FindmyFlis

  "If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present." Roy T. Bennett When caught up in a web of tangled situations that seem to spread into all aspects of your everyday life, you might wonder whether it was an appropriate time to try to write an article on happiness. However, this is precisely the moment when it is needed. Until we realise that happiness is a way of life, and largely controlled by our reaction to events and not the actual physical circumstances themselves, we will never be satisfied or content. We need to be willing to fight for our happiness, to enjoy the steps we take to go forward. These include savouring every triumph no matter how small, and having the courage to set boundaries and creating a balance that satisfies our own desires and needs alongside those of the people who are important to us. Hitting 40, the pursuit of developing the way I live was somewhat magnified and the signific...

  "We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are." ​ Ana ï s Nin How many times have you taken a photograph in one way, only to realise that the angle taken by the person next to you seems to more effectively capture the essence of the panorama unfolding before you? Time and time again, you return and take the same photograph from your comfortable viewpoint and end up getting more or less the same result. When you eventually look back over all the collection of photographs you suddenly realise that they are practically all the same. None of them have actually achieved the atmosphere and angle you were hoping to obtain. So often, we go guns blazing with our black and white thinking. Could there not potentially be a splash of grey in our decidedly channelled vision of events? When faced with a situation or reaction from others that typically generates complacency, what would happen if we were to choose contemplation and a delay in our response rather than resorti...

“The real power of silence is to keep silent. The real power of silence is in the works of silence!” - Ernest Agyemang Yeboah The trumpet blowing tide has quickly been invading our shores, filling every nook and cranny with its brazen and unceremoniously impatient and peremptory assault. There is so much hype nowadays. Things have to be louder, more blasé and fast paced to coax us into seeing the situation or unfolding series of events in a set way and feeling specific emotions. Outspoken behaviour incites more curiosity and the display of wealth and throwing money at things so often gains respect. We are taught by society that loud, brashly confident and forceful behaviour works better, a winning combination. Anything that does not stay within the carefully designated confines of the social box is harshly discarded. Clearly by the number of people seeing psychologists, gaining their hits through drink, excessive gym sessions, extended credit cards and the increase in broken relationsh...

  John 3:16 You gave your life to give me mine. I am free, how can it be? Why do we often have to wait until the last hour to get our breakthrough? We go round and round seeking a solution and the horizon seems flat, stripped bare. We try to write about the issues, solutions and possibilities and the page is still blank, the places we normally go for inspiration are empty. So, what is going on? Look at the situation in the Ukraine, Russia and in so many places around the world. Everyone is waiting with baited breath for the next move, holding on, hoping and praying for something good to happen. Maybe we cannot change the events that are happening to us at the moment or are not even responsible for them, but we can alter our response to how we wait during the process. Our attitude towards those around us, ourselves, our choices, values and faith regarding the things that we can do are all fundamental points of leverage in starting our break through. In Auschwitz, the prisoners could...

  I need more time...to make another impossible choice, another decision, to pack another suitcase, to catch another plane, to find yet another way...As I hunt around in the dark, early hours of the morning for the light above the capper in the kitchen, I am drawn to write another article. What is the topic of this next entry? Time. It came to me as I woke up determinedly and lay wide awake reflecting on the word...TIME...It has a fairly poignant ring about it...and unfortunately on the lips of many in the current situation with the war, Covid and some pretty cruel realities of life thrust at our door. The whistling kettle is a harsh reminder that time waits for no one. You can be the richest person, the most intelligent individual, an incredible musician or athlete, wonderfully generous, living a happy, normal life, but time will eventually come calling. The thing is, we can waste it erring on the side of caution or we can face it straight on, head held high. What do you have to l...

  Chiacchieriamo con il proprietario del bar vicino che frequentiamo da almeno cinque anni e parliamo delle ultime notizie. Mentre stiamo andando al lavoro, in treno, iniziamo una conversazione con le persone che vediamo regolarmente sul binario e conosciamo un po' della loro vita. Al lavoro ci troviamo con i colleghi attorno alla macchina del caffè, confrontandoci sugli ultimi sviluppi degli avvenimenti. Più tardi, incontriamo per strada degli amici e iniziamo a parlare di quello che stavano facendo. Ancora di più dopo il Covid, il numero di persone che stanno affrontando le difficoltà vere è aumentato. Questo non include solo la povertà economica, ma anche la stanchezza emotiva e la separazione mentale. É scomodo fare la domanda, ma le persone a cui teniamo e con cui interagiamo stanno davvero bene e in caso contrario, cosa possiamo fare? Quanti di noi onestamente considerano di offrire aiuto ma poi si tirano indietro perché hanno già troppe responsabilità e cose urgenti da fare?...

  "La resistenza è il segreto della gioia!" ​ Alice Walker Mentre mi avvicino alla solita collina su un percorso che ho utilizzato regolarmente nella mia corsa di routine, regolo la mia respirazione e il mio passo, utilizzo più forza nelle mie braccia, mi concentro sul tragitto e sulla tecnica, per darmi la forza di arrivare alla meta. Quando siamo di fronte a una sfida, soprattutto se le prospettive non sono buone, abbiamo bisogno di preparare la nostra strategia senza analizzare troppo il  "metti che" , e aggiungere il famoso  "ma..."  mentre iniziamo a raccogliere la nostra energia e usare la nostra resistenza sviluppata per arrivare al nostro obiettivo. Piuttosto che applicare tutta la nostra resistenza e forza fino a cadere, la chiave del successo è costruire le basi di una resistenza profonda sia mentalmente che fisicamente, che può sorprendentemente tradursi in una più veloce e soddisfacente prestazione complessiva. Recentemente ho iniziato ad ...