tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59175367032062386422024-03-05T15:12:44.262-08:00Inspiration. Motivation. Evolution.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-42027830255109471032016-09-13T12:35:00.001-07:002016-09-13T12:35:31.635-07:00The Art of Mastering Patience<div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you set higher expectations for yourself? Do you think that you behave like your own biggest enemy? Do you get upset when things don't go your way? Sometimes, it can be interesting to set the bar higher than our limits because we may come out as true winners by overcoming the obstacles on our way. But other times, this can lead to our own destruction. Today, I am delighted to share with you a post on one of the most important keys to a successful life: patience. Patience is just not the ability to wait but also the ability to remain calm with a positive attitude. The one who knows how to be patient in life knows the meaning of life. There are certain areas in which I excel as a human being but I must admit that I'm struggling a lot in developing patience so this is one of the reasons why I am dedicating today's post to this topic. In order to learn to be patient, let's explore the benefits of being patient because once the mind is convinced, the ways to become patient will automatically follow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first advantage of being patient is achieving peace in our lives which is very crucial for our health. There's no better person than us who can understand how to take care of our mind and body. When we're feeling peaceful with the life we are living, this translates into a strong immune system. We live in a world where things happen at a fast pace and if we don't decide to slow down, life will always feel like a race when it's not. Let some events unfold on its own and do yourself a favor: let your mind rest and let it be responsibility-free from time to time. If needed, do some yoga or start stress-free hobbies (activities that awaken your creativity for example).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second advantage of having a calm mind is to have more control over ourselves. No one likes to lead a life which he or she cannot guide. When we are patient, we can acknowledge the circumstances around us and choose how we want to react. Being patient allows us to make better and thoughtful decisions. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react. When we are patient, we have the privilege to direct our life the way we want to. When we get impatient, anxious and/or irritated, our brain basically shuts down and as a result, we act without thinking. One technique I could suggest to improve this is that you first acknowledge that you are angry and then take a deep breath and tell yourself that you still have control over yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The third advantage of being patient is that we are able to make the most out of our lives. Some people always seem happy, don't they? That's because they have trained their mind to see the good in life and to not let negative situations affect them. We all want a happy life and the happiness of our life depends on the quality of our own thoughts. When we remain calm with a positive attitude, we take away the power of negative energy and/or obstacles to discourage or disappoint us. Life is too short to put up with bad vibes. If you think you're living in an atmosphere that adds no value to your life, you are free to walk away from such environment or surroundings and you must do so. Go wherever you need to that will make you feel better and allow you to make the best out of your life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The fourth advantage of being patient is that we spread a positive energy in the universe and that makes it easier for life to offer us the right opportunities and to fulfill some of our wishes. Here, the law of attraction works. When we keep a positive attitude while waiting, we allow good things to attract us and come our way. That's almost like a reward. On the other hand, if we behave impatiently, life will not grant our wishes as it will first want to teach us how to be patient. I suggest you remember this motto: "You attract what you think" so whenever you set a new goal, don't think about how you will make it and/or how long it will take you to achieve it but believe that you can achieve it whenever it's meant to. Show life that you are resilient and that you can wait for the best to happen to you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To end this post, I admit that this may look like it was easy for me to write but as I wrote every single sentence, I realized how difficult it can be to apply in real life. When I look back at my own struggles, I truly realize that had I been patient, my life could have been different and better today. I know it's still not late for me to learn from my mistakes and I have a chance to become wiser. That being said, I hope this post will shed some light on how mastering patience can improve the overall quality of your life. Take control of your life and remember, for every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness (Ralph Waldo Emerson). The key to your happiness simply lies in being patient.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-54458521534186269082016-08-13T16:35:00.000-07:002016-08-13T16:35:23.864-07:00Interacting With Others Is Crucial To Our Personal Growth<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Though alone time is good in moderation, spending time with people can indeed be fulfilling and nourishing for our personal growth. I believe that spending time with people can provide us with so many enriching adventures and it is definitely an escape for people who spend more alone time and slip into an overthinking cycle. In the following paragraphs, let's explore the advantages of spending time with others. The primary benefits of interacting with others are: the feeling we get for being appreciated, the support we get to pursue our goals, the new sense of perspective we get and the possibility to add value in other people's lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, there is something special about having a circle of family and friends close to us. They are the ones who know our flaws, our strengths and what makes us different from others. They appreciate our presence in their lives and these are positive vibes we must cherish. Sometimes, we may feel that we are good for nothing but the truth is that we are worth more than we think and we genuinely matter to some people. That's why when someone values us, we should reflect on our positive attributes and look for the good in us. People with whom we spend time bring the best in us and unconsciously, they are the ones motivating us to become a better version of ourselves and to be an example for others. Speaking of myself, when I feel appreciated by my surroundings, I automatically stop focusing on my weaknesses and I take a moment to be more kind to myself and be grateful for having such amazing people who believe in me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Second, having a supportive network of people can open new doors for us to make our life journey more meaningful and interesting. No success has ever been achieved alone and therefore, exchanging our preferences with other people may someday provide us with opportunities that are crucial in the life path we are aiming for. Not just that but we need close people to share our success with. On the other hand, if we fall down, then we need people on whom we can count so that they can help us get back up. Obviously, we do not need to confide our goals to every single person we meet but once in a while, we meet trustworthy and reliable people who may encourage us to pursue our goals or to set new goals in life. It's such a privilege having people in our lives who care about our journey as well. To be honest with you, there aren't many such people in this world but the ones I have met, I have kept them very close to me. I may see them once a year and they are continuously pushing me to go for the best opportunities available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Third, people we spend time with may give us a new sense of perspective on life. As we unknowingly remain in our comfort zone for a long time, we may not be paying attention to different opportunities that are around us and sometimes it takes another person to make us see things from a different angle. We have two ears and one mouth. We should use them in that ratio. We learn more when we listen than when we talk. Sometimes, it is enriching listening to other people's life journey and adventures as we may be inspired to follow their good gestures or we may learn from their mistakes. Once again, it's a blessing in disguise if we have people who understand our point of view and try to make us understand that there is another way to do or see things. As we expand our thinking, we are the winners as we gain more resources to make the best of our life journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fourth, there is no better feeling than offering a part of our heart to and investing our time for others. We are usually focused on our needs that sometimes we may not be realizing that we could be adding value to someone else's life or simply brightening their day. Making others feel special and letting them know that we appreciate their presence in our lives are little gestures that surely increase our worth and make us feel good as well. I personally don't believe I should be kind to everyone but there are people in my life that I want to be there for during their best and difficult days, and that's my definition of kindness. I love celebrating my family and friends' joys and similarly, I embrace their vulnerability when their days are filled with clouds. We are blessed with more than we think, so if we are in a situation where our efforts and time could help someone or add value in his or her life, these are the opportunities we must not let go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At last but not least, one must always remember that we become who we spend time with. So be cautious! Sometimes we just don't click with certain people whereas with others, we feel the strong vibes coming in our direction. If that's the case, then these are the people with whom we should build a connection and the previously listed reasons will emerge. Spending time with people can benefit other people as much as ourselves, it goes in both directions. Energies are contagious, so always beware of the energy you are spreading around. Everyone wants to have the best for themselves. Therefore, when people are drawn to us, it is most likely because they find something appealing in us and they are also willing to share their spark with us. This is how we grow, build memories with people and make the world a better place to live in. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-63868486904949016762016-07-13T15:20:00.000-07:002016-07-13T15:20:22.395-07:00Benefits of Spending Time Alone<div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Moderation is always good and today's post is exactly about why time spent alone moderately is beneficial for growth. The reason why I decided to write on this topic is simply because I feel like most people associate alone time with being lonely and I wish to shed some light on how spending time can be good for ourselves. In the following paragraphs, I will be discussing the main advantages of spending alone time which are: clearing our mind, reconnecting with ourselves and developing more self-confidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, alone time allows us to relax ourselves and recharge our batteries. One may argue that this attribute describes mostly introverts but alone time can surely benefit extroverts from time to time. Being part of today's society has made many of us believe that we must always go after what we want and keep moving on to the next goal set. We have yet to learn that resetting our focus is the key to be productive and proactive in order to achieve a goal. Not doing anything does not mean that we are wasting our time. Not doing anything means that we are not pressuring our brain to think for a task that needs to be completed. Instead, we are letting our brain relax and empty any irrelevant information stored in. This type of relaxing is crucial to clear our mind. We can also slow down if we have been carried away in a fast paced type of life. Renewed energy is key to keep moving forward in life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Second, the biggest advantage of alone time is probably getting the time and space to reconnect with ourselves. Alone time means we get the time to think about things happening around us and to think for ourselves without any distraction from the outside world. When there is peace around, we get to listen to our inner voice. We get to connect with the real person inside of us. It's the time when we do not need to think about pleasing or worrying about another person. We are free to do whatever we like and to ponder what we dislike. There is no one around to judge us whether we are listening to an unpopular music, watching a cartoon movie being an adult or wearing a pair of cartoon pajamas. It's a privilege having the chance to think for ourselves. Also, there is no competition involved when we are alone so we get to set the pace at which we want to do something. Alone time allows us to explore the endless possibilities we have for ourselves. Afterall, we are the CEO of our life journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Third, alone time helps to develop more self-confidence. We also learn to require less self-validation from others. It's one thing to be socially approachable and another one to be dependent on others to make the most out of our lives. From real life to social media interactions, we unconsciously grow up thinking that getting approvals and praises from others is what we need to have our existence validated. However, that is not true. We must believe in ourselves first as often as we can and not build our confidence on what other people think of us. Alone time teaches us to detach ourselves from others from time to time. We then get to reflect on how we feel about ourselves and to work on ourselves so that we can feel good in our skin. Once again, confidence plays a big role in helping us shape the life we dream for ourselves so we must make time and work on building our confidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To conclude, I hope this post has helped you understand the key benefits of spending time alone. This must not be confused with feeling lonely which is being surrounded by people and not having himself or herself understood and/or his or her presence acknowledged by others. Alone time allows us to relax, think for ourselves and helps us build our confidence. As explained in one of my previous posts, balance is the key to a successful life. We definitely live in a world where interacting with others is necessary but it is for us to make a switch to some alone time so that we can balance out alone time and our interactions with others.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-9184633439859795572016-06-13T08:55:00.000-07:002016-06-13T08:55:59.410-07:00Ten Reasons Why I Love Running Outdoors<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 22.72px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Summer, my favorite season of the year, is here and I am delighted to share with you a post unlike others about my passion for running outdoors. I am not an athlete but as I believe precaution is always better than cure, I have made running an important part of my lifestyle. In this post, I will be listing ten reasons why I love running outdoors and hopefully I can inspire you to start adopting a new habit so that you can also lead a healthy lifestyle.</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Growing up in North America means to spend most time indoors due to the cold seasons and the bad weather conditions that may happen in spring and summer. Furthermore, the way the school system and the corporate world work in buildings mean more time indoors. That leaves me with very little time to be spent outdoors so I have chosen to invest a part of that time in running outdoors. Afterall, life is not meant to be spent indoors all the time.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Exposure to the sun allows our body to meet some of its needs for the vitamin D. Thus, when the sun is out, there is simply no excuse to not go for a run as being under the sun has some interesting health benefits. Sunlight deficiency can be bad for health and for those interested in more details, I definitely recommend the following articles:<br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">a) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.sunsprite.com/blog/9-ways-a-lack-of-sun-is-killing-you/" style="line-height: 22.72px;" target="_blank">https://www.sunsprite.com/blog/9-ways-a-lack-of-sun-is-killing-you/</a><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">b) </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.lifeadvancer.com/sunlight-deficiency-deadly-smoking" style="line-height: 22.72px;" target="_blank">http://www.lifeadvancer.com/sunlight-deficiency-deadly-smoking</a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 22.72px;">However, it's important to apply sunscreen before going out to run under the sun as sunscreen helps to protect our skin against sunburn and from ultraviolet radiations (UVA and UVB rays) that can cause skin cancer.<br /><br /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Being in a green area allows to connect with nature and that is a privilege. For those for whom nature is important, being in a green environment can significantly increase the level of their happiness.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running is an excellent type of cardio exercising. While the treadmill might be doing a part of your job, running requires 100% of your effort. Frankly speaking, fifteen minutes on a treadmill/cardio machine will not even make me feel as exhausted as fifteen minutes of running outdoors. Try it to believe me.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running increases energy and decreases tension, anger and all sort of negative emotions. Some days, I happen to wake up with a bad attitude. Then, I decide to go for a morning run and later on, I don't even realize it but my bad attitude disappears and I am full of positive energy for the rest of the day. Basically, running helps to reset and recharge batteries.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running outdoors allows to breathe fresh air which is vital for the human body. Fresh air is much better than air-conditioned air found in the gym or any indoor places.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running is a solo activity meaning that you are your only competitor. You can set challenges for yourself based on your performance and you can go at your pace.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running helps to sleep better. For people who can not stop thinking, running definitely helps to shut the brain and get the required 7-8 hours of sleep everyday.<br /> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running helps to concentrate better and to develop creativity just like any physical activity. As you engage yourself in a physical activity, you will learn to focus on that activity and that will definitely help you focus on other aspects of your life and this is how you learn to achieve other goals in life you set for yourself.<br /><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22.72px; text-align: justify;">Running for great causes can help to raise charity funds. Since there are no gym membership fees associated with running, signing up for races happening in your hometown city (or even another city) is an excellent way to set a running challenge for yourself and to contribute to great causes.</span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-52283144264824710132016-05-13T19:04:00.000-07:002016-05-13T19:04:24.421-07:00Authenticity Is The Key To Stand Out<div style="color: #444444; line-height: 21.299999237060547px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No matter how much we deny it, we live in a world where there is non stop competition. We compare ourselves with our peers instead of looking at the individual progress we have made from the past. We find our motivation through affection from people around us, achieving new goals and milestones that others don't have the potential to set for themselves, etc. In between, how much authentic do we feel about ourselves? In order to be the best version of us for ourselves and to win people's faith, we must feel good and true inside of us. This post goes hand in hand with my post of January 2016 on gratitude. Authenticity is one of the most powerful keys to make peace with your life regardless of what kind of circumstances life throws at us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Being authentic is about being able to live in and appreciate the present moment. As human beings, we are constantly focusing on moving forward in life that our present barely gets the attention it deserves. However, our thoughts, our behavior and our attitude towards the present can be a huge indicator of how our future will be shaped. Chances are if we are not enjoying the journey right now, we will not appreciate the destination. Therefore, it is important to be mindful about the present and to acknowledge that we are exactly where we are meant to be. By committing to the present, we are most likely going to be authentic to our other commitments such as life goals and relationships. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Being authentic is to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses. It is okay not to be perfect. Once we identify our strengths and weaknesses, nobody can use them against us. We may not be noticing the little progress we make day after day but in a year from today, we will not be the person we are today. Thus, it's important that we accept the fact that we are not a "finished product" but rather a "work-in-progress human being". <span style="line-height: 22.719999313354492px;">In order to help people around us, we must be able to recognize what we can offer without willing to impress too hard or fake something that we can not offer. </span><span style="line-height: 22.719999313354492px;">It's easy to impress people with the superficial but when we're comfortable being not perfect, we leave something more for people to remember us: we are sincere and we will be appreciated for being genuine. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Being authentic is to remain faithful to our values. Our family background, the friends we hang out with and our past journey are an interesting package that allows us to choose the values we believe in and that we want to carry wherever we go in life. It's important to have values because they create something unique out of us and they make us different from the rest of the people. It's good to get pulled out for a change once in a while but sticking to our life principles and not letting external factors or circumstances take away our main moral values show that we are resistant and resilient. Being loyal to ourselves goes beyond being honest. The latter just means that if we did something wrong, we confess it to ourselves and we usually feel guilty about it whereas being loyal is being thoughtful about the steps we take while keeping our values in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.719999313354492px;">I believe authenticity is a concept not widely spread or enough emphasized in today's world but when we are looking to make connections with people either on a personal or a professional level, a person who is authentic will always outweigh the one who isn't being his or her true self. It takes lots of courage along with vulnerability to present an authentic version of ourselves to others because nowadays most people are concerned more by the superficial than depth. Hence, w</span><span style="line-height: 22.719999313354492px;">e may not attract a high quantity of people towards us but we will attract the right quality of people towards us and that is more than enough to be at peace with our life and to make the most out of our life journey.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-4493456987904094872016-04-13T06:23:00.000-07:002016-05-13T18:38:11.742-07:00Balance: The Secret To A Fulfilled Life<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.3px;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In today's society, things are changing so fast that people don't get enough time to reflect on the changes happening around them. It seems like life is a race and most people are living their days according to the principle of "life is short" when in fact our time on Earth is determined by our thoughts, our actions and the energy we disperse around us. Balance is the secret to a successful life. In the following paragraphs, I will present five ideas on which you can hopefully reflect and make the changes, if necessary, to make the best out of your life journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are notions, circulating on today's social media, that a human being should constantly be happy, live life with no regrets, etc. According to me, those are very destructive ideas. Human beings were created to experience all kind of emotions from joy to sadness (you may refer to my post of February 2016) while social media is bringing the idea that we must suppress our unpleasant feelings. Being able to feel various emotions and having different moods are what make us genuine and real. If we are not happy, then that does not mean we have to chase for new happiness but rather we must face our current emotions. Having regrets can help us protect ourselves for next time such as by not repeating the same mistake twice in life. <span style="line-height: 22.72px;">We are human beings and we do not need to behave as robots with a constant smiling face. Sure, at times, a smile on a face is the best way to hide our pain if we cannot explain it in words to others. Otherwise, </span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">when we are able to show people that we are vulnerable,</span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;"> it's a sign that we are strong, confident and aware of our emotions and our worth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As for resources, we all know that they are unfortunately not equally distributed on Earth. While some human beings are struggling to get access to water, food, clothing and shelter <b><span style="line-height: 21.3px;">to</span> <span style="line-height: 21.3px;">survive</span></b>, others are feeding their mind with the idea that they can get more than the luxurious life they have. Have you ever stopped to think about taking only what you need and letting other people have their share too? Be humble. It's not because we are given more of something that it necessarily means that we have to take all that is accessible to us. When we can acknowledge that what we have is more than enough for us, that means that we are blessed. And either way, the more we get, the more we want and the more we have to lose. In fact, "the more a person limits himself, the more resourceful he becomes" (Soren Kierkegaard) and this would be definitely an interesting challenge to take in our life journey. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you ever been torn between "if it's meant to be, it will be" and "if you want it, go get it"? I believe we have all been there or at least I hope so. Now, think about how bored we would be to just sit down home and wait for everything to come to us without us doing a single effort? Or how drained we would feel for always having to chase what we want? Either way, we would not be feeling good on the inside. So instead, a mix of <span style="line-height: 22.72px;">"if it's meant to be, it will be" and "if you want it, go get it" is what makes life more interesting. Living under these two principles would allow us to feel both peace and excitement. Sometimes we have to let life surprise us, not rush anything and surrender <span style="line-height: 22.72px;">to</span> that flow. Other times, we need to set challenges to stimulate ourselves and make the efforts to achieve our goals. Once again, today's society always encourages people to go after what they want instead of being grateful with what they have and let some events unfold at the time they are meant to.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">Another questionable concept circulating in today's world is the one of being kind to others under all circumstances. Nowadays, not being kind is often translated into being either a mean or cold hearted person when in fact it could simply mean that someone is trying to take care of himself or herself first instead of being a people's pleaser or that he or she disagrees to support the other person because their values are in conflict. At some point in our lives, we </span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">have </span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">probably</span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;"> been torn between "treat others how you want to be treated" and "treat others how they treat you". Both of these ideas are good for real life because the first way allows you to offer the best version of yourself to others and the second way allows you to respond to the energy provided by others either by being a blessing or a lesson. By always being kind or wanting to be a blessing to people all the time, we sometimes please people who may simply want to take advantage of us and that is wrong. We are not less than anyone in this world. Thus, it certainly is a good thing to be kind but we should not let others step all over us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">At last but not the least, I think the most dangerous concept in today's world is "do what makes you happy and don't care about what others think." I believe you may agree with me that people today focus more on short term happiness instead of long term happiness. All that seems to matter is the present because we are here today. We are encouraged to not think about the future because we may not be there tomorrow. However, what kind of world are we going to leave for tomorrow's kids? We need to learn that sometimes our actions affect other people. What we do is not just about us. We are all trying to make the best out of our lives by learning from each other, sometimes by not repeating the same mistakes others have done and sometimes by setting challenges for ourselves that others have taken for themselves. </span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">Our actions of today can be the echo of the actions someone else may take tomorrow so we must be careful in what we do and what we say. </span><span style="line-height: 22.72px;">Then again, this does not mean we should always think about others before our own desires because there is indeed a challenge sometimes in walking on a path alone without anybody's support. It's all about finding the balance between doing what makes us happy and inspiring others to do good in the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 22.72px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To conclude, I hope this post has shed some light on how today's society is trying to impose certain ideas to people making them believe that it is how today's generation thinks. Real life is about balance. We deserve happy days but we must feel sadness at times. We can take what we need but we must let others have their share too. We can set goals and work hard to achieve them but we must believe that what is meant for us will not miss us. We can be kind to others but we must not let others feels that their needs come first and ours in second place. We can do what makes us happy but we must keep in mind that our actions affect others. Balance in life is achieved when the mind and the heart are in harmony with each other. The mind may seem tough while the heart is usually softer but both are essential to guide us in life. Beware of the energy you give out and remember that the secret to a fulfilled life is balance!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-4123299644800875902016-03-13T18:50:00.000-07:002016-04-11T08:41:08.942-07:00Who Are Introverts And How Different Are They From Extroverts?<div class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 16.2pt;">
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: segoe ui, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22.7333px;">For this one, I will refer you directly to my post published on Learning Mind's page at: <a href="http://www.learning-mind.com/differences-between-introverts-and-extroverts/" target="_blank">http://www.learning-mind.com/differences-between-introverts-and-extroverts/</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-40813636550514499162016-02-13T18:10:00.000-08:002016-05-13T18:38:30.117-07:00Understanding The Importance Of Emotions With The Movie "Inside Out"<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.3px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When all seems to fall apart or you are confused with life, it's always a good idea to watch kids' movies. There is so much to learn from those movies and sometimes all we need is motivation to start back from square one. Today I want to share some of the realizations I made after watching the movie "Inside Out" (Walt Disney Pictures, 2015). My blog indeed focuses on the idea that we need to be positive to lead a happy life. However, it's important to acknowledge that life is made of ups and downs. It is ok to feel negative emotions at times. We learn to appreciate the good in our life because we go through the bad. In the following paragraphs, I will try to explain the importance of the five main emotions used in the movie "Inside Out": Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, we have joy, which is a feeling that leads to great happiness. Without joy, we would be having a depressing life. Joy is indeed a positive emotion and I believe joy is what triggers the feeling of gratitude in us. Life is meant to be lived one day at a time, so if we are having some better days than others, we must acknowledge that we are blessed with joyful days and it's really up to us to go store those joyful days in our long term memory. If our joyful days are meaningful, there is no doubt that these good memories will replay in our mind in the future to make us feel good and/or grateful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Second, we have anger, which is some sort of strong feeling that makes us upset or annoyed. I think anger acts like a self-defense emotion, and that's essential because there is no better person than us to defend ourselves. Anger can sometimes engage us into a conflict with someone else, which is healthy for us at times and it can also push us to take action to make things the way we want. However, as it's mostly a negative emotion, we can end up taking the wrong steps and this can lead to bigger problems when in fact we just wanted to make a way for ourselves to be happy. Therefore when we are angry, it's important to be aware of this feeling and remind ourselves that the action plan that the angry emotion is creating for us may not be a suitable/wise plan we'd follow if we'd have a cooler mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Third, we have fear, which is the feeling of being afraid and/or worry about something bad or unpleasant. Fear is usually the result of our insecurities. Fear is an emotion that I believe is built from our thoughts and it's a way for our mind to protect us from a disastrous scenario if it were to occur. Nevertheless, once fear is gone from our mind, it's almost like we have made some accomplishment. Simple example: When a kid is afraid of going to school for the first time because of the unknown but eventually, the kid gets familiar with his or her teacher and makes new friends, the feeling of fear gradually vanishes. Fear is a special type of emotion: a negative one which can turn into a positive one if we step out of our comfort zone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fourth, there's disgust which is a strong feeling of dislike for something. Maybe, disgust was too much of a strong emotion in the storyline but I'll leave that to the director of the movie "Inside Out". Since we're not robots, it is normal to have dislikes. Being aware of our dislikes protects us from what may cause unhappiness to us. Having preferences is what makes our standards and what makes us humans and therefore we should not be ashamed of our dislikes as they don't make any less of us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fifth, there's sadness which is a feeling of grief or unhappiness. Just like Joy in the movie was continuously pushing away Sadness from Riley's memory, I realized that I've also been wondering what the purpose of sadness is in life? I found my answer in the movie. Sadness is to alert others and ourselves when we are overwhelmed and that we may need help. Sadness teaches us to be compassionate towards others and have sympathy for others. Sadness allows us to connect deeply with people; please remember that a person, especially a kind hearted one, will find you more valuable if you are present for her or him when s/he is sad than you being present when s/he is joyful. To understand others who may be going through sad phases, it's crucial for us to be sometimes sad so that we can relate with other people's sadness to eventually help them let go of that sadness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope this post helped you understand that all five emotions mentioned, whether positive or negative, all somehow contribute to help us achieve happiness. Joy does not equal absolute happiness. Each emotion from joy, anger, fear, disgust and sadness, has its purpose. The human mind is more complex than these five emotions actually. Being aware of the emotions that dominate us in a particular situation can help us understand ourselves, make the necessary changes in our thoughts and find a way to better deal with certain difficult situations in life. I believe it's important to embrace our emotions because they are truly what make us unique from others and we're all special people in this world.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-45973396072569666682016-01-13T19:15:00.001-08:002016-05-13T18:39:27.426-07:00Gratitude Is The Best Attitude<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.3px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy New Year everyone! The past two years were some kind of roller coaster years for me that I could barely focus on my blog. That being said, 2016 is a new year and I truly want to make the best out of it and of course encourage people to do the same. It's a blessing for me to be able to think positive and share it in writing, so let's get started.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The concept of gratitude was unknown to me about a few years ago. Now that I've learned what it is, I think it's such a valuable key for anyone who wants to achieve a happy life. Gratitude is more than its definition of a feeling of appreciation or thanks. It's a state of mind and a positive vibe to spread around. Life then rewards us back in unexpected ways at unexpected times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As human beings, our focus is usually on what we want because we know that life goes on and we must keep moving forward. Sometimes we get discouraged as we still have a long way to achieve what we want. In that instant, we need to pause and look back at what we have achieved and how far we have come. It's important to take that present time to reflect on the efforts we have put and the good feelings that the past achievements have given us. It's a little step that shows that we acknowledge the good that life has offered or offers us. When we are grateful for what we have, we realize that we are blessed with more than enough and this type of thought lets us achieve a peaceful mindset which then allows us to think about the efforts we need to put to achieve our next goals. Basically, gratitude is an attitude that makes us feel good inside, it's that simple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me give you a small personal example. I was and am constantly torn between "If you do not go after what you want, you'll never have it" and "What's meant to be will be." Just a couple of months ago, I felt like life rewarded me for appreciating what I had. I was in my world, giving my best and one day, a little reward knocked on my door. At first, I could not believe that such a day would come because I considered myself just an average human being. It was a minor accomplishment and I reflected on the attitude I had just days and weeks before. That's when I realized that weeks before, I was genuine to myself and had said something along the following words to some people: "I got a lot [of happiness] in my share, I don't need more for now..." I think this attitude of mine just made life reward me later on somehow. For me, it was all the power of gratitude. At that time, I was so happy that my mission of positivity is not just a dream in my mind but rather life itself is helping me make the best of my journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There's a saying "Happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." I probably first read that three years ago and did not know back then but now I know that's exactly what gratitude is. If we don't take the time to reflect on what we have, we will never know what we truly have, we'll take for granted what we have and we will always want more and that's not the right attitude. We should not wait to lose something or the privilege associated to it to understand its value. We need to learn to cherish the good things we have and we get no matter how small they are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I say that we have to be grateful for what we have, it also applies towards the dear ones we have in our lives. We all know that people come and go whenever they want and not everyone is meant to stay forever in our lives. This may seem difficult to do, I am still struggling sometimes, but it's important to let people know at times that they matter to us. When our dear ones are nice to us, we must have faith in the positive vibes that they send us. We need to trust ourselves and listen to our inner voice that makes us acknowledge that these people bring the good in us and help us to be good human beings. Similarly, we have the power to make them feel special. Complimenting others is some sort of gratitude too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did and I am still doing this exercise of writing down each good thing that happens to me in a line and by the end of year, I easily find about 100 good things that happened in my life over the year. This helps me realize how blessed I am and to shift away my attention from the negative thoughts. For those interested, I invite you to try to do the same. Gratitude is an attitude for you, not to impress anyone around. We have nothing to lose with this attitude. When we are genuinely grateful for what we have, life just gets better and surprises us when we least expect it. Keep the faith in gratitude and watch the small changes that will add up in your life! Make the most out of 2016!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-41785896785813837712014-09-14T17:44:00.000-07:002016-01-13T05:54:48.989-08:00Your Thoughts Create Your Reality<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the realizations I made in my
