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What do you really want out of life? Now what's stopping you?

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Beyond the now

Have your ever wondered how many people have never clicked on the “More” button at Google? Perhaps you never have. Try it. It unfolds the full expanse of Goggle’s repertoire of search tools. I learnt two things from this. The first is that often we miss the full potential in our selves and others because we never bother to look past the obvious mundane stuff we do. The second is that Google have never stood still. They are by far the most successful search engine available, but they haven’t stopped there. They continue to expand and develop new ideas in their field to keep them ahead of the pack and help ‘organize the world’s information’. They have continued to build on success, rather than sitting back and admiring what they’ve done. Our success should become the building block for continued development, and ultimately a platform from which others may build upon for many years to come.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Face off

My Men's Health magazine arrived yesterday. It's one of the 'guy' mags that we get for the practice. I don't want to read outdated mags at a doctors, so why should my patients. It's generally full of interesting advice and I'll read most of it (there are some sections that just don't apply to me yet). If something strikes me as being worth researching, I'll study more on the net (last month was an article on Chruchill-his speeches are amazing). This month features a whole fashion extra-the do's and don'ts for the next season. Interesting to see how things have changed over the years. One of the big changes has been the marketing of accessories for men. No longer is life just a shower and shave, but can involve moisuriser, hair gel, preshave and post shave routines, all for the care of your skin. Some of it is just plain good marketing (cosmetic compnies have made a fortune tapping into a whole new market, but there is something to be said for taking care of your face-it's the only one you have, and people will unfortunatly judge you on what they see. So where did I put my 24hr hydrating antidryness aftershave gel...

Monday, April 24, 2006

Writer's block???

I sat down to write this unsure of what to say. There are things that I could say, but they just don’t fit with the current mood and experience. I don’t want to post something just for the sake of posting but, at the same time, I need to regularly put something on this site. So, I stepped out in faith and began to write. Reflecting on the last two weeks, the initial ‘euphoria’ and excitement of blogging have faded. I still enjoy the writing, but the adrenaline rush of something novel and new no longer drives it. Does this mean that I’ve made a grave mistake? No, not really. I still get fulfilment and satisfaction from doing this. Only now will I be able to see if this is something that will complement what I believe my purpose to be. Now is the time that I see how consistent I can be. So, I will probably settle to a regular bi-weekly posting with the occasional extra.

Will be teaching dance tonight, covering for my dance partner. Then, tomorrow, I have a ‘supervisory teaching visit’ to some physiotherapy students on placement at one of the local hospitals. Teaching seems to be a regular feature in my life, both in a group and ‘one on one’ setting. I went through a period where I thought that maybe this was my purpose. But that did not explain the satisfaction I got from successfully treating a patient and seeing them succeed. I have come to realise that my teaching ability is one of the tools that I have to accomplish a larger purpose. I don’t doubt that some people are born to teach-my mother is one of them-it’s just not MY purpose. Rather it is a manifestation of it, like my writing.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Friends and filters

Well, it’s a small thing, but worth celebrating-it’s been two weeks since I started this blog, and I’ve kept it going. Now to see if I can manage a month, six months, or a year and beyond.

The weekend has been awesome so far. Played squash for the first time in a tear last night, got soundly whipped. Then out to a gathering of old friends. Someone realised that a lot of us whose paths have since diverged (due to university, work, moved country etc) were around again, and arranged a get together. It was a great time catching up on where everyone is and hearing the testimonies of their lives. It probably would never had happened if someone had never made the plan happen. It’s one thing to think of doing something, another to execute it. So thanks Tia for making a great event.

The weather today has been, to use an old fashioned term, “glorious”. So, I have done remarkable little this morning. I have sat out in the fading summer sun and enjoyed ‘spacing out’. Did a bit of reading, but mostly soaked up rays and did some thinking about different things. Am off to a friend’s house just now to invest sometime in a young man who is destined for great things. Won’t be out late tonight though as am ‘m-cing’ at church tomorrow.

