Who Am I?


You may have never heard the name Peter Sage, but believe me it is worth your time to do some research om who this man is and his inspiring mind mastery 12 month training. i met Peter in a strange way. I do online free summits, sleep deprivation, health improvement and wealth summits, all free of course. There was a Wealth Summit coming out of South Africa with Deepak. Chopra and jack Cornfield as the celebrities. I never thought the Age pensioner, with a $1.33 bank balance would meet a billionaire Grant Cardone and Peter, a multi millionaire , both of who I had never heard of.before I mistakenly spent two days commenting to the host and panellists.

As all good summits we were offered thousands of dollars worth of training for minimal amounts and I knew after hearing Peter that I would change my financial circumstances to find the US $49 a month because his simple but powerful distinctions were what I had been looking for all of my 68 years, having spent $100,000 on some of the most esoteric training available.

One of the many distinctions was around who was I as my life was made up of labels. I am Rod, I am 68, I write blogs and I make chai for ecstatic dances., but what would I say after I am? Here is my go at it: I am an Interculturalist, my ethos in life is Love and Respect for all, Everybody Included because It’s up to us, Because we can, it’s our time.

Time for some Marc and Angel wisdom:

1.Spend more time with those who make you smileand less with thosewho you feel pressured to impress.

2.Laugh at stupid jokes, Apologise, Tell someone how much they mean to you, Its the small moments that make life grand.

3. Life is way more enjoyable when you stop trying to be cool and simply focus on being yourself.

4. Complaining is like slapping yourself for slapping yourself. It doesn’t solve the problem, It just hurts you. more.

5. Learn to adjust the sails of your life to unpredictable lwinds, while keeping your focus clear on your destination and keep sailing until you get there.

6. Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom.

7. If you want something in your life you’ve never had, You’ll have to do something you’ve never done.

8. Your health is your life, keep up with it. Get an annual check-up.

9. Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless. Period, Don’t be dishonest and don’t put up with people who are.

10. Forgiving yourself is far more important (and difficult) than getting others to forgive you.

11. There are few joys in life that equal a good conversation, a good read, a good walk, a good hug, a good smile, or a good friend.

12. Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Laugh at yourself often. Find the humour in whatever situation you are in.

13. Everything that happens in life is nether good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.

14. You’re not alone. Everyone has problems. Some people are just better at hiding them than others.

If you are interested in the work of marc and Angel Chernoff here is the link to their site: https://www.marcandangel.com/

The last line is important, if they do that, run and don’t look back.

With the light, you have been through the dark as well, they travel together.

You can only fit in by being you.

It is always enough, stop chasing being someone else.

With being yourself comes beauty and gratitude, nice.

Over to you, home boys and gorls.

One of the rockabilly greats.

POTUS Abraham Lincoln stated true to himself, lost often, then became the most powerful man in the world, unfortunately we shot him.

Actually we all are, Own it , dear people

Thanks to Peter Sage, I am getting there.

And I am colourful.

All is welcome in I Am.

Typo I think, leads should be lets.

I want to be me, what was that classic song from back in the day.

So on this journey of deleting the labels, I have had some interesting conversations. I told one woman at a party, I was not an easy conversation, because I did not put party faces on and would she like to walk home in the rain and I would give her the best yoni massage she had ever had. She looked at me strangely , pit her party face on and left very quickly, maybe next time.

I love this concept of deleting all labels and just hanging out in I Am, it takes commitment and your identity hangs on with a viciousness you would not believe.

I am an Interculturalist: Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included because its up to us, Because we can, its our time.

Until next time , my beloved readers in 160 countries out there in possibility land.

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Don’t listen to GOOP!!!


I have had an interesting year, Met a billionaire and multi millionaire. Dropped 20K I could not really afford, and been locked up as an involuntary patient in a mental health unit as consequences of the first two things for four weeks, Once in, it is not so easy to get out.

I , through these mistakes, learnt a lot, including the acronym GOOP, the Good Opinion of Other People and the deadly effect it has on you achieving your dreams. I thank Peter Sage, the creator of this distinction for altering how life occurs for me now.

