Simple Pleasures, Everyday Joie de Vivre.

The bloody dishes! For years I struggled with this hang-up about doing the dishes. They don't bring me joy. What a headache! Lying on the couch in a state of inertia, knowing that there were dishes to be done and not being able to. It got on top of me. I did usually do them, at least I tried. At some stage I stopped using soap, I felt that with a scourer it was unnecessary, and that it was cheaper and more environmentally friendly. My dishes were always smudged though. It took me ages to work out that soap was helpful in doing the dishes. It's cleaner too, I'm so messy that I have to clean the house every morning.  Almost every night I would bail on the dishes and plan to do them in the mornings. I guess washing the dishes really only takes about 10 minutes. Tea-towels are nice but basically I would leave them to drain. With the dishes you can easily apply the Pareto principle, where 80% of the outcome depends on 20% of the causes. The parable being that If the kitchen is d...

Meditation is the practice of focused attention. It can incorporate mindfulness, witnessing and clarity by using sitting, breathing, chanting and movement exercises. It is a form of relaxation and can improve mental and physical health and some say it can help you to reach nirvana, or enlightenment. It is particularly good for stress and anxiety. You can practice it as much as you like, once or twice a day, but 20 minutes in the mornings is a good place to start. There is a saying in Zen that 'You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you are too busy, then you should sit for an hour'. When you sit in meditation, you sit cross legged with correct posture and practice deep breathing.  Meditate, Definition verb (used without object), med·i·tat·ed,   med·i·tat·ing. verb (used with object), med·i·tat·ed,   med·i·tat·ing. to meditate revenge. to engage in thought or contemplation; reflect. to engage in  transcendental meditation , devout religious contempl...

Photo by Fabio Comparelli on Unsplash Grit is a concept in the book 'Grit' by Angela Duckworth. It means passion and perseverance . In the book Angela has many examples of people who kept trying despite difficulties. People who committed  to things despite all the odds. People who are determined to achieve something no matter what it takes. It's really about taking the long road. In this article we will cover some of the characteristics of gritty people, so you too can be gritty and achieve everything you want to.  Back-bone  Backbone means strength of character. You are a good person, you do the right thing, you're conscientious, punctual, and you strive for excellence in all matters.  Confidence Confidence means being sure of yourself in everything that you do, it is competence, the belief that you can succeed at things and the ability to foster healthy relationships. You build confidence by experience and practice.  Courage Courage is the guts to embark on y...

  Morning pages were invented by Julia Cameron in The Artists Way - which is a course on creativity. Therein, every morning you get up and write three A4 pages from stream of consciousness. You put pen to paper and don't lift it off until you're done. The morning pages help to unleash your feelings, help you to be creative; to express yourself and help to quiet your inner critic. But I have a little spin on the morning pages where you write the three pages, but everything you write is positive. This way you create your day with a positive attitude and by making affirmations. Your word really is your wand as we have learnt from the book of the same name by Florence Scovel Shinn. You speak over things; you improve your mood, your life, and combat negativity. You visualize a promising future and put yourself in the drivers seat. It also helps to cope with adversity and ward off disease.  Write down virtuous ideas. Create a positive experience in the universe, and shape your desti...

Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash With the weather soaring into heated temperatures and crazy weather patterns all over the world, more people are concerned about the state of the environment and what they can do to help. So here are a few helpful hints for doing your fair share. I know it's a lot, and it's tempting to opt for more convenient options, but just try to do what you can. Even something as simple as tuning the lights off when you're not in the room can make a profound difference.  Turn the lights off when you're not in the room.  Pay your electricity company for green power. If they don't have this option, switch to a company that does.  Use a thermos to keep your tea or coffee hot, rather than boiling the kettle over and over again keep some tea or coffee in a thermos flask.  Recycle: Look for the little recycling symbols on your packaging and recycle accordingly.  Install solar power. If you own your own home, install solar panels. It's cheaper a...

Photo by Look Studio on Unsplash Sometimes looking at things from another point of view can be refreshing and enlightening. So what do other cultures say about motivation and well-being? Read on  to find out.  Willpower in Tao, mastery. If you act with vigor you will have willpower.  Mastering others is strength, mastering self is power.  Virya Virya is Sanskrit for energy, diligence, enthusiasm, zeal & effort.  It pertains to perseverance and vigor, It also stands for courage and strength. Virya is the antidote to Thina. Thina pertains to sluggishness, dullness and lack of drive. The Dalia Lama says that it is wise to be diligent.  Ppalli-Ppalli Ppalli-Ppalli  Is South Korean for the concept of speed. The phrase basically means  Quick quick, hurry hurry.  From serving in a restaurant in minutes to erecting buildings years before the deadline, Korean is a culture based on speediness. If you think about it, doing things with haste is more...

Photo by Jamison Wieser on Flickr Do you remember the golden story of the Little Engine that Could? A locomotive breaks down and other engines are asked to pull the train over the mountain but they have excuses for not doing it: One is broken down, one is too pompous, one is too self important, and one lacks the strength and determination. Finally a little switch engine is asked to pull the train and she decides to give it a go. So off she goes, repeating the phrase 'I think I can - I think I can - I think I can. Anyway she makes it over the mountain and then uses the phrase I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could. The moral of the story is to teach children about optimism and hard work. So using the idea of a train we are going to see how to manage projects and achieve goals. First: Plan your trip.  Decide on your project. Choose something you've been meaning to do to work on. It should challenge you just enough to interest you and not so much that's it...