Keeping the flow of a service going with 3000 people present is always a daunting and humbling task, and one that I always strive to be better at. As a result when I watch a show or awards ceremony I always do it with a ‘m-c’ biased filter on; looking for tips, lines and mistakes to avoid. In a similar vein, I naturally employ a physio filter when watching sport; I generally can pick up a limp before the commentators notice. The trick for me is to remember to see the big picture while still remaining focused. Let me know what ‘filters’ you use in your life.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Painting dirt

I painted a room in the house this weekend. All in all, for a first time attempt, it didn’t go too badly. There was minimal spillage and the room looks a whole lot brighter and better. I deliberately picked the dirtiest and grubbiest room to improve. The one thing I soon realised is that you need to clean up as much of the grim and dust as possible before you paint. Otherwise, the dust forms these nice little bumps under the paintwork spoiling your otherwise smooth paint job. These little defects will soon become the sites where fresh dust can collect and smirk at you. Basically, unless you get rid of the dirt it will show up again. It’s the same in life. There are plenty of issues I can gloss over and not deal with the real root. They soon come back again. I have learnt the hard way that a clean up is better in the long term. Doesn’t stop me trying to avoid doing it, but ultimately after much procrastinating the clean up usually wins.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Expansion

I mentioned in a previous post that I had made some primary decisions regarding my health and study habits. I promised to expand the process by which I arrived at them. I will deal with the first in this post. Health is something that we tend to take for granted. I have always tried to maintain what I thought was an acceptable level of health. Ok, so I might fall ill occasionally, and it wasn’t like I didn’t exercise. The problem with an “ok” level of health is that you never realise the level of well being that you could achieve. A couple of things happened to lead me to my health decisions. First was that I did a “detox” early in the New Year. I did what is commonly referred to as a Daniel fast-no meat or rich foods for 3 weeks (so I skimped on the meat side a bit). It was hard going at first, but suddenly I found I could concentrate for longer in the mornings. I seemed to have more energy. So, when the fast was over I took a good look at my eating habits and made a few changes. Most of them involve cutting back on refined sugar, but the benefit has been sustained.

The second aspect occurred as a result of helping a friend with his workout regime. Seeing as I was there at the same time as him, and watching someone exercise is just plain boring, I decided to join in. The results were slow but noticeable, combined with a better diet there was a definite firming and increase in muscle bulk. I’m no “arnie” but definitely an improvement on the previous model, and you know what; I like it. That means that I’ll probably have to continue working out for the foreseeable future-a decision I have made. But the benefits are again tangible. As a result, I am fitter, have more self esteem and think better than I have ever done. It’s worth taking care of our body, after all it’s the only one we’ve got.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Cliental

So as not to bore you today, I have spilt what I want to write into two posts. I suppose that I could have saved one for a later date, but I want to publish the whole thing so here goes.

The first is a way of clarity and explanation before I get too carried away and forget to mention it at a later date. The title “The Boddy Shop” exists for a reason. The primary person this blog will work on is me. My posts are based on my experiences, my thoughts and my readings. They are a result of what I am going through and what I am doing to achieve my maximum potential. Am I at my max-by no means. I am however; fitter, stronger, wiser and more knowledgeable than I have ever been. This is mainly as a result of three primary level decisions I have made in the last 4 months- to exercise more, to eat healthily and to read and study more. I may expand on how I arrived at these in later postings. I am continually striving to improve myself, and this blog provides an outlet for me to coalesce my thoughts into a concrete concept. I hope it helps you as well, and stimulates you to greater levels.

Defining 'full'

John Maxwell in his book “Today Matters” questions how we define success. To quote him:-

‘Take today, for example. How would you rate it? So far has it been a great day?…would you even know how to score it’

His premise is that successful people live out daily decisions by which they can measure their success. These daily achievements add up over time to a lifetime of success.

So how do you define a “full life” or a life lived at the “maximum”? Honestly, I’m not sure. Is it something you do looking back on one’s life; or is it a daily measure of fullness lived in the present moment? Personally, I am tending towards the concept of daily living it out, mainly because we live in a present that aims to a future and not in the past. But what should we use to quantify it? I guess part of my reason for wanting to know stems from my character profile of an analyst. If I know the hows and whys then I should be able to produce the results. Not always true; I know how to pick locks, but I’m not very good at it. Is life measured like a glass-if something is always running over the top then it’s full? But then what size glass? Many questions. If you have any ideas, let me know.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Bottleneck moments

Today is Easter Sunday and, when I woke this morning, I had plans of writing something earth shaking and spectacular. Guess what, that’s probably not going to happen. It’s not that I don’t have anything major to say today- there is plenty I could share that could be deemed ‘insightful’- but nothing really seems to fit with the scope and importance of Easter.

