Never Give Up!
The other day I took the children to the circus as a treat. Of course they were very excited with all the acts and the abundance of candy floss, but one act that really stood out was a gorgeous contortionist.
This elegant German lady, twisted her body into different amazing and unbelievable positions. The audience watched in awe.
She then arrived at the part in the act where she leaned against a stool with one knee and raised one foot which acted as if it was a hand by taking possession of a bow and arrow. The contortionist then placed her hands onto the stool and did a handstand stretching her legs high in the air and then bent her legs so that her feet were just above her head with the arrow. It was incredible to see. She then pulled the string back on the bow and aimed towards her target which was a blue balloon. She missed!
She looked really put out with herself for missing but she tried again. You could actually feel the tension in the air from the audience wondering if she was going to hit the balloon on her second attempt. She repositioned herself, aimed, fired and missed again.
The contortionist looked really cross but the audience didn’t care. They began clapping in sync with each other, willing her on to succeed. She attempted a slight smile in acknowledgement of the crowd’s goodwill but you could see she was really mad with herself.
So for a third attempt, she repositioned herself and twisted her body so that she was perfectly aimed at the balloon. She released the arrow which pierced the balloon and popped it. The audience jumped to their feet and roared in delight. She had finally succeeded.
I found the whole thing fascinating. In spite of the pressure of having hundreds of people in the audience and continued missed targets, she never gave up.
This same principle can be applied to our everyday life. When something gets in our way, it might be irritating or even annoying, but don’t let it be a permanent block to achieving our targets or goals. Too often we are swayed into a different course of action when things do not go our way. What the contortionist showed was you pick yourself up and persevere. Keep going and you will get to where you want. Be resilient! In short the beauty of life is never give up!
Love Your Uniqueness
I went on holiday quite recently and when I arrived at the destination I noticed a group of excited ladies waiting for a transfer bus. They were enthusiastically talking amongst themselves. I got to talking with them and asked where they were staying. One replied at a “hospital”. Well, because I was jet lagged I thought that I had not heard properly.
My face must have been a picture because she laughed and reassured me that I had heard properly. She showed me a copy of a magazine which had a photo of the hospital and she told me that it was all about “medical tourism”. She had saved up all year so that she could have plastic surgery.
I was fascinated because when I looked at her, she looked amazing. I couldn’t understand why she needed plastic surgery. She then happily went on to outline the surgery that she was going to have. From what she said, she saw everything as a flaw and it needed “correcting”.
Her transport arrived and she jumped in telling me how her life was going to be “so much better” and off she went.
I know it’s wrong to judge but I couldn’t help but wonder why can’t we appreciate who we are.
Why do we have to put our bodies through so much pain and call it perfection?
Why do we feel there is a need to alter our uniqueness?
Are we doing this because the media is telling us how the perfect man and woman should look?
I understand that people have surgery for genuine reasons but it really does scare me that people are changing or altering what is already perfect. Well that’s my opinion!
Personally, I think that beauty is all about appreciating your uniqueness and loving yourself. We need to stop listening to the false messages out there which make us feel that we are not enough and do not measure up to the so called norm.
So my plea to you all is stop messing with what is already perfect. You are unique! You are beautiful! So love yourself.
Stop Second Guessing! Just Do It!
Stop Second Guessing!
Do you always want to be perfect?
I waste a lot of time trying to achieve perfection.
I have great plans about what I want to do and then I think, what if it doesn’t work. What if someone doesn’t like it? What if I do it this way or that way? Get the picture?
The problem with this crazy process is that nothing gets done and I end up feeling frustrated.
Why am I doing this?
I want to be the best I can be. Part of me also wonders if it’s because I want people to love what I do? But I think it’s actually fear. Will people see me as a failure or being crazy for taking different steps to them and not doing what is considered to be the norm.
But what would happen if I just took the risk and didn’t care about it. Why not take the risk?
Who cares if not everyone or anyone likes it? At the end of the day, at least I know that I am being ‘real’ and not trying to do things to please other people. I am being “me”.
The beauty of just getting on with things is that you become your true authentic self and you enjoy what you do. It shows that you are not trying to be like others. You are just being original.
