How do I do that!

Sometimes, we daydream, we think about what we would like to do, how things could be different and better.

But most of the time, we think that there is no way that we can easily  realise these dreams, so we just let them go.

But what if, instead of dropping them, we think to ourselves 'how do I do that!'

Sometimes we have to accept that the exact thing that we daydream about is very unlikely to happen.

But what if we tried, we followed that daydream to see where it would lead us.

There are always going to be obstacles strewn in our way, there will always be difficulties to be overcome.

But if we try hard, follow those dreams, we will come closer and closer to making them reality.

Even simple steps will help us to make it more possible.

As a simple example, maybe you fantasise about winning the lottery, but in order to win, you first have to buy a ticket.

By buying a ticket, you are taking a small step to keeping that daydream alive.

Without taking small and tangible steps towards our dreams, they will always be just that - dreams.

So keep them alive, take those small steps towards making them a reality. Strive, work, live and one day, you may well make those dreams a real.

Limitless

What limits you from moving forward towards achieving your goals?

The simple answer is that we usually impose limits on ourselves.

We think or are told that we aren't capable, or we fear failure, or it all just seems too much.

But if really want something, then we should try to lift these self imposed limitations.

The human mind is strong, adaptable. Even when it seems that something is impossible, there is usually a solution to be found if we just think about it.

We should use our minds, believe in ourselves and what we are capable of, because if we do not, we will never know what we are really capable of.

So don't limit your life through fear, or inaction.

Free yourself, be limitless.

Move that mountain!

When we start on a new venture, it can seem huge, impossible to do. The mountain seems just too big to move.

We may give up before we start because it just seems as though we will never succeed.

But even the most momentous of tasks starts with the first small step.

Each small step that we take counts. It builds up and very quickly we will find that we are well on our way.

Breaking a larger task down into smaller chunks makes it seem more manageable, more doable.

But whilst we are taking the small steps on our way up that mountain, we should regularly check, to make sure that we are still on track, still moving in the right direction.

It is all too easy to make a detour and get lost along the way if we do not keep our eye on the finishing line.

So start today, make that first small step, move that mountain

There is always a reason

When things go wrong, don't go the way that we expected or we fail, there is always a reason.

Sometimes, when we get a run of bad luck, we feel that the world has turned against us.

Often when things don't go to plan, we can identify a reason. Did we prepare enough? Did we have enough knowledge? Did it fail because of factors outside of our control?

Once we have identified the reason, we can then go about learning from it. We can try again, with the knowledge that we have gained from the first time.

Sometimes there is no reason as such, something just goes wrong by chance, but then chance is the reason.

We should not let these failures, random or otherwise, stop us from trying, from trying to be the best that we can be.

Use them to gain strength and purpose rather than letting them lead us into not trying through fear of failure.

Look for that reason, understand it, accept, grow and move on.

Tidying the garden

Its freezing out here,

There's frost on the ground,

But mess and mayhem,

Around us abound.

It needs a good tidy,

A rake and a clean,

We'll prune back the trees,

Although it makes us feel mean.

I won some trees,

A while ago,

We must make space,

So that they can grow.

The hard work,

Will keep us quite hot,

Slowly, oh slowly,

We tidy our plot.

Time for a rest,

A nice cup of tea,

T'will warm up our fingers,

As we halt from our spree!

We plant the new trees,

In the dark and cold earth,

They will soon grow some apples,

Give us something of worth.

Our job here is done,

Hooray and a hip.

Oh, but there's just one thing left,

A trip to the tip!

Getting older

We all dread getting older and the burdens that it could bring, both to ourselves and our loved ones.

It is true that as we get older, we could become less able physically and mentally, but getting older also has it's bonuses.

As we go through our lives, we pick up a wealth of knowledge which we can then pass onto the younger generations.

We have been there, seen it, worked out the best way forward.

We may have far more free time than we used to have. Now that we are older, this is our time.

Hopefully our children are grown up and independent from us, leaving us free to pursue hobbies which we didn't have time for before.

Once we have retired our days are free to fill as we please - we could continue to work if we wished, or travel to places that we have dreamed of, or just catch up on all of those books that we never had time to get around to.

Getting older shouldn't be seen as something to be feared. It should be looked forward to as our time. A time to do with as we please.

Embrace each passing day, see each birthday as a blessing rather than a curse.

Enjoy the opportunities that getting older brings, enjoy yourself.

How could they be so cruel!

Vicky walked across the room to pick up her phone and read the text that had just pinged in. She frowned. It was from an acquaintance that she had worked with a few years before. I haven't heard from her for years, she thought.

She read the text: Is it true what Alan said you've done?

Alan? Who's Alan she thought. She smiled, thinking that Ally had texted the wrong person.

Just as she put the phone down, another text arrived. She picked up the phone and read. This time it was from a work colleague. Again, it asked if Alan was telling the truth.

