Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet. We’re Hunting Vampires!!!

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Rod's World

Is the above statement impossible? What amazingly achievable things did you do today that will they make the difference you wish to on the planet. This is a quite common thought process I have when I am not sure and there does not appear to be much evidence they are. Another list from my friends Marc and Angel Chernoff that points out some simple things we can do:

1. Smile – Smiling actually makes you happier.

2. Treat everyone with kindness and respect – even those who are rude to you, because you do.

3. Perform one selfless act – In life, you get what you put in.

4. Avoid needless drama and those who create it – life is too short to spend time with people who suck the joy out of you.

5. Think of the positives – Stop being afraid of what could go wrong.

6. Inject a little love into the world around you – Love what you are doing, Love where you are, Love the people you are with.

7. Take decisive and immediate action on something that needs to get done – You can’t change anything or make any real-world progress without action

8. Follow your intuition when making decisions – Only time will tell, but our human instincts are rarely wrong.

9. Spend time on something you believe in – Follow your heart today.

10. Meet someone new – You’ll be surprised at the lessons they teach you.

11. Exercise and Eat Healthy – Those who exercise have a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.

12. Be a student of life – If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready when great opportunities arise.

So how has society commented on what is and how do we achieve over time, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Not everyone will agree with you.

2. Imagine the resolve it would have taken to be an African American tennis player who won Wimbledon in the 1970s: Anything You Can Do.

3. The Japanese understand vision and action.

4. Add an arrow to your quiver every day: My Heart Scares You and a Gun Doesn’t.

5. Being versus doing your goals, different animals.

6. What if they say no: Permission.

7. And you can fall off the end of the earth.

8. Another way of saying it is to Find your Why: Respect.

9. Lautner was born on February 11, 1992, in Grand Rapids, Michigan,^[3] the son of Deborah and Daniel Lautner. His mother works for a software development company, while his father was a Midwest Airlines pilot. He has one younger sister named Makena. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Lautner has Austrian, Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, and Swiss ancestry, and has stated that he has “distant” Native American ancestry (specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi) through his mother. He grew up in Hudsonville, Michigan, a town near Grand Rapids. He has stated that he was bullied in school because he was an actor. He commented, “I just had to tell myself ‘I can’t let this get to me. This is what I love to do. And I’m going to continue doing it.’

10. People miss the point of this song. It’s not arguing that you should sit around, wish for things, and not take any action. It’s arguing that you should never give up hope: When You Wish Upon A Star.

11. Every action must simply become that, an action that takes you forward or backward from where you are before you took it.

12. If you build the door, it will open for you: Hound Dog and Dialogue.

13. Dan wrote a book called How Many People Does It take to Make a Difference, what do you think the answer is?

14. What are your courageous dreams?: Empire State of Mind.

15. And for our final lesson, we visit another musical score.

Marc and Angel say the following question is the one they get asked the most, ” What can I start doing today to make my life happier and more rewarding?” Take on some of the above actions and I am sure that this will occur in your life.

The playlist today contains two show tunes and a track from over 60 years ago by a legend. We begin with Annie Get Your Gun then two newbies to me via Harley x Joker and Ro James. Aretha Franklin belts it out live next. Jiminy Cricket croons the next show tune. Elvis is our 60-year-old contribution and we finish with Alicia Keys: Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet. We’re Hunting Vampires!!!

We all have different things we want to achieve in our lives, one of my main ones is to have Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included be the world paradigm. I will need a few of the above actions on a daily basis, methinks. until we meet again, my dear friends.

People are Prettiest When They Talk About Something They Really Love!!!

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Rod's World

Do you do what you love to fulfil your basics in life? We can look at some of the answers given on Quora as to why this occurred for many people. It goes back to a lack of support in our developing years. I particularly like this answer:

“For me – when I was young I always wanted to go into the Law (I blame the reruns of Perry Mason on after school). When I was 17 I started at a new high school, the careers counsellor didn’t know me from Adam and when she asked what I wanted to do at Uni, I said Law – she asked if was getting straight A’s, I wasn’t. Her response? Forget about Law then, it’s a pipe dream. I still insisted that for my work experience I’d like to try something Law related. This request was ignored and I was assigned to stamp books in a Uni library for a week whilst other students she knew got to hang out in law firms for that week,

As a teenager with particularly low self-esteem, this advice to ‘forget it’ from an authority figure was unfortunately taken quite seriously and so I did forget about Law.

Obviously, in hindsight it was exceedingly poor advice, there was a multitude of other options open to me without straight A’s. I can’t place all blame with the careers counsellor, I could have figured it out on my own, but I wonder how things may have worked out differently had she been a bit more helpful with someone she was meeting for the first time.

Here are Ten Simple Truths from Marc Chernoff that are sometimes forgotten that would help us make progress towards doing what we love.

Education and Intelligence accomplish nothing without action.
Happiness and Success are two different things.
Everyone runs their own business.
Having too many choices interferes with decision making.
All people possess dimensions of success and dimensions of failure.
Every mistake you make is progress.
People can be great at doing things they don’t like to do.
The problems we have with others are typically more about us.
Emotional decisions are rarely good decisions.
You will never feel 100% ready when an opportunity arises.

