7 steps to greater fulfillment

Have you ever asked yourself what it means to be fulfilled? According to the Wordbook Dictionary, “fulfilled” means to be “completed to perfection.” When you reach the state of fulfillment, there is literally nothing more you want or could ask for. You believe you have everything that sustains you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Practice these strategies to increase your feelings of fulfillment:
1. Listen to your internal self. Recognize that how you want your life to be is more important than anyone else’s ideas, dreams, or advice for your future. What do you say to yourself? Your thoughts and feelings matter greatly.

2. Find a way to get paid for doing what makes you happy. Because work is one-third or more of your life, loving your work is integral to living a fulfilled existence. Refrain from worrying about what others think of your job. If your career piques your interest, gets you excited, imparts new knowledge, and builds your self-confidence, you have a winner. In the event you feel you’ve gone a bit stale on your job, ask yourself, what do you love to do? Work with numbers? Paint a picture? Write children’s stories? When you think about it, you might be able to develop an income stream from doing those things.

3. Investigate your options. When a chance to make life-changing decisions comes your way, how do you handle it? A thorough review of each option will help you imagine how you’ll be affected if you choose that avenue. Make it a point to examine options that can open up your life in ways you have yet to consider. This is your chance to discover how to move closer toward personal success and a life that is more enriching than you ever dreamed of.

4. If you require more education or training, do it without hesitation. Many let their age get in the way of additional knowledge-building or say they lack the time necessary. But if you want fulfillment, it’s important to move forward in ways that deliver what you really want to achieve in life. So, go ahead and take that course, training, or skill-building seminar.

5. Choose positivity. Make a conscious decision as soon as you wake up to have a positive attitude and make today the best day ever. You get to decide how you’ll handle the disaster of the moment. Will you lose your edge or carry through to the best resolution possible?

6. Treat others how you’d like to be treated. One of the most challenging things about life is to realize what goes around comes around. If you consistently look for the good in others, ignore the less-than-positive in them, and send out empathy and respect, the rewards you receive back will be great.

7. Find a role model. It can be incredibly life-enhancing to discover an individual that behaves in ways that you honor and respect. Dream big when it comes to deciding who you want to be like. People like Nelson Mandela, Joseph Campbell, the Dalai Lama, or Billy Graham can provide you with a wonderful personal pathway to follow. However, maybe your grandfather, Aunt Mary, or a neighbor who has more love for others than you can imagine also provide beautiful examples of the person you want to be. Whatever the case, having an image in your mind of someone you believe is a fascinating individual provides........................................................................................................................................ toward. Applying these methods will help you create a life that pleases you. Your life is an adventure that you can live with intention, a penchant for discovery, and challenge. Make each day count, starting now. Your fulfilling life awaits you.

Mam"oirs" (#2): random stories of me & mam

Mam always called my dad "baba", my aunt calls her husband "Rob" (short for Robert), my other aunt calls her husband "sweedy".

Like  the cheeky child that that I am, sometimes I wonder what I'll call "my boss" when and if I eventually get married.

There's bobo, baba(-lawo), boo boo,...

😁😋

The possibilities are endless!

Little foxes

If I drop a piece of paper in the street & keep walking, my conscience convicts me. So I have learned to quickly turn around and pick whatever I have dropped. It may sound extreme but being Faithful in little things is important to God.
Songs of Solomon 2:15 says that it is the "little foxes" that spoil the vineyard.
When we are willing to be Faithful & obedient in little things, then God can trust us to be Faithful over much greater things. (Matthew 25:14-23)

Life

Tired from walking long
And weary from working hard
I trudge along this jagged road called life
Where thorns grow
Alongside beautiful flowers
And snakes dwell
Among the doves
Where fire berths
Alongside calm refreshing water
And wolves dwell
Among sheep.

If wishes were...

I wish I could live my life
Devoid of fear
Far away from pain and rejection
Close to love and peace of mind.

I wish I was invisible
Only then would I escape unpleasant situations
That tend to overwhelm me
And make me feel blue

I wish I could forget the past
And face the Future
With hope in my heart
And a smile on my face

I wish I was an angel
Giving hope to the hopeless
And lending a helping hand
To those in need.

I wish...

My canvas

My eyes sting from crying
Tears fall freely amidst the pain.
My heart lurches within me
The pain is so unbearable.
I cant help but think
I long for the good old days
When everything was gay.
Now all I see is a blur
I'm bored looking at it all day
So I take a paint brush
And paint
Paint away the pain
Paint away the sorrow

Now all I can see a wonderful masterpiece

- the FUTURE!

