36525 days to live

Do I always choose correctly, obviously NO.

Do I always practice what I preach, unfortunately NO.

And by becoming aware of this, I keep improving every day.

I control what I eat, drink or don’t drink. I decide to exercise or not to exercise. I can waste time surfing the web aimlessly or I can read good books with a clear objective in mind. I can stay by myself or meet with interesting people. I can take some classes or stay ignorant. I can be generous or greedy. I can be patient or impatient. I can be angry or peaceful. I can be dissatisfied or thankful.  I can be optimistic or negative. I control with who I want to spend time with and who I don’t want to spend time with. I decide who can influence me and who can’t . These choices are mine and mine alone most of the time.

What will your choices be today?

Twitter existe depuis maintenant cinq ans. Après des débuts modestes, ce service de microblogging connaît une croissance très forte. Une étude récente de Semiocast évaluait que 2,4 millions de Français utilisaient Twitter. Au Québec, ce serait environ 9% de la population.

Même si l’utilisation de Twitter demeure encore relativement confidentielle, sa croissance  semble être assez forte. 572 000 comptes ont été créés le 12 mars. Ce qui semble être un record puisqu’aucune autre date n’est mentionnée. La veille, le 11 mars, 177 millions de tweets ont été envoyés. De plus, il y a maintenant plus d’un milliard de tweets envoyés chaque semaine. Twitter s’impose de plus en plus comme le «média social » du temps réel.

Benoit Descary

http://descary.com/twitter-un-milliard-de-tweets-par-semaine/

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Beware complexifiers & complicators. Truly, “smart people” …simplify things.

Tom Peters

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What you are about to read applies to most of us¸

Living isn’t complicated, feeding yourself  isn’t complicated, finding a roof over your head isn’t complicated, learning new skills isn’t complicated, making new friends isn’t complicated, It’s actually quite easy.

If what I’m writing is valid, Why do so many of us have the tendency to complicate very simple puzzles and transform them into very difficult problems to solve? Are we some kind of maso-psycho-slow-destructive-kamikaze unto ourselves?

When you meet with someone who tells you that something is very complicated,  First BEWARE, then RELAX because it’s probably not.

Will you try to simplify today?

“To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.”

Theodore H. White

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 This is risky business! But when we are convinced that our ideas are the right ones, we must fight for them. Just think of Galileo, Martin Luther, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King…

“Life is an adventure, dare it”

Mother Teresa

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It was a pleasure to receive this award from Sass at  http://pinklove9.wordpress.com/ . Thank you Sass!

As a receiver of the Stylish Blogger Award, I have to do the following:

• Present seven facts about myself.
• Name half dozen bloggers I think deserve the award. Contact those people.
• Create a link back to the person who gave you the honor.

 7 Things to Know About Me:

1) I’m obsessed with the brevity of time.

2) I try to live each day like the last.

3) I’m curious about almost every subject in the Universe.

4) I like people, books, music, arts, sciences, sports, food  and much, much, much more.

5) I like to travel all over the world to discover new cities and new cultures.

6) I like physical health and financial wealth for the freedom it gives us.

7) I want to live 36525 days. ( 100 years)

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6 Stylish Bloggers:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

http://www.tompeters.com/

http://tv.winelibrary.com/

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/

http://inoveryourhead.net/

http://www.pauljorion.com/blog_en/

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Check them out!  These are some of the best and most influential blogs in the blogosphere.    

The reality is that “Unless your heart, your soul, and your whole being are behind every decision you make, the words from your mouth will be empty, and each action will be meaningless. Truth and confidence are the roots of happiness.”

 Kathleen Pedersen

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When I read this quote this morning, it challenged me in many ways:

Behind every word I write and most of the actions I take…

Is my heart really into 36525 days?                          Answer: YES

Is my soul poured into it?                                          Answer: YES

Is my whole being behind what I write?                   Answer: It’s improving. ( Still have to personalize more)

Am I living what I’m writing?                                      Answer: Not always, as often as possible.

Sometimes, I go back and read previous posts and I ask myself; did I really write this stuff?

And the answer is: YES I DID. So far I don’t regret writing anything. I just make sure that I live it the best I can.

Human…all too human.