life journey is to think positive which then attracts positivity towards you. I
may be wrong but I still see a lot of people’s opinions about how this fact is
not true. However from my experience of just a year ago when I decided to get
on this positivity mission, I have to admit that most of the good things that
happened to me were based on my positive thinking. Today, I would be really
happy if I can help anyone to change the quality of his or her life by simply
starting to have positive thoughts in mind.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Reading positive quotes everyday has
made a major impact on my life. It’s unbelievable how often I happened to read
an inspiring quote to calm down myself for every little negative issue in my
life. Or I would just have a dear one sharing an inspiring quote with me just
to make me feel better and/or to have me keep going on in life. Then instead of
focusing my energy on my problem, I was rather carried away to think deeply
about the positive quote and this then just led me to find a peaceful solution
to my life’s issues. They always say that you should do what makes you happy
and not what you think is right. I believe there’s something in between these
two and that’s peace. Being happy and sad is part of life and sometimes, it’s
just not doing things that make you happy but doing things that make you
peaceful can also take you to happiness. Therefore, next time when you see a
positive quote, take a moment, breathe and try to see if what you just read can
solve a current issue in your life, can help you think more positive or can
help you become a better person than who you were yesterday. This advice may
seem useless but remember that every minute spent on thinking positive adds up
to a lot of positivity in your life, so have faith in this little mindful
exercise.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When it comes to your goals whether
they are on a personal or professional level, having a positive attitude can
help a lot. Speaking of myself, I used to doubt myself a lot in the past as to
whether I’ll achieve my goals or not, but I always put as much effort as I
could and I stay focused towards them. This way, my combined positive energy
has outweighed my fear of not succeeding and this has eventually led me to the
doors of success I have been looking for. I still look back at my achievements and still
acknowledge the fact that what seemed impossible turned out to be possible. Do
not mistake having a positive attitude with being over confident. Giving your
best or trying as much as you can does not necessarily mean you’ll always reach
success. It’s very important for you to be flexible and understand that in the
case of failure, you shouldn’t over-think about your efforts going into waste,
just let it go as you cannot control every single thing of your life. Some
things are just not meant to be and we cannot have everything we want the way
we wish for. Therefore, take the time appreciate what you achieve and be proud
of all of the little efforts you put in towards them. Having a positive
attitude towards your goals can be actually translated as to how you value your
goals and how much you care to put the necessary work to reach them. Be honest
with yourself and set goals that make you happy on the long term.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the most beautiful things about
life is that we are surrounded by people and as they say that your travel
destination is not important but rather who you are with makes a huge
difference. If you want to be treated nicely by others, start by treating
others nicely. Don’t wait for the other person to do a kind gesture for you
first because the actual winner is always the one who makes an initiative. I’ll
share a personal fact about myself here. I genuinely enjoy lifting up people’s
spirit because I like to make people feel important in this world and at the
same time, I acknowledge their presence in my life. I compliment others and I
remind them regularly about the good human beings they are. I also take the
time to be happy of their progress in life when a new chapter of their lives
starts. The reason why I do this is because some of them have inspired me to be
like them (develop more confidence, be open-minded, stay relaxed, etc) and I am
aware that life is just not about me and in fact, everyone has a right on their
share of happiness, so why not emphasize on their efforts for their personal
goals as well?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A lot of people seem surprised when I
have nice words to share with them but I try not to over-think about them
thinking that I may be just spreading those words to make myself look good. I
try to choose my words carefully (but I’m not always successful) and if it
makes a positive impact on that person, I call that a “win” because when I’m
given a compliment, I acknowledge it and try to ensure that quality stays with
me as it’s part of the good human being I strive to be. On the other hand, I
have people in my life who do thank me for constantly encouraging and/or
complimenting them because they need those reminders at times to keep going on.
I can totally relate myself with them because it’s not the attention from the
others that I seek but it’s rather that every kind word from others motivates
me to try to become a better human being day after day. That being said, be
positive towards others and you will see most of them will give you back that
positive energy and you’ll be just filling each other’s lives with positivity.
As for those who can’t acknowledge your little kind gestures, don’t hate them
(negative energy), let it go (positive energy that can be used to make someone
else happy) and hopefully those who can’t appreciate your presence in their
lives will get a lesson from your absence (or rather the absence of your kind
gestures) in their lives one day.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One rule of thumb I want you to
remember in all the ideas I have shared is that this exercise of “positivity
attracts positivity” will only work if you believe in it. It doesn’t hurt to
try. Forget the person filled with negative thoughts that you were if you have
been one. Just get started whenever you want to and think about happy things as
often you can, say positive words, turn negative thoughts into positive ones.
You've had a bad day; just remind yourself that it’s just a bad day and not a
bad life. The quality of your life will only change if you are positive toward
life. Our thoughts have a lot of power, more than we realize it and that’s why
it’s important to fill our mind with as much as positivity as we can. I’ll
bring up another simple personal example: I grew up thinking that I was unlucky
for contests since I was a kid and before every draw, I’d tell people around
that “I never win in these things.” When I stopped carrying the idea of “I
never win contests” with me about a year ago, it’s silly but I have been
winning prizes at different draws, and people around were amazed and would tell
me that I am one lucky person. I really don’t know if it was luck or not but I
did realize that the more I think in an optimistic way, the more I allow
positive opportunities to catch me. It’s just that simple!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think I have covered pretty much the
main ideas I wanted to share about how your thoughts create your reality. It’s
not an easy exercise, it takes times and if you are honest to yourself, chances
are that you’ll get the positive life you dream for yourself. Being positive
does not mean that you should be always giving away positive energy around.
Know your limits and if something does not work the way you want it to be, try
not to have negative thoughts about it or if you do, remind yourself that you
have to let go of what you can’t have full control over and it’s time to move
on to the next page. Your thinking will always play a crucial role in the
unfolding of events in your life, so don’t underestimate the power of any
little positive thought. Also distance yourself from any negativity. To sum up
everything in one line, I’ll refer you to Marcus Aurelius’s words: “The
happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” Change your
thoughts for the better and then just watch your life changing...</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-84171047853611691232014-04-23T20:14:00.000-07:002014-04-23T20:14:05.763-07:00Get Inspired By Your Parents... And Keep Going For Them<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17.940000534057617px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you ever had a day or been in a phase where you just felt like nothing around you was fine and as you get drown in your thoughts, you felt like you have no energy to keep going in life? I don’t know the depth at which you’ve had such emotions but recently I got questionned as to what would be that one reason why I’d not give up on my life. I answered “my parents” to that. I am aware that there is negativity going around in real life and sometimes we think that just because we are far from how the average society lives, we think that giving up on our life is the solution. It’s really not. Life will always have its ups and downs but as the saying clearly states: the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why (by Mark Twain). To find out why you exist, you need to keep going in life, show patience toward life and believe that you exist here for a purpose.</span></span><br />
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Meanwhile, I believe your parents should be that one reason you move forward in life regardless of whether you have them with you or not. I won’t go in the details of how your mother might have carried you in her womb for nine months and/or how your father had to take care of your mother so that no harm was made to you as you breathe through your mother’s breath. We all know that that’s one huge struggle but what’s even bigger than that is all that your parents, two ordinary individuals, gave up to give you a life and to dedicate all their time and energy on you even before you were born. I know I am not the only one in this world but as years pass by, I realize how my parents really had to forget about their own wishes and give most of their time to raise me and take care of me and this goes on for a lifetime. Sometimes, parents forget "who they are" and how they want to live their lives just to give the best from the best to their children. Don’t think about giving up on your life when things get hard, think about what your parents gave up to make of you the person you are today. Always keep in mind that your life belongs more to your parents than you actually owning it.</span></span><br />
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I know that as we grow up, we tend to push ourselves away from them because they sometimes act like obstacles when we want to try certain experiences on our own and this sometimes create such big rifts between us and our parents. Nonetheless, behind this love-hate relationship we develop with our parents, the latter never wish for our bad, cannot see us falling down in life and will also cover for our mistakes at times because that’s really how parents show their love to us. We’re all growing, so are they. We need them so much when we are new to this world until we learn to become independent. As we distance ourselves from them, their thoughts about life change and it’s no longer what they sacrificed to bring us in the world that matters to them but all they want is to stay near us as they grow old.</span></span><br />
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It’s a privilege for most of you who have both of your parents. It’s a real blessing to have both your parents and you can trust my words because you cannot imagine how much I dream I had my father to see both my parents standing next to each other and to be able to make them feel that having me is one of their biggest rewards for all that they sacrificed for me. Even as of today, I feel like I get less sad about not having my dad but it hurts me much more when I hear that someone around is behaving like a stranger toward one or both of his or her parents. This is a situation I could never control because in trying to do so, I’d be an obstacle in their way and it’s supposed to be none of my business. It’s sad unfortunately. So if you can get the essence behind what I just tried saying, don’t take your parents for granted. There are so many, including me, who would trade their life just to get a life with both their parents.</span></span><br />
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Regardless of whether you have both your parents or just a single one, there are tons of ways to let them know that you realize what they mean to you. I feel slighlty guilty for advising this because I know that my mother and I almost never say “I love you” to each other because I sometimes tend to create trouble to her and I kind of carry a hate love relationship with her. Nonetheless it’s what I do more than how I express myself via negative words that counts and I do share a healthy and safe bonding with her. I don’t know how your circumstances are but I find that my situation is complicated and sometimes I feel like I need to confide my feelings about my mother to a third person, most often to my neighbours who share my mom’s age, and it’s only through them that my mom really gets to find out my genuine feelings for her. My sister, on the other hand, barely causes trouble to my mother, so my mother responds more positively to her in terms of communication. And as for my brother, being the kid he is, it’s easier for him to hug and kiss my mother anytime he wishes. We’re three siblings, loved by one mother and all three of us just convey our love in three different ways, and that’s it.</span></span><br />
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I could carry on and on on this topic because there is just so much to get inspired from our parents’ journey. When you get disheartening thoughts on your life because of whatever reasons, try to forget your insecurities and put yourself in your parents’ shoes. If you can feel their pain, I am sure you wouldn’t want to add more pain in their lives, so learn to take care of yourself at least for their sake. Take care of them, love them and show them that you’re not missing anything to be happy in life. Nothing makes parents happier than to see that their children are having a good life after all that they sacrificed.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17.940000534057617px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-40835291137250732782014-03-13T18:01:00.000-07:002014-03-30T16:36:15.273-07:00Building A Positive Attitude To Engage On Social Media<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Welcome to Facebook. The place where relationships are perfect, liars believe their own bullshit, and the world shows off they are living a great life. Where the enemies are the ones that visit your profile the most, your friends and family block you, and even though you write what you are thinking, there is always someone that takes it to the wrong way.” I don’t know who came up with this and why but the first time I read it, it entertained me a lot. The second time I read it, I found it sarcastic. As I read it over and over, I felt like there was more negativity in it yet it describes a lot of today’s reality. Social media is starting to take too much space in our lives. As much as there is positivity circulating on it, there is unfortunately that much of negativity on it also. My purpose in writing this post is to hopefully help some of you control all of what you've been absorbing from these social media networks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Social media has its advantages when it comes to sharing information. You might be using it for good reasons such as getting updates on your interests. If you like to get the latest updates on sports, celebrities, fashion, seasonal activities, etc, go like/follow those pages! They are well designed mostly because of a professional staff handling them. Using social media to gain more information on what you like is a good motive. Speaking of myself, social media has played a big role in my life because of its usefulness when it comes to discovering more about things that are of my interest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I believe the biggest reason why social media is here in today’s world is obviously to make it easier for us to connect with people. That surely doesn't replace the human interaction you can have with people but if you can respect a friend’s time and thoughts dedicated to you as he or she connects with your virtually, it’s probably the least you can offer to someone if both of you are busy in your respective world. If you are one of those who always gets your way to see the ones you want to see, then good for you. You can stop reading here. Otherwise if you are busy among your personal issues and responsibilities, I don't see anything dramatically wrong in connecting virtually. I know that I connect with people virtually as I feel the need of it at times and I do satisfy myself with that if I am really not in the possibility to meet up with someone in person. That being said, it’s not because some people are not in my present that I don’t think about them. On the other hand, I’d be still thinking about them regardless of social media existing or not, but if social media can help me let them know that I think about them, I don't see why I would stop myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As for what’s presented to you via social media from friends, I think a lot of people don't understand or misunderstand that they're just getting the highlights of how people are living in their little world or at what stage they are in life. Nowhere are you getting other details related to those updates posted by your friends. People are not plugged 24 hours on 24 on the web to post their updates every few minutes. So there is absolutely no need to assume that people who share their happiest moments have a perfect life or are just showing off how much of a good life they have. People's intentions as they share their updates can be so much different than you just judging them for having intentions of showing off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a matter of fact, I know that social media has affected some people around me negatively because they absorb too much on what’s presented to them and don’t really think about the hidden details behind someone posting happy updates. If you are living a happy life, then why would you need to compare your happiness to others? And on the other side, why do you need to judge others by thinking that those who are posting their happy updates are just showing off? I know this is easily said but might be tough to do it and that's why I want you to think on both ends and for you to understand that you shouldn't have to compare your happiness to others whether it's to put yourself down or put others down. I look for positive intentions behind people’s happy updates just because there is enough negativity in the real world, so why spread negativity on other people’s posts via social media? As much as there are chances of someone faking their happiness on social media, there are that many chances that that person is sharing his or her genuine moments. Why act like a hater?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another of today’s unfortunate reality is that sometimes people are just waiting to create problems with one another on social media. They won’t make much efforts to truly appreciate your good posts or dedicate any genuine good thought to you but will take the wrong meaning by some of your posts. Instead of really staying away from your page, they will simply not miss any opportunity to write a sarcastic comment on your page sadly. This can be a frustrating situation for anyone as it's hard to control people's negative thoughts. I don't know what the best solutions are to deal with this but I definitely recommend the following: either to ignore the comment or to turn that sarcastic comment into something positive by replying to it in an entertaining way if possible. Social media is just not the place to create problems with anyone or to behave mean with someone. If your problem with someone is a real life issue, then try to resolve it by contacting the person in real life instead of clicking the "like" button or commenting for sarcastic reasons. Keep in mind that real life relationships should not be messed up via social media.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To conclude this post, I would just like to remind you that when you engage yourself on social media sites, it’s primarily your responsibility to pick what you want to absorb and what you don’t want to. Don’t destroy your mental peace because of social media. Don’t use it to put yourself down or to silently hate someone; use it with a good purpose such as for healthy entertainment. Also remember that being on social media is not at all an obligation to live in today’s society. There are still people who are not at all on any of these social media sites. I hope you are fortunate enough to have at least one such person in your life because that person will be enough to make you realize that he or she doesn't exist on Facebook for anyone and yet is making a living outside of social media. Enjoy social media safely!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-68572119862295766812014-02-24T19:38:00.000-08:002014-03-27T17:26:17.252-07:00Happiness Is A Choice<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.9pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
key to be happy in life is to think happy thoughts. It's such a simple
statement and yet it may take years or decades to get it right. It's alright.
