Wednesday 14th February 2024

Some time ago I read a researcher found it takes 10,000 hours to become world class at something. Doesn’t matter if it’s sport, music, painting... ...whatever, 10,000 hours and you are up there with the best in the world.

If that seems daunting, instead of watching TV from 7 to 11 of an evening, put that time into doing something you love and in under 7 years you could be one of the best in the world at it.

What would you enjoy doing for 4 hours a night to become world class at?

I think midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear:

“I’m not screwing around. It’s time. All of this pretending and performing, these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – have to go.

Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts.

I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy of love and belonging, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever.

Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through you. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen.”

Brené Brown

This is good advice. The group is made up of individuals. Look after the personal freedom, awareness, competence and productivity of the individual and the prosperity of the group is more certain.

As a matter of fact, if you looked at it hard, you might find that only made up of strong, capable, ethical, responsible individuals prepared to work in concert with one another could a group have a chance of surviving for any length of time.

The idea of making individuals less for the sake of the group is a certain path to individual slavery and group destruction.

Not that communists have any other goal.

And don’t get me started on telling me what I know to be facts are only opinions! Or, worse still, wrong!

1. Embrace life; don’t take waking up for granted.
2. Live with the three E’s: Enthusiasm. Empathy. Exemplary.
3. Cultivate the three I’s: Integrity. Inclusivity. Improvement.
4. No matter how favorable or unfavorable a situation may seem, it is bound to change at some point. Everything is impermanent. So carry on.
5. Make time for rest, meditation, reflection, hobbies, and creativity.
6. Your job won’t care for you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.
7. Regularly read uplifting and inspiring stories, quotes, and books.
8. Make enjoyment of giving an essential task in your life.
9. It only takes six months of pure dedication to change your life.
10. Imperfections are part of being human, so let’s embrace ourselves, flaws and all.
11. Life is a school for learning and growth. Problems are part of the curriculum that appear and fade away, but the lessons learned last a lifetime.
12. Be selective and careful with whose energy you want to absorb.
13. Don’t overdo anything; keep all things in moderation.
14. Become so confident in who you are that no one’s opinion or behavior can rock or disturb you.
15. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Sleep for at least 7 hours every night.
16. Take a 20-minute walk daily——and practice deep breathing while you walk.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Avoid bringing up past mistakes to maintain present happiness in relationships.
19. Spend time with people over 70. You’ll learn something useful.
20. Nothing has more power over you as much as your thoughts. Think good thoughts.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Be content with what you have and where you are.
23. Cry when you need to, but smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
25. Always strive to do the right things.
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a princess, and dinner like a beggar. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food manufactured in plants. Limit high-fat food, salt, and sugar. Stay hydrated. Don’t smoke. Drink sensibly.
28. Slow down, embrace the present moment, and embrace what you have.

Let me introduce you
To a woman that I know
She hears my every thought
And follows everywhere I go
She wakes me up abruptly sometimes
When I’m fast asleep
And keeps me up for hours
Whilst she taunts and laughs at me
She takes joy in convincing me
That I am hard to love
That if I’m less than perfect
Then I’ll never be enough
She shakes the ground I stand on
And talks down what I achieve
She highlights all my flaws to me
And tells me I’m naïve
She battles with my confidence
And wrestles with my pride
She’s like a double agent
But she’s never on my side
And she knows just how to sabotage
By sowing seeds of doubt
And arguing with logic
In a voice that likes to shout
And you’d think I wouldn’t listen
That I’d turn and walk away
But it’s so hard to ignore her
When she knows just what to say
In ways that make me question
Things I’ve thought and done and said
You see, she is an imposter
And she lives inside my head

Becky Hemsley 2022

Choose wisely. You are not always aware of who is watching your example.

Do you have any data on this?

Click the Read More button to view the video:

I see why Putin referred to the Baltic states as having NAZI tendencies. Organisations grow by policies of inclusion, not exclusion. Fear drives people to do illogical things.

Thousands of people across Australia have woken up to the news that they might be victims of ongoing online scams.

Cyber security company, Kasada, has been investigating cyber attacks and found a number of well-known retailers might have been compromised, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

In their analysis, Kasada alleges some customers of Guzman y Gomez, Dan Murphy’s, Binge, TVSN and Event Cinemas have had their online accounts compromised.

This comes just a week after the news that online retailer, The Iconic had been breached, causing some customers to lose thousands of dollars and have their user details breached.

In these attacks, cyber criminals are using a scam called “credential stuffing” to gain access to an individual’s online account and make fraudulent transactions.

What is credential stuffing?
Credential stuffing is a type of cyber attack that targets people who have previously had their usernames, emails or passwords stolen in a data breach. They are then more vulnerable to a second, more dangerous attack where cyber criminals reuse the email and password combinations to get access to more of your accounts, and more of your personal data.

Until next time,
dream big dreams,
plan out how to achieve them,
be continually executing your plans,
enlist people to your causes,
travel and/or read widely, preferably both,
all the while observing what you observe
rather than thinking what you are told to think,
think well of your fellow man,
take time to help your fellow man,
he sorely needs it and it will help you too,
eat food that is good for your body,
exercise your body,
take time to destress,
and do the important things
that make a difference -
they are rarely the urgent ones!

Most of the content herein has been copied from someone else. Especially the images. My goodness some people are talented at creating aesthetics! The small bits that are of my creation are Copyright © 2014-2024 by Tom Grimshaw - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Also for entertainment and educational purposes. All rights to the original works go to those that hold them, no copyright infringement intended. All material used falls under fair use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998). (For commentary, criticism, education and satire)

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