If you want to be happy for the rest of your life...

We may feel sometimes that we don't have the best life, or compared to others, that our life is not that rosy but the reality is that we are not entitled to have a good life, because of our birth right, our parents station in  life or the colour of our skin.  We cannot demand that we are to be revered, or held in high esteem simply because of a family name or a job that we may have been entrusted with.  No matter who were are, we need to earn the right to be successful, or famous, or a mentor, or leader. However we do have the right to be happy and even though our life may not seem perfect by any stretch and though there are times when all about us feels like it is conspiring to work against us, the possibility still exists to lead a happy life.  We need to make sure that we seek the things that make us happy and go after those things with everything we have.  Many of these things can be found in very basic areas of life and this is why celebrities and people in positions in leadership often fall short, because they loose sight of the very basic things in front of them and choose to make everything a media statement or sham, purposed to satisfy the expectation of the media and general public, instead of holding onto the simple truths that exist.  Relationships are precious and should be nurtured and those that are important should not be taken for granted.  Take our president who is supposed to have a relationship with the people of this country but yet he chooses constantly to disrespect the people with stupid statements and actions which are unacceptable.  Hence he has no chance of making an impact and I am pretty sure that one day he will realise that he strayed far from making the people happy and serving them well, because he thinks entirely abut himself.   Celebrities are famous for this and so too many people in positions in business.  That is fine and good, but such behaviour makes them stray far from happiness.  I reckon there is only a few things in life that make us truly happy and if we can identify them and spend time with them and putting our best time into them, then the reward will be far more lasting and significant than a fake smile or a cold attitude. To actually lead a happy life is far more important than what the world's perspective is of how they see our happiness.

Life is Life - La La la la la

Sometimes things happen out of the blue and when we least expect it.  We can be prepared for a particular set of circumstances and then only suddenly to find that the unexpected has happened.  Ultimately, our lives are following a certain course and much has been destined from the beginning and yet we may have actually just not seen that the reality is there in front of us, even though it has been there the whole time. We may have been distracted or unable to make things a reality because of the world's objects and designs, but the truth is that life has continued on its path and we are needing to continue towards our future even if it contains some twists and turns and more than a few rocky bumps.  You may have time to wonder why certain events in your life happened and more often than not, you can pose the question of what exactly was I thinking when that happened, or why did take that course at the time.  Some decisions are a blurr and others have been properly thought through and yet still may not have yielded the change or effect we were hoping to gain. Life gives us more than a few chances to grab hold of the right choices and still to stay within the parameters of our destiny, but without being predictable.  Life is exciting and fascinating and that is why we need to make the most of it because the only time that it is boring and miserable is when we have made choices which result in us getting too far from the path which we have been given and life has to shake us back to where it needs us to be.  When you can hardly see the wood for the trees, is usually a reminder to refocus and re-calibrate our hard drives to the positive and good things we have.  This is the time to hold onto the spark and flavour of life and make the most of the precious moment  we have every day.

To Veg or not to Veg? That is the Question

Life offers many distractions.  For some, distraction takes the form of work and for others, it is exercise away from work.  DISTRACTION is a Deliberate Interest in Something Truly Real And means Constantly Trying to take an Intentional Opportunity to Neutralise our stress.  So whether it is work that offers this, or arts and crafts, or a hard workout, or reading or even watching the box,  it is very healthy to have a good distraction.  How much time do we allocate to this distraction and should we be concerned when the distraction starts to occupy more of our day than our money earning time. Well the fact is that some of the best business people I know and those that I have read about, are able to achieve more in a few hours of dedicated and specific intentional work, than most of the population does in a 12 hour a day slog.  Consequently, they also have far more time to explore their distractions and this tends to become a feeding arena for more positive interactions, thoughts and relationships and this in turns makes them more successful.  Sometimes in business we can become so concentrated on spending as much time slogging away at the files on our desk, when in fact a few files and a few good meetings or relationships may yield more productive and lucrative work which generates more income than all the numerous files we slog at on a daily basis.  It does however take a bit of guts to see the potential and actually follow through on not filling up your day with as much time at the office as you can.  It is wise sometimes to take time to do a few of the admin tasks and the less exciting things like surfing for new ideas and new opportunities, taking time to visit clients or industry related partners or even doing a bit of house cleaning and changes to the brand or website. Make time for your positive distractions and they will yield fruit in a variety of ways.  Importantly, enjoy the time you have away from the daily grind and be passionate about your whole day not just the stuff that brings in the bacon.

Let the Love Pour Down

I came upon an interesting piece about relationships relating to the way we see more flaws in people as we get to know them better and we tend to point out all the things that could be wrong with them in our minds and in our quiet times.  When we see people in difficult situations and how they tend to act and react it gives us an idea of whether we can work with such a person or whether we can interact with them or befriend them and this forms the basis for the type of relationship we are able to have with them.  It is certainly true that when times are tough we tend to see more of the bad than good and we react sometimes to the circumstances and have little in the form of sympathy or patience, because we too are experiencing a tough situation.  But the most important relationships may be tested by this, but they also give us a chance to make the tight choices.  Giving the perfect answer in any discussion is seldom achieved, especially where emotions are concerned, but with those we love, we need to look a little deeper to make sure that the qualities of the person are still to be found.  Patience and kindness, intentional care and affection and an unwavering willingness to stay committed and supportive.  These are not always easy qualities to spot and let alone to maintain but the ability to see beyond darkness and pain and still to feel like your day could not be complete without the interaction, or connection, or relationship is usually an indicative sign that the love and human nature is there to stay.

