makes you happy.

It's so true. Some of the people I admire most are those that have made a living from a hobby, doing something they love. Many may have been told that nothing will come of it and get a proper job.

[24/7]

It's so true. Some of the people I admire most are those that have made a living from a hobby, doing something they love. Many may have been told that nothing will come of it and get a proper job.

The jobs I've enjoyed the most have been based on my hobbies (meteorology, football coaching, interpersonal communication...) and the ones I've hated the most (and been the most shit at, unsurprisingly!) are the ones that I've done for the sake of the salary (business development, strategic sourcing, insurance sales....)

So anyone with a really good skill, that happens to be a hobby, say for example drawing (hint, hint!) should be encouraged as much as possible to make a living from it

[Mutton Geoff]

The jobs I've enjoyed the most have been based on my hobbies (meteorology, football coaching, interpersonal communication...) and the ones I've hated the most (and been the most shit at, unsurprisingly!) are the ones that I've done for the sake of the salary (business development, strategic sourcing, insurance sales....)

So anyone with a really good skill, that happens to be a hobby, say for example drawing (hint, hint!) should be encouraged as much as possible to make a living from it

Totally agree the best thing i did on the last few years was setting up a Gardening Club in my school, Gardening is somewhat of a passion for me, with my allotment and other gardens. I totally look forward to these club nights in fact going to expand it now to 2 nights.

[24/7]

February 22nd - Thursday

"Life is no brief candle to me, It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw

Instead of inspiring me and making me want to go out and Do Great Things, this one actually makes me feel really sad, because of the last part. It feels sometimes that, as a species, we've evolved to the point where what matters more is how much money and/or power we leave behind for future generations.

Why can we not (collectively) be more concerned about leaving a healthy planet behind us for our future generations? A clean planet, with renewable energy sources, decent education, health systems designed to protect all, especially the weak and vulnerable?

Everything has a price tag, it seems.

Including life.

Nuh-uh, pal, not MY life, not MY torch, it's priceless and it cannot be bought.

What can you do today to help ensure that future generations receive something that burns more brightly than a bank balance?

[Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov]

February 22nd - Thursday

"Life is no brief candle to me, It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw

Instead of inspiring me and making me want to go out and Do Great Things, this one actually makes me feel really sad, because of the last part. It feels sometimes that, as a species, we've evolved to the point where what matters more is how much money and/or power we leave behind for future generations.

Why can we not (collectively) be more concerned about leaving a healthy planet behind us for our future generations? A clean planet, with renewable energy sources, decent education, health systems designed to protect all, especially the weak and vulnerable?

Everything has a price tag, it seems.

Including life.

Nuh-uh, pal, not MY life, not MY torch, it's priceless and it cannot be bought.

What can you do today to help ensure that future generations receive something that burns more brightly than a bank balance?

I follow you mate, but I think the younger generations are bringing a shift in this kind of thinking. My kids and many of their friends are more concerned about our planet and how we treat it than having shitloads of money. Hopefully this is a universal shift and not just in our small corner of the world...

[24/7]

I follow you mate, but I think the younger generations are bringing a shift in this kind of thinking. My kids and many of their friends are more concerned about our planet and how we treat it than having shitloads of money. Hopefully this is a universal shift and not just in our small corner of the world...

Yes which is why Let's Do It World is so important.

[God's Left Peg]

Good shit, this thread. Love it.

[24/7]

Good shit, this thread. Love it.

Hi I'm glad you're liking it

[24/7]

February 23rd - Friday

"The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration [your] life will be." - Horace Bushnell

Errr, okay, firstly, who?* And secondly WHAT?!

Remember I said that there will be times when I disagree with the sentiment expressed - this is one of them. I cannot agree with the apparent supposition that the significance of one's life is determined by the amount of adversity one encounters. I do not agree that one must encounter as much adversity as possible in order to have an inspired and inspirational existence.

To me it's not the amount you deal with but the manner in which you deal with it.

