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Be Yourself…If They Let You!

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awesomeI came across a wonderful quote a few days ago, posted on the Positive Outlooks Facebook page, it read:

There comes a time when you have to stand up and say: This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me… or leave me. Accept me – or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don’t fit your idea of who I should be and don’t try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad – you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you. — Stacey Charter [Read more…] about Be Yourself…If They Let You!

Throw the instructions away!

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fingerideaAre you one of those people who enjoys reading the instructions that come with a piece of put-together-at-home furniture or the instructions that tell you how to get the best out of your new phone?  It seems to me that we either fall into the category of feeling that to read the instructions is a necessity that will save time in the long term (and in my experience I think the numbers of these people rank at the lower end of the scale), or, are you like most people who throw the instructions away and just dive headlong into the task in the belief that you know best anyway?!

Three hours later when you’ve created a wobbly table and have half a dozen screws left over, you step back and look at your efforts and wonder why they sell such shoddy furniture!

But why do we do this?  [Read more…] about Throw the instructions away!

To Give or Not To Give – A True Story

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homeless1I’ve read that there is good evidence to support the premise that if you give to others in some way, it will enhance your own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of the receiver.  On a purely common sense level, I have to agree with this because I seem to experience gratification when I give to someone and particularly so if I give to someone who I am very unlikely to see again (in other words, (s)he will have no way of repaying me).  I can float through the rest of the day when I feel that I have been kind and so the positives for me far outweigh the gift given.

I’m not sure what the science or psychology is behind this personal reaction (and really, I’m not that concerned to understand it), but I am the first to admit that I feel so much better about myself if I’ve been able to help in some way as opposed to the other option where I feel guilt for neglecting to help when I know I probably could have done so.

[Read more…] about To Give or Not To Give – A True Story

Knowing Then What I Know Now!

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audiLife would be so much easier if we had all the information we needed before we embarked on a new project, entered into a new relationship, made an important financial decision or even accepted that new job, don’t you think?  But unfortunately, life just isn’t like that.

Instead, we start and stop new projects, often not seeing them through to fruition, fall in love with the person of our dreams only to discover a few months later that they were never looking for a commitment anyway (or so they say…), buy a new car and then breakdown just days after the warranty has expired or accept a great new job and learn too late that our new boss is somewhat of a narcissist!  Does any of this sound familiar? [Read more…] about Knowing Then What I Know Now!

Who are you hiding?

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maskI wonder why it takes us so long to finally acknowledge and allow the ‘real’ person within us to come forward?  Even more perplexing is why some of us never allow that person to come forward?  It’s a very, very personal condition, not least because from the outside most people wouldn’t know that the person they interact with is maintaining a façade.  This façade could be quite thin, maybe it’s the ‘professional face’ we keep on in a work environment or at the other extreme, there could be a thick veil of concealment through which the external observer cannot pry.

It’s natural to assume that if someone is concealing their real character that their personality or their intentions must be somewhat shady.  But, are there ever any good reasons why someone should conceal their true character? [Read more…] about Who are you hiding?

To Lead a Rich and Meaningful Life

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quapanAs we go about our daily lives we cross paths and interact with people almost continuously.  Sometimes these interactions are obvious – we have a conversation in person or on the phone, we connect via email and social media etc.  Other times, our interactions are far less obvious, for example when we take an action which has an indirect effect on someone else or where we take no action and maybe someone was hoping we might connect with them.  These latter interactions are silent and invisible in our everyday lives and we may remain completely unaware of them, or, they may come to our attention in unexpected ways.

In this vein I was thinking about how we enrich, or add value to our or other peoples’ lives, directly or indirectly.  There are many different ways of looking at this, but I’m interested to consider how our actions or lack of action can enrich our lives and those of the people around us.

On looking up the word ‘enrich’ in the dictionary, I came across the following definitions:

  1. Improve or enhance the quality of
  2. To make fuller, more meaningful, or more rewarding

[Read more…] about To Lead a Rich and Meaningful Life