I also am enquiring into two other distinctions,Your opinion is not the truth, Ever and Listen, you do not learn when you are speaking.. The opinion one was described to me in the following manner: Opinion lives on one side of the Universe and truth the other. our task, this time in , is to align them as closely as possible. Unfortunately most humans give up at a very early age on this quest, this is when cinversation dies. His Holiness I credit the third one to, one of my favourite wise men. Do you think he was on a camel that night in Bethlehem?

Time for a Marc and Angel list, this time it is called 20 ways to create million dollar ideas, here we go

  1. Generate lots of ideas
  2. Fail a Lot
  3. Consume information Consciously
  4. Focus on topics and ideas with large markets
  5. Make sure there is money in your market
  6. Keep your eyes, ears and mind wide open
  7. Test variations of the same idea.
  8. Figure out what works well in one market and tailor it for another.
  9. Put the pieces together
  10. Spin a new twist on a previous breakthrough
  11. Systematise a popular service into a reproducale product.
  12. Play with Opposites.
  13. Look for problems and solve them.
  14. Design other products that supportother successful products.
  15. Keep it simple.
  16. Use the tools and skills you already have.
  17. Surround yourself with other thinkers.
  18. Be enthusiastic about what you are doing.
  19. Accept constructive criticism, but ignore naysayers
  20. Actually do something with your ideas.

Do you do this, I’m not great at it, i am a “nice person”

The famous the five we spend time with covered here.

Spend your time with the one or two, I am very bad at this.

Most relationship advice is GOOP< you know that already.

oopers don’t like this behaviour, they think you are weak, we know better.

A POTUS.

How many in your circle, fuck them off.

I like these women, they rock.

The blame game sucks, big time.

Self explanatory!!!

What are you animal spirits, have you learnt the lesson?

hut the fuck up, get on with it.

Nike – Just Do It!!!

Edmund Hillary, I think. I’m showing. my age knowing hisname, forst non Sherpa to climb Everest.

All the songs are what came up when I put in my word is the truth songs, there are a lot out there.

Time for Rod’s Words. Interculturalism – Love and respect for All, Everybody Included. Why we do what we do: It’s up to us, because we can, it’s our time. I used to make a side hustle writing koans, these are my favourite two. Thanks Peter Sage for a new possibility at 68. I tell everybody.

Until we meet again, my Blog fans. in 160 countries.

The Dead Parents Society


What do you talk about around the dinner table or consequently avoid discussion like the plague? I was having a catchup at Macca’s AKA a coaching session when this subject came up. Her dad had passed recently and mine were well gone so It was safe to discuss our feelings towards them.

It is something that is not on the list for a mention, Gardening, House ownership, and even sex are okay. But dear old mum and dad are not on the agenda. Is it because it hurts too much, they say it takes a few years, but my dear old dad passed 11 years ago, and when I think of him, which I must admit is rare these days, it still hurts.

AMarc and Amgel list, they are from the iconic tome:: 1000+ little things Happy Successful People do differently. google Life hack.

  1. The most beautiful thing is to see a person nearby smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the one behind it
  2. 2. If you have the power to make someone happier today, do it. The world needs more of that.
  3. Some people build lots of walls in their lives and not enough bridges, there’s no good reason to be one of them. Open yourself up. Take small chances on people.
  4. 4. Never stop doing little things for those around you. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.
  5. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of love – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
  6. Be present, be thoughtful Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses. This is how to make a real and lasting difference in your relationships, new and old.
  7. We don’t always need advice. Sometimes all we need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen to, and a heart to understand.
  8. Today, just be 100 per cent present with those around you – be all there. That is enough.
  9. There is no such thing as self-made Someone else believed in you. Someone else encouraged you. Someone else is invested in you. Someone else prayed for you. Someone else spoke life over you. Be that someone for others too.
  10. It’s practically impossible to love your neighbours if we don’t know them, and yet that’s often the case We live in such a hyper-connected world with such limited or nonexistent communication Remember this. Relationships matter. Stories matter.
  11. In human relationships, distance is not measured in miles but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other yet miles apart.
  12. Stay in touch with those who really matter to you, not because it’s convenient, but because they are worth the extra effort.
  13. The single greatest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place. Too often we don’t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Bring awareness ti this. And listen for what’s truly behind the words.
  14. Set an example. Treat everyone with respect, even those who are rude to you not because they are always nice, but because you are. And do your best to be thankful for the rude and difficult people too, they serve as great reminders of how not to be.
  15. 15. Sometimes it is better to be kind than right.
  16. People are much nicer when they are happier, which says a lot about those who aren’t very nice to you. Sad, but true.
  17. The real test always comes when you don’t get what you expect from people. Will you react in anger? Or will calmness be your superpower?
  18. The way we treat people is the way we treat people we don’t understand is a report card on what we’ve learned about love, compassion, and kindness.
  19. Be kinder than necessary. What goes around, comes around. No one has ever made themselves strong by showing how small someone is.
  20. The best relationships are not just about the good times you share, they are also they’re also about the obstacles you go through together and the fact that you still say I love you in the end.

