the gift of me to the world...

It’s my birthday :) 

I didn’t really want to make a big deal of the day, but c’mon, who doesn’t wana feel special on their birthday?

My brother wrote me such a sweet letter.

“Time has a way of changing things, But not the joy a sister brings. Happy Birthday. You are the one who made my childhood special and unforgettable. And although the times have gone, the sweet memories shall never fade. May your love and care for me, never fade away. You are my support, my strength, my friend and my guide, thanks for everything. May you achieve everything you desire in life. Know that you are not only the sweetest sister but also a true friend. May you achieve and get all you ever wish for.”

It reduced me to tears.

And another one from a friend:

“A girlfriend is a sister you choose. A girlfriend is the one person on this earth you feel whole with, the one you share who you really are with...  A girlfriend knows where you're coming from and everything you're dreaming about. She understands what you hope for, believe in and are committed to. I'm so blessed to have found in you my girlfriend, my best friend, a sister I chose.”

And ofcourse everyone sent loads of blessings and thoughtful wishes. Years filled with luck, love, laughter, travelling (haha), dreams coming true, etc, etc.

Thank you all. I truly appreciate it.

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln

Back to reality.

Keep reading.

save the planet

I don't have much time for the tele nowadays but there's an advert that comes on that has inspired today's blog entry. 

It's all about promoting eco-friendliness and finding a solution to our carbon emissions so as to restore the landscape to its formal glory.

If everybody did these little things it would make a big difference. 

The Earth is crying out to us. If we kill it, where will we go???

Do I really have to carry on like a pageant queen to get my point across? 

Google “ways to help the environment” and do your bit. I would’ve listed them here but there are thousands of simple things you can do and I don’t want to overwhelm you with information.

Start by planting a tree.

Let me now what you’re up to.

Keep reading.

dilly dallying

Sunday I looked through some of my old things and found something strange. It was a story I had written a while back, but the similarities it has to my life at the moment is uncanny. I always knew I was very intuitive haha.

Spent the afternoon typing out a new story and it felt good to do that after so long. And it was nice to do it without the pressure of a word limit, theme or deadline!

I don’t know, I still haven’t “got my groove back.”

All these “little” worries are piling up and stressing me out and I wish it’d all just go away.

My life needs to sorta take a “bungee jump.” I think everything needs to be propelled into the air and when it lands again, nothing should be the same. Drastic change. Impulsive. Without the taint of thinking things through. I don’t know how else to explain it.

Cuz if you start assessing the pros and cons, you might as well write off the experience. There are always things that can go wrong but you can never be in control of it all. You can never be prepared enough. It’s what you make of it. Hope for the best and you may be surprised at how well it all works out.

Sometimes bad things happen to us because we keep looking over our shoulders expecting it to. We attract the negativity. We make the beds we lay in.

So anyway, have been having very lazy days. Like, sometimes I feel guilty for procrastinating, so I make a list of things to do. Such as: blink, yawn, sigh and stretch. And then, as I do them one at a time, I scratch them off the list. It’s like cheating my mind into thinking I’m being productive. Haha.

I guess I’m only fooling myself.

Wish my intuitiveness would allow me to see further into the future. Just a little peek. If only.

I’m off now.

Keep reading.

morals in marbles...

Let me tell you about something that could help you keep a good perspective on your priorities.

The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, people live about seventy-five years. Multiply 75 times 52 and you come up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

Buy one marble for each Saturday, put them all in a jar and keep it some place you will see it all the time. Every Saturday take one marble out and throw it away.

By watching the marbles diminish, perhaps you will focus more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

Be thankful for every week that you have and feel blessed when you get one more.

You don’t have to go out and buy 3900 marbles. Start with a thousand maybe. And when the marbles run out, hopefully the lesson will stay with you. 

Keep Reading.

the war within...

“It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offence when no offence was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

-And which do you think will win? 

"The one I feed."

ripple effects....

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger...

The smile seemed to make him feel better...

He remembered past kindnesses of a friend

And wrote him a thank you letter...

