Feelings follow behaviour

Feelings do follow behaviour. You're driving in bumper to bumper traffic on a monday morning, a complete stranger in the car next to you smiles at you, you generally smile back and possibly bluch a little. The truth is that one simple smile, can positively influence your mood, which impacts how you react to others during that day. Yes, there are times when you feel grumpy as you sit in traffic and hardly want to smile back at the stranger in the yellow beetle but how much effort does a small smile take? Smiling does not require much, plus it generally makes one feel better and who knows that unexpected smile may just have a very good outcome.

My list of a few things that make me smile

• Finding R20 in an old pair of pants
• Hearing a baby giggle or watching a toddler woddle
• Catching up with an old friend
• Sitting at the arrivals terminal at CT Airport & watching the true happiness on peoples faces as loved ones enter through the arrival doors.
• Looking at old photographs and reminiscing about past adventures
• Finding a real bargain
• Waking up, lying in bed & realising its Saturday and you do not have to be up at 6am.
• Booking a holiday
• Landing at your holiday destination
• Mid week public holidays
• Graduation
• The smell of my mom's sunday lunch & the sounds of my family buzzing about the house.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

http://www.flickr.com/photos/njberry/344030131/

How far would you go to boost your company's bottom line?

Nude commuters get stares & gasps from puzzled clothed commuters

Mind the Gap is repeated several times before the tube doors shut. It's morning craziness on the tube, you can't even turn your head or take a step to the left to get your balance as the tube goes around a corner, you are literally a sardine in an overpacked tin of oiled sardines ready to take on the day.

Next as the tube doors open, in walks two men & women in the nude, only wearing shoes and carrying a handbag or briefcase to cover a certain "private" body part. This was a reality on the london tube on May 18, 2010. This act which definitely caught the eyes of most commuters both positively and negatively and most certainly was the talk of the day, getting front page news and many hits on the internet, was an attempt to promote a new TV series, The Naked Office according to Mail Online. "This new TV series  sees staff at struggling businesses helping to turn their company around." according to Carol Drive from the Mail Online. Steven Suphi, behaviour change specialist and leadership guru, believes stripping off in the office will help boost employees' confidence and develop trust. Suphi states that ‘For most people in the UK going to work in the nude is a very daunting prospect. I believe this extreme process will help them push their boundaries and become a close team that trust each other enough to get naked together."

This article definitely got a few gasps from me and it got me thinking how far would I go to promote my company? How far would you go? Going naked is that an option? The reality is there are many things that I would do to promote my company's brand but going nude in public is definitely not one of them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1279102

It is better to practice a little than talk alot

Bafana Bafana Supporters

 The World Cup is officially just over 3 weeks away. South Africa has been the chosen country to host this pretigous event which is expected to attract "373 000 foreigners  to visit South Africa for the tournament, about 230 000 of them ticket holders. This is higher than the most recent estimate by the local organisers of 200 000 foreign fans, but down on earlier predictions of 450 000 overseas visitors." This statistic is according to a study conducted by the accounting firm Grant Thornton.

This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. After the announcement that SA would host the World Cup, much infrastructure, upgrades and new facilities have been built in order to ensure that the country are ready to showcase all that it has to offer. During the process of construction, there have been a number of disappointments and set backs however these have been dealt with positively or negatively.

 

The reality is that in less than a month, SA will be welcoming foreigners from all over world, media as well as being televised to millions of spectators across the world. As a south african, I have always been proud of my country, its growth, its people, warmth and natural beauty. Now its South Africa's chance to show individuals out there exactly why we are so proud of our home country.

 

There are definitely south african's who do not care about the World Cup, its benefits and really are wishing the event and all its hype away. The truth is, if you are one of these individuals I suggest you rethink your ways, start supporting your favourite team, see the opportunity that this is creating for our country, get your vuvuzela and start blowing it. Rather than talking about the world cup, saying you support it or not, start practicing your support. Support the event by wearing your soccer shirt on fridays and start the count down to this world class event. SA are on the frontline, everyone is watching, its our time to shine.