Start Downloading

Sometimes it is good to sit and recount stories of the past to listen to music for download, so that you can create a playlist of songs.  Each song creates a memory and whether you love the songs for the artist, the moment you first heard the song or the lyrics which have a particular meaning, it is wonderful to have the ability to spend time away from the stress of everyday life and just take in the moment for a while.  There must have been millions of songs written and which we have heard over the years and yet some just tend to remain fixed to our memory for some reason.  Imagine if one could sit and go through every song and click download for each one we like.  What is the meaning of this and where am I going with this piece.  Apart from the fact that I love music, the songs made me realise that we have so many memories in our minds and our brain has an endless ability to download information, without repeating the same song twice.  Therefore, we need to take note of times when a memory is triggered and how that memory may have an impact on our lives.  We can learn from past experiences and use them to create habits, which are lasting and successful.  It takes time and a measure of discipline to have the patience to extract the life lessons from our memories in the same way that it takes time and effort to download hundreds of songs, but the more we remember keys aspects of our success and the good times we have enjoyed, the more chance we have of repeating the exercise and regaining and retaining those habits of success and positive results.  This will help us to go forward and not be stuck with negative habits and questions that raise doubt and uncertainty.  Let the music help you to remember that you can and should be a success and if you need to delete a song or two in favour of tried and tested classics, then do so.  Use old and new songs, don't stay in one genre, but try new things and remember to add success to your favourites.  Once you have a playlist that works, you can press repeat and try to live your top 100 every day.

Saved by the Rain

Can we really be saved by circumstances, or by a moment of complete change.  A torrential downpour will probably keep us from going out to run, but will  a soft drizzle have the same effect.   I guess it may depend on whether you waken to a hot day with rays of hope, or whether the day starts murky and cold.  Does the change need to be so radical that it keeps us away or sparks a significant change, or prevents a certain mistake, or can it be that even a slow drizzle can have the effect that on a given day it leads to a decision to change.  We need to aware that not all change comes with a bolt of lightening and gust of wind.  It can also start slowly and peacefully and like a dripping tap, or a nagging generator, it just keeps going, until it has the desired effect.  Sometimes in life we need to make split decisions and there is little or no time to think about the consequences,  but you just know that you have to act and be present when the decision is made.  A certain boldness takes over you and as the hour approaches you realise that you are needed to be strong and consequential in your decisions.  I have also found though that many decisions get made almost as an ante climax, they merely pass from one situation into another and there is little spark or flame, but it is still of utmost importance that you are present for the moment, because the ramifications and results are just as key.  It is great to be part of a sudden happening and there is all the excitement and energy and passion, but we need to not lose sight of the subtle moments, for they too can be savoured - they allow us to linger a little longer and to savour the process and how we got to the decision in the first place and they instill a time of reflection and learning which is often lost when the big bang hits and sparks fly.  I suppose the difference may lie in maturity and perhaps even in the ability to find perfection, bit by bit and not as an act of youthful exuberance.  Be patient in the quest for the right decision and don't be disappointed if the rain sets in for a while and you have to sit it out until the sun breaks through.

Having the right Philosophy

Having passed into spring a few days ago and the euphoria of a new season beginning, we need to be careful about the last cold front of the year coming in and causing havoc in the camp.  It can sometimes have the effect of ruining a lot of expectation and promise of a new season and leave us questioning whether we are ready for the next chapter to begin, or whether we still need to stay back a little longer to learn lessons from the previous chapter in our lives.  Sometimes we think that we have navigated ourselves to a place where we are ready to take on a new adventure and we are confident that we can achieve success in our endeavours, because we have dealt with the various uncertainties and challenges and we have the support and experience to be able to go boldly forward, but then fear or an unexpected turn of events comes and we find that we are back to a place where we are not entirely confident of our ability, or that the goal or dream is in fact that which we are meant to endure.  Life has many ways of bringing us back to reality, like being fit and ready for an event and having done all the hard work and training and then being faced with an illness or condition that leaves us barely able to get up and we wonder, if all the hard work and effort will be undone.  It takes us a few days to realise that we should never think that we are in control of life completely, but actually we are at the mercy of the plans and purposes of our maker and we are best to be humble and grateful for every opportunity we have to enjoy life and that we are not above, or better than those we interact with and serve.  But we also realise that in this humility, we need to still be willing to draw strength from the time we have spent sharpening our sword and learning the skills that we need to be able to complete each task we have been given and that a minor setback or a stumbling block close to the finish line should not distract us from the prize, especially one which is so worth it, that it makes any minor setback or curve ball seem minuscule compared to the fruit and result which lies in waiting at the finish line.  Make sure to persist through these times, because many have given up barely metres before the finish and have lost out in accomplishing the destiny that they are meant to have.  Be aware of the challenges, but not afraid of them, have your eyes open to the risks, but only close your eyes to pray, look straight at the task ahead and take in all the surrounding and peripheral aspects, so that when you can see the finish through the many obstacles, you will have the resolve to press on to finish well.