Would You Rather...

Would you rather...

1. Have people be nice in front of your face, yet back stab you? or Have people tell you upfront that they don't like you?

2. Go in debt to please people? or Be considered a cheapskate because you won't spend outside your budget?

3. Do the easy thing and be popular? Or Do the right thing and be criticizied by people?

These are questions that have come to mind lately. People need to slow down and not lose themselves in this world without reflecting on their own actions and how it might affect those around them. If need to, as a rule of thumb, self-reflection should take place as little as every six months or even every couple of months.

For example, if you decide to do it at six months: you should think what kinds of things were accomplished the past six months, what you liked, what you didn't like, and then look at six months in advance and decide what you like and will keep, areas that need improvement and areas that need changing.

You would feel surprised at how well you feel.

Poverty Awareness Should Be Everyday, not Just Today

I am all for days of promoting special topics, holidays, and interests, however, I do feel certain topics should not just have a special day, it should be everyday especially if it concerns humanity, like poverty does.
In the blogging world, bloggers are posting about poverty in honor of Blog Action Day. Just Google and you will find many posts written about poverty from different perspectives and different view points.

I am going to list a bunch of questions for you to think and reflect about. Some may be painful, some may not be.

• Is your neighbor hungry while you eat?
• Did you buy your child's 20th toy within the couple of months?
• Did you just throw some food away because you didn't feel like dealing with leftovers?
• Did you buy yourself a top of the line sports car while your brother suffers in debt which were not to his doing?
• Did you throw gently used clothing in the garbage?
• Did you throw recyclable items in the trash?
• Did you insult person of lesser wealth today?
• Did you smile at a passing stranger?
• Did you thank your cashier today?
• Did you thank your teacher today?
• How about your mom and dad?
• Did you volunteer? You know give back to your community?

Study your own life. There ways to improve. Poverty can happen to anyone, so it is best to be humble and not arrogant because what comes around can go around.

Remember those who are in need.

Fall Activities for You or Your Family

Here are 5 things that you can do to enjoy the fall.

1. Reflect on your life and self. Decide what you are satisfied with and what you would like to change.

2. Rake the leaves in a big pile and have your children run and jump in the pile. Sure it is messy--hey we all did that when we were kids, and we turned out just fine.

3. Go for walks. Ask your children what he or she sees, hears, and feels.

4. Now is the time to bake some goodies which is also a great experience for children as well.

5. Take photos of the beauties that are seen in the Fall. Then frame them, or have children write captions underneath them.

These tips are meant to inspire you. Let your mind go free!

Walking Everyday

Walking everyday is not only physically healthy for you, but also mentally and spiritually healthy. While your leg muscles get exercised, so does your mind because you have time to reflect about your life and your environment.

You begin to see the beauty of nature. You become more aware of the intricate details that make up your environment. You can't help yourself, but think about how you blend with your environment. It is a great time to reflect and contemplate.

Walking everyday is a form of discipline that you will eventually feel the benefits.

Reflection of the World

You ARE the reflection of the world. When people meet you, you represent the world to them. You will help them decide if the world is a lovely place or a terrible one. You will always be remembered as a happy and good person, or you can be remembered as a negative thinking person.

You are that powerful to influence others. So, when you do meet your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, remember how you deal with them will be their view of the world.

As the old cliche goes, "Treat people the way you want to be treated"--with respect.

Don't Stress During the Holidays, You're Not Supposed To

Right now there is Hanakah, Eid al Adha, Christmas and Kawanza, just to name a few during this month.

Each group will be celebrating spiritually and with family. There also may be presents involved as well.

However, what is becoming a common observation is STRESS. Plenty of my friends complain about how much Christmas is costing them and how their tasks of to do things and planning keeps getting longer, where it has now become a burden.

Is that right? I don't think so. I have given ideas to my friends saying skip the presents and celebrate in simplicity (because I believe less is more). Limit gifts, I say. Make handmade gifts. Have loved ones help in making dinners and deserts. I could keep going.

To me, no matter what religion you practice, a holiday is a holiday--not a "helliday". This is the time where you should use this for spiritual or reflective purposes. This is the time to contemplate on your existence and how you can improve your own life--how to be a better human.

Holidays are time to make us humble, and not to forget the less fortunate around us and outside our countries.

So, I offer you a holiday challenge. Instead of worrying about how many gifts and groceries to buy, reflect on the meaning of your life.

Reflect on how you can help the needs of improving humanity.

Just reflect. You will be surprised.

Hitting the 1,000th mark

I have hit a new milestone. I have reached the 1,000th view on this blog, what an awesome feeling. I will continue to post, allowing you to interpret the way you want to.

Since I have begun posting, I have grown as a person and a writer as I posted on this blog. I have learned to look at things differently or expand some of my thinking even further. I hope I have done this for some of my readers, and will continue to do so.

My identity remains anonymous because I want to represent humanity. I want to represent ideas of diversity.

Life as Part of the Education

Time never stops. It keeps going regardless if we are ready or not. Every minute of your life is a learning experience, part of your education that supplements your school education. What you do that second tends to affect you later on. You tend to connect experiences with each other when you embark on a new experience. This is how you learn. You use your past experiences to help you with your new experiences.

Learn to reflect about your life, and do it about every six months. Take the time to look at what you did for the past six months. Ask yourself these questions:

*Are you happy with the overall picture? Why or why not?
*What have you learned from the past six months?
*What was your most memorable experience?
*What was your least memorable experience?
*What was your most challenging experience?
*Now what would you like to do in the next six months? How can you reach that
goal?

You can add more questions, if you like. Anything to create thinking and reflecting. Be honest when you answer these questions because you can always plan some things in advance to avoid certain situations. Remember, life is part of your education. Use it to your advantage.