Now for the quotes and the songs, I promise to not get too morbid.

I missed doing this, I feel sad often. At 68nits too late, baby.

It has been eleven and four years for the Williams siblings since we became the elders. Each and every day.

Plum village, such a wisw nman. R.I.P. THich.

How many ways can you say, I love you mum and dad.

I did some terrible things to my mum during my teenage years, I call it our black vs. white time.

Lots of truth in this statement.

In my Buddhist years Pema Chodron always said this

They mostly always know already, they just love you for who you are.

Unrequied love by any other name.

Great image of motherhood.

For you, Karina.

Unfortunately , we do not do this all of the time, then we have to have our wounds healed.

Early days, it’s up to mum and dad.

over to my words. The first slogan I ever got paid the princely sum of AUS25 dollars for It’s up to us, Because we Can, It’s our time. The ethos of Interculturalosism: Love and Respect for all, everybody included. Leonard – The light gets in, Gil Scott Heron: The revolution will not be televised Me- fuck Rupert Murdoch. It is an interesting time in our lands: WE are charging the machine guns, and some of us will not make it. There are more of us than them, They know they have lost. If you enjoyed this I would appreciate s donation towards the 1 million dollars I am raising for the ASRC in 2023/ The button os on our website.

Until next time, my dear friends.

The best Ten Bucks you Will Spend.


I have just escaped from a 30-year history of hanging around inside a Poverty Existence persona. A word of advice, do not wait 68 years, you have wasted so much fucking time. But it does allow you to discover all the bang for a buck things on the airwaves, and I know most of them. Here is my cut at it, some famous, and ones you will have not heard of outside OZ, but I promise you will hear about Emeli real soon.

First of all, Amarc and Angel list, I have been stealing them for years, they empower me, as I hope they will you:

  1. Happiness is a…
  2. What would make you smile right now?
  3. What would make you smile, right now?
  4. What’s one bad habit that makes you miserable?
  5. What do you do when nothing else seems to make you happy?
  6. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?
  7. If Happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?Do you celebrate the things that you have?
  8. What is your happiest childhood memory, what makes it so special?
  9. What makes you smile?

Pretty cool huh? Marc and Angel are pretty special people.

Brian has read all the books we are meant to read. He does the deadliest precis of them on the web, he calls it his 10 big ideas.

So my list begins with:I love their work so much and share it mercilessly. So much so that they invited a penniless Age pensioner in Naarm/Melbourne to come to their live event. I will make it one day to thank them personally for getting me through the dark times.

Luminita aka The purpose Fairy out of Romania and Mindvalley comes in seconds for empowering lists, another on of my chronic reposts.

My new friends are out of South Africa. Yarpies rule. One of their speakers got me to see I am financially free, Super broke, but financially, let’s make some filthy lucre, so we can make a real difference.

The best-ever speaker in the world with no challengers, then and since. Founder of the glorious Est Training, when you listened to him create a distinction, the headache you got as your brainwaves were torn to shreds, was worth the pain.

Your email friend, receive 1 email, not 1,000.

Out of Illinois, you find some strange Facebook friends on the feed. I have loved Chantelles work from day one we friended each other.

Australia Mr Black Magick man out of Byron Bay, he doesn’t give a fuck what he says, as long as it makes a difference.