The friend was so pleased with the thank you

That he left a large tip after lunch...

The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,

Bet the whole thing on a hunch...

The next day she picked up her winnings,

And gave part to a man on the street...

The man on the street was grateful;

For two days he'd had nothing to eat...

After he finished his dinner,

He left for his small dingy room...

He didn't know at that moment

That he might be facing his doom...

On the way he picked up a shivering puppy

And took him home to get warm...

The puppy was very grateful

To be in out of the storm...

That night the house caught on fire...

The puppy barked the alarm...

He barked till he woke the whole household

And saved everybody from harm...

One of the boys that he rescued

Grew up to be President...

All this because of a simple smile

That hadn't cost a cent... 

Do you see how powerful a smile can be? 

May you never have reason not to smile. 

Love you all.

Keep Reading

the cracked pot...

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect.  At the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water whilst the cracked pot arrived only half full.

This went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. Don’t be ashamed of them. Acknowledge them, and take advantage of them. In our weaknesses we can find out strengths.

We're all cracked pots :)

Keep reading.

i believe...

I believe-
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe-
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them

I believe-
That you can keep going long after you can't.

 I believe-
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other.

I believe-
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe-
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe-

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe-
That the people you care about most in life are the essence of life.
Tell them today how much you love them and what they mean to you.

Keep reading

the simple pleasures...

Sometimes life is a real kick in the gut. Nothing’s stable and nothing’s guaranteed. That’s why we have to live open to change. Something that’s a huge priority in your life the one minute, could be altered to something entirely different the next. There are certain things though- if you step back from all the hustle and bustle- that are eternally constant. They are the moments we take to appreciate the world around us without thinking of anything else. My advice to you is to consider these and take advantage whilst you can. Because really, the best things in life are free. My favourites:

• Sleep in on a rainy day
• People watch
• Climb your roof
• Gaze at a beautiful view
• Lay on grass as the sun warms your skin
• Stand outside when it’s drizzling, with your face towards the sky [you may spin around if you like :)]
• Dance in the rain and stomp in puddles.
• Watch the sunrise/sunset.
• Walk on the beach
• Watch the ocean
• Take a nature hike
• Swim at night
• Watch it snow

So, remember to take a time out every now and again, especially if you feel like it’s all getting too much. Is all the stress really worth it at the end of the day?

Stop typing, hang up, walk away and have your moment.

Keep reading.

DIY fools...

The mood has been quite somber and erratic lately and so today's post comes to you in lighthearted spirit. I think this one is more for the ladies but I guess the men can learn a thing or two. So gents if you're daring to venture on: you've been warned. 

To all those miserable lasses feeling like they’re being treated like the flavour of the week by their men: stop moaning, grow some backbone and if you must, smack him like his mother. Oh and listen to this, I think I just figured out why he’s being a jerk. 

I came across the most incomprehensibly obtuse “advice-for-men” blog just a moment ago. I don’t know who the author is but I feel very sorry for the guy who’s following his ludicrous guidance. He’s probably the same cheap-pill popping loser who’s responsible for the “by nature women like to be dominated by men” statement. I promise you, he has his feet up somewhere, clouded by smoke from his homegrown hash, laughing evilly at the domino effect of failed relationships he has triggered. 

Some of his advice includes “Don’t express your love for a woman in words. Trying to get physical with a woman is the best way of expressing your love for her”  and “play hard to get because apparently it makes her want you more. It’s about the thrill of the chase.”

 

To the guy actually paying heed to all this, you have to be really dimwitted not to realize that this writer is taking you for a ride. If you follow any of that hogwash, you will most likely be accused of having satyromania and there will be a restraining order taken out on you. 

And as for playing it all cool and inattentive? If you leave her confused, she will NOT be more attracted to you. In fact she has probably already written you off as a douche and is currently being chatted up by someone more caring and considerate. Yeah. That’s the way we roll. 

So treat her like a lady, respect her, dote on her and fgs keep it in your pants.  

Let me leave you with a very awkward yet hilarious statement someone made to me on Sunday.

