It is surely around the corner!

We have all made mistakes and those that care about us, have either ignored those mistakes, or forgiven them fully and without a grudge.  We need the people that care to accept us when we have dark images about ourselves and when we feel "ugly"inside and every now and then we need to be lifted to new places and encouraged to believe that we remain beautiful, or good looking or smart. Who will restore us when we feel broken and make us feel whole again, who has the ability to lift us up and remind us how precious and important we are, despite guilt or disappointment, or uncertainty. How many times do we feel confused and unsure and the right words spoken and the caring attitude or demeanour makes all the difference - we can choose to be people like this and thus have the expectation that when our turn comes, we will receive the same type of treatment, or we can expect that we will be left disappointed and shattered.  You can pretend to be something other than who you are in these times, but ultimately you will run out of options, because that is not the authentic and genuine 'you'.  So hang on to those that truly believe in you and never give up on something you really want.  Even then, if you feel yourself outgrowing others and drawing closer to your real purpose, be sure that those that mean the most in your life will have the courage and determination to stay with you and see that your path is cleared from time to time, so that you can reach your dreams. When it comes to making a big change in your life, the fact is that you have to want it more than you fear it.  When that happens and the right people are with you, then the destiny you want is close at hand.

Tried and Tested

Surround yourself with people that force you to do better and the results can be very fulfilling and open up creativity, passion and growth.  But it is not always that easy to determine exactly who the people are that can make a difference to your life.  Some choose to surround themselves with as many people as possible, so that they can then gleam a little from each one, so as to assimilate as much knowledge or information.  Others try to stick close to one or 2 people who they really study and get to know well.  This enables them to mould their plans around such people.  However you chose to do so, the importance of seeking men and women of integrity, strength and success is well advised.  You need to look for a connection somewhere in a conversation with them, or make an effort to ask meaningful questions and then hopefully if they are the type of mentors that you think, they will open up and share their secrets with you.  Gender is not a factor in my opinion and we can learn from men or women equally. They key is the ability that they possess to make you strive to do better and to give fuel to your belief of change and development.  Age too should not be a factor as there is much to be learnt from older and younger business people.  However, I do think that experience and having gone through the up and down curve, can be useful because this will lead to a more balanced understanding of what life can throw at one over the years.  Be grateful for any interaction you have with people that push you and grow you because they are the ones that will have the greatest affect on your growth.  See every interaction as a chance to learn something more and use the pressure they exert on you to test your pursuit of excellence.

What a FEAT!

THE PERSON WHO SAYS IT CANNOT BE DONE SHOULD NOT INTERRUPT THE PERSON DOING IT.  This is is an ancient Chinese proverb and makes a lot of sense.  Having attended a splendid evening last night listening to ordinary (dare I say it) people like me who have chosen to challenge themselves and stretch their boundaries to new places in the name of adventure.  It is incredible how they search and strive for moments of peace and fulfilment and the lengths they are willing to go to to achieve incredible dreams.  Age is only a number and whether you are young or 60 makes little difference in the attitude displayed towards making these dreams a reality.  I have always enjoyed setting goals, but recently I have learnt that it is just as important to set a date to a goal. Every one of the people who spoke yesterday at the FEAT function set goals with a specific date in mind.  Whether it was running 10 comrades in 10 days or traversing 2000 miles down a river in a canoe, each person began with a dream.  They then began to dissect the dream and attach mini goals to the dream dealing with aspects like planning, sponsorships and training.  Each mini goal was ticked off and as the date of completion came closer they grew in their belief to accomplish the feat. We need be careful to support and encourage where possible those people, that are determined to reach their goals and there is nothing like being part of a winning team when all the hard work comes together and the victory is achieved.  Don't be afraid to set goals, which seem close to impossible, but make sure that you agree the date and terms with the right people and there is no doubt that you can overcome far more than you could ever imagine and have happiness in bucket (list) loads!!

The Struggle!

The Search is what everyone would undertake if he were not stuck in the everydayness of his own life.  To be aware of the possibility of the search is to be 'onto something' - not to be onto something is to be in despair.  That is why we need to be unafraid to be open minded, because our brain is not going to fall out - on the contrary as we open our thoughts, we will find that there is a place for our every day endeavours, the run  of the mill things we need to do, to get by and "pay the school fees of life" but then there is also time to interact with positive and trusted people, who can help us to open our minds to the possibilities that we can achieve.  They are the ones that put new ideas in our minds, help us to be creative and put us onto things which will eventually take us from dreams to reality.  In our business each new transaction begins with a property search and the information gleamed from this search puts us in a position to know what lies ahead in the process and where certain steps need to be taken.  It is time to conduct a search in our lives as well and to gather the necessary information and steps needed to accomplish your goals.  We need to know that there is always a choice available to us to put aside the mundane and grab hold of special possibilities, special moments and new beginnings despite the fact that they may be challenging and may test the definitions we have been taught, or the expectation that others may have set for us.  Those things are not relevant because they close our minds to the possibilities of better success and happiness.  The challenge is to direct our everydayness towards our goals, through the search and to get to new everydayness which is without despair and disappointment and filled with hope and purpose.