The only thing playing on my mind right now is that occasionally people find themselves in a situation where there is no other way to get the desired result. God’s plan for salvation for mankind involved a rather painful cross. I know people who are facing the temporary pain of chemotherapy, others who are undergoing surgery in order to be healed. I am yet to find someone who enjoys the pain of surgery or the side effects of chemo. I warrant that Christ didn’t particularly enjoy the cross… but the joy of the resurrection kept him there. I don’t pretend to understand what you are going through if you are in a ‘bottle neck’ situation, I can only encourage you to stay the course.

Oh ya, one other thing, I almost had a major car crash on the way here. Someone went through a give way sign at high speed. Thankfully, we managed to avoid it-not sure how. Brought home how transient our situation really is.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Apologies and Angst

Firstly an apology, I thought I had changed my settings to allow anyone to post comments to the blog. Unfortunately, I hadn’t. I have since rectified the error (I hope) and anyone can now comment on the site. I value your feedback and input, so please write something.

Secondly, I thought, why waste a post. I want to expand a bit on the idea of celebrating each other. My mother is currently recovering from a life-threatening illness. I want you to know, priorities change what life is on the line. Suddenly you become aware of what is important and what is not. More than ever, I am aware that time is transient, and that which we have now we will not have in the future. I value the times I now have with my mother and aim to create lasting memories that will not only build me up, but serve as a testimony to future generations. Often it takes a shock to bring home a truth that someone has been telling you all along, My one pastor, Pastor Bonnie Deuschle, has been showing our church how to create memories for years; it’s only now that I’ve really understood. Mom-I still owe you that ice-cream.

I wish to live a life of no regrets. It’s one thing to regret doing something; it’s completely another to have had the opportunity to do something and not done it. It’s the second lament that I wish to avoid. I desire a full and complete life. That’s why I have a life “wish-list”. That’s why I started this blog. To identify and be prepared for opportunities that come along is a driving focus in my life. I hope it becomes one in yours.

Celebrating ourselves

Yesterday was a friend's birthday party. We stayed up late and generally had a whole ton of fun. Too often we fail to celebrate the achievements and successes of those around us. At the same time we often lessen our achievements in life and brush over them. Find something worth celebrating today; either in your life or someone elses. Then do something to create a memory.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Who are you?

Got an email yesterday from a long term friend of mine. In it he talked about questioning himself. Got me thinking about the times I've questioned my identity, the times iv'e struggled with who I am and what I stand for. Guess the root is in who sets your identity for you? Do you base your view on yourself on what others say about you, what you see yourself as or on an external source's view of you (e.g. Bible)?

Monday, April 10, 2006

Using the time

Had a great weekend, mainly with friends. Heard a great message on Sunday; talking of time management and changing our schedule to suit where we want to be. I have a busy day today, nothing unusual. The nature of my day (treating patients) is that often I end up with little breaks of time. I have a list of things to do in these spaces so the time is not wasted. I'm using one of them now, and regularly use these "slots" for emails. This cuts out periods of "wasted time" in my life. So, what more can you do with your wasted time?

Saturday, April 08, 2006

What's your list?

Drove away after setting up this blog with a hundred ideas for new entries. Why? Well creativity stimulates creativity. The act of writing had me all fired up to write more.

What's your life list? What do you want to achieve? I found myself driving along yesterday imagining an interview with Oprah after publishing my first book. I may never get to Oprah, but if I never take steps to get there-them I never will. I have a list of things to do in life. One of them is to publish a book. So what am I doing about it-well, the book is nearly all typed up(I was old fashioned and wrote it by hand). Who knows, if it is successful, then the dream of Oprah is not that unrealistic. So, what's on your list.

New Beginnings


So I've finally done it. That's right, I've joined the legions of bloggers on the internet who faithfully distribute their thoughts, dreams, aspirations and ideas to others.

So why you ask. The real question should be "why not?!" I aim to live my life without regrets. That means doing the things that you deeply desire to do that will help you fullfil your purpose and destiny. I can't think of a single valid reason why I shouldn't start a blog, but can think of many to do. So I've stepped out of my comfort zone and begun.

Another example, granted it's a weird one, I shaved my legs a couple of weeks back. Sounds normal untill you realise that I'm a 28year old male. Been something that I've thought of experiencing- could think of no real reason not to do it. So after much time wasted on rationalising the whole thin, just did it. You know what, the result was rather fun and interesting. I know have a greater desire to suntan and work out, and may even do it again sometime. Let's break out of our safe little shells and do stuff.