Work While They Sleep, Learn While They Party!!

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Rod's World

This blog may be a bit long, it is based on a list by Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari called Top 200 Secrets of Success In Life, Here they are:

Sleep less.
Set aside one hour every morning for personal development matters.
Do not allow things that matter suffer because of things that don’t.
Use the Rubber Band method to condition your mind to focus.
Always answer the phone with enthusiasm.
Keep a set of blank cards so you can jot down your inspirational ideas.
Set aside every Sunday evening for yourself.
The quality of your life is the quality of your communication.
Stay on purpose, not on outcome.
Laugh for five minutes in the mirror each morning.
Light a candle in the evening when you are reading.
Count your steps when you walk.
Learn to meditate effectively.
Learn to be still.
Enhance your will-power.
Be humorous throughout the day.
Become a highly disciplined time manager.
Associate with positive people.
Become devoted to having only a wonderful experience.
You must have a mission statement in life.
No one can hurt you without your permission.
Take a speed reading course.
Remember people’s names.
Be soft as a flower when it comes to kindness.
Only discuss your health and wealth with your family.
Be truthful, modest and generous.
Soak in a warm bath at the end of the day.
Learn the power of breathing.
Recognise the power of autosuggestion.
Maintain a diary.
Stress is merely a response which you create.
Read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Become a committed audio-tape listener.
Fast one day every two weeks.
Listen to soft, soothing music throughout the day.
Read As a Man Thinketh by James Allen.
Remember that forgiveness is a virtue few develop.
Empty your Cup.
Practice The Two Minute Mind meditation.
Drink a cup of warm water before making a speech.
Stand firm and steadfast.
Act Tough, and you will be Tough.
Ask now what the world can do for you, but what can you do for the world.
Once a week, arise at dawn.
Remain slightly aloof.
Master the art of Public Speaking.
Seek out motivational speakers and listen to them.
Read Discovering Happiness by Denis Wholey.
Read a passage in a book, then try to recite it verbatim
Enter a 5km run then a 10km race.
Burn Orange and Clove essential oils in your burner.
Walk for half an hour after your evening meal.
Start lifting weights.
Never argue with the person you work for.
Dark Suits reflect power, wear them.
Send handwritten notes to your relationships, work and family.
Balance and moderation.
Drink Jasmine Tea.
Effective time management makes you more flexible.
Do not take personal development books as gospel.
Become an adventurer.
Spend Time with Nature.
Mens Sana in corpore Sano – In a sound body rests a sound mind.
Be so strong nothing interferes with your peace of mind.
Do not eat three hours before you sleep.
Be careful about your reputation.
Find mentors to learn and model on.
Make a list of all your weaknesses.
Never complain.
Overlook the weaknesses of your friends.
Be kind, considerate and courteous.
Create your image as a highly competent individual.
Do not reveal everything, familiarity breeds contempt is an excellent rule.
Learn to organise your time.
Keep well informed.
Choosing your life partner is the most critical decision you will make.
Never discuss your personal development activities with anyone, they are yours.
Schedule relaxation time in your week.
To truly concentrate, close your eyes.
Be the master of your will but a servant of your conscience.
Develop the habit of a daily swim.
Do good every day.
Do what you planned to do when you intended to do it.
Use the Bruce Lee worry visualisation exercise to dissipate worry.
Compartmentalise your worries.
Be physically relaxed and mentally engaged.
Yoga.
Prepare a detailed 5-year financial plan and follow it.
Readers are Leaders.
Read something positive before you go to bed.
Develop a dynamic, charismatic personality.
Seek out the wise and learn from them.
Gentleness, Frugality, Humility – Lao Tzu.
When you cannot make up your mind – choose the bolder.
Be your spouse’s number one supporter.
Meet with three wise people in the next two weeks, take their counsel.
Make each day a true masterpiece.
Discipline your mind or lose your energy.
You sow an action, you reap a habit.
Positive overcomes the negative.
A contented mind is a continual feast.
Make a new friend or acquaintance every day.
If you conquer your mind, you capture the world.
Stay happy not build possessions.
Contrary to popular belief, stress is not a bad thing.
Take mental vacations during the day.
A change is useful as a rest.
Study the ten fundamental of Happiness.
Strive to be humble and live a simple life.
Read A History of Knowledge by Charles Van Doren.
Read The Art of The Leader by William A. Cohen.
Develop that elusive quality known as charisma.
In work, love and life, play hard and play fair.
Do not talk when you are listening.
Be angry for a purpose, not just angry for anger’s sake.
Knowledge is Power.
All the answers to any questions are in print, Google It.
Get in the habit of breakfast meetings.
Have a swimming pool near your residence, it will not matter how busy you are.
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.
Today is yesterday’s pupil.
If you have a choice of two paths, take the most daring.
Every day, get away from the noise.
Focus on goals that are important.
Memorise beautiful poetry.
Keep your words soft and arguments hard.
This will soon pass.
Go the extra mile.
Become a committed and sincere networker.
When you look for something, you will find it.
Develop a sense of wonder about the world.
Do more than writing happy birthday on Facebook for your beloveds.
Remember to use people’s names when you talk to them.
Go outdoors and look up for half an hour.
Once every few weeks leave your phone and watch at home.
Laugh at work.
Master your life, and you master your destiny.
Recognise the tremendous power of opposition thinking.
Get deep in the habit of personal introspection.
The most effective alarm clock resides in your mind.
They say “Why”. I dream and say “Why Not”.
Practice meditation at the same time each day.
Forge and foster great friendships.
Purchase Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue CD.
Drink ten glasses of water a day.
Be punctual.
If you are busy, do not answer the phone.
Start your day off well.
Confide in your partner.
Push yourself a little harder and further every day.
Optimism.
Write down the seven best qualities of people you admire, tape to your bed.
Have your character be healthy and vigorous.
Consider yourself as an orange.
Give and Serve to Others.
Be an innovator at your workplace.
Learn to Laugh at Yourself.
Keep open the windows of your mind.
Go through one full day without saying I.
Spend one hour a day awake in full silence.
Each day, do two things you do not like doing.
Achieve your Goals for true happiness.
Remember the names of the people you meet, ask them to repeat it.
Indominability. Courtesy, Integrity.
Perform the Mental Innterupt device exercise when a negative thought arises.
Take time to focus on personal growth activities.
Read more, learn more, laugh more, and love more.
Improve five relationships in the next six months.
Remember the power of prayer.
Listen to The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale.
Utilise your phones daily organiser.
Browse second-hand stores for treasures.
Read The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol.
Be known as someone with a cool head.
Every week, spend some hours in service of others.
Fill your home with bright, fresh flowers.
Get to know and enjoy your neighbours.
Recognise the power of mantras.
When the breath is still and steady, so is the mind.
Use the one day to live visualisation.
Study evidence of high character.
Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind.
Chinese herbal medicine.
Organise your time around your real priorities.
Slow down your pace of life.
Eat only fruit and drink milk for a day.
Value your spouse’s laugh and keep their picture close by.
If married, have your partners initials carved on your ring.
What you put in is what you get out. Positive, not negative.
Do a hundred sit-ups a day.
Be the most honest person you know.
Curb your worldly desires, and you will strengthen your will.
If you have not laughed today, you have not lived today.
Read The Charisma Factor by Robert J. Richardson and S, Katharine Thayer.
Travel Often.
Each month set a physical goal for yourself.
Things are created twice, the mental creation and physical creation.
Walk to work and notice the beauty of nature.
Sleep less, spend less, do more. Live longer and be more magnificent.
Read this book over and share it with others.

