It's better when we stick together

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the nearly month long break between posts - I've been busy with projects and then came down the flu - but I'm back now and ready to continue to hopefully help you to have the best life possible!

So it's time for number 3 in our reflection series of questions - now I know it's been a bit of time between drinks so the question revolved around the idea of whether you are someone whose path involves just themselves or does it revolve around family and friends as well.

Now if you're anything like me I'm guessing the answer to the question above will a bit more complex than just a one or the other.

It seems that as humanity, we are happy for people to be involved in our plans unless one of two things occurs:

1. The plan no longer is ours due to their involvement turning into their pet project
2. The plan that we have is shut down by those close to us 

Because of this, it seems that when it comes to plans - the ones that don't matter, we are happy for others to mess around in and do what they can to help us, but the big ones - the ones we have placed our futures in - well those are solely for us to control and choose.

Now before we continue, let me make one thing clear - this idea that we are the only ones who are in control or who have a say in a plan is COMPLETE NONSENSE! Anyone who thinks this should remember the golden rule - there is someone who put us on this earth in the first place (and it's not your mum or dad) and they have ultimate control over all plans in our lives- period. Even if we try to control the plans, if it's their desire for us to end up somewhere, they'll make it happen, even if it's via the long way around.

Ok, now that's out of the way, there are some other important reasons why this form of thinking isn't that sound.

1. If you have no experience in the area you are planning to succeed in, then it's vital that you get the support of those who have been on the journey before you to gain ideas on what works and what doesn't. You can't do this if you're flying solo.
   
2. When the road gets rough, no matter how much we all hate to admit it, we really value having someone around to provide support, give guidance and most importantly, just listen so that we can get past the point of frustration or disappointment and move towards achieving success.
   
3. If you alienate all your friends and family from this plan - no matter how much it means to you, there's a strong chance many of them (outside of the immediate circle) will feel hurt by this and start distancing themselves from you in all areas. You might just want to keep this goal or dream to yourself, but you might end up being by yourself instead.
   
4. Those who share and ask for support normally end up succeeding in their goals faster. Now this isn't some fancy quote or idea - it's the truth. Look at all those who have done great things in the world - not just in faith, but in science, technology, business - most of them started their projects with another person or they have mentors and backers a list long who worked
   
   with them to achieve the goal. When we go alone, the road can seem so much harder than it needs to be and this can delay us from wanting to keep going. Being in a group leads to more support, more ideas and in the end, a faster, more effective result.
   
   

Now after saying all that, let me say this. I know from my own experience that having the vulnerability to say that you need help or to ask for a person to join you in your goals is not easy and sometimes, takes more guts than just sticking it out alone.

The thing is though, we can't succeed in our goals if we try to do it by ourselves - it's why once God made Adam, he then created Eve - even the greatest creator of all knew humans needed a partner when it came to this crazy game we call life.

So my challenge to you today is to look at that goal you are wanting to achieve, Now write down a list of every person you know who can help you achieve that goal and start talking to them about it. It may not be every detail, but enough so they can help you to get to the next step. It's a challenge I know, but trust me from personal experience when I say, it's going to be so worth it.

Till next time everyone...

The 5 key things you need to survive the storm

Hi everyone,

So I promised you something life changing a few days ago and hopefully here it is.

In the last post I talked to you about why we need to sail through a storm rather than just avoid it - now I'm here to give you five things you need to do just this.

These however are not only important when it comes to overcoming challenges in life - they also will change the way you view the world and possibly make your life very different to what it is now.

1. Belief- first and foremost, you need to believe that you can overcome the challenge. You won't get past a tough situation if you can't see that there could be an end in sight. As humans, we hate the unknown and we'd rather be in a bad situation then go to an unknown that could be even worse. It's why it's so important to make sure you have stored in your mind a belief you can overcome any challenge. Even if when the challenge arises, you feel you can't overcome it, just knowing that you've trained your mind to think you can will make the process of working to overcome it easier.


2. Pride- now I know, there are plenty of post in this blog alone that talk about the danger of being filled with pride. In this case however, pride isn't a bad thing to have, when used correctly. Being proud of who you are as a person is key to gaining the confidence and belief to overcome challenges. If we aren't proud of who we are, then we can get lost in trying to be someone else or being favoured by others, which in a time of challenge, can lead us astray from the simple path out of the wilderness. We need to stay strong in our values and be proud of the person we are, flaws and all.
   


3. Humility- alongside pride however, we also need to have some humility. Want to know why so many great explorers died while exploring - and it wasn't because they weren't good enough! They perished because they weren't humble enough to know their limits and to seek out help when their abilities couldn't take them any further. When you're in a challenge and you don't know where to turn to, be brave enough to say that and seek the advice of those who you trust and who can build your confidence, or who have been through it before and can help you out of the mire.


