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Becoming Your Best Self

I don’t think I am obsessed with becoming my best self but I would like to get halfway there at least. Learning to achieve that goal is not easy because it takes practice and a driven mindset to get there. I am still learning and keeping at it and who knows one day I might say, I did it!

Becoming your best self is not an overnight process and neither does it happen by pressing a button. It doesn’t happen accidentally, it doesn’t happen by chance and it doesn’t happen by waving a magic wand either. It takes action on your part and a commitment to self-discovery and self-development.

“To be your best self you’ll need to first discover who you really are, then maximize your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. You need to completely shift your mindset and take control of your life. When you do, you’ll discover a whole new you.” http://www.tonyrobbins.com

This journey is a hard one. You’ll encounter the good and bad moments, some will be messy and progress will be slow but if you persist and set goals you can achieve anything. Becoming your best self means opening yourself up to challenges, accepting the setbacks and living life to the fullest.

“Prioritize who you are, who you want to be, and don’t spend time with anything that antagonizes your character.” Matthew McConaughey

According to notesbythalia.com, you need to practice wellness daily because it goes hand-in-hand with working towards your best self.

Get at least 7 hours of sleep daily. Move your body as much as you can. Eat well. Build healthy habits. Dedicate time to self-care.

You can’t lay in bed and manifest your dreams. It takes action to succeed. Ask yourself, what is success to you? Set value-driven goals and become “razor-clear on what your future vision looks like.” Align your daily habits with who you want to be and the life you want to live. “Boost your overall health, well-being and productivity,” meaning even your smallest daily actions will determine your future self.

“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” Paulo Coelho

In a nutshell, becoming your best self requires going within to discover the greatness there. It requires strength to bring it to the fore AND it requires courage and hard work to make it shine.

“You are what you believe yourself to be.” Paulo Coelho

Change that mindset from one of negativity to positivity and watch your life take off!

But before you do that:

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, INCLUDING YOU.” Anne Lamont

Then go out and:

BE YOUR VERY BEST SELF!

Have an amazing day.

Something Positive

Both mom and dad have done positive things to further who I am and how I react to the world around me. However, I think it is dad who did something I will never forget and taught me to respect each and every individual regardless of skin color, ethnicity or race.

I remember I was fifteen at the time just emerging out of my tomboy phase. My close girlfriend was a Hindu. She invited me to go along to her temple for Pooja. It stands for worship and paying homage to the gods. I was into different cultures and learning as much about them was my goal at the time. I went along but it was very different from what I was used to as a Christian girl. Church was a sedate affair, however, the temple was different. It was noisy and the colors boomed with vibrancy and it was very crowded. Statues caught my eyes and they were painted in bright colors as well. We walked in and immediately we had to remove our shoes, then we had to break a coconut. It was followed by lighting incense and bowing to the deities and there were other things but I don’t quite remember them all now.

I did what was asked of me but I couldn’t wait to get back home. Once home, I walked in and blurted out to my dad, “It was so strange! I don’t know about Hinduism but it is not my thing!” Actually I used the term, “pagan” to get my point across, belligerence showing on my young face. Dad pinned me with his no nonsense gaze and said, “It is no different from our religion. Yes, they do things a little differently but they are praying to God. It’s all the same.” That took the wind out of my sails! I spent the rest of the evening thinking about what he had said and unknown to him he had taught me “tolerance” that day and that lesson has stood the test of time.

Perhaps, he taught me a bigger lesson and that is to RESPECT every person, every culture and every religion. I’m teaching my son to do the same thing. Here’s the thing, tolerance is not taught in schools, it begins at home.

Daily writing prompt

Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.

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The Muzzle? (Archives)

Update: It’s interesting how the posts or articles I wrote way back when things were more sedate and not as explosive as it is now is coming into play again. The blockade at the Straits of Hormuz is taking place and it is a show of power and more specifically to show who has the upper hand. How will it turn out? This is the question on everybody’s mind. Scary? Yes, because a new world order is emerging, not one of diplomacy but one that blows off steam from both ends of you know what! The end result? Who knows, TACO might, just might pull back at the last moment as he has done many times before things escalate further or he might thump his chest and spew “hate” as he is doing now. Who put grandpa in charge? That’s my question.

A friend asked me yesterday, “Why don’t you write more about politics?” My answer to him, “I’m trying to stay away from it and trying to keep it at a bare minimum.” I do mean that but the current administration makes it hard to do so. If it’s not one thing than it’s another. Drama and plenty of it is at the core of this administration.

Associated Press refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and that set a chain of events in motion. They were barred from access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and events held at the White House. The AP has filed a lawsuit calling it unconstitutional.

“The constitution prevents the president of the United States or any other government official from coercing journalists or anyone else into using official government vocabulary to report the news.”

Does it matter? Not one iota!

A district judge and a Trump appointee declined AP’s request for full access to the White House temporarily.

Trump has said, “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.”

Do you see what’s happening here?

