You cannot chase two rabbits at the same time.

This reminds me more of relationships, amongst other things.  When your man/woman begins to ‘seek greener pastures’, they may find it difficult to fulfil both partners.  They will pay more attention to the other and start slacking and giving less attention to the primary partner. Either way, one always suffers more than the other and the consequences are never of a good nature.

The same can be said with friendships.  You can never have two best friends.  Of the few friends you have, there is always that one that you trust the most and feel more comfortable with.  One you can confide in and tell to your deepest darkest secrets, it’s a way of life.  You can’t give 100% to everyone, its just not possible.

Similarly, with your family and career, chances are you will not excel in both. Its either one or the other.  When the one surmounts, the other gets less attention and chances of excelling dwindles. Going forward, one needs to strike a balance without hurting other aspects of your life.  One then needs to determine where their priorities lie and succumb.PeaceJ

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have one idea” (Alain).

There is nothing more fulfilling than having and idea and imagining ways to implement it.  You start anticipating the day it materializes and you just can’t wait to share your idea with close friends and family, but then you can only share once you are certain that this is it.

Nothing is more dangerous that an idea, when you only have one idea.  When you want to do something, you must always have a back up plan and you need to look at the pros and cons before actually going through with it.  Nothing is more risky than formulating something in your mind now and doing it immediately without analysing the implications of such an idea, weighing your options here and there.

Not so long ago, a friend asked his girlfriend for her hand in marriage. She of course said yes but sat him down and went through his idea with him.  They then discovered that they are not financially stable, no house of their own, still building their careers and just not ready for such a commitment.  All things considered, this can wait.

And so it is with every other idea, once conceived, should always be backed up…. PeaceJ

Have you figured out the second head fake?

In life, each person has two heads, the positive and the negative side.  The positive is the one that always directs you to do good, see good and expect nothing but the best.  Then of course there is the negative, always gets you into trouble, directs you to the bad side of every situation, doesn’t allow you to progress and and and!

Each of us has a choice, do you feed the good head or the bad, either way the second head is then declared fake as it doesn’t really exist. When you do feed the good, everything falls into place; the world is your oyster. Nothing can go wrong without your permission in this case.  You determine your future and you shape what is meant to be. You begin to attract excellence, acceptance and success.

The same cannot be said for the negative head. Never allow bad to overcome good, fight it. Declare it fake and close that chapter. PeaceJ

How hard is it to follow instructions?

It sounds simple but it’s really not that easy. In my opinion, it depends solely on the person on the receiving end most of the time, and rarely on the sender’s part.  

More often than not, people find it very difficult to follow instructions depending on their intellect as well as the language that it’s conveyed in. If, for example, a professor introduces a new chapter to his students or assigns a task or project to them using jargon, it will be close to impossible to interpret those instructions and they might not be able to deliver what is expected of them.

Another way of looking at it is the language barrier.  Sometimes people from different racial backgrounds receive instructions in English and, even though they can speak it, it’s not always easy to untangle those out-of-the-ordinary words of our International Language and one needs to, in turn, break them down a bit.  It’s also the job of the instructor to make these instructions simpler for the receiver to avoid any miscommunication as well as misunderstandings. PeaceJ

Andy Warhol said, “In the future everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes" You can't choose the 15 minutes but why would you be world famous?

Nope, I didn’t choose my 15 minutes of fame but I can assure you, I was famous at one stage……even if it wasn’t WORLD famous but I was famous…on a national level.

You see, in 2010 yours truly appeared on the June issue of the Cosmopolitan magazine, I was truly chuffed. How did this come about??

Each year the CTICC hosts the Design Indaba where designers from all over South Africa showcase their work. Come pottery, clothing design, architecture, drawings, paintings and all forms of art. I was spotted by the fashion editor of Cosmo and she basically liked my outfit, approached me and asked to take pics. I felt honouredJ

3 months later my pic appeared in the “You’ve got the look” section of Cosmo and I told EVERYONE!!!!! There goes my 15 minutes of fame…PeaceJ

HOW TO WORK IN ANY ENVIRONMENT

I recently came across a poster in my managers’ office and couldn’t help but share with yall, here’s how it goes:

HOW TO WORK IN ANY ENVIRONMENT

·          Don’t expect to be appreciated – your only expectation should be to get a pay check.

·          Don’t come to work to have personal relationships.

·          Don’t allow what you do to affect who you are.

·          Do your job well, but remember your mission – God put your there to be a light.

·          Seek opportunities to change the atmosphere without commenting on the problems. You have a God to talk to. You are on an assignment.  Quietness and competence shall be your strength.

·          Don’t let your environment get inside of you – you should influence it, not let it influence you.

·          Stop going to work to be fed – you didn’t come to receive, you came to give.

·          Increase your capacity to work with different personalities – God will often bless you through people you don’t even like!

·          Remember, where you are does not define where you are going – This will deliver you from frustration.