What would you add to Robin’s list, what are your self-care practices for success and what does society say about success, let’s have a look at what it has to say:

1. Being focused and in action gets it done according to Trudy.

2. Remember to smell the roses along the path: Stop and Smell the Roses.

3. Nothing and Everything, both extremes can be successful.

4. Be successful in the every day and quantum success can be built in it: From Little Things, Big Things Grow.

5. Walk your unique path, you are not meant to wear another’s shoes.

6. Don’t be a usual suspect: I Bet My Life.

7. From the most famous philosopher, Ms Unknown comes this uncommon quote.

8. Don’t be fascinated by it and it will seek you out: Go Your Own Way.

9. Mistakes, make them. Call out for Help.

10. Blogger turned New York Times best-selling author and speaker Mandy Hale is the creator of the social media movement, “The Single Woman.” With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle, Mandy cuts to the heart of the matter with her inspirational, straight-talking, witty, and often wildly humorous take on life and love: Breathe Me.

11. Seek what you love, and you will never work another day in your life.

12. Do you want it enough to do what you need to make it happen: Whenever, Wherever.

13. Turn the mind way down.

14. On and On and On and On: Life Goes On.

15. Are you for hire, how much do you charge?

For some success is dollars, for some the ideal relationship, for others having children, there is not one situation that fulfils success, find yours and seek it out with all you have to give.

Today’s playlist begins with Mac Davis, then the classic Oz duo Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody. Imagine Dragons are next, then we rock it out with Fleetwood Mac. Two pop divas follow, Sia and Shikhara. We finish with the rapper Tupac: Work While They Sleep, Learn While They Party.

I see success for humanity as being via Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. Let’s move towards that until next time we meet, my dear friends.

You Never Realise How Strong You Are!!

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Rod's World

There are ways to embrace growth and ways to stay stuck. When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you. Here are a few things that you can give up:

Give up trying to be perfect.
Give up comparing yourself to others.
Give up dwelling on the past or worrying too much about the future.
Give up Complaining.
Give up holding grudges.
Give up waiting.
Give up lying.
Give up trying to avoid mistakes.
Give up saying, “I can’t”.
Give up trying to be everything to everyone.
Give up thinking you’re not ready.
Give up setting small goals for yourself.
Give up trying to do everything by yourself.
Give up buying things you don’t need.
Give up blaming others for your troubles.
Give up making mountains out of molehills.
Give up trying to live out of the expectations of others.
Give up the ‘Easy Street’ mentality.
Give up making promises you can’t keep.
Give up letting your thoughts and feelings bottle up inside.
Give up beating around the bush.
Give up avoiding change.
Give up your sense of entitlement.
Give up waiting until the last minute.
Give up being dramatic.
Give up being anti-athletic.
Give up Junk Food.
Give up eating as a means of entertainment.
Give up foolish habits you know are foolish.
Give up relationships with people who bring you down.
Give up being shy.
Give up worrying about what others think about you.
Give up trying to control everything.
Give up doing the same thing over and over again.
Give up following the least path of resistance.
Give up persistent multi-tasking.
Give up thinking others are luckier than you.
Give up filling every waking moment with commitments and activities.
Give up making emotional decisions.
Give up doing the wrong things just because you can get away with it.
Give up focusing on what you don’t want to happen.
Give up taking yourself so seriously.
Give up spending your life working in a career you aren’t passionate about.
Give up thinking about the things you don’t have.
Give up doubting others.
Give up with fussing with every beauty product on the market.
Give up trying to fit in.
Give up trying to be different just for the sake of being different.
Give up trying to avoid risk.
Give up putting your own needs on the back burner.