Joy Reid, a political commentator and television host was fired by MSNBC due to network restructuring, that was the official claim. The lady is Black and is an outspoken critic of Trump and she voices her opinions on diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Her reporting is of the no holds barred variety. Katie Phang, of Asian descent, also lost her show but she will remain at MSNBC in a less visible position.

Trump celebrated the firing by saying this:

“Lowlife Chairman of ‘Concast,” Brian Roberts, the owner of Ratings Challenged NBC and MSNBC, has finally gotten the nerve up to fire one of the least talented people in television, the mentally obnoxious racist, Joy Reid.”

Really? Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?

In her final show, Joy Reid had this say.

“How do you resist – when fascism isn’t just coming. It’s already here? So, what, if anything can you do about it?”

She further added: “The first rule is to fight back, to never stop resisting. Do not obey in advance, as (anti-Trump historian) Tim Snyder put it…..Even if it’s scary or uncomfortable or inconvenient, just keep saying no, or finding creative ways to say no in small ways and large.”

Fascism is defined as a “far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist ideology characterized by a dictatorial leader” where society and economy is controlled by government and where “free press” as we know it might become a thing of the past. The message is “bow to the king and kiss the ring” or else you will suffer the same fate!

LOL!

Top Ten Reasons Eve Was Created:

God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the garden because he would not ask for directions.

God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote.

God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.

God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor’s, dentist, or haircut appointment for himself.

God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage out on the curb.

God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he left his tools.

Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden. As the Bible says, It is not good for man to be alone! And the #1 reason why God created Eve…..When God finished the creation of Adam. He stepped back, scratched his head and said, “I can do better than that!”

AND HE DID!

My Favorite Restaurant

I have many but I’ll go with one I haven’t written about yet. It is a hole in the wall type of place with very little sitting room and with loud Vietnamese music blaring in the background. Most people place their orders and pick up their food. So the restaurant is not crowded although at certain times of the day it is full and noisy. It does not have a cozy atmosphere but that’s only in your mind!

The location is close to a train station so they get a lot of traffic but it has gained a reputation for having good food at cheap prices. You would think that the food might be of a less than good quality but you’re wrong there. I’ve had some of the best meals at this restaurant. The couple who run the place are from Vietnam and they have your normal variety of main dishes, soups and noodles but unfortunately they don’t have Pho. Strange for a Vietnamese restaurant. I know the couple well so once I asked why no Pho dishes? The wife said it is time-consuming to make. The rest of the menu is mouth-wateringly good!

I’ve taken many friends to this restaurant and each time I was told that the food there is really good and delicious. The moral of the story is: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite restaurant?

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LOL!

Found this joke online and wanted to share. I think it is hilarious.

Two old farmers were sitting in a front porch swing. One asked the other, “You know that my granddaughter is going to college, and I’m trying to keep up with how she’s doing. But she sometimes talks with just using the initials of what she’s talking about. Like, what she’s studying for.

His old friend asked, “Well, what do they start with?

The grandfather replied, “Well, one starts with “B”-sound, another starts with an “M”, and the other is longer but it starts with “P.”

The friend said, “Oh,” those are easy. The “B” stands for BS, and you and I have shoveled enough Bull-S out of the corral to know what BS is.” The grandfather nodded.

“The “M” one is MS, and that means More of the Same.” Again, a nod.

“And if she gets educated to the end, it’s “PHD” for Piled Higher and Deeper.”

My ex has the last one and I guess that is about right! 🤣

Just Words?

A friend sent me this article early this morning and it hit the nail on the coffin where Trump is concerned. Read on to find out why.

An Aussie’s reply to Trump’s rant about ‘NATO not being there for us.’

Mate. You run a country with 600,000 homeless people sleeping on the street tonight. A country where 40% of adults can’t cover a $400 emergency without borrowing money. A country where insulin costs more than a car payment and people are rationing it to survive. A country where medical debt is the number 1 cause of bankruptcy. A country where women are dying in hospital car parks because doctors are too scared of abortion laws to treat a miscarriage.

You lock up more of your own citizens than any nation on earth. More than China. More than Russia. More than North Korea. The land of the free has 2 million people in cages, and a quarter of them haven’t even been convicted of anything. They’re just too poor to make bail.

Your life expectancy is going backwards. You’re the only developed nation where that’s happening. Your infant mortality rate is worse than Cuba’s. Your kids do active shooter drills between maths and English while you sell the gunmaker’s stock to your mates.

Your minimum wage hasn’t moved in 15 years. You’ve got teachers working 2 jobs and veterans sleeping under bridges and you just spent a trillion dollars flattening a country that didn’t attack you.

And you’ve got a convicted felon, adjudicating raping, paedophile protecting, porn star shagging insurrectionist running the biggest dumpster fire war campaign since the Taliban thanked you very much for losing again.

And you’re calling Greenland poorly run?

Greenland has universal healthcare. Free education. One of the lowest incarceration rates in the world. Nobody goes bankrupt there because they got sick. Nobody dies in a waiting room because their insurance said no.

