19. shop-shop-opping

 

I like to think of myself as strategic. But in all honesty, although it is my job to be a strategic communicator- most of the time, I am not.

I, like many others impulse buy… I have no method to my madness and when doing things I don’t analyze the situation from every possible angle. Individuals that sit down, freak themselves out about desicions that can’t be changed seem somewhat annoying and unnecessary.. Whatever happens.. happens right?

Well maybe, just maybe if I was strategic thinker in the first place (and no, I don’t mean like writing a communication plan for work or life) I could save myself a whole lot of money and avoid a whole lot of trouble.

Lately I have learnt to do one thing in a strategic manner- Op ShOp!

I go op-shopping and not only save money but I obtain the items of clothing I need. When visiting opp shops, I keep in mind what I want and the geographies of that area. I scored two pairs of beautiful high wasted work pants because I shopped where all the granny’s (who love these sorts of pants) donated.. They are also quite small in sizes so hey- It worked for me. If you want beautiful brands etc don’t shop at Charnwood- shop in Red Hill- you catch my drift.

I think there is an absolute beauty about finding an item of clothing that was 5 dollars and with your ability you have make it look like a million.

For those who are planning a trip overseas, keep it in mind when you are strolling through villages of Italy, France or the United Kingdom (I got some amazing clothes from Windsor!! and surrounding areas).. and they are and always be priceless- in every sense of the word!!! 

18. to Learn or turn??

…………Interesting but useless fact- The first known use of the word unfamiliar was in 1594.

I want to talk about Art. How much is it really worth? how do you price it? Or justify the price.. Obviously it cannot be priced on the cost of material, it has to be priced on the amount of time it takes to put it together- perfect it… as we all know time is very valuable. I’m sure I’m not the only one in the world that doesn’t understand art and how it works. Actually there are many things I don’t understand, but I consider that a good thing.

We as individuals should explore the things we don’t understand, not ignore them. Maybe you should think about the things you don’t understand in your life and make the time to learn about them. You could open doors or windows for yourself- or perhaps new opportunities.

17. in-per-ception

I went to the movies last night - you could call it a part of the challenge but the fact is I have been wanting to see this movie with good company for a long time now.

I often judge a movie on not the reaction I have when watching it, but how I feel after. This movie left me in absolute shock and did its job by both captivating me whilst in the theatre and scaring the crap out of  me as soon as I stepped out of it.

I am still thinking about the message it was trying to portray but I’m pretty sure it touched on many more than I wish to talk about.

The strive for perfection was the dominating theme, insanity close beside it and how some of us come way to  close to both. How we as individuals can drive ourselves close to the definition of perfection by wanting to be something unattainable and how we sometimes strive for something sooo much to become better at it- that the ‘best’ becomes virtually impossible. In turn both driving us to the point of madness...

How, our perception of what is happening may not really be... and if anyone ever interprets anything the same?  if they don’t, how is it that anyone ever truly understands one another?

It also touched on the people in our lives that we make enemies but purely through our own eyes, when hurting us may not in fact be their intention... is the only enemy in the end ourselves by perceiving it in that way to begin with.

Perfection is unachievable, insanity is to achievable and being your own worst enemy will grant you nothing but the latter of the two because the first doesn’t exist.

Something to ponder during the day- now go see the movie, you will probably have a completely different perception.

16. meditation weird or wonderful?

‘Since the 1960s, meditation has been the focus of increasing scientific research. In over 1,000 published research studies, various methods of meditation have been linked to changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other bodily processes. Meditation has been used in clinical settings as a method of stress and pain reduction'

I had an interesting conversation with a taxi driver on the weekend about the beauty of meditation and I have to say that I agreed with him whole heartedly. Now for you cynical ones out there that think meditation is just a bunch of people sitting on the floor humming, chanting and breathing funny… it is- but it’s also a lot more than that. If you suffer from sleep deprivation, stress or any other condition that limits your ability to let your mind rest, meditation could seriously be a life saver.

I attended a workshop a few years ago with a friend, at first we were apprehensive… it’s not easy to walk through a door not knowing what the hell you will be doing. We were met by a diverse group of people; old, young, healthy, happy, sad… but this group was genuine. We were taught the art of meditation (and despite a few sessions of quietly not being able to control our laughter) we got it.

My concentration improved, I was sleeping better and I was pretty much a happier person.

 

15. yes man...

I once said yes to everything… for a whole week. After watching the “yes man” I was motivated to try new things, meet new people and experience doing things out of my comfort zone.

I drank Gin on school nights, competed in pointless competitions of who could boil the best eggs and made plans to go motor biking across Canberra.. To my disappointment I soon figured out I couldn’t keep up- I slowly found myself sliding back into normalcy after that week.

Ever since, it has been back to boring for me, sure I have done new exciting things since.. but they always contain an element of control.

Control, control, control. Most of the time you will probably hear people put it into context when someone is out- of control. But being in control can be just as bad.

We have different interpretations of the meaning depending on how we use it in our lives. Personally control for me is behaving myself, going to work and attempting to excersize while another’s may be cleaning like a freak…. Then there are more unfortunate interpretations, some find control in just getting out of bed, eating or sleeping..

Personally, I like control. It makes me feel like whatever life throws at me I can handle.