Be your own self, Love what you Love.

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Rod's World

You are powerful when you believe in yourself – when you know that you are capable of anything you put your mind to. You are beautiful when your strength and determination shines as you follow your own path – when you aren’t dishevelled by the obstacles along the way. You are unstoppable when you let your mistakes educate you, as your confidence builds from experiences – when you know you can fall down, pick yourself up, and move forward.

These inspiring words are from Marc Chernoff, he also provides 11 ways to become this person:

Stop judging, and appreciate the beauty within you.
Treat yourself the way you want others to treat you.
Care less about who you are to others.
Know your worth.
Don’t rush intimate relationships.
Let go of those who aren’t really there.
Forgive yourself and others.
Focus on the Positive.
Believe in the person you are capable of being.
Work on Goals you believe in.
Keep working and looking straight forward.

This chapter is entitled 11 ways to become the person you love, so lets have a look at what society has said about being the person you love:

1. Amazing work! Kaci Diane has found a way to capture her raw emotions in a way that allows the reader to join her on a journey of hopes, dreams, ups and downs. You feel the highs and lows of each poem as Kaci gives you a glimpse into her heart and soul.”

2. Feel that yearning deep in your soul: Yearning for Your Love.

3. I’m sure when we pop out that this is in place.

4. A million dollars worth: Who Says.

5. A classic from the world’s great philosopher, Ms Unknown.

6. Unrecognisable is the word that comes to mind for me: I Gotta Feeling.

7. And your answer is?

8. Lalah hangs out in Mind, body, spirit, and life; wellness, wholeness, empowerment, and transformation, through Vibrational-based living, vibrating higher daily: Change Your Life.

9. They travel everywhere together.

10. The good things at both ends, changes the meaning of the classic burning at both ends analogy doesn’t it: Somewhere over the Rainbow.

11. Seven Billion No one is You’s, amazing. Go and fly.

12. When self-obsession becomes a powerful tool in your armoury: Love Me.

13. Out, damn thought – William Shakespeare, well, nearly.

14. Bravery and Brene Brown, touche: Shame is Lethal.

15. Bette Midler!!

In the end, loving yourself os about enjoying your life, trusting your own feeling. taking chances, losing and finding happiness, cherishing the memories, and learning from the past. Sometimes you have to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting. Have faith that things will work out maybe not exactly how you planned, but just how it’s meant to be.

Today’s playlist is crowded with pop divas and some worldly advice. We begin with ex-members of the Gap Band, Charles Wilson and Tyrese, then our first diva Selena Gomez. The Black Eyed Peas appear before divas Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande and Kate Perry. We finish with the wisdom of Brene Brown: Be your own self, Love what you Love.

Becoming the person you love allows you to love others: Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included, I look forward to seeing you again next time we meet, my dear friends.

You don’t always need a Plan!!

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Rod's World

There are times in our life when we need to be motivated, here are some reminders from Marc Chernoff, author of the great book, Getting Back to Happy with his partner, Angel: Here’s the link.

1. You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s just a matter of wanting it bad enough.

2. Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you’re alive and full of potential.

3. Give up worrying what others think of you. What they think isn’t important. What is important is how you feel about yourself.

4. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today and you pay close attention, you’ll often find you’re right.

5. You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have.

6. A problem is a chance for you to learn.

7. You must see things how they are instead of how you hoped, wished or expected them to be.

8. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Let it Go.

9. Tough times never last, but tough people do.

10. Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

11. Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak, sometimes it means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go.

12. Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.

13. If it’s out of your control why fret about it? Concentrating on things you can control is how you make good things happen.

14. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

15. Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.