Take your time if you want. Once you'll grasp the idea behind it, you'll be in
a new world. As we often hear, the happiest people don't have the best of
everything, they just make the best of everything. Ask yourself this question:
Do you feel happy with how much you have as of today or do you constantly feel
like you're missing something to truly feel happiness wherever you are. If your
answer is the first one I stated, then you are definitely someone who knows how
to make the best of what you get no matter the circumstances in your life.
Otherwise, if your answer is the second one, you need to stop looking at what
you can't get control of and learn to appreciate what you have. I think one can
find happiness through life's experiences and with people who belong to his or
her world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; line-height: 19.9pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; line-height: 19.9pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.9pt;">Experiences are those that enrich us throughout life. There are different stages
in life to go through. Each of them is filled with ups and downs and you go
through a bunch of emotions like feeling nervous, excited, relaxed, sad and
happy. All this helps you learn about your likes and dislikes. The adventures
that bring pleasure to you are most likely going to be experiences you will
want to re-live or move forward with the next ones. For those that don't go
well, too bad for them. One of the best things in life is that there is so much
you can try out and that list is endless. You just have to be willing to give
your mind the peace and satisfaction by trying out what you want. As they say,
if you don't try, you'll never know. I don't know if it's right for me to say
but we all have desires, needs and wants. Sometimes, little efforts can make us
achieve the experiences we dream of.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; line-height: 19.9pt;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; line-height: 19.9pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.9pt;">I'll bring in a personal small experience to explain what I am trying to say.
There were and still are so many things I could have done at a younger age but
sometimes due to the direction of my life and/or lack of motivation, I couldn't
always take every opportunity that would knock on my door. As I grew up, a
second chance was given to me. The decision was mine: take the opportunity or
let it go. I think the last of my best experiences in 2013 was to take part in
a group dance performance of one minute in front of 900 people of which I knew
about less than 25 people. It was just a one minute challenge and yet it
required a few hours of practice, motivation, enthusiasm and passion. I got
very nervous on the actual day and was carrying the feeling of fear throughout
the day. I managed to smile while I danced but it's only at the end of my
performance that I could feel that tremendous happiness I was waiting for. That
one minute dance turned into such a beautiful memory for me to cherish for the
rest of my days.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As
for the people who surround us, the good part is that we obviously love those
who belong in our present. There's no doubt about it. One thing that is crucial
to live a happy life is to understand that we'll only have people in our
present that we can contribute to their happiness and deal with their pain and
similarly they are the ones who can contribute to our happiness and support us
in our hard times. Speaking of myself, my present is all about my mother, my
siblings, a few of the elders from my mom's family, a few younger cousins, some
good and sincere friends and my coworkers. These are the ones with whom I share
my daily little joys and sadness and vice versa, they share theirs with me. We
always try to make each other feel better because that's the way to a positive
spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then
there are people who are not part of our present but had once been part of our
life. They happen to cross our paths once in a while and our perception towards
them can totally make a difference in whether we want to stay happy and on good
terms with them. From my observations, I've had some situations where I ended
up being just a complete stranger for someone just because I was no longer part
of their present as my priorities had changed along with the stage of life I
was at. That's fine. I had to move on, so I did and instead of getting hated or
hurt by someone, I have usually ended up accepting being a "nobody"
for such people. However, there's always the possibility of happiness on the
other hand if we decide to stay on good terms with our good old buddies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I
have another personal situation to bring here: when things are under control in
my life, I truly love being part of people's lives whether they belong in my little
world or not. There's always energy in me and I get excited for any occasion
from small to big because being able to add any sort of happiness to someone's
life always makes me happier. With all the daily and typical issues in my life,
I take whichever opportunity I get to give happiness to whoever I can because
that is the least of a positive spirit that I can spread. As I grew up, I
realized that there is absolutely no guarantee as to how often I can be there
to create happy memories with others, and the best thing I can do and that I
have been doing since about more than a year with sincerity, is that I put in
my whole heart wherever I am and with whoever I am. There's nothing more
unpleasant than being surrounded by people who are not enthusiastic when
there's a get together whether it's between two people or more. Happy memories
are created between people by putting everyone's positive energy and passion
all together. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I
know I cannot speak on behalf of everyone and that's why I am nowhere imposing
you to live by my words but this is just my perspective on how I see people who
are not part of my life on a daily basis. Sometimes our priorities in life can
be so different from someone else because of the different stages of life we
are at, but that shouldn't mean that we have to say goodbye to each other. I
chose happiness and I put the minimum efforts I can to not make any of my
well-wishers feel like outsiders in my life. However, I will admit that when I
am in situations where I do take a few initiatives and someone has that
attitude that he or she doesn't care or that they don't see my good intentions
behind my initiatives, I respect myself enough to no longer make those
initiatives and obviously stay away from his or her zone of happiness. As much
as the other person has a right to be happy without me, I allow myself to be
happy in my world as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happiness
is a choice. There's no one better than you to know what's best for you such as
the wisdom certain experiences can bring to you and what type of memories you
want to create with the people in your life. Be optimistic. When life gives you
a second opportunity, take the time to understand that second chance, listen to
your instinct and go after it. Build happy memories with people even if it's
for five minutes of your time instead of looking for reasons to create issues
with them. Let go of what you can't control. Be happy. Make that choice. As
you'll recognize and appreciate what you have, you'll attract more happiness in
life. Just start believing in happiness...</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-60374296363280212642013-12-13T05:45:00.000-08:002016-05-13T18:40:17.940-07:00What Appears To Be The End May Really Be A New Beginning<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy Friday The 13th!! They say all good things come to an end and here we are, 2013 is about to end. I have mixed feelings today and I will be sharing with you my realizations of this year. Ups and downs were both part of my 2013 despite the fact that I had filled my mind with countless positive thoughts. As many of you would have already noticed, I enjoy writing and describing in words how I feel about every new experience. They say happiness comes in small packages and I truly believe in it and I was given the great opportunity to have witness it throughout this year. I don’t know if it’s right for me to say this but I feel like I got much more from life than I actually deserved. I am not trying to say that I wanted to suffer instead of having all these good things coming to me, I am just trying to say that it’s the first time in life that I felt like I have more than enough to live a good life and I really shouldn’t take for granted what I presently have. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This year was a beautiful one for me because my life wasn’t just about me; it was also about the people who were part of it. I can’t deny it but I did accomplish a lot of things this year because of the encouragement and the love I got from my family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances. I felt like as if I was just a little princess and everyone around me had their best wishes for me so that I make my life as beautiful as I’ve always wanted. I was really surrounded by selfless people and I always wondered if I’ll ever be able to do for them as much as they did for me. If not, then I hope God takes care of it and gives them some more happiness. For now, I just have my best thoughts for them when I think about them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the best things that happened to me this year was to have more than one person telling me that “Hard work is paying off”. I don’t know how many people in my life find me genuine as of today but I am grateful to those who were happy for the life I finally got because of all the hard work I did the past years. I was glad to be an example of “Hard work pays off” because sometimes I thought of myself as good for nothing and the only hope I had at those times was to give my best so that I get rewarded one day for my hard work. It makes me happy that I was or still am an inspiration to those who are younger than me. “Hard work pays off” is just not a myth that we hear. Almost everything I have as of today is because of my sacrifices and struggles. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">One of the mistakes I often made in the past years was to hold on things and people who were once part of my life. I never thought my thinking would change about that but this year as I repeated over to myself that by letting go, there will be room for better things and better people to come in my life; I have witnessed all of that coming to me. It’s crazy, I am not even joking. I had to share this one with you because it does take a lot of courage to let go of things that guarantee you comfort </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and to let go of people you love and care for and that they loved you so much once upon a time. If we want to try out new things, we have to step out from our comfort zone. As for the people who come and go from our lives, I can only say that you can’t hold anybody even if it’s a friend who was so close to you for years. The wise lies in keeping his or her best memories with you and to move on. You can’t force anyone to make time for you or to have that enthusiasm he or she had once when he or she was part of your life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just about few months ago, there was this thought that hit me: Am I as great as I seem to be throughout my blog posts? The answer turned out to be “no” and I was glad that I was that much honest with myself. Today I decided to clear that out here because there is indeed a difference between the writer of this blog and the Priya I am in real life. Blogging was one of my best accomplishments this year because it helped me distance myself from the bad experiences I had earlier in my life and to avoid all the negative thoughts. All the positive quotes and sayings I was reading throughout the year inspired me to write my blog posts and to build some peace in my mind. And it really did make me feel better. When I had no motivation, I would read my own blog posts and cheer up myself and even that worked out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As of today, I don’t have all solutions to overcome the struggles that come to me. I could be wrong but I do feel sometimes that I have too much on my shoulders than I can actually carry. I really don’t feel inferior to anyone for saying this because I recognize how much I can do and what I can’t do. My mother and my siblings have always been my priority and I think they are the only ones for whom I would cross oceans. As for the closest friends and family I have, I don’t think I have ever jumped a big puddle for them but if they are still with me today, it’s probably because of their big heart, their patience and their trust in me. It’s a big realization and I acknowledge that those who are with me today are my biggest blessings. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">My blogging journey of 2013 ends here and I really thank all of you who’ve read my posts even if it was only one throughout the year. I took lot of time to write these and I tried my best to share as much positivity I could because this way I attracted a lot of good things to me this year. I value your time for reading about me and I was very happy for all the positive feedback I got as my efforts didn’t go to waste. For the upcoming year, I wish you lots of new experiences and a lot of peace. Ups and downs will be always there but learn to make peace with yourself. You can’t have all at the same time. Make resolutions because they will make you feel like you have a purpose in life. You may not accomplish all of them to the degree of satisfaction you will wish to have but, you will then realize that you achieved far more than what you didn’t make it to. Don’t over-think, just let go of what was, appreciate what you have today and believe in what will be. May 2014 be a better year than 2013!! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-77263746248194621922013-11-13T17:41:00.001-08:002013-11-23T18:02:14.741-08:00Your Success Only Comes Through Your Struggles And Sacrifices In Life<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There are days when I wake up and I just wish I
could start a completely new life. I don’t know if it’s because I want to
escape things with which I am unhappy in my life or if it’s because I want to
have more than what I have. When I have peace in mind, I accept the life I have
and I feel better being myself. It’s not easy to do so but I tell myself that
this is the way to go if I want to be happy. </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I've</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> said this several times in my
previous posts: nobody would be happy living a life made of a routine. If
everything would be easy in life, we’d complain that there’s no challenge. If
everything would be too hard to achieve, we’d give up and still complain about
it. The same applies to life: you can’t appreciate the good things in life
without the bad ones. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am definitely not a great example of dealing
with struggles because I did let my bad experiences define me for a long period
of time in the past. However, I will confess one thing: I did face my struggles
and sacrificed as much as I could just to achieve the success I believed in.
