Don’t Squander Joy!!

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Rod's World

I went along to watch a friend do her graduation performance at a transformational program she had been participating in called The Voices Of. In it, Ally embraced the voices of her INNER CHILD, INNER WISDOM, FEAR, SHADOW, DO-ER & DREAMER, she had come to find her TRUE VOICE. It was one of the most joyous evenings I have been to in a long time. Here’s a link to the website for it if you wish to know more: Voices of Movement.

It made me think about what brings you joy in my life. Is it music, sex, food? There are many ways to feel it, let’s have a look at what they say about it:

1. From the author of the iconic novels Treasure island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson points to the fact joy is a feeling, not something that can be truly expressed in words.

2. Joy is a choice we must make daily, I made it last night by attending Ally’s graduation. To experience it today I must continue to choose it: I Choose You.

3. Can’t you feel it bubbling up just wanting to burst through, have a joyous day!!

4. Get out your fishing net of love, there is a soul full of joy waiting for you: Heart Full of Soul.

5. How do you have joy occur in your life, you focus on the things that make you feel that way.

6. What do you hold as holy, what keeps you warm and aglow? For me it’s music and blogging: Eternal Flame.

7. Your life is not somewhere to get to, It is a journey. Finding joy in that will make for a more enjoyable one.

8. It doesn’t change who you are when you get to your goal. If you are not joyful on the way there don’t expect it will change miraculously when you achieve it: Joyful Journey.

9. Until his final years, Wagner’s life was characterised by political exile, turbulent love affairs, poverty and repeated flight from his creditors. His controversial writings on music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment, notably, since the late 20th century, where they express antisemitic sentiments. The effect of his ideas can be traced in many of the arts throughout the 20th century; his influence spread beyond composition into conducting, philosophy, literature, the visual arts and theatre.

10. One of my favourite writers Wayne Dyer reminds us that we knew this when we came into the world, so how did it become something that we have to battle for as we get older: Be Natural.

11. If you lead a life of gratitude for the simple things joy will flourish in your life on a daily basis.

12. This is a list of joyful events I attempt to practice daily because it certainly would be a case of Incredible Joy: Singing In The Rain.

13. Joy is not a destination , it’s a state of being. There is a borough named Mount Joy in Pennsylvania though.

14. Thich Nhat Hanh says some mightily obtuse things at times. You will always get a huge amount from them. This song came up next on Youtube, I think it defines joy appropriately: A Spoonful of Sugar.

15. From the world’s most prodigious and famous philosopher, Anon. comes the reminder that when you are giving joy it cannot help but stick to you as well.

So joy is available in your life, if you want it to be, I say don’t squander the opportunities day by day.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

The Best Part of our Hearts!!

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Rod's World

In my community paper the Northcote Leader there was an amazing story of kindness reported the other day. Members of the community donated enough for a family to replace their car to take their daughter to school who has cerebral palsy after they were involved in an accident and their car was written off.

Stories like this remind me of the kindness of strangers and not to give in to the dross that is marketed as mainstream media, that of death, killing, war and anything that seems to bring community spirit down. How do we remember to be kind each day, lets go there:

1. Confucius was born in 551 B.C., I think it is still relevant after all these years. Gratitude is a great gift to receive but is it gratitude if you expect it?

2. Models do not win citizens of the year very often. We do not make these decisions on looks but what difference these people make: Lean on Me.

3. Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin ; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist. She is equally well known for her much publicized romantic affairs with a number of artists, including Polish composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin and the writer Alfred de Musset. Wonder why she used a male pseudonym?

4. One of the main benefits of Kindness, we rise together: Rise.

5. Watching small children meet each other without judgement to me is the best example of this on the planet.

6. Did you know there is a good news network : http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org – perhaps we can sack CNN: Good Times.