Quite a list to work on, how much greater would your life look if you just implemented a few of these a month. What has the world said about living a great life over time, here are a few of my favourites:

1. That moment when you release the pressure and you accelerate towards your dreams is truly magic.

2. The challenge of life, never forget you are still here kicking ass: We Shall Overcome.

3. Both are meant to be a daily practice.

4. We are sent here to give the universe our unique gifts: Unique.

5. What a great superpower, seeing the invisible.

6. Each day we choose where we are on the ladder of life: Shine Your Light.

7. What would you walk through your fear for, what would you die for?

8. A worthy daily to-do list: Lose Yourself.

9. It’s up to us, Because We Can, it’s our time.

10. Jillian Barberie Michaels is an American personal trainer, businesswoman, author and television personality from Los Angeles, California. Michaels is best known for her appearances on NBC, particularly The Biggest Loser. She has also made an appearance on the talk show The Doctors. In fall 2015, she hosted and co-judged a series on Spike titled Sweat, INC. In January 2016, her reality television series Just Jillian premiered on E!.: Feel.

11. Greatness needs both the shadow and the light.

12. One foot in front of another: From Little Things, Big Things Grow.

13. Love or Judgement, which one will heal the earth?

14. What it takes to produce a great shot at life: Photograph.

15. Isn’t it amazing that you never know when love comes to town?

And remember, mistakes make us human, failures help us grow, hope keeps us going and love is the reason we are alive. So keep learning, loving and living. Never give up on yourself.

Today’s playlist begins with some Martin Luther King wisdom, then the pop diva Lenka followed by one of rocks icons Robbie Robertson. Eminem is up next, then a Mediterranean pop diva Mahmut Orhan. Aussie legends Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins are the penultimate offerings and we finish with an Ed Sheeran cover by Boyce Avenue: You Never Realise How Strong You Are.

Greatness is showing Love and Respect For All, Everyone Included, a task for you until next time we meet, my dear friends.

It Doesn’t Matter What Others Do!!

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Rod's World

I belong to a group of world travellers called The Warriors of Love. We look at how to live from Essence, your lifeforce on a day to day basis. You incorporate daily actions and to do lists still but they are not the major focus. Wayne Dyer has some interesting words on this way of life:

“When you go beyond outcome in life you find yourself unconcerned about what is in it for you. Thoughts, feelings and behaviour focus more and more on the fulfilment of your purpose. You go beyond success, achievement and performance as indications of your life’s mission. Instead, every moment is lived fully and lovingly. Material possessions cease to dominate your thoughts, which is not to say that they disappear. They simply cease to be the focus of life. Instead, your purpose takes hold, and you gain a sense of joy and inner harmony knowing that you are divinely fulfilling your reason for being here. As Michel de Montaigne put it so succinctly: “The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with purpose.”

SEVEN BELIEFS FOR MANIFESTING REAL MAGIC: Wayne LOVES lists. Here’s one on the “Seven Beliefs for Manifesting Real Magic”:

1. “There is an invisible but knowable life force within you.

2. Your thoughts are something that you control and they originate within you.

3. There are no limits. (Might want to re-read that and take it literally. 🙂

4. Your life has a purpose.

5. You overcome weaknesses by leaving them behind.

6. When you examine what you believe to be impossible, you can then change your beliefs.

7. You can go beyond logic.”

What have people said about this lifestyle over the centuries, here are a few of . my favourites:

1. This says to me that you cannot pour things into a beaker and come up with your unique lifeforce essence, it is not work for the perfume industry.

2. Gives you a wide panorama to work with during your well-lived life: Live Your Life.

3. From India, Agnivesh calls on us to live life as a celebration.

4. Martí is considered one of the great turn-of-the-century Latin American intellectuals. His written works include a series of poems, essays, letters, lectures, novel, and a children’s magazine. He wrote for numerous Latin American and American newspapers; he also founded a number of newspapers. His newspaper Patria was an important instrument in his campaign for Cuban independence. After his death, one of his poems from the book, “Versos Sencillos” (Simple Verses) was adapted to the song “Guantanamera”, which has become the definitive patriotic song of Cuba: Guantanamera.

5. To the perfectionists out there, if you have never made a mistake, it is said you have never lived.

6. Who knew Julius Caesar was an entrepreneur way back before the technological revolution: It’s My Life.

7. Love, Love, Love – All the way, from the beginning to the end, baby to an elder.

8. Rumi talks about the essence of opening your heart better than anybody else I know: Open Your Heart.

9. When we are clinging on for our very existence, Love is there with us waiting to be seen and heard.

10. I know there were years in my shadow life that I did not do this very successfully: The Air That I Breathe.

11. Romances rarely turn out like Mills and Boon novelettes.

12. De vita sua vivet tuum: non-morieris enim tu tuum mortem: High Hopes.

13. How many days? time to give that lie up!!

14. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy had that curiosity: When the Soviets beat America into space he understood the need to restore America’s confidence and intended not merely to match the Soviets, but surpass them. On May 25, 1961, he stood before Congress to deliver a special message on “urgent national needs.” He asked for an additional $7 billion to $9 billion over the next five years for the space program, proclaiming that “this nation should commit itself to achieve the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” President Kennedy settled upon this dramatic goal as a means of focusing and mobilizing the nation’s lagging space efforts.

Sceptics questioned the ability of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to meet the president’s timetable. Within a year, however, Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom became the first two Americans to travel into space and in 1969 man walked on the moon: Walking on the Moon.

15. And your Essence buddies will always find a way to be there for you.

What could make up your essence? All of the things that you have become convinced are limits are products of the way in which you have learned to think… Before the invention of the microscope, most people did not believe in the existence of microscopic life. People who believe only what they can see or prove scientifically are limited by the current level of sophistication of our measuring devices.”