4. Support- Of course, in order to seek out people for advice and confidence building, you have to have support around you in the first place. I think it is paramount that whether you are in a challenge or not, that you have a group of people around you at all times to help you with your life. As someone who for many years was a solo eagle - I know from plenty of experience that this is not the way to go, and that having support is key to success, especially when overcoming storms in life. Sometimes, having someone to talk to will clear the bad weather before it brews into a storm. Other times, having someone to talk to make travelling through the storm a little easier. Either way, if you ain't got a support network around you yet - now is the time to do so.


5. Patience- ah good old patience. Something I know I'm always in need of more of and really one
   
   of the more vital keys to surviving the storms of life. So often, we see a problem and we want to solve it straight away, then when we don't, we get downhearted and we need the other four keys mentioned above to get out of the storm. The truth is though, if we had just had the patience to know storms in life occur and taken measured steps rather than panicked and tried to solve our problem in 10 seconds, there's a good chance we'd have overcome the storm a lot sooner as our calm, clear thought processes would have steered us away from feelings and closer to the facts of the situation. So take my advice here, the moment you get into a storm in life, take a deep breath and look at what really matters - yes I know it takes time, but this patience could save you a lot of heartache.

So there you have it, five keys to overcome the storms of life and hopefully in the long run, make your life as great as it can be.

Till next time...

Lest we forget

Today marks the 100th anniversary of ANZAC Day - a time where we in Australia and New Zealand not only remember the battle of Gallipoli which began on this day back in 1915, but also the many men and women who have fought for our freedom over the many years as part of our defense forces.

It was great to see so many people this morning lining the streets of the local area I live in as those who have fought in combat for us or if they had passed on, their children and grandchildren walked down as part of the commemorative parade.

While this day is all about remembering the battles we've fought in and the efforts of our defense forces - it's not the dates that are the reason we remember. If it was only about remembering the day a battle had happen, the flame would have died out long ago.

ANZAC day is about remembering the values that make us who we are, that have been the building blocks of the two countries the name stands for and which even today we need a reminder about every once in a while.

For starters, there's the idea of sacrifice. Too often in our lives today, we see sacrifice as something horrible that we run away from because it's easier to live in comfort than to help out another or fight for something we believe in. In the lives of our defence men and women however, we see people who see sacrifice as something different.

To them, sacrifice is a beautiful gift of giving of ones self to help a greater cause, to truly show what they believe in and it is something that if required, they will do without question. These men and women and the lives they lead are a great example to us all of why sacrifice isn't such a bad thing and why we should all be more willing to do it.

Then there's the idea of service. We live in a world where everyone, including myself at times is just interested in themselves. We spend our days worrying about money, about how we are going to get what we need to get done and how much others are hindering that progress. In the stories from the war fields however, we see a different perspective on life.

As the Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson said this morning - these men and women are never thinking of themselves first, even in their last moments as they lay wounded on the battlefield, it's always about what they can do for others that's in the forefront of their minds. Imagine if we were all like this, gave to others first no matter the cost, I am sure the world would be a better and happier place. As it says in the bible: "There is no greater love, than for a man to lay down his life for another."

Next, there's the idea of what being a hero is really about. We all have idealistic dreams of being heroes are and there's nothing wrong with that, even the boys who signed to WWI had those - it's probably why many took up the challenge. To us and to them, being a hero means doing a great thing and everyone loving you for it. The truth is though, that's not always the case and in particular was not the case with our ANZACs.

For all the sacrifice they made for their country, when many got home, they weren't treated like they are today with parades and celebration. If you were Indigenous after WWI you were an outcast, if you got ill, you were isolated and if you came back after Vietnam, the country wasn't particular fond of you. While a lot of this was injustice and is wrong, I view it as a great example for all of us in life. That no matter what you do, sometimes the accolades won't come, but that doesn't mean you don't do it anyway. We need to spend more time in life doing things without reward- something I know I struggle with but which in doing so, will lead to greater riches in Heaven,

Finally, the biggest thing I think we remember on ANZAC day is the power of mates. No matter whether what is written in war history is fact or exaggerated fable from fact, there's one thing that does remain true, and that is with all the battles, it has been our mateship that has seen us through. Aussies and Kiwis sticking together to get a job done and supporting each other no matter what has seen us win many more battles than we have lost over the years.

It's the same in life. We will win more battles than we will lose if we do things as a team, work to a common cause and support each other through all obstacles. It's a lot harder to do something by yourself but it's a lot easier and more likely to succeed when others are helping out. This applies to whether you are putting together a bed or fighting in the trenches. Whenever I see our defence personnel out in the field, I am reminded by this and days like today hopefully will instill this message into the generations to come as they read and learn about how these men through mateship overcame all.

May you be inspired by the ANZACs today to keep striving to live life to it's fullest and with an importance on what really matters - helping out others, giving of self no matter the accolades and always knowing that if you believe in what you are going for, it is always worth fighting for.

Lest we forget and till next time..