Yes, Life is Tough but You are Tougher!!

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Rod's World

Nobody gets through life without losing someone they love, someone they need, or something they thought was meant to be. But it is these losses that make us stronger and eventually move us toward future opportunities for growth and happiness.

I really like Marc Chernoff’s list: 40 lessons for finding strength in hard times, here they are:

You are not what happened to you in the past.
Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.
Struggling with problems is a natural way of growing.
It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.
Life is fragile, sudden, and shorter than it often seems.
You will fail sometimes.
You have the capacity to create your own happiness.
Emotionally separate yourself from your problems.
Don’t make a problem bigger than it is.
Everything that happened is a life lesson.
View every challenge as an educational assignment.
Things change, but the sun always rises the next day.
Giving up and moving on are two very different things.
Distance yourself from negative people.
Perfect relationships don’t exist.
You must love yourself too.
Don’t let others make decisions for you.
Resentment hurts you, not them.
You’re not alone. Everyone has problems.
You still have a lot to be thankful for.
Consciously nurture your inner hope.
It’s better to be hurt by the truth than comforted by a lie.
It’s hard to tell how close you are to success.
Not getting what you want can be a blessing.
Laughter is the best medicine to stress.
Mistakes are important to make.
Worrying is literally a waste of energy.
Even when it’s hard to move, take small steps forward.
There will always be people who dislike you.
You are better off without some people you thought you needed.
You can’t control everything that happens to you.
You are only competing against yourself.
Life is not Easy.
Your future is spotless.
You are not trapped; you just need to re-learn a few things.
Everything in life is two-sided.
You always have a choice.
Let others in when you’re in a dark place.
If you ask negative questions, you will get negative answers.
The end is a new beginning.

How does the world recommend you move forward in hard times, let’s take that journey:

1. The answers are not out there, you are looking in the wrong place if you are seeking the solution from others.

2. Love truthfully and unconditionally, a worthwhile life to lead: Soul Kinda Feeling.

3. I survived after five years of mental health crises, that was my true inner strength speaking.

4. And then there are times you use your inner strength in service of others: Praise You.

5. From the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund points us towards where our strengths come from.

6. You are the creation of your experiences: You Get What You Give.

7. And then there is meditation.

8. And then your Inner Pilot Light is always on your side: Don’t Stop Believing.

9. My friend Em took me in my troubled waters recently, my trust in myself was totally cleansed.

10, And from a singer of both types of music, Sara Evans points out from little things, big things can grow: A Little Bit Stronger.

11. Nothing, Nada, Nil.

12. My 2019 set out for me: Small Stuff.

13. All champions know it is not the destination but the inner journey that is the more important to achieving the final result.

14. How much dust have you shaken off recently: Shake It Off.

15. And some advice from Yoda: May the Force be With You. Some days are harder than others to locate it.

So, say to yourself: “Dear Past, thank you for all the life lessons you have taught me. Dear Future, I am ready now!” Because a great beginning always occurs at the point you thought would be the end of everything.

Not many divas on the playlist today, mainly rock and both types of music, country and western. We rock it through the first four artists with Dynamic Hepnotics, Fatboy Slim, The New Radicals and Journey. Then Sara Evans and Alabama provide both types and we complete with Taylor Swift: Yes, Life is Tough, But You are Tougher.

So today, show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included to your beloveds until we meet again, my dear friends.

All Good is Hard, All Evil is Easy.

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Rod's World

Today is a follow up on habits via Marc and Angel Chernoff’s excellent book: 1000+ Little Thing Happy Successful People Do Differently: Marc and Angel Hack Life. Using my write about the page you open up to formulae, we come to 30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth.

The chapter begins with the following statement: Scientists have suggested that, with a little willpower, it takes roughly 30 days for a person to form a new habit. As with mastering anything new, the act of starting and getting beyond the preliminary stage where everything feels awkward is 80% of the battle. This is precisely why it’s important to make small positive changes every day over the course of at least a 30-day challenge.