What has the world said over time to motivate itself, here are a few of my favourites:

1. The old imagine they are naked public speaking trick reversed because this time you are.

2. You come to that twin fork in the road, take the road less travelled: Hit the road, Jack.

3. If you are going to the gym to find it, turn around, it’s inside you, not in the weight room.

4. The comfort zone is the home of the lounge lizard, not Nobel prize winners: Out of Tower Song.

5. What did you discover after your worst fall?

6. Treat people how you wish them to treat you: Treat me like Somebody.

7. Live out your dreams, they are worth it.

8. One foot in front of each other still means you are on the path of fulfilling your dreams: One Foot.

9. Plan it, then allow for the time it will take.

10. John Michael Green is an American author, vlogger, producer, and educator. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and his fourth solo novel, The Fault in Our Stars, debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list in January 2012. The 2014 film adaptation opened at number one at the box office. In 2014, Green was included in Time magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People in the World. Another film based on a Green novel, Paper Towns, was released on July 24, 2015: It Hurts.

11. Jim Rohn points out sometimes we may have simply chosen the wrong path.

12. Just, because: Black Coffee.

13. Motivation 101.

14. Makes me think of William Wallace and his wee band of men: Freedom Speech.

15. You can make an excuse and not do what it will take or you can travel forward towards what your dreams in life are.

So a few questions: What stands between you and happiness, Are you holding on to something you need to let go, What is the biggest challenge you face right now and finally, If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently.

The playlist today begins with Ray Charles as we hit the road, then we continue to the musical Tangled. Three newbies to me follow: Tink, Walk the Moon and Emeli Sande. Then the sultry Peggy Lee and we end with Mel Gibson aka William Wallace: You don’t always need a Plan.

To live my life from Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included does not always need a plan, just a way of being. Until we meet again my dear friends, let’s live a motivated life.

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.

I Woke Up, I Have Clothes To Wear!!

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Rod's World

One of my friend’s Passions is turning One, Nicole Gibson’s movement Love out Loud turned One yesterday, and she is offering all of her products at half price on the world’s special day for love, Valentines Day: Nicoles Offer.

Nicole has written a beautiful book called a matter of factly Love Out Loud so in honour of this special day I picked up the book and opened it to a page, so today we will be looking at the value of gratitude, Chapter 8 for when you buy this excellent book. Nicole states that “A big part of creating a gratitude practice for yourself is the understanding that gratitude is about honouring what has been normalised in your life, so that it may be sustained. “

I am also a big fan of Danielle LaPorte’s Daily Planner which has you write one thing you are grateful for each morning. So what has the world had to say about being grateful as it travels along the timeline, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Many song titles amongst this little gem.

2. Happy Birthday, Nicole, let’s Love Out Loud: Happy Birthday, Mr President.

3. Perfectionism, otherwise known as the booby prize when it comes to commencing fulfilling your dreams.

4. I live in Australia, that puts me in the top one per cent of the planet for privileges, for that, I will be eternally grateful: Dirty Laundry.

5. There are times that I haven’t found it easy to think this, but with the journey comes the shadow and the light.

6. What colour is your favourite cup, mine is sky blue: Running on Empty.

7. I like the theory we are all starseed, it makes it so much easier to love everything and everybody out loud.

8. As you walk out your front door be very grateful, not everyone gets to do this: Home.

9. The past has gone, the future is yet to occur, all we have is Today.

10. Yes, You and You and You: Thank You For The Music.

11. We have the choice to begin anew each and every moment, although some days it may feel impossible.

12. Big Tony has his say: Diva.

13, Jessye is recognised as one of the worlds great Mezzo Soprano’s, daughter of an Insurance Salesman and a school teacher, she discovered opera after her parents gave her a radio on her 9th birthday opening her horizons, where she discovered the world of opera, that she Loved Out Loud.

14. It’s such a perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with You: Perfect Day.

15. And for our final lesson, we hear from Marilyn’s birthday boy.

So back to Nicole to finish off:

Gratitude is a Practice.

For something to become a habit, the brain relies on repetitive action. It takes approximately twelve weeks to form any type of behavioural habit that strengthens neural pathways so that the brain will begin automatically commanding this behaviour. I highly recommend beginning a gratitude practice daily; at the same time, each day. Again, a ritual is deeply embedded in who we are, and to become ritualistic in your practices will ensure the deep integration of the behaviours that lead a life of loving out loud.