The greats...!

I hear,
Everyday, and in every clime
Stories of men who prevailed
And rose to become "great"
Where does this leave me?
Alone rusting in a corner?
Never!
I will arise
Above my imperfections,
Above the pain,
In order that I might become
In due course,
One of "the greats"

😎

My decision

I've decided to take life as it comes.
That's not to say
I wont plan for rainy days.

I've decided to be happy.
That's not to say
Life is free from sorrow.

I've decided to live right
That's not to say
Temptation doesn't lurk.

I've decided to trust God implicitly
That's not to say
Troubles don't come my way.

Its by his mercies
that we are not consumed.

So I've decided to count my blessings instead.

😇

mam"oirs" (#1) :random stories of me & mam

My mam is a really peculiar woman. She's so meticulous to the point that she'd ask me to wipe the sides of a very flat slipper so she can wear it out.
I mean, who does that?
Who is looking at the side of the slipper sef?
Its well o!

Hope I'd be that meticulous someday!
😟😏

"Face em"

When I was little, I loved to play. My neighbour had these little wild wiener dogs that were always chained. But one day, to my chagrin, I heard RUFFRUFFRUFFRUFFRUFF. It didn't sound like it was coming from afar off. I looked and saw a fat brown wiener dog making a dash at me nipping at my heels. Instead of facing the little turd, I got scared and took off sprinting back into my house.
The dang thing came out of nowhere & completely startled me. Then the random sprint sent me into a wheezing fit as I tried to slow my breathing. Eventually, I found my pace again but it took a while before I'd go out comfortably without searching every nook and cranny to make sure there was no dog lurking nearby. Even today, I'm still scared of dogs but it got me thinking; just when we are getting  comfortable, strong and steady at the pace in the race of life, those darn things come barking out of nowhere. Most of the times, we can't help but sprint away in fear & it takes a toll on our pace in the race. We've all been chased by wiener dogs but in Christ we have the power to turn around, face the little pest and say NO! SIT! And we can run with endurance the race set before us.
So breathe!
Lace up!
And keep going.

Designed by God

“He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.” (Psalm 33:15 NKJV) 

Incredible! Each of us has been specifically designed by God for his purpose and use.

Christians are told this in Scripture: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV).  

Discovering God’s plan and purpose is the most fulfilling part of life one can imagine. God has redeemed us for his purposes, “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14, NKJV). 

God considers all of our works. After all, he designed us, and he is interested in seeing whether his purposes are being served. Our redeemed talents, gifts, and desires call us into the avenues of service he has prepared for us. 

God has given you a heart to do something for him. You have been designed for it. In all probability, he has or will open doors of opportunity for you to use your God-given talents, gifts, and desires to serve him. I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities when they come your way.

“‘But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:4, NIV).   

This is also what God is telling us today. Be strong. Be busy doing the King’s business, for he is with us in all that we do.

As you do the King’s business, be encouraged. The works of God’s people performed in the power of the Holy Spirit will echo into eternity. 

“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them” (Revelation 14:13, NKJV). 

Today, ask yourself:

Am I living in the power of the Holy Spirit, so my life can truly echo into eternity?

Reasons I distrust February

I don't like February.

I find it cruel, and generally untrustworthy. It's like the cat of months.

Here are some reasons why:

Spelling/Pronunciation
It's the most misspelled month. Depending on the source, two pronunciations are acceptable; both with and without the "r." But you have to spell it with the "r." Now, if it is in fact OK to pronounce it Feb-u-ary, then where did the "r" come from? I wonder if February inspired the singer Sade. "If there can be a month spelled with an 'r,' but pronounced without it, then I'm going to spell my name without an 'r,' but pronounce it with it." At least Brett Favre's last name contains all the necessary letters, even if he doesn't pronounce them in the correct order.

Number of Days
February has an inconsistent number of days. Normally, there are 28 days, but every fourth year, there are 29. I was already annoyed, and now this. There are always 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, and 12 months in a year. But it's not always 365 days in a year. Nope. Every four years, we need to add a day to try and keep the calendar year in step with the astronomical year. What a pain in the butt. I mean, I always feel bad for people born on or near Christmas. They always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to presents. But at least they don't have to wait four years to have a proper birthday, like the poor souls born on February 29th.

Valentine's Day
This is a big one.