Marc then offers you 30 suggestions, here they are:

Use words that encourage happiness
Try one new thing every day.
Perform one selfless act every day.
Learn and practice one new skill every day.
Teach someone something new every day.
Dedicate an hour a day to something you are passionate about.
Treat everyone nicely, even those who are rude to you.
Concentrate on being positive at all times.
Address and acknowledge the lesson in inconvenient situations.
Pay attention and enjoy your life as it happens.
Get rid of one thing a day for 30 days.
Create something brand new in less than 30 days.
Don’t tell a single lie for 30 days.
Wake up 30 minutes early every morning.
Ditch 3 bad habits for 30 days.
Watch less than 30 minutes of TV every day.
Define one long-term goal and work on it for an hour every day.
Read one chapter of a good book every day.
Every morning, watch or read something that inspires you.
Do something every day after lunch that makes you laugh.
Go alcohol and drug-free for 30 days.
Exercise for 30 minutes every day for 30 days.
Get uncomfortable and face a fear every day.
Cook one brand new healthy recipe every day.
Spend 10 minutes every evening reflecting on what went well.
Have a conversation every day with someone you rarely do.
Pay down debt and don’t create any new debt for 30 days.
Let go of one relationship that constantly hurts you.
Publicly forgive someone who deserves another chance.
Document every day with one photograph and one paragraph.

We often use the excuse that I don’t know where to begin, what does society say about that: let’s have a look:

1. Recently I walked across 8 Km of beach rocks, I have no sense of balance, I definitely grew from this situation.

2. The challenges begin within, after all, you made them a challenge: This Time.

3. The picture says it all.

4. Ralph puts it in your face why we challenge ourselves: Growth.

5. To spell words correctly.

6. In your challenges lie all your meaningful accomplishments: One Life.

7. One small step forward a day is all it takes.

8. Your Gut Feelings, that is what you want to know, stop ignoring them: Gut Feeling.

9. I think Ralph should be talking to his lawyers about the origin of Gail’s quote.

10. It’s really saying shake off the limits, isn’t it.: No Limit.

11. Stop playing small!!

12. Marlen Esparza is an American boxer. In May 2012, she qualified to compete at the 2012 Olympics, becoming the first American woman to qualify for the Olympics in the first year that women’s boxing was an Olympic event. She won the bronze medal in the women’s flyweight division at the 2012 Olympics in London: You Can Do It.

13. Me, Myself, I: Challenge them all.

14. Set your controls for the heart of the Sun: Chandelier.

15. And some worldly advice from big Tone to finish.

You can’t do all these challenges at once, but they will make for an inspired 2019. As you progress through these challenges remember personal growth is a slow, steady process. It can’t be rushed. You need to work on it gradually every day. There is ample time for you to be who you want to be in life. Don’t settle for less than what you think you deserve or less than you know you can be. Despite the struggles, you will face along the way, never give up on yourself. You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as capable as you have ever imagined.

Today’s playlist lies in the Hip Hop stadium with three offerings. We begin with Pia Toscano, then enter the stadium with Offset. Rock offerings from Boyce Avenue and Devo follow. Usher and Ice Cube make their entry and we complete with Australia’s own Sia: All Good is Hard, All Evil is Easy.

Remember to show Love and Respect to All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends:

We are What we Repeatedly Do!!

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Rod's World

Have you heard of James Clear, he wrote the insightful book on getting done what you want to called – Atomic Habits An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones: Get it Here, Free Shipping Worldwide.

People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clears reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy.

These small changes will have a revolutionary effect on your career, your relationships, and your life.

He sums it up with the following statement:

“If you find yourself struggling to build a good habit or break a bad one, it is not because you have lost your ability to improve. It is often because you have not yet crossed the Plateau of Latent Potential. Complaining about not achieving success despite working hard is like complaining about an ice cube not melting when you heated it from twenty-five to thirty-one degrees. Your work was not wasted; it is just being stored. All the action happens at thirty-two degrees. When you finally break through the Plateau of Latent Potential, people will call it an overnight success. … Mastery requires patience. The San Antonio Spurs, one of the most successful teams in NBA history, has a quote from social reformer Jacob Riis hanging in their locker room: ‘When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it—but all that had gone before.’”

So how are you with creating good habits, then again how is the planet, let’s have a look.

1. Blessed may your day be if you take this on.

2. What a simple action per day can do for your future: The Seven Habits.

3. It’s not the peak experiences that make the ultimate difference, It’s what you do after them when it comes to light.

4. The first ingredient in a brand new future: Have It All.

5. Napoleon Hill is the grandfather of the self-development movement, He is known best for his book Think and Grow Rich (1937) which is among the 10 best selling self-help books of all time.

6. Have we been listening, Aristotle who made this statement was born in 384 BC: This is How We Do.

7. What’s your favourite addiction, is it good or bad for you?

8. You wake up one day and feel really motivated. But that will not produce the result, taking up the habit of what you were motivated about is where the answer lies: Burn Bright.