Lots of the ’80s and the 90’s tunes in today’s playlist. We begin with T.I. and Rhianna followed by Wyclef Jean and the Refugee All-stars. Moving back into the last century we begin with Bon Jovi, then one of the bop girls in Madonna. Simply Red cover a 60’s classic then two P groups to finish off, Panic In The Disco and the Police: It Doesn’t Matter What Other People Do.

“Rejoice in the prosperity of others. When you feel contemptuous, or even a twinge of jealousy, toward the accomplishments or lifestyles of others, you are harbouring negativity, where love must reside… You cannot attract prosperity to yourself if you are filled with rancour, judgment, anger, jealousy, hatred, fear, tension or the like. This kind of negative inner mindset keeps you from being on purpose. You cannot be fulfilled and envious at the same time.” So remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included to each other until we meet again, my dear friends.

Ambrose was having a bad Day!!

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Rod's World

Do you have bad days? a study was done amongst elite athletes and they reported to having between 3 to 6 bad days per month. They understand that having a bad day is simply part of the process. The ability to accept these fluctuations in performance allows athletes to remain fully engaged in their training and keep their goals high.

my friend Brian Johnson from Optimize asks you to consider this: What if you suffer from a case of mistaken identity on those days? Who you think you are is not actually who you are. What you think you are here to do is not actually what you are here to do. What you think you are capable of is actually only a hint of your true ability.

Consider for a moment that you are totally wrong about yourself—and wrong about this infinite universe in which you live. What if that’s true? What if most of us live our entire lives and never know who we actually are, why we are here, and what we are supposed to do while visiting this planet? What if we have amnesia and we forgot who we really are right before we left our mother’s body and entered the world? I think this is exactly our state.

Who we think we are is not who we are. We are much, much more than our perceived selves. The Buddhists have a saying: ‘Don’t mistake the finger pointing to the moon for the moon itself.’ We think our ego—our persona—is who we really are. But this is only to the same extent that your clothes, your hairstyle, and your personality are who you are. In order to reach your full potential—your greatness—you must first admit that you are wrong about yourself.”

This line sums it up pretty well: “Who we think we are is not who we are. We are much, much more than our perceived selves.” And, know this: “In the battle of mind versus body, mind always wins!” Therefore, we’d be wise to step back and realize that we’re a LOT more than just the little version of ourselves that are pointing at the moon.
Campbell’s wisdom comes to mind: “What am I? Am I the bulb that carries the light, or am I the light of which the bulb is a vehicle?”

So does Walter Russell’s wisdom: “Early in life I found that to achieve greatness one had to go only one inch beyond mediocrity, but that one inch is so hard to go that only those who become aware of God in them can make the grade, for no one can achieve that one inch alone.”

Then there’s Eric Butterworth: “You may say, ‘But I am only human.’ This is the understatement of your life. You are not only human—you are also divine in potential. The fulfilment of all your goals and aspirations in life depends upon stirring up and releasing more of that divine potential. And there is really nothing difficult about letting this inner light shine. All we must do is correct the tendency to turn off our light when we face darkness.”

All of which brings us back to you. Do you suffer from a case of mistaken identity? 🙂

How would you live if you REALLY got the infinite power within yourself?

Is NOW a good time to start being that version of you?

P.S. Recall the etymology of the word identity that we discussed in our Notes on Atomic Habits. It means “repeated beingness.” So… Go be that best version of you. Repeatedly!)

So, I’m sure that people have had bad days since the beginning of history, let’s have a look at what they have said about it:

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1. Elite athletes and entertainers have 3 to 6 bad days a month. yet they go out and perform on the biggest stages on the planet, you can do it on your version.

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2. I saw this and had to include it as the cute animal shot of the day: The Christmas Hippo Song.

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3. Daily practice 101, When you wake up, place your hand on your heart.

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4. Probably the major thing that brought the tattoo removal business into prominence: Shout out to my Ex.

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5. Nina Arianda Matijcio is an American actress. She won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Vanda Jordan in Venus in Fur and was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for portraying Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday. In 2016, she began starring in Amazon Studios’ legal series Goliath. In 2018, she appeared in the biographical film, Stan & Ollie.

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6. Was it really a bad day, or just a growth day: Learning to Fly.

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7. A solution not possible for everyone, sometimes connection can lift the funk just as well.

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8. Or you could just sleep most of the day, I’ve tried this: The Little Power Nap.

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9. Simply put, we need the Shadow and the Light.

10. Or naked: The Audience is Naked?

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11. I had a few of these bad days.

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12. Life goes on, choose to have more good days than bad: A Little Bit Stronger.

13. Perhaps this was part of his Conversations with God.

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14. Your dream is still calling you: Hello.

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15. The lesson for today, if you live in the first world, there are billions worse off than you.

Do YOU think that you’ll magically get to a place where you no longer have bad days? Where you no longer fail? If so, GET RID OF THAT notion. It’s your biggest obstacle to crushing it. We need to KNOW that we’ll NEVER be exonerated. In fact, as we evolve and our standards get higher and higher and we take bigger and bigger risks, we WANT to experience more “failure.”

For today’s playlist Hippo songs were not easy to find, but Gayla Peevey’s before and after song is a beauty. Then some pop from Little Mix followed by the Rock of Tom Petty. Nap music follows with some advice by Tina Blake of getting the audience naked after it. Two fine songstresses in Sara Evans and Adele finish the set: Ambrose was Having a Bad Day.

So one every day you may someone having a bad day, so show Love and Respect to All, Everybody Included until we meet again, my dear friends:

Self Care 9

A Rock Musicians Career is Shortlived!!

