Steph's Ripples

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.

I have been reminded to focus on the daily activities. Focus on the now. Now only exists in this present moment. Even if you don't reach your destination, at least you know you already started. You achieved whatever you needed by living in that moment. There is a huge significance in knowing that you don't have to 'actually' fulfill your goal to have been successful. Thus you concentrate on the 'doing' rather than thinking about the goal. It's about what you can do now and do it. When we pay too much attention to a destination, it's easy to lose hope and detract when times get hard. If we, instead, go on with doing what we need daily, we are already ahead. Whether or not we reach our goal is irrelevant because we are already on the path. We enjoy every moment.  

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.

I am good enough. Repeat × infinity. Part of me believe the reason why we don't trust ourselves is simply because we think or are led to believe that we're not good enough. This halters our ability to do our best, to be our best version, to thrive. We need affirmations to stop doubting our true potential. Have faith in ourselves. Reminder, the brain believes what you tell it.

Let's face it. To become good at something, you need to be consistently doing the work. This is the key and it's simple. Showing up everyday no matter what. Ironically what is simple is usually the hardest to do. We are often too busy trying to do everything. We get caught up by everyday distractions and what not. Keep this in mind. Focus on doing the work you need to get better and better everyday. Our duty is to become better versions of ourselves every single day. Leave everything else that is not bringing you closer to the person you want to be. 

Let's be honest. I had a pretty late start to liking reading- any kind of readings. I decided this wasn't going to be a hobby of mine. I especially found it hard when I couldn't understand half of what was written. A real deep struggle to keep going. However,  I manage to survive through my lack of reading. I think after I had a better grasp of the language, I finally was able to enjoy reading for entertainment. Before,  it was more of a pain. Anyway, what I want to advocate is the amazing rewards of reading. It is a therapy on its own. Reading broadens your horizons and stretches yourself. Take the time to read daily and it will change your life for the better.

Dealing with consistency is pretty hard. It's not pretty for sure. It's always easier to fall behind than to progress. One of my goals is to become more consistent with consistency. There are so many things I want to be constantly doing on a regular basis. However, I tend to forget and then it's hard to go back. Let's take for example, I want to post daily but sometimes I get too tired, I can't bother to switch on my pc or mostly, I get caught up in other daily matters. One way to deal with consistency problem is planning. Plan the tasks into your schedule and stick to it. The problem is that I tend to be a flexible person. I always allow myself a buffer and don't like to put too much pressure on myself. I want life to run smoothly, organically and freely. I don't like imposing myself because I believe that we all have negative reactions to pressure, or applied force.  Now it sounds so paradoxical. I think the best way to deal with consistency is to...

Reflection has never been my forte. I used to hate doing reflection or rather I simply didn't feel the need to. Little did I know about the benefits of taking the time to reflect, the healing power that it all encompasses. It's a such a powerful tool we can use to help us. It's free and doesn't require much. All you need is to take a few moment, relax and think.  You can reflect on anything from your life, your feelings to aspirations. Reflection can be useful in so many ways: - To hold us accountable for our actions - To allow us to breathe - To take time to learn from the past - To stop and see where we are going - To give us perspective - To see what's truly happening in our lives - To relax - To enjoy the now - To appreciate all of our blessings - To calm our mind Our lives get so busy sometimes and it's so easy to get caught up in this madness. In a way, this blog is the perfect medium to reflect on my life and lessons learned. ...

Breathe in breathe out. It's a simple healing action. Take a deep breath in,  let the fresh air flows inside your lung and body, take in all the goodness that life holds and exhale noisily. Let out all the resistance, negative thoughts, everything that is holding you back. Repeat a few times and notice the change.

I'm in the process of reading the book 'Life loves you' by Louise Hay and Robert Holden. I'm deeply fascinated by the approach of the book. It feels like you are on this writing/self-discovery journey with them. This personal account of every step seems genuine and inclusive.  Live loves you. This is a such a positive affirmation. There is no judgement, no justification, no criticism. It's a simple statement with so much power. Truly, I feel like sometimes the world is working against us for some reasons and even though you know it's all made-up in your mind, you can't let go of the suffering. You have to give time to let the thoughts go, emotions fade away and breathe. During that instant, remember life loves you. There is no one against you. If you don't let the sunshine in and remain in darkness, that's only because you chose to. The sun is going to shine whether you feel good or bad. It's always there. However, if you chose not to le...

I was made aware of this concept whilst I was reading the book 'The Slight Edge' by Jeff Olson. We have the ability to choose what we want to do with our lives. The distinction between those people who are successful- not referring to financial gain- and those who are unsuccessful comes down to habits. What is it you are making every day that is bringing you forward towards achieving your dreams/ goals. What is it you are doing that is moving you away from your dreams? Successful people do what unsuccessful people don't do. They are committed to self-development, growing, doing what it takes every single day- the mundane actions. Take for example, reading 10 pages a day compounded over time leads to a great deal of pages read. You don't have to start big, but create a momentum. Daily repetitive actions over time lead to accumulation of wealth. The problem here is that not many of us are willing to do those actions every day. We are quick to sink to old habits, we a...