Don’t misunderstand me here. I am not saying that I loved going through pain
because I indeed went through my share of pain during my struggles. Sacrificing
my short term wishes to achieve a long term goal was not painful. Dealing with
life’s unexpected situations, usually the bad ones, always put my confidence
down and I never saw a winner in myself. Thank goodness, things have changed
today and I finally understand the lessons I was supposed to get out of my
struggles. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There are numerous
situations of struggles in life that affect us such as good friends turning
into strangers, failing an important exam, dealing with unemployment, dealing
with a physical disease, getting into depression, facing a death of someone
dear to us. The latter affect us either mentally or emotionally or both ways.
These are our real testing times. Whatever struggle you face, there are three
possibilities ahead of you: run away from it, stand still and do nothing, or
move on. From my personal observations, I think the real winners are those who
are patient and who have more a peaceful mind. It’s the only way to let your
brain think how to move forward from where you are. It’s a new approach for me
as well and I must say that I am gradually learning to be patient, something
that </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> been constantly reminding myself over the years and </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">hadn't</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> worked up
until recently. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It’s tough to fill
your mind with positive thoughts when you are going through struggles but it’s
probably the best way to push that entire negative environment away from you.
Speaking of myself, I often reminded myself that I deserve a better life than
the hard times I was going through. When I think about it today, I actually
feel my thinking was right because sometimes, the bad days are there to remind
you that you have good ones to look forward to. This logic </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">didn't</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> exist in my
mind before but now that I try to make connections between my life’s events, it
feels like I solved a puzzle! I don’t know the types of struggles </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">you've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> all
been through but I want to be the one reassuring you that struggles are there
to make you realize how strong you are for dealing with them. You’re being
tested on how you’ll overcome them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In order to gain
something better, you must give up something. That’s a sacrifice. I think we,
all the human beings, are always tempted in getting more but the real challenge
is what are you ready to let go to achieve something new? You can achieve
anything you want but you can’t have everything. You have to make sacrifices in
life because this way you’ll appreciate what </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">you've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> got more than feeling sad
over what </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">you've</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> let go. As an example, I can share the one of sacrificing your
short term desires to achieve a long term goal. </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">You've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> probably heard of that
one? How often your parents may have repeated this to you: if you want to make big
purchase, start saving money and stop wasting on your little wishes. It’s a
very typical example but you can probably relate to it. When you actually end
up making your big purchase, how satisfied are you? And do you look back at
what </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">you've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> let go or do you enjoy the experience you get from achieving your
goal? The same applies to different goals you set in life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">One of the things we
all need to learn is to let go so that new opportunities come up. Each one of
us aspires to get a better life if it’s easy but to allow new opportunities to
knock on your door, you must be ready to start sacrificing. In my short lived
life of 25 years, I was lucky to experience rewards after sacrificing many
short term desires. However, I think the biggest sacrifice I had to make is to
let go of the good people that were there once to make me smile. It’s all part
of life and I can’t deny the fact that as I made sacrifices, things did get
better for me with time. My message to you today is to keep in mind that what
you have is with you for a relative time, nothing or nobody will stay with you
forever so learn to detach yourself from all of that so that you truly feel the
happiness from achieving new goals. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Never be afraid to
start over, it's a new chance to rebuild what you want. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Success is hard to define. Most of us might refer
it to the outcome after having achieved our goals. That’s indeed what it means
to me; however I relate success more to a feeling inside of me. When you set
new goals for yourself, success is not always guaranteed to you. You could be
dealing with failure too but as you know there are always lessons resulting
from failures. Success is more about how you feel about yourself after having
achieved your goals and how you behave with people around you. Getting successful
usually results in bringing a positive change in your life and allows you to
grow and believe more in yourself and set up new goals in the future. I’ll
share a personal observation here. </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> been setting a lot of goals for myself
up until now in life. As I accomplish my goals, I realize that this journey of
success </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">doesn't</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> stop here, I still need to keep going and aim a higher target.
It’s strange but that’s really how I feel. I am definitely able to feel the
excitement, the joy and the peace at the time I get what I want. But after some
time, the thought of taking new chances hits me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s one more thing I want to remind you about
success. I believe none of you must be living completely alone, i.e. without
family and/or friends. Apart from dealing with struggles and making sacrifices,
don’t forget about your dear ones who were there to encourage you. Success is a
happy thing, share it with your loved ones. Let them know that they had a hand
in helping you grow in this journey and let them feel the pride of being part
of your life. The reason why I am saying this is because beside how I feel
about my success, I genuinely care about how my loved ones feel about me
achieving my goals. Sometimes, my success is the reason for them to believe in
hard work and hope for their best. Don’t take your success for granted. Share
the experience with those who care for you as this will enrich your experience
of success.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I hope by now I have convinced you that struggles
are part of your life for a reason, making sacrifices is important to value the
new life you get and your success will be the result of how you overcome your
struggles and how much you’re ready to let go.
Don’t dishearten yourself when obstacles are on your way. Your bad times
are there to point you toward something better and patience is what will take
you there. Feel the emotions, know the difference between being sad for letting
go of what you’re used to and being happy to get new opportunities. Believe
that your present is the best </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">you've</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> got from life so far, and as the future
unfolds, you will meet with unexpected success.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-29883637075244953932013-10-14T18:36:00.001-07:002013-10-16T16:37:25.413-07:00Dreams, Goals and Hope... Enough To Live A Meaningful Life<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">There may be days when you get up
in the morning and things aren’t the way you had hoped they would be. I am not
sure if that’s your case but it is certainly my case and I still have a hard
time dealing with that. Just recently I was going through that phase of life
where I needed a break and I had to look back at my achievements of this year
to keep moving forward in life. I asked myself what motivated me to start and
achieve my goals and the first thought that came to my mind was dreams. Life’s
circumstances have not always been how I thought they would be and I realize
that I didn’t give up on life because deep inside of myself there was this hope
that things will get better one day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You need three things to give a
purpose to your life: dreams, goals and hope. I think we all want to have the
most beautiful life story and our attitude can make a huge difference. You may
not get the best out of everything but if you give your best or make the best out
of the situations in which you are, you are a winner. When life gets rough for
you, try lifting up yourself with the fact that you’re dealing with all of that
because you’re strong. I spent so many years complaining and trying to
understand why couldn’t my life be an ordinary one and I realized that no
matter how bad days I had, I didn’t give up as I didn’t want to be a loser at
the end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dreaming is a process where we
visualize how it would be and how it would feel to achieve those little or big
desires we have in our heart. We don’t dream for nothing. Sometimes our
subconscious mind is clearly telling us what’s in our heart and it just depends
how we interpret the message delivered through our dreams. As you dream, you
also give some peace to your mind. I know that I easily relieve myself from
stress as I close my eyes and start imagining how happy I would be if I achieve
this or that. It’s kind of a temporary satisfaction you get and once you
connect back to your reality, you feel more peaceful. There’s also no limit
when it comes to dreaming. You can almost imagine anything.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Setting goals is more like a next
step after understanding your dreams. Be conscious and aware of your desires.
You may have many dreams but now it’s time to make up your mind and work toward
the goals you really want to achieve. Make some concrete goals. It’s always
better to set a few goals and get them done than setting up too many goals and
achieving nothing. Then, think about the steps you need to take to reach your
goals. Start off with small steps in order to test yourself whether you’re
ready for this or not. Don’t be afraid of trying new things even if you feel
like you will get nowhere and always remember that slow progress is still progress.
Patience is a big virtue you should possess when you’re working toward your
goals because you just don’t know when or where you will reach them. When
you’re working toward your goals, you’ll quickly realize that you have to work
hard, you have to take a lot of risks and the way you deal with those risks will
determine your outcome.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope is what will give you
strength to keep moving forward in life. The journey of reaching your goals
will not be as straightforward as you might have dreamed and that’s where hope
will come in. I see hope as the transition from your dreams to your goals. A
person who dreams will always have hope because after all hope is all about
being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Obstacles
will come on your way to your goals and hope is what will stop you from giving
up. When everything around you falls apart, hope is what you don’t want to lose.
Hope is also a gift you will get from those who believe in you. Speaking of
myself, sometimes I reveal so little about myself to others and in the short
time they spend with me, they give me so much hope that I start believing that
I deserve good things coming to me.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope by now you were able to
see a bit of connection between dreams, goals and hope. They are like three
special ingredients to keep going in life. At least it is for me. There are
many benefits for an individual who dreams and sets goals for himself. Having
dreams and goals stimulate your mind along with increasing your confidence and
building your strength. Your patience and your resistance not to give up are
also put at test. Basically, you’re undergoing some better changes at that
time. As you may be exposed to situations where things are not going as you
wish, focusing your mental energy on one specific goal will not only relieve
yourself from stress but also push bad situations and bad surroundings away
from you. Isn’t it what you need for a healthy living after all? Dreams and
goals really help you understand your true potential while hope makes you
realize how much there is to believe in yourself.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dreams and goals can also define
you. I am not saying you should create tons of goals to stand out from the
crowd but be someone people look up to. Share your exciting triumphs with your
world because you don’t know who and when you’re inspiring someone to build his
or her dreams. This way you will be spreading some hope and light in their
lives. Frankly speaking, I wasn’t good at expressing my joy when it comes to my
achievements but it’s something I am learning and the truth is that I am indeed
very happy of my accomplishments because my goals helped me get the independent
lifestyle I’ve been wanting and to present myself as a much more confident
person to others than I was before. For me, taking care of myself without
having anyone to look over me is one of my biggest priorities. I strongly
dislike relying on others to enjoy life’s experiences. However my heart is big
enough to let others take part in my life and to enrich their lives as much as
I can. I also deal with my struggles in a very different way because I tend to
sacrifice lots of desires of the moment for bigger rewards at the end.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes the paths we take are
long and hard but those are always the ones that lead to the most beautiful
views. In life, you’ll meet people that will lift you up and those who won’t.
Your achievements may not be in the interest of everyone but if you come across
people who have wise words for you, listen to their words and use them as
encouragements to pursue your goals. Keep yourself headed in the direction that
seems right to you. As for the other type of people, don’t let them decrease
your self-esteem. Your journey will not make sense to many and that’s
absolutely fine. As long as you have hope in your heart and you believe in your
dreams, you’re good to achieve your goals and this will give a meaning to your
life. Just don’t leave your dreams behind... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-33225886557377129322013-09-13T09:44:00.000-07:002013-10-14T11:16:51.759-07:00With Age Comes Wisdom<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s Friday
the 13th. There’s going to be another one in exactly three months but guess
what’s so special about today? It’s all about me! It’s my birthday! For the
past 25 years, I grew up being excited about my birthday each year but today I
feel different. I feel weird. I feel like I am in a dilemma about whether I
should feel old or young. I seriously wasn’t expecting to be in this situation
for my quarter century. I hope to find an answer to my question in the new
chapter that has just opened in my life. Today’s topic will be all about me, so my
dear readers, please bear with me until you can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before
starting this blog, I used to read positive quotes once in a while and I’d be
positive for a short time and then I’d get back to my confused thinking world.
I don’t know for how long this had been going on with me but my thinking was
just never straightforward. After I started this blog, a lot of confusion disappeared
from my mind and I was finally able to see the bigger picture about my life.
Things have definitely got better for me than where I was a decade ago or even
a year ago. The word “magic” was never part of my dictionary but this year, I
feel like some magic happened and since then, my life is getting back on track.
I remember I used to complain a lot over little issues not only because I
didn’t do much to change situations around me but rather because I grew up
believing that it’s not right to keep anger inside of you. I’d only feel
peaceful once I’d throw out my angry thoughts. However this year, I must say
that I am proud of myself for not complaining that much. Everything will never
be under my control so I realized that I should accept things that I cannot
change and for the rest that can be changed; I should simply go ahead and do my
best to change them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Beside
blogging, I’ve accomplished some great things which helped me discover the
hidden strength I had inside of me. Nonetheless the true credit behind my
little achievements goes to a lot of people who were and are part of my life this
current year. In other words, I am talking about those who were with me on a
daily basis. Without them, I wouldn’t have got this far. I learned this year
that it’s not right to force people to make them stay in your life, so I
happily let those who needed a break from me take their break. At the same
time, I think I also needed that break so the equation is balanced. To my
complete surprise, I reunited with some old acquaintances that I thought I
would never get to see again. I was very happy to see them because they either
made me change my way of looking at things for the better or they showed me a
direction to start a new life. Apart from them, I even saw my coworkers, who
are not just coworkers anymore but mean a lot more to me, bringing the best out
of me by pushing me to new experiences whether it was a personal or
professional one. I always enjoy being nice to others because I myself like to
be treated nicely but here I feel like I was rewarded with more than I even
gave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There’s a wonderful
saying by Lao Tzu that I want to share with you: “being deeply loved gives you
strength; loving deeply gives you courage.” This is what I recently experienced
and the feeling was indeed beautiful. When you meet people, you never know when
you touch their heart and this was my case too. I didn’t know that I was
special to many until they came to me with “There’s a better path waiting ahead
of you.” I think I was so busy in my daily life and I had reached my comfort
level that I just didn’t bother stepping out of my comfort zone until many
pushed me to take time to think about myself. Only then I realized that just
like I don’t always show my love to people, there are many who love me as well
even if they don’t always show it. I’ll repeat this again but maybe I just
never opened my eyes to see who truly cared about me and when I did, it felt
like magic one more time. Back to the quote I shared with you, I think it’s
because of people who love me and care for me that I was never able to give up
on life, despite how negative things seemed in my life. It’s just amazing! As for me, you could have guessed it by now, I
get attached to my world and since people were made to be respected and cared,
I don’t see why I wouldn’t love them. Furthermore, loving people has taught me that
I have gathered a lot of courage to fight any struggle that may come on my way.