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Rod's World

There are a lot of lists out there that are based on what to stop doing to yourself to lead a better life, but not so many lists that advise you what to start doing. So here is one of my top ten’s go at it. From Marc Chernoff comes these 30 suggestions:

Start spending time with the right people.
Start facing your problems head-on.
Start being honest with yourself about everything.
Start making your own happiness a priority.
Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly.
Start noticing and living in the present.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.
Start being more polite to yourself.
Start enjoying the things you already have.
Start creating your own happiness.
Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance.
Start believing that you’re ready for the next step.
Start entering new relationships for the right reasons.
Start giving new people you meet a chance.
Start competing against an earlier version of yourself.
Start cheering for other people’s victories.
Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations.
Start forgiving yourself and others.
Start helping those around you.
Start listening to your own inner voice.
Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks.
Start noticing the beauty of small moments.
Start accepting things when they are less than perfect.
Start working toward your goals every day.
Start being more open about how you feel.
Start taking full accountability for your own life.
Start actively nurturing your most important relationships.
Start concentrating on the things you can control.
Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes.
Start noticing how wealthy you are right now.

So what has the world said about doing things that empower you, here is my selection of several thousand options:

1. Perfection, the booby prize that holds people back from beginning so many adventures and creative outlets.

2. Blogger turned New York Times best-selling author and speaker Mandy Hale is the creator of the social media movement, “The Single Woman.” With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle, Mandy cuts to the heart of the matter with her inspirational, straight-talking, witty, and often wildly humorous take on life and love. Mandy’s message reaches literally millions of women across the world every day through her blog, books, and social media platforms: Happy.

3. Wishing that the world be a better place does not make the world a better place, action does.

4. Mini list: Express Yourself.

5. Self Love 101.

6. Is the second line the new name for Social media: Medicine.

7. Join a pride march today.

8. All the things that make you happy, not the other stuff should be your focus: Yeh Hum Aa Gaye Hain Kahaan.

9. Thrilling and voluptuous, Yes Please!!

10. They all build on each other: Dressed for Success.

11. What do you do for yourself to build your positive to do list?

12. Doing these things is what has your ideas and dreams happen: Lose Yourself.

13. And from the world’s greatest investor – humour, or is it?

14. You have to be part of your A team, or it just won’t work: The A team.

15. I love Alex’s ethos – Self Care: Everything!!

Remember today, for it is the beginning. Today marks the start of a brave new future.

A scene from Bollywood features in today’s tracks, hard to believe how little we know about the world’s largest film industry. We begin with Pharrell, follow with retro Madonna, then someone new to me but not 1.7 million viewers, Queen Naija. Off to Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta, then Roxette and Eminem and we finish with Ed Sheeran quite an eclectic mix: A Rock Musicians Career is Short-lived!!

So as always I will recommend the practice of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included till we meet again my dear friends:

Nurture Your Mind with Great Thoughts.

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Rod's World

I was pondering the time that has gone by in my life, I’m 64 and the time that means I have left. Obviously the former is greater than the latter unless I discover the cure for reincarnation and even that would mean I might be an ant or an eagle and not Rocking Rod.

So what can one say or remember so that my later years are not spent in a sense of sedentary retirement? I recently enjoyed a list called Timeless Lessons Life teaches, here they are:

Take everything you’ve ever learned – all the crazy experiences and lessons – and place it all in a box labelled “Thank You”.
In life, you usually get what you ask for, but it rarely comes in the package you think it’s supposed to come in.
The past can’t hurt you anymore – unless you let it.
Maturity is not when we start speaking about big things, it’s when we start understanding the small things.
Life is like a rainbow, you need both the sun and the rain to make its colours appear.
Never let one bad day make you feel like you had a bad life.
When you find yourself cocooned in isolation and despair and cannot find your way out of the darkness, remember that this is similar to the place where caterpillars go to grow their wings.
Live in such a way that if someone decided to speak badly of you, no one would believe it.
The only time you should look back is to see how far you’ve come.
It’s your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do.
The mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work unless it’s open.
Things change, but the sun always rises the next day. The bad news: nothing is permanent. The good news: nothing is permanent.

It also made me think of that famous line, Play it again Sam, Play as Time Goes By. What do members of society ruminate on as they get older, here are some of my favourites:

1. I love the saying, It’s not the peak experience that affects your life the most, its what you go and do after them on a day to day basis that makes the difference.

2. Makes me think of the saying time stood still as our eyes met across the room, did it really?: My Heart Will Go On.

3. Love to give the words of Love, you never know how long you have got with each particular person.

4. This quote is the right colour and theme for this song: As Time Goes By.

5. Nike!!

6. With age, comes logic, or so they say: Under Pressure.

7. Henry Austin Dobson (18 January 1840 – 2 September 1921) was an English poet and essayist. In 2005 the Industrial/Nu-metal band, Industrial Frost, used the words of a Dobson poem called “Before Sedan” as the lyrics of a song of the same name.

8. Different ways to think about time: Only Time.

9. Boom!!!

10. Not even our remains, they change as time goes by: Some People Change.

11. Exit, Door Right.

12. Yes, both types – The Shadow and the Light: This is Me.

13. And it was, amazing!!

14. If we get it right, we spend our time as both the teacher and the student: Paradise.

15. And for the final lesson, three salient points.

So here’s to the sun and the rain that makes up our lives day to day as time goes by, enjoy the ride.

Today’s playlist contains a few tunes from the movies – we begin with Celine Dion, the classic time song by Sam, Queen and Enya from the British scene then from the States, Montgomery Gentry, The Greatest Showman Cast and finishing with George Ezra: Nurture your mind with Great Thought.

It took me 59 years to come up with my life ethos and purpose of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. I would recommend finding it a little earlier. Until we speak again my dear friends.