Journal It, write it in your diary, start a daily gratitude jar, speak it out loud to the mirror, there are many ways to do it, choose one that turns you on and has you Love Out Loud.

Actresses and Opera Singers feature in today’s playlist. We begin with Marilyn Monroe, then take it to the limit with The Eagles. Jackson Browne is next, Then the oddly named Edward Sharpe and the Magnificent Zeros. A singalong with Abba, a pop diva number from Beyonce and we finish with a duet from Lou Reed and Luciano Pavarotti: I Woke Up, I Have Clothes To Wear.

Part of my Loving Out Loud is to spread the ethos of Love and Respect For All, Everyone Included in all of my actions. Join me in this until we meet again my dear friends.

The Pain of the Process is only Temporary.

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Rod's World

Wish you had more wellbeing? Are you longing for an evidence-based approach to consistently feel good and function more effectively at work? Do you need busy-proof practices to help you more confidently navigate the lows and highs we all experience?

What if you had a toolkit to unleash accomplishment. If you purchase Your Wellbeing Blueprint: Feeling Good and Doing Well at Work by Michelle Mcquaid and Dr Peggy Kern you get one: Get It Here.

There are seven levels to the tool kit, here they are:

Setting Goals That Work – Know what you Want, Audit your Time, Stretch Yourself, Set Weekly Goals.
Being Hopeful – Map Your Hopes, Start a Passion Project, Find Hopeful Friends.
Practising Growth Mindset – Set Learning Goals, Get comfortable with Failure, Name your fixed Mindset, Growth Mindset Reflection.
Developing Grit – Draw a Grit Map, Ask for Help, Invest in Deliberate Practice.
Boosting Your Confidence – Strike a Power Pose, Take One Small Step, Acknowledge “Not Yet”.
Being Self-Compassionate – Create a Mantra, Write a Letter, Soothe Your Pain, Remember to be Kind.
Improving Your Resilience – Challenge Your Beliefs, Lean into the Suck, Ban “Always”, Flex Your Stress Mindset.

Shakespeare said, “Joy’s soul lies in the doing.” How has society written about this journey, Let’s take a look:

1. Do what you love for work, and you will never work another day in your life.

2. Burn, Baby, Burn: Burning Down the House.

3. Charles Franklin Kettering sometimes known as Charles “Boss” Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents. He was a founder of Delco and was head of research at General Motors from 1920 to 1947. Among his most widely used automotive developments were the electrical starting motor and leaded gasoline.

4. When you pass they will remember you for who you were, not what you owned: When I’m Gone.

5. The dreams, they’re on the other side.

6. Kids say such amazing things until we train it out of them: Lot To Learn.

7. Eric Thomas, PhD is a critically acclaimed author, World-renowned speaker, educator, pastor and audible.com Audie Awards Finalist. ET, as he is better known, has taken the world by storm, with his creative style and high-energy messages. His words continue to impact tens of millions of people in several hundred countries across the planet! Through a significant social media presence and his recent domestic and international tours, “ET, The Hip Hop Preacher” has become a global phenomenon!

8. Boom: Tomorrow.

9. You, Yourself, I.

10. I learnt an expression at Landmark Education I will never forget, what you don’t know you didn’t know: Heaven.

11. Katie Byron calls it the Work, you need to do it.

12. of course, it’s Judy and Somewhere over the rainbow…: Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

13. Two very similar statements with totally different meanings.

14. I believe in miracles and unicorns, do you?: You Sexy Thing.

15. And the final lesson, Yes, You are that person.
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.

I really like today’s eclectic playlist. It begins with Talking Heads, moves over to Eminem, then another rapper in Luke Christopher. To the world of the musical with a track from Annie. The beautiful voice of Kane Brown is next, then the legend who is Judy Garland finishing with the sexy tones of Hot Chocolate: The Pain of the Process is Only Temporary.

So one of my accomplishments is to have Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included is part of common day language. Join me in spreading it until we meet again, 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.

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.

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.