Present Outlook

…remember the resolution you made last year.

Did you keep it? Do you even remember what it was?

Men should pledge themselves to nothing; for reflection makes a liar of their resolution.

- Sophocles

Was Sophocles being harsh above? Or realistic?

Resolutions are great, if you make a real effort to keep them. But otherwise they’re just a waste of time. In fact they are worse than a waste of time because they will probably just make you feel like a failure if you don’t succeed at them.

Human beings just aren’t naturally inclined to achieve resolutions it seems. It’s something we have to really work for.

So here are some tips to help you keep your New Year’s resolution this year:

1. Make it achievable - This doesn’t mean limit yourself, still set your sights high but not impossibly so.
2. Write it down and tell people about it – This helps make it more concrete and makes you accountable.
3. Plan how to do it - Put a plan in place and work out an initial ‘to do’ list to help you work towards it.
4. The fewer the better - A big list of resolutions is going to mean a big list of failures. Keep things simple, that way you’re more likely to stick with it.
5. Start working towards it right away – If you’re serious about it why not get started on it!

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

- Abraham Lincoln

Good luck!

Image: SashaW

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It’s never too late to be what you might have been.

- George Eliot

I happened to be visiting a high school for my work when I saw Tommy the Clown in action live. I’d first heard of him when I watched Rize but never expected to see him in person.

But there he was. Up on stage in front of 800 or so high school students. He had their attention in the palm of his hand. They were captivated by his show, and I could see why, it was excellent.

Tommy is no saint. As a young man he was in and out of trouble and spent 5 years in jail. Then in LA he was asked to be the clown at a child’s birthday party and found that he was a natural at it. Soon he developed a following among the young people he entertained and realised that he was a role model for many of them.

He took this responsibility seriously and started to use his position to get kids into dance rather than into the crime and drugs that they were heading towards.

Tommy the Clown’s story is an excellent example of someone doing something useful with their life.

His life did not get off to the best of starts. He could have easily carried on the way he was going, as many others would have. But instead he chose to change his life for the better and to help others.

He is a real inspiration and I have no doubt that he has influenced many lives for the better. He is a great example of someone leaving their past behind them and starting afresh for the better.

Most of the people reading this won’t have 5 years jailtime on their resume. But likewise most people won’t make as much of a difference in the lives of others as Tommy.

There are many people who have overcome adversity in their lives. Many of them have gone on to much greater levels of success than this. But what I think is great about Tommy’s story is that he’s not a millionaire, or a super-celebrity. He hasn’t just had incredible luck. His is a real story that anyone in his position with his motives could have achieved.

If you’ve spent time in jail… If you’ve been an arse… If you’ve been lazy… If you’ve been an idiot… If you’ve been homeless… If you think you’re too old…

It’s never too late to change your life for the better.

It’s never too late to become all that you can be.

It’s never too late to make a difference in other people’s lives.

And it’s never too late to wear a rainbow wig and shake your booty either!

Image: Tommy’s Myspace

Here is Tommy talking about how it started – or you could watch Rize:

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Firstly, complain. If you were to follow the example set by most of the people around you then surely this is what you would do. If everyone is doing it then it must work mustn’t it?

I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do.

- Joe Walsh

Secondly, blame someone other than yourself. This is also a really popular way to solve problems, so again it must work or it wouldn’t be so popular.

Image: corazón girl

Lastly, ignore it. If all else fails then the good old and trusty method won’t disappoint. Ignoring things is generally easy (at least to begin with).  Put your head well and truly in the sand and look for whatever distractions you feel necessary to keep your problems out of your mind. If you feel the need to drink heavily on a daily basis to help you ignore it then do so.

Also, don’t forget the little things and remember to: avoid fresh fruits and vegetables, cancel your gym membership and avoid all forms of exercise, watch as much TV as you can, keep to yourself as much as possible and avoid contact with others in case they cheer you up or try to talk you out of any of these ideas.

These classic steps should make a significant difference to the size and number of your problems ;)

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It isn’t something someone can give you.

It isn’t something you can buy or sell.

All another person can do is show you where it is inside you.

They may be able to point it out to you in a way you hadn’t seen before.

But once they’ve pointed it out, it’s up to you to remember where it is.

Image: nono fara (nonocaptures ;))

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Imagine if birds never existed. Imagine if everything else on earth was exactly as it is except for one thing – no birds.

Then imagine if one day, all of a sudden, you saw a bird. That would be pretty amazing wouldn’t it? I mean it would have to be the most amazing thing you had ever seen in your life wouldn’t it?

Or imagine if your cat started talking to you. Imagine if right now, while you are reading this, it jumped up on your table and started talking to you in perfect English in a way that showed it was highly intelligent. How amazing would that be?  I mean it would be incredible wouldn’t it, there’s not much that could top that is there?

The really cool part is that birds and cats and trees and people and the sea and everything else on the earth and beyond already are that amazing.

You just have to notice it.

Image: fazen

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Sometimes if we want to move forwards we have to take stock of where we are. We have to look at what’s working and what’s not. We have to be honest with ourselves. Brutally honest.

This isn’t as straight forward as it sounds. Being brutally honest with yourself can be difficult because we regularly lie to ourselves and others. Ever said these things when you didn’t really mean them: “I just don’t have the time for exercise”, “I’ve been really busy lately”, “It was  nice meeting you”, “I’ll call you”, “We’ll have to catch up again soon”…

It’s just as easy to lie to yourself, and often we do so without even noticing it.

Let’s say you want to get fit but tell yourself that you can’t find time to go to the gym. Is that really true? If you actually took a really good look at your day/week there would probably be time for it, wouldn’t there? It could be that you have to reassign things but everyone has some spare time they could use more wisely towards achieving some sort of goal. What about the time it’s taking you to read this post? And all the other blog posts you’ve read this week?

Unless you’re able to be brutally honest with yourself you’ll always struggle to make changes in your life.

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If you really wanted it, you’d have it.

Sure you can make excuses about how it’s because of ‘this’ or ‘that’. Probably all perfectly good reasons.

But maybe you just don’t want it badly enough.

What about if your life depended on it – is there anything else you would do to get it then?

What about if you were in excruciating pain that could only be relieved if you got it – would you manage to get it then?

Probably.

But as things are, do you really want it badly enough to do what is necessary to get it?

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