Two words, Brene Brown.

My dear friend Mastin, I used to steal so many of his quotes back in the days of his Daily Love blog. Now one of the best at trauma on the planet.

Oprah!!!

My Anam Cara, Emili was responsible for a nationwide concert To End poverty, at 24. She is no longer at 24 but after a mental Healthhiatus she is back, watch out,r is very powerful < has been to Rucker Island, met the Dalai lama3 times, once taking the piss, and he laughed. lots of others, By the way, the blonde one, Nicole Gibson of Love out LOud, was Australia’s National Mental Health Ambassador at 24 also, check her work at Love out loud. A very wise woman at a very young age.

To me one of the top ten influential Canadians on the planet. I used to buy her daily planner. It cost more to freght it than it cost. it was worth it though.

Lissa Rankin, her book on Fear, The Fear Cure is the best, no challengers.

Over to me, I finish with some commentary: It’s up to us, Because We can, it’s our Time:,my first paid words. $25 Australian. I believe we can change the world with them. Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included- Rod Williams.

Over to Leonard- The light gets in. Gill Scott-Heron: The revolution will not be Televised.. Back to me: Fuck Rupert Murdoch. I am learning about monetizing i have written 700 blogs and 4.9 million words on possibilty for zero income..

If you like this blog, I don’t want the money, I know I can make it now. Please donate to the organisation I love, The Asylum Seekers Resource Centre in Naarm/Melbourne where we restore people’s dignity stolen by our government when they created the disgusting distinction boat people and turned them into numbers not human beings. We also do food, health and legal stuff, we are very good at it, but no government interference on our watch.

So, meet the people who I think are your allies, they are definitely mine PS, It pisses me off sometimes That it only takes me just over an hour to create these. I may end up having to watch the Beautiful game for a while

PPs, I have committed to finding a million dollars for the ASRC this year, I have $30 of it. I would love you to toss some cash our wat. Go to our website and you will find the donate button there.

Until next time. back to twice a week, Yay!!!

The World of Dance


I was not a born dancer. In fact, clumsy fucker comes to mind around my dancing ability. My first memories of dance are the Lockwood South Memorial Hall outside Bendigo and the Pride of Erin, I was about eight. My mum and dad loved this weekly sojourn, and we kids were dragged along each and every weekend.

I now live for a Dancing Freedom sunset dance outside Melbourne at Kangaroo Ground. led by my beautiful friend Phoenix Onesonf Maradola, the best-set creator in Australia. Throw her some love and sponsor her music on Mixcloud under Whitecalf, you will come out of it ahead because you can cancel your Spotify subscription, so it will only cost you 2,99 Euros instead of $11,00 a month.

Now to Marc and Angels list. This one is titled Success Questions to make you Think:

  1. What’s the number one thing you want to achieve in the next 5 years
  2. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake
  3. What’s something that used to scare you, but no longer does.
  4. What mistakes do you make over and over again?
  5. What did fear of failure stop you from doing?
  6. If you could learn anything, what would it be?
  7. What is something you will continue to do until the day that you die?
  8. What is the best advice you have ever received?
  9. If I were to say to you “Just go for it”, what would it be?
  10. What’s something you must give up to move forward?

Here we go with the quotes and the music, Yay!!!

Ballet touches me in so many ways.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

Tap, One, Two, Three.

Didn’t that Happy song make it big?

No, you are the fool.

Love all the feelings things.

I love you, Mummy and Daddy.

It was not her first step she remembered, it was her first dance movement.

And we know who it is really for, don’t we?

And of course, you dance in the rain.

First crawl, then Dance.

I didn’t know Michael Jordan was a ballet dancer?

And during the Fire element they are so, so loud, aren’t they, Phoenix?

Our dear old blind and deaf dog, Suki knows this emphatically.

So remember Mojo – The Dance of Connection, 5 Rhythms with Rivka, 5 Rhythms with Evelyn and the magnificent Phoenix OneSong Maradola aka White calf.

