That one thing you need to know

Work - life balance 

 

The 4 hour work week; the reality is not everyone is craving for this kind of week.

We are not craving the idea of doing nothing, we are craving the idea of being happy and free, enjoying life with our family, friends and doing the things we enjoy. We have two options to make this a reality; we could dream about what we want and dream what could be; or we could go and pursue our dreams.
 
 
The reality is a true dream never comes to us head on it creeps and it whispers, we have to really think about what dream we are pursuing because the reality is not many of us can describe what we really want, for it’s harder than you think.

However, you could start with this truth: a life should be focused around what makes us happy, what makes us smile and love to the end of our time. The reality is we must focus on the little things to achieve success, to achieve the happiness we crave. This cannot be put any better than by David L. Weatherford in his poem Slow Dance.

What we all need to read

Slow Dance, by David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,

or listened to rain slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight,

or gazed at the sun fading into the night?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

time is short, the music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,

when you ask “How are you?”, do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,

with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

time is short, the music won’t last.

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow,

and in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a friendship die,

’cause you never had time to call and say hi?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,

time is short, the music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,

you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

it’s like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life isn’t a race, so take it slower,

hear the music before your song is over.

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Educating Colchester with science

The school with the best performance in A-levels and other academic qualifications was Colchester Royal Grammar School (this was a statistic taken from an article produced within the Telegraph). This is a fantastic piece of data for Britain’s oldest recorded town.

Is our education system preparing our pupils?

Education needs to always be improved; it is a valuable asset to have and future generations need to be able to learn from older generations so that mistakes can be prevented from happening again, this is the learning process. However there is a sense of questioning involved when thinking about what our pupils are being taught in schools; are academic subjects important? Should more focus be emphasised on maintaining organisation and communication? These are certainly questions worth thinking about.

Science and thinking

At this current day and age we are still learning and will always be learning. We need to learn about the world, how things work and what we can do to improve our own existence, this is where science comes in; the question: ‘Why do we need science?’

Science is defined as:

‘The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment’.

Now that is a mouthful and quite boring; it is not a true reflection on how science should be taught.

All pupils require a sense of awe and engagement for them to be able to learn, recall and never forget. If there is a subject that allows this, it would be science. The possibilities are endless and there is a sense of holding back within the education system at the moment. It is always great to hear about improving schools; however, more can be done.

It is true that we are improving as a community and a country, but if anyone is teaching or being taught using the simple phrase ‘Anyone, Anyone’,   then well it’s easy to see why some pupils hate classes:

What we should be aiming at is taking an understanding from this teachers philosophy as a science teacher but as well as a man who loves teaching, loves his son and loves life, when he has got other reasons to go in the opposite direction.

If one had to summarise what science and education is and why it is important (this applies for all academic subjects) then Mr Wright is a true inspiration.

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Do not be like a moth; stay clear of the attractive light

It is important not to get distracted from the path that we are on, no matter how attractive the distraction may be; just keep focused on that final outcome.

When on your chosen path keep yourself geared to be fully respectful to everyone around you but still maintain focus on your ultimate goal. To live with your goals and focus is to live a life that has potential, it is a life worth lived. This is the life which we should all strive for.

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You're in over your head you don't belong here!

Easy, is not an option, it’s hard living, life is hard; however in order to get where you want to go, you got to go down that path. A lot of people have failed and yet have come back much stronger and passionate than ever before.

It is possible, it is necessary that we never stop learning and developing ourselves, it is necessary that we never give up.

A fascinating story from a marathon runner had said hypothetically the 18^th mile is the wall, everything in you is telling you to give up, every muscle in you is aching and you say to yourself I can’t do this, I can’t do this, but you keep on going, you keep on moving, then there it is, you see the finish and you know it’s possible, you take the responsibility to make it happen.

We have all had experiences when we have been working on something, others are saying that you cannot do it, you're in over your head, you don't belong here; but the reality is you know you can and you will make it.

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Only time will tell

We are all on that exact same path; however, the difference is that some of us have falling trees in which we have to dodge.

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The miracle

Even when you feel as though all hope is lost; it is the moments where you are at your weakest where you find your true strength.

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Gifts

You just need to look around you to see inspiration; to be able to learn from your surroundings is a gift.

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Autumn is here

Autumn is here; the end of the year is near, but none the less there is still time to achieve.

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Taking that jump

Taking that jump.

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Taking that jump

We want to live a life where we are happy, not dragging our feet in doing something that makes us sick just thinking of it. I cannot begin to express just how exciting it is to take a jump into doing something that you are really passionate about. The reality is that you must take that jump, if you do not you are leaving yourself open to a life of discomfort and unhappiness.

So the reason we are all here:

Blogging

 Lets face it, most of us blog because we enjoy it. Blogging allows us to talk about things that we are most passionate about; in which talking about are passions brings delight and therefore happiness within ourselves. Most of us blog to reach an audience to advertise a product or business, hence they are establishing a living. However some write about their passion and are also making a living from talking about the things they love; how fantastic of a feeling that must be? and it is possible.

The list below is of blogs who had to start from somewhere. These blogs have made it huge (I mean huge, hundreds of thousand per month) this information was gathered from incomediary, which I recommend taking a look at, it's an interesting read.