“To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”

Kofi Annan

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It’s not always easy to choose because we must take responsibility for our choices. In my opinion, when we choose for ourselves, we increase our own personal  freedom  and we cannot blame others for what happens or what doesn’t happen to us.

Another difficulty with choosing is that when we say YES to one thing, we are saying NO to another thing because our time and space are limited.

No matter what you do, time marches on at its own pace; tic, toc, tic, toc and there’s nothing you can do to change that .Time is a great equalizer; it runs at the same speed for everybody, rich or poor, jet pilot or snail farmer. You can’t manufacture time, you can’t reproduce time, you can’t slow time down or turn it around and make it run in the other direction. You can’t trade bad hours for good ones, either.
 
What you can manage, however, is your attention. Attention is a resource we all possess. Your attention reflects your conscious decisions about which activities will occupy your time. You are where your attention is… not necessarily where your body is.

The first step is to precisely understand your priorities. There’s a big difference between managing your attention to accomplish priorities and checking off items on your to-do list. Our natural tendency is to do what is fun, convenient, or absolutely necessary at any given time—but your true priorities may not fit into any of those categories. So, here’s a question to ask yourself, “If I could accomplish only one thing right now, what would that one thing be?”

 Your answer will quickly identify your top priority, where you should be directing your attention.

Empathy

“If I were in your shoes, I know what I would do.” Marketers can’t do their jobs without understanding what a prospect wants, talks about or is interested in. And managers (and leaders) are ineffective when they’re unable to imagine life through someone else’s eyes. The problem is this: if you were in my shoes, I wouldn’t be me, I would be you.

As soon as you bring your beliefs, expectations and worldview to the table, you’ve lost the ability to imagine what someone else would do in this situation. All you’re doing is imagining what you would do. The next time you’re puzzled by the behavior of a colleague or prospect, consider the reason might have nothing to do with the situation and everything to do with who is making the decision and what they bring to it.

One of the things that stands between us and our quality of life, is the underlying fear of death. From the moment we don’t fear death anymore, we don’t fear life either. When we get rid of the fear of dying, we get rid of a lot of others fears with it.

The moment that we become almost fearless, we can enjoy life to its fullest because of our willingness to take risks.

Isn’t it ironic that people who are ready to take on more risk are often the ones who are reaping the rewards? And even when they don’t get the big prize, they are having fun enjoying what they love the most, and that in itself is the reward; the satisfaction of a job well done.

My hope is that some young people understand this concept as early as possible. So much time and frustration could be avoided.

Yes but what if I fail? Try again.

And what if I fail again? Try again , and again, and again.

And what if my friends laugh at me? Ask yourself ; what risk are my so-called friends taking?

Did you take the time to identify YOUR fears of failure?

“It is not that we have a short life to live but we waste a lot of it”

Seneca

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Sometimes we waste our time because we don’t have much control over what is happening to us. In this case, there’s not much we can do about it.

At other times we waste our time because we lack a definite purpose in our lives.
This we can do something about. We must take the time to ask ourselves the important questions, the ones that concern only us.

It may look like a waste of time at first, but in the long run, it will save us time.

Benjamin Franklin used to ask himself these important questions every night before he went to sleep.

What did I do wrong today?
What did I do right ?
What can I improve tomorrow?

Apparently, he did this for most of his life.

If you want to learn more about this, I recommend that you read his autobiography. It will make you realize that even if he lived more than 250 years ago, he was facing similar challenges like the ones we have to deal with today.

The real question for me is : Is there a life BEFORE death ?

When they asked  Henry David Thoreau his opinion on the afterlife, he answered to them: One life at a time.

Sometimes , it seems to me that some of the people who worry the most about the afterlife are often the ones who don’t know what to do with this one.

Why should we worry about the unknown, why should we worry about something over which we seem to have very little control?

I hear many people talking about faith and yet, at the same time worrying constantly, how can they worry and have faith at the same time? Isn’t worrying the opposite of faith?

Do you spend too much of your time worrying about things over which you have no control?

Does this make any sense to you?

Some of us live under the influence of alcohol.

The influence is good as long as we are under the influence. The next morning, the influence can be quite different.