Now let’s talk about me. I live my life from the ethos of Interculturalism: Love and Respect for All, Everybody included, look for my FB group called Interculturalism and my blog I am an Interculturalist. I would love to join our growing tribe. My saying: It’s up to Us, Because We Can, It’s our Time. The first words I ever got paid the princely sum of $25.00 for. I lived in the hope Greta T. would discover it and it would become the chant of the International school strike movement. She has her own words and I have mine. Remember the reviews, dear friends, and extra Brownie Points for the first one.

Peace Out, thank you, Dane.

Do you listen to your Heart or your Head?


I had a coaching session with my friend Lou today and as per usual she asked me what was showing up and what would I like to work on today. We have been in lock-down for over 200 days in my state of Victoria in the last year and I was feeling it today so I stated that I felt a little empty inside especially in my hands. We did some exercises and I noticed that I was forming fists of anger instead of contacting my heart to resolve the issue of what was having me feel this way.

When do we go in the direction of our heads ILO our hearts to resolve matters of the body. Often I do it when life has pushed me over, when really it’s time to stand up and push back even harder. Where there is a fork in the road and choices to make, make the ones your future self will thank you for. Today,start:

  1. Choosing you.
  2. Appreciating what you have.
  3. Believing in yourself and your dreams.
  4. Being positive.
  5. Taking action.
  6. Letting go.
  7. Picking yourself back up.
  8. Ignoring negative people.
  9. Staying in touch with close friends and family.
  10. Making time for fun.
  11. Spreading love and kindness.
  12. Being the change you want to see in the world.

So what has society said about listening to the heart over the centuries, let’s have a look:

1. Advice Pocahontas gave to the invaders of her land.

2. A woman who could live this life in the face of much controversy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o9rLDCfO6o

3. It won’t matter after you escape, because we will have passed on to another pathway.

4. Some of my great moments live in this realm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCC_b5WHLX0

5. Very practical advice.

6.Tres Cute piece of heart advice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh44QPT1mPE

7. Bold, Brave and Strong, such worthy attributes in life.

8. Bryant McGill is a human potential thought leader, international bestselling author, activist, and social entrepreneur. He is one of the world’s top social media influencers reaching a billion people a year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa7PUQAQ3zo

9. There is a right way to listen, this explains it well.

10. Heart and Soul, they are telling it like it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOubjLM9Cbc

11. This is a mean trick to pull on your body.

12.The first woman to head a Fortune 500 company, hanging around in those circles you definitely would need to know how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5-yKhDd64s&list=PLKsj3BQVDw-_vaWpOlYPbklt4fEbF6OhD

13. The more you follow your heart the shorter you regret list is on your death-bed.

14. Never let the former override the latter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw-0pbY9JeU

15. Don’t doubt your heart!!

Believe in your heart. Listen to your soul as well. Trust your instincts. Acknowledge your own strengths. Dream it and dare it. Do what you are afraid of, and capable of. Follow your vision. Know that anything is possible. Know you Can.

A couple of classics on the playlist today. Elton John leads us off. Then Roxette do that song about hearts followed by Neil Young. 2Pac does a rap cover of Roxette next with Michael Kiwanuka rocking one out next. The penultimate song is Eminem and we complete with Twenty One Pilots: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrsF_nUjfphbe4SiEWUmM-ug

I think your heart wants the best for you but sometimes we forget this when we make mistakes following it and we get scared off. My ethos for Interculturalism: Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included comes from my heart-space. I use two Facebook groups to support the spread of it. The first and oldest is Interculturalism: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Interulturalism, the second is Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to humanity: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949. You are always welcome yo join our band of merry travelers, just click on the links. Until next time my dear friends.

With a Little Help for my Friends!!!


Lockdown number three in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia, bummer. Only 5 days this time, but the dreaded stage four: 5 kilometres and four reasons to leave your home. Even for that short period of time it severely effected two musician friends of mine earnings, they had to cancel their main income making events for the month. When contacted bt them I offered the first to keep the money and send me a download and the second I gave a donation to because she sent us a download for being on her dance crew.