9. Sixty a day of these for ten years then I became a marathon runner.

10. Self Love will help you walk this path: Love Myself.

11. They are also known as breakthroughs.

12. Make your destiny a grand one, in whichever way that shows up for you: High Hopes.

13. Step one, write a bad poem, paint a crap portrait, just begin a new habit today.

14. Maya is one of my top ten on the internet: Yum: And Still I Rise.

15. Oops, seems they left out a bit in Aristotle’s quote at number Six, makes more sense now.

How to Create a Good Habit and then How to Break a Bad Habit The 1st law (Cue) Make it obvious. Make it invisible. The 2nd law (Craving) Make it attractive. Make it unattractive. The 3rd law (Response) Make it easy. Make it difficult. The 4th law (Reward) Make it satisfying. Make it unsatisfying. This seems like it would be simple enough to do , but with the busyness, we fill our life up with these days, maybe not so, time to unclutter and allow space for some new good habits.

The playlist today is full of pop diva songs of possibility: We begin with Jannah Bolin, then Jason Mraz. Three great pop divas follow: Kate Perry, Natalie Grant and Hailee Steinfeld. Then a bit of Electronica from Panic at the Disco finishing with some sage wisdom from Maya Angelou. Enjoy: We are What We Repeatedly Do.

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

Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold The Pen!!

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Rod's World

Back to Marc and Angel Chernoff for today’s blog, I stubbed my toe on their book 1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently: Hit them Up… As is my practice when writing about a possibility I open the book to any page and voila, that is the subject for today. On page 139 is the heading “10 Ways to WRITE a Life Story Worth Living” appeared.

The chapter begins with the following words from Marc:

‘When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen. Make conscious choices every day that align your actions with your values and your dreams. because the way you live each day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day you make a choice as to whether the sentence ends in a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point.”

He then offers 10 ideas for writing a life story worth living:

Find a Passion that makes you come alive.
Work hard on that Passion.
Live happily in your own way.
Change your path when you must, but keep moving forward.
When the going gets rough, keep fighting.
Let go of the past and live consciously in the future.
Embrace new ideas, lessons, and challenges.
Appreciate the little things in life that mean a lot.
Live honourably through kindness.
Spend quality time with people you love.

What a beautiful, inspiring list, I’m willing to take it on. Now lets have a look at what the world has said about writing your own story, let’s take that journey:

1. This beautiful image could be included on your vision board.

2. Not all testimony is in the negative: when you have the feeling your words can make a difference, speak them: Song for Someone.

3. Yes, You, the unique human being you are. Go on, you can do it.

4. Mine says I am an Interculturalist: Love and Respect for All, Everyone included. Over to You: Live your Story.

5. As Helen says, It will not always be easy. As Marc’s point 5 says, keep fighting during these time. Each little step makes a difference.

6. To my new friend Josie, you are editing at the moment, your writing is magnificent: Write your Story.

7. Excitement to me is covered in the expression Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs.

8. Ready, Set Write!!!: So Much Magnificence.

9. Even the stars don’t necessarily have great stories. Greta was one of Hollywood’s shining lights in her time.

10. And how could we leave out Deepak when writing about our lives: Change Your Life.

11. Or Brene!!!

12. 我是, Wer bin Ich, qui suis-je, ko wai Ahau, kas aš esu, هستم: Who I am.

13. We all have friends we can do this with: don’t be stingy.

14. To each of our glorious adventures: Yay!!!: This Is Me.

15. And finally, some blank pages for you.

I will finish with some more words from Marc and Angel:

‘If you live honourably, no matter how old you get, you’ll never lose your beauty; it will gradually shift from your face to your heart. And remember, there is no better exercise for the heart than reaching out and holding the hand of someone in need.’

Today’s playlist even contains both types of music, County and Western. We begin with U2. Then to the European continent for Auli’i Cravalho and Francesca Battistelli. I just had to put in Miten and Deva Premal’s song about magnificence. Who would have thought I would ever include a Little Mix song, but here one is. Jessica Andrews is next and we complete with the cast of the Greatest Showman: Remember, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold The Pen.

So remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time we meet, my dear friends:

Paradise has never been about Places!!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Rod's World

Not about a book this time, it’s about an experience. On the weekend I attended Collective Potential’s People on Purpose retreat: Here’s their contact page. My friend Emeli, the facilitator had a surprise for us on Saturday night, it would test my physical and trust issues to the Nth degree. I had to let my fears of walking down any slight slope when I inherited when I fell down an escalator drunk at the age of 18, a long time to hold onto something seeing I am now 64, but my balance has been shot ever since.