So, what does the world say about truths in life, Here are a few of my favourites:

1. A paradox it may seem, but will get a lot done in life.

2. Sojourner Truth, born Isabella [Belle] Baumfree; was an African-American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. In 2014, Truth was included in Smithsonian magazine’s list of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time.”: Standing In The LoveLight.

3. Our Shadows walk alongside our light.

4. What would Cinderella say about this?: Who Is She?

5. Not everything we read or hear is true, use your discretion to find out which is true or untrue.

6. Boom!!!: Live Your Life.

7. Unfortunately, we have been electing these people as our political leaders in far too many countries lately.

8. They are your keepers.: Faithful.

9. What is your favourite carnival ride, probably says a lot about your relationship to life.

10. One foot in front of another gets the job done: From Little Things, Big Things Grow.

11. K.I.S.S.

12. Sonnenberg’s blog — FrankSonnenbergOnline — has attracted millions of readers on the Internet. It was named among the “Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs”; among the “Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blogs”; and one of the “Best Inspirational Blogs On the Planet.” Frank’s newest book, Soul Food: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, was released November 2018: Honesty.

13. Choice the first path, you will feel a lot more relaxed in your life.

14. I rate George one of the worlds great philosophers, highly underrated: Truth.

15. And for our final lesson, we go to Alan Watts for a universal truth.

Just remember those significant moments of opportunity for personal growth and development will come and go throughout your lifetime. If you are looking to make positive changes in your life you will need to embrace these moments of opportunity even though you will never feel 100% ready for them.

The playlist begins with my favourite song from my friend Jo Jo Smith. Over to the Cinderella soundtrack next then back to the present with T.I. and Rhianna. New to me is Sarah Reeves. The Waifs do a Kev Carmody cover next. The penultimate song is by Billy Joel and we finish with some spoken word from George Carlin: People are Prettiest When They Talk About Something They Really Love!!!

What do you really love? For me it is spreading Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included across the planet. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk!!!

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Rod's World

It’s the festive season and the end of the year, and notably the end of the decade. My social media newsfeed features many posts talking about living in the now and not regretting your past life. I acknowledge over the past ten years I have been in many different places. It began in psych units for the first four years then a miracle cure via the love my siblings showed me stating That they did not care how much I hurt them and myself, they would still love me unconditionally. Enter the Conscious Community of Melbourne via the Rainbow Bridge 13:13:13 retreat in Gunnedah in the shire in December 2013 and my miraculous recovery journey began.

Over those six years, I have had many regrets but this piece of prose from my friend Marc Chernoff sums it up pretty well:

“When the deepest part of you becomes engaged in what you are doing, when your activities and actions become gratifying and purposeful, when what you do serves both yourself and others, when you do not tire within because you are pursuing the sweet satisfaction of your life and your work, you are living your life the way it is meant to be lived.”

Of course, you will have regrets, but it is how long you hold onto them that matters. Marc lists 17 decisions that can affect you in this area:

Not loving what is.
Waiting and waiting and waiting.
Changing who you are because others have changed.
Letting heartache define you.
Running away from problems.
Being ungrateful.
Allowing long-term anger to occupy your heart.
Believing that beauty looks a certain way.
Letting your expectations run rampant.
Disrespecting others.
Disrespecting yourself,
Putting up with unfaithful friends and lovers.
Rushing Love.
Neglecting your most important relationships.
Trying to control every last detail about everything.
Never taking risks.
Giving up on YOU.

So, lets have a look at what we human beings say about the power of regret:

1. Congrats, you made it through. Next small step forward.

2. It may be as simple as turning left instead of right and missing out on bumping into the love of your life: Money Changes Everything.

3. From the world’s greatest philosopher Ms Unknown comes this-worldly insight as to why people have come into your life.

4. But we all have those doozies!!!: Why Did You Do That.

5. Yes, it was!!!

6. Our education begins on the day we are born and we graduate on the day we pass: Falling In Love.

7. I relate this to my drugtaking period.

8. Where does falling in love fit in here: Everything Has Changed Now.

9. Mine is bungy jumping in New Zealand.

10. Regret is like the mud in a pigpen, for wallowing in: Bring Me To Life,

11. A writer of words, a poetic soul, an emotive expressionist, Ranata Suzuki is a poet and quote writer whose eloquent words form with painful clarity the sad yet beautiful world of the broken heart.

12. And yes, there is an official description of the mood: No Regrets.

13. Shadow and Light travel together to give you the complete experience.

14. Time to move on down the road: Moving On Down The Line.

15. And for our final lesson, that big white-haired dude in the sky has his say.

Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want; not because you don’t deserve it, but because you deserve better. No matter how many times you break down, there should always be a little voice inside you that says “NO, you’re not done yet! Get back up!” That’s the voice of passion and courage. Life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel; but you are well equipped for it as long as you tap into your talents and gifts, and allow them to flourish.

Today’s playlist contains some Alan Watts wisdom and several certified legends of the music scene. Cyndi Lauper leads out, Lady Gaga is next from that film. Alan’s wisdom follows, then a beautiful duet from Kate Perry and Ed Sheeran. I sneak some rock in with Evanescence next. The penultimate track is by the Walker Brothers and we complete with Roy Orbison: Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk.