That said, I am reminded of some wise words offered to me when I was really struggling with the working culture of a cruise ship (don't start me on inter-departmental politics between senior officers meant to be setting an example!) - "Be grateful for the problem!"

Now that one I can get on board with. I see adversity as opportunity now - however, I will not allow it to define my life. Instead I would rather we be inspired by each other's ability to face and deal with it in such a way that it serves as inspiration to others to do the same.

What problem are you facing today that can be handled in a way that inspires you? Can you use that opportunity to inspire others?


* who = an American Congregationalist and theologian. Ah, okay......explains a bit.......

[Mutton Geoff]

February 23rd - Friday

"The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration [your] life will be." - Horace Bushnell

Errr, okay, firstly, who?* And secondly WHAT?!

Remember I said that there will be times when I disagree with the sentiment expressed - this is one of them. I cannot agree with the apparent supposition that the significance of one's life is determined by the amount of adversity one encounters. I do not agree that one must encounter as much adversity as possible in order to have an inspired and inspirational existence.

To me it's not the amount you deal with but the manner in which you deal with it.

That said, I am reminded of some wise words offered to me when I was really struggling with the working culture of a cruise ship (don't start me on inter-departmental politics between senior officers meant to be setting an example!) - "Be grateful for the problem!"

Now that one I can get on board with. I see adversity as opportunity now - however, I will not allow it to define my life. Instead I would rather we be inspired by each other's ability to face and deal with it in such a way that it serves as inspiration to others to do the same.

What problem are you facing today that can be handled in a way that inspires you? Can you use that opportunity to inspire others?


* who = an American Congregationalist and theologian. Ah, okay......explains a bit.......

My take would be handling difficulties makes you stronger and far more experienced for the next one and a by product of this new found strength is to inspire you to aim higher.

As i did when I took on a English Lit degree in my mid forties with the O.U. whilst still having a career as a chef  this was after coping with a few massive personal family difficulties in the previous couple of years:

This degree led to a switch of careers into Education and that was the best move i could have made:

[24/7]

February 24th - Saturday

"We all create the person we become by our choices as we go through life. In a real sense, by the time we are adults, we are the sum total of the choices we have made." - Eleanor Roosevelt

I like her. She has another one I live by, "Nobody can humiliate you without your permission." That too would be a choice, wouldn't it? And here's the thing about choices - they're our sole responsibility - and what does responsibility really mean? It means having the ability to respond. So when we talk about choices made prior to adulthood, we're not talking necessarily about which car to buy or where to live or which partner to have, but many of our preferences and judgements and definitions of things are arrived at before we hit 'working age'........

........and that's where the real fun begins.

This one's hitting home a little tooooooo hard for comfort today - but when we're outside our comfort zones, that's when the real learning happens

So right now, I'm in a space where instead of admitting that I have to pay for the erroneous decisions I have made, instead I alter my response to the knowledge that I cannot change the choices that I made, but I certainly can choose my response to the outcomes of those decisions that I face now - and that puts me in a better position to make alternative choices in the present that are designed to improve my situation in the future.

Awareness then; how aware are you of the reasons for your current situation being related to certain choices you have made - and what will you choose to do NOW, TODAY, to improve your situation?

[kesey]

"Don't worry about the price of petrol.....just stick 20 quid in every time. The price never changes"

Me Dad

That's boss.

[24/7]

February 25th - Sunday

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene

I like the imagery that this brings up. I don't want to sit in the rain and sulk, even though I know, as a Liverpool fan, that "at the end of the storm there's a golden sky". If I can dance in the rain, then when the golden sky comes, I am already in a good mood and can enjoy everything more

This reminds me of the other day, the line someone said to me in recent years, "Be grateful for the problem." So when it's "raining", what can I do with that time? Applying my energies into appreciating the situation for what it is will more than likely give me the opportunity to learn from what's happening and help me in the future, as well as give me impetus and drive to work my way out of the current problem.....