I am one of the worlds great givers, even having the nom de plume, The World’s Greatest Volunteer, but am sometimes naff at receiving, I realise there is a profound cost to this, but have trained myself harshly from the I am Unlovable shadow world.

What I learned was the power of the tribe, of true connection, can have people do things that they had told themselves they were incapable of. What has the world said about the power of connection over the decades, let’s have a look:

1. Number one spot to Brene, the Queen of Vulnerability.

2. I love the quote: You can get a kiss easily enough, having sex isn’t that hard really, but finding those people that touch your soul, that’s another thing: Listen To Your Heart.

3. Relationship 101.

4. Find Your Others: People Help the People.

5. Actions not words, true connections not Roses…

6. As James, the financial planner on the retreat said, you do not change your habits overnight, this is especially true in relationships: Time after Time.

7. For the Barbara De Angelis fan on the retreat.

8. I was the elder at 64, there were lots in their 20’s and 30’s, even a teenager I think: Human.

9. Albert was born in the 18th Century, still relevant today.

10. Too me this is more profound in shared experience: Shared Experiences.

11. They are your weirdo’s after all.

12. Has to slip in Emeli’s favourite word: Purpose: Love Connection.

13. I think I did this with someone on the weekend, we don’t meet them that often, Emeli was one for me, so glad to meet another.

14. I have had these conversations, and they have gone for days: Fresh.

15. Nada!!!

So go out there and find your others, allow true connection in your life, Collective Potential is a great place to start if you are new to the journey.

The playlist today has some certifiable classics in it: We begin with Roxette, then Birdy’s anthem to People. One of my top ten songs by Cyndi Lauper, then the bass tones of Rag and Bone Man. An unknown electronic classic by Menog. And what would a love connection playlist be without some Bollywood by Shubham Tiwari and some disco to finish off by Kool and the Gang…

Remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends.

Breath in Experience, Breath out Poetry.

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Rod's World

I recently attended the most transformational training week of my youthful 64 years. It is commonly known as ISTA, short for the International School of Temple Arts: Here’s the Link. In my over 350 blogs I normally write about books on a possibility, one of the other participants asked me, You aren’t going to write about this, are you? As one of the agreements is to only share your experiences, here I go.

Some background from the source:

We live at a unique and critical time on earth. At the same time as we are faced with incredible challenges to the survival of the diversity of life and consciousness on our planet, we are experiencing an incredible awakening of human potential. Not only are new energies emerging but for the first time in history, the wisdom heritage of all our cultures and traditions is available for integration just as it is most needed.

There have always been temples and mystery schools on earth where the deep teachings on sexual and spiritual wisdom were practised, developed and taught. These centres were often the hidden cause for the advancement of civilizations. Now we have a global civilization and these temples are once again emerging into the light, blossoming like chakras and Nadi points as the light body of the earth is awakened and energized.

So what has society said about transformational experiences over the years, lets take that journey:

1. What our logical mind wants to do almost instantly, explain it away.

2. We all took the opportunities that were offered during the week to the levels our identity would allow a change in: Changes.

3. I received the gifts of Massive trust and energy from the Earth as I walk on this new planet.

4. The ISTA community, you join after spending a week in the field. Prior to that your already I have done ISTA friends will just hug you when you tell them you are going to do it: You Belong With Me.

5. To me, my priceless moment was witnessing a process and looking out over the field and realising there was nothing wrong going on, just total trust.

6. One of my top ten, have learnt so much off this beautiful spirit: Let It Go.

7. Integration time.

8. Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, and journalist. His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism. He wrote in his essay The Rebel that his whole life was devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still delving deeply into individual freedom. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44 in 1957, the second youngest recipient in history: Going Under.

9. Much easier after ISTA.

10. Certainly, the journey I took has me much closer to this place: I Was Here.

11. I am so looking forward to where this new trust and energy will take me, and I don’t really care that I don’t know.

12. Back to ancient China for this one, so many of our hearts are now travelling this path: Listen to Your Heart.

13. And the ability of our skilled facilitators, Stephanie, Sean and Elaine.

14. Could my new energy take me here, Who Knows: Africa.

15. And we certainly did in that beautiful space known as the ISTA field.

The two main takeaways I received are an increase in my trust of myself and others to the Nth degree and an energy emanating from the earth that feels volcanic in nature and a sense I do not know what my future will be, and that’s a great thing.

Today’s playlist has some classic sings and songs. We begin with Mr David Bowie then one of the great pop divas Taylor Swift. A musical number from Frozen follows, then some great rock from Evanescence and her highness Beyonce. Two older memories from Roxette and Toto close out the list: Breathe in Experience, Breathe out Poetry.

Remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends.

Choose to Shine!!

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Rod's World

I have returned to Marc and Angel Chernoff’s first book 1,000 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently, which was the book I discovered this remarkable couple through – Get on Board. Using my write about the page you open to, I am writing about 12 Choices Winners Make Every Day. How do you relate to the term winning: Here is what Marc says about it:

‘Follow in the steps of a winner. Don’t wake up at seventy-five-years of age, sighing over what you should have tried. Just do it, and be willing to fail and learn along the way. At least you will know you gave it your best shot.

At the end of the day, whether you chose to go with it, flow with it, resist it, change it, or hide from it, life goes on. If what you did today didn’t turn out as you hoped, tomorrow is a new opportunity to do it differently or to do nothing at all. What’s important to realise is that you have a choice.”

Here are the 12 choices they suggest:

They don’t give up on the things they believe in.
They work with and spend time with, the right people.
They concentrate on the present.
They maintain a positive attitude.
They endure the pain.
They ignore the naysayers.
They live through Love.
They accept 100% responsibility for their current situation.
They take action and plant the right seeds.
They don’t lose themselves in the commotion.
They appreciate what they have.
They make a positive difference.

A pretty great list – let us look at winning:

1. A definite win in your life when this happens.

2. You don’t have to win every battle, choose wisely which ones you fight: Battle Hymn of The Republic.

3. This would be winning, in my eyes.

4. You can choose Yes or No, It’s up to you: No Excuses.

5. Another way to spell winning.

6. Renee Oldstead is an American actress and jazz singer. She is a vegan. She appeared in a PETA ad, Fish Are Friends Not Food, urging her fans to become vegan themselves. In 2012, Olstead joined PETA’s campaign to free the elephant Mali from captivity at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, where she has been alone for the last three decades: Count on Me.

7. Win or Lose, it’s your choice.

8. All of your friends like this, they are your winners: Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

9. Shadow and Light, we move between them constantly.

10. Where is your winning post?: A Thousand Miles.

11. An unusual take on winning by a very famous man.

12. And you will have won: Time of My Life.

13. What are your winning values?

14. Internal not external: You can get it If You Really Want It.

15. Show me new ways, and then I can win at what I previously lost at.

Zig Ziglar has a great saying about winning: “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

Today’s playlist begins with the United States Army Field Band, then pop diva Meghan Trainor. Bruno Mars then funks it up, followed by a Queen rock anthem. Then two females – Vanessa Carlton and Madonna, finishing with Jimmy Cliff.

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

Great Heart Will Not Be Denied.

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Rod's World

In their excellent book, The Tools: Get it here. Phil Stutz and Barry Michels, offer 5 tools for efficiency. The Tools is a dynamic, results-oriented practice that defies the traditional approach to therapy. Instead of focusing on the past, this groundbreaking method aims to deliver relief from persistent problems and restore control–and hope–to users right away. Every day presents challenges–big and small–that the tools transform into opportunities to bring about bold and dramatic change in your life. These transformative techniques will teach you how to

GET UNSTUCK: Master the things you are avoiding and live in forward motion.
CONTROL ANGER: Free yourself from out-of-control rage and never-ending grudges.
EXPRESS YOURSELF: Learn the secret of true confidence and find your authentic voice.
COMBAT ANXIETY: Stop obsessive worrying and negative thinking.
FIND DISCIPLINE: Activate willpower and make the most of every minute. A change in attitude won’t stop you from screaming because attitudes can’t control behaviour; they’re not strong enough. To control behavior you need a specific procedure to use at a specific time to combat a specific problem. That’s what a tool is. … The point is that a tool—unlike an attitude adjustment—requires you to do something. Not only does it take work, but it is also work you have to do over and over again—every time you get frustrated. A new attitude means nothing unless followed by a change in behaviour. The surest way to change.

THE TOOLS There are five tools. Each solves a different type of challenge and is associated with a different “Higher Force.” Here they are in a nutshell:

Tool #1: The Reversal of Desire. The Higher Force: Forward Motion.

Tool #2: Active Love. The Higher Force: Outflow

Tool #3: Inner Authority. The Higher Force: Self-Expression

Tool #4: The Grateful Flow. The Higher Force: The Source

Tool #5: Jeopardy, The Higher Force: Willpower

They say Willpower is the most important to master, how are you with willpower on a daily basis, How has society spoken about its importance over time, let us have a look:

1. I love Dan Millman’s book, The Way of the Warrior, a really deep look at Willpower.

2. Willpower does not occur overnight, it is an ongoing practice that develops over time: Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.