Mashable

Perez Hilton

Techcrunch

Retire at 21

Most of these sites have made their incomes via advertising banners and affiliate marketing. One of the most fantastic stories I have read about was the accidental Entrepreneur, Eric Nakagawa who was a software developer but is now running a successful blog which he started off with a single picture of a fat cat which he captioned “I can has cheezburger”? Over time his views rocketed, he started to add similar pictures and eventually quit his job as he was making enough money via advertisements. The moral is anything is possible, go ahead and do what you enjoy, it is still an education and we are always learning. 

To live a happy life; is one where we have to trust our hearts and instincts. You think about what you want; you strive to take action on meeting your dreams and then you achieve your goal.

Think, do and Achieve. 

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Philippines will rebuild

As I am sure all of you already know, within the last 24 hours, one of the most powerful storms on record devastated the central Philippines; with wind speeds reaching 379km/h (235 mph); with waves as high as 15m (45ft), bringing up to 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain in places. What’s amazing is the resilience and constant spirit showed by the people of this country to withstand and take on the full might of Mother Nature’s cruel acts. With deaths over 100 at this present time and with the fear of these numbers to increase as people come out to see the after effects.

President Benigno Aquino III warned people to leave high-risk areas; he stated that “No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we’ll be united,” he said in a televised address. When nature strikes the only way forward is to unite and work together to pull through and pick up the devastation left behind and in this case, could be meant quite literally.

I will leave you with this:

The comment was posted by a certain ‘dudesk001′ on CNN post regarding the ravages left by the strongest tropical storm in the world this 2013. I think it says a lot on the human spirit and again combining as one, “united” to overcome something so devastating.

"Time to get to the know the hardy Filipino people…unbelievably resilient, long suffering, good natured, uber friendly, loyal, ingenius, and a bunch of survivors.

At the end of the day the Filipinos will just shake off the dirt from their clothes and thongs and go about their business…and SMILE. They do not complain much, they will bear as long as they can.

Maybe this is why they were given the “privilege” of bearing the burden of the strongest typhoon ever recorded.

The indomitable human spirit at its finest."

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Beware these photos are not for the faint hearted

Beware these photos are not for the faint hearted



These photos are very powerful; the last one made my heart sink.

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It started with a vision!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOy0YgUDwDg

This is amazing; what is your vision? where do you see your future?

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Instructions which we should all follow

1. Give to others, more than you receive

2. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams, no matter how unbelievable they may be.

3. For the men, try not to a wear a clip on tie

4. For the women, beauty is only skin deep

5. Figure out your passion and then figure out how to make a living from it.

6. Give compliments

7. Never think that it is too late to learn

8. If you break something, just own up to it

9. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice

10. Follow your instincts

11. Turn off the light

12. Eat a lot of fruit

13. Drink a lot of water

14. Take that leap, no matter how big the jump (don’t take this one literally)

15. Exercise (however do exercises you enjoy, if you don’t enjoy any try not to take the car)

16. “Fall seven times; stand up eight.” – Japanese proverb

17. Life is not about finding yourself but creating who you are

18. Remember to take a photo of that moment you do not want to forget

19. Eat a good breakfast

20. Try to incorporate some of these tips, it will be worth it.

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The journey

It's not always about where you are going, but how you will get there.

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IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS!

I am going to put together a list of things that may end up completing your day. Whether it meaning motivation for the mornings, getting the most happiness out of your day or trying to turn around a rough day, these will help.

ALARM BELLS

when your alarm bell sounds get up straight away, don't put your head back on the pillow (resist the temptation) over time this will become habit and should become easier. However, if you really hate getting up in the mornings because of your line of work, the reality is you need to change careers (and yes there are plenty of things you could do, you just need to go do it.)

HYDRATE

I can't begin to express how important it is for us to keep hydrated, not only does dehydration lead to headaches, lack of concentration and dry lips it can really make you feel as though your day is a rough one. When hydrated we can make the most of every situation, as our minds are more focused leading to better results during our days; which could mean a more productive and enjoyable day.

GOALS

Set goals for yourself throughout your day, our minds strive for challenges, we need to feed our minds. Make sure you implement stimulating goals, maybe start to think about different things you could do apart from your daily job routines. Make it a goal to help another person, when you do help someone it can really change your perspective of how your days going.

LOVED ONES

For me seeing the people I love changes my day; don't come home with a negative aura, as these people are the ones who can change your day and help to give you what you have been striving for all day long (a peaceful, homely, atmosphere). A simple hug has the ability to destroy a lot of the bad experiences you may of had throughout your day.

FOOD

This one is a must if I am to have a good day, I love good food. If you got a nice meal to look forward to it really does put you in a happy mood (even better if you will be eating with family or friends). Cook yourself a nice meal, if you cannot cook (like me) teach yourself. Not only does a nice meal give you something to look forward to, freshly cooked food is healthy and will make you feel better. We are living in a busy world with busy schedules and its understandable that you might not always have time to cook every night, but you have to make time for yourself and loved ones, remember it is the little things that make our lives complete.

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Motivation is key!

I have found that to have real success at something you have got to have a hard work ethic. There is no easy way to get through something you want to be successful at than by putting hours of hard work into it.

Don't give up, do not look at your mistakes and wish that had not happened, but look back and reflect, ask yourself what can I do better next time to improve? Once you have done this, look forward, implement what you have learned to improve your work ethos and overall you as a person.

I have had bad days where I just feel like I want to move on, change my line of work and try something different; however these are the days where you realise just how strong you are. How you deal with it from this point can make or break you next time you encounter a bad day.

Pain is temporary and it will pass.

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