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Well I’ve been a little quiet of late, this being only the 2nd post this month. I did have quite a few good ideas lined up for articles for this month, but a new “real” job offer came up at the end of November. I decided I would take the job as it would really make my daughter happy, not to mention my bank manager!

Well I have to feed and clothe us somehow, and I’ll be glad to see the bank managers hand back in his pocket, instead of at the end of his outstretched arm, waiting to relieve me of what little cash I did manage to make!

As well as learning the company products (I’m back in sales), I have been tied up with all things festive, hence the reason for the lack of articles. It has been that time of the year when you wander around the stores with the ‘sword of Damocles’ hanging over you, waiting for you to make the wrong gift decision! To be honest, I’ll be glad to see the back of this year, it’s been a tough old one.

I haven’t made any new year resolutions, I feel that’s a waste of time, I always break them. The only one I’ve ever kept, was not to make any more new years resolutions! However, this year though, I actually have a plan for the coming year.

I have appraised my thoughts on what success is, and I know this will actually work out for me. You can read an article about that here. I am a naturally ebullient guy, positive and optimistic, but the latter half of this year went pear shaped on me, and I have to confess, I did let some situations affect me more than I should have. I was almost guilty of letting myself get drawn into a depressive state. Been there, done that and didn’t like it!

Now, however, we are at the dawning of a new age, as well as a new year, and I for one am ready to throw off the past like an itchy old horse hair blanket, and reach out to a better future for me and mine. I’ve re-written my goals for the coming 12 months, and I feel that they are now attainable. Once I reach my initial goals, I’ll re-write them and take them to the next level.

I fully intend to make a success of my new job. To do so, I will need to swallow some of my pride. Let me explain. I’ve never allowed anybody to bully or blackmail me into jumping through hoops in the past. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m a flexible guy, if a supervisor asks me to bend a little, I’ll do so, I will go the extra mile to help out, but I do feel flexibility is a two way thing. I do like to see something coming back, and if I see that the flexibility is all one way, I will draw the line. I do not give in to threats.

However, I can’t let my pride and dignity ruin my child’s life anymore, I’ve let her and her mom down too much over the last number of years, so now I’m in the new job, I’ll be swallowing a big chunk of pride, washed down with a decent draught of dignity, so my new boss just got lucky, and I’ll get to feed and clothe us better. There will still be a limit though, I won’t be anybody’s doormat!

I also intend to make my on-line marketing work for me from the beginning of this new era. As much as I enjoy writing and posting articles as a hobby, I want to start making it pay. My first goal for the next year is to earn enough to make a huge hole in my debts, and to pay for the holiday of a lifetime for Aimee and her mom.

Also, from next year on, I fully intend to capitalise on my trading activities. In the last six months, I have played the markets only sporadically, with mixed results. Again, with my new found positive energy, I know that I will be able to make that pay properly too. By the end of year one of this new era, I see myself as almost debt free – if not totally debt free. driving a nice car and plenty of money in the bank to begin phase two in new era, year two. One thing I haven’t mentioned yet, I’ll be dragging my family and friends along for the ride, all the success in the world is empty with no-one to share it with.

So forget the resolutions, forget the past! Shrug off that itchy blanket of gloom, re-appraise your goals and what you view success as, embrace the start of this new age. Remain optimistic and positive, and try and take the little knocks you may face along the way on the chin, and bear them with a grin.

Happy new era to you all!!!

Until the next time, keep your chin up, and be wise!

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I recently Had a job interview, it was my second interview with the company I was applying to work for. Happily, I had been called back after a successful first interview. For the second interview, I was tasked to give the interview panel a presentation. The theme for this presentation was: What Is Success?

I panicked at first. My initial thought about what success is was: That depends on who you’re asking the question to. Success means different things to different people. I didn’t really know where to start. After winding my neck in and thinking about it for a while, I decided to tailor my presentation on What Is Success, to what I felt my potential employers would like to hear.

Top of the pile, but how do you measure success?

Prior to this, my thoughts on what is success would more than likely have been the same as the majority of folk out there. You know, having lots of money, the big house and cars. All the trimmings basically. But when I was doing my research for this presentation, my mind was opened! I suppose you could say it was my road to Damascus moment as far as my thinking on what is success goes. Now, as a result of my research, my outlook on life has been changed.

I’m not going to re-write my “What Is Success” presentation here, that was only for the interview process – what I hoped my prospective employers wanted to hear. What I am going to write here are what I feel to be the real components to success in life as a whole. I haven’t put them in any particular order of importance, because they all inter-link to combine and provide our means of success in life. So, what factors contribute to what is success?

Financial Freedom:

This does not necessarily mean being fabulously rich as mentioned earlier. What I consider to be financial freedom, is the freedom of not having to think about money constantly. To me, it’s having enough money to pay the bills, feed and clothe my family and take care of the necessities in life, with enough to treat the family to a vacation occassionaly. Many people think of money when they think of success, and it is a main contributor, I do go along with that. But, you know you’re on the right road when you no longer have to constantly worry about money. That to me is financial freedom.

Personal Relationships:

You can have all the money in the world, but it will mean squat if you don’t have somebody to share that side of your success with. It doesn’t neccessarily just mean a spouse or partner, think parents, siblings, children, your wider family and friends and work colleagues or business associates. And I mean true friends there, not the bums who hang on to you because of your wealth. Think Ebeneezer Scrooge here! although he was only a fictional character, his spirit does exist in real life. Dickens probably knew a few people who Scrooge was actually based upon! On a personal level, I feel this to be the most important component. With a happy family and good friends around me, I’m already rich.