These people keep our hearts open and alive and I am so willing to support them when life gets in their way as this five day hiatus has. I have been a Patreon contributor for over two years for two other friends and Amanda fucking Palmer. This is an excellent way of contributing to people who use these funds to do the work they need to do in the manner that allows them to be most creative. So over time how has the world looked at creativity, lets take a walk down that path:

  1. Musicians impress me in the fact that they are willing to do this for days.

2. There has been no one like you on this planet before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIj4ojGFdDY

3. Maya knows best.

4. Rain and art, two useful cleansers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGB59HuKu-I

5. Being good is enemy number one – Pablo.

6. Being emotive brings out your creativity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjPBrBU-TM&list=PL9A6W9rJ8TCvgGp2wo8IXenyGHqw-v_B7

7. Creativity is a unique form of breath-work.

8. Pablo was as much a philosopher as an artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc2iLAubras

9. Why would you need one if your life is art?

10. An essential part of your daily diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U

11. Art is made up of all colours, or not.

12. He nearly did with that mustache: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6T97kHjKiY

13. A fun creativity list to live life from, Yummy!!

14. Lailah Gifty Akita is enthusiastic inspirational writer, born in Accra, Ghana. She is the author of ‘The Alphabet of Success’ , ‘ Think Great,Be Great; Beautiful Quotes Volume 1 and ‘The Wings of Hope:Survivor’. She is passionate about empowering the mind of young people to fulfill greatest mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76RTRjj7Jmw

15. It is in the eye of the beholder.

So we have the opportunity to be creative day to day, here is a list of questions to ask yourself each Sunday as to how you went:

  1. What did I learn last week?
  2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week?
  3. Which moment from last week was the most memorable and why?
  4. What’s the number one thing I need to accomplish this week?
  5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful?
  6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the coming week?
  7. What was last weeks biggest time sink?
  8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the upcoming week that can be dropped?
  9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done?
  10. What opportunities are still on the table?
  11. is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to?
  12. Is there anyone that deserves a big thankyou?
  13. How can I help someone else this coming week?
  14. What are my top three goals for the next three years?
  15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals?
  16. What’s the next step for each goal?
  17. What am I looking forward to during the coming week?
  18. What are my fears?
  19. What am I most grateful for?
  20. If I knew I had only one week to live, who would I spend my time with?

Take thirty minutes every Sunday and give yourself the gift of self-reflection.

Today’s playlist is not a playlist, it is seven songs because YouTube is playing up: We begin with a new pop diva to me named Lenka. We then go back in time to 10CC. Sia is great next, then two bands, Modern Lovers and Katrina and the Waves. We finish with two international numbers by Mecano and Kuami Eugene.

So we have many opportunities in our lives to give to others, to me give and you will receive helping my world ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included spread to the other 46 countries it has not been read in. Here is the link to join our Facebook group – Thriving People: People who wish to make a difference to Humankind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949

Until we meet again, my dear friends.

You Know, It’s Never to Late!!!


Twelve years ago, after an emotionally abusive long term relationship I decided subconsciously I would never put myself through that again and chose the Life of Being single. I started doing personal development stuff and looked at different issues over the years, this one seemed to slip through to the keeper. Then I met a woman at Mojo. The first time we eye gazed for twenty minutes, the second time we screamed at each other for ten.

I didn’t know what to do, as a single man she could have asked me to fuck her on the dance floor and I probably would have said no. So I spoke to my mentor, who unpacked my single man decision. We then went through an exercise imagining her walk through the door and to see how close she could get to me. Not really close at all at first, just a few steps into the room. Many sessions later, it allowed me to be standing next to her with her in my arms. Nothing happened with this woman, because I was ages away from breaking the single man mould.

Two years later and several failed attempts by women, I have the honour to be in a relationship with a woman I had known six years. She is brave, confronting, loving and willing to go the whole nine yards to make it work. At times I am shit scared that it will not work out again and at other times there is so much ecstasy surging through my body I feel that I will implode.

So what has the human race said about love relationships, lets have a look:

lrel1

1. Everything, my beauty. Not some of it, the fear, the scared little girl, the raging anger, the hurt, all of it.

lrel2

2. What is the name of your street? Mine is Ecstacy Street: Love Street.

lrel3

3. Was I in love before that totally unexpected phone call, maybe?

lrel4

4. This is the final destination I seek: That’s What Friends Are For.

lrel5

5. I cannot put this into actual words, its a feeling.

lrel6

6. No words and I am a wordsmith: Your Smile.

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7. And see you and have you grow side by side.