"God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time."

Oh! When the aunties talk… haha. 

Keep reading.

Do not go gentle into that good night

I’m constantly thinking about death. It’s not because of everything that’s happening now. It’s just something I always think about because of my situation. I’m not scared of dying. I’ve never been afraid.

I just worry about everyone whom I’ll leave behind. I always pray they won’t take it badly. I live my life striving to always show them that I’m content and fulfilled so that they never feel that I missed out. If everyday I could live just to keep them happy- if that was my sole purpose in this world- it would be the best life I could ever wish for.

I don’t want people to shed tears for me. Or regret anything. I want them to smile at my memory and remember that I regretted nothing.

It’s been on my mind more than usual recently. Maybe this time it is because of everything that’s happening. It has really made me rethink my priorities.

I always said that if I was dying, I wouldn’t tell anyone. Because I wouldn’t want to be treated differently. Or with pity. Or constantly have everyone be on his or her best behaviour or on eggshells around me. I would live my life to the absolute norm up until my dying breath. Because I want to experience everything just the way it was supposed to happen. No censorship:) Besides, why put that weight on their shoulders?

But sitting here at work. I realise how this doesn’t matter. I would rather be spending time with people that I love. Laughing. Making memories with them. Praying. Making sure everyone will be okay when I’m gone.

I want to make a difference in as many people’s lives as humanly possible. And I want everyone to learn the lesson that I learned through all my difficulty: the world is only a better place with love. Love yourself and love others. Be accepting and forgiving and never hold onto anything negative. Smile and the world will smile with you.

That’s how everyone should spend everyday of their lives. All this time you spend away from your loved ones in your work- all this money- none of it matters. All they’ll be left with are your words and how you made them feel. So make sure everyone always gets the best of it. And if you fight, laugh it out and if you have problems, figure them out.

When someone dies, people always regret the things they didn’t say or didn’t do with that person. I don’t want any of that. I have big dreams but the small things make me happy. I live life honestly and simply and I want everyone to continue the same way.

the artist...

Once upon a time, a well-known painter was finishing a painting. The painter wanted this painting to be a masterpiece. He worked on it for weeks on the top of a 24-storey building. He was so consumed by and excited with his own painting that he unconsciously took a few steps backward while admiring it. He didn't look where he was going as he walked backward. He kept on walking backward until he was a step away from the edge of the 24storey building. Just one more step back and he could have fallen to his death.
 
A man saw what the painter was doing and was about to shout at him to warn him when he realized that his shout might surprise the painter and thus make him take that one fatal step backward and fall down. So the man took a brush and some paint and began to paint on the beautiful painting until it was completely damaged.
 
Upon realizing what happened to his painting, the painter got very angry and moved forward to hit the man. However, some other people who were also present at the vicinity held him and showed him how the man had actually saved him.
 
Moral of the story: Sometimes we have painted our future with such beauty and dreamed
of exquisite days, but then God seems to destroy our beautiful painting.
 
When God, in His Infinite Wisdom, tests us with a situation that we think is difficult or takes away something that in our mind was good for us, we need to remember that perhaps it may not be so. Whatever He has decreed for us is actually better for us, for He is All-Wise and All-Knowing.
 
"...and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. God knows but you do not know." (Baqarah: 216)
 
A calamity that makes you turn to God is better for you than a blessing that makes you forget the remembrance of God.

Keep reading.

"oh, how your sadness reduces me to tears..."

Forgive me for the hiatus. All the “positivity” blew up in my face, leaving me disconsolate and shaken to the core.

I don’t want to see people I care about in agony. I can’t sit by and watch them hurting. I want to take all the pain away. But I can’t. And I keep questioning why awful things always happen to wonderful people. It breaks my heart. I’m saddened, I’m disillusioned, and I’m frustrated.

How can you be so happy and excited about having somebody so unquestionably amazing in your life and at the same time have to watch them go through one of the worst experiences of their lives?

Why would God make you witness such a thing, yet not give you the capability to make everything right? Why would He put them through this in the first place?

