Congratulations and WELL DONE!

Personal Triumphs are sometimes known to only a small group of people and yet they mean such a lot in terms of an individuals life.  Celebrating these occasions and what they mean in the lives of others is just incredibly important.  Having a genuine and sincere attitude towards someone else's success and achievements is easily a stumbling block, because it brings into question, selfish feelings and questions as to why someone else has been blessed, but you are left to your pit of sorrow.  But the attitude to show is one of real joy and genuine appreciation, for the accomplishment of others.  Each person will get their turn in life to be the subject of praise and accolades and yes there are those that seem to get more opportunities than others, but this should never mean that we are not sincere in our congratulations.  Life is of the nature that it turns and repeats itself, so the best thing to do is have the courage to believe that your turn will come. Something may not really interest you, or be the source of your enjoyment or passion, but the ability to identify the importance in some else's life makes a better person of us all.  Praise is a small gesture and yet it has major ramifications.  It brings joy and makes the recipient feel special.  It shows an interest in the lives of others instead of the more common selfish feelings.  It forms bonds and ties which help to secure and grow relationships.  It provides a sense of human camaraderie and care towards fellow human beings.  It implies a selfless act, asking for little in return, but it brings joy to our world where harsh realities are more common than simple acts of kindness.  Don't be a grumpy old man when it comes to saying well done and you will be surprised that when your turn next comes around, how attitudes towards you flourish and build you up.

Ja Nee en Daar Sy!!

Stephen Covey said "you have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage, pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically to say NO to other things.  And the way you do that is by having a bigger YES burning inside of you."  The implication is that we firstly cannot do and achieve everything we think we can. There are limits to how how much we can take on and we need to sift through the things that we need and those that we simply do, because of obligation, responsibility, habit and insecurity.  We need to have a list of highest to lowest priorities and although they can change, we need to stick to the basics, keeping it as simple as possible.  Like in business for example, we need to decide what are really the things that we are passionate about and stick to them, even when times come that we are uncertain of where they may get us. Drifting away from what we are good at and enjoy is not a recipe for success.  It can only cause distraction and uncertainty.  We also have to do the things that bring profit to a business and to our lives, in other words investing in the right choices, where we will receive the best return and reward.  As in life those things may not be the most popular or fit in with the mainstream, but there are many way to get to a destination and making sure that you are rewarded, whether in business through clients that pay well, or in life through relationships and people that offer something in return, this is the best way to achieve your priorities ultimately in a manner that is humble, but uncompromising.  This will take the kind of courage where you may ruffle feathers and you may become a target of speculation, rumour and jealousy.  That is OK because it means that when you say no to something, it is almost expected and it becomes easier to get back to your priorities which is where your strength lies in any event.  You can without guilt or apology (but not arrogantly and intended to hurt) say that you simply choose to no longer participate in the relationship or say no to be used and abused for your generous spirit.  But many times we are racked with guilt when we say no, that we end up caving and begrudgingly take on a task or a decision.  This is why it is so important to analyse our priorities, and then to implement them so as to foster and nurture the YES things in our lives.  What things really build us up and make us want to do better and be better, what things inspire and make us happy, what things bring peace and joy to us, those are the things we need to put at the top of list, so that when decisions need to be made there is an overwhelming sense of passion burning inside us that triggers us to be the person and live the life that we truly want.

It is all in the Finish!

Starting strong is Good but finishing strong is EPIC!  Our lives are broken up into seasons and periods and whether we like it or not, there are times when circumstances change and we go down a different path from that which we started on.  This may apply to early years at school where the course of study we choose ends up being far removed from the job we one day occupy.  It may be that the sports we were good at growing up turns out not to be the game we truly enjoy or excel at.  You could have a history of dating blonde's and end up marrying a brunette!  It does not mean that the way we start is not important because I think that it is. Everything remains a learning curve and the experiences we go through in every season of our lives only enhances the chance of finishing better when the time is right.  Ahead of the Comrades Marathon this weekend it may be apt to use the race as an example, in the sense of when starting to train to accomplish the race we build up slowly from the distance of 10km to 21km and then onto the marathon distance.  We may find that we are excellent over the shorter distances and we are better suited to the distance, but if we want to get to the end of a Comrades, we need to be able to train our body to cope with the pain and suffering it will endure over 90km.  In life too we have occasions when we endure unexpected hardships and also time of unprecedented favour.  If we are resilient enough to keep training, despite the fact that we are built to stop at 10km or 21km, then the finish that awaits us after 90km will be epic indeed.  It means that we may have to wait much longer for the result than we want, but in the waiting there is learning and experiences that you will never forget and the time is certainly not wasted.  For example in running circles once you have a conquered the Comrades, somehow running a 10km or 21km does not seem that difficult anymore.  The fact is that we get chances in life to rectify mistakes and to finish a phase of our life stronger and more prepared, so we need to take the opportunity when it presents itself.  Remember that the finish is what we strive for and not just a good start otherwise we may end up missing the epic finish we want and deserve.

Strongs!

Strength isn't always about how much you as an individual can handle before you break It is also about how much you can handle after you've broken (and the support you get).  We tend to place a lot of emphasis on having to be strong in all that we do and presenting a brave face no matter what.  People do so for a variety of reasons like pride, not wanting to show weakness, past experiences where they have been vulnerable and open and been hurt as a consequence.  All these factors result in people being very cautious to express their feelings when it comes to brokenness and unattended hurt.  Strength is built up slowly and is not a quick fix. It takes a lot of time and effort to grow our strength and resilience, to cope with the barrage of pain, hurt and disappointment.  Sometimes we may question why exactly we find ourselves in a particular situation and it is hard to express to others, where the real source of our pain sits.  We would be wise to remember the saying that "an arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward.  When life is dragging you back with difficulties it means, it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming". We need to maintain the right heart attitude towards the future and not get into a rut of handling everything ourselves until the point when we are already broken.  It is better to confront even difficult decisions and situations in our journey of life with a united front rather than waiting to see if we can recover from brokenness. Tough situations change the rules making us more aware of what we face and they open areas of forgiveness, letting go of burdens and help to bring people closer together.  Share the burden and grow in strength together and you will find that you need not end up as damaged goods.