It started in grammar school, when you had to get a valentine for everyone in your class. I suppose this was the forerunner to the "everyone gets a trophy" idea. While I can see the point of protecting young, yet-to-be-crushed hearts, I'm not sure delaying reality does anyone any good.

It didn't get any better from there.

Either you have a romantic interest on Valentine's Day, or you don't. In my experience, these are just different versions of the same hell. If you're alone, everyone around you seems to be head over heels in love and have the most amazing plans. If you're with someone, you feel pressure to come up with amazing plans in order to demonstrate your love, and if you don't, then what the hell is wrong with you?

The most romantic things usually happen spontaneously, not because you're looking at a calendar.

I cannot remember enjoying one single Valentine's Day.

Besides, did you ever google St. Valentine? The first thing I found was probably the least romantic thing I've ever read. First of all, there may be more than one St. Valentine, or the stories of multiple people have been rolled into one. Anyway, the date of February 14th is remembered because that's the day he endured a three-part execution. They beat the dude for a while, then stoned him, and then beheaded him.

So,
February fly...
March, here I come.

Show some love bellas & fellas

Valentine's Day is an interesting time for all of us. Some of us are super happy and in love, some of us are lonely; some of us just want to eat ice cream and watch The Notebook. Whatever your flavor is for Valentine's Day, I invite you to consider that this is actually the perfect time to fall in love with yourself.

So many of us are programmed to constantly be taking care of others. We say there isn't enough time to concentrate on ourselves or that it would just be an unnecessary indulgence. We often look to others for validation or the love that we desire. We don't want to invest in ourselves or make us a priority.

At the end of the day though the best thing you can do for yourself and for all the people you are trying to help is to practice some serious self-love.

You and I both know deep down though that we can't fully love those around us or give them what they need if we don't love ourselves first. It can be easy to forget all the amazing things about yourself and lose connection with your confidence. Ultimately though you spend the most time of your life with yourself, so if you don't like you very much then that is a recipe for disaster.

Want to try something different from complete self-sacrifice and self-judgment? Great, because I have seven tips just for you to help you fall in love with yourself.

Tip #1: Make a List of 10 Things You Love About Yourself Everyday
This might sound a bit corny, but trust me it works. If you aren't used to focusing on what you love then you need to practice it just like you would any new exercise. Practice creates a habit so it is important that you make this a daily thing. You can focus on external or internal things; anything your heart desires. The most important part is that you do it consistently.

Tip #2: Take It a Step Further and Read Your List In Front of a Mirror Each Day
Don't stop reading yet, I promise this is worth it. It might feel weird at first, but looking at yourself in the mirror and truly hearing what you love about yourself can be really powerful. It is easy to write something down on a piece of paper and not think of it again. Staring at yourself in the eyes and saying what you love about yourself is hard to ignore. Humor me and give it a try for a few days and see how it feels.

Tip #3: Practice Saying No
Yup, I know that word doesn't exist in most of our vocabularies, but one of the best things you can do for yourself is learn to say no. Say no to something you don't want to do. Say no to doing for others what they can do for themselves. Say no to sacrificing yourself for everyone else. When you say no to something, you create the space to yes to yourself. Yes to what you need and yes to loving yourself. Create your space, you deserve it!

Tip #4: Ask 5 People in Your Life What They Love About You
Ask them to share what makes you special in their life. Practice just listening and receiving this information without any rebuttal or explanation. Practice being fully present with this person and letting what they are saying sink into your being.

Seeing how we are loved through other's eyes can be really powerful if you let it. So many of us struggle with accepting compliments, but there is nothing wrong with that. Use this opportunity to remember that it is okay to feel special and it is okay to be told you are loved.

Tip #5: Give Yourself an Act of Self-Love Each Day
Each day, decide to do something that will cheer you up, make you feel special, and is solely for you. This might look like going for a walk. This might look like enjoy a sweet dessert without any guilt. This might look like getting a massage or a pedicure.

LOVE YOU!

Re-invent yourself!

We all reach a point in our lives when we need to reinvent ourselves. Whether it’s a personal, professional, or both, life sometimes doesn't go exactly as planned. We've all been there or will go through it at some point in our lives. You're not alone.

If you feel stuck or have recently lost everything, then now is the perfect time to reinvent yourself so that you can go on to live the life that you always dreamt of. And, here are some ways that you can accomplish that.

