Tag Archives: difference

Happy Women’s Day

09 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in Attitude, Being brave, Freedom, Positivity, Wonderful Women

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Happy Women’s day to all of the wonderful women out there and to the men who support them, love them and respect them.
Women’s Day celebrates women who were prepared to stand up for what they believed in and were willing to take a risk to be heard.
We should be inspired to keep up that legacy. To be heard no matter how much what you have to say may potentially threaten somebody else’s ego.
To be prepared to stand tall and proud in your difference.
To remain true to your values even when surrounded by people who have lost theirs.
To live a life so boldly that people will talk about you even when you’re gone.
Be that person whether in a big, bold way or in a small, modest and gentle way. You have it in you to do great things!

Bold women

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Here’s to the rebels!

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Advice, Attitude, Being brave

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I found this great little manifesto on Pinterest and I immediately printed it out and stuck it up on my son’s wall.  I felt that he needed to be reminded of this because he often says that he feels so different from the other kids around him.  And he is different but I am proud to say that he embraces his difference rather than just following the crowd.

rebel

I think that the word rebel is perhaps a little harsh because I am sure that most of us are not rising up in opposition to the government or taking up arms.
I really like the Urban Dictionary’s definition of a rebel though:
“A rebel is a person who stands up for their own personal opinions despite what anyone else says. A true rebel stands up for what they believe is right, not against what’s right. It’s not about smoking crack, drinking till you’re rendered unconsious, or beating the crap out of anyone that crosses your path. It’s all about being an individual and refusing to follow a crowd that forces you to think the same way they do even if it means becoming an outcast to society. True rebels know who they are and do not compromise their individuality or personal opinion for anyone. They’re straightforward and honest and they will sure as hell tell it like it is.”

If this is the case then we should all be rebels because none of us was born to just follow.
Every one of us is totally unique, yet we waste so much time, energy and emotion trying to fit in.
Instead we should be working on being ourselves.  We should be looking inwards rather than worrying about what other people think of us and we certainly should not be living to please anyone.
This week, go out and do something rebellious – not dangerous. Do not risk your health or safety or your job but do something that is just for you.
And while you are at it, if you celebrate Christmas, I really hope that you are at the top of your list of people that you need to buy gifts for!

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.

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!

Making a difference

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Change, Freedom, Gratitude

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This week I took two days off work because it was a Jewish holiday.
The first day was really great and I relaxed and ate a lot of cheesecake (recipe to follow) and ice cream with hot chocolate sauce (the ultimate in ice cream eating, in my opinion).
On the second day, I woke up feeling anxious because I had time to think too much – time to think about my life.
There is no doubt in my mind that I am blessed with many things and I have an amazing job that I really enjoy but….
BUT!
There always seems to be a but.
But life is boring – it is about work and family responsibilities and more work and more responsibilities.
And if I think too much about it, I have this need to run away from it all.
I fantasize about living in a hut on a beach with no responsibilities and no cares.  Nothing to do except catch a fish for my dinner and stare at the beautiful view.
Then reality hits and I realise that unless I get a billionaire to sponsor my lifestyle, this really isn’t going to happen.
And more importantly, knowing myself, I would probably manage for a few days (and possibly even a few hours) before I got bored and wished that I was back in the rat race.

What worries me is that whenever I tell anyone how I feel, the majority of people that I speak to feel the same way.
All living these lives of routine and responsibility and all wishing that we could get away from it all.
So here is the good news:
You can!
It may not be about living on a tropical island (where truthfully, your little hut may blow over in a tropical storm) but it is about bringing change and difference to your life.
It may be as simple as just doing something different each day – like eating your lunch in a different place (step away from that desk!).
Think about volunteering somewhere to do something that is going to make you feel like you are contributing with purpose.
Do something exciting in the evenings instead of just sitting in front of the TV.
Treat yourself to a massage.
Change your hair colour.
The options are endless.

My challenge to you this week is to find something different to do, and commit to it.
You deserve this!