Let’s learn from our regrets and conquer them so that Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included can flourish on the planet. Until we next meet, my dear friends.

Surround Yourself With People Who Know Things You Don’t Know!!!

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Rod's World

I was part of an excellent team on the weekend who helped create an event called Synergy – Kin Rising, over 200 plus people gathering to gift their energies to each other to create a sacred space with excellent workshops, good and music. Synergy’s definition is as follows: the combined power of a group of people when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.

My friends Phoenix and Clare have been producing these extravaganza’s for ten years and they keep getting better and better. Here is Phoenix sharing what Synergy is really about: Phoenix’s prayer for Life.

My friends Marc and Angel Chernoff’s Quotes to help follow your Passion sum up what Synergy is about as well:

When passion and skill work together, the ned result is a masterpiece.
Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.
If you are passionate about it, pursue it, no matter what anybody else thinks. That’s how dreams are achieved.
The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, and gives you a sense of meaning, joy and passion.
No matter how many times you break down, there should always be a little voice inside you that says “NO, you’re not done yet, Get back up.” That’s the voice of passion and courage.
Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.
Find what makes you come alive, whatever it is. Become it and let it become you, and great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.
Continue to work hard at what you love no matter what the odds are. Eventually, someone will praise and appreciate what you do.
If you cannot put your heart into it, take yourself out of it.
It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Sometimes you just have to go for it.

So what do our communities say about the power of the Synergy field, let’s have a look:

1. And in that harmony, there will be times of disharmony as well.

2. None of, It’s my way or the highway in synergy mobs: Burning Fire Soul

3. Si-nar-je, the correct pronunciation of such a powerful word.

4. As the title of this blog suggests, find the others: Ancestors.

5. Bucky could sure twist words together.

6. With synergy in the driver’s seat so much more is attainable: Here In The Now.

7. Why do we need Synergy, so amazing shit can happen.

8. No words needed: Agua Doce.

9. Then there are always other interpretations.

10. Stephen Covey quote number three, this dude sure knows a lot about the subject: Innermost High.

11. The vocal jam run by one of the entertainers, Murray Kyle was next level.

12. The importance of synergy is infiltrating all levels of society, even to the lofty branches of the head of the Virgin empire: Danza Del Viento.

13. Well said, Barbara.

14. And Synergy – Kin Rising was an amazing example of this immense power: Protect The Water.

15. And the final lesson for today is that synergy actions can produce unexpected results, such as this smile.

So with the power of Synergy, we can create and do things that are far beyond our own capabilities. A question to finish – Are you doing what you BELIEVE in, our are you SETTLING for what you are doing?

There where two head musical acts on the day: Murray Kyle and Porangui. Today’s playlist goes, Murray then alternating with Porangui, Enjoy: Surround Yourself with People Who Know Things You Don’t Know!!!

If you are a regular reader you will know my Why in life is Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included, With more events like Synergy – Kin Rising this will happen sooner than later. Until next time my dear friends.

Every Person’s Map of the World is Unique as Their Thumbprint!!

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Rod's World

This quote finishes with the following – ” There are no two people alike. No two people who understand the same sentence the same way…So in dealing with people, you try not to fit them in with your concept of what they should be.”

I relate this to the fact we are all born with a Superpower to gift to the planet but over time we are trained out of them to fit into society. Remember as a child when you ran around enacting them, what happened? I think we go through a period where we forget it, and at some stage in our lives many of us take the actions to recover them, this may not be an easy path but it is truly worthwhile.

My superpower is to have Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included to be present in interactions, on the person to person level to a world scale. I was at an event on the weekend helping set up when a woman asked me to help unpack her car. I was called to ask her what was her superpower, she replied she hadn’t really thought about it. This woman helps create the largest women’s gathering in my home state of Victoria if not Australia. So it sort of shocked me that she did not see this as a superpower as I imagine the 3,000 plus women who attend the event certainly would.

I have found my friend Marc Chernoff’s list 12 Things you should be able to say about Yourself useful in having mine present on a daily basis, here it is:

I am following my heart and intuition.
I am proud of myself.
I am making a difference.
I am happy and grateful.
I am growing into the best version of me.
I am making my time count.
I am honest with myself.
I am good to those I care about.
I know what unconditional love feels like.
I have forgiven those who once hurt me.
I take full accountability for my life.
I have no regrets.

So what does society say about our superpowers, let’s have a look:

2. Lena overcame the colour and sex barrier that has existed in the comedy industry in America for eons to win an Emmy for her writing.

2. It is said that the minute you become a parent, your superpowers multiply tenfold, the above quote supports that: Baby Bielanko.

3. This is what Sylvester wrote about the journey: After being ejected as collateral via my parent’s breakup; After being lied to, cheated on and subtracted from all equations of love; I determined that things were not adding up any more. I knew that I deserved to be loved every day, not only with words but with actions. I found a great deal of power in learning about love. I had been confused this whole time as I believed what we were all taught to believe as children – that love was something you find inside of another person. This journey allowed me to heal, forgive and accelerate my life towards love. Our journeys have different titles but we are all out here walking together toward the same goal. People with different skin tones, speech variations and socio-economic status all deserve love. This is The Dear Queen Journey: A Path To Self Love.