Now she was beginning to worry. Who was Alan? What had he said? She tried to put the messages to the back of her mind, get on with her day.

But still the messages came, all saying the same thing! What was going on? Now she was really worried.

Another arrived, from her best friend Pam. No, this just wasn't on, she needed to find out what was happening!

She called Pam. 'Hi, I'm just wondering, this Alan, do you know who he is? What's he been saying about me.

'Don't you know?' Replied Pam angrily. 'Well no, or I wouldn't be asking' said Vicky defensively.

'Did you really steal all of that money from the company?' Said Pam

Vicky's stomach turned! 'What? What money? What company? Who is Alan?'

Pam went on to explain how she had received a text from Alan, saying that she had stolen a large sum of money from the company that she worked for.

'But I don't know anyone called Alan, cried Vicky! Do you know who he is?'

Pam became quiet. 'Actually no, I don't know him, I just presumed he had got my number from you!

Vicky began to cry. 'But I don't know him, and I haven't stolen anything! Don't you know me better than that?

Pam became quiet! 'Are you still there Pam? Talk to me!' She sobbed into the phone.

She heard Pam take a sharp breath!

'Oh Vicky! I'm so sorry. We thought that you would see that it was a joke! You left your phone on your desk last week and we copied your contacts. Everyone knew what was going on. We really thought that you would like the joke. You have such a great sense of humour.

Vicky put down the phone. How could her friends be so cruel and unthinking. She'd been having such a tough time with things lately and had been feeling so down. But she had kept it to herself, not wishing to burden her friends with her worries.

She fell onto the sofa, sobbing, tears running down her cheeks.

How could they ever have thought that this was OK, that she would 'get' the joke!

How could she show her face again?

She picked up her coat, left the house. Nobody ever heard from her again.

I need a treat!

I'm feeling quite blue,

I need a good treat,

What shall I choose!

Something tasty to eat?

Maybe some chocolate,

Or a nice piece of cheese,

Both of these options,

Are likely to please.

But the problem with food,

Which it has to be said,

Is that if you eat too much fat,

You could end up dead!

So maybe something different!

A mag or a book,

I could go to the library,

Have a good look.

Or maybe a film,

About romance and love,

But that sounds quite boring,

Think I'll give it the shove.

Bubble bath?

A decadent treat!

Much healthier,

Than something to eat.

But I can't make up my mind,

Of what I should choose,

Can you help me out,

You've nothing to lose.

Suggest me a treat,

Something quite nice,

To make me feel happy,

Cheer my mood in a trice!

Excuses excuses

We all make excuses, for all sorts of reasons.

Sometimes it is because we are scared or because we do not want to fail.

At other times, it is simply because we do not want to do it.

When we make an excuse, we should always think about why we are doing it.

It is valid to get out of doing this activity?

Sometimes we make excuses for things that we know deep down that we should be doing.

In this case we really out to think carefully about opting out.

At other times a friend or loved one will ask us to do something that we don't want to do, so we make excuses as to why we cannot do it.

Often this will lead to bad feeling because the other person knows that we are just making excuses.

Or the person will pester and pester until you give in and begrudgingly do it.

In this scenario, the best thing to do is to be honest - say that you don't want to do it. Be clear, be concise and stick to your guns. It is fairer to everyone, and everyone knows where they stand.

So before you make that excuse, think about your reasons. Are they valid, should you be making them, or should you just get on and do it because you have to.

Help, for goodness sake

How often do you do a good deed for no other reason other than because you can?

When doing something for somebody else, some people's thoughts turn to thinking about what is in it for them. What benefit do they get. Maybe a favour in return? Maybe just because it makes them look good?

But the best reason for doing a good deed is because you can. Not because you will get something in return in the future. Not because it will make you look good.

But simply because it gives you a warm feeling inside to help a fellow man, just because its the right thing to do.

How many times do you pass somebody struggling. Trying to deal with a toddler while trying to get a pushchair on the bus. How many times do you see someone battling to open a door without a free hand.

These are simple things, other things may need more action and thought.

To many, these simple acts of goodness are natural, something that we do without thinking. To others, it just doesn't cross their mind.

So if you see someone who needs help, please offer it. Sometimes they may politely (or impolitely) refuse, but mostly they will welcome your help.

So offer that help, for goodness sake. You may be the goodness that rekindles a stranger's trust in their fellow man. You may the person that brings a shining light into the darkness of somebody's night.

Be good, be kind, for goodness sake.

Knowledge is key

Sometimes although we are working hard and are doing the best that we can, things just don't seem to go as well as we would like.

It is frustrating to put in so much work and have so little return.

At times like this, it pays to examine what we are doing. Is there something fundamental and simple that we are not doing.

Knowledge really is the key. It is very easy to keep going in the way that we always have, assuming that we really know what we are doing.

