Change begins at the end of your comfort zone. Roy Bennett
Decades ago I broke a wrist in a dive boat driven by a madman. Since then I preferred sailing, rowing and motoring sedately. Last weekend I completed my Royal Yachting Assoc Powerboat Level 2 training in a massive RIB with a 150 HP engine strapped onto the stern. What was I thinking?
The last chapter of your life is yet to be written. Write the story you want to read. anon
Long ago I decided to live a full and conscious life. The opportunity presented itself, I rose to the challenge. Was I scared? Duh. Was it a rush? OH YES!
As David Bowie says
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
It is up to us to Turn and face the strange
We know that the only constant in life is change and without change we can’t grow.
side. Once you begin, transformation follows.
Listen here to Ch ch ch changes by David Bowie
Happiness is a state of mind, a message from Pope Francis
A recent message from Pope Francis
*You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you.
Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.
To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.
Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.
Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.
To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.
And when you make a mistake, start all over again.
For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.
Use your losses to train patience. Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity.
Use pain to plaster pleasure. Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence.
Never give up .... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.*
A half truth is a full lie. Yiddish Proverb
A lie gets half way around the world before the truth gets his pants on. Winston Churchill
Reminds me of the opening scene in Crazy Rich Asians.
Throughout history half truths and lies have been used to discredit opponents, create confusion and instil fear. Today instead of rumours behind closed doors we have social media. JFK said, no matter how big the lie, repeat it often enough and the masses will believe it. This is the Illusory Truth Effect
Limiting exposure and restricting ourselves to reputable sources is a start. Remember, Everything we hear is an opinion not a fact and everything we see is a perception not the truth. Marcus Aurelius
Gossip dies when it hits a wise person's ears. anon
This week I invite you to be the wise one by seeking, speaking, and living your truth.
Fear vs Excitement
Daily we are bombarded with information, rumours, facts, and sensationalised journalism while living restricted lives not by choice. We respond using frameworks / mental models in order to understand and survive. Now overwhelm consumes existing paradigms resulting in fear, trepidation and procrastination. You can frame a moment. But you can’t frame life.― Armin Houman
What if we reframed our models to move from resistance and fear to openness and excitement?
What if we Always did what we were afraid to do? Ralph Waldo Emerson
You will find that The frame through which I viewed the world changed too, over time. Greater than scene, I came to see, is situation. Greater than situation is implication. Greater than all of these is a single, entire human being, who will never be confined in any frame. - Eudora Welty As Conor McGregor said, No pressure, no diamonds. We don’t choose what to put into our frame of destiny but what we put into it is ours. Dag Hammarskjold This week I invite you to reframe your life so that at some future hour fact and dreams meet. Victor Hugo.
Facing the Future
My lips are chapped from the winds of change. Sarah Vowell
Slowly restrictions are being lifted and we emerge to a new way of being. Social distancing is a norm so is the taking of temperatures, zoom calls, alcohol gel and wearing a mask in public. I look towards the future, dwelling in possibility. Emily Dickinson for it is no more uncertain than the present. Walt Whitman
We can choose to face to the future with apprehension or anticipation. Jim Rohn. Robert Frost says, in three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life. It goes on.
Winston Churchill said it was wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see. This is particularly true given the the fluidity of change. The same winds blow on all of us. of disaster, opportunity and change. It is not the blowing of the wind but how we set our sails that makes the difference. Jim Rohn
This week I invite you to accept the past without regrets, the present with confidence and the future without fear anon.The past can't be changed but the future is in your power. Mary Pickford for there are far better things ahead than what we leave behind. CS Lewis