4. How could I write on Superpowers without using a Stan Lee quote: Stan.

5. And this is when your superpowers are most powerful.

6. The superpower of true Love: Unconditional Love.

7. This is very rarely thought of being a superpower that is needed but is incredibly powerful for the kids involved.

8. Pharrell did it with this amazing song he wrote: Happy.

9. It’s not in the wearing of a cape.

10. Mahatma points out why we need our superpower at times: I Stand Alone.

11. As I said my superpower is Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included, What’s Yours?

12. From one of the people using her superpower for the good of the planet at the moment: Thinking Outside The Box.

13. For your superpower, you get to write the manual.

14. Stan reveals the answer to what is the greatest superpower: Get Lucky.

15. And for the final lesson, is who give our superpower purpose, look in the mirror!!!

Life is not complicated, We are complicated. When we stop doing the wrong things and start using our superpower to do the right things, life becomes simple.

The playlist begins with today’s unknown artist Monica BieLanko then some Eminem. Donna Summer and Pharrell Williams lift the mood in the next two numbers. Godsmack squeezes out some hard rock before the penultimate number by Ben Lee, finishing with the funk of Daft Punk: Every Person’s Map of the World is Unique as Their Thumbprint!!

So, I have revealed my superpower to you. In having you ponder yours I am sure that mine: Love and Respect For All, Everybody Included will make a huge difference on the planet with the support of whatever you reveal for yourselves. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included!!!

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Rod's World

Today I write about my Why: it’s expressed in the title of this blog. I write all of these blogs at the Darebin Intercultural Centre in Preston Australia a placed that healed me after six years of a mental health crisis that included six psych unit hospitalisations totalling a period of six and a half months, my advice, never let this happen to you.

In our brochure our ethos is explained, it is as follows “Where difference is acknowledged, explored, understood and celebrated. Darebin Intercultural Centre aims to foster respectful and constructive interracial, intercultural and interfaith relations between and amongst people who live, work or play in Darebin. The Centre is a dedicated space for Intercultural development, dialogue, engagement, participation and celebration.”

How did I end up here? After working for Centrelink, a government agency who deals with the unemployed, the disabled and the elderly, read the people who others want to forget exist for 14 years I ended up being dismissed never to work again after being Manager of the most chaotic Newstart section in Melbourne ending my career doing filing because I did not listen to what my heart and body were saying to me, which was, Get the Fuck out.

I spent about two years lying around my flat believing what they had said when I saw an ad in the local newspaper: Free Colombian film night. I was drawn to this as South America is one place that is on my bucket list. I fought against my social anxiety and went to the Darebin Intercultural Centre for the film.

When I arrived there was an incredibly diverse crowd of cultures just hanging out together being friends. It spoke to my heart and to this day I do not know what gave me the courage to ask the manager Inaam did they need any volunteers. I do not know why she replied yes, as they had never had any before.

Over the following five years I have done many things and at the moment being an English tutor three days a week, my dear old dad, if he was alive would be very proud because he always wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a teacher up until the day I was expelled at the end of Year 11 for non attendance as I hated the formal school system.

I feel that my friend Marc Chernoff’s list called 10 Actions That Always Bring Happiness speaks to my joy of being involved with the Centre:

1. Appreciate how much you have.

2. Focus on things that really matter.

3. Define your own meaning in life, and pursue it.

4. Embrace life’s challenges.

5. Find the balance that allows you to be who you truly are.

6. Love your body enough to take care of it.

7. Limit your time with negative people.

8. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

9. Set a good example.

10. Accept what is, and live for the possibilities that lie ahead.

I chose to learn about new cultures as the way of empowering my intercultural journey, but what does the planet say about it:

1. No words really needed.

2. Travel is a great way to discover new cultures. Be careful you may fall in love with one, and never leave: Greece – The Best Love Song.

3. You have to open your eyes to let love in.

4. Live your life to the full, A Ho: Loving Life.

5. In December there is something to celebrate every day, not just Christmas. My favourite is December 30th: National Bicarbonate of Soda Day.

6. This is why I love our Centre, I am always learning new ways of these things being expressed: Where Is The Love.

7. Vironika Tugaleva is an award-winning author, poet, spoken word artist, life coach, wanderer, visual artist, vocalist, and seeker of beauty in all its forms.

8. I don’t always agree with Ayn Rand but this hits home: Life is Worth Living.

9. Exercise your compassion for others and their diverse cultures and build up your wing strength.

10. Strange a right-wing conservative came up with this: I was Here.

11. From the most famous of philosophers, Ms Unknown comes this power quote on the beauty of Interculturalism.

12. Abdel-Fattah studied a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law at the University of Melbourne. During this time, she was the Media Liaison Officer at the Islamic Council of Victoria, a role that afforded her the opportunity to write for newspapers and engage with media institutions about their representation of Muslims and Islam. She completed her PhD on Islamaphobia. Abdel-Fattah was a passionate human rights advocate and stood in the 1998 federal election as a member of the Unity Party (slogan: Say No to Pauline Hanson). I Don’t Like It.

