Fear Of The Restless

I think it is important that everyone read this to gain a better understanding of a condition that is not widely spoken about.

Purple Adventures

Ever had one of those nights where you toss and turn? You’re up and down? You take forever to fall asleep but you wake up countless amounts of times throughout the night? You know those restless nights? Maybe you just went to bed late for whatever reason but had to get up early the next day? I’m pretty sure everybody has those nights.

Those nights are, of course, usually followed by a day that just seems to drag on. You struggle to focus throughout the day, too busy daydreaming about how comfy your bed would feel in that moment and how you’ll just go to bed early tonight to make up for it. It’s a day that’s annoyingly filled with fatigue driven yawns but easily fixed with a good night sleep the next night. No worries about it, right?

I often wish it were that easy for me.

Everybody, even…

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The only constant is change

Change is everywhere and if you believe it or not it affects us all. I know from my own experience we as humans tend to shy away from change both in our personal and professional lives. Is that a good thing? I believe that it isn’t. If you are rigid in everything you do and believe I think that you are blocking out countless opportunities to grow and become more [add your own word, i.e. successful, tolerant, efficient and the list goes on].

Have you ever had someone tell you you couldn’t do something because “we’ve always done it that way“? Can you imagine a company today still using floppy discs instead of USB’s or cloud storage because they’ve always used them?

I believe change is what keeps us strong and relevant and adaptable. It is the one constant in our lives that can remind us that we are capable of almost anything and can achieve our goals and dreams if we only embrace it.

What are you willing to change to reach your goals?

I have found that there is no use complaining that there isn’t enough time in the day, instead you need to have a good look at what you fill your day with and decide what you are willing to change to allow you the time to work towards your goals. Like Winston Churchill said, To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

If you, like me, often get stuck and don’t know where to start, there are numerous articles and guides on how to change and start achieving your goals. One I found recently that I decided to try was the Collective Evolution 30 day challenge. It itself is a fairly simple process with some simple ground rules that make sense. In essence it suggests that for 30 days you take one hour for yourself to work on something that means something to you, whether it be writing, sports or anything. I have only just started my 30 days and already there have been obstacles to overcome but I received an email from them to say that is normal and to persist as with all change comes resistance and obstacles.

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.
Arnold Bennett

If everyone made a commitment to change one small thing in their life to allow them the time to work on something that really meant something to them, imagine what the world might be like. We would have people that would be more engaged and possibly happier because their lives would include to some degree, something that interests them. Television, video games (one of my vices) and similar activities are not productive and in the long run will not make us happy. I believe that one aspect of happiness is pursuing something you are truly interested in no mater how hard or arduous the task.

It is time that we all made a change. Let’s stop complaining about the problems in the world from our couches and keyboards and let’s get out there and start doing something worthwhile. As Mahatma Gandhi said Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Just WHAT are you Paying Forward?

One thing that has been consuming my thoughts since this morning is the pay it forward concept and whether it is always a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong I think that it’s a really great concept that gets people thinking about others instead of themselves. Maybe one of my problems is that I overthink things and try to question everything. This morning at about 4am I found myself doing something that I originally thought to be a good deed but the more I thought about it I became less sure.

To give you the background I have been doing nightshifts at a major retailer and have been amazed each shift at just how messy and dirty their lunch room was and how people could consider this to be ok. Don’t get me wrong I am certainly no stranger to mess and my partner regularly reminds me of this fact, so this is not me preaching about hygiene standards or laziness instead my focus is on whether a good deed is good simply because you don’t expect praise or reward or because of what it does for the recipient?

My “good deed” during my time here has been to clean up a little bit each shift so the employees could go on with their work (nothing ground breaking I know). Each shift though, I would return to find the lunch room with mess and rubbish. This morning, while washing up a pile of dishes that had been in the sink for over three days, I started to think about this more seriously.

Below are some of the things that I considered in questioning whether my continued cleaning has been a good thing or not.

One

Were the break times and work conditions so stringent that no one felt inclined to clean up as they should not have to because their employer should provide a cleaner?

Two

Were the people who would normally clean up after others fed up at always being the ones to do the cleaning?

Three

If people could not even clean up after themselves was me cleaning up after them really a good deed or was it completely reinforcing their attitudes?

Four

Despite those who couldn’t clean up after themselves, was it enough that I gave some of the tired and undervalued people who usually do the cleaning a reprieve?

I know this does not exactly fit with many of the great and heart-warming examples of paying it forward that you might see on social media or the news but it is something that I thought would benefit others with no expectation of anything in return.

After all of my pondering on the subject I do think that in some small way it was a good thing but I still can’t sway the thought that despite that, it is justifying others to not take responsibility for themselves.

What do you think?

For the love of Lego!

As far back as I can remember (somewhat limited these days) I have loved Lego and throughout the years I have spent countless hours creating various buildings, vehicles and contraptions and acting out scenes from my favourite movies.

Having almost reached my three decade milestone I can’t remember specifics like what my first Lego set was or what age I was when I was first introduced but I still have vivid recollection of my most recent Lego adventure to Legoland in Germany.

To get to Legoland my friend and I caught a train from Munich to Günzburg then a short bus to the theme park. I must say that buying the train tickets was a somewhat daunting process until we managed to find the English travel assistant at the train station. Once they helped us out our journey was quite smooth.