·          God has a plan for your life.  Keep your eye on the prize.  When Peter did this, he was able to walk in what other people sank in.

·          Get the optimum results with minimal confusion – be effective without making the environment worse.

·          Don’t be associated with one group or clique. Labels limit your usefulness.  God wants you to work with everybody but be labelled by nobody.  Use all your gifts.

·          Always keep your song near you.  Keep a consecrated place in your soul.  Hold on to your praise.

·          Understand that God anoints you for trouble – put on the whole armour of God before going to work.

·          Hope this will motivate you.

PEACEJ

WALLS CLOSING IN...

As the year is coming to a very close end, one questions themselves. Have I done this, have I done that, is it enough?

At the beginning of every year, about 90 – 95% of us write-up New Years Resolutions and swear to stick to them.  How many actually do? I for one can’t even remember what I’d conjured up as mine. I guess it all boils down to discipline and preparedness to follow through.  One of my resolutions could have been to pass all my modules by the end of this semester….or maybe iv just realised that this year is almost over and I have but a few weeks to catch up and work harder.

Let’s face it, leaving things for the last minute only stirs up trouble. You are left under pressure to perform at your peak whilst abandoning other important factors.  However, it seems that one has to cut themselves in two in order to attend to everything and satisfy everyone. Phew!!!!!! PeaceJ

UNDER-PRESSURE WORK

When assigned a task, do you get on to it immediately or do you shove it underneath the book shelf until the deadline looms closer?

Leaving things for the last minute has never been the ideal solution but it works for some.  I, for one, can never prepare something way beforehand and at times this has counted against me.  Time management is not, unfortunately, my strong point at the moment but im working on it..

I have, in the past, gotten away with a lot; from squeezing in late assignment submissions to studying for an exam at the very last minute.  Generally, the results would be average or an epic fail, when does one learn?? I have also tried the preparing-on-time mechanism which has worked to my advantage but I just can’t drill it into my busy head that this is what works! At times I become fidgety and cranky once I don’t start working on the prescribed task but nothing drives me to actually begin with it. It sucks!

However, I do have hope that things will change for the better and I believe that, ultimately, I am going to settle for the better choice and make it work for me.  After all, I am a hard worker and strive to do my best 99% of the time. Can you handle?? PeaceJ

HAPPINESS IS.....

 

-          The overwhelming feeling you get when you’ve found love.

-          The excitement you feel when you’ve passed all your exams.

-          The gladness that takes over when you’ve bought a pair of stunning   shoes.

-          The intense joy you feel when things are going your way.

-          Those emotions that proliferate your whole being, when you pass your drivers license.

-          The contentment you feel when you have your first child.

-          The joy you feel when you ace that interview.

-          The ecstasy that takes over when you’ve clinched a deal.

-          The jubilation that manifests when you finally conceive.

-          The merriment that spreads when you say ‘I DO’

-          Graduation day

-          Prosperity

-          Achievement

-          Your childs first day at school.

-          Progress made on a huge project.

-           LOVE

-          ENOUGH!!!!!!!! PeaceJ

ACCEPTING CHANGE

To accept change one needs to firstly acknowledge that, at times, change is good.  Not only does it expose you to new possibilities and opportunities, it also introduces a challenge.

Early last year my mom bought a house in a very elite part of Guguletu and we had to move with her.  The new neighbourhood was more peaceful, quieter and boring.  I was so used to the hustle and bustle of our previous home that we couldn’t relate to this new place. What we didn’t realise is that, with the new home came new neighbours, friends and it tightened our family bond because we spent most of our time indoors.

And so it is with change, it provides one with a different experience, point of view and you learn so much more about new things.  We need to embrace change and let it in.  Not only for the above-mentioned reasons, but also for the sake of growth, maturity as well as self-development. PeaceJ

STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

In great adversity, do you wilt like a carrot dabbed in boiling water or do you change the situation to suit yourself like coffee beans poured in boiling water as well?

Daily, we are constantly reminded of how lucky we are to even be alive; some don’t make it through the night.  Often we are presented with horrendous conditions and situations others have to endure. Do we then feel sorry for the less fortunate, do we feel a sigh of relief that we are not the ones in that situation, or do we help out where we can?

I feel that in any given situation, we are being tested. You either succumb to the situation or rise and tackle it to the best of your ability. My advice: Don’t give in without a fight. PeaceJ

FACING ADVERSITY

Life throws so many challenges our way every single moment.  Some of us cannot withstand adversities and perceive them as trauma, whilst the rest feel empowered and motivated by challenges – under which category do you fall under?

In this day and age, we are very fortunate to be exposed to so many opportunities and it is only fair to allow some recognition towards them. Yet, we complain about the most trivial things and expect the world to pity us. Too often than not, we fail to acknowledge that the only person that can make things happen for us, is none other than ourselves. What is the point of complaining and moaning about a situation only you have the power to change?

Let us all face our problems and take immediate steps to solve them. Life is too beautiful to spend even minute of it depressed. PeaceJ