Steph's Ripples

In Socrates' words "The unexamined life is not worth living". It might not ring a bell the first time you read those words. Once you do though, it opens a world of contemplation. It's so astounding how meaningful that simple phrase is. It holds so much power and knowledge. The thing is we don't really learn to learn about ourselves. We learn to read, write, doing maths, using the PC and what not. There is however, no subject or course about learning more about yourself. It is not in the curriculum. We don't see the value in knowing what matters to us. I realise this is why I had a hard time knowing my values, or rather acknowledging them. Our values are at the core of who we are. We lose them in the process of following social and cultural norms. We buy into labels, roles and views. We don't know better. This is simply because we lost connection with ourselves, our soul, our intuition in the process of growing up. It's no wonder many of us end ...

It occurred to me that nothing lasts. Every day come and go. Good times, bad ones. Our days are also counted. Nothing lasts for ever. This is why we have to make every single thing, moment, time count. This is why we shouldn't take life too seriously. This is why we should live every day as if it is our last.

Eat the colours of the rainbow. We are, after all, what we eat. I truly believe that what we eat has a real impact on our lives, not only body-wise, but also mentally.  The more colourful our plate is, the more vibrant we feel. The more colour means we are having a more well-balanced and nourishing meal. It's like mood. Sometimes you can only see black and white. It's hard to see past those dull colours. However, if we eat something exciting, it can open our eyes. It's a reminder and food for the soul. 

Most of the time, we are living on auto-pilot. We wake up, eat, deal with daily tasks and routine, sleep and repeat. Needless to add, we're busier than ever. How often do we take time to appreciate what's around us? How often are we aware of what we are really doing? How often do we really pay attention to what we're doing without being distracted either by technological devices or worries?  I found myself doing a lot of things on autopilot, which is beneficial in many aspects. It leaves you with more energy to do new things. However, there comes a point where we fail to notice the little things, learn from what we're doing. We become like a machine, doing and doing without asking why we're doing the things we're doing. We lost value and significance of the tasks we're tackling. This is the dead end, when we lost meaning in what we're doing. This is when we become stagnant and fail to see opportunity to build on something we already have.  Thi...

You can be inspired by people, stories, movies. However motivation comes from within. No one can force you or push you to be motivated. You are the one who needs to make the move and take action. Most of the time, we wait and wait until motivation appears. What happens is that nothing happens. We end up wasting precious time. How do you find motivation? It comes from inside. Motivation comes from a higher source. The truth is we're full of radiant energy and we often let it dormant. To find motivation, we have to let our heart speaks and follow our intuition. What is it we want the most and why? Listen. When you're pushed by a greater cause, your desire and passion will fuel the motivation you need. 

I stumbled across this definition of success while reading the book 'An artist's Way of Seeing' by Mary Whyte (which I strongly recommend- a very insightful and intriguing book). It read "Success is measured not in how much we achieve, but in how much we overcome".  I found this is so profound and it really touched me. Success is often deemed to be measured by how much we earn, what we do for a living and things that are not relevant to our being. Success is much more. The truth is we should be the judge of whether we are successful or not, no one else.  Success is going through life and keep moving forward with a positive attitude. Success is every time we stand up after a fall. Success is not giving up. Success is doing the thing you love. Success is having a vision and striving for that with passion. 

I cannot remember where I found this quote but it struck me and stuck with me. This is a simple phrase, with full of meaning. We often strive for other things like money, success, power. We have to remember that at the end of the day, health is the most important aspect of our lives. Without health, we are reduced to nothing, we cannot do much. With sickness, our mind is preoccupied about getting better. Sickness makes us tiresome and irritated. Sickness takes away much of our life.  This remind me that looking after our health is the most important task on our journey. It is a work-in-progress. When sickness do appear though, embrace it. Take it as reminder that you are not doing something right. Something needs to be fixed.  Also, health is not only physical, but mostly, about the mental side. There is not point on having a healthy body if you've lost your mind. Nature is a great healer. 

We all face struggles particular to ourselves. They are not welcomed and unwanted. Most of the time, they are unpredictable and come at the worst time. They are however, an essential part of life. They keep life exciting and colourful. They keep things interesting. They remind us that nothing is perfect. 

In this world, we have to conform to many things- rules, customs, traditions. It's not that they are not important, but sometimes, it hinders the ability to just be. To live freely, to follow our heart's desire, our calling, our inner guide.  I believe that deep down, all of us has the true desire to help, be of service, and be kind to one another. Our real nature and instinct is to love and appreciate all that life has to offer. However, this pure innate instinct dissipates due to all unnatural things created around us, backed by a desire to not do the right thing.  I think of all the lovely living things which bring so much life to this world: birds chirping, blooming flowers and nature in all its seasons.

This is a question of belief. It is about having firm ability to not lose sight on your dream, to believe it can become reality and work towards it everyday. We all have what it takes, but we're often led astray. Things get in the way. We lose hope. We get distracted. Having faith is important. It is the difference between I can and I can't.

The pursuit of happiness is bound to unhappiness. Happiness is like any other emotion,that is, it comes and goes. There is no point on holding onto it. It's not going to last. Seek to live a meaningful live instead. What keeps you moving forward when things are not looking on the bright side is having a purpose. What we want most to be? Living, not existing. Sharing what we have Be content with what we have When we have meaning in our lives, this is when we experience true and lasting happiness.

It's the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. It is the ability to see someone's point of view before judging. It's the ability to relate and be compassionate. It's not a given to everyone. It can be learned through simple gestures. Listening with intent. Refraining from criticizing. Trying to understand what the person's going through. It's about being there. In presence. It's about giving back. It's about mutual understanding. It's about the invisible, beyond what can be seen by the eye. It's the connection. The feelings.