Don’t Tell Your Problems to Everyone!!

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Rod's World

Today we look at things you would love to tell yourself if you could travel back in Time to give your younger self some advice about life.

I came across this great list by Marc Chernoff using my write about what’s on the page I open the book too. There are quite a few sage statements, here they are:

Spend more time with those who make you smile and less time with those who you feel pressured to Impress.
Your health is your life. Keep up with it. Get an annual physical check-up.
Laugh at stupid jokes. Apologise. Tell someone how much they mean to you. It’s the small moments that make life good.
Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless. Period. Don’t be dishonest and don’t put up with people who are.
Life is much more enjoyable when you stop trying to be cool and simply focus on being yourself.
Forgiving yourself is far more important (and difficult) than getting others to forgive you.
Complaining is like slapping yourself for slapping yourself. It doesn’t solve the problem, It just hurts you more.
There are few joys in life that equal a good conversation, A good read, A good walk, A good hug, A good smile, A good friend.
Learn to adjust the sails of your life to unpredictable winds, while keeping your focus clearly on your destination and keep sailing until you get there.
Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Laugh at yourself often. Find the humour, In whatever situation you are in.
Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom.
Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.
If you want something in your life you’ve never had. You’ll have to do something you’ve never done before.
You’re not alone. Everyone has problems. Some people are just better at hiding them than others.

So what has the world said about life’s lessons, here are a few of my favourites:

1. How did you cope with the focus when you finished the former and left the latter. Some say the first gives you no training to handle the latter.

2. Relating to your mistakes as what lesson am I meant to learn from this ILO what went wrong is the most powerful way to get the lesson provided: Not Afraid.

3. For me, it was the times I had to enter psychiatric clinics, five times, each time you lose total control of your life.

4. It just seems so natural when you meet both of these things like you have known them your whole life: True Friend.

5. From the world’s greatest philosopher, Ms Unknown comes this famous camera analogy.

6. The cat in the hat is such a wise creature: Hop on Pop.

7. The Shadow and the Light, we need both to be a fulfilled human being.

8. I like the last line, learn from your mistakes, but never regret: No Regrets.

9. Part of Self Love 101.

10. It’s time to leave when the last line starts happening: Don’t Hurt Me.

11. Love the go through to voicemail line.

12. WTF is a positive deviant?: My Passion.

13. Can’t have it be boring, can we?

14. On life’s journey, remember that word: Succession: Brave.

15. And for the final lesson, the picture says it all.

Some of us run in the middle of the night. Some of us strum acoustic guitars and smoke joints. And others go to church. Or sip expensive wine. Or surf dangerous waves. or jump out of perfectly good aeroplanes. When we try to understand other people by personally relating to the things that they do, we usually can’t make any sense of it. Because it’s easier to see weirdness in a sea of normality than it is to decode the logical methods behind one’s madness. But when we look just a little deeper, by making a noble effort to understand people by truly listening to why they do the things that they do, they never seem quite as weird. Actually, they and you begin to seem, perfectly normal.

Today’s playlist is for the kids with two animations. We begin with Eminem then transform Miley Cyrus into Hannah Montana. Dr Seuss leads off our animations, then back to the sixties for The Walker Brothers. Then DJ Mustard, followed by Akcent, and we finish off with Sara Bareilles: Don’t Tell Your Problems to Everyone.

I have one important life lesson to add to your lists: Show Love and Respect to All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends:

Warning, You think about 60,000 Thoughts a Day!!

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Rod's World

Have you heard of Dr Martin Seligman? He created the PERMA model of well-being. It is an acronym that stands for Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment. You are more likely to have heard of Dr Seligman than Michelle Mcquaid and Dr Peggy Kern, who recently wrote an excellent book, “Your Wellbeing Blueprint, Feeling Good and Doing Well at Work: Pick It Up Here.

Michelle and Peggy add another letter to the formulae, the letter H, it stands for Health

Your Wellbeing Blueprint distils three decades of research findings from the field of Positive Psychology and reveals practical ways to build your wellbeing through your everyday activities so you can feel good and do well at work. Just like a personal trainer can help you improve your physical fitness, this book will show you how to:

Measure your wellbeing using Professor Martin Seligman’s PERMA framework. Set realistic wellbeing goals that build quick wins to improve your levels of energy, resilience, productivity, health, and happiness. Create a personal wellbeing plan with busy-proof practices that you enjoy doing and make it easier to consistently thrive at work.

With more than 100 positive interventions to choose from, this book gives you everything you need to become an informed, confident, and active steward of your own wellbeing so you can wholeheartedly show up and be fully engaged in life — whatever it throws at you.

Following my formulae to write about what is on the page I first open the book too, on page 36 I discovered the Cultivating Positivity toolkit – Strategies for promoting heartfelt positivity. In the toolkit, there are 7 distinctions:

Dialling up Positivity: Jolts of Joy, Hunt and Gather, Connect with Nature, Measure your Positivity.
Dialling down Negativity: Create Healthy Distractions, Disrupt negative Thoughts, Navigate Negativity Landmines, Limit Media Time.
Practising Kindness: Track your Kindness, Have a Kindness Day, Try Loving Kindness Meditation, Random Acts of Kindness
Cultivating Gratitude: Count Your Blessings, Write a Gratitude letter, Carry a Gratitude Scrap, Thank one Person.
Savouring The Good: Immerse Yourself, Re-Live Peak Moments, Savour your Stories, What went Well.
Getting Comfortably Uncomfortable: Name your Emotions, Slow down your Responses, Control the controllables, Get In Your Body.
Short-Circuiting Stress: Decode Stress Messages, Turn Adversity into a Resource, Set Stretch Goals, Re-frame Stress Moments.

