"The energy I bring to my work comes from being passionate about what I do, it's more than just work, motivating others to achieve is my purpose."
To react or respond?
May 9, 2013, 10:10 pm
Every moment in time events occur. They can happen to us, around us, related to us, far away from us or even unbeknownst to us. As a rule most of us will react to events when we are part of them or when we are made aware of them.We feel sad but relieved when those young women in the US find freedom after 10 years capture. We feel anger when someone cuts us off in traffic. We feel frustrated when sending yet another CV and getting no response. We feel despair when seeing children dying of hunger. We feel helpless when we are wronged by someone in power.And then we react. We shout 'I would kill you!' at the TV when they show the capturers picture. We beep the horn at the driver cutting us off. We stop sending the CV's and go drinking with friends blaming the politicians. We shout at our offspring for not finishing their meals 'when there are children in Africa dying of hunger'. We stab the people in power in the back and start bad mouthing them.What are the results of those reactions? Do they tend to change the situation? Do they really make things better? Are you better off afterwards?What if we took time to think about what we want from life. Why do I do what I do? What do I want to achieve? What would make me happy? What fulfils me? What makes me feel like I contribute?And when we find that out, we can respond to these events with the end in mind. With in mind that this response will actually lead to something positive for me (and often others).We can start becoming advocates for equality to help reduce the objectification of women. We can become driving instructors. We can learn how to sell ourselves effectively in the job market. We can volunteer or take part in charity events. We can respond to those in power with facts and in group or with back up.Next time you feel the rush of blood and think you need to react; think of what you want from life and what the best response might be in line with that. And that response can be anything from walking away, to gathering evidence and responding later, to altering your thinking or changing your lifestyle.Have a superb day. PatrickQuality of life. Who decides? You or others?
February 5, 2013, 2:56 pm
Promissory notes, debt deals, ECB, recession, inflation, mortgage arrears etc… etc…
All important, all in the news, all related to the world we live in. The question is should we allow any of these to control our individual futures? Should we roll over and use them as (valid) excuses to blame others for our own situation? Should we be happy to feel unjustly treated and shout on the streets for our entitlements?
Or could we react differently? Would we dare to think that somehow somewhere we can start a process of reshaping our own destiny again? Can we influence our daily lives by thinking and acting differently? Can we alter the outcome for ourselves through positive action?
The answer to all this is yours. I know that by moving my attention from the events that happen around me to my desired outcomes in life, my reaction has tilted from reactionary to proactive status.
Proactive means deciding what needs to be in place for me to be happy and fulfilled in life, looking at what makes me tick, what is important for me right now and then using these foundations to build a path to my desired outcomes.
This way of thinking, whilst firmly rooted in the ‘real world’, leaves only room for forward thinking and action based planning for your future. You can nearly treat life as a catalogue you want to order from and then find a way to your collection point.
This can be done and is done in the ‘real world’ and incorporates all the challenges you might encounter on that road.
Passion Hard Work Attitude = Success! As I said before the choice is yours, choose wisely. You can let others decide your life for you, or take control. Your choice, your decision, your future.
The moment awareness turns into reality!
January 28, 2013, 10:18 pm
It happened to me again today! That glorious moment when the old habit has it's last fling and is finally defeated. When reading the wonderful 'Four Agreements' by Don Miguel Ruiz again recently, my levels of awareness of the power of its messages was reinstated. It felt like the energy jump you get from a well chosen Gel unit during the crucial stages of a Marathon.
I finally could give myself to not making any assumptions anymore, to be impeccable with my word, to not take anything personally and to know that doing the best I can at any given moment in time is always good enough.
That was counting without the last kick of the old habits. All of a sudden it seemed everyone was attacking me personally, I said things I did not really mean to defend myself, I assumed people's positions and understanding of the situations I was in and I stopped giving my best as I was consumed by the event itself.
LuckilyI had trained myself for such an occurence and a purposefully in built switch went off tonight and with that the old habit is now a past memory. Serenity is what I feel, peace of mind and an overwhelming calm.
You too can feel that way. The first step is awareness, then acceptance, then finding an alternative and opening your self up to achieve and receive. I'm not saying it's easy, but I do promise the results are more than worth it.
Yes you do choose how you react to whatever happens, yes you do choose your actions, yes you do have power of your life and career. Today start accepting your self for who you are and start becoming aware of your possibilities.
5 simple steps to help enhance your quality of life!
December 3, 2010, 12:20 pm
I thought that today I would just simply share 5 little things I try to adhere to. Each one of them changed my quality life. There is no great mystery to them. They are wonderful in their simplicity and that’s what makes them quite powerful. I invite you to try them out and to let me know what they did for you. Your story might end up on the blog!
1. Strip the word perfection from your dictionary! It is a myth and does not exist. Stop looking for it in yourself and in others. Instead always do the best you can at any given moment in time. That is always good enough!
2. Target your energy carefully. If you find yourself warding off unwanted things or people at regular intervals then you are wasting energy. Drop the unwanted things from your life as much as possible. Spend your energy on things you like and you will have more of it!
3. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. This well known serenity prayer works in every day life. Accept everything for what it is. By lowering the resistance to events you open yourself to opportunities to change the outcome for yourself!
4. Remember the saying, be grateful for small blessings. By being grateful for everything that’s good in our lives we create free space for more positivity. Write down what you are grateful for in a book or diary. Thinking of all the things we are grateful for will make us more thankful of others!
5. Whenever possible make time for outdoors nature exploration. Do it running or walking, or sitting on a bench by the canal or near a river or in a forest or in your back garden. Listen to the purity of nature and look at its potential for regeneration. It puts a smile on my face every time!! Allow nature’s power to rub of on you!
There you go, didn’t I tell you they were simple! Go on and enjoy trying these out, I know they will work for you. Oh and please send me your stories!
Have a great day
Patrick