There are many interesting texts and posts that suggest that the limits we place on ourselves in terms of money, prosperity, happiness and more are a product of our own doing. We create the level at which we believe we should live, and subconsciously go about life in a way that results in staying close to that same level.
Billionairewoman touches on this from a finance perspective, in a recent post titled “Break Out of Your Money Box”. From the site: Continue reading…
If it’s by some obscure sequence of clicks that you’ve landed on this post, welcome! You’re in for a treat: to be challenged on the way we think about giving and receiving.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably interested in making your life count for something. We may have different agendas, but hopefully share some common goals. One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is the delicate balance that exists between self and others; that is, weighing up how much time we devote to improving our own lives and how much we devote to helping other people.
It’s an interesting challenge! Personal growth, self-improvement, satisfaction - many of these concepts revolve around our selves. “How can I make more money? How can I be happier? How can I improve myself?” These are questions I’m sure most of us have asked ourselves at some stage. The interesting paradox is that part of the answer lies in doing just the opposite: thinking about others more, being selfless. Continue reading…
One of the greatest things about my relationship with my wife is that we have a lot of “in” jokes, little one and two word sayings that trigger memorable or funny times in our life that we shared together. I don’t know if all couples share in this crazy game, or if it’s something that starts to develop only after several years together, when you’ve built up a repertoire of memories!
If I were to say to her, “It’s not open for discussion!” (with lisp), for example, we would both instinctively laugh at the memory of a crazy science teacher we had, with comb-over hair and pocket protectors and a favourite one-line response to most questions asked of him.
Another such memory I have is from a few years back when we had a strange encounter with an acquaintance, and goes something like this:
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We are certainly living in times of uncertainty. Many people are doing it tough financially and terms like “short term recession” are now giving way to ones like economic depression, massive unemployment and major financial panic.
It can be tough to stay motivated when it feels like your world is crashing down around you. Many people are living from week to week and struggling to make ends meet. Last night at work I spoke to a guy who was looking down - when I asked him why, he replied “I think the world news is just getting to me”.
The question is, how do you stay inspired when times are tough? What’s the best way to keep your attitude and expectations high when all around you people are doing it tough? Continue reading…
Have you ever had days that stood out in your life for some reason or other? Maybe there was a special event that occurred, or maybe it was a memorable one for some other reason. Today is a memorable day for me. Today I experienced a roller-coaster of emotions like no other - I worried, paced, laughed and nearly cried, all over an event which many would deem insignificant in the larger scale picture of the world. But not to me!
I’m getting ahead of myself, allow me to rewind. Continue reading…
Update: See my movember pics as this thing takes hold of my face!
This year I got recruited (a couple days late) into a Movember team. I’m very excited, and just a little apprehensive about the whole deal! What is Movember? I hear you ask. Check it: Continue reading…
This afternoon my wife and I were at home when someone knocked on the door. My wife answered to an elderly man who appeared to be hoping for a drop and run rather than a personal encounter. “Oh, I thought there was no-one here, I was just going to leave this for you.”
He gave my wife a pamphlet titled “Would you like to know the Truth?”
It’s a catchy line, a bit of a teaser really. Would I like to know the truth… Yes I would, thanks! No one wants to be given false information, we want the cold hard facts! Give me as much truth as you can muster up. What sort of truth? I wondered. The truth about life? Or the truth about a secret conspiracy like the real amount of fluoride in water, or how the government is suppressing the real cure for cancer. How much truth can you pack into a pamphlet, anyway?
Their conversation went like this:
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Sometimes it takes a wake up call for us to recognise what our real values are in life: how much we appreciate our loved ones, our families. The wake up call can come in many forms such as a near miss, a close call or minor accident that could have been fatal. A family member getting sick that makes you more appreciative of your own health. A partner threatening to walk out and leave if you don’t get your act together. Even seeing major events on TV like a building that collapses, an earthquake or fire: these things serve as reminders that we are not invulnerable, life can come and go in the blink of an eye.
I’ve been fortunate in my own life to not have a great deal of sickness or death in my extended family, but I do come across a lot of hurt, death and dying through my work. Here’s a situation from the other night that served as a wake up call for me: Continue reading…
Most of the self help and personal growth material I have read recommends that we watch for and model ourselves on people we aspire to be like. Sometimes it’s suggested to find a mentor, find someone who inspires us and spend some time with them. Other times, we’re told to research people with great lives, to read and learn about how they acted in various situations.
Another popular suggestion is to rid ourselves of people in our lives who drag us down. I can certainly relate to this, nothing is more life-sucking than having an annoying fly buzzing in your ear, “you can’t do that! It’s already been done!” Staying optimistic, surrounding ourselves with like-minded people and minimising contact with pessimists therefore are key concepts that you can hear reiterated in many texts. Continue reading…
Will It Change You came into existence in late July 2008. In fact, today is exactly 3 months to the day since my first post (woo!). It’s difficult to put my finger on the exact events that transpired and motivated me to start it, but I guess the overall general answer is that I realised something I’ve always known but never addressed properly:
I can improve so many areas in my life if only I have the drive, attitude and mindset to do so! I also want other people to enjoy their lives! So I have this kind of discordant sense of conflicting ideas: happiness and thankfulness with my life, yet dissatisfaction with many areas I can improve upon. I’m also driven in part by the amount of depression, hurt and dysfunctional families I’ve come across through my work in health care.
Therefore, this blog is a great outlet for me to reflect, learn, improve and grow, and I hope that once in a while it helps others to stop and think about their own lives also. Continue reading…
