Monthly Archives: July 2014

Solutions to every problem

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Being brave, Positivity, Success

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There is a solution to every problem!
Really?
Sometimes it really may not feel that way at all.  It may feel that everything is impossible and that you are just stuck. No matter how hard you try, things never seem to work out for you.
Stop right there!
There is a solution to every problem, but that solution is difficult to find for a number of reasons:
Firstly, we are brilliant at sticking with what is familiar.  If you keep on doing what is familiar and don’t try anything new, how are you going to discover new pathways and potential solutions to your problems?
Secondly, we say “I can’t” to the things that really scare us. It is so much easier to say “I can’t!” than to really confront the real issue.  And that is the issue of why you are stuck.  It is often the ugly, horrible stuff that is easier to sweep under the carpet than to stare it in the face and say “I’m ready to deal with this, no matter how much it scares me.”
Sometimes the solution is right in front of us but we don’t recognise it at all. Life can be so stressful and overwhelming that we only focus on the negative and only recognise the “bad” when something good might be right there. But we don’t think that we deserve it, or we doubt our ability to be content so we just ignore it and plod on with our usual existence.
And sometimes the solution is so, so far beyond that which we thought was our life plan that we are terrified of going on that new path.  It may be fear, it may be doubt or it may even be pure stubbornness that stops us from reaching for greatness.

Try to give new ideas a chance, try something totally different, take risks without letting the fear of negative consequences stop you from reaching your amazing potential.
So many great things might be just around the corner.
You just have to be brave enough to take that turn.
Throw away the blinkers, jump in and see what adventures await you.

Thoughts on Mandela Day

18 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Gratitude, Positivity, Projects

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What can I say about this week?
I have to say that I was really battling to come up with something to write because it’s been an awful week filled with war, violence and hatred.

But since today is Mandela’s birthday and we celebrate a man who left a legacy of caring and giving, it is a great opportunity to choose today to be the day that we start with a new attitude towards all the horrible things in the world and find something positive to focus on.

The directive in South Africa is for everybody to try to donate 67 minutes of their time to a charity or help out in your community.
It brings an incredible spirit of togetherness and community for the givers as well as the receivers involved.
Following the events of the week, I would love to suggest the following:
Even if you cannot give anything close to 67 minutes, my challenge to you is to spend some time talking to somebody who has a different opinion to you or someone from a different background or culture.  Not to fight or argue, but just to understand.
Or spend some time just showing somebody that you care about them.
And most importantly, because this is the I don’t want to be stressed blog – spend some time doing something to help yourself too!
I think this is a time when we really have to realise how blessed we are.
For every morning that you wake up and your life is not in danger, you are blessed.
For every opportunity that is presented to you, no matter how stressful it is, you are blessed.
Every time you arrive at your destination safely, you are blessed.

Times are definitely more stressful these days.  Even if you are not living in a dangerous situation, our lives are more stressful than ever.
So it is up to us to make the most of what we’ve got.
We need to find beauty in the everyday.
We need to celebrate what we’ve got rather than mourn for what we wish that we could have.
Enjoy the small things, celebrate tiny achievements.
Laugh, sing and dance!
Spend time with people who love and appreciate you.
Do something that makes you happy.
Give some of your time to make other people smile.

Let us make this our mission in honour of Mandela’s memory.

Universe 1 – Me 0

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Advice, Attitude, Gratitude, Mindfulness, Quiet and slow

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I am absolutely exhausted!
My son was ill all through the night and I didn’t get much sleep.  So today has been a slow one – I can feel that I’m not working to my fullest potential and I am falling behind in my work as I write this.
But it is OK.

Earlier in the week, I was running late for work and as I finally managed to get through the front door to be on my way, a friend of mine arrived at my door to drop something off for me. Delay number 2… I sighed and then tried to tell them as politely as possible that I couldn’t chat because I was late.  I still had to pick up my laundry on the way to work and when I got there, what a surprise, it wasn’t ready and the lady asked me to wait while she ironed the last two items.  Delay number 3… Finally, on my way and there was construction work on the road and traffic came to a standstill.  Delay number 4!
But it was OK!

It was OK because I really believe that things happen for a reason.  And on that particular day, there was some reason why I was meant to be late for work.  I don’t know why or if there even was a reason but I took a deep breath and realised that if it was out of my control, then stressing about it would hardly solve anything.
It felt like it was: Universe 1 – Me 0!
Yet, I calmly accepted it because there are going to be times in our lives, whether it is as simple as being late for work or as complex as a major life stressor, when we just don’t have control and we need to accept that.
There has to be a greater purpose out there that we just don’t have the ability to see in the present.

Let life take you where it is going to take you – but that doesn’t mean that you need to be a passive passenger.  It may not go according to your original plans but you still have the ability to take what life throws at you and work it in your own unique way.
Even if it is just a lesson in humility or gratitude.
You are more blessed than you realise!

Stop the world, I want to get off!

04 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Advice, Attitude, Change, Life journey

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When I was younger, much younger, we used to love writing slogans on our books… Kind of like the non-rebellious person’s graffiti.
One of my favourites was “stop the world, I want to get off”
I thought that it was so clever and funny at the time, because the stress that I felt at high school was probably the worst stress that anyone could feel.
Well, wouldn’t it have been great if I could have seen into the future and realised that the stress that you experience as a teenager is nothing like what you deal with as an adult (in most cases anyway).
Now as adults, we really want to get off this chaotic ride that we call life!
We feel like we don’t want to be grown up and don’t want to have to take responsibility for anything or anyone.  We don’t want to have to think and make decisions that could have potentially detrimental effects on ourselves or others.
We constantly long for holidays or breaks but then often spend those times dreading going back to the “real world”.
And most people just live from weekend to weekend.

We can’t get off this world, or just check out of life.
But we can do things differently though.  Because if life is not working out for you and you constantly want to run away, it is time for a new perspective.
Yes, change is scary! But is it worse than being stuck in the same situation where you feel overwhelmed and undermined?
Do things differently even if can’t change your current situation.
Change your attitude, believe in yourself and your resilience.
Give yourself a chance! You may look back at your stressed out self one day and smile that you ever thought that it was a problem!