3. One of the great challenges of building willpower.

4. I’m going through a period of flabbiness at the moment, so glad to read this and take it on: In My Feelings.

5. Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.

6. I remember playing football with my classmates back in the day. Three or four had the ability to make the highest level, yet only one did, what separated him was his determination to succeed at all costs: Believe.

7. On the journey to Willpower, you will discover what to let go of.

8. Yes or No?: Changes.

9. Pay the Full Price and you will reach your graduation day.

10. A very satirical poster on Willpower, do not give in: Wake Up.

11. Make Willpower one of your New Years Resolutions and keep it.

12. Known for his starring role in the Superman movie, On May 27, 1995, Reeve was left quadriplegic after being thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia. He used a wheelchair and needed a portable ventilator to breathe for the rest of his life. He lobbied on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries and for human embryonic stem cell research, founding the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Centre: The Impossible Dream.

13. Mother Teresa places it at top of the list.

14. Back a few centuries for this quirky take on willpower: When a Blind Man Cries.

15. And finally, from The Girls Guide to Health webpage, a gift for you.

A final comment from the authors on Why, Willpower?

“A few rare individuals refuse to have limited lives. They drive through tremendous amounts of pain—from rejections and failures to shorter moments of embarrassment and anxiety. They also handle the small, tedious pain required for personal discipline, forcing themselves to do things we all know we should do but don’t—like exercising, eating right, and staying organized. Because they avoid nothing, they can pursue their highest aspirations. They seem more alive than the rest of us.”

Today’s playlist is dotted with a lot of rock groups and Rap artists. We begin with the Animals from back in the day, moving onto Rap with Drake. Another group in Mumford and Sons is followed by the too soon gone Tupac. A live offering from The Arcade Fire is followed by the beautiful voice of Luther Vandross. We finish with Richie Sambora: Great Heart Will Not Be Denied.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time, my dear friends:

Never tell people how to do Things, Tell them what to Do.

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Rod's World

This list is from John C. Maxwell’s excellent book: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Get It Here.

What would happen if a top expert with more than thirty years of leadership experience was willing to distil everything he had learned about leadership into a handful of life-changing principles just for you? It would change your life! John C. Maxwell has done exactly that in “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”. He has combined insights learned from his thirty-plus years of leadership successes and occasional mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. The result is a revealing study of leadership delivered as only a communicator like Maxwell can. Here is the list:

THE 21 LAWS OF LEADERSHIP

1. The Law of the Lid. There’s a lid to your potential; it’s determined by your leadership ability. Therefore, expand your leadership capacity and expand your ability to impact the world.

2. The Law of Influence. As Maxwell says a number of times throughout the book, “The true measure of leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.”

3. The Law of Process. We can’t snap our fingers and become great leaders overnight. Maxwell tells us: “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.”

4. The Law of Navigation. Steering the ship is relatively easy. Leaders chart the course—seeing where they want to go and charting the most effective course to get there.

5. The Law of Addition. Leaders serve. They focus on creating value for others. It’s not so much “What’s in it for me?” but “How can I serve?” That’s the law of addition.

6. The Law of Solid Ground. Maxwell tells us that trust is the foundation of leadership. We must stand on the solid ground of solid character—living with integrity, being trustworthy.

7. The Law of Respect. People “naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves.” We must cultivate our strength if we want people to respect us and be willing to follow our lead.

8. The Law of Intuition. As Emerson says, we must trust ourselves—“every heart vibrates to that iron string.” As a mentor of mine once said, “Trust yourself. Always.”

9. The Law of Magnetism. Who you ARE is who you will attract. Want to attract great people? BE GREAT. That’s the law of magnetism.

10. The Law of Connection. We must connect with others. Maxwell tells us, “Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.”

11. The Law of Inner Circle. Our potential as leaders is determined by those closest to us. Whose in your inner circle?

12. The Law of Empowerment. You need to be confident enough to give power to others. Trust yourself and trust your team to crush it.

13. The Law of the Picture. People will do what they see. We need to create a “picture” of what awesome looks like which inspires people to follow our lead. Embody your ideals.

14. The Law of Buy-In. You have a great vision. Fantastic. (And essential.) But know this: People buy into YOU, the leader before they buy into the vision.

15. The Law of Victory. Victory. Leaders are FIERCELY committed to winning. Period. That relentless pursuit of victory is essential. (We’ll chat about this more as well.)

