Learn to say no

Some people find it hard to say no, they are afraid of how it will be received

You can be blunt and brutally honest sometimes

No you cannot borrow my car, last time it came back all dirty with an empty tank

No I will not lend you money until you get paid, you need to spend less

No I do not want another drink, you probably had enough too

No I cannot deal with your request right now, I am too busy

Or you say no and still be nice about it

Sorry I promised myself never to lend my car to anybody but I am going into town shorty if you need a ride

I’m sorry I just can’t lend you any more money but I will gift you this great book on how to manage your personal finances

Its been a fun evening but I need to leave soon so its best if I just finish this last drink, thank you so much for the kind offer though and I hope you enjoy your last drink as much as I did mine

I understand exactly what you need and I will work on it as soon as I am available

Whichever way you choose , its appropriate to say no sometimes

Saying no is empowering

saying no is liberating

Saying no keeps you in control

Saying no prevents others from stealing your time

Saying no prevents takers from taking

Learn to say no

Good health but short memory

good health

most of us take it for granted

until you get sick or injured

then you realize how truly precious it is

you start praying for a speedy recovery

making promises that you will change your lifestyle 

if you get well its a real blessing

suddenly you feel reborn again

fleetingly toying with goals to exercise more and eat a healthier diet

you slowly creep back into your old routine

you get busy and forget about your good health

bad lifestyle habits creep back in

until the next time your health deteriorates

break this cycle

before it breaks you

your poor lifestyle is not the problem

its your memory that needs fixing

Sometimes its good to be lost

Sometimes its good to be lost

In an unfamiliar place

Without a clear path back

Nobody there to guide you

Before you can find your way back

You have to first find yourself

Find your fears and worries

Find your hopes and dreams

Have some time alone with them

Challenge them to convince you to keep them

Listen carefully to their words

Identify the ones you can really trust

Decide which ones you want to carry back

Leave the others behind

Knowing they will forever be lost

Lighten your load for the return journey

The path back will be easy to find

You will enjoy every step of the way

Come back a much better person

With clearer vision and purpose

Sometimes its good to be lost

If your life is not going as you want it to right now…….

If you are not satisfied with the way you live your life right now, here are some things you can do to make it better. Start with the first task in Week 1,  then add a further task each week so that you are covering all 8 areas by Week 8.  

Week 1– Join the wake daily up at 5am club.  It does not have to be so early, as long as you can find one hour every morning when you will be alone without any interruptions. Use this hour to complete these three 20 minute tasks in any order you want:

20 minutes of exercise with at least 10 minutes of cardio, 5 minutes of weights or resistance and 5 minutes of stretching. If you are not sure how to do any part,  find an online video. 

20 minutes of reading to learn a new skill or acquire knowledge. 

20 minutes of gentle relaxation and meditation.

Repeat this one hour routine daily, even at weekends or days off work.

Week 2– Make a plan to declutter your possessions.  Assign some time each week to tackle a specific room or area and put things into keep and dispose piles. Organize the things you keep so they are accessible, anything in a container can be labelled for easy identification. Donate or dispose of stuff every week.

Week 3– If your spending is out of control, cut up the credit cards or reduce them to just one. Cancel subscriptions to things that are non-essential like cable TV, music streaming or Apps. Track your spending with a free App or a notepad to accurately record your outgoings.  Make decisions on what you can afford and create a realistic budget for essentials like food, shelter, heating, commuting and self care/medical.  Allocate spending for entertainment and fun but stick within your budget.   If you are overwhelmed go see a financial adviser. Allocate time to this task weekly.

Week 4– Reduce your screen time from phones, computers and TV.  Put your phone on silent for most of the day so you are not interrupted by unscheduled calls, texts or notifications.   Consider giving up social media completely, it is not an essential part of healthy living.  Spend more time in nature taking walks or bike riding. Stop and smell the roses. Make a plan to focus on this each week.

Week 5– Prioritize experiences over material possessions.   Find joy in simple things like writing, reading, spending time with loved ones or just taking a walk. Every week, find time to reach out to a friend or loved one you have drifted from.

Week 6– Plan your time effectively and leave gaps between tasks to allow for over-run or downtime. Practice single tasking and try to finish a task before starting a new one. Learn to say no to things that are not important to you and focus more on what is. Check in on this aspect weekly

Week 7– Practice self care to ensure your physical, mental and spiritual well being is not being ignored.  If you need to lose weight, start a diet and exercise program. If your drinking habits are excessive, considering having a totally dry month. Join a group with shared interests and consider volunteering as a way to donate your time helping others. Verify you have addressed this at least one a week.

Week 8– Look back and reflect on how your life has improved, allocate more time on areas that are not yet yielding results.  Reward yourself with some outrageous, decadent, delicious, guilt-free self indulgence.

Why are we on this planet

We all look up to people with qualities we admire

Be it courage or great skills

Maybe passions or an ability to think clearly

They could be

Outstanding at sports

Great entertainers

Top selling authors

Gifted musicians and performers

A teacher or a mentor

A big brother or sister

That trusted reliable friend

The list is endless

These people were not born that way

They had to work hard to be who they are

If you work hard and stay focussed

You can acquire all the qualities you desire

Then others will come to you for advice

They will seek your guidance and encouragement

You can be a great mentor

So go get yourself mentored today

Then be a mentor for others tomorrow

That is the only reason we are on this planet

Leave a legacy and make a difference

Its OK to have fun along the way

Nothing else matters

New year resolutions

January resolutions

Personal revolutions

New beginnings

Dream winnings

Shedding pounds

Exercise rounds

Self improvement

Radical movements

Less drinking

Creative thinking

Plans made

Resolve displayed

Mid morning

Constant yawning

Feeling hungry

Food junkie

Leftovers calling

Resistance falling

Fridge overflowing

Excitement growing

Munching away

Feasting day

Drinking wine

Tastes divine

Pouring another

Cheers brother

Resolutions postponed

Realism condoned

If things are not going well for you

turn the page

start afresh

turn over a new leaf

new beginnings

change course

reevaluate

recheck

think twice

rearrange

do a U turn

sing a different song

refashion

backtrack

do an about-face

change tack

readdress 

backpedal

backtrack

revisit

wipe the slate clean

new start

How I learned to fly

Photo by Hobo Fisher on Pexels.com

I used to dread failures

the ultimate embarrassment

something to be forgotten

then I learned to look back along the road I took to failure

identifying what had weighed me down

I challenged myself to give those things up

the next time I took that road

I could fly