7. I think I’ll hop on Raymond, my pet unicorn and spread lots of this today.

8. How many strength building exercises do you do a day, get your kindness muscle out and play: Be Strong.

9. What would they write on the grave of the person who did this – I’m sure it would include a life well lived.

10. I gave up organised religion a long time ago, perhaps I could take on this one: Lady Gaga and Dalai Lama on Kindness.

11. Your new daily practice.

12. A man who inspires me as much as his holiness, Lao Tzu, I recommend you read his books: How to write a Love Song.

13. Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (born Jesse Louis Burns; October 8, 1941) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. Senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He is the founder of the organizations that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. Former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. is his eldest son. Jackson was also the host of Both Sides with Jesse Jackson on CNN from 1992 to 2000.

14. Let’s do this: One Tribe.

15. Renewing humanity, the ultimate task for people today.

So lets shout out that kindness is one of the factors that makes up the best of our heart, A Ho!!!

Namaste until next time we meet, my dear friends.

After the Hard Climb!!

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Rod's World

What is the best view you have seen? I couldn’t think of a word or distinction for today so I just typed in inspirational quotes in google images and was amazed by what came up. I suppose I would count the Grand Canyon as the greatest I have seen. To see best views you have to put in an effort to get there, so let’s have a look at what quotes have inspired people in getting to their best views of life:

1. They say the reaction time of elite athletes is phenomenal compared to that of the average punter on the street due to their reaction time. The average punter would not have moved by the time the target had arrived that the elite athlete manipulates so easily.

2. They say that when people pass a majority of them talk about the things they regret they did not do. That says something to me about taking as many chances as you can in your life: No Regrets.

3. Often we make our lives a misery by thinking more about what we want than what we have. raise the gratitude level daily and your happiness level will increase.

4. Set your controls for the heart of the sun, or the controls will set them for you and you have no idea where you may end up: Set Your Controls.

5. George Bernard Shaw, known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, and polemicist whose influence on Western theater, culture, and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman, Pygmalion, and Saint Joan. With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

6. Live your life to the full, remember you were destined to be: Leader of the Pack.

7. Moment by moment you can take a chance in life or you can go back to what you know, but life will go on whatever you do.

8. Before Enlightenment, chopping wood, after enlightenment chopping wood, one thing at a time, it’s all you can do: Step by Step.

9. Exactly where you need to be even if it didn’t feel that great getting there.

10. Doing a new program this week I now know about ten people I did not know before, I am a different person because of that: Changes.

11. Open the lens of your life, if it’s not a great shot take another one.

12. And remember to stop and smell the roses, or observe the beauty of the planet from time to time: Time after Time.

13. I don’t always remember to breath when I am in my head. I have to let go to do that.

14. And the best kind is a deep faith in yourself because you gotta have: Faith.

15. Originality cannot be made better by rubbing it out.

So lets Live life to the fullest so that we get to see the best views on the world.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Dare to Say you Will!!

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Rod's World

I’m reading Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly at the moment – subtitled How the Courage to be Vulnerable transforms the way we Live, Love, Parent and Lead. The section I am reading is on shame and how that is one of the most primitive emotions and the only people who don’t experience shame are those who lack empathy and human connection.

B.I.G. is an acronym Brene uses – what boundaries need to be in place for you to keep my integrity to think the most generous things about you. How do you communicate that deep love so that people know that they are not alone, that you are feeling with them, me too brother and sister!!

So what have we said about dare to say yes you will, let’s go on a journey of daring greatly:

1. Are we at our greatest when we are in the heights of chaotic behaviour? Get in contact with your soul and the courage will deal with it.

2. JFK is quoting Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena speech here, with the great line ” at least fails while daring greatly “. If you fly at a high level it will include failure as well as success: Find the cost of Freedom.

3. Ass Kicking, it’s what you are taking on when you get in the arena, you own and other people’s.

4. Outside the world of chauvinistic leadership styles exists the above style – building each other up versus tearing others down: I’m Every Woman.

5.How disempowering is the statement what if, what if it doesn’t work out, they don’t like me, they do like me, these two simple words have the power to cripple you from being in action.