 

As its sang in the new official World Cup song " People are raising their expectations, go on & feel it, this is your moment, no hestitations." South Africa, its definitely our time to shine.

 

www.flickr.com

My Mother Kept A Garden

My Mother kept a garden,

a garden of the heart,

She planted all the good things

that gave my life it's start.

She turned me to the sunshine

and encouraged me to dream,

Fostering and nurturing

the seeds of self-esteem...

And when the winds and rain came,

she protected me enough-

But not too much because she knew

I'd need to stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example

always taught me right from wrong-

Markers for my pathway

that will last a lifetime long.

I am my Mother's garden.

I am her legacy-

And I hope today she feels the love

reflected back from me

Author Unknown

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59303791@N00/513153112/

Wedding cake in the middle of the road

Winter is finally upon us after months of sunshine, the warmth of sun has finally lessened leaving us patiently waiting for the next few months of struggling to get out of bed in the morning, hitting that snooze button for an extra 10 minutes then rushing to make it to the office in time to disappear. With winter comes rain, which if indoors in front of the fire, with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows or better a glass of merlot, it's all worthwhile but if at the office or driving its not the most pleasant experience.

Driving home from the office on a rather wintery evening, the sun had set, it was dark, pouring with rain, my wipers were swishing at an electric pace, I was focusing on the road trying to ensure that I stayed within my lane. As I was making my way past Llandudno, heading up Suikerbosie in the middle of the road was a 3 tired wedding cake, which with a bit of rain was slowing losing its shape. In the distance in between all the rain drops I could see a mini truck had stopped and 2 gentleman were running towards the cake, waving there hand profusly trying to slow down the traffic.

Before I knew it the wedding cake was right in front of me, do I swerve left but there may be a car in the other lane or right, but there may be on coming traffic, do I slow down, no I cant there’s car right on my bumper or do I drive over it, no I couldn’t, I would be tainted with the thought of ruining a wedding for the rest of my live and possibly jinx my own wedding. All these thoughts and questions bubbling up in my head, what to do.

In life there are times when there are indeed wedding cakes in the middle of road. This represents obstacles which suddenly pop up out of absolutely nowhere, this is when one is tested with regard to how you deal with these obstacles which in essence impacts you whether it be work related or personally related. Generally an obstacle appears when you least expect it, which may create an absolute flutter of panic  if things are going according to plan, the last thing you want is an unexpected obstacle which throws your planning out of the window. The truth is life is all about the unexpected obstacles which throw your planning off track for a bit, but its up to you to evaluate the options do you go left, right, straight, slow down or accelerate. Ultimatley its your decision, as you are the one who has to live with the decision, thus you need to take ownership and if you make the wrong decision, life will go on and hopefully you will learn a valueable lesson from it.

You are never to young or old to be faced with obstacles, that’s what life is essentially partly about, you get thrown with an unexpected problem, you can either sit in the corner & cry, hide away and wish the problem away or deal with it.

http://www.charlysbakery.co.za/photo-gallery/album/wedding-cakes/page/12

Anyone need a good cuppa tea?

The kettle has boiled, you pour the hot water over the tea bag in your favourite pink mug with one & a half sugars, the colour of the water darkens, you give it a little stir no milk is needed. You sit back, relax with your feet up and enjoy a good cuppa tea and for those few minutes whilst you sip from your cup of tea, all your daily stresses disappear. Tea has a magical wand which waves away any anger, stress, unhappiness or frustration whilst you drink it, whether it be at the office, at home whilst you catch up on reading, whilst you are downloading emails or whether you are sharing a cuppa with your ladies catching up on their lives. Tea just has this amazing, unspoken about ability to take away negative feelings for several minutes and it helps you to compose yourself, assess the situation and realise that you can accomplish the task at hand.

What is tea exactly? According to Wikipedia "Tea is a beverage made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush (Camellia sinensis) in hot water for a few minutes. The processing can include oxidation, heating, drying, and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices, and fruits."

