The absence of sound is silence
But is golden silence brilliant?
Away from the daily hustle and bustle
To be able to commune with nature and mull
Over the different things you want to think and do
Especially when your mind is in a funk and blue
Then the silence helps you clear your mind
Tells you what to do next and get you out of the bind
Then silence is the wisdom, the truth and the fragrance
That which soothes your soul and gives you balance
Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. – Mark Twain
We’re coming to the end of the first week of the new year and many of you who made new year resolutions are probably on the verge of breaking them, especially with the weekend looming over. It’s the best time to break all those healthy eating and healthy living resolutions….
I am the same too, I’ve made resolutions about the things I want to change about myself this year. So far, so good, but I was wondering if this year will be my breakout year where I actually complete them or as usual, stop before January ends. So I went and researched how I can actually make sure I keep my resolutions for 2017.
KISS – Keep it Simple and Specific: Keep your resolutions simple so they are achievable. Don’t be vague like, “I will lose weight this year” or “I will eat healthy this year“. Make it specific like, “I will lose x kgs this year” or “I will stop eating <insert unhealthy foods here> this year”. This helps you have a target you need to reach the end of the year.
Be Realistic: Let’s be honest here, everyone wants to look like the current Ms Universe but someone who is say 120 kgs can’t become 50 kgs in one year, not without resorting to drastic measures. So be realistic about the goals you want to achieve. If you aim to read books this year, maybe you could start with one book a month?
Create regular targets: This is basically breaking down your goals into smaller, bite-sized portions which allow you some successes during the year as well as will not discourage you, especially if the goal is slightly beyond your capabilities. If you aim to save $1000 by the end of the year, then saving slightly less than $100 per month will do the trick.
Keep a diary: A diary, physical or digital will help you document your progress, help you track and celebrate success and also pinpoint failures. This will keep you on track and also once you are documenting your progress, you become inclined to actually go ahead and keep doing what you need to do to achieve the goal.
Celebrate Successes: When you achieve any of your mini goals or are on track to achieving your goals or even keep your resolutions for an extended period, then celebrate it by doing something for yourself, like having a spa day or buying new clothes etc.
Be accountable: Share your goals with family or friends. This will allow you to become accountable for them and when you know people are going to ask you about your goals, you do take extra effort to make them complete.
Don’t give up: Failure is just a stepping stone to success. It’s a very rare individual who will be 100% consistent in achieving his goals through the year. We all are apt to have periods when we slip up. Don’t take these periods of slip-ups as if you are not going to achieve your goals. Get up, dust yourself and go back to the last day you were accountable and then continue from there.
I saw this one one of my various social media platforms. This is a question someone posed – would you like yourself if you met you for the first time? This got me thinking – what is the face we project to the world? Is it one which makes the other person want to continue to speak to you, to want to know more about you? Or is it one which makes the opposite person run far away from us?
If I met myself, I probably would not like me at first glance. I am an introvert and so do not mix well with people immediately. Add to the book, physical or digital, that’s always in my hands and my resting bitch face makes me look arrogant and proud at first glance. I know that its off putting to some people, and so this is something I need to work on in 2017.
What about you? What does your first impression tell other people? Would you like yourself if you met you? I’d love to hear in the comments section
These words were inspired during BB’s thread ceremony when realisation suddenly hit me that both BB & GG are all grown up and almost adults.
When you were born….
When you were born, you fit in the crook of my hands;
Today, I need to look up to meet your glance.
When you were born you needed me for everything;
Today, you are young adults, finding your own way in everything.
When you were born, I was your entire world;
Today, you are finding your own way in the world.
When you were born, I waited eagerly for you to take your first steps;
Today, I am both excited and sad that soon you will mark your footsteps in the world.
When you were born, you were my babies;
Today, you are still my babies, to love and to cherish.
The rain fell hard, beating down on a well-trodden path,
Puddles abounded in the garden as if they’ve taken a bath.
The trees glistened with water, the sun a light amber,
Suddenly over the horizon, the world breaks into a smile….
An upside down smile, if you must, but a smile all the while,
Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and rounded up with Red.
You stop and stare at this beautiful spectacle;
Mother Nature at her finest, puts any painting to shame.
Reminds to stop and take in the beauty of her game,
The perfect pause to a day filled with stress and full of blame
The rainbow also tells of being that special pause in someone’s life
That which makes them smile in the midst of their life’s strife
Be that rainbow and bring a smile, brighten up someone’s life….
