Steph's Ripples

Something that keeps popping recently is this: live in the moment. What you can do now. It's strange how I never came across that symbolism. I mean it makes so much sense to me now. It's so bluntly obvious that I wonder where I've been all this time and what I've been doing.  The key to good life is to not rush things. Let things unfold naturally. Live every single moment as a cumulative to the next. Then look back and connect the dots. The beauty of life remains in the present. 

One of the greatest virtue one can possess is that of Patience. In life, we need to be patient. Do not rush things, do not rush into things. Do not hurry, let things unfold naturally. When the time comes, you will know it and you'll be ready. Sometimes when we're constantly looking at the when, we fail to appreciate the present moment. Patience is about embracing the now. One day at a time.

It's good to go back to the roots of things, to remember why you started the things you started, why you did the things you did, why you started this project and not that project?  There are so many new information, daily distractions and events that stir us away from our purpose. When you lose connection with that sense of purpose, it's a real challenge to get motivated, especially during rough times. I mean there are always situations to deal with. Always go back to the source of things. There's always something to learn or remember. 

This is a question that I often ask myself. I especially do so when things are not going well. Bad times definitely bring up those moments of doubt and anxiety. You begin to wonder why? According to Adler, life has in general no meaning. However, you can give it meaning. This was quite revealing. It essentially goes to say that we give meaning to our lives. We hold the cards of life. It's up to us if we want to pursue a meaningful life or not. I always believe that we are put here for a reason. This gives me faith to continue moving forward. Sometimes, life doesn't make sense, but we've got to continue our journey of progression. There's always more to life. 

I've come to accept that things happen gradually. There's no such thing as instantaneous. I'm referring to life in general. We should not try to rush things. Let the course of nature unfolds at its normal pace. The key is to be patient. It's not about waiting for things to happen. Rather it's about focusing on the doing, rather than for that next big thing to happen. It's about embracing the now and know in your heart of heart that when the time comes, you'll look back and realise how far you've come. Change is gradual but if constant, you'll progress much faster. With intention and learning as you go along. Keep dancing and always be on the move. 

This is a reminder that we should be always be grateful, especially during tough times. Practicing gratitude keeps you grounded. My perspective has completely changed when I started to purposely list and think of things I'm thankful for. Over time, it came to me almost naturally. You begin to notice the little things. You begin to see beauty around you. You begin to appreciate what is. . In gratitude, there is no judgement. There is only us at the level of being. Gratitude makes us feel whole when we are shaken up. It keeps us centered and helps us to move forward.  My gratitude journey started with writing 3 things I'm grateful for after waking up. I have a special notebook. After I ran out of pages, I stopped. It had already became ingrained in me and I'm so grateful for such an uplifting experience. 

Life is full of surprises. Sometimes, an event or a situation can make us feel overwhelmed and defeated. Last week, I had one such a terrible day- it was awful and it gave me a horrible headache and unnecessary stress. I was completely out of it, and despite having thoughts of calmness (this too will pass), I kept wondering why? Why is this happening? Why? (in retrospect, maybe so I can write about it). One of the biggest lesson I gained from this experience is to transform it into something beneficial. How can you turn this bad event upside down and turn it into your advantage? Another lesson, which I am writing about today, is to always remember that things can be solved and things get better. Time heals. It's not because of one miserable event that we have to torture ourselves and cry out loud. Again, remember that this will pass. There's always more opportunity to build and create. Tomorrow is another day and brand new day of your life. So even though there will be...

I'm not ready. I don't have what it takes. What if I lack the skills and fail miserably? These are many questions that come to my mind when I plan something. It's a stressful conversation in my mind. Even though I know life is all about making mistakes and learn from them, I try my best to avoid them. I simply try to avoid inconveniences. I know they are unavoidable, but still I'd prefer things to go smoothly. I think I spend too much time of making sure things go right, rather than taking the proper action. I was later reminded that they are excuses to not getting started. It's a form of procrastination. It would prove a point when things don't go as expected. I have the goal to not get the job done because I don't want to change. I want to stay where I am, even if it means being stuck where I am.  Since then, I've realised that it's okay not to be ready. It's okay to learn as you go along. You should actually start before you feel re...

I spent a lot of time wishing that I was someone else. I want to be more of this and that. I didn't find anything wrong in this. It came the time when I realised how silly this was. It was not unreasonable, but still it was wishful thinking. The truth is that I was not accepting myself. I was not okay with who I was. I mean no one is perfect. We're all full of flaws, but instead of embracing all the qualities I had, I was focused on things I lacked. Obviously, this made me unhappy and I was seeking something that I don't even truly wish for. This is because my lack made up for excuses.  It's humbling to understand that, in the end, you've got only you. You've got to love yourself the way you are, be authentic, be You through and through. It's not easy, but I think when we embrace who we are, life becomes seemingly better. You are able to see life in a different eye. It changes your perspective. It makes you become more open. Open to everything. Acce...

I think most of the time, we tend to go back. Think about the past, what we did and so forth. When we meet a stranger, their first questions might be where do you come from, what do you know, or what did you study etc? We assume that these events that occur in the past determine who we are. They define us, what we are capable of and our identity. The truth, though, is that we are not where we were born. We are not what we do. We are not what we did 5 or 10 years ago. It's about using all the experiences we had and think about what you can do now. Right now. With all the skills, things learned and discoveries. With all that we have acquired. With all the knowledge. It's all about using what we have.

Quit taking it personally. This is my brand new motto in life. Everything seems to make sense when you don't take things either personally or seriously. When you don't take life too seriously. Life is too short to focus on things that don't really matter. Focus on doing what feels right to you, things that are important. Work on things worth working on.

It's all about: Self-acceptance Self respect Self-confidence Self-love Self-care Living authentically

It happens ever so often our minds are cluttered. There are so many thoughts spinning around, tasks to complete. We're busy and overwhelmed. Most of the time, these are not productive periods. We cannot really produce effective work during these circumstances. A good reminder is to ask yourself "Is what I'm doing right now meaningful work? Is this contributing towards my goals? Is this beneficial to me in any way?" Free your mind to focus on the essential. Do meaningful work. Of course, it's normal to stumble at times-it's part of life- so long you are able do continue move forward. 80% of the time. Free your mind by doing what matters to you. Take time to reflect and meditate. Take some time off, if required, to recharge yourself. Once you do, keep the momentum going. Find your flow and let it push you towards the right path.

Life is a journey and you've got to keep going. No matter what. I came across this poem while reading the book "Identity" by Stedman Graham. I definitely recommend this book. It provides an opportunity to step back and have a clear look at your values, what you stand for and know yourself better. A quick google search and  I came across the poem "Don't you quit". This is such a beautiful reminder to not lose faith and be quick to despair. Remember you have what it takes and that success is the result of tenacity in face of hardship.  Don't Quit by John Greenleaf Whittier

I believe that Easter has a lot of significance. Whether we celebrate it or not, whether we are Christians or not, whether we believe it or not. I think we can find meaning in anything really. We simply have to juxtapose the event with our story. This is one of the best way to learn as well. It's by putting things into our perspective. Making associations of how this material or knowledge fit in our lives. It's about application of the thing we learn and putting it in context.  I can think of this saying " We only see what we want to see; we only hear what we want to hear. Our belief system is just like a mirror that only shows us what we believe." by Don Miguel Ruiz Back to Easter.  It's about life over death. It's about the victory of Good over Evil. It's about finding our salvation and redemption after falling short. Our lives is always a battle between 2 forces- good and bad. Even though we have a choice to decide, we can't preve...

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. 

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.