Stop the Clock!!

Life's clock is ticking.  I came upon this wonderful quote which states:

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop,
At late or early hour

[It is so true that what we have on this earth is temporary but it is so worthwhile to get up every day expectant of success and a future and to celebrate what we have - without arrogance or bitterness or regret]

To lose ones wealth is sad indeed
To lose ones health is more
To lose Ones soul is such a loss
As no man can restore

[Finances and money are such an invaluable tool to make our lives easier and more comfortable and there is nothing wrong with striving o be successful in money terms, setting goals and using the resources we have to make our lives more fulfilling, but our health and souls are far more precious.  we owe it to ourselves and those we care about to take care of our health end fitness and to be committed to filling our bodies with a balance of good food, exercise and a little decadence - in my case great coffee, fantastic wine and pizza!]

The present only is our own
Live love toil with a will
Place no faith in "tomorrows"for
The clock may then be still

[i like the fact that it speaks of toil and hard work should not be forgotten but the importance is doing what we are passionate and care about.  There is very little we can do about tomorrow and yet we worry and plan and fret about what could happen tomorrow - love is critical to our future but it starts with today so love what you do, love the people that matter around you and be open not only to receive love, but to give it as well]

This is why we should never give up on something that we really want.  We may not end up with a perfect life but we may have a happy one.

Set the Frequency to Reality

Occasionally when we have experienced a wonderful day, or the world around you came to a stop due to a special moment, or you have been on a trip somewhere, we can become swept up in the possibilities and forget the reality.  Take these lyrics, "decisions as I go, to anywhere I flow, sometimes I believe a time where we should know, I can't fly high, I can't go low, today I got a million, tomorrow, I don't know." A real reality check, because life can be messy and complicated and we are best to "stop crying like you're home and think about the show, we are all playing the same game." We all have a single life and a story to tell and live out.  We have decisions to make and risks to take - ultimately they are our decisions, good and bad, painful and joyous - "this is our call, we rise and we fall, dancing in the moonlight, don't we have it all?" Are we equipped to make decisions that affect the lives of others and can change lives forever.  Probably not, but we have help in friends and inspirational stories of success and adventure.  They are there to provide perspective and sensible advice in times of doubt and uncertainty.  They will inspire us to keep going and raise our belief in things yet unseen, but truly desired.  Reality is not there to convince us that the glass is indeed half empty, but it is there to remind us to check what is in the glass.  It is irrelevant sometimes whether the liquid of our lives is half full and half empty and either may be OK to survive but if the glass is even filled a little with poison, then the impact is far more pronounced and potentially devastating.  Don't knock reality because you wish to remain a positive person, even those accused of being pessimists and always seeing the negative, may be trying to seek the reality which will give them the motivation, guidance and self belief to take the next positive step. Embrace reality and she will pay you back with understanding, opportunities to learn and to feel the warm and the cold, so that when the success comes, it will taste as sweet as 'fig preserve'.

Round and round we go - making circles so that we grow.

I had a dream the other night about how we only get one life.  These are the words of a recent hit song, but they certainly hold true.  For me it is the 2 parts of this lyric that hold the most meaning. The first is the aspect of dreaming.  Whether we call it a bucket list, or a major goal, or a dream, the importance of setting things ahead of us to reach and attain are very important to our ability to cope with a long life.  Without these dreams, we will remain totally caught in the mundane nature of life, work and relationships.  They will not change and they will only repeat themselves over and over, because the nature of life and history is cyclic and returns constantly to the beginning point to start again.  Sometimes the circles of life have a larger circumference and it takes longer to get back to the same place and sometimes the circles are small and regular, but in either situation they remain cyclic. Dreams have the ability to change the nature of our circles and to deviate the circumference in such a manner that new circles may be formed.  The secret is to get the timing right, so that the circle continues to flow, but merely flows in a new circumference.  It is definitely possible to change your circumstances and dreams are the mechanism, to get you going.  The second part of the lyrics that struck me is that we only get one life - one giant circle.  It is expanding and contracting every day and it is a true privilege to be in our circle of life for another day.  Our circle expands and contracts as we go through life and in reality we may actually get close sometimes to having our bubble burst, or our circle closing.  We may not even be aware of it and this is why we need to seize every opportunity we get because what we make of our lives is so worth it, if we happen to reach a good old age.  We have the ability to push the boundaries of our circles of influence, by being in the right places, having the right relationships and creating the breadth and width of our happiness.  The object of life cannot be to go around in mini circles like a hamster on a wheel.  It surely means taking long moments of reflection, spending our time wisely and doing the things that make us truly happy.  This will allow us to finish the lyrics of the song and finish the sentence of our life ... "woke me up right after 2 stayed awake and ......".