Despite the overcast weather and occasional rain I was in awe of the sheer scale of the models on display. The photos I have included are only a tiny representation of all the models that are there to see. The amount of detail was absolutely incredible and I could have wandered for hours just looking at these models.

My self-control was tested to its limits towards the end of our visit when we stumbled across the brick store where there was almost every type of brick you could imagine and you could even build you own mini figure. I am pleased to say that I spent a mere 100 euros which may seem like a lot but for me is a small accomplishment in itself!

Now although I am an avid lego fan, I must recommend a visit to a Legoland if you ever get a chance. Although I didn’t speak German I didn’t feel that I got any less from the experience. If you are worried about the language barrier or the fact that you may not be visiting Germany, Legoland can be found in other places around the world including California and Florida in America

If you never have a chance to visit Legoland, just remember that the joy of Lego can be found wherever you are!

How to Stop Being Lazy and Get More Done: 5 Expert Tips

Are your stories holding back a wave of change?

Equilibrium

There are watchers in this world and there are doers. And the watchers sit around watching the doers, do.
Barefoot in the Park

My son recently took part in the 40 hour famine, a weekend fast to raise money for families in third world countries. I was intrigued by the reaction he received from friends and acquaintances. Most were really supportive, none took up his challenge to join him but what surprised me the most were those who commented that they’d die if they gave up food for forty hours. Some claimed they couldn’t give up food for several hours and then there was the poor soul who unashamedly remarked that  they couldn’t possibly give up their chips and gravy on a Friday night.

On the final day of the challenge my community minded son volunteered to cook breakfast at a local fun run. Again, the comments and reactions of…

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You CAN make a difference!

In the world today there are problems everywhere, some in our country and some in others. We are reminded of this fact, day in, day out by both the media and by countless charitable organisations. What I believe the biggest problem is though, is the wide spread attitude that there is nothing we can do to to fix these problems.

“Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one person can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills, misery, ignorance, and violence. Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And in the total of all those acts will be written the history of a generation.”

Robert F. Kennedy (64th US Attorney General and brother to better known John F Kennedy)

I must admit that sometimes I find myself overwhelmed by the vast number of charities and causes that are out there and seeking support, and I do find myself feeling insignificant in the face of that. One of my character flaws is that I have an urge to want to help and fix everything that I possibly can. The problem with that is that one person CAN only do so much. That is not to say that it’s pointless to try, instead it’s saying that we need to choose those causes we are most passionate about and find out how to support them.

For many years I have wanted to take part in the 40 hour famine but for one reason or another I never have, and to be honest, in recent years I had almost completely forgotten that it existed. About two weeks prior to this year’s famine, I saw an advertisement for it on facebook and decided that I wouldn’t make an excuse and I would just sign up and take part. I am glad that I did and I am extremely grateful to everyone who supported me and donated to world vision by sponsoring me.

One thing that amazed me during the famine was several people who I spoke to said that they couldn’t possibly take part because they couldn’t give up food for 40 hours. Now, I understand that some people cannot take part for medical reasons but to anyone who doesn’t fit in those categories I urge you to give it a go. It is a great way to put yourself in the shoes of people who are less fortunate and who may not have the luxury of a meal every day. If you can’t go without food though, world vision made it easier to get involved by giving you the choice of what you give up. Some people choose to forgo technology for 40 hours, some choose coffee. If you are able, why not get involved and try to help those people who aren’t so fortunate.

Coming back to my original point, do you think I made a difference? Did I fix world hunger? I know for a fact that I have not fixed world hunger by my actions alone but by choosing to forgo food for 40 hours and through the generous donations from my family and friends we may feed a family for a week. Imagine if one in ten Australians took part in the famine and the other nine donated some money to sponsor them. That would make a huge difference!

In the end, you need to make up your own mind about what you are passionate about and what you are willing to do to support that, but remember what Gandhi said and don’t wait for someone else to fix the world’s problems.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Considering goals and effort

Instead of lamenting over the goals you have not achieved, consider the effort you have made to achieve them.

How amazing is that?

My mum recently introduced me to the Annerley Community Bookshop where I found the above inscription inside the cover of a book I bought. It never ceases to amaze me the things you discover when you least expect it.

 

 

Head IN the SAND

WHAT MATTERS IN YOUR LIFE?

WHAT GOALS AND DREAMS DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

WHAT PROBLEMS ARE YOU CURRENTLY FACING?

Do you think putting your head in the sand and hoping for the best (or avoiding the worst) is going to help you to hold on to those things or people that matter to you? Is it going to help you to achieve those dreams and reach those goals? Or is it going to fix those problems in your life? IS IT?

I am going to be fairly bold and say that there is no way that putting your head in the sand can positively contribute to any of these situations. Why?

WHAT MATTERS IN LIFE REQUIRES ATTENTION

THOSE GOALS AND DREAMS ARE NOT GOING TO REALISE THEMSELVES

THE PROBLEMS YOU FACE WILL USUALLY STILL BE THERE WHEN YOU SURFACE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

I have dealt with situations this way before and I want to avoid continuing the trend because I do truly believe nothing positive can result. If you are reading this and have had similar experiences I would love to hear from you!