It’s so easy to question God and doubt Him. But that’s the reason we’re primarily put in these situations. Because we can’t only love God when the going is good. He tests our patience to see if we’re truly devoted.

Because only if we are truly faithful will we understand that He never does anything to hurt us. Everything has a purpose and a reason and it’s always to teach us something or for our benefit. And we’d realize that He’d never give us more than we can handle.

So in all my uselessness the one thing I know I can do is pray that He makes it easy on them.

And I will keep doing so.

God said : If you never felt pain, or experienced problems, how would you know I am a Healer? If you never made a mistake, how would you know I am Forgiving? If you were never hurt, how would you know I can Comfort you? If your life was perfect, then why would you need Me? Trust in God... 

LOVE and appreciate everyday and everyone in your lives. Don’t take things for granted. I cannot stress on this enough.

Keep reading.

horrobics!

I would jus like to take this opportunity to thank my "friends" for launching me at gym today. I ended up being the only young one there, much to our trainer's delight.

She started off the lesson telling the others that "she loves picking on me cuz I'm so shy" and they all proceeded to laugh. And then they began to quiz me on things that made my ears burn and my cheeks redden.

And the exercises! Oh the torture! She stood over me and pushed my limbs to points of distortion, all the while smiling wickedly. "You'll thank me the day you're in labour",she said.

Oh my word.

The nightmare ended with her asking me what my age is now and if I have a boyfriend which sent me into a fit of giggles. So then she refused to believe me when I said I didn't. "Why are you laughing? Does that mean you have more than one?"

I will NEVER venture into there on my own again!

"You're going to be in pain tomorrow. Enjoy."

:(

Weave in faith and God will find the thread.

There’s lots of positive energy in the atmosphere at the moment people. I hope you are all feeling the benefits. Bad things are morphing into good and life’s looking peachy. And in keeping with all the awesome sanguineness, today’s post is dedicated to “Faith.” If things aren’t looking sunny in your world, don’t despair; it’s all part of a bigger plan.

“Faith is like a radar that sees through the fog.” ~ C.T. Boom

You just have to trust that everything happens, as it should, no matter what it is.  Don’t lose heart or give up hope when nothing seems to be working out for you. You have to realise that this is the path you have to take to get to a better place. It’s like thick, straggling trees and bushes surrounding a castle. You have to make your way through slowly and with a struggle. But you’ll get there if you believe in yourself, trust in the greater power and keep strong.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”  ~Martin Luther King Jr.

“He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.”  ~B.C. Forbes

So even though you feel as if you’re always surrounded by negativity, have hope. Even if you feel the bad stuff is endless and the good never lasts. They say that all good things come to an end, but they end because there is a constant flow, and the "old" good things need to make room for the "new" good things.

If someone told you that you have nothing to worry about. If you knew everything was really all right, and that it has a happy ending, you would not feel trepidations about your future or let the trials wear you down. That’s what faith is: Someone telling you not to worry, everything’s gona be okay.

“Just keep trying and trying
It's just a matter of timing
Though the grinding is tiring
Don't let 'em stop you from smiling
Just keep trying and trying
Sooner or later you'll find it
It's surprising how inspiring
It is to see yourself shining.”

There are no problems without solutions. So sing when the dawn is still dark.

Love you all.

Keep reading.

la propuesta ridícula

Oh my word.

So I go next door to play with the dressmaker’s daughter (cute little squishy thing) and this old lady chases after me and my mum and tells her that her brother has a son and she wants to get him married… to me! She gets all my mum’s details and as she leaves she asks me what my name is. And when I tell her she gets all excited and hugs me and says she loves my name and now I have to marry her brother’s son.

And my mother tells her that my sister and I are cagey about marriage because of all the stories we hear. (So true). But still, she insisted and took our address.

Well.

I’m sorry.

I’m not going to be there.

I just CANNOT get into this right now!!!!!!!!