Where is it raining in your life right now? How can you dance instead of whatever it is you are doing at the time?

PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ESTONIA! 

[24/7]

February 26th - Monday

"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

BOOM! I asked the Universe for a 'goodun' this morning and this one's right out of the top drawer!

The mantra of "Let's Do It, World!" is "DOING GETS IT DONE." Very profound and yet so beautifully simple.

When someone asks me which Facebook/Instagram/Twitter page they can find their local LDIW contact on, in a country that has not yet set up a full team, I now say, "There isn't one. Yet. Why don't you start it up?"

Everything starts somewhere. This whole global concept started with one person saddened at illegal dumping in an Estonian forest. That grew to one group deciding to Do Something About It. That led to one nation mobilising to make a massive impact on the problem in just one day. That one country then spread that model to others. Now millions of people are doers.........they're climbing the hill in their own way............you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm most definitely NOT the only one

What dream do you currently have that, today, right now, you can DO something towards achieving it? Get out there. And do it. Because only doing gets it done.

[Slightly Less Mediocre Baron Bennekov]

Love this one... I'm still struggling with dreaming AND doing. I'm extremely good at dreaming and only somewhat good at getting things done...

[24/7]

February 27th - Tuesday

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Gautama Buddha

Just as day follows night, this one follows on from yesterday, which inspired me to have a difficult conversation with someone about what my dream is. I do not enjoy disappointing people - however, when their dreams and mine do not coincide, we have to pursue those dreams along different paths.

When someone is seeking their peace through me, but the peace is not the same thing, then wouldn't it be irresponsible and reckless to follow it?

I am seeking my version of peace and I can only find it through actions and values that match my core self - so I am looking inwardly to discover that peace. So should everyone else.

What constitutes 'peace' for you and are you at peace within yourself? If not, look harder, because I believe it's there. Inside you.

[24/7]

February 28th - Wednesday

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

Now that's an absolute belter from Winston to end the month on! Also, it follows on (in my view at least) from the previous two, creating a nice little sequence.

Yesterday I found a guy in India willing to take on some of the social media and networking tasks that are necessary to drive World Cleanup Day there, a man already environmentally-conscious and a political activist committed to eradication of corruption there. This came at a time when I was staring sickeningly at the very real possibility of us not getting sufficient traction in India, at least not this year........

........so continuing even when all seems lost can and does pay off.

What task/activity are you currently involved in that would benefit from some fresh impetus, a new injection of energy and intention that will drive it towards the completion you seek?

[24/7]

March 1st - Thursday

"External nature is only internal nature writ large." - Swami Vivekananda

Welcome to a new month!

This line seems obvious, right? Well, how aware are you of your external behaviours? How closely aligned is that awareness to your internal values system? Many people are insufficiently aware of how their behaviour and their core values are intrinsically linked. Indeed, sometimes they draw a distinction between the two as of they are different entities!

Our internal nature is the one that sets our beliefs system - and congruence is achieved when are actions/behaviour match our belief system. Anything else is (self-)denial.

Being true to oneself though is only half the battle - and I remember a conversation with an HR Director friend of mine, who said she often has to deal with disciplinary matters where colleagues have fallen out with each other over arguments. One of the defences she hears more and more of is the result of a perversion of the concept of mindfulness, i.e. "But I was just being honest, just being myself!"

True - but you can still be an honest twat

What behaviours are you displaying today that closely match your internal values system and what positive impact can those behaviours have on people around you today?

[24/7]

March 2nd - Friday
 
 "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." - Henry Ford
 
 Excellent statement to read on a day where I finish a run of four weeks in Austrian schools.....
 
 I learn something from every group I work with, sometimes about them, sometimes about myself, sometimes both.
 
 My relationship with words like "teach" and "learn" is such that I don't like to define hard and fast roles in the learning environment; I am there to do both, as are they. So I now think of it like this - the principle role of a teacher is first to learn.
 
 What are you facing today that could be a very valuable learning experience for you personally?