Category: Life experience

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Support

Support comes in many forms and in many guises. And it can come from any quarter. Sometimes, it can come from the most unlikely of sources.

I’m cruising towards the Renaissance years, where one realises that one doesn’t have to care so much because most people are more concerned about themselves. And not me.

But over my lifetime I’ve been supported by all sorts of people from all corners of my life.

And in this article, I’ll give a positive story about a person who practices a religion that I’m not well informed about.

Iftekar was a Sri Lankan Muslim who I worked with twenty years ago. I was 21. He was probably in his 40s. His reason for working was to support his wife in her studies to become a General Practitioner.

Normally, I steer clear of the three Abrahamic religions, even though I was raised Catholic. And I attend Bible study with the local Uniting Church.

But in my hour of need, Iftekar stepped in and played mentor and role model, and friend. This was important as I was a very socially wayward and awkward young person.

We didn’t talk religion. We just talked.

So, before I write off someone because of their background, I’ll remember Iftekar and what he taught me.

My hope is that this story will further cause walls to come down, regardless of the side that you find yourself on.

Spread the tolerance. Spread the love.

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Abundance

Abundance. The truth is that we are always experiencing this.

Think this is a lie? Or New Age fluff?

Well, if there’s not an abundance of, for example, money, in your life, this means there is an abundance of poverty.

This can be turned around.

The first step is acknowledging that you have the ability to change your financial situation. Self belief is key.

Yes. You can do it.

It requires thought, perseverance and commitment.

It requires creativity and maybe reaching out to loved ones for strength, support and inspiration.

And then it requires taking the steps, doing the tasks, walking the path.

What holds back most people is not that they can’t do this. What holds most of us is fear. In Nelson Mandela’s speech, he said that it was not our darkness that we were scared of, but our light.

So, if you’d like to gain some abundance, reach to your source of courage, be it your loved ones, your God, or a book, and gain a grip on your fear.

Then, explore the possibilities.

I’m happy to brain storm and research.

Just email me on lizseverest@gmail.com

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Health

The cornerstone of life and success. Often ignored and taken for granted, but at one’s peril.

Let’s talk health.

What naturally springs to mind is physical health. This comprises of eating well and getting enough physical exercise. For me, I ride my push bike to work and around town, and I eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a little bit of fish.

But there are other areas of life requiring a watchful eye and some sort of strategy.

Mental health is important, especially when there are mental illnesses and dementia lurking in the future if not handled correctly. One strategy is to do mental puzzles or a hobby such as writing.

Emotional health also is worthy of a mention. Making connections within family, friend networks, and the community can protect from isolation and loneliness. And it can be as simple as asking the person at the cash register how their day has been.

But the real area that ties all these together is our shared spiritual health. I’m not talking about what church or religion one belongs too. I’m talking morals, ethics and a vision for one’s own life.

Committing to a vision larger than I am is something that gets me out of bed and keeps me striving forward. Shared with my employer, my family and friends, and my community, this vision keeps me empowered.

What is your vision?

How are you looking after every facet of your health?

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The real challenge

Before my trip to Japan, 3 years ago, I did an interview for a friend.

Revisiting the video earlier this year – my boss wanted to use it – I have realised how important the underlying message is.

And it’s a message that is timeless.

The message I was seeking to drive home, was that the only challenge that is real in life, is to be more loving.

Someone cuts you off in traffic?

Be more loving.

The computer crashes and you lose all your data?

Be more loving.

When things like this happen, loving yourself and others through the mess, is a way of showing your best.

Love beats a path forward, even when all seems lost.

So next time, when life doesn’t go my way, the response I am choosing is to use it as an opportunity to be more loving.

Will you follow me?

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Forgiveness

Often misunderstood as almost a weakness, forgiveness can set a person free.

For me, it’s difficult to forgive. And I’m not alone.

So let’s break it down.

There are two directions that can be taken when an injury occurs. These are revenge. I can hurt you back. Or forgiveness. I can understand that you are human too and I can love you instead.

Once I can forgive, I release myself from the cycle that holds me prisoner to the hurt. And I’m role modelling how I prefer to be treated. Maybe I can use the pain as an opportunity to lead others caught up in the web of pain, into a safer harbour and onto the path of healing.