1. Go back to square 1.
There’s a reason why you need to reinvent yourself. It could be personal, such as getting a divorce, or professional, like having to shutdown your business. That doesn't matter now. It’s time to start from the beginning and put the past behind you.

2. Create a vision for your future and establish goals.
After identifying what needs to be changed, it’s time to plan out the future that you want for yourself. What do you need to do to make this a reality? Do you need to move? Do you need to go back to school? Figure this out and establish the goals to achieve your vision.

3. Write lists.
Start by writing down a life map and making a graphical representation of your passions and priorities. No matter the size of the goal, spend every morning writing down the reasonable things that you want to accomplish. These words that you have written can motivate you to turn those ideas into action. I do this and it helps.

4. Say ‘no.’
If you don’t want to do something, just say ‘no.’ This will give you the time to do you want to do.

5. Connect with people.
Don’t connect with just anyone. Connect with the right people, at the right time. These should be individuals who inspire you and who you can learn from. With social media, you can connect with these people easily. But, don’t rule out doing some old fashioned networking. Attend conferences and industry events as well.

6. Find time to disconnect.
Alternately, you want to find time to unplug. Emails, texts, and social media notifications will distract you during your reinvention process. It may be hard to believe, but the world is not going to end if you don’t have a Facebook status update for a couple of days.

7. Show gratitude.
At least once a day jot down something that you’re grateful for. When you’re stuck or feeling low, revisit that note. Remember to show your gratitude to your nearest and dearest who support you through thick and thin.

8. Prioritize.
Try to dedicate at least one hour of each day in accomplishing your goals. Remember, knock out those most important tasks first so that you can focus on the smaller tasks that will also help you achieve you goal. And, don’t forget to use calendars. alarms, and apps to help you prioritize your tasks and keep you productive.

9. Be generous.
There are numerous ways that you can be generous. It could be donating to a charity. Volunteering at a soup kitchen. Sharing your expertise by writing informative articles. If you support others, they’ll support you.

10. Find a mentor.
Locate someone who can help guide through this journey. If you can’t find an actual, you can always turn to the words of wisdom that other’s have share in books, articles, or tweets.

11. Get rid of the stuff holding you back.
Do you have a shirt that doesn’t fit, but you hold onto because you like the style? How about that uncomfortable chair in your living room? The books collecting dust? Physical items can hold us back emotionally and physically since they either bring us down or just get in the way. Donate or throw away anything that’s holding you back from going forward.

Join the club...!

You probably haven’t heard too much about this “Superhero” club. It counts Thomas Edison, Elon Musk, and Kelvin Doe among its members. They don’t wear masks, and we call them Autodidacts.
Thomas Edison had just three months of schooling. Elon Musk taught himself rocket science. Kelvin Doe isn’t signing autographs yet, but he is changing the world with this super power.
Autodidacticism doesn’t require accidental radiation. You can just start learning something on your own to get it. Because we can no longer pretend that schools will teach us everything. There was a time when YouTube and browsing the web brought us tiny snatches of learning online. Today, we have a whole universe of MOOC (Massively Open Online Courses) and online education sites to grab from. One of the more recommended picks is Udemy, EDX.  Over 22,000+ courses are available. Pick a course today and you could just become the next prodigy.

Join the club...!

You probably haven’t heard too much about this “Superhero” club. It counts Thomas Edison, Elon Musk, and Kelvin Doe among its members. They don’t wear masks, and we call them Autodidacts.
Thomas Edison had just three months of schooling. Elon Musk taught himself rocket science. Kelvin Doe isn’t signing autographs yet, but he is changing the world with this super power.
Autodidacticism doesn’t require accidental radiation. You can just start learning something on your own to get it. Because we can no longer pretend that schools will teach us everything. There was a time when YouTube and browsing the web brought us tiny snatches of learning online. Today, we have a whole universe of MOOC (Massively Open Online Courses) and online education sites to grab from. One of the more recommended picks is Udemy.
And the best among 22,000+ courses. Pick a course today and you could become a prodigy.

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made— and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

It's gonna get better!

Too often we give up on things too soon, when persisting a bit longer would have yielded the results we were after. Over time, persistent forces can do almost unbelievable things. Also, new research suggests that people operating at ‘genius’ level at a particular skill weren’t necessarily born with it, but instead acquired it through persisting through 10,000 hours of effortful practice.

Tip
What did you once try to achieve but gave up on it? Perhaps now you have more knowledge or resources to make it work? Give it another try!