16. The Law of Big Mo. Mr Momentum. Is a very close friend of effective leaders. We need to create (and celebrate!) little wins—always remembering that progress is uber-powerful.

17. The Law of Priorities. It’s not enough to be busy. We need to be effective. Leaders take the time to properly line up their dominoes and focus on what’s most important.

18. The Law of Sacrifice. The higher you go, the more you need to be willing to give up. Leaders trade-off freedom with responsibility.

19. The Law of Timing. As Jim Collins says in Great By Choice, not all moments are created equal. Leaders know when to lean in and seize the moment.

20. The Law of Explosive Growth. Maxwell tells us about “leader’s math”—if you want to multiply your growth, create more LEADERS not followers.

21. The Law of Legacy. What do you want people to say at your funeral? Leaders keep this vision firmly in mind and dedicate their lives to its fulfilment. A quick inventory: Favourites? Strengths? Weaknesses?

“In a study of ninety leaders from a variety of fields, leadership experts Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus made a discovery about the relationship between growth and leadership: ‘It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguish leaders from their followers.’ Successful leaders are learners. And the learning process is ongoing, a result of self-discipline and perseverance. The goal each day must be to get a little better, to build on the previous day’s progress.

So how many of the Laws do you work on daily, here’s what the world says about Leadership:

1. You can’t do it on your own, Go that way and it will work out is what the leader is there for.

2. Master, Miss, Ms, Dr, Mrs, Mister, they are titles, being a leader is not: If You’re Out There.

3. Actions not words, Leadership 101.

4. Obviously, they are speaking about Donald Trumps leadership style, aren’t they: When I’m Gone.

5. I don’t take up the Challenge every day, do you?

6. Presence, Presence, Presence, Leadership: My Immortal.

7. Mark Yarnell died in 2015, lauded as the Worlds greatest network Marketer, he was truly inspiring — “I’ve lived a “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” life he said. “I’ve squeezed every ounce of joy out of every single day. It’s been an absolute blast!” And, he encouraged each of us to become the best possible version of ourselves while living a life of freedom.

8. Even for your mistakes, that’s what real leadership is: Responsibility.

9. Are you the former or the latter, Your Choice.

10. Trying leadership on: Try.

11. Word origin of ‘courage’: Middle Eastern & Old French – corage, heart, spirit Latin cor, heart. Where we find our passion, In the heart.

12. I recently came back in contact with Fiona, the woman who showed the leadership to get 13 disparate individuals to travel from Australia to Moscow to run a marathon in the name of ending world hunger, her leadership was inspirational at the time. It was the year before the Berlin Wall came down and communism ended in Russia: Fight Song.

13. Remember, it’s your actions that create the opportunities for others to become leaders too.

14. I would change the middle quotes to Goes there own Way: Go Your Own Way.

15. It’s OK to take walks, but it’s leadership that makes the difference after all.

As author Hans Finzel observed, ‘Leaders are paid to be dreamers. The higher you go in leadership, the more your work is about the future. At the same time, leaders are practical enough to know that vision without action achieves nothing. They make themselves responsible for helping their followers take action.” Great leaders are BOTH visionary *and* practical.

Today’s songs begin with John Legend, then we travel to the rap of Eminem. Rock takes over for the next three tracks with Evanescence, MxPx and Janis Joplin. It closes out with a very cute video of Rachell Platten and a whole lot of kids and finishes with a classic Fleetwood Mac number: Never tell people how to do Things, tell them what to Do

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

We Can’t Direct the Wind, but We can Adjust Sails!!

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Rod's World

I was browsing through the offering of Brian Johnson’s Philosophers Notes, when he commented that he had never come across a book that he would recommend to read to help live an ideal life until he read Sonja Lyubmirsky’s The How of Happiness: A Practical Guide to Getting The Life You Want: Get It Here.

The key tenet of THE HOW OF HAPPINESS is that every human being has a happiness ‘set point’ which, depending on how high or low it is, can determine how positive or negative they feel. This book offers a practical approach to help readers increase their set point, and find a level of happiness above that which they would normally feel, and feel more satisfaction in life.

“In a nutshell, the fountain of happiness can be found in how you behave, what you think, and what goals you set every day of your life. ‘There is no happiness without action.’ If feelings of passivity and futility overcome you whenever you face up to your happiness set point or to your circumstances, you must know that a genuine and abiding happiness is indeed within your reach, lying within the 40 per cent of the happiness pie chart that’s yours to guide.”