They believe so much in me that even if I wanted to give up, I wouldn’t give up
for their sake. Whoever said your worth increases with time was right and I am
happy that I got to experience that at this stage of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes
good things fall apart so better things can fall together. It’s such a simple
statement and yet it took me several years to understand it and believe in it.
Nothing lasts forever. Everything is relative. People who were once so close to
us turn into distanced friends and those who didn’t mean a lot to us in the
past become a big part of our present. Maybe life was always like that and I
just opened my eyes now but whatever it is, now I know everything happens for
the better. It feels like I am seeing the calm after the storm. One single
tragedy changed my life almost a decade ago and now that I look back at the
many little good changes that happened as years passed by, I feel like I have
reached the top of a mountain called “Happiness”. I am also happy that those
who caused me grief are no longer part of my life and those who are with me
today are the ones who really matter. To be honest, my success today would mean
nothing if I couldn’t share the happiness I get from it with those who’ve given
me hope or have supported me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am truly
excited for the new chapter that has started for me and I am mostly happy that
a lot of confusion has been cleared from my mind. In brief, “When something bad
happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it
destroy you or you can let it strengthen you.” I kept saying that bad
experiences define me but the truth deep down was that those experiences had
been strengthening me. The picture is finally clear to me today and I think my
new life starts from there...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-45001073964805051272013-08-13T19:41:00.000-07:002013-08-13T19:41:25.208-07:00Be Nice To Others... And Appreciate When Others Are Nice To You... <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Recently, I’ve seen
posts on social media which caught my attention as I did not agree with them.
Then I decided to dedicate this month’s blog post to this topic. A few of them
were about “Being nice to others makes you weaker”, and “To make others happy,
you have to sacrifice your happiness”. These are not the exact words but the
quotes were very similar to the ones I listed. I don’t know in which direction
my post will go but I wanted to share with you why it is important to be nice
to others according to me. Being nice to others doesn’t mean you have to think
about others all the time and put yourself last. Instead, being nice to others
can not only make them feel better but can also make you valuable and unique.
Let’s admit one thing: we all have struggles in life which may put us down at
times and this applies to the rest of the world too. We don’t know what others
may be going through, so being nice to them doesn’t hurt and doesn’t cost anything.
At least, this way, we will try to make some peace around the world. If you
can’t do anything good, then just don’t do or say anything!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<br />
Nobody would want to live in a perfect world because life would be indeed
boring. Similarly, nobody is born perfect. This means that being kind to others
is something that requires a good heart and good thoughts in the mind. It’s not
something easy to do. For instance, I happen to be in a bad mood sometimes. If
I have to help someone in that situation and I have what I need to help that
person, I usually do it but with no expressions on my face. That’s how I deal
with the situation in real life and I avoid speaking more than I need to
because I know that I might unintentionally be rude to someone for nothing. On
the other hand, when I’m in a much happier mood, I tend to express myself more
when helping someone. Regardless of your personal mood, what will matter at the
end is that you’ve helped someone and you’ve made someone’s day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We all say that no
human is less than one another but your behavior towards others is really what
determines whether you respect others as much as you respect yourself. I was
able to come up with three categories of people when it comes to their attitude
towards others. My perspective could be wrong but these are just some personal
observations I’ve made so far.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best people in
your life should be your supporters (for the good steps you take in life, not
the bad ones). Being a supporter isn’t easy as it’s never easy to deal with
others and their limits. As of today, I still wonder how my supporters managed
to stay by my side despite me having an unusual path of life from the majority
of people in this world. What I noticed in them is that they are happy with
what they have and when they helped others (including me), it’s because they
were strong and wanted to grow stronger. They are confident in not only taking
care of themselves but to give a hand to others when they need it. They believe
in lifting others and they go much far in life because victory for them doesn’t
mean to leave others behind them but to take them with them. In short,
supporters are the real winners in the world. Of course, you can’t play the
role of supporter in everyone’s life but being there in the times of need of a few
people close to your heart is a big thing. Supporting others doesn’t mean to do
things for them, it could mean to help them fight their struggles or even
encourage them to pursue their small or big dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second
interesting set of people are your sympathizers, those who share good thoughts
about you to be successful. They may know very little about you and yet they
will have good advice to share with you when you are struggling in life. Take a
minute to think about this. How do you feel when someone who has barely known
you in a short time shares a few wise words? Don’t you feel like you’ve just
got more motivation to continue what you’re doing in life? Of course, you are
the one to judge if those who spread good and soft words are indeed true to you
or not. It’s also up to you to believe their words and feel better about
yourself. Bringing my personal experiences here, I must say that I was very
fortunate to meet people who’ve seen me dealing with my life’s issues on my own
and they let me know that if ever I need anything, they would be there for me.
What mattered to me in those times is that they weren’t even that close to my
heart and yet they had a good heart to think good for me. The moral of this
story is that sometimes you may just tell someone that you’re ready to help
them anytime and just saying this can give so much strength to that someone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I consider the third
set of people are those who don’t know what it means to be nice to others and who
feel pity over someone who’s going through a bad phase. I could be wrong or
maybe people who say “I feel pity for this person” just don’t know the meaning
of the word pity. When you feel pity for someone, it’s because you sort of need
to feel superior about yourself over others especially the ones who are
suffering. This is definitely not right because lifting yourself by belittling
others doesn’t make you a winner at all. I personally feel that those who feel
pity for others are the ones weaker from inside. Think about it. The reason they don’t want to
help others is because either they have no way to help or they are just not
happy from inside but are pretending to be happy from the outside. Some people
just have no compassion for others unfortunately. There’s really nothing we can
do beside ignoring them and leaving them on their own. Fortunately, someone who
goes through a lot of struggles doesn’t end up spending the rest of his or her
life living unhappily. And I guess this is one way for people who feel pity to
get a lesson. Nobody will stay happy for long if he or she feels superior by
putting others down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I don’t know how you will react to this post but if I was able to make you think, then I feel
like I’ve done my job. I started by saying that it’s important to be nice to
others and then I mentioned how we should feel about people being nice to us. I
did this on purpose because I think human beings learn more by observation.
When somebody is nice around you, try to appreciate and value that kindness. I
think I am nice to people in real life because I know I feel very special when
people are kind to me. Of course I doubted some people’s good attitude but I’ve
met many real angels so it didn’t bother me for having met some that haven’t
been genuine with me. After reading this, take the time to think about how you
feel when others are nice and how you feel about yourself being nice to others.
I also believe in <i>you get what you give</i>,
therefore if you want good things to happen to you or have good people in your
life, do good and be good. It’s really that simple!</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-43004739723772310562013-07-13T20:42:00.000-07:002013-07-13T20:42:30.373-07:00Why Should We Have A Professional Life?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many will say that we all need a
job to earn money and satisfy our basic and personal needs. This is true at a
certain extent but money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness. One shouldn’t think
that he or she is richer because of money that he or she owns. Try looking at
the picture. You are richer by the experiences you gain in life, by your
ability to interact with others and by the person you grow day after day. In
the following lines, I want to share with you why one must have a professional
life. Believe it or not, when the clock hits 6 AM in the morning, I almost
never want to get up from my bed because my sleep is priceless. However I then
remind myself that I want my worth to increase with time so today is another opportunity
for me to prove myself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Education has allowed you to gain
knowledge and skills and thus, the work environment you belong to is the place
to apply them into practice. Knowledge is infinite, so you will always be
exposed to new concepts. A good understanding of those concepts will keep you
going on. The same goes with skills, i.e. you’ll develop either new skills or
reinforce the skills you have for the better. With this, you’ll gain experience
and this is how your value will increase in this world. If you can get the
basic tasks done properly, you’ll get new responsibilities and the level of
difficulty will increase with time. With new challenges, you get to combine
many of your work related concepts and skills together and you’ll be surprised
of the results at the end. Don’t ever underestimate how a combination of your
basic knowledge and skills can solve something that seems like a big issue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We need various experiences to
enrich ourselves and as the world is constantly changing, let it be technology
or anything else, we need to have an idea of how much we’re able to do and what
is the next level of responsibility we can take. Another key point about having
various experiences is that you’ll be quickly able to switch from one task to
another and to pick up one from where you’ve left. Ask yourself whether you’d be
happy with routine all the time? For many of you, I doubt the answer is yes.
Therefore, the best way to escape routine is to be ready for new opportunities
that knock on your door and at least give them a try. The outcome may be
positive or negative but you’ll be the winner because you got a new experience.
The more you accomplish, the more you will want to do and by exceeding people’s
expectations, you will be assigned greater challenges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A second interesting aspect of
having a professional life is the ability to interact with others and share your
knowledge and skills. I believe what makes a job fun is the people you have to
work with. Team spirit is the key for a pleasant work environment unless you
prefer working with nobody around, it’s indeed a personal choice. I personally
have had and still have amazing coworkers and I see myself progressing in life
thanks to them. Having the opportunity to work with coworkers allows you to
exchange your knowledge and skills and as you get enriched, you also get to
contribute in others’ career. I’ll give a simple personal example here: I enjoy
every opportunity I get to make my colleagues understand something that may not
be clear to them. No question is stupid whether it comes from a junior or a
senior; my day is made when I solve a puzzle in someone’s mind. We are human
beings, we’re not perfect and we all need time to understand, apply and grasp
the concepts we’re taught. Sometimes, it’s just about saying the same thing in
different words and we become so helpful to our colleagues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Interacting with others makes the
work environment more lively rather than boring and dead. A smile on your face
and a positive attitude that shows you’re willing to cooperate can totally make
a difference in someone’s day. From my personal experience, I’ve seen some of
my coworkers getting stressed out in situations where a mistake has happened
and they weren’t able to think of an efficient solution to solve it. I then
proposed a very simple solution that would come to my mind and their anxiety
disappeared in less than two minutes. This type of scenario makes me and would
also make you feel valuable and you would be helping someone and release him or
her from any extra useless stress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The third and biggest advantage
of having a professional life is to discover more about yourself and this
definitely makes you feel that you’re growing. When you’re at work, you surely
feel some kind of pressure in order to show that you are strong and competent
in the tasks you’re assigned to. If you’re able to complete well a task under
stressful situations, it’s a good sign. From those circumstances, you get to
learn more about how you can handle difficulties and this is always a
work-in-progress task. Sometimes you may think that you’re not good enough for
a task but as you get the opportunity, you’ll get to prove yourself wrong and
that’s in fact amazing. At the end, you’ll just find out more about your
strengths and weaknesses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Besides the above, you also get
to find out more about your likes and dislikes. Be realistic. You don’t need to
like every task that’s assigned to you. It takes some courage to admit it but
if you know you don’t like it, half of the work is done, i.e. you will be more
productive on tasks that you like. There are always tons of opportunities
around, so try the ones that come to you as you never know if they may open new
doors to your career. As they often say, it’s just a matter of stepping out of
your comfort zone and that’s when the fun begins. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apart from the three main ideas
I discussed, pay attention to how your coworkers respond to the efforts you put
in. They may also play a huge role in bringing out the best traits in you.
Don’t ignore their words. If they see a lot of potential in you, then believe
in them. Take the time to think about how you can go beyond the expectations
you’ve set for yourself. I personally believe that hard work cannot kill
anybody but you can die of boredom. Sure, I haven’t died yet of boredom but
I’ve sometimes felt that I was working beyond my capacities but as soon as I’d
get recognized by my peers, I was more motivated to exceed the expectations set
for me and I felt like I was stronger than I thought I was. Thus, don’t be
afraid of working hard, and as they say "If you ever feel like giving up,
remember that there’s someone out there that looks up to you. Do it for them. "
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Having a professional life can be
interesting if you know what you’re looking for. I am not saying money is not
important but you’ll be much happier if you look beyond your pay. It’s really
up to you to make the best out of your job. We all have a right for respect so
no job is smaller than the other. The points I shared with you are how I myself
look at my professional life. Of course that doesn’t mean that I am happy every
day at work but I know I’ve given my best at the end of the day. Finally, I
think my professional life has taught me what it means to be happy and that’s
something I gradually learned to apply in my personal life. There were so many
things about myself that I wasn’t aware of and I am still discovering them. So
be optimistic and keep in mind that a positive attitude is definitely the
starting key to an interesting journey.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-17195487162040741882013-06-16T10:30:00.000-07:002013-06-30T19:42:34.847-07:00Change... A New Vision Of Who You Can Grow To Be<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">We live in a world where change is the only
constant. Your vision plays a crucial role in how you see changes. Things
change, people also change and sometimes we just don’t take the time to realize
all the changes that have occurred around us or even in ourselves. Life would
be indeed boring if we were to stay at the same point and not have the chance
to explore the different things life has to offer us. Thus, change is another
interesting thing that is very subjective and it all depends on how you define
it.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ever since we are born in this world, we have all
changed. Beside our physical appearance, our mentality has also evolved and a
strong proof of that is that we all have let our childish habits go at one
point whether it was asking our parents to tie our shoe laces or have them buy
us all the cool toys just because our friends had them. Simple and silly
examples, right? Well, did you really take the time back then to acknowledge
that you weren’t childish but rather getting matured? I don’t think so. I know
at least for myself when I was young, I didn’t really distinguish between being
childish or behaving mature. I was just a child in my own world. Similarly as
we grow up, we get busy with all our commitments and responsibilities, we don’t
really take the time to acknowledge the changes that have occurred. The sad
part about this is that sometimes we think that nothing around us has changed
or that we are still the same when it’s actually not true at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">We all need changes in our lives so that we feel like
we are evolving from one point to another. I remember when I was younger; I was
told that things will get better as I grow up. That seemed so far away and as
time passed, I got impatient and thought it wasn’t true. To my surprise, I
started appreciating my life but I wasn’t fully conscious about all the changes
that had happened or were happening. There were times where I would be
extremely happy and I really didn’t want anything more from life and other
times where I was not happy at all. Everything was a mystery back in the days.
