Sharing Ideas – Inspiring Change

Learning something new every day is one of the top ways to keep the mind sharp. The brain is like a muscle and needs to be exercised frequently to stay in tip-top shape. Discovering a new skill, language, craft, or instrument is a great way to put your mind to work.

#1: Keep a Journal

“Remember, If your life is worth thinking about, it is worth writing about.“

A journal is not a diary. A diary is a place where you record events while a journal is a place where you analyze and evaluate them. Keeping a journal encourages you to consider what you do, why you do it and what hou have learned from all you have have done.

Writing in a journal will make you wiser with each passing day – you will develope self-awareness and make fewer mistakes.

Keeping a Journal will help you clarify your intensions so that you remain focused on the things that truly count. It will also make you a clearer thinker and help you live in a more intentional and enlightened way.

Writing a journal offers you the opportunity to have regular one-on-one conversations with yourself. It forces you to do some deep thinking in a world where deep thinking is a thing of the past.

Writing in a journal promotes personal growth and wisdom in giving you a forum to study, and then leverage, your past for greater success in your future.

And your personal journal gives you a private place to flex your imagination and define your dreams.

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Saigon, 01/09/2021 | #Book: Who will cry when you die?

#2: Rise Up Again!

It’s not realistic to expect to always be thriving. Life can be messy and we can’t separate the highs and lows or have one without the other. But we can learn to accept the process, to understand that it’s part of the journey, and to build our own inner resilience. It’s about bouncing forward and using adversity as a catalyst to get better and become stronger.

And we also need to remember that we are part of a community – that when we are vulnerable, we can lean on each other and lift each other up. And together, we are so much more resilient than we know.

“This work is not for yourselves- kill that spirit of self, and do not live above your people but live with them. If you can rise, bring someone with you”. <Charlotte Maxeke>

Right now we live in a very, very uncertain world. What we’ve always considered to be normal -is no longer normal. Covid moved the point of equilibrium. If we’re going to cope with that new normal. We’ve got to adapt. It’s easy to be lost in the maze. You should never live your internal life based on the outward appearance of your neighbours.

We do things based on the values and what other people are doing. And we are off track, right there and then. You know, we take wrong paths. You just have to prepared to have a bit of courage to look for the right path. And having the persistence to find what is right.

There are many lessons in nature about. How to build our individual resilience . When you look at how fynbos can go through fire and rise up again. That fire allows seeds that have been buried to now open up so that they can thrive. And to see that landscape green after all that the fire destroyed. It’s constant reminder to us as human beings..

We might feel like we are devastated by the circumstances in which we find ourselves but there remains inside us. Things that will let us rise up again. There are bad things that are going to happen but out of this, goodness can come.

When we experience pain and when we experience suffering and when we experience a setback. They just remind us. That there is a part of us that is strong. If we are anchored by our values. If you are surrounded by a community that supports you, and you do things that are aligned with your own purpose, you’ll be able to grow taller. I think all of us, when we are faced with hard times and trying circumstances, we need to grow a positive spirit, that we can survive and thrive.

Nature can give us hope, provide we are willing to learn, the kind of lessons that it teaches us. And of course, I don’t think you can learn from an environment in which you are not immersed.

Covid reminds us that we are all connected. When we suffer, we suffer equally. The virus doesn’t have any boundaries. It doesn’t know hierarchies….We’ impacted the same way. We may create these artificial boundaries between ourselves – but we are all here. I think it’s just a reminder to people that we live on one earth. The impact is felt by all of us.

If we’re going to move forward and succeed. We’ve got to create room for all of us to collaborate.If we don’t collaborate, we’re most likely to fail together – as a society.

It’s easy to be wrapped around ourselves, the spirit of self..I’m important ..other things are not and other people are not. You’re part of a bigger society, you’re part of a bigger community. You live amongst people.

When you find yourself vulnerable, you need the support of other people. One of the guiding principles which I think is a good guiding principle, comes from this book ‘Life of Pi’.