Some of us live under the influence of shopping, and the influence is good until we receive the credit card statement…

Some of us live under the influence of gambling, and the influence is good until we realize that the house wins most of the time.

Some of us live under the influence of buying expensive toys to impress others who don’t care at all. This influence is gone when we realize that we become a slave of this habit.

Some of us are under the influence of a new religion, and the influence seems to disappear when that special God of ours doesn’t answer our requests.

Some of us indulge in sexual escapism, and the influence is gone when the temporary thrill is over.

Some of us will study philosophy and believe that they have found the Way, only to wake up later and realize that their particular philosophy can fail them.

Some of us will swear by the world of reason and science, only to discover the actual limitations of our understanding. At least at this point in our evolution.

Some of us will invest in the joy of parenthood only to realize later that our kids will be entitled to their own lives.

Some of us will want to earn a lot of money until they realize that money can’t buy love.

And while most of us live under one kind of influence or another, Time goes by.

Under what influence are you living ?

Is this the kind of influence that you enjoy?

It’s up to you!

LOVE asked FRIENDSHIP:   ” Why do you exist when I already exist?

FRIENDSHIP smiled and said:   “To put a smile where you leave tears”

Relationships are not like Twitter or Facebook, you can’t log in and log out whenever you want.

Spring Break is a good time to log out (from technology) and spend time with your loved ones.

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“Procrastination is the thief of time.”

Edward Young (1683-1765) British poet

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A lot of people are afraid to lose their health.

In most cases, we can and will regain our health.

A lot of people are afraid to lose their friends.

We can always make new friends.

A lot of people are afraid to lose their money.

But we can always earn more money.

Very few people are conscious of the time they are wasting

Procrastination robs us of our time, life is short.

In which area of your life are you procrastinating?

Why ?

It seems to me that we are stubborn students of life.

Life seems to tell us: here is a situation you need to face for your own development, and yet, most of the time, we will try to avoid the lesson.

Why? Because it’s too damned hard! The curious thing about this is: the lesson we try to avoid seems to come back to us in many unexpected ways. Somehow, we can’t escape it.

I heard of some couple who had a baby with heart problems, the baby had to spend most of the first year of his life at the hospital. This situation had put a lot stress on the parents. Their mariage couldn’t resist. The parents divorced. The guy met another woman and she became pregnant. When the baby was born, the baby boy had a similar heart problem. It seems to me that this father couldn’t escape this particular situation.

When we focus on the moment and accept to face what we have to, it can be very difficult, but it is one of the best ways to grow as a human being.

It is probably one of the best ways to outgrow this unwanted situation or circumstance.

What does this post have to do with time or life management?

The sooner we understand this concept and put it in practice, the more time we will save to do other activities that we really enjoy.

“Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.”

John Randolph

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If this is true, why do we still waste so much of it in so many ways?

“The trouble with life is that there are so many beautiful women and so little time.” 

John Barrymore

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 With 203 countries ( Sovereign states) to visit,

With thousands of cities to discover,

 With 6,8 billion people living on this planet,

With more than 3 000 000 wine bottles to taste,

With millions of books to read,

With thousands of movies to watch,

With so many skills to learn,

With so many things to experience,

With so many people in need or living in poverty,

I could go on and on…

And  a potential of only 36525 days to live.

How dare you being bored?

Yesterday, as I was walking to my destination I passed this park. As I went by I heard this male voice. A man was training his young dog. With a clear, strong, yet tender voice, he was teaching his dog to sit and the dog did. With his leash on they walked a few steps and repeated the process. He praised his dog and I could see that the dog was very happy.

The man was teaching the dog that it could be more. He taught the dog focus, discipline, and structure. What really struck me was that, he took the time. HE TOOK THE TIME. As I continued along my journey I reflected on what I had witnessed. Thinking how he took the time. He was there. He was getting the most out of that dog. How lucky that dog was.

 How often do we take time to teach our own children? We constantly hear, “I’m so busy, I feel like I’m always running, I’m stressed.” Our modern world is so inundated with marketing and advertising that has one goal and one goal only. That is to make a product so attractive that the consumer feels a need or desire to possess it in order to feel fulfilled or popular.

Personally, I’ve made a list of things to do with my children and I will do as much as possible today.

First things first!

Today is a good day to be with our children or with our parents!