13. Spiritualism explained really well.

14. From the man who refused to cut the Arts budget to fund a war, here is another on the importance of art and culture: Beasts of No Nation.

15, For our final lesson, what are we up to with our addiction to learning from Social media and not libraries.

If you want to empower others in your life. you need to start living the most empowered version of your self first, that is why finding your why in life is so important. You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream, I’m 65. Believe in what you want so much that it has no choice but to become your reality. And don’t ever compare yourself to anyone else; stay focused on your own journey and leave footprints behind. My blog has left footprints in 104 countries across the planet, I find this amazing.

I have fulfilled a dream today in the playlist, I got to include a Fela Kuti song. We begin with a love song to Greece, Our unknown artist at 57,000 likes is a fine voice from Lysa. The Black Eyed Peas do that song next. Back to modern times with Justin Bieber and Beyonce. Some Aussie edification with the satiricalness of Pauline Pantsdown and we complete with my dream track from Fela Kuti: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included.

So this is the joyfulness and one of the loves of my life, The Darebin Intercultural Centre where I was gifted my Why one afternoon sitting at my desk: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. Until next time we meet, my dear friends.

Don’t Wait Until You’ve Reached Your Goal!!!

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Rod's World

Celebrate, Celebrate Good Times: Great song, it will probably be on the playlist but is what it is saying true. I beg to differ, I think our purpose in life is to celebrate all times and that our ups and downs in life are our training ground to have this occur.

I have 5,000 Facebook friends, some I know better than others but I send all of them a Facebook Birthday card, somedays it is up to 30 people but this is one form of celebration I have taken on so I have not limited the time it takes me. I do have a standard male and female formulae and some of my close friends I do special ones for. I am surprised by how many people contact me personally and thank me. So as birthdays and deathdays are our main forms of celebrations what about the other days of the year?

I went to a friends birthday at the Abbotsford Convent yesterday, Dan is a beautiful man, there was his partner Theresa and our mutual friend Karina there. I met two of my 5,000 FB friends for the first time, Shanti and Roman, great people, all of who have interesting things to contribute to a celebration. Remember, as we mature it becomes less important to have a lot of friends and more important to have real ones.

So what do friends do differently to people who just walk past each other on the street:

1. They face problems together

2. They give what they can because they truly care.

3. They make time for each other.

4. They offer each other freedom.

5. They communicate effectively.

6. They accept each other as is.

7. They are genuine and accept genuineness.

8. They compromise.

9. They support each other’s growth changes.

10. They believe in each other.

11. They maintain realistic expectations of their relationship.

12. They honour each other in small ways on a regular basis.

13. They listen, and they hear every word.

14. They keep their promises.

15. They stick around.

What has life said about celebrating friendship and life in general, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Why do we not celebrate many moments between life and death?

2. Remember, you came here for a purpose, lets make it an inspiring one: Message In a Bottle.

3. Oprah would have something to say about this.

4. A great thing to celebrate: Celebrate Good Times.

5. Love and Gratitude are two other words that are part of the celebration recipe.

6. George Bernard Shaw, known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond: Laughter In The Rain.

7. The celebration is not always about happy, happy.

8. Choose to be alive: Born To Be Alive.

9. What happens to celebrations when the festival season is over.

10. Hathaway supports several charities and causes. She is a board member of the Lollipop Theatre Network, an organization that brings films to sick children in hospitals, and advocates gender equality as a UN Women goodwill ambassador. She is married to businessman Adam Shulman, with whom she has a son: Unconditionally.

11. Your Celebrate Life fridge magnets.

12. How would you live your life differently if the life expectancy age was 40: Africa.

13. The Greatest gift you can give to another.

14. More fridge magnets: Hallelujah.

15. And for our final lesson today, be all there.

Remember, life is kind of like a party. You invite a lot of people, some leave early, some stay all night, some laugh with you, some laugh at you, and some show up really late. But after the fun, there are a few who stay and help you clean up the mess. And most of the time, they aren’t even the ones who made the mess. These people are your real friends in life. They are the ones to celebrate life with.

How did Neil Sedaka, Kate Perry and KD Lang get on the same playlist? They all sing songs of celebration. We begin with The Police, followed by Kool and the Gang. Neil is next, then back to disco and Patrick Hernandez. Kate drags us back to the present. We finish with Toto and KD: Don’t Wait Until You’ve Reached Your Goal!!

So, I reckon if we all chose to celebrate life more, my ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included would occur sooner than later. Remember you can have these blogs sent to your inbox from the box on the right-hand side of the main page. Until we meet again my dear friends.

No, I don’t think I will kiss You!!!

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Rod's World

Today I am going to write about friendship, in particular, a friendship I have formed with two of my English student, Jule and Xue Li. They are both Chinese mothers who are in Australia supporting their children through their education.

I must admit I did not have any Chinese friends before meeting these two wonderful women and really knew very little about everyday Chinese culture, perhaps the Great Wall of China was visible from space and that there are 2 billion Chinese and that is a lot of people.