There are a number of different types of tea however the most popular are:

1. Oolong Tea - traditional chinese tea
2. Black Tea - It is a variety of tea that is more oxidized than the oolong, green, and white varieties.  Black tea is generally stronger in flavour and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas.
3. Green Tea- It is tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East.
4. White Tea - is a tea made with leaves that are processed in a manner to let them wilt slightly and lose the "grassy" taste of green tea, while undergoing minimal oxidation.

An interesting fact about herbal tea which has been growing in popularity is that herbal tea refers to an infusion of leaves, flowers, fruit, herbs or other plant material that contains no Camellia sinensis. Thus it contains no elements of the tea bush.

According to the Tea Appreciation Society, yes there truly is a society purely dedicated to tea, state a few interesrting health facts about tea:

1. Approximately 40% of the nation’s fluid intake today will be tea.
2. Tea without milk has no calories. Using semi-skimmed milk adds around 13 calories per cup, but you also benefit from valuable minerals and calcium.
3. Tea with milk provides 16% of daily calcium requirement in 4 cups. Tea contains some zinc and folic acid.
4. Tea with milk contains Vitamin B6, Riboflavin B2 and Thiamin B1.
5. Tea is a rich source of minerals manganese, essential for bone growth and body development, and potassium, vital for maintaining body fluid levels.
6. The average cup of tea contains less than half the level of caffeine than coffee. One cup contains only 50mg per 190ml cup
7. Tea is a natural source of fluoride and delivers 45% of your daily requirement if you take 3 or 4 cups per day.

Next time you are having a bad day, have a cup of tea, with milk or without add an extra teaspoon of sugar, sit back, relax and just allow the tea to put a magical spell on you for a few minutes, after which you will be ready to take on the world.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roby555/4539363762/

Why the pretences? Life is all about being YOU!

Looking into the mirror, who do you see?

Life is all about being you, discovering, exploring, learning and experiencing an adventure, a real rollercoster ride,  if we must be honest. There are extreme highs when we feel we can take on the world, get the dream job, achieve anything and not worry about what others think about us, we embrace our individualism. However there are the extreme lows aswell, when things do not go according to plan, we dont achieve our objectives, you feel as if the dark cloud above your head is forever looming and you need to remind yourself that you will refind that happy feeling which puts a smile on your face and adds that spring to your step.

The big question is why do we need the pretences? Does it make you feel happier? If so, is this happiness long lasting, I sincerely doubt it. The happiness that comes with a pretence which is in reality a lie, is short lived. After the short lived sense of power of the pretence and the feelings that come along with it, you go back to the original feeling which may be one of inadequacy. One should ask yourself is not better to deal with that feeling, by dealing with it you may after a period of time, slowly but surely chip away that feeling until it is minute and rarely impacts your life to such an extent that you feel you constantly need to pretend.

The truth is by lying to yourself and others this act will only catch up with you in the long run, why would you want to live a life of constant lying or pretence and having to always worry or wander if people will find out the truth. Or better yet, you yourself finally realise that the past few years have been dominated by pretences, these years you cannot take back so you begin to question whether or not you have truly lived your own life or has it been the life of someone else.

Its time to deal with reality, yes reality and the truth that comes with it can be hard at times. Looking into that mirror in the change room of Vertigo, you realise that you have put on weight, you are no longer a size 8 but instead a size 10. The big question is do you suck in the new weight, buy the size 8 jeans which you will not wear comfortably, thats if you wear them or will you buy the size 10 jeans, wear them comfortably with confidence and know that everyone does put on a bit of weight with age and embrace it. Why lie to yourself about your weight, realise that putting on weight is all part of life and embrace the slightly more cushionny you. 

You stare intensly at the packet of Dunhill Menthol on the table in front you, you have told everyone that you have officially quit smoking, but have you? The temptation to light one up, is taking over your body & your mind....you do it but this becomes a daily habit yet you've stopped smoking according to eveyone around you. No matter how big the lie or pretence really is, why do it, what do you have to gain from it? One gains nothing in the long run from a lie or pretence so embrace your life, your skin and being you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/junketz/4052329425/