It says ‘There can be no greatness without goodness‘. If I as a person, want to get further. I’ve got to bring a lot of people along with me. So I’ve got a responsibility to do good things. To be a human…It means to understand that, we’ve got a responsibility to be good, to yourself and to the people around you. There is a little quote that I keep going back to, it comes from Charlotte Maxeke..

This work is not for yourself – kill that spirit of self...If you can rise, bring somebody with you.

Audio: Rise Up Again!

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Saigon, 02/09/2021 | #Rise Up Again | Green Renaissance

#3: What Defines you?

When you really love somebody, you find yourself pensively looking at them and trying to just take in that one moment. What made me so lucky to gave this meaningful relationship? Every day I come back, they welcome me. It’s such a privilege, an honour. And it just fills me with love.

When I was younger, I considered myself a bit of a Superman. Physically I was able to do things without really thinking too much about them. A lots of things have happened in the last 6 or 7 years that have shook my reality. I had a injury on my right ankle and it perpetuated almost like an avalanche, a series of injuries.

I’ve come to realise that I really did find identity, in my physical ability. And when that’s taken away, then who are you? In a way you sort of don’t recognise yourself because you’ve always been one way. But now there’s a bit of a numbness. That was very hard.

Sometimes with certain individuals, crises trigger a feeling of, I should reach out. But sometimes, especially with me initially that situation actually makes you not reach out. I didn’t want people close to me to worry, and I would think that I can handle it. I’ve always been able to bounce back.

I find myself really isolating myself. And sometimes it’s not necessarily that physically you don’t see me all the time, it’s just that I’m not as open and accessible. It’s very hard because that’s sort of the tipping point…where your hope is almost like a vapour, it’s fizzling away. Where you always had it, there always a shadow of hope. And one day you look and you’re confused because it’s not there.

I don’t particularly remember when but I started to go to the ocean and just put my foot in the cold water. Immediately it felt really great in terms pain relief. And at this time I couldn’t swim. As a child, I had a traumatic experience where I nearly drowned. But every time I would be in, I felt better. Slowly but surely, I built this affinity with the ocean. Every day you saw her, she looked even more welcoming. Just a smile on her face…And so I got very comfortable and I would go in further and further. And one day, subconsciously, it just happened ..I realised that I was treading water. And on that day I remember I floated on my back And all the tension is just absorbed. There was this whole new world where I had freedom, because there was no impact. I was being released, and given this amazing opportunity by something that was supposed to be perilous and dangerous.

That’s when the floodgates opened. I saw beauty under the kelp forest. The way the water danced. There’s this moment of silence where it feels like all your troubles are gone..juts for that moment..it’s really special. At a time where I couldn’t necessarily share everything. I shared with the ocean..the ocean understood. And I also believe it played a big part in me being able to open up fully. I need to realise that I don’t give enough of myself And I didn’t think that was an issue. But if you never put your cards on the table then we will be stuck, it doesn’t matter how intuitive your friend is or your family member is, you have to given them something to get some as well. Then they can really walk with you on this new journey.

There were these people who were just steadfast and always looked out for me in subtle ways which showed that they understood who I was. It’s such a beautiful thing when you realise that they’re there it’s like you’re walking in a dark room but your eyes adjust and all of a sudden there are lights. You realise that you were not alone.

We are not Atlas. We can’t carry all that stuff, that’s a great realisation to have. I am not Supperman, and it’s fine. It actually makes it more beautiful that I’m not. The way I am right now, is the way it was meant to be, and I’m at peace with that.

Quintessentially I’ the same person but I have learnt and experienced a lot. My physicality wasn’t the only thing necessarily that should be who I am. There’s different things about me which make me, me. I spoke about identity in the beginning..maybe this was part of my identity too..being that guy who swims in his yellow trunks in the cold water. I have found acceptance and freedom..allowing me to be myself..