Forgiveness does not allow the other person involved to get off lightly. If anything, it holds them even more accountable. To believe they have no conscience and to hold onto the belief they are a monster denies true justice. It excuses them for their crimes.

So I’m trying something a little different this time. I’m choosing to heal. I’m choosing to voice the truth of what happened that caused me harm, and I’m setting myself free.

This may take time. I may have to forgive repeatedly. For forgiveness is often a cycle.

But I’m walking this road, instead of denying it.

Will you walk it with me?

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Ideas

Hello My Loyal Readers,

I’m currently having dinner with friends. As my girl friend is cooking, I’m being entertained by her husband.

The conversation has taken a turn towards ending the world’s problems.

One idea with merit is to connect all equipment in the local gym to a generator.

As people cycle or jog on the treadmill, or use the bicycle or rowing machine, they can create environmentally friendly clean electricity to feed into the local network.

To give an incentive, however much electricity is created, let the person get that amount of credit with their gym.

This idea is free to the world. If you’re interested in supporting me with this, please make contact. I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time.

Liz

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Legacy and a homecoming

As the mind turns towards one’s legacy, it also turns towards thoughts about the After life

For some, the After life is a place of desolation and fear. For others, it is a place of non existence.

For me, death is a homecoming.

I can spread my love more evenly in death than in life. No longer, am I restrained by time and space, for I have met my God and realised the secret that is within being made in his image.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being alive too. It’s just an admittance that I cannot predict it’s timing and method. All I can control is how I face each day, and ultimately, my own death.

Do you fear death?

What does thinking about your legacy turn your own mind too?

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Elections

I’m sitting here, at either OMG it’s late… or OMG it’s early. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Where am I sitting?

Well, it’s Election Night. And so now, I am in the Voting Centre Manager room, with a feast set out infront of me of cheese, chocolate, strawberries, nut bars, and coffee.

It is a thank you for all our hard work, ensuring a good Election is had by all.

In Australia, we’ re proud of our Elections. They are one of the fairest in the world, and are conducted without fear.

I’m writing about this because our Elections are close to my heart.

Sometimes, I wonder about young 18 year olds who don’t understand the importance of their vote.

The fact is, for women, this is a right that they were willing to die for. One famous British lady, actually through herself underneath the hooves of the King’s horse at the races, in order to have this right realised.

It was after women received the vote that rape, domestic violence and child abuse became crimes.

And there are plenty of people in other countries where people are fighting and willing to sacrifice their lives for the simple right to determine who will rule their government.

So, if you’re living in a country where the vote is allowed, become engaged in politics, take an interest.

Your vote is precious.

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Simple dreams

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I believed in complicated dreams.

Dreams large enough to fill a nation and to encompass the world.

Now, approaching 40, I have a new and novel strategy.

You see, I’ve many unfulfilled dreams and this both makes me empowered and sad at the same time.

My new strategy involves taking all my dreams and simplifying them.

This means I’m busy boiling them down to the necessary steps that make up each dream.

And maybe, in the next 40 years, I’ll live all of them, with room for more.

Is simplifying dreams a better strategy than the one you’re using now?

How can simplifying your dreams make them more attainable?

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Creation stories

Researching into different religions and cultures, makes it possible to draw parallels between each.

One parallel is the abundance of Creation Stories.

These are stories that hold a people together.

Christians know they’re Christian, because of the story of Adam and Eve. The Romans knew they were Roman because of the story of the twins being suckled by a wolf, and other peoples are not much different.

Now, I’d like to make this a little more personal.

Everyone has an individual Creation Story. This tells us who we are in society and the larger world. It often has information like who our parents are, where we grew up, and our history, told through our eyes.

This creates a filter of how we interpret everything in life.
So, by acknowledging our own Creation Story and its influence, and by understanding how it impacts upon our decisions and perception, we can set ourselves free.

Don’t ignore it, don’t deny it. Embrace it because it is important and unique…

But don’t let it shut down the imagination and the ability to write more stories.

This is my challenge also.