Through remarkable studies with identical twins separated at birth, scientists have discovered that about 50% of our happiness is determined by our genetics and that we have what they call a “happiness set point”—a level of happiness we tend to gravitate toward. So 50% is FIXED. We can’t do anything about it. Now, there’s another 10% of our happiness that’s determined by our life circumstances. Most people spend all their energy on this variable but research shows that increasing our wealth, attractiveness and stuff like that has both a negligible and a temporary impact on our well-being. Which leads us to the 40% we want to focus on: “What makes up this 40 per cent? Besides our genes and the situations that we confront, there is one critical thing left: our behaviour. Thus the key to happiness lies not in changing our genetic makeup (which is impossible) and not in changing our circumstances (i.e., seeking wealth or attractiveness or better colleagues, which is usually impractical), but in our daily intentional activities. With this in mind, our pie chart illustrates the potential of the 40 per cent that is within our ability to control, the 40 per cent for room to maneuver, for opportunities to increase or decrease our happiness levels through what we do in our daily lives and how we think.”

Part II of the book delivers 12 Happiness Activities that’s been scientifically proven to increase our happiness levels. You’ll wanna get the book to explore the various studies that have established why these activities work and we’ll highlight a few of my favourites below. For now, here they are:

1. Expressing Gratitude

2. Cultivating Optimism

3. Avoiding Overthinking and Social Comparison

4. Practising Acts of Kindness

5. Nurturing Social Relationships

6. Developing Strategies for Coping

7. Learning to Forgive

8. Increasing Flow Experiences

9. Savouring Life’s Joys

10. Committing to Your Goals

11. Practising Religion and Spirituality

12. Taking Care of Your Body: Meditation + Physical Activity + Acting Like a Happy Person

(Another cool point Sonja makes again and again (!) throughout the book is that it’s *essential* for us to choose activities that inspire us as we’re much more likely to follow through on those activities than doing something we think we “should” do.)

So which of the above activities do you use to get your happy on? Statements on achieving happiness differ from their approach, here are just a few:

1. Considered one of the happiest people on the planet, His Holiness The Dalai Lama knows it is through your actions that this state is achieved.

2. The first of the 12 activities mentioned above, expressing gratitude for the fact that recognising what we have is a powerful first step to happiness: Grateful.

3. A moot point to remember in the dark times.

4. As Mandy points out, It’s our daily intentional activities that ensure happiness, not those of others: Follow The Sun,

5. I got caught at the railway gates today, it went for five minutes. The person in the car behind me was losing it, this is a little thing.

6. Such a simple example, but beautiful in its concept: That’s Entertainment.

7. An empowering fridge magnet to read daily.

8. Dancing is one way I choose to do it: Feel Good.

9. Waitley was also a founding member of the National Council for Self-Esteem and a former chairman of psychology for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Council. A worthy life of Happiness what a great title for the council.

10. Happiness spreads when you release it into the world due to its infectious nature: Spread a Little Happiness.

11. Back to the 1400’s for this quote that leaves out 50 per cent of the population. Erasmus was considered the greatest scholar of the Northern Renaissance.

12. Out beyond the horizon of accepting your imperfections lies the land of happiness: Perfect.

13. From the man with the most famous bedraggled hair in the world, Albert points out that giving away your happiness to people and things don’t really work.

14. I spent many years trying to be liked by everyone, it cost me a great deal of happiness, I’m getting better at not doing it: You Can’t Please Everybody.

15. And for our final look we return to the beginning of modern time, Seneca was around from 4 BC-AD 65. Still very relevant today though.

Pema Chodron says pretty much the same thing in her great book The Places That Scare You: “Acknowledging that we are all churned up is the first and most difficult step in any practice. Without compassionate recognition that we are stuck, it’s impossible to liberate ourselves from confusion. ‘Doing something different’ is anything that interrupts our ancient habit of indulging in our emotions. We do anything to cut the strong tendency to spin out… Anything that’s non-habitual will do—even sing and dance or run around the block. We do anything that doesn’t reinforce our crippling habits. The third most difficult practice is to then remember that this is not something we do just once or twice. Interrupting our destructive habits and awakening our heart is the work of a lifetime.”

The Playlist from today’s blog is quite joyous as you would expect songs dedicated to happiness to be. Empty Hands Music begins the journey, followed by an anthem from Xavier Rudd. I sneak some rock in with the Jam next, then some EDM with Felix Jaehn and Mike Williams. It gets a little darker with Sting followed by a beautiful duet from Ed Sheeran and Beyonce ending with some old time Funk from Rose Royce: We Can’t Direct the Wind, but We can Adjust Sails!!

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

namasteflower