Will you take the time?

What I CAN Change…

• You can’t change your entire life, you can only change your next action.

• You can’t change a relationship with a loved one, you can only change your next interaction.

• You can’t change your body composition, you can only change your next meal.

• You can’t change your fitness level, you can only start moving.

• You can’t de-clutter your entire life, you can only choose to get rid of one thing right now.

• You can’t eliminate your entire debt, you can only make one payment, or buy one less unnecessary item.

• You can’t change the past, or control the future, you can only change what you are doing now.

• You can’t change everything, you can only change one, small thing…and that’s all it takes.

 What will you change today?

 

Loving someone means you should be ready to experience heartache and happiness at the same time. That’s the reward and that’s the risk. Unless we are willing to experience it, we will never really know what it’s like to love and be loved. 



Sharing love is probably the most valuable and meaningful experience a person can ever have. And there’s a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. It’s the difference between a love that’s fickle, wild and short-lived and one that’s tender and passionate, nurturing and lasts a long time. The first is easy. The second, the one that really matters to all of us, takes work because it’s about keeping a relationship. 



Loving someone takes efforts. We have to be able to communicate with each other. Nobody can read anyone else’s mind. We always presume that our partner knows what we think and feel. Maybe in time we might be able to predict or sense each other’s thoughts but it’s never perfect and takes time to develop. 



Getting the chance to love and be loved by someone is blessed. Respect him/her for who he/she is, and not what you want him/her to be. Everyone is pretty and special in his/her own special way. No one is perfect. It is true love, which closes the gap of imperfectness to form a smooth surface of acceptance for each other. True love sees and accepts a person for who he/she is. It is also true love, which makes a person change for the better. 



The power of true love to a person is undeniable. 



A relationship needs commitments too. What is love without commitments from each other anyway? It’s like principles and values. Everyone has them but they only mean as much as we are willing to stand for them. 



The same goes for our commitments to relationships, and the person we love. 



 “Love is like an antique vase. It’s hard to find, hard to get, but easy to break.” 



Every day everywhere, people fall in love … but just how many of these relationships are self-sacrificing love, and not just relationships which are formed only for the intense feeling of falling in love? I know hundreds of friends who say the magical words “I love you”… but more often than not, the truth is just — I am IN love with you. There is a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. If a person says he/she is in love with you, he/she means that he/she likes you for who you are now and he/she fell in love with you because of the present you. 


This kind of love is temporary and lasts only as long as the fairytale lasts. When fairy godmother comes in at midnight to whirl us back to reality, we see the heartache of such a relationship…where both were only IN love with each other. 



But if a person says he/she loves you, he/she means that he/she loves you unconditionally for who you are now, who you were in the past and who you might be in the future. When he/she says he/she loves you and really means it, you have to ask yourself if you love him/her too or if you’re in love with the idea of being in love. It is very hard to see the difference through logical thinking.

Let your heart guide you.

Stress is the curse of living in modern times. Everyone suffers from stress. And the stress we suffer takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions and minds. Watching television may be a form of relaxation for some, but it is not recommended.. When we watch TV we are bombarded with commercials, ads, sounds and images. Relaxation takes on added importance in light of this matter. 

Today, try to find a moment with complete silence for at least 1 hour.

How?

Turn off the TV, mp3 player, radio, and your computer for a while.

Attend a yoga class. It’s a great method for relaxation.

Go for a walk in the woods if possible and listen to the calmness of nature.

Take a nap in the middle of the day. It’s Sunday…

Take the time to breath properly. It is one of the easiest methods to relax. Most of us have forgotten how to breath naturally. Take a deep breathe.

One great way to relax is getting a massage. To gain full relaxation, you need to totally surrender to the touch of person delivering it to you.

It will be a good investment of time.

Today is a time to take care of yourself. Tomorrow will be another hectic day.

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.

In front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II

During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A Romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting – 7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York.

“You’ll recognize me, ” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.

I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young women was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. “Going my way, sailor?” she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the women whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own

And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the women, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. “I’m Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?”

The women’s face broadened into a tolerant smile. “I don’t know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”

It’s not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. “Tell me whom you love,” Houssaye wrote, “And I will tell you who you are.” Anon.