Often asking somebody else who is doing something similar or doing a little research will give us the key to improving things.

Take myself for example, I had been doing something the same way for over a year, and didn't feel like I was getting anywhere at all.

After asking people what I was missing or doing wrong, I was given a very simple reason, which I put right, and now things are starting to improve.

Never assume that you know everything there is to know. Ask, research, learn, grow.

Knowledge is power, use it and succeed.

Nothing is guaranteed

Nothing in this life comes with a guarantee.

There can be times when we think that we are completely guaranteed to succeed, but then something goes wrong.

At these times, we feel demoralised, angry and upset. But there is a difference between failing despite trying our best and failing because we didn't try hard enough,

Even though failure when we thought that we were onto a certain winner is hard, we will have still learned valuable lessons along the way.

The next time that we try, although that guarantee is never going to be one hundred percent, at least we know that we can draw on what we have learned before.

There are also times that we wait and wait, to guarantee that things will be perfect for us to succeed, but often things never will be perfect, so we waste time and energy by waiting for something that may never happen.

Often, by the time that we have realised this, the window of opportunity has passed.

So remember, nothing is guaranteed. We can only do our best, seizing opportunities as they arise.

Do your best, live your life and enjoy.

Happiness in the face of adversity

We all have days or longer periods of time where things just seem to go wrong for no apparent reason.

For me, today has been one of those days. From the moment that I got out of bed, it seemed that anything that could go wrong did.

During periods like this, it is very easy to get frustrated, angry and feel very unhappy.

But these negative emotions only serve to make these difficult times even more difficult.

By trying to stay happy and upbeat and even trying to laugh at the sheer unluckiness of the day, things won't feel so bad.

Being happy in the face of adversity is a choice that we can consciously make.

If we find ourselves becoming angry and frustrated, we should take a step back, take a deep breath and smile, despite the world throwing a spanner in the works.

And the day has yet more surprises for me, because just as I had finished writing this post, my browser crashed and I had to re-write it!

Despite the adversities of today, tomorrow is a fresh, new day. Let's just hope that it will run smoothly for both me and for you, my dear reader.

Toxic personalities

As we go through our daily lives, we come into contact with many people.

Most of these are kind and helpful people. Happy to aid us on our journey.

The vast majority of people that we meet have good hearts and are willing to help us, without asking for anything in return.

But there are also people who are not so good. They are the ones, who threaten to undermine our very being.

Sometimes it is a purposeful thing, but at other times, they do not even realise how toxic they are to our souls.

Being around these people drains our energy, pollutes our well being. They can even drag us into the depths of despair.

Although it is important to trust and believe the motives of the majority, it is also important to see these toxic people for who they are.

Often we will have a gut feeling that something is not right, that we can't altogether trust what this person is saying and doing.

When we are with them, our very essence, our happiness seems to ebb away.

Sometimes these people can be members of our own family, people who we should love and respect.

At times like this it is difficult to know what to do.

But we must look inside ourselves, see that the relationship is doing us harm.

If it is at all possible, we should distance ourselves from this toxicity, this drain of light, love and energy.

Whilst we are around this toxic influence, we will never be truly happy, we will never be able to fly, fulfill our dreams.

So cut out that toxicity, become pure and purposeful once more, and blossom into the person that you are meant to be.

Thank you to Alison for inspiring this post.

The shower head and the hornet

I'm having a break,

I've been running about.

When from the shower,

There comes a loud shout!

The shower head is leaking,

Like a hornet its sounding,

We've had it a while,

Its taken a pounding!

I look for the key,

To take it apart,

But its hiding away,

Oh please have a heart!

So to pliers we turn,

To prize it open,

Will it work,

We try, we are hoping!

Yes, its now in bits,

It needs a good clean!

I scrub it so hard,

And now it does gleam!

I pick up the bits,

To make it a whole,

But, oh woe,

Though I coax and cajole.

It won't go back,

I'm getting quite peeved!

I do not think,

A fix will be achieved!

So after a while,

I search on the net,

For a shiny new head,

That will be the best bet!

So now I wait for my parcel,

Look forward with glee,

A quiet new shower,

Will be waiting for me.

Have some fun

Do you enjoy your work? Is it fun?

For some of us, the answer is yes, but for most of us, work is just a means to an end and isn't enjoyable.

Working hard without any fun is not a good way to live life.

It creates a burden that becomes difficult to difficult to carry.

But it is possible to make work fun. Just by being a little creative, spicing things up.

Even dull housework becomes more interesting if we play music and dance and sing as we work.

If we think about it, most things can be made more enjoyable just be doing them a little differently.

They then become less routine, more fun.

And because we are enjoying them more, our life becomes more fulfilled, more interesting.

So don't just exist through your days, interact with them, find ways of enjoying your work.

Live and have fun