Each of these statements will mean something different to each and every person on the planet, but what has society said about cultivating positivity over the decades, let’s have a look:

1. What the, Yes, a simple four letter word.

2. What was your song when you first fell in Love: The Power of Love.

3. What field of play would you be seen on?

4. Behind every cloud, is your own sunshine: Ain’t no Sunshine.

5. And I couldn’t write on this subject without some Oprah.

6. You’re under my skin, it may be a good or a bad thing: I’ve Got You Under My Skin.

8. We are starseed underneath it all: Starman.

9. Is it working on the inside, or are you one of the greatest showmen/women?

10. When Uchtdorf was about eleven, his father’s political beliefs, incongruent with Soviet rule, earned him the label of “dissenter”, thus putting their lives in danger. They fled East Germany and resettled in U.S.-occupied West Germany. His sisters accomplished this by jumping from a moving train that happened to pass through West Germany, while Dieter and his mother climbed a mountain to avoid Russian guard checkpoints: Imagine.

11. We Rise makes me instantly think of Maya Angelou, put Maya and I rise in Youtube, and you will be blessed.

12. Change is one of those things in life that is guaranteed, just like death and taxes: Changes.

13. And that is why the Lords of War will never win against the good that is the basis of the human race.

14. Playtime!: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

15. As I like to do with the final quote, a request to support the planet’s wellbeing.

Michelle and Peggy write the following under the question “How can I develop more Heartfelt Positivity?”

You can’t create genuine heartfelt positive emotion by just trying to think happy thoughts. Willpower and mental effort alone are not enough to make a difference. Instead, studies suggest that the most reliable and effective way to alter your emotional state is to try and better select or modify your circumstances. For example, if you enjoy having dinner parties with friends, this can be a great way to set the stage for more heartfelt positivity. But, hosting a dinner party can be a lot of work, so as the experience unfolds you . may need to modify the situation in small ways. For instance, you can spend more time interacting with your guests rather than being in the kitchen – see how that impacts what you’re feeling. It’s also important to be realistic about your expectations of positivity. Positive emotions are fleeting. They’re going to arise and they’re going to dissipate, and we need to accept that, rather than try to cling to them.

One of the songs on today’s playlist has had 793,000,000 plays, guess which one. A lot of the royalty of the music scene today: Firstly Jennifer Rush, then Bill Withers. Three dead set legends follow, one of them twice – Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, John Lennon and David again. We finish with Cyndi Lauper who had had 793.000.000 hits: Warning, You Think about 60,000 Thoughts a Day.

If this blog piques your interest, I recommend purchasing it, it has over 100 ways to improve your wellbeing. I have another, treat everyone you meet with Love and Respect, Everyone Included as you go through your day until we meet again, my dear friends.

A few of my Favourite Things!!

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Rod's World

It seems I have reached the limit of Facebook pages I can like, it’s 5,000, the same as Facebook friends you can have, But I have built a collection of my top 10 or 20 over the journey that I offer to the Booker Looker universe because I believe their posts make a difference. Some of them I have no idea how we connected and others were recommendations from friends. So I thought I would list them for you so that you have the opportunity to gain the knowledge they share across the airwaves:

Nicky Hamid: Spiritual dude from New Zealand. His words are full of the most love for the planet and its occupants I have found: Link to Nicky.
Luminita Savic, AKA Purpose Fairy: Her blog on 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy went viral and she now appears on stages all around the world giving her worldly advice, one of the great list makers on the net: Link to Luminita.
Marc and Angel Hack Life – Practical Tips for Productive Living: After losing two very close people at an early age, Marc and Angel Chernoff began to write about the experience in a blog which has turned into their latest book becoming a New York Times bestseller, to me the most useful meme and list makers on the net.: Hack Life.
Brian Johnston at Optimize: made millions in the IT industry then went to Bali to read every book worth reading. Does a six-page PDF and 20 minute audio on the big ideas from each book, For those who are time poor but love new knowledge for $10 a month you get 5 new books, best ten bucks I spend: The Books.
Katherine Woodward Thomas: Katherine writes a daily mini blog on relationships and life. They are incredibly insightful, they are called Love out Loud Daily: Katherine’s link.
Dane Tomas: Creator of a revolutionary clearing method called the Spiral, Dane is my go-to man on all things in regards to sexuality, you may find some of his stuff abrasive but its worth the journey: Dane Live.
Amrit Sandhu: This is actually a blog called Inspired Revolution. You will not meet a man more enthusiastic about life than my friend Amrit. He interviews inspiring people who give you a lift everytime you listen. Here’s Amrit.
Mastin Kipp: My version of Tony Robbins. I first came across Mastin when he had a blog called The Daily Love which used to have the best quotes and guests. He had 700,000 followers but shut it down when he realised that coaching was his true destiny: Live Your Purpose.
Elephant Journal: Numerous pages on Health, humour sustainability. It costs $108 for life but is worth the investment: Elephants Pages.
Ari Amala: Another friend, her poetry is so beautiful and touches my heart every time. I told her she reminds me of Maya Angelou when she reads it: Access Ari and her words of Beauty.
Dannielle LaPorte: I use her daily planner and have for five years. Uber insightful Canadian, lots of free stuff including at the moment her Flagship Book, The Desire Map: My Favourite Canadian
Madysn Taylor: DailyOm, always a great read on a wide variety of subjects: Here’s Madyson.

So that covered Facebook and the net, but what does society say about a few of our favourite things, let’s have a look:

1. What more love can you offer in a gift than actually creating it yourself.

2, My friends who have been there said the uniqueness of its people is one of the reasons New York is their favourite place: New York, New York.

3, Money you can get back, time is gone forever, us it wisely.