Since then I have learnt of their deep respect for educators, that they do not have snags at Chinese BBQ’s and they include you in their circle of friends. Here is a photo that was taken on Monday at the National Gallery of Victoria on an excursion to a Japanese fashion exhibition they organised instead of having English lessons:

They make me smile with their antics, they met each other at English classes, are from totally different areas of China and have different cultural backgrounds. Here is a quite long list my friend Marc Chernoff wrote about how to make people smile, several of them relate to how Julie and Xue Li make me smile:

1. Smile Often.

2. Hold a door open for someone,

3. Pay for the person in line behind you.

4. Send a hand-written thank you card to someone who assisted you with something.

5. Clean out all your old clothes and donate them to someone in need.

6. Give a compliment about a waiter, waitress, sales clerk, etc. to his or her manager.

7. Compliment a stranger’s appearance. Flatter them.

8. Leave encouraging post-it notes in library books and other random places.

9. Help an elderly person carry something.

10. Send flowers to someone anonymously.

11. Be a courteous driver. Let people merge in front of you.

12. Volunteer at a children’s hospital or nursing home.

13. Donate blood.

14. Buy house warming gifts for new neighbours.

15. Introduce yourself. Make new colleagues, classmates, etc. feel welcome.

16. Inspire others online.

17. Send letters of appreciation to business owners/managers and other people who support you.

18. Treat everyone with the same level of respect you’d give to your grandfather.

19. Give everyone the same level of patience you’d have with your baby sister.

20. Appreciate people the way they are.

21. Share your lunch or a snack with someone who doesn’t have one.

22. Put some change in an expired parking meter.

23. Check up on someone who looks lonely.

24. Tell your boss, teacher or professor that he or she is doing a great job and that you appreciate what they’ve taught you.

25. Create places and things for others to enjoy. Like decorating your house for the holidays or creating a piece of art.

26. If you overhear that it’s someone’s birthday, go out of your way to wish them a happy one.

27. Ask someone for their opinion or advice.

28. Bring cookies or bagels to work for everyone.

29. Tip waiters and waitresses well when they deserve it.

30. Be a part of something you believe in. Those around you will notice your enthusiasm.

31. Leave a thank-you note for the office janitors.

32. Help bag your own groceries at the checkout counter.

33. Offer your seat to someone when there aren’t any left.

34. Let someone with only a few items cut you in line at the grocery store.

35. Wave to a kid in the car next to you.

36. Spread the good news.

37. Repeat something nice you heard about someone else.

38. Remember people’s names and address them accordingly.

39. When you make eye contact with someone, smile.

40. Replace what you’ve used. For example, fill up the copier or printer with paper after you’re done using it.

41. Share your umbrella on a rainy day.

42. Listen intently to people’s stories without trying to fix everything.

43. Dance with someone who hasn’t been asked.

44. Call a stranger’s attention to a beautiful sunset or full moon.

45. Give words of encouragement toward someone’s dream, no matter how big or small it is.

46. Ask someone who enjoys cooking for a recipe.

47. Let someone else eat the last slice of pizza or cake.

48. Stop and buy a drink from a kid’s lemonade stand.

49. Help someone get your parking space in a crowded parking lot when you’re leaving.

50. Ask someone you see every now and then if they’ve lost weight.

51. Do a little something extra to make someone else’s life easier.

52. Use all the manners you learned in Kindergarten.

53. Listen to someone’s pain and help them find a path through it.

54. Give without expecting to get back.

55. Encourage others to do one unanticipated kind or helpful act at least once a week.

56. Observe everyone without judging.

57. Say “Please” and “Thank you.”

58. Forgive and let go of anger. For instance, if somebody accidentally cuts you off in traffic, just let it go.

59. Believe in yourself with all of your heart. People will notice.

60. Don’t be so serious all the time.

61. Treat every small interaction with another person as an opportunity to make a positive impact in both your lives.

62. Greed, anger and ignorance. Avoid all three.

63. Speak your truth.

64. Teach others how to make a difference by setting an example.

65. Help others be independent.

66. Give people the space they need.

67. Lend your shoulder to cry on.

68. Offer encouragement after a failure.

69. Acknowledge people for a job well done.

70. Tell a good joke.

71. Clean up after yourself.

72. Excel at what you do. People appreciate professionals.

73. Create a care package and send it to an active duty military unit.

74. Redirect gifts. Instead of having people give you birthday and holiday gifts, ask them to donate gifts or money to a good cause.

75. Stop to help. The next time you see someone pulled over with a flat tire, or in need of assistance, stop and ask how you can help

76.Put a small personal touch on everything you do. People notice and appreciate individuality.

77. Take the time to teach someone a skill you know.

78. Help someone get active. There’s a coworker or acquaintance in your life who wants to get healthy but needs a helping hand. Offer to go walking or running together, to join a gym together.

79. Send a nice email to a tech support representative who has assisted you.

80. Donate food to a charity.

81. Stand up for someone. Lend your voice. Often the powerless, the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to speak up for them.