Health & Well-Being:

Without good health and vitality with which to enjoy success, success will be hollow. You owe it not just to yourself, but to those involved in your personal relationships to do what you can to maintain your health. I am aware that, ultimately, our fate is generally out of our hands. However, there are things you are able to do to ensure your life, and well-being can be prolonged, and you can retain that vitality. You don’t need to spend a fortune to maintain a healthy routine.

Peace of Mind:

This last component is really an amalgamation of all of the above. Peace of mind can mean different things to different people, like was mentioned in the 2nd paragraph above. I guess it depends on how you channel your thoughts. However, for me peace of mind is the thought I would no longer have any worries or fears about how I will provide for my family. This would in turn free me from the feelings of guilt and anger, which do come to the surface when you are struggling financially. Being free from worry, fear, guilt and anger, will certainly do wonders for your personal well-being. You’ll pretty much be stress free, which in turn will aid your immune system, which will help you to maintain your physical well-being. You’ll be a happy person, and happy people make for happy relationships.

So, what is success? Well once you have those above mentioned components wrapped up, you have got real success. Then and only then, should you think about chasing your riches. Get those four components checked off, and the world is your oyster.

Until the next time, keep your chin up, and be wise!

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Oh! By the way, I was successfull in my job application. I accepted the offer of employment the day before I posted this.

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I’ve wanted to do an article on faith for quite a while now, because it’s something that I have wrestled with in my mind for over 40 years. Plus, I would like to give you a picture of where I personally stand spiritually. The subject was once again brought to the forefront of my mind only recently. I had bought an old book at a flea market a few years ago, a compendium of mysteries, but I only recently picked it up and started to look through it. A section on faith healing caught my eye, and after reading 3 or 4 entries, I felt it begged the question. “Do I need to subscribe to a particular faith in order to receive faith healing should medical science fail me?”

You see, I lost my religion many years ago. I was christened a Roman Catholic in 1960. I remember the early part of my life as a God fearing little boy, who was terrified to blink without permission after constantly being told, both at home and at school, that any misdemeanours I got involved in could be seen as a ‘mortal sin’. That I would not go to heaven, but be left to roam purgatory, or be damned to an eternity in hell. Don’t know about you, but comments like that had me terrified, I was after all, just an impressionable little kid.

The turning point for me actually came at school. I can’t remember exactly when, but I was around 8 or 9 years old. A teacher was giving us a lesson on God and religion, and she asked the question to the class. “Does anyone in the class, not believe in God?” Larry Connor slowly put up his hand, the only one in the room. All eyes were upon him. The teacher asked him why he didn’t believe in God. His reply went something like this.

“My Nan was very sick, every morning and night we all prayed to God to help make my Nan better. “He didn’t and my Nan died.”

The teacher tried her best to explain to Larry – and the rest of us, that God had realised that his Nan’s time on Earth had come to an end, that she should suffer no more, that he had called her to join him and enjoy her rewards in heaven. Myself and my other classmates sat there listening, open mouthed in wonder, as impressionable young children do. But Larry’s response to that was what really had me sit up and think! He just shook his head in disagreement and, in words to this effect, said.

” It’s not just about my Nan, there’s lots of things that God should do for us all. “Things that would help everyone in the world, but he doesn’t exist, so bad things always happen.”

The poor teacher, Miss Manion, didn’t really stand a chance after that. She was bombarded from all corners from that point on. I remember the discussion was forcefully brought to a halt by teacher asking us to take out our maths books, or something, and the subject was changed. But that episode left a huge impression on my young mind. By the time I was 10, I had stopped going to mass, even though it meant I missed my weekly pocket money from Grandad!

Statue of Faith: Do I really have to subscribe to a religious dogma for healing???

But over the years since that day, I never really lost my spirituality! I always felt that there was something beyond our mortality. My spirituality was re-inforced in my mid-teens, when I purchased and read a book by Dr Raymond Moody called ‘Life After Life’ The book explained what happened to people who had been involved in near death experiences. People who, for a short time, were clinically dead, but were then revived. That book became a real eye opener for me. I guess you could say it became my bible. God is mentioned in the book, but it states that God isn’t interested what particular religious dogma you follow. All he is interested in, is that you live a good life, and refrain from doing evil unto others.

From that point, I came to the conclusion that organised religion was really just a massive scam. Initiated long ago by powerful men with a view to sugjugating the masses, keeping us in our place for their own ends. That scam has been perpetuated from time in memoriam. Over the millenia, how many religious factions have ‘sprung up’? How many conflicts have there been in the name of religion? How many gullible people have been fleeced by conmen requesting “donations” to “save their souls?” Well no thanks, you can keep all that. I’d rather donate my money to a worthy cause!

I have no argument with anybody who practises their faith, whatever it may be. If it gives a person comfort and makes them happy, then I’m happy for them. And I will listen to other peoples views, but I don’t want them ramming down my throat, or forced upon me.

I’m now in my early 50′s, and recently, I’ve been thinking of attending a spiritualist church. I’m looking for something that will give me a sense of “belonging” which is probably something I have been lacking in. But I want to feel that sense of belonging without a religious dogma attached to stifle me! Plus I hope to find the answer to my question… Do I need to practise a particular faith in order to receive faith healing?

I will keep you all posted on that one, please keep visiting the site, maybe bookmark it, or put it in your favourites. In the meantime, take a look at this old film of well know spiritual healer, Harry Edwards, in action.

Until the next time, keep your chin up, and be wise!

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Follow @1wiseowl