6. How often do you ask for what you need? Or do you listen to that little voice in your head as to why their answer will be no: Somebody that I used to Know.

7. The love human connection creates, the synergy of becoming real with each other is one of the great acts of daring greatly.

8. I was born in Warracknabeal, a small town in North Central Victoria. It is not the birthplace of what I am hungry for in my life, that’s my soul: Soul Sacrifice

9. And here is Theodore’s actual speech that JFK plagiarised.

10. I have shadow and light cards, the intro states that you must work on both. Hoping that life will be all light is crazy: Shadows and Light.

11. Daring greatly often is this simple or this life threatening, you choose.

12. Jessie Redmon Fauset (April 27, 1882 – April 30, 1961) was an American editor, poet, essayist, novelist, and educator. Before and after working on The Crisis, she worked for decades as a French teacher in public schools in Washington, DC and New York City. In her early career, she travelled to Paris in the summer and studied at La Sorbonne: Being Black.

13. Daring Greatly includes doing the simple things as well.

14. You must do the thing you think you cannot do, so elegant a solution: Warrior.

15. How many days a week do you show up. It’s our chance to let our true selves show up.

O.K. when you wake up in the morning each day, look in the mirror and say I will, then whatever you do that day is you daring greatly.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

This is Brilliant, You are Awesome!!

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Rod's World

Caught up with the woman who started my blogging career tonight at a publicity do for her book on writing, Use your Words. I did her Gunnas writing course about two years ago and had not committed a word to print before attending. I am now up to blog 187. Here’s a link to her web page, if you ever intend writing your words, check it out: Catherine’s web page.

Cath gave some amazing tips during her talk, one being don’t seek feedback, they are your words, write them and then find a publisher or self-publish. Also, that whoever tells you that writing is easy is bullshitting you, It’s hard.

So what does the world say about the art of writing your words, let’s have a look.

1. I think I have done some things worth writing about. Interrupting the main street of Leningrad to run down with the mayor and the Minister for Sport on a Friday afternoon being one of them.

2. Great books to me are just as visually stunning as a great painting. The images you create as you read the words stick with you as long as seeing the Mona Lisa or Blue Poles : You’re The Voice.

3. People probably think Elizabeth Gilbert sat down one day and churned out the million-selling Eat, Pray, Love. Gilbert earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from New York University in 1991, after which she worked as a cook, a bartender, a waitress, and a magazine employee. She wrote of her experience as a cook on a dude ranch in short stories, and also briefly in her book The Last American Man (Viking 2002). It was not until 2006 she wrote Eat, Pray, and Love.

4. I have probably written as many wrong words as I have words that have ended up in these blogs: Elastic Heart.

5. I stopped writing this blog for three months when I had a thinking block that went something like this: No one is reading it anyway, so what will it matter if I stop.

6. I put Namaste at the end of every blog I write, it means one soul recognizes another. I hope that you can see mine in my writing : Say my Name.

7. We are all organisms, from our pet cats to the curious breed known as writers.

8. The world’s greatest booby prize, perfectionism. At the Gunnas master class, our first exercise was to write for 5 minutes, which was actually 15 which proved to us all that we could write: Hear You Me.

9. Just start your writing, now not later.

10. My 89-year-old mum can still recite William Wordsworth’s I wander lonely as a cloud. It must have filled her heart upon reading it. William got his job done: Daffodils.

11. I don’t know how many times I have thought is that revealing too much Like that I have been hospitalised 6 times for mental health issues, then I realise writing is not about censorship.

12. Motivation follows action, do you give up your designated writing times and word targets, never ever ever: Instant Crush.

13. What people think of your work is none of your business, as long as it makes you a better person, who gives a shit.

14. Write real words, real stories about real people, because that is who you are writing them for.

15. I only found out about Maya Angelou after she had passed. Maya Angelou , born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

I say I am a blogger, but am willing to own that I am a writer as well. I think the two words mean the same thing.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.