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8. I love it that you love God, Beauty: Love Of My Life.

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9. Sound familiar?

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10. I hand these to you willingly, beauty: Somebody to Love.

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11. Even when my scared little boy identity fucks up and makes your heart ache, I remember your orgasmic smile.

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12. Helen Keller, blind and deaf: Insightfully speaking the truth: You’re Beautiful.

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13. What exactly is need?

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14. Truth 101: I Love You.

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15. And in the final lesson for this blog, I plead guilty as charged.

The title of this blog was meant to contain the word’s, Lost Life Opportunities as well. Why is this relevant? I reached Age Pension age, 66, one week ago. It is never ever too late. I must mention my life ethos of Love and Respect, Everyone Included. But I will finish with a question, what is going on that humanity trains our hearts to not trust they can be totally loved?

The playlist of love songs starts with The Doors, then the soulful Dionne Warwick and friends, also Rene and Angela.. next, Queen by two.  The penultimate song is by James Blunt and we complete with the one-hit wonders from the sixties, The Volumes: You Know, It’s Never to Late!!!

Until we meet again, my dear friends.

There is no Elevator to Success!!!


I was having a deep and meaningful conversation with a friend into what prevents us from meeting our goals which made me think of Angela Lee Duckworth’s great book Grit: Why Passion and Resilience are the Secrets to Success: Get It Here. 

Here are some great lines from the book: 

“What I mean by a passion is not just that you have something you care about. What I mean is that you care about the same ultimate goal in an abiding, loyal, steady way. You are not capricious. Each day, you wake up thinking of the questions you fell asleep thinking about. You are, in a sense, pointing in the same direction, ever eager to take even the smallest step forward than to take a step to the side, toward some other destination. At the extreme, one might call your focus obsessive. Most of your actions derive their significance from their allegiance to your ultimate concern, your life philosophy. You have your priorities in order.”

“Why were the highly accomplished so dogged in their pursuits? For most, there was no realistic expectation of ever catching up to their ambitions. In their own eyes, they were never good enough. They were the opposite of complacent. And yet, in a very real sense, they were satisfied with being unsatisfied. Each was chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance, and it was the chase— as much as the capture—that was gratifying. Even if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring.

In sum, no matter the domain, the highly successful had a kind of ferocious determination that played out in two ways. First, these exemplars were unusually resilient and hardworking. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted. They not only had determination, but they also had direction.

It was this combination of passion and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit.”

How does the world navigate this thing called Grit: Lets take that journey:

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1. John Ortberg is an evangelical Christian author, speaker, and senior pastor of Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California. One of his publications, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, has sold more than 500,000 copies.

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2. Grit is a lifetime hobby: Work It.

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3. John says give peace a chance, Wayne not Lennon.

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4. You can have it all – that’s what we think as kids, unfortunately, this is taken away from us in our school years: You can Have It All.

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5. I am ……………

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6. Come across to the other side, its fun over here: On the Dark Side.

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7. Passion and Perseverance – Fuck Yeah!!!

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8. Minna Thomas Antrim was an American writer. She is famous for the quote “Experience is a great teacher, but she sends in terrific bills.” She was also well known for her collection of toasts: Say Something.

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9. Way back to the 18th Century and Ralph Waldo Emerson for part of the recipe of Grit.

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10. Thrusting, now that takes Grit: Call on Me.

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11. I agree with Brene, possibly the bravest thing we will ever do.

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12. Never give Up in search of your dreams: Tough Lover.

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13. Ovid, way back in the times of the Roman Emperor was known as a poet of Love.

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14. Jon Gordon, known for his earth-shattering book, The Energy Bus, which is said about: “If you want to fuel your family, your career, your team, and your organization with spirit read this book. Jon’s energy and advice will leap off the page and help you cultivate positive energy in everything you do—and you will make the world a better place for your having been here: We Shall Overcome.

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15. How often are you unyielding, what does it take?