Life isn’t perfect. If you waste time second guessing the “what ifs”, you will miss out on the beauty of what can be.
So what’s the answer? How do you tackle this problem?
It’s simple, just do it! If you want to do something, just do it. And when you do it, enjoy it. Stop thinking about the problems that could arise or what you can do to avoid them. If you do run into a problem, treat it as a lesson. Simply learn from it. But the main thing is that you have done something to get you to the next step of where you actually want to be. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life thinking I wonder what would have happened if I had just done it?
So the moral of this story is stop second guessing. Do it with a white hot passion and enjoy it.
If you would like to see what it is that I do, why not pop over to http://www.melslittleluxuries.co.uk
The Beauty of Being Courageous
I got up this morning with some big bold plans and wanted to follow through with them, but then I found myself taking a step back. How could I possibly do that? People would think I was crazy.
Do you spend your days wondering what others think about you?
Why is that?
Do you fear that if you do something, others might not like it or you will be laughed at?
Sometimes we don’t follow through with things because we recall a minor comment someone made and unfortunately it has stuck in our minds. This has affected us all these years and has in some ways crippled us with fear. There are so many things we want to do and we just don’t act through fear of being seen as a failure or the fool. Fear can make you miss out on so many opportunities.
I think that the way to get over this is not to give a damn about what other may think about your decisions. I am not saying be selfish and ignorant of the needs of others. If you want to do something or you have a dream or passion, just do it. Enjoy it. Don’t be paralysed with fear. Grab the opportunities that come your way.
If people look at you as if you’re crazy, then let them look. For all you know, they are looking towards you as an inspiration. You are probably doing something that they wish they had the courage to do.
So appreciate the beauty of being courageous or taking the odd risk. As long as you are not hurting anyone, do what makes you happy.
The Habit of Focus
I am awful when I have to work from home. An absolute nightmare. There are too many distractions.
At the moment it’s so cold. I feel hungry all the time! So of course the first distraction is food. What can I have? Then, what can I have next. Then begins the ritual routing around the cupboards.
I have to leave the tv on in the background. I don’t know why, because I’m not even watching it. It’s just good company but, there is some interesting talk about cloud bread. What’s that then? Now something else has happened on that crazy show “The Jump”. Who’s been injured this time?
Ok, I’m not listening, but it’s too quiet. I have to put the radio on. Some callers are telling the audience about their holiday mishaps and ‘The Big Town Countdown’ quiz is next. I keep on saying to myself, “I’ll turn it off in just a minute”. Nothing has been done and the time is speedily ticking away.
Oh! My mobile is buzzing away. It’s a Facebook message, and another. I might as well check my emails. Shall I respond to them now or later.
The mobile’s ringing. I’m wishing I hadn’t answered it. As much as I love the caller, they are being incredibly draining with their negativity. At the end of the call, I am so drained that I don’t even want to do anything.
I know that this is something that cannot continue. I asked myself what is it that I want out of life? What is my purpose? I know that when I started this business, it was to have something for myself and to make my children feel proud. Well, I’m hardly going to do that when I waste so much time!
Today I managed to take myself away to a café, and worked there for a couple of hours. Without any distractions! I didn’t even hear the barista talking to me. I only realized he had tried to, when the lady next to me shouted at him, “She’s busy love. Don’t disturb her!”
It all boils down to focus and if you really enjoy what you are doing and you know what your purpose is, you will form the discipline to do what you must to succeed. I know that I must get into the habit of focus otherwise these constant distractions are going to lead me astray. I want a successful business and I am going to achieve this so look out for the new improved and focused Mel!
Why not pop over to www.melslittleluxuries.co.uk to check out what I do.
3 Natural Remedies for a Sore Throat
It's that time of year when there are a lot of bugs going around, especially the nasty ones which affect your throat. So here are 3 natural remedies for a sore throat:-
1. Honey and lemon
2.Gargle warm salt water
3. Cayenne Pepper - This spice has pain relieving qualities and is similar to aspirin. Simply combine 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 cup of boiling water and a teaspoon of honey.
If the problem persists, go to your doctor just to confirm that all is in order.
10 Benefits of Aloe Vera!