Now that I think about it and I am sharing it with you here, I will admit that
as you grow up, there are more doors that open for you which then translate to many
more opportunities to explore life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Life is not a competition with how far the world
has come ahead, so live life at the pace it’s moving for you. Don’t rush
because you’ll miss out on what the present has to offer you. Let me bring an
example here. Nowadays, we often see girls of age 12 dressing up and wearing
make-up as women of age 25. I personally feel bad for them because they are
missing out on what it means to be carefree and not having to worry about their
looks. They will have the rest of their lives to be and look like a woman once
they become adults. I don’t think they realize it now but once they reach their
twenties, they will feel like there’s nothing exciting left in their lives as
they will be done experiencing too much at a young age. What they also need to
understand is that it’s easy to act like a woman but it’s much harder to learn
how to become one. This latter applies to guys also; looking like a man from
outside when your inner thoughts don’t reflect that maturity will not take you
far in life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Changes are needed in life and some that make
people happy could be listed as follows: travelling around the world, buying
their own house or car, being in a relationship, getting a new job after every
once in a while, completing a school degree, following the latest fashion, doing any simple
fun activity, etc. There’s no one better than you who knows what type of change
is needed in your life, so find out more about your likes and dislikes. You
absolutely don’t need anybody around you to tell you that this type of change
would be good for you. You know what your limits are and your budget (if the
change involves financial resources), so make your own decisions wisely. Now
you may wonder if the changes I listed previously are the only changes that can
make one happy. My answer is “No”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Things change around us very quickly and
constantly but the biggest change would be to change the thoughts in your mind.
As I stated in my welcome post, growing as a better person never stops. There
is no one who is perfect in this world. We all have strengths and weaknesses.
The key element in changing yourself is to be aware of your weaknesses and finding
ways to turn them into strengths. It’s not easy, sometimes it takes several
years to understand and express in words what your weak points are. I’ve been
through this and I was confused for so many years with my weaknesses. I was
really unaware of some traits that were obstacles with the good human being I
wanted to be. As soon as I found out what I didn’t like in myself, it was much
easier for me to work on them. We need to change so that we can accommodate new
things that happen in our lives. When we change, we find better or different
ways to handle situations and this is crucial to be successful in life.
Therefore, self-realizations are probably the best discoveries in life because
they allow you to feel the changes in your mind and they truly make you feel good
about yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">As we are exposed to different environments, we
meet new people among which some affect us a lot. In other words, some people
in this world really have the potential to change other people’s lives. They’re
not only positive about themselves but they also recognize the good in others
and they’re not afraid to help others evolve towards the better. There’s a
saying by Michel P. Watson that I want you to always remember: “Strong people
don’t put others down. They lift them up.”, so whenever you come across someone
who tries to put you down, that person is probably not strong enough. It may be hard to believe (even I have a hard
time believing in this) but there are still people who are selfless and are
willing to help us by pointing out the best things in us. They are able to make
us see that we have more strengths than weaknesses. It’s strange but when I
least expected anything from people around me, they were always the ones who
made me see the best in me. On the other hand, those from whom I expected a
little support were the ones who made me face the “weak me” that I didn’t want
to see. People in our lives are full of mystery. I personally wish that you are
all surrounded by good and well-wisher people so that you can let go of those
who are constantly looking in pointing out your weaknesses to you. You don’t
want to develop self-esteem issues so keep a distance from selfish and
heartless people. Some people will never change from the inside no matter how
much things change in their lives, so just be cautious!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">To sum up everything I just shared with you, change
should be seen as something that makes you move forward in life and it must be
for the better. Nothing is impossible and if you have a new vision of someone
you want to be, then make the necessary efforts and become the new person you
wish to be. Bring some changes to your life that will make you feel better and
let the happy, strong and positive people take part in your journey as they
will definitely add something valuable to your life. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-79363844028830477772013-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:002013-06-30T19:42:15.357-07:00Inner Beauty Outweighs Outer Beauty Of Women<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why are girls always under more
pressure? I often asked this question to myself as I feel like I did put
unnecessary pressure on myself just because I was a girl. There are many
factors behind it but today I want to emphasize on how the world seems to put
more pressure on girls to look beautiful in terms of appearance. Media plays a
big role in showing that the ideal woman is one who possesses a set of criteria
such as specific height and weight, slim body, loose and long hair, etc.
Unfortunately, these ideas make a lot of girls feel insecure of how they look
and this can have a major negative impact especially when these thoughts hit
during teenage years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Speaking of myself and I know
there are many girls in this world who can relate to this or who have been
through this, I will admit I was unhappy of how I looked during my teenage
years and I was even afraid at that time that I’d never be able to look
beautiful for the rest of my life. As this was something I was not comfortable
sharing with anyone, I had to deal with it on my own and I remember convincing
myself that time should make everything alright. I surely wasted time wondering
why I can’t look pretty as the average girls around me but these insecurities
eventually pushed me to change my thoughts on what beautiful means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Media has a certain way of
presenting women and when it comes to selling a product, women are often used
as inappropriate avatars. The reality is also that such campaigns where women
are shown sexy are made on purpose in order to attract as many customers as
possible. We all know that this is a marketing strategy which allows many
business to make profit. Good for them but what about the decrease in girls and
women’s self-esteem? The effects of such ads could be either direct or indirect
and nonetheless, girls and women are affected. To add more, publicities
regarding women clothing are also worse according to me. The mannequins are
usually shown tall, slim, posing in a suggestive manner, revealing their best
curves but that’s really not how most women are in real life. Women have better
things to do than just look sexy and seductive. As a result, a lot of females
feel like they’re not good looking enough. To add a real life example, there
was always one female in my environment until today who felt insecure of her
overall appearance and I strongly feel that none of them deserved to feel like
that; they all had the prettiest hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the other hand, I support
companies like Dove who come up with ads to increase women’s self-esteem. They
project the idea that if you take care of yourself, then you should feel
beautiful as opposed to look beautiful. And this is how I learned the
difference between feeling and looking beautiful. Don’t deny it but when you
look good from the outside, you indeed feel good in the inside, right? But
that’s easy to do. Shouldn't you feel good inside first and then make that
reflect outside? This sounds tough and I completely agree with you. Believe it
or not but this is something I took a lot of time to understand and apply in
real life. It’s in fact a work-in-progress task for me and I see it as a
challenge because just looking beautiful from the outside doesn't make me
entirely happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the famous line says, “beauty lies
in the eye of the beholder”. What may be beautiful to you won’t be necessarily
beautiful to others. I think many people limit the definition of beautiful to
an outer appearance of a human being. Unfortunately, such people are narrow-minded
and they are missing out on the beautiful attributes of a person’s inner self.
It’s their loss and you shouldn't fall in the trap. Outer good looks don’t last
forever because we all age and grow old. This means that if you feel good
inside of you only because of how attractive you dress up, you won’t be a happy
person for too long. Either you’ll develop some serious confidence issues or
you will fake to be happy when deep inside of yourself, you’re not happy anymore
because you've lost your physical charm. You may go to a far extreme to achieve
an artificial beauty, and therefore feel the need to spend excessively in order
to get that appearance. On the contrary, the inner beauty of a person will
always last. People with an inner beauty might not have the looks of a fashion
model but the way they smile, the way they express themselves and how they treat
others are attributes which make it up for the lack of their external beauty.
It’s important to have an inner beauty because that’s something we can have
control over for the rest of our lives. Nobody can take that away from us and
no age can kill that. As a rule of thumb, keep in mind that outer beauty is
what makes you look interesting but inner beauty is what keeps you interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another important point I wanted
to mention is that we should learn to live with our imperfections. We are human
beings with flaws, so don’t focus on the attractive physical traits that you
don’t have just because the whole world believes that an average woman should
have some particular physical traits. Instead, get to know your best physical
features and lift yourself up for them. Women have tons of ways of looking
appealing such as: styling their hair, putting make-up on their face, getting
their nails done, wearing perfumes to smell good, wearing stockings to make
their legs look shinier, putting on high heels to make their legs look longer,
and the list goes on. All of these feminine things take time, so ladies, by the
time you do all of this, you can use some of that time to work toward an
attractive personality and it will be more worth it because your efforts won’t
be wasted on the long term. Sure, you can apply some of the above ways to
enhance your looks but don’t over do it. Learn to love yourself from the inside
out and don’t be afraid of your physical flaws. You don’t need to reveal them
to anyone anyway. Don’t try to seek the wrong attention by presenting yourself
all dolled-up, hiding all your flaws and/or revealing too much skin to achieve
the looks the medias are imposing on women, but rather present yourself to earn
respect because this world needs more women of the latter case. This should
then bring much more peace in a lot of girls and women’s minds who are around
us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To sum up, it is up to you to
figure out what are the best traits in your personality, feel confident about
them. I<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5917536703206238642" name="_GoBack"></a>f you are being true to yourself, then you will
feel beautiful from the inside and look beautiful from the outside. Some are
naturally attractive and I believe they are lucky to be blessed with that
feature. However, those who don’t think they are attractive shouldn't lose hope
because this is something one can think about and work on. Nothing is
impossible. Sometimes the insecurities we had or have are there for a reason;
they encourage and influence us to take some action so that we try to overcome
them and eventually feel better on the inside.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-22018636862494873172013-04-13T17:16:00.000-07:002013-04-15T20:24:52.556-07:00When Cultural Beliefs Become Obstacles On Your Way...<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s been ten years
my father passed away and today I just want to share my thoughts about how this
journey was so far. Back on the day of my father’s funeral, I remember how
there were many people, of which the majority were Patels (as there are so many
Patels in Montreal), who showed up out of respect and sympathy. Family and
relatives were all crying in pain while I remember my focus being on my little
brother as he was just a baby. Looking out for him was more important to me
than to think about my father not being in this world anymore. I really
couldn’t trust anyone, not even my own mother, to take care of him. Rainy days
passed by as my family and I completed all the rituals related to my father’s
death and cloudy days started. Everything seemed to have fallen apart. At the
age of 14, I got very discouraged and I wondered how and when would I fix the
mess around. I seriously didn’t know where to start, but at the same time, this
was not the life I wanted to live, so something had to be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
With the Indian culture having principles such as “A family without a man is
considered less than an ordinary family”, it wasn’t easy for my family and me
to embrace the good changes that were coming on our way. As a strong example to
support my say, I will disclose an important fact about my own culture and this
is something that has been carried over the years. When happy events are on the
corner, it is better to keep “unlucky” families like mine away from some of the
rituals because those families are not considered auspicious for good and new
beginnings. With time, my family and I accepted that we were outcasts from this
community but is this culture really being fair to families that are already
struggling on their own to find way to happiness? I believe the answer is “No”
and what I realized afterwards was that when a tragedy falls on an Indian
family, the pain has to get deeper whether one puts years of hard work to make
good days come and the community around is always there to remind them what
they’ve lost. On the other hand, if the same family has reasons to celebrate,
extended families and relatives start cutting off their relationships. From
experience, I can comment on this one and this has resulted with me cutting off
the family members I was once close to, living in my own city, and I have no
regrets. Life in fact taught me that I made it without them and I shouldn’t
keep people in my life who are not willing to create happy memories with me or
who don’t want to cherish the good things that happen to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As my journey
continued, I also met some new friends with different cultures who were in the
same boat as me. These girls were just like me living only with their mother
and didn’t have their father in their lives. Little did I know but those girls
too had more restrictions because of the fact that there was no man as the head
of the family. As my friends and I shared how we felt about it and we realized
that those restrictions mainly come from the idea that if we do anything wrong,
then our respective community would start gossiping and get the opportunity to
say that our mothers failed raising us. And sadly, our mothers being in so much
pressure by the community have eventually chosen to obey those rules than giving
us the freedom that we have a right to have. Isn’t it pathetic how the various
communities first reject us and then expect us to have restrictions on top of
cultural limits? This is not fair at all and it creates a barrier for us to
become independent and to move forward in life. It’s as if our respective
community wanted us to live life miserably and that we should always behave as
if we can’t do anything on our own. I believe whether there’s a man as the head
of a family or not, the society should seriously let the women do as much as
they can and stop making them feel inferior to men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All this was surely
not easy for me, especially when I was a teenager, but as I noticed many things
around me including people’s behavior, I was always aware of what didn’t seem
right. As for the Indian culture, I will admit that I grew up with a lot of
good values from it but this idea of women being weaker than men always
irritated me and was a big obstacle on my way. Sometimes, cultures have such
principles that make it so hard to evolve toward a better future. When I asked
what is there to benefit for women to be considered less than men, the only
answer I would get was “This is how it’s been in this culture for ages” and the
discussion had to end there. Nevertheless, actions always speak louder and I
decided that I will remain quiet until I prove that women can surely move forward
on their own. Speaking of myself, I tried my best to bring my family to the
same height as to where my father would have brought if he’d be here and I must
say that I feel more peaceful that my efforts didn’t go in waste. I wasn’t able to take my father’s place in the
family and I would never want to because he is irreplaceable but I tell myself
that the good thing is that I didn’t accept defeat just because I was a girl. Yes, I
did fall several times and the fear of failure haunted me so many times but today,
I see how much things have changed in the past ten years and that’s what
matters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I know it will be
always hard to deal with cultural beliefs but at times, it is important to get
yourself heard instead of just going against these principles because the
latter doesn’t solve anything. I did my attempts, I expressed what I felt was
wrong in my culture and I moved forward with my beliefs. I knew walking away
from the house would never make anything better, so instead my hard work and my
confidence on how my intentions were clear and right helped me to make things
around me the way I wanted and also for my family to feel that good days are finally coming to us. People get attached to their native country’s culture but
there is no point in carrying values that may only benefit those who have
everything and that will disadvantage more those who’ve already lost a lot in
life. A culture never defines anybody and I strongly believe that nobody should
reduce a value of anybody to his or her culture as this really makes it hard
for people to move forward in life. It should be really up to each one of us to
decide what we want to carry from our culture and what can help us grow toward
a better person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-84269189354721357542013-03-14T19:21:00.000-07:002013-03-14T19:21:29.931-07:00What Is There To Gain From An Education?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Education is a powerful word for me but what is it
exactly? We might refer this term to the idea of going to school, doing
homework, studying for exams and getting a degree but the real definition is
much more complex and beyond the ideas I’ve just stated. I think that when
things are easily accessible to us, we never seem to appreciate them. Living in
Canada is living with comfort, so why ignore the usefulness of our educational
system?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Back in the days in India, guys always had more
chances than girls to pursue studies and this was due to the fact that girls
were expected to help at home with house chores such as washing clothes,
cooking and cleaning the house. The society had this idea in mind that sending
the boys to school was a better investment than sending girls because girls were
eventually made to become housewives for the rest of their lives. As of today,
things have definitely changed in India but it’s not the case in every region.