“In fact, when people drop out of things, they do so for a reason. Actually, they do so for different reasons. Any of the following four thoughts might go through your head right before you quit what you’re doing:

‘I’m bored.’
‘The effort isn’t worth it.’
‘This isn’t important to me.’
‘I can’t do this, so I might as well give up.’

There’s nothing wrong—morally or otherwise—with thoughts like these. As I tried to show in this chapter, paragons of grit quit goals, too. But the higher the level of the goal in question, the more stubborn they are about seeing it through. Most important, paragons of grit don’t swap compasses: when it comes to the one, the singularly important aim that guides almost everything else they do, the very gritty tend not to utter the statements above. …

 

Together, the research reveals the psychological assets that mature paragons of grit have in common. There are four. They counter each of the buzz-killers listed above, and they tend to develop, over the years, in a particular order.” They are Interest + Practice + Purpose + Hope.

The playlist today contains quite a few Pop divas: We begin with Rihanna and Drake, Then some rock and roll from Yo Lo Tengo and Eddie and the Cruisers. Two Christina Aguilera tracks are intersected by Eric Prydz and we complete with some wise words from Martin Luther King: There is No Elevator to Success. 

Remember to provide Love and Respect for All, Everbody Included until we next meet, my dear friends.

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The Good News Is You are the Pilot!!


In their inspiring book Getting Back to Happy: Change your Thoughts, Change Your Reality, and Turn Your Trials into Triumphs: Get It Here., Marc and Angel Chernoff explode myths. The one I am writing on today is that you have to wait for the “right time” to make a change in your life. The truth is it is never too late or too early to be who you are capable of being. There’s no time limit on when you can start living the life you’ve dreamed of. There is no mythical door that shuts after you turn a certain age, blocking you off from experiencing the things you want to do.

Happily, life has a way if throwing red flags when it’s time for us to make a change – we have to be watchful for them. With that in mind, take a look at this list and ask yourself: are any of these the reasons I’m unhappy with my life as it is now?

  1. Fear is Holding me Back.
  2. I catch myself feeding the negative.
  3. My mind is everywhere except right here, right now.
  4. I feel pressured to be someone other than myself.
  5. I feel like I’m competing against everybody else.
  6. A relationship is making me miserable.
  7. I feel bored.
  8. I’ve been resisting change.
  9. Other people are writing my story for me.

If any of these resonate with you, you certainly aren’t alone. Many people are afraid to step forward and change their situation simply because they don’t know how or because they’re afraid to fail. Remember, it’s always better to take an imperfect step forward than to take no step at all.

So, it is time to have a look at what society says about this situation:

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1. Without doing this you live yesterday after yesterday. I think its called Groundhog Day.

 

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2. After several failed attempts, Danny Sullivan won the Indy 500 and totalled $2 million dollars winning from 12 starts: The Time of My Life.

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3. Inspiring Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, points out that the possibility is now.

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4. You will know when: Right Place, Right Time.

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5. But giving up your fear of failure will give it a more than even chance of it being the right time.

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6. I vote for making it: Hustle.

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7. Watch what they do, not what they say. Actions speak louder than words.

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8. Don’t give up, we all have mistakes along our journey: Don’t Give Up.

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9. They wrote some great song lyrics.

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10. As the navigator, you have to be right here, right now: The Navigator.

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11. Take that imperfect step into the above.

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12. When to do it by a man who changed the direction of the United States: His Greatest Speech.

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13. Begin it Now.

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14. Find the Others: Friends.

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15. We have the same 24 hours as Martin Luther King had, go for your dreams.

Rarely is life going to work out perfectly, and rarely will the stars align. If you’re waiting around to gather all the resources you think you need to take the next step forward, before you know it, you will have wasted all the time you have. Changing your situation is about being mindful of what you want to change- and then finding the one thing you can do first to improve it. That one action might not change everything, but it will put you on the path to something better.

The Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes classic starts the playlist today. Then the million-selling Olly Murs who I had never heard of. Jamelia funks it up next, then a superb live version of Peter Gabriels biggest hit. A  grungy offering from The Pogues, then some wise words from MLK, finishing with Ed Sheeran: The Good News is That you are the Pilot.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time we meet, my dear friends.

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