82. If you see a couple taking a self-pic, offer to take the picture for them.

83. Help the weary shopper in front of you who needs those extra two or three cents to avoid breaking a 20-dollar bill.

84. Come to the rescue. If you realize someone is sick, bring them some hot tea, etc.

85. Stand up for your beliefs without flaunting them.

86. Make yourself available and approachable.

87. Over-deliver on all of your promises and obligations.

88. Be positive and focus on what’s right.

88 Luft ballons of how to make people smile later we move on, what does the world say about the value of friendships, here are a few of my favourites:

1. The power of we, it can make you well.

2. They are your personal Santa’s little helper: That’s What Friends Are For.

3. I so love that silence, it is special.

4. We are all along for the ride, where the hell are we going: No Idea.

5. Thank them for letting you practice being in the world.

6. Become the disturbance in their life that has them known they are loved: Greatest Love of All.

7. Heartspace, Soul Love.

8. One of the main benefits of having healthy friendships: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.

9. Because I loved the image.

10. The Bard chimes in with this classic: Grown Woman.

11. Cripps or Bloods, Choose.

12. Kids movies have certainly offered up some of the worlds greatest quotes: Always look on the Bright Side of Life.

13. We don’t have to always feel our best to make life long friends.

14, Miraculous, really: Promised You a Miracle.

15. Angelo Lagusa is the main protagonist of the game 91 Days. He is an orphan who lost his parents and brother to the Vanetti Family, having witnessed them being gunned down on his birthday.

So a final word on how to generate meaningful friendships: Above all, live proudly. Inspire people with who you are and how you live your life.

The playlist begins today with a famous crew: Whitney, Luther, Dionne and Stevie. Don Tolver is new to me. Whitney Houston again. then some great pop from Wham. My pop diva fetish is fulfilled with Beyonce. Eric Idle is silly next and we finish with some live Simple Minds: No, I Don’t Think I’ll Kiss You!!!

Friendships, some last less than a month, others are from your childhood. However long, I firmly believe they are what will make my ethos for the planet, Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included become reality. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Answer with a Kiss!!!

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Rod's World

Still integrating the workshop. This week I have been noticing the things I have stopped doing to myself and others. Such as actually being present in conversations, noticing things that are not impeccable and just walking past them but actually doing something about it. It feels like a really different universe I am walking in. Went to my friend Marc’s book for some inspiration – here is a list of 30 Things to stop doing to yourself that will improve your life in general:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people.

2. Stop running from your problems.

3. Stop lying to yourself.

4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner.

5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not.

6. Stop trying to hold onto the past.

7. Stop being scared to make a mistake.

8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes.

9. Stop trying to buy happiness.

10. Stop looking to others for happiness.

11. Stop waiting.

12. Stop thinking you’re not ready.

13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons.

14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work.

15. Stop trying to compete against everybody else.

16. Stop being jealous of others.

17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.

18. Stop holding grudges.

19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level.

20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others.

21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break.

22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments.

23. Stop trying to make things perfect.

24. Stop following the path of least resistance.

25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t.

26. Stop blaming others for your troubles.

27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone.

28. Stop worrying so much.

29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen.

30. Stop being ungrateful.

So I reckon you could choose one or two of these to take on fortnightly and see your life transform in front of your eyes, and your perception of the lives of your significant others.

Time to walk down the what does the world say about this lane:

1. Time to undo those restrictive relationship knots and gain some freedom.

2. Crossing oceans can be adventurous or amazingly tiring if you are doing it with people who don’t really want to be there: Six Months In A Leaky Boat.

3. But we are not talking about giving up everything for others.

4. Welcome to the house of …: House of Fun.

5. Self Love 101.

6. From one of my top ten, I have 5,000 people and groups I follow so rate Danielle’s wisdom highly: Stop in the Name of Love.

7. The cardigan-wearing one, Eckhart Tolle’s philosophy is present here: The Power of Now.

8. You know which things you do to discard, it is not these ones: From Little Things, Big Things Grow.

9. Or these, as well or you will find yourself at that well-known square on the monopoly board.

10. Two words – Right On: All Rise.

11. Classic Tom Waits, that’s why I love his music so much.

12. Now, these things, let go of: Set Your Controls for the Heart of The Sun.

13. I thought it would say, Brene Brown, not Eddie Rickenbacker.

14. Lifts all the weight off your heart and soul, doing this: Brave.

15. And our final lesson in what is possible in taking on a practice of a few of these stops a month: you start caring about what really matters to you.

Many of the things we think will make us happier, more successful, more famous are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter, and working on our passions.

OMG, there’s a boy band in the playlist, with 55 million hits. Split Enz starts the journey, a New Zealand product, then off to the UK with Madness. Trump nation next with the Supremes. Australia’s offering is next with Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins, my most chosen song, why, because it’s so epic, that’s why. The Boy band Blue precede the penultimate track by Pink Floyd, and we finish in the present with Sara Bareilles: Answer with a Kiss.

So, imagine if each person on the planet stopped doing what did not work for them. My ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included would have a much better chance and earlier fruition. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Stop Clicking Your Pens!!!