For example, if we look at the poor areas of India, I strongly feel that guys
might still have more chances than girls to pursue their studies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">By now, you can surely imagine my pride of being a
Canadian. I honestly don’t know if I’d even have a chance to get through
post-secondary studies if I were in India. Therefore the education I have got
here in Canada is something I really value. I’ve had nightmares about my exams
and I’ve been through a lot of stress to give my best in my solo assignments,
group projects and tests but I eventually realized that these struggles were so
little compared to what I have achieved at the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Starting from our days in elementary school, we
learn the very basic principles of counting and speaking in a common language
in the nation we belong. In high school, we are exposed to additional subjects
just so that we get an introduction to different fields. The “cool” part starts
when we reach post-secondary studies because this is the time where we have a
chance to explore the field of our interest in more depth. I am aware that this
is not easy for many because cegep and university studies require a lot of time
and a strong concentration. Post-secondary studies allow us to learn about the
specific concepts in our field, to understand the different meanings associated
with them and to familiarize ourselves with the terms used in the outside
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Education is not just about attending your classes
and writing exams but it’s rather about the knowledge you get and the skills
you develop to apply in the real world. These are the two key elements we gain
from education and it’s really up to us to use them wisely outside of school. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 27px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">As you’ve probably heard, “Knowledge is power”, believe it or not but the more
you know about where to get information, the more power you’ll have. It’s not important
to remember every little information you learn through your courses because the
material you learn may become obsolete over the years but what matters is that
you know where your references are. Some of the concepts your learn at school
are the preliminary basics from which you can come up with bigger and new ideas
and the rest are just concepts put together from basic theories.</span></div>
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Information can be easily manipulated but if you know where you got this
information, you will get more credible because you will know how to prove what
you are sharing. By experience, I can say that knowledge has made of me a
stronger person. I am still learning and growing but when I am exposed to situations
where I have to stand up for myself, I don’t feel any fear and I communicate my
knowledge with confidence. Whether I win or not at the end, I feel satisfied
for having tried with how much I knew than simply not trying. In addition,
knowledge has also helped me become more credible as an individual. Having
people come to me to either validate information or for me to give them more
details on it are what I appreciate a lot because what can be better than
having an opportunity to share your knowledge to others?</span></div>
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">As for getting skills from education, we don’t really realize it but as we are
learning new concepts or solving problems, we are developing new ways to find
solutions. If our first attempt fails, it just means that we need to try a
second approach and this goes on and on until we get to the results we actually
want. Skills allow you to learn more quickly, to take more initiative and to
organize your ideas. Speaking of myself, I have used many of the skills I
acquired at school to solve my personal and professional matters and it was great
to see how my little attempts could make a difference to create a better
atmosphere around me or to even facilitate people’s lives around me. If you
want to make a difference in the world, you have to start first with people
around you.</span></div>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Don’t underestimate the purpose of education in
your life. Knowledge and skills are the two things you get but you don’t get to
see them while attending your classes. It’s when you earn your degree and enter
the workforce that you truly realize what you have gained from education.
Therefore, it’s better to invest as much time as you can for school work and be
aware of your capacities. If I look around, some students do well at school
while having a part-time job and that’s a good motivation. On the other hand,
there are those who gradually lose their focus on school over the temptation to
do more work hours and only they know what they accomplish from it. If you want
to succeed at school, you need a good concentration level and you should know
how to stay away from any source of distraction. It’s very hard to do, I’ve
been by this road and it’s only at the end that I realized what I lost, what I
gained and what my capacities were. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Education has always played a big role in my life and as you probably realized,
I had set up a challenge for myself which was to prove that girls can indeed go
far in their studies. Unlike how girls in India have been raised and taught that
their primary role is to do all the housework, I felt like here I had the
opportunity to pick which lifestyle I wanted to have and I did. I had full
faith in getting an education as this would open not all but several doors for
me to explore the world. Education also taught me how to make concrete
decisions based on the different information I may get from various sources. I
don’t think I would have ever learned everything I learned at school through either
family members or people around me. Education was an investment of my time and although
I may have forgotten more than half of what I studied in life, the knowledge and
the skills I got make me a “rich” person today. These are the two keys that
define me rather than the degree I have because anyone can get a degree nowadays
but how many are aware of what education has brought to their lives?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-66521254537993299902013-02-14T20:11:00.003-08:002013-03-17T10:50:17.604-07:00Real Friends Make Life Worth Living...<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">After family, friends
are the ones who care for us. The definition of friends is very subjective from
one individual to the next. As we go through the different states of life, we
are exposed to various environments and we meet new people. It’s very important
to keep good terms with them because having a strong social network helps us
grow in life but mind you, the quantity of people you meet will never beat the
quality of people you really get to know. Sometimes, we meet people that put us
down while others contribute to our well-being. With time, we learn which ones
don’t deserve our time and energy and which ones deserve us at our best. In
between, we learn to categorize people we meet throughout our life. Let’s have
a look at how my world looks like to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Having close friends
to my heart has always been important to me because they are the ones who
believe in me when I cease to believe in myself. Those friends are my “eternal
friends” because they accept me for who I am and how I am, which includes my
weaknesses and my insecurities. I am not a perfect human being but they see a
perfect friend in me despite my flaws. In fact, they are the ones who encourage
me to be a good human being and to live life with my beliefs. They also
appreciate every little thing I achieve in life and whether it’s a small or big
accomplishment, they make me feel as if I’ve conquered the world. They make me
appreciate who I have become and make me realize how stronger I am getting at
every step I take in life. When they see something negative in me that is being
an obstacle in my growth, they make me understand wisely what I need to change
in myself and how I can do that without putting me down. My close friends also
share their good and bad experiences with me because we didn’t necessarily
have the same journey in life. The good things in their lives have inspired me
to believe that good things indeed happen in life and from their bad moments, I
learned how I should deal if ever I am put in that situation in the future. At
last but not the least, they are friends who make time for me and let me speak
my heart and my mind. They are the ones with whom I cherish the little things
life has to offer because no matter what are my restrictions in life, they
manage to spend quality time with me. So this was my set of “eternal friends”,
i.e. friends that are hard to find and as my wise friend once told me “I can
count the number of friends on my hand’s fingers”, this surely applies to me
also.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">My second set of
friends are my “well-wisher friends”, slightly larger than the set of my
“eternal friends” in terms of quantity. These friends are the ones with whom I
got or get to spend limited time because they were or are with me just for a
short amount of time in life, for example: school buddies, coworkers, and
friends of friends. They have made a positive impact on my life which has
helped me look at my future in a brighter way. Some have been there to make
me laugh and smile (Yes, I needed and still need friends for this silly reason)
and others have impacted me with their wise words or good advices to move
forward in life. If things were under my control, I’d have kept these friends
in my present but just like how I had to move on to build my future, I had to let
them walk on their journey. Nevertheless, my heart’s doors are always open for
them and they know who they are. It always makes me happy to bump them anywhere
after so many years and I always get the same happy reaction from their side
too. So what impact have I made in their lives? That’s tough to answer because
I know what they mean to me and only they could answer you about what I mean to
them. For now, I think I really made them feel that they are beyond ordinary
people. I often encountered people that weren’t aware of some of their
abilities and whenever I had the opportunity and time, I didn’t hesitate to
share my thoughts on them and I somehow lifted their self-pride. Thus, the
bottom line is that my “well-wisher friends” have appreciated me for who I am
and for the little things I did to make a difference in their lives.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The last set is the
well-known set of just “acquaintances”. I think more than half of people I’ve
met fall in that category. It’s not a bad thing and this is in fact a reality
of our days: we can’t connect with everyone that we meet in life. Therefore, my
acquaintances are just people with which conversations are very limited to “Hi,
how are you?” when I happen to see them unexpectedly. Just like I couldn’t
contribute anyhow in their road of life, they haven’t either. In other words,
nothing much “clicked” between me and them probably because our thoughts
differed or we just didn’t have much in common to get closer. As much as I
didn’t take the time to know them better, they didn’t either. Basically, it is
not in my nature to force people to become a part of my life because I don’t
believe in changing others so that they please me as I myself wouldn’t put a
fake act to please them temporarily. I think we all have a set of
acquaintances. Sometimes we think that they are the “bad” people because it
didn’t work out for us with them but they are not the bad people. In fact, they
are just people who are not compatible with our personalities and it’s one of
the things life teaches us: we can’t always have the best out of everything, so
we meet these acquaintances just to learn more about ourselves and truly
acknowledge who are our real friends.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">In today’s
generation, there is a lot of emphasis on socializing and chilling because it’s
indeed important to connect with people but I think what’s even more important
is that each one of you should have some lifetime friends. When things may not
go fine in your life, many will walk away because people around are often
attracted only by the happy person you portray to be. Hence, only those who
know your real value will stay by your side. When you have real friends around
you, it will make it easy for you to remain who you want to be because <i>the biggest challenge in life is to be
yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else</i>. The day
you feel like the world is not by your side, all that will matter is the
friends who cared enough to stay in your life and are with you in the present. With
the right friends, you can reach new heights in life and never underestimate
what the good friends can bring to you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wishing you all a beautiful Happy Valentine’s Day!</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675589791462336274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917536703206238642.post-63624750635006347492013-01-31T18:33:00.003-08:002013-02-14T20:41:26.195-08:00My Story So Far...<br />
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Time flies but when people hold on to their old values, it’s tough to move forward in life. Being born and raised here in Montreal, it surely hasn’t been easy for me. I am still fighting with it in 2013 and I won’t give up until I succeed.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am blessed to have grown up in an Indian family because I was taught the difference between the good and bad. I was asked to never cause harm to anyone because the same could happen to me. Without my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Between the years, I was sometimes exposed to this concept of women having less rights than men. However in the family I belong to, none of the men had such thinking because after settling down in Canada, they quickly learned that women and men have the same freedom. Thus, the men in my family encouraged the women to fulfill their wishes whether it was about learning how to drive a car or taking French classes. It’s only then that I realized that some women put themselves down because they are afraid of risks that may result in bad experiences. This is how they were raised in India.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As for me, I grew up with a mixture of Canadian and Indian values and I believed that I should aim high and try to keep my family’s head raised with pride. My father was always pushing me to go beyond my capacities because he wanted his daughter to get stronger. On the other hand, my mother too was happy but she wanted me to live an ordinary life without dreaming too big. The decision was then in my hands.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There came a day where my father passed away in an unexpected accident. Life had paused for me. It seemed as if I was getting nowhere in life. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I continued walking on this unknown path of life that was open in front of me. Little did I know but I was one of those who could work hard and make my dreams come true. This was and is the reason of my existence.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I struggled a lot with my mother because she believed that she was the only one to know what was right for me and she was afraid the world around me would influence me in a negative way. I didn’t use the best way to deal with this but I had to raise my voice. This was new to her: a daughter arguing with her mother for her freedom. At the same time, she was feeling my confidence and she knew that I was far from surrendering myself to what others are doing. Actions always speak louder than words and in a very short age, I had already done so many good deeds and never did anyone denounce me to my family because there was no negative bone inside of me. I just believed that I had the potential to make my dear ones’ and my life better and this is what I have been doing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is just the beginning and I know I will overcome this battle whether it will take me decades. My journey of life has taught me that women are indeed as strong as men and one just has to believe in it and take actions. I have also accepted this challenge because I don’t want to spend the rest of my days suffering in silence and to have others telling me what to do. I know who I am, I know what I want and I will rise and shine till the end…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #073763;">Originally posted on PACESIX's </span><a href="http://pacesix.org/blog" target="_blank">blog</a><span style="color: #073763;"> on January 13th, 2013</span></span><br />
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