***OK wait… all I’m gona say is WHO DOES THAT???? She knows nothing about me so she obviously made a decision based on outward appearance. I’m sure her brother’s son is a very nice guy (actually I think he may be a loser) but I’m very insulted. I mean I have nothing against the old lady (shame) but it says a lot about their way of thinking. That’s all I have to say. Yeah… for now.

real life horror show

Okay so it turned out I wasn’t completely mistaken about that person. Just a bit confused. Still… very embarrassing.

Anyway. I found out something really horrible yesterday.

I will forewarn you that the following may contain profanities.

This so-called friend of mine whom I thankfully cut out of my life a while ago has turned out to be a manipulative swine. Another friend and I have been victims of his sociopathic behavior. He’s turned people against us with mind games and hearsay, so that he could have us all to himself. Or some creepy hogwash like that. Seriously I thought people like him only existed in tacky horror movies.

He was a complete loser and very annoying which is why I stopped talking to him in the first place. But to know that he’s the reason I was robbed of some of the good people in my life just makes me so mad! He’s deceiving and devious and downright disturbing.

What a freak!!!

(Definitely a future serial killer on the loose.)

I mean I know a lot of people who are jealous of others who achieve more than them. And they’ll do things out of spite to sabotage them. I know people who have no conscious and they rain on other people’s parades just to feel better about themselves. And they’ll never change. That’s why I left them all behind in high school. So I really didn’t expect this. I will say that I had slight suspicions but thought I was being paranoid. Guess the drama never stops!!!

But now that I know what he did; it sheds some light on a lot of unexplained things. Although, you have to wonder: Why did those people believe what he told them? Surely they should’ve known better. Or at the very least fact-check!!! I guess if they could be so easily swayed maybe it’s better that they’re gone.

This is why I don’t trust anybody. I like to form opinions about people directly and not through what others say. Whether it’s good or bad, you can keep in mind what they say, but don’t just take it for granted.

Is it true about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? I don’t want these sick people anywhere near me (or my family).

Leave me alone. Get a therapist!!! Get a life.

I’m going to get a gun licence.

possession ~ AS Byatt

"…words have been all my life, all my life--this need is like the Spider's need who carries before her a huge Burden of Silk which she must spin out--the silk is her life, her home, her safety--her food and drink too--and if it is attacked or pulled down, why, what can she do but make more, spin afresh, design anew…."

“This is where I have always been coming to. Since my time began. And when I go away from here, this will be the mid-point, to which everything ran, before, and from which everything will run. But now, my love, we are here, we are now, and those other times are running elsewhere.”

“There are things which happen and leave no discernible trace, are not spoken or written of, though it would be very wrong to say that subsequent events go on indifferently, all the same, as though such things had never been."

"We must come to grief and regret anyway - and I for one would rather regret the reality than its phantasm, knowledge than hope, the deed than the hesitation, true life and not mere sickly potentialities."

"Vocabularies are crossing circles and loops. We are defined by the lines we choose to cross or to be confined by."

“I cannot let you burn me up, nor can I resist you. No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed.”

lessons from "love happens"

Sometimes, despite your best efforts otherwise, life will give you lemons. When that happens, you've got two choices: you can wear a sour face or make lemonade.

We choose and decide how to feel. When we have problems or troubles, we can choose to view it negatively or positively. No matter how hard something is, there will be a resolution. God wouldn't give us a problem without a solution. So, when you face a problem, stop feeling like everything is going wrong. Face it with an optimistic mind.

Happiness is a state of mind. Devote 5 minutes of your time to smiling daily and after a while, it will happen naturally.

Ok, I haven't tried this before but what do we lose by smiling? Whether we are happy or sad, life still goes on so why not choose to be happy? Smiling increases your face value!

Fear is a state of mind.

Don't let your fears hold you back. We gain strength, and courage, and confidence when we do that which we think we cannot. Risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

Remember, when one thing ends, something else begins. You can’t move forward if you’ve got your eyes in the rear view mirror.

Keep Reading.

relatable converstaion...

