My "REVELATION"

I do not want to sound philosophical about life and death but both are fickle things, you think you have it figured out one minute then in the blink of an eye it topples you over for a 10 and you left thinking 'what now?".

I don't think we ever really get it figured out. We deal, we manage and we get on with what needs to be done.

I have an uncle who is very ill at the moment and reflecting back on his role in my life i am struck by how powerful it has been. I remember him as a rough, rouge of a man with a personality that could literally fill a room. He use to barge into my bedroom when i was in my teens and demand to know how i am, he use to sneak me sweet when his wife wasn't looking and because he never had a daughter i always filled that role with giggles and hugs. I have always admired his ability to laugh at life and how he encircled his sisters and would do anything to protect them.

I have not seen him in a long time but on the phone i can tell that in the midst of his illness he has become sullen, like he knows something we don't.  It saddens me that life and the thought of death can do that to a man so brave however in my heart (somehow) i know that he will be okay and get through this stronger than before.

I also realize now that growing up i have been fortunate to have three fathers, one by blood, one by family and another by love. All of these men have played amazing roles in who i am today; they have loved me, laughed with me, nurtured me and supported every decision i have ever made.

Their lives have blessed mine!

Inhibitions

I couldn't say it better if I tried...

"If you're going to be passionate about something, be passionate about learning. If you're going to fight something, fight for those in need. If you're going to question something, question authority. If you're going to lose something, lose your inhibitions. If you're going to gain something, gain respect and confidence. And if you're going to hate something, hate the false idea that you are not capable of your dreams." ~Daniel Golston
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Simple Reminder

Today's reminder

"Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he/she is had to begin where he was."

Richard Louis Evans

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It's all in the Art...

In my first year at University i had a lecturer that recommended we read the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu, i read it however at that particular time i did not understand the fuss or hidden meanings behind this ancient text. A few days ago i re-read it on a flight heading home and the one quote that jumps out at me is;

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle”

I might be completely off the mark with what Sun Tzu wanted his warriors to remember but this has a two folded meaning for me. 

Firstly if you do not know the enemy you will lose as often as you win, all battles will be 50/50 and you will always fight with fear of the unknown, questioning tactics and power. However, if you know both yourself and the enemy perhaps you will win more because you would not be afraid to fight. Perhaps you will risk more because the reward will be personal. 

Secondly; it also speaks of the importance of knowing and understanding others in the battle where the conflict is theoretical and the war personal. If you've fought a battle where you gained a greater understanding of yourself and the other person, you've gained something greater than a mere win, and the outcome of the battle itself is irrelevant.

I think the greatest battles we fight in this life is with ourselves, we tend to be our worse enemies so perhaps if we master the art of self love then mastering the art of war would be easier. 

Snow in the backyard

Women's Day

I am very lucky to have been surrounded in this world with impecable women that have taught me how to live, how to love and how to keep fighting.

From my mother i have learnt to have courage and faith in the midst of any storm.

From my sister and cousins i have learnt how to laugh at the world and make lemonade when life hands me lemons.

From Melissa, Emma and Sabrina i have learnt that loving yourself is a precious gift, they are probably the only people i know that displays this whole heartedly in unwaved friendship.

An from the many women who have come into my life, stayed awhile and then graciously parted i have learnt that a women's strength lies in the battles she willingly fights and in her will power to overcome. That a women does not need to be loud to be bold or heard.

That her joy lies in the smiles of those around her and in the small way she can change lives.

Happy Women's Day too you all.

One step at a time

Clearing out my maze

Read an article called “Interior Motives” in the August Issue of O Magazine that made me think about my professional environment and how I engage in it.  Made me think of all the actual times I have said Yes when I was dying to say No, the many times I have been polite when I really didn’t want to be and the countless hours I have wasted in conversations I really did not want to be in.

I realised reading through those pages that I actually needed to clean up my agenda, take a constructive step back and re-evaluate the battles I fight and those I walk away from. Easier said than done (I know) but I am starting small and hopefully it will lead me out of the Lady Macbeth maze in my head.  

So if you hear me say No more often than before bare with me because this is my truth and I would rather be blunt than be exhausted by hypocrisy.  If I don’t engage in a conversation with you don’t take it personally because I may just have nothing enlightening to say.

As I journey on this new road of telling the truth I will unconsciously be steered away from fake people and my circle may become smaller but that is a price I will willingly pay for inner peace.