“NATO wasn’t there when we needed them.” When exactly was that, champ? September 11? Because NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in history FOR YOU. Soldiers from dozens of countries deployed, fought, bled, and died in Afghanistan FOR YOU. Australia wasn’t even in NATO and we still showed up. For 20 years.

And you pulled out at 2 a.m. without telling anyone and left them to deal with the mess.

So maybe before you start calling other countries poorly run, have a look at your own backyard, you spray-tanned aluminium siding salesman. The only thing poorly run in this picture is your f**king mouth.

Credit: Jim Scroggins – original author unknown

He said it like it needed to be said and that part about, “have a look at your own backyard,” really hits home doesn’t it?

The Search for Happiness

A man asked Gautama Buddha, “I want happiness.”

Buddha said, First remove, “I” that’s EGO, then remove , “WANT,” that’s DESIRE. See now you are left with only, “HAPPINESS.”

Is it really that simple to find happiness? Okay, I can give this method a try BUT I find that when I remove “EGO” and “WANT,” there is something else glaring me in the face! It is, “WHAT NOW?!!!”

According to Buddhist wisdom, there are 5 steps to happiness. They are:

SMILE MORE

WORRY LESS

BE PRESENT

GIVE MORE

EXPECT LESS

I believe in the smiling more part. No problems there. Worrying less is almost a no go with me. Being present, I am working on. Giving more…..it is a work in progress and expecting less always gets me in trouble. Basically, I’m not quite there yet. Finding that happiness path that is.

What else?

“A disciplined mind brings happiness.”

Oh Gawd! This is even worse. Tell that “monkey” I call my mind to take orders and you’ll see what I mean! Marching on to the next happiness mantra.

“Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are….

It solely relies on what you think.”

WHAT?!!! I give up!

No more searching for happiness wisdom today. I’ll do it my way. The sun is shining and I’m going to slip into my flip-flops, go to the garden and let the sun warm my face. I’ll listen to the birdsong to calm my mind and let happiness seep in. Sorry Buddha but maybe next time around.

There will be no more thinking, no more telling my mind to do something it doesn’t want to do and I’ll just let the day go as it wants to. How’s that for a happiness mantra?

Have an amazing day.

Where Do I See Myself in Ten Years?

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Give me a crystal bowl and I will tell you! I don’t know is the answer. I hope better than where I am now. Hopefully the journey of self-discovery will be complete and like that caterpillar, I would emerge with wings ready to face the world anew. Hopefully it wouldn’t take ten years to do it!

I am staying in the present for now and leaving yesterday where it belongs but I am taking the lessons I learned with me. The future is blurry and I’m not looking in that direction although it does creep in now and then. My goal is to make each day count. I can’t change yesterday and tomorrow is not a given so all I have is today and I am content knowing that.

Ten years from now? I hope I have the special someone by my side but even if that doesn’t happen, it will be alright. It is not about the search for the guy, it is about finding myself, the one I lost a long time ago. I liked her, this happy carefree person who had a lot to laugh about. Who knows, ten years from now I might say, I’ve found her again. Fingers and toes crossed!

Daily writing prompt

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

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SPICE UP YOUR DAY!

Feeling down? Nothing’s going right? You’re in a down phase? The world’s a cruel place? Prince Charming is a no show?

You’re not alone. Give it time, work on yourself but in the meantime here are some tips to pep up your mood and get you soaring again.

MEDITATION

It’s been around for a long long time and it still works today. Just five minutes a day will quiet the mind and send those endorphins spiraling upwards. Try it. Close your eyes, go within. Take a breath, hold for 4 counts and let it out for six. Watch the transformation take place. You’ve got to keep at it to reap the benefits.

NATURE

It is my all-time favorite activity. Nature soothes, nature calms and it teaches how to give those stress hormones a run for the money. Just 10 minutes a day should do it. You’ll come back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle anything the world throws your way. A cup of coffee later and I’m raring to go!

GRATITUDE

This is an important mood booster. Never underestimate the power of gratitude. It has the power to change your mindset and to take you from the glass is half empty to the glass is all kinds of full! Try it. Think of three things you are grateful for right now. Not that bad is it?

LAUGHTER

Find something to laugh about everyday. It has been said, laughter is the best medicine. It really is. I watch standup comedies or funny movies to boost my mood and to release stress. Laughter also strengthens the immune system and releases cortisol and adrenaline, two main stress hormones. Chronic stress puts your health at risk so laugh it away. Aim for a dose of laughter each day.

JOURNALING

It is “the practice of regularly writing down your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reflections.” This is my way of getting my pent up emotions out in the open. Believe me, it’s a miracle worker and once you get them out, you do feel a lot lighter. Write it down, get it out, do the dance and set it free! It’s a definite pep me up!

SMILE

This one comes naturally to me. I smile a lot. Just having a smile on your face tricks your brain into thinking you’re happy and it releases the “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. These are needed in your arsenal to add to your overall well-being. So, SMILE for all you’re worth!

Just a few tips to rev up your mood. These methods work for me and I hope it does for you as well.

“Be so positive that negative people don’t want to be near you.”

I say, “Aye, aye Captain!”

Have an amazing day.