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Rod's World

Isn’t it true that in high school when the teacher told you to stop clicking your pen you did it at least once more? What are the truths you remember in your life, are they experiential moments or are they rules your parents raised you by. Here is a list that my friend Marc picked up while travelling, living in different cities, working for different companies ( and himself ), and meeting remarkable and unusual people everywhere in between:

There comes a point in life when you get tired of chasing everyone and trying to fix everything, but it’s not giving up. It’s realising you don’t need certain people and things and the drama they bring.
You can’t control how other people feel, or how they recieve your energy. Anything you do or say gets filtered through a mindset occupied by whatever they are going through at the moment, which has nothing to do with you. Just keep doing your thing with as much love as possible.
If a person wants to be part of your life, they will make an obvious effort to do so. Don’t bother reserving a space in your heart for people who do not make an effort to stay.
If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down- which is not always so obvious.
Doing something and getting it wrong is at least 10 times more productive than doing nothing.
Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You don’t fail by falling down. You fail by never getting back up. Sometimes you just have to forget how you feel, remember what you deserve, and keep pushing forward.
The more things you own, the more things own you. Less truly gives you more freedom.
While you’re busy looking for the perfect person, you’ll probably miss the imperfect person who could make you perfectly happy. This is as true for friendships as it is for intimate relationships. Finding a partner or a friend isn’t about trying to transform yourself into the perfect image of what you think they want. It’s about being exactly who you are and then finding someone who appreciates that.
Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. If something is meant to be, it will happen – at the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason.
Making a hundred friends is not a miracle. A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when hundreds have walked away.
Someone will always be better looking. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be more charismatic. But they never will be you – with your exact ideas, knowledge and skills.
Making progress involves risk. Period. You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
Every morning you are faced with two choices: you can aimlessly stumble through the day not knowing what’s going to happen and simply react to events at aa moment’s notice, or you can go through life directing your own life and making your own destiny and decisions.
Everyone makes mistakes. If you can’t forgive others, don’t expect them to forgive you. Set yourself free by forgiving someone else.
It’s Ok to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. Cry if you need to – It’s healthy to shed tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
We sometimes do things that are permanently foolish just because we are temporarily upset. A lot of heartaches can be avoided if you learnt to control your emotions.
Someone doesn’t have to be wrong for you to be right. You have to allow people to make their own mistakes and their own decisions.
Nobody has it easy, Everyone of us has issues. So don’t belittle yourself or anyone else. Everyone is fighting their own unique war.
A smile doesn’t always mean a person is happy. Sometimes it simply means they are strong enough to face their problems.
The happiest people I know keep an open mind to new ideas and ventures, use their leisure time as a means of mental development, and love good music, good books, good pictures, good company and good conversation. And oftentimes they are the cause of happiness in others – me in particular.
You can’t take things too personally. Rarely do people do things because of you. They do things because of them.
Feelings change, people change, and time keeps rolling on. You can hold onto past mistakes or you can create your own happiness. Don’t make the mistake of waiting on someone or something to come along and make you happy.
It’s much harder to change the length of your life than the depth of it.
You end up regretting the things you did not do far more than the things you did.
When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.
One of the greatest challenges in life is to be yourself in a world that’s trying to make you the same as everyone else.
Enjoy the little things, because they’re bigger than they first appear.
Anyone can make a difference. You have more power than you think. Use it.
Every experience is a life lesson – everyone you meet, everything you encounter. Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don’t go your wat. Gain insight and move forward.
Regardless of how dark your past has been, your future is still spotless. Don’t start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Each day is a new beginning. Every morning you wake up is the first day of the rest of your life. What do you want to make happen?

So what has humanity said about its truth’s, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Living your truth may not always be comfortable, but well worth it.

2. But you can also reclaim some of your own truth by looking at what made you angry in the first place: Dark Horse.

3. What truths do you keep in your personal treasure chest?

4. From Sydney, Australia Palak Gupta won the Miss India crown. At just the age of 20 Palak’s truth is that life isn’t about your height, weight and shade. It’s about the values and beliefs you embrace, your truths: Unwritten.

5. What to carry in your makeup kit for life.

6. From Russia with Love: Time and Glass.

7. It’s up to Us.

8. Everyone is Free now: Everything is Free Now.

9. From the man who gave us bliss, his truth about life.

10. What mask do you present to life that hides your truths from your dearest and nearest: Behind The Mask.

11. And then we find someone to share our truths with.

12. My ethos in life is Love and Respect for All. Everybody Included: Respect Yourself.

13. Do you worship your truths, what value do you give them?

14. As Marc says in poit 7, it is not the things you own that measure your lifestyle, but how you are remembered: Happy.

15. And for our final lesson, it’s good to remember the shadow and the light in our lives.

So to make it really the longest blog I have ever done, 10 more truth questions:

What does the child inside you long for?
What is the one thing right now that you are totally sure of?
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
What is the biggest motivator in your life right now?
What are you most grateful for?
What have you counting or keeping track of recently?
What’s the difference between being alive and truly living?
If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people what would your message be?
Have you done anything lately worth remembering?
When is the last time you tried something new?

Today’s playlist begins in pop diva land with Katie Perry and Natasha Bedingfield. We then journey to Russia with Name 505. Gillian Welch then sets us free, Michael Jackson lifts our masks. Madonna is the penultimate track and we finish with Pharrell Williams: Stop Clicking Your Pens.

My truth for the world is Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. Until we meet again, my dear friends.