Attraction 2

The law of attraction cannot change anything in your life that you hate, because hate is a powerful emotion that sticks what you hate to you. The law of attraction doesn't discriminate between good and bad it simply gives you more of what you're thinking and feeling.  We are attracted to many things in our lives, like nice cars and clothes and people with special personalities and dare I say it beautiful features.  Our work and prospects of success can be a real source of attraction.  To love what you do on a daily basis can be truly inspiring and fulfilling and becomes something that can motivate us, or at the same time cause a lot of pain and distress.  I can think of nothing worse than hating what you do and having each morning to get up and get dressed and go into a work place, without motivation or an attraction for what you do.  Hating our station in life gives rise to negative feelings of unworthiness and fear and lack of ambition and can turn young people of potential, into negative and uncertain individuals.  It is unlikely that you will be motivated every day of your working life and it is impossible to work and never have a bad day, but the attitude we have when we get into work and how the day unfolds can certainly paint the picture of where you find yourself in life. That is why we have to make a conscious effort to enjoy what we do, to grab hold of opportunities as they come about and not make any place for hate to gain a foothold in our workplace or in our lives.  That means we need to put jealousy aside, we need to accept the dynamics of business, the working relationships and interactions on various levels.  We should be accepting of differences and embrace the fact that different personalities go a long way to making a business grow and become sought after.  There should be a buzz in the office and the same goes for our lives outside of work, where friendships should thrive and become closer and personal to the positive influence of others around us.  It is up to us to make our work and personal lives, not just a functioning part of a whole life, but rather something cherished and celebrated and remembered, so that the memories produced can be captured and exposed.  Hate will never give you more of what you desire, because it's nature is to break down and destroy.  This is why we should take every chance we have to thank those we are attracted to and those that make us feel better and think more positively.  Hang on to them for what they can offer and be sure to embrace life with them, because it is precious and priceless and precisely balanced for the time and season you find yourself in. Never give up, be still, knowing that the God that we serve has a plan to bring attractiveness into your life. 

Promote what you Love instead of Bashing what you hate!

The law of attraction cannot change anything in your life that you hate, because hate is a powerful emotion that sticks what you hate to you. The law of attraction doesn't discriminate between good and bad it simply gives you more of what you're thinking and feeling.  We are attracted to many things in our lives, like nice cars and clothes and people with special personalities and dare I say it beautiful features.  Our work and prospects of success can be a real source of attraction.  To love what you do on a daily basis can be truly inspiring and fulfilling and becomes something that can motivate us, or at the same time cause a lot of pain and distress.  I can think of nothing worse than hating what you do and having each morning to get up and get dressed and go into a work place, without motivation or an attraction for what you do.  Hating our station in life gives rise to negative feelings of unworthiness and fear and lack of ambition and can turn young people of potential, into negative and uncertain individuals.  It is unlikely that you will be motivated every day of your working life and it is impossible to work and never have a bad day, but the attitude we have when we get into work and how the day unfolds can certainly paint the picture of where you find yourself in life. That is why we have to make a conscious effort to enjoy what we do, to grab hold of opportunities as they come about and not make any place for hate to gain a foothold in our workplace or in our lives.  That means we need to put jealousy aside, we need to accept the dynamics of business, the working relationships and interactions on various levels.  We should be accepting of differences and embrace the fact that different personalities go a long way to making a business grow and become sought after.  There should be a buzz in the office and the same goes for our lives outside of work, where friendships should thrive and become closer and personal to the positive influence of others around us.  It is up to us to make our work and personal lives, not just a functioning part of a whole life, but rather something cherished and celebrated and remembered, so that the memories produced can be captured and exposed.  Hate will never give you more of what you desire, because it's nature is to break down and destroy.  This is why we should take every chance we have to thank those we are attracted to and those that make us feel better and think more positively.  Hang on to them for what they can offer and be sure to embrace life with them, because it is precious and priceless and precisely balanced for the time and season you find yourself in. Never give up, be still, knowing that the God that we serve has a plan to bring attractiveness into your life. 

Choo Choo Train Approaching!

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you are not going to stay where you are.  Talking about change and having good intentions will not be sufficient to make a break through.  Unfortunately talk quickly dissipates and you are left with the same consequences, concerns and circumstances.  Moreover, changing something important seldom depends on a single action or person. It involves others and jointly committing to giving a new season or new adventure a real go.  It implies a momentum forward towards the goal and not merely a discussion or a brief dabble into the pros and cons.  Having said that it is an excellent action to make such a list because often we say it flippantly that we should list the positives and negatives of every decision before we take it but we seldom actually have the courage and trust in one another to voice the full story and see what action is best to take.  We sometimes prefer to not inflict hurt or pain on others and so we insulate them and protect them.  Sometimes we don't have the energy to craft a complete reply or resolution to the problem we face.  Sometimes we even get frustrated because the message we are trying to convey does not reach the ears of the correct person and often we simply give up before we get to the true solution because we determine or presume that the other person just does not see the perspective we want them to.  Although none of these outcomes may be desirable  they are part of life and we might learn something from them, all be it that the answer is less than favourable.  Ultimately we may have to go at certain things alone and sometimes when we least expect it the fact that we made an intentional motion towards something results in a chain of events that gathers momentum to a new station and a fresh start.