Man:

"I happen to know a thing or two about people. You get approached a lot. Probably have since the day you strapped on your first training bra. But you're smart, and you're creative, and you're caring and big... But, how come the guys only see the package it comes in, sure... you're flattered. But ultimately, ultimately it's tiresome because it has nothing to do with you. You were born that way, you can't take credit for it. Your insides though, that's yours. That's what you want someone to truly see. Even a stranger. Ergo! You fake a handicap. You pretend to be deaf rather than to have a conversation with a fellow human being. You prefer sign language? Fine."

[shows middle finger] 

Woman:

"You know what? Excuse me. What did you have in mind? Some sweet, romantic courtship in the bar over some warm peanuts before we consummate our love in the glow of Spectravision porn? God, I'm so sorry your little ego took such a bruising. But you know what? I bet the next chick that you meet in the elevator or, I don't know, the gym, is gonna fit that bill just fine. Even though I bet you have a girl who is actually stupid enough to believe that you're the one guy with integrity. The one guy. Until, of course, she finds that lipstick mark on your boxers, and then it's game over, pal. And that one thing that you held so dear, that one thing that you loved more than anything in the world, is tainted and ruined and destroyed like that.

Ergo! If you had a brain in either head [points to the man's face and pants], you would realize that I was doing us both a favor."

The easiest person to deceive is one's own self.

Nothing is what it seems. So last year I was all embarrassed cuz I mistook one person for another. And jus now I found out even that person isn’t who I thought he was. Like, what’s going on!!!! I’m not talking figuratively. I mean that I actually confused a whole entire person with a whole entire other person. Name, looks and everything.

Just another verification that the mind will believe what you tell it to believe!!!

Our psyche is dependant on our perception of things. It’s very easy to deceive oneself. Whether it be thinking something is good when it’s actually bad or bad when it’s actually good. And we all know the pros and cons of that.

You can use self-deception to become as good as you think you are. False self-image can provide important motivation. Otherwise we’d never take risks or try anything. Like you can convince yourself that you are capable of achieving something even though everybody tells you that you can’t.

“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.”

Self-deception can also lead to a massive distortion of reality and no longer have a positive effect. Like in a relationship when you refuse to accept facts because you want it to work out or to avoid conflict.

“Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.”

At the same time I must add that sometimes we overexert ourselves into doing things which are not expected of us and which are far beyond our capability.

And sometimes our loved ones need us to overlook their faults and believe the best in them so that they can see it in themselves.

So there’s no wrong or right. At the end of the day, you’ll know whether your self-deception was a mistake or one of the best decisions you’ve made and either way you can learn from it.

Keep your minds clear and your glasses half full my loves.

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hooting hoots...

Every now and again I lose my focus on the bigger picture and go off on a tangent. Blinded by short-term gains, I forget my long-term goals. But, doesn’t everyone deserve his or her crazy moments? These silly interludes are usually overlooked because not everyone can be poised and composed all the time.

I’ve been having a few of those lately. Just sporadic bursts of comical liberation. I am a bit ashamed and remorseful but not enough to forget that nobody’s judging me for not being serious 24/7. And whoever is judging, needs to have a stick removed from somewhere down under. We all say and do things without thinking it through. Imperfections make us perfect.

“Every pressurized system needs a relief valve. There has to be a way to reduce the stress, the tension, before it becomes too much to bare. There has to be a way to find relief because if the pressure doesn't find a way out, it will make one. It will explode. It's the pressure we put on ourselves that's the hardest to bare. The pressure to be better then we already are. The pressure to be better than we think we can be. It never ever lets up. It just builds and builds and builds.”

Btw watched the news last night. What is the world coming to!!! We actually have to organize classes to train our kids in Practical Skills. There’s an actual panic that “basic, hands-on, everyday dexterity” could become extinct in the future. And we have to save our children from complete uselessness.

This is what happens when you plonk your offspring in front of a tele and mollycoddle them!!! There are old people turning in their graves right now. We should be ashamed!!!

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those that matter...

You don't actually have to take the quiz. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point, it's an awesome one.

Take this quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor actress.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headlines of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Keep reading.