Inspire 'n' Influence

I was born in Europe but raised in Australia and as my family didn't always have enough money to splurge on the European holiday, the visits back to my native nation tended to be on the sparse side of things. None the less, when i did go back i got to see all of my uncles, aunties, cousins and grandparents. Although each trip was unique and successful in many ways, it was my most recent trip that proved to be extremely memorable. I was 24 then and considered a true grown up amongst my relatives. With this new status came different conversations as i learnt from my latest exchanges with my grandparents. It seems the older you get, the higher the ratings become for your family conversations, which suddenly turn from PG stuff (how is the weather? What type of animals live in Australia? What is your favourite food?) right through to the R18+ subject matters (Who are you dating? What kind of illnesses has the family experienced, who passed uni and got a job/who didn't, who died?)

“Only live up to your own expectations, not those that others have set for you. It’s the only way to avoid disappointment on behalf of all parties involved.” - Flakers

"Try living one day without any unhealthy thoughts. It may be very difficult, but try another day, until it becomes habitual, and life will move in the direction of becoming healthy, vital and alive". - Anonymous Hmmm some food for thought perhaps?

Since Russia will be hosting the Winter Olympics in 2014, the nation has come up with an inspiring campaign as a way of inducing the people with some passion for sport. It may not be the most common place notion but the campaign has attained some interest from onlookers as they watch fellow subway travellers squat for free train tickets. Perhaps the short lived exercise routine may trigger some sporting support after all, if not it has at least put a smile on many faces. Source:  http://tinyurl.com/pdnp4bv

I watched an inspiring documentary on the weekend called "Love on the Transplant List". Without giving away too much detail (in case you decide to watch it), it follows the story of a young couple in England who are in love. The very distinguishing difference between their relationship is that 21-year-old Kirstie suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. The conditions of the disease and the hardships that are endured by the couple are unreal but they also make you realise and appreciate all the things that one would normally take for granted, like breathing. However, the thing that struck me as the most heartwarming is how this couple explained their love for each other. No question about it. They went in to the situation knowing the potential, life-threatening outcome but as the husband stated, he wanted to be with the one he truly loved, even if it was only for a short time, rather than be with the wrong person for a lifetime. That single thought should be reiterated to many people

Recently i went to a speech given by Naomi Simson: the founder and CEO of RedBalloon, the online gift retailer selling happiness by way of experiencing fun activities. As a successful entrepreneur, Naomi was there to share her wisdom and tell the room of enthusiastic startups and keen business people all the secrets to her success. From a speech that was entertaining but light in nature, i think it gave us an insight in to her own experiences and hardships, while trying to run a business and continue to be a mother and wife to her family. As it turns out, she wanted to join the bandwagon of the dotcom boom (back when it happened) and try to make some money out of it while still being able to be at home with the kids. "How is that working out for me?" she asked the audience and then answered the question herself simply laughing and saying "not well". It made her busier than ever actually but that is a decision that seems to have been worth the effort. She a

"You must do the things you think you cannot do". - Eleanor Roosevelt  I think this is advice that everyone can benefit from because let's face it: who hasn't been scared to attempt something at one point in their life. If you answer no to that statement and claim you are not afraid of anything than clearly you are not being honest with us or perhaps even with yourself! To those that know exactly what their fear/challenge is I hope that you will find a way to break past it. I will attempt to do the same.  My fear of heights has kept me from experiencing certain things that I would otherwise enjoy so this is something I will continue to work on until I have a significantly reduced fear of all things found up high.

"When you lose, don't lose the lesson". - Anonymous To lead a full life with no regrets is probably my biggest wish; that and being happy in general. But life isn't always that kind and with the happy times will come occasional shades of grey and perhaps a few thunderstorms that mess things up for you really badly. Those periods where you lose and things don't work out exactly as you had hoped, no matter how much you tried or wanted them to work in your favour, are the times we would run from if we had a choice. Or at least i would - my brain works on a more flight not fight mechanism. This anonymous quote above reminds me (and i hope it will remind you too) that although we don't always win in life; there are always things to be learnt from living the experiences we do so that we can become stronger individuals in the future. The lessons we learn along the road of both good and bad life events are what makes us the person we are today. So think of tho