4. Don’t know who Terry Gross is, but with 29,000 songs on my Itunes and Spotify, I plead guilty to this: My Favourite Things.

5. And then there is all of life.

6. The good bits and the so-called bad bits, put down the umbrella’s my friends: Satisfy My Soul.

7. All dancing and singing ones do it for me.

8. Reading Oliver’s name I instantly think of his book with the quirky title The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Toccata and Fugue.

9. Shared.

10. Who knows what may be generated by having a cup of coffee at your favourite cafe: From Little Things, Big Things Grow.

11. Who’s your favourite voice.

12. I love it, Life as a happy accident: Happy Accidents.

13. At 17, Coelho’s introversion and opposition to following a traditional path led to his parents committing him to a mental institution from which he escaped three times before being released at the age of 20. His life story reads like the title of his most popular book, The Alchemist.

14. Education goes both ways, the student and the teacher are changed by each interaction: Teach Your Children Well.

15. And finally, a recipe to start a few of your Favourite Things with.

In her excellent book, Love Out Loud: Contact Nicole., Nicole Gibson recalls a quote from a friend “Stand In Love, Don’t Fall In Love”, I think this sums up the power of a Few of our Favourite Things very well.

On the playlist, we return to a few previous centuries to fill in the mix today. Frank Sinatra, John Coltrane, Bob Marley and Bach lead off. Then a classic from a great OZ band, The Waifs. We finish with two artists new to me, Saint Motel and the duo Suzzy Bogguss & Kathy Mattea: A Few of My Favourite Things.

My Favourite thing is Interculturalism: So remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time we meet my dear friends.

Don’t Cut the Person to Fit the Cloth

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Rod's World

I was in my local library returning my slightly overdue items when I saw it: The Book titled f**k it – DO WHAT YOU LOVE: Get it here, free shipping.

In this highly entertaining and motivational book, John sets out to prove that when we do what we love, we’re actually more likely to be happier, healthier, wealthier, and more successful. He addresses the significant blocks that people experience when they consider doing what they love, including: “Doing what you love is for time off, not work”, “Doing what I love would be selfish”, “I just don’t know what I love” and “I could never make a living from doing what I love”. Through no-nonsense ideas, fascinating facts and motivating calls to action, John brings us from pessimism to inspiration, so that our thoughts become powered by “F**k it, I can’t waste any more of my life”, “F**k it, I will find a way to make this work”, “F**k it, I will do what I love”.

So what is your Yes, But? here are the ones John collected from his research:

Yes, but I’m afraid I’ll fail.
Yes, but I don’t want to give up this lifestyle.
Yes, but what about my responsibilities – my family, etc.
Yes, but I’m scared I’ll embarrass myself.
Yes, but no one can just do what they love – grow up.
Yes, but I have no idea what I love.
Yes, but what about money? My passion is acting.
Yes, but I have to think about everyone else in my life.
Yes, but what if doing what I love makes me sick.
Yes, but what if no one wants the thing I love doing.
Yes, but what if I do it and it doesn’t work out. I’ll have nothing left to dream of.
Yes, but my parents won’t approve.
Yes, but it’s hard to take a commercial or business approach to doing what I love.
Yes, but I’m too old now.
Yes, but I don’t deserve to do what I love.
Yes, but what if I don’t make it work after giving up my safe, permanent job.
Yes, but the idea of what I love changes and morphs all the time – like life.
Yes, but what if I realize I don’t love it after all.
Yes, but the people around me won’t like it.
Yes, but I love lots of things, not just one.
Yes, but I don’t want to do what I love for eight hours a day, because then I won’t love it anymore.
Yes, but it’s selfish to do what you love.
Yes, but I might find out that I’m not good at doing what I love.
Yes, but work is meant to feel difficult; it’s not meant to feel like play.
Yes, but I’d never want to work for myself.

Quite a comprehensive list as to why up to 70% of people answer they do not love their work. Sometimes to Do What You Love, you have to say ‘no’ to lots of things that you’d quite like to do.

So how has society spoken about Yes, But over the years? This is what I found that to be:

1. She’s listening, all the time. Be careful what you say and think.

One of the worlds most noted Science Fiction and Fantasy writers, a 2009 profile in The New York Times Magazine described Vance as “one of American literature’s most distinctive and undervalued voices”. He died at his home in Oakland, California on May 26, 2013, aged 96: Cliff Jumping.

3. Another bride, Another June, Another sunny honeymoon, Another season, another reason, For makin’ Whoopee.

4. The ultimate Yes, But: Scared to Death.

5. Sort it out after, to live you must make mistakes.

6. When But can be a great thing: Discovery Channel Song.

7. Beautiful things the But means you do not experience.

8. Imagine if the jazz greats had listened to their Buts: Red Clay.

9. No Buts, Thankyou.

10. Two Words, Barack Obama: Yes We Can.

11. Time for some Fun.

12. Named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Top 10 Twitter Accounts Every Entrepreneur Should Be Following, Ali is an expert at taking away the buts: Vision of Love.

13. Great trumps good every time.

14. Is Maybe So the same as but?: Call Me Maybe.

15, What’s your answer to this final quote?

John says that real prioritizing needs to be laced with frequent ‘F**K Its’, so here we go: F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It, F**K It etc, etc.

Today’s playlist includes a POTUS. We begin with the alphabetized YT Vines and KZ Tandingan. Then an ad, The Discovery Channel Song, them some of my favourite style of music from Freddy Hubbard. The POTUS follows, then Mariah Carey and Carly Rae Jepsen finish off with some classic pop: Don’t Cut the Person to Fit the Cloth.

Remember on this glorious NYE, to express Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included as you walk into 2019: