a better life, accountability, action, adaptation, anger, asking questions, attitude, awareness, beauty, belief, Beliefs, better choices, care empathy, caring, change, choices, communication, consciousness, courage, creativity, decisions, Energy, examined life, fundamentals, game of life, genuineness, Goals, goals, grace, gratitude, habits, happiness, hope, Imagination, intimacy, justice, leaders, listening, love, mind, mind-muscle connection, muscles, needs, opportunity, patience, perseverance, perspective, real man, relationships

HUMANE-NESS is DYING.

A few of my thoughts in a poem for you: –

Be more Humane. Begin with you, first. Be more humane with you, first. Then … share that humane-ness with others.

** HUMANE-NESS IS DYING **

The tired soul is dying
Leaving a void within,
The Humane-ness is lying
In silence, again, we begin;
In Freedom & bondage
Where deception runs deep,
They pass to their advantage –
The kingdoms are for keep.

And gaze while they’re sleeping
By reaching for height,
They rest in your feeling
An amazing bright light.
When doubt fills our glories
Of layers unfold,
It is then that the stories
Of our history are told.

Outnumbered I spoke with them
Recalling memories of delight,
But who could decipher them
When we’re living in fright.
Beyond all refusal
The doubts in our glories,
The wind is a dismal,
And Are part of these stories.

The waving of tall grasses,
The song of the hidden sinner,
That croons as it passes
You do so with a little quiver.
The heavy-heart is a fool
The summoning of jealousy,
The confusing schedule
Must blend until you see.

Without these, indeed, you
Would discover before too long,
Just like I would read to you
The words of a beautiful song
That exhaustion would linger
When flowers don’t bloom,
The melodies of a singer,
Of The hypnotic tune.

And, melding with each
For far too long
There, sadly humane-ness is dying
We are in need of a happy song.

  • Paul 💝alentine –

My gift 🎁 to you.
P.
~~~~

I love this quote. Increasing your awareness is parameters to having clarity and success in your life. SEARCH. Become the BEST ‘searcher’ you can be. One day .. you may find ALL the answers you’re seeking for YOUR questions to give ‘meaning’ to your life. A wonderful book says – “Seek and ye shall find; Ask and ye shall receive.” True.
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My MISTAKES are ….

ME. Mistake-riddled ME…. But I am happy being IMPERFECTLY PERFECT, just as Jesus Christ was. His life was a great example of what FAILURE was. Not an easy path to follow …. But I will. Because I BELIEVE in JESUS and what he stood for. Just like GOD intended.

… too numerous to list here.

I have made many mistakes. I will try to express it in words like this.

There were many times …

When I should have kept my mouth shut 🤫….

And I had spoken;

When I should have waited …

And I had left;

When I should have been patient …

And I had been haste;

When I should have been more caring & tender ….

But I had been tough;

When I should have faced my fear ….

But instead I had turned my back like a coward;

When I should have gone the extra mile …

But I stopped short;

When I should have been the first one to say “I am sorry “…

But allowed my anger to take over;

When I should have forgiven …

But hung on to resentment that ate me from within;

When I should have asked for help ….

But instead let my ego sabotage the achievement of my goals;

When I should have led

And yet, cowardly followed;

When I should have ran ….

But instead walked;

When I should have told the truth

But instead, lied;

When I should have offered assistance…

But instead wallowed in self-pity;

When I should have prayed to GOD

But instead lacked faith and belief;

When I should have had the strength to say “NO” …

And agreed to gain now and lose in the long-term;

When I should have listened to my heart

But allowed logical thinking to have full sway in decision making;

When I should have been active & engaged …

But instead was aloof and elsewhere but in the moment;

When I should have been more aware of my surroundings and those in my immediate sphere….

And instead was so self-absorbed ;

When at times, I should have been FOCUSED IN ATTENTION…

But instead included unnecessary NOISE;

When I should have reached out and touched someone …

And instead let selfish desires dominate;

When I should have found the lesson

And yet focused on the problem or issue at hand;

When I should have rested & allowed recovery…

But instead ignored trusting my instincts and suffered as a consequence;

When I should have stopped …

But lacked the ability to delay gratification;

There were times when I should have allowed my curiosity to get the better of me;

But instead I blocked my ears

When I should have cried …

But instead smiled and laughed;

When I should have said a few words …

But instead gave a thousand;

When I should have let my unusually strong 💪 stubborn-ness to dig deep;

But instead, succumbed to a feeling of weakness and gave up hope …

And ….

On … and … on … and … on ….

One thing is certain –

There’s still more mistakes to come

Life goes on

One thing that I have learned from making tonnes and tonnes of mistakes … of having experienced so many fuck ups …. Of failing multiple times is …

That I am more COMFORTABLE at tolerating the UNCOMFORTABLE FEELINGS of making a mistake … or fucking up … of failing … of failing …. Of failing. …..

I don’t see mistakes as mistakes anymore … but instead as OPPORTUNITIES to find solutions …. To stretch boundaries …. To DESIGN NEW RULES …. To CREATE something DIFFERENT …. To START ANEW.

I’m unsure of the future …

But I am not concerned;

I will rely on those closest to ME …

And I will share their burdens … as they share mine;

I WILL continue to ..

LIVE & LOVE 💕.. & LEARN … with the understanding that I am IMPERFECTLY PERFECT and …

Until my physical form on earth reaches its finite end and my spiritual self continues into INFINITY…

Because …

I BELIEVE that GOD is ALWAYS WITH ME …

And that makes me FEEL INVINCIBLE.. as I AM GOD … I AM INFINITE.

And YOU ARE TOO … if you believe.

What mistakes have you made?

What have you learned?

Be safe. Keep punching,

P.

ME. Mistakes and … all.

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A TASTE OF INFINITY.

A collage of CHAOTIC LINES …. somewhat organised into some kind of ORDER… to CREATE an IMAGE.

The “DOT”.

Aahh … I just love lines …

Let me ask you a question: what’s a drawing/sketch ?

Yep, a series of lines!

And here’s another question:

“What’s a line?”, I ask my kids …

yep, a series of dots!

“What’s a dot?” … the beginning, middle & end of a line. Right?

Well, one could argue that a “DOT” has no beginning, no end… it gives us a taste of INFINITY. If you can’t comprehend this idea, maybe in the 3rd dimension, that’s alright… it is definitely INFINITE in the 4th dimension.

I love drawing ✍️ and managing the fusion of ALL kinds of lines, mostly, to get lost … to become one with … to allow the love 💕 you have WITHIN … just waiting to be expressed…

… in an image that would hopefully be able to be understood and appreciated.

Life: Connections upon connections. A continuous pathway to … nowhere. Line Drawing – My Life: in frames Your task: draw your life in frames.

To LISTEN a little BETTER.

You see, after over 4 decades of practising the ART OF FINE-LINE Drawing ✍️, I have found that –

~ it allows me☝️ to LISTEN a little BETTER to my INNER voice … and ACCEPT my CREATIVE EXPRESSION … as I realise that LISTENING 👂…. TRUE LISTENING is a ….. FORM OF ACCEPTANCE

~ it allows me to …. NOT THINK 🤔 SOMETHING UP (some untraceable goal … I’m the clouds ☁️ somewhere up there ….) but instead encourages me to …. GETTING SOMETHING DOWN … GIVING SOMETHING

~ it reminds me that I am NOT DOING…. I AM GETTING…. I AM GIVING (hopefully, to an appreciative audience)

~ it reminds me that I AM ENGAGED IN “LISTENING “ … & that I have (still) much to learn and …. MASTER

~ it reinforces that I am not the CREATOR… I AM THE CONDUIT through which this Energy force .. this ESSENCE OF LIFE… this endless love 💕 … is TRANSMUTED.. into what eventually becomes an IMAGE… that hopefully RESONATES with the audience

Here’s are a number of picture of dots, lines and shades chaotically fused together into a somewhat orderly structure.

What do you see?

SIMPLICITY enfolds COMPLEXITY

One positive result of my fine-line work is that I CREATE or BRING TO LIFE … images that hopefully RESONATE with the heart is at least one viewer.

Many times, I don’t know what I will produce …. As I fuse and bring ORDER to the CHAOTIC lines …. The Art or image I produce is given life … and emerges on to the pages and fundamentally comes about because drawling lines allows me to TUNE IN to what is already there

Feeling the movement of my hand as I caress the ink pen to draw lines in the page …. gives me the strong belief of the POSSIBILITY that the UNIVERSE is helping me with what I am doing (always) … as I become a WILLING SON of GOD and accept his offer of help and guidance in all that I do.

Drawing ✍️ lines HUMBLES ME as it reminds me that GOD is the GREAT ARTIST 👩‍🎨… the GREATEST DESIGNER

You will see that for some drawings …. There is a lot of uncertainty. For example, In certain parts of the pages I began with chaos (scribbling lines & dots) & moved towards order & in other parts I started with order & transitioned to chaos (randomness).

It appears simple…

.. but Simplicity in this case, enfolds complexity (the picture communicates – symbolically, various aspects of life).

What can you see? (In my art)

Maybe life is just a sequence of layers of energy that reveals itself to us based on the level of consciousness we attain. Just like the many layers you see here in my line-art.

Does looking at my picture in portrait reveal something different to you? What about landscape? Upside down? What images get reflected in to your conscience?

In many of my drawings ✍️, randomness is interweaved with order.

My pictures/fine-like Art, are ultimately a fusion of chaos (random lines & “many mistakes”) & layers of unbalanced order) to produce (hopefully something that is visually stimulating & pleasing).

When does a drawing have enough lines? When is it one line too much?

My question to you is: When is enough, enough (could apply with most things in life)?

Thank you for your Attention.

Keep safe. Keep punching.

Until next time,

A fusion of chaotic lines managed into some kind of order.

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The KEY Skill of IMPERTURBILITY

Do you see the “FOCUS “ in my eyes?

Weapons of Mass Distraction.

Individuals like you and me have been battling many battles since we were born. Heck, human beings have all battled battles every day since the beginning of time.

Many battles – some Real, many Imaginary.

I like to think of these as the PRISONS WITHIN. Most of us live within the prison of our own minds, with anxieties, fears and uncertainties cluttering our brains and steering us away from mental freedom.

Currently, we are waging a war against being distracted. Yes, you read that right … we are constantly waging a daily war against formidable Goliaths, ripping our control over our ability to FOCUS.

These formidable Goliaths control the platforms and framework on which the increasing advanced technologies rest … and are voraciously consumed by the masses. Individuals have easy and relatively cheap access to and from the Weapons of Mass Distraction (WMD). 

In the 90s, we came to know what the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” were during the annihilation of parts of the Middle-East.

Who are “YOU?” Learn to love ❤️ YOU, first.

Are WE really winning?

Yes, you could argue that we are winning against the infectious diseases that have afflicted the human race. The advances mankind has made in the last 50 years in the fields of Bioengineering and the hard Sciences have benefited the lives of millions.

It has made our lives more convenient. The question we’ve got to ask is – convenience in place of what … our freedom and our ability to control our lives?

However, the recent COVID debacle may not support this (winning against infectious diseases).

It seems, to me anyway, that while the infectious diseases are under control (Externally) … we are losing a lot of ground in our true UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF. This is significantly affected by the increasing tendency to be DISTRACTED.

Our individual ability to MANAGE THE MIND … our ability to manage the CONFLICTS WITHIN .. INTERNALLY … has been on a downward spiral.

People are struggling to achieve “Peace of Mind” at all levels of society. It is an epidemic.

You, me … each and every one of us NEED to guard the doors of our mind like a good bouncer guards a nightclub door and stop potential trouble-makers.

Individual’s skills at doing this varies greatly and I believe the majority still have a long way to go in terms of mastering that skill being the BEST BOUNCER TO THEIR BRAIN.

In order to be a good bouncer, you must first try to become more AWARE of YOU. This increase in AWARENESS should be a positive one. You should then FIRST try to find your own HEALTHY STRESS LEVEL in life, for example, are you a –

1)   Racehorse

2)   Tortoise

Your increase in Positive Self-Awareness should be built on a strong foundation of the KEY SKILL OF IMPERTURBILITY.

And what does this mean?

Wonderful insight in to the mind of a Great Leader. Be courageous. Everything stems from courage. Never let anyone or anything tear your dignity from you.

PRESENCE of MIND.

Being “imperturble” refers to having the coolness and Presence of Mind under ALL Circumstances … not some of the time but ALL of the time.

Having the presence of mind in ALL weather .. in calm weather … and in storms …

Having a presence of mind means having a CLEARNESS OF JUDGEMENT in MOMENTS of GREAT PERIL.

This is one of the KEY SKILLS needed to live a relatively GOOD LIFE. 

For life. 

This is a key skill that is not spoken about often … a skill that does not get ‘the light of day’ … The KEY SKILL of IMPERTURBILITY.

To dig deep, you have to dig deep.

Improving your AGILITY ABILITY Ratio strengthens your Aura of IMPERTURBILITY.

Another version of the “Warrior of Love 💕 “ within

In my experience, because individuals don’t know themselves as well as they think they do, they don’t know what their STRESS TOLERANCE Levels are. As a result, their ability to RESPOND to Stresses is very poor. They essentially DO NOT have the necessary skills to RESPOND appropriately and sufficiently.

Improving your AGILITY ABILITY is heavily influenced by your ability to ADAPT. It is in the process of adaptation that you strengthen your Agility Ability Ratio.

As a mentor told me long ago –

“It is not the smartest or strongest who survive .. it is the one that ADAPTS the fastest.”

In my experience of life and from learning from other peoples’ experiences through life, another thing that helps is to begin by ACCEPTING the IDEA … the School of Thought … that ALL STRESSES OF LIFE is “NORMAL”.

This perspective helps improve your ABILITY to ADAPT and hence your AGILITY ABILITY Ratio.

“where do I begin?” you may be thinking.

Well … 

Just BEGIN.

That is a START.

BEGIN … WITH YOU.

BEING … Just BEGIN.

BEGIN … to summon your COURAGE.

Yes .. that is where your BEGIN.

It takes COURAGE just to BEGIN.

Then .. 

BEGIN … 

BEGIN … to BELIEVE IN YOU … 

AGAIN.

And … 

AGAIN.

Just … 

BEGIN … 

Today … NOT tomorrow.

BEGIN  … to KNOW YOU … 

… the 

REAL  … YOU.

YOU CAN DO IT.

Just DO IT (love this NIKE slogan).

Go … search … for the BEST OF YOU.

Thank you.

Hey, it’s early Christmas 🎅 Day today … and here I am writing these thoughts while my family sleeps ….

so, Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to you and your family and those you care for dearest.

Until next time,

P.

Balance & symmetry brings you closer to harmony … to beauty …closer to infinity. Just like mathematics does
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THE NEED To WITHDRAW.

Feel.

In whatever goal you desire, you need to make sure you understand how to use the tools 🛠 necessary to bring about the change you seek. One of the places I “withdraw “ to … one of my top 5 “soul” places. A place where I INFUSE myself with the “essence of life “ – VITALITY.

As an living Artist, I FEEL withdrawal is a NEED.

It’s necessary, for me, at least.

If you’re an Artist, you may feel the same way, too. Maybe, you don’t think of yourself as an artist 👨‍🎨 but you feel the same way too.

I believe every individual is an Artist, within. We ALL have the ability to CREATE.

Without taking periods of withdrawal, I can feel vexed, angry and out of sorts. If I don’t take this “time out” … I can become sullen, depressed.. even hostile and anti-social.

I believe ALL artists NEED to have “down-time”. And what is that?

It’s time To DO NOTHING. Yes, do NOTHING!Adopting and defending the RIGHT to DO JUST THAT – NOTHING. Doing nothing is NOT Trivial matter.

It’s not easy to do because everyone around you … the rest of the world is on a “busy” paradigm.

Do you dance? Do you sing? Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon-light?

Sense of SELF.

To love and live this VALUE, it takes COURAGE, CONVICTION and a good dose of RESILIENCE. A lot of times, this time, space & quiet… strikes family and friends as WITHDRAWAL … from them.

It IS.

This could fall into the categories of being an “asshole”

So be it.

I believe everyone is so concerned with being VIRTUOUS…. ALL caught up in the VIRTUE TRAP.

Sometimes, this is ESSENTIAL to being your BEST. Producing your BEST work. There are powerful pay-offs to be found in staying stuck … and deferring nurturing your SENSE OF SELF.

Sometimes.

Like you, I strive to be good, to be nice, to be helpful, to be unselfish. Like most people, I want to be generous, of service, of the world.

But here’s the thing: sometimes… what I REALLY WANT is to be LEFT ALONE.

And I am very blessed

Because almost all the time,

Those that I find most valuable, GIVE me that. They understand. It’s important for me … it allows me to re-charge… to re-energise … to re-calibrate…. To Re-think…. To Think more effectively.

To find … the Real ME. Again.

It’s a blessing.

It’s a beautiful thing.

It’s life – affirming.

It’s a Human thing to do.

It COMPLETES, Me.

What about you?

Keep punching,

Until next time …

P.

Hiding away. Withdrawal from others isn’t a bad thing. It does not make you less virtuous. It does not make you bad. What it does do is … re-energise… re-vitalise … re-charge YOU, so that you give the BEST of YOU to those that need you.
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I AM AN ARTIST.

“ I AM AN ARTIST 👨‍🎨.

For some of us, we learn best by going where we have to go and doing what we have to do.

I CREATE (Art), in a number of ways …

I express my love through many mediums …

I PLAY with –

⁃ words …. In poems, blogs & books

⁃ fine-lines with Black fine-nib pens on white paper

⁃ the human physique by playing with Dumbells, energy inputs, processes and imagination

⁃ Lifestyle variables to DESIGN TAILORED LIFE & LIFESTYLE SOLUTIONS for individuals

⁃ Consciousness to “see” what many do not in the current & future

First and foremost, I AM AN ARTIST 👨‍🎨…

Of LIFE.

I may need a different mix of chaos & order … a more challenging mix of comfort & discomfort … a varying mix of stability & flow compared to more “normal “ people.

People may find it weird, but …

That’s ok.

I see life as an very large experiment made up of many smaller experiments. I refer to these experiments as experiences.

And I Am … the Scientist at heart… with an artistic soul.

I practise the Art of Physique Artistry/sculpting. The Art of the building towards better BALANCE & SYMMETRY with the OPTIMAL FLOW of MUSCLES.

WHAT WORKS For ME.

I remind myself that I must experiment with WHAT WORKS FOR ME.

As an Artist 👨‍🎨, money does not validate my credibility.

As an Artist, my credibility lies WITH ME, GOD & My WORK. In other words, if I write a Blog … a poem … if I sketch ✍️ a fine-like picture of beautiful building architecture … then, I write or draw – whether it will sell or not.

I CREATE what WANTS to be CREATED.

I listen to my soul.

I AM A PERPETUAL CHILD.

Since my Artist is a child, the natural CHILD WITHIN… I try to make some compromises to its sense of timing.

Timing is important … a characteristic that is not given it’s fair due.

Many times I will write poorly… draw badly … sculpt awfully … perform poorly. I allow myself to do this … to get to the OTHER SIDE. The side that spurns creative thought …

In my experience, IMAGINATION & CREATIVITY is it’s OWN REWARD.

I have been and am, continually in awe of the wonders & daily little miracles in life … of Life, itself.

One of My jobs is to continue to be in awe of the wonders of life and retain my CURIOSITY… to ALWAYS DEEPEN my understanding and increase AWARENESS of the MYSTERY of LIFE.

I love photography Art, especially of Flowers 💐.

Sense of self Respect.

As an Artist, my sense of self respect comes from my belief that I am created in the image of God, my internal reflection and from DOING THE WORK.

What work?

My work …

One fine-line-sketch -at-a-time, one set of exercise at a time, one poem at-a-time, one blog-at-a-time … one dream at-a-time. Five years working on a lifestyle proto-type, 10 years working on an entrepreneurial adventure, a lifetime pursuing a dream that takes a lifetime.

As an Artist, making money is not what drives me. I do not need to be extremely wealthy & rich but I do need to be RICHLY SUPPORTED by those who love & BELIEVE in me.

My CURIOSITY NEEDS to be fueled for my intellectual, spiritual & philosophical needs. These needs as well as my insatiable physical & emotional needs have to be continually fed to continuously EVOLVE.

I must …

Never allow these needs to be stagnant, for this will show in my work. If will show In my life. It will show In my temperament. …

… In my aura, my vitality.. my life force.

It is very important that I keep moving …. As this allows me to CREATE.

I need to CREATE to express my love for life … of life . If I fail to create, I get moody.

Nobody likes a moody – me.

In order to CREATE I must stretch the boundaries … making new laws … encouraging novel ways of looking at things … and not necessarily following the existing laws and staying within the current boundaries.

First, I must BREAK ALL THE RULES.

As an Creative Artist, I need to continually FEED and NURTURE my ARTIST CHILD… for the more I nurture this INNER CHILD, the more ADULT i am able to appear.

Through the right plan, positive mental attitude, Brad applies principles of my program towards being a lot more who he already is (the BEST he can be)

There is a CONNECTION between SELF-NUTURE & SELF-RESPECT.

When I allow myself to be bullied (very seldom), and somewhat allow to be forced by other peoples’ need for me to conform … to be more normal or more nice, I lose myself.

Sometimes I do. I lose my – Self.

I allow myself to succumb to the whims of the ordinary man, to be ordinary like the ordinary. Something My inner fibre of being just does not agree with.

I sabotage my CHILD ARTIST.

For when I am not creating, I am not a very nice person to be around. I am certainly not “normal” or very nice – go myself or to others. Many say I am “weird”.

So be it.

In my experience, There is a connection between self-nurture and self-respect.

Be the best you can be for you, first, then by default, everyone gets the best of you. Vv.

Creativity is a SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.

Every time I create something from nothing, I feel the creativity is a spiritual journey. For me, doing the ART WORK is a SPIRITUAL PRACTISE.

To me, there is never a “finishing line” or point where I can say that “I have made it!”

It seems that when I feel I “got there” … “there” vanishes. Vanishes into thin air. Just like that . In sculpting the physique for example, I have been working towards the elusive holy grail of bodybuilding: balance & symmetry.

Haven’t found it for almost 30 years now.

Every time I create … I have a piritual journey.

I NEED to keep moving … like a Spiritual Shark 🦈… if I stop improving, I will sink to the bottom of the Ocean of life and …

Die.

MY WAY like LIFE’S WAY is not the “straight & narrow path” as the majority take … but one instead which is literally “my way”

MY WAY is a SPIRAL PATH… not the straight & narrow. My way is a spiral path because I AM an ARTIST, but more importantly, I am created in the image of God.

It is a simple and as complex as that.

As an artist, I am a traveller. In body and in spirit & imagination. I yield to my SPIRITUAL LEADING.

The Creator bestows on us the gift of creative thinking & doing. Our recognition & use of our gifts, given by God, is, in turn, our gift 💝 to God.

When you Accept this DEAL OF A LIFETIME… I believe it is the beginning of TRUE SELF-ACCEPTANCE.

Give thanks and praise the Lord.

Amen.

FIRST: MOVE INTO THE BODY, HEART ❤️ & SOUL.

To move into the body, heart & soul, one must first resolve to ACCEPT that one MUST MOVE OUT OF THE HEAD/MIND.

This is not easy.

Especially in a “busy” world with a lot of external & internal noise.

I make exercise a key part of my life because I am and have been seeking a form of MOVING or MOBILE MEDITATION. The execution of well-chosen exercises allows me to practise this … what I call – moving meditation.

This meditation experience puts me squarely IN THE MOMENT… in the NOW.

If I don’t respect the weight and/or don’t focus, I will get injured. I have not gotten injured lifting weights since I began almost 30 years ago.

My goal has always been to seek BALANCE & SYMMETRY in body… which translates to balance & symmetry in mind, heart & soul.

Like I said, earlier, many of us (like me), we DO learn by doing. Exercise, for example, is often the impetus that moves us … moves us from stagnation to inspiration… from seeing problems to opportunities for find solutions … from self-pity to self-respect & living with dignity.

One of the things we learn is that – I AM Stronger … WE ARE … STRONGER THAN WE THOUGHT. From my experience, we learn to have a different worldview… we learn to look at things with a new Perspective.

And a lot of times, this different perspective is the KEY to experiencing life a little differently … a little bit better …

With …

Added …

FUN.

Thank you

Yours in care, compassion & trust,

P.

I love fine-line pen 🖊 sketching. No pencil, no rubber. Black pen strokes. Can you spot the “mistakes?”
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FEARING FEARS.

My fridge magnet. Have courage. Continue to fuel your courage … every single day of your life.

To Risk or not to risk?

The question we all face today and for the rest of our lives is this : to risk or not to risk?

I believe everything we do is built on a foundation of confidence. Whether you’re a student or a master in your field comes down to your confidence in your abilities and experience and … risk to your professional reputation.

I believe that there is an inordinate level of security-mindedness in our modern-day societies. Perhaps We shouldn’t be surprised that in our post 9/11 world, the topic of of risk is a sensitive one.

Prior to the recent covid , in recent history, Scientists have regularly made headlines with warnings about such new risks as (as examples) : bird-flu pandemics and flesh-eating bacteria and old risks like category 5 hurricanes and earthquake-triggered tsunamis.

I believe we live in a world where risk -benefit analysis has become a recognised science… where “risk management “(an area I worked as a senior consultant to multinationals for almost 10 years) … is a popular college major .

It prepares more and more young professionals to work in all manner of industries

But …. here’s the thing …

No matter what safety steps we take or what security precautions we adopt, our risk of death 💀, say, is not approximately – but EXACTLY – 100 percent.

There is no margin of error in that statistic.

Courage is the springboard to success in anything worthwhile.

Elevated Risk-Taking.

I spent my early childhood in a culture that encouraged risk-taking and … a sense of wonder and mystery… one that did not put more of our trust in technology. One that did not think about increasing regulations whenever something goes wrong.

No … there was a communicated emphasis on community & togetherness. There was purposeful shift towards more trust, more care and more compassion.

Three things I think the world needs more of.

My question is: in our modern-day societies, what impact does people’s abnormally elevated security-mindedness has on people’s willingness to take risks now ? That we are being taught one way (in our educational institutions) …. This is the way I remember doing when I was in year 7. There is nothing extraordinary about it … I’ve been doing that since I was in early secondary school and then we learn it again university and further education . … and in our professional careers.

It is a great feeling to do this … but make sure it isn’t your ego that is leading. Stubbornness, well that’s ok.

Life itself is a Risky Business.

I think RISK & FEAR has become an increasingly significant word in American lexicon. If you google these 4-letter words … you’ll receive more than a billion references in less than a second.

I believe people are more sensitive to risk today than at any other time in history. So many are kit merely preoccupied with risk & fear … but I think are often downright schizophrenic about the topics.

This anxiety about risk permeates in American society and impacts it in endless ways. Good. Bad. Ugly. And sometimes ridiculous. American society dictate the world’s societies because well, America is the Super Power.

This fear mongering is everywhere and in everything… embedded deep in the psyche of modern-day citizens, many of which are unaware.

For example, It’s why we have surgeons general warnings on every pack of cigarettes. There are just so many examples of this “fear” everywhere … down to even a phrase : “fear setting”.

How did society become so intrigued by fear /risk – and so worried about it at the same time? People forget that Life itself is a risky business. We have heard many parables and/or stories … and most of us know the messages behind these stories.

Question is – do we truly UNDERSTAND?

It’s like the adventurer who was asked why he climbed the mountains and answered, “because it’s there!”

He took the risk. That’s the message… he just DID IT! No FEAR babee!!

Have no doubt. Help yourself first. You are more than just YOU… God will meet you half way … he ALWAYS does. All you ahve to do is: BELIEVE.

So-called EXPERTS DO NOT always have the last words …

I truly believe the US and many modern societies (Europe and Australia) have cultures that has developed this intense love-hate relationship with risk/fear, in part because it’s always there.

I believe we are seeing a timely and unprecedented convergence of trends and historical & current developments that supports the contention that we (Americans and western societies) are more focused on, and aware of, the risks/fears we face today than any other society In history.

And why?

Well… simply because we can.

People can easily equip themselves (technology) to recognise, understand, catalogue, measure, compare and know more about fears/risks they face than any other society in history.

One truth I’ve learned in my experience in Risk Mamagement is that so-called “experts” (in all fields) DO NOT always have the last word on risk/fears. Sometimes they only add to people’s doubts and confusions about the uncertainties and fears/risks people face in life.

The ratings-driven nature of the media today only further distorts people’s perspectives on the risks/fears they face. As a result of people’s misperceptions, I believe people overrate and worry more than they should. Despite the mind-boggling amount of information available today…. there’s clearly a huge gap between people’s perception of some fears/risks and thee actual magnitude.

Building your strength in the gym is only one definition of what it means to be ‘strong’

What risks /fears do people really need to worry about?

So another question is: what risks/fears do people really need to worry about?

How in the world does the average person make reasonable and wise decisions about their fears and risks they face when their perspectives on the subject is so often distorted? How does the average person decides what risks are acceptable?

Rather than worrying /reacting to every fear/risk…. what’s more important is the skill at discerning which ones you can do something about.

In other words, the wisdom to know what to worry about and the courage to find solutions to the issues and act on them.

I also believe not all fears/risks are bad.

Very important point: WISDOM is different from, and often more critical than, KNOWLEDGE.

In fact, I believe that too often, all information we’ve been given, all the risks/fears we’ve encountered and contemplate.. & all the warnings people receive from so many sources actually combine to skew people’s perceptions.

So, what hope s is that EFFECTIVE Risk Analysis and decision-making becomes MORE difficult rather than less.

So… back to my previous entry – instead of losing ourselves in all the knowledge before us and sliding into more worry, people should exercise more wisdom.

I think it was Teddy Roosevelt who once declared-

“Far better is it to dare mighty things than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much.”

I’m convinced most of the success I’ve experienced in my life so far and the majority of my personal and professional accomplishments over the years is from a practical formula I developed and used from my early childhood.

I have helped thousands overcome their fears using this formula … and

It hasn’t failed me yet.

It has never failed.

Want to know the “fail-proof” method I use? Get in touch with me.

Until next time,

Keep punching…. Don’t stop believing… most importantly , in –

YOU!

P.

Change your philosophy, change your life. Vv.
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The Greatest Leadership Statement ever made.

The world has and has had many good Leaders in all fields but very few GREAT Leaders.

I believe The greatest leadership statement ever made was made by the greatest Leader & psychologist that ever walked this earth: JESUS CHRIST.

Turning to his disciples he said –

Come, FOLLOW ME.” (Luke 18:22)

It was not an order.

It was more of an invite, not a requirement. Jesus, gave his disciples a choice … he gave them the freedom to decide for themselves.

He gave them the option to say “no”

In other words, he allowed them to keep their dignity. He gave them respect. As you know, the “no” Answer is perhaps the greatest expression of self respect … the greatest expression of dignity possible.

So … as a Christian… as a believer, like I am, let me ask you some questions :

⁃ do you follow him?

⁃ are you going to follow him?

⁃ Why / why not?

If Beauty is balance & symmetry.
If Beauty is truth. Then, it follows that truth is balance & symmetry. To be balanced & Symmetrical is to be God-like.

Ask, Seek & Knock.

Many individuals do not like to ask questions. One reason is that they don’t want to depend on someone else. To ask, makes them feel a sense of humiliation.

Personally, I’ve been asking questions since I was a toddler, some of which certainly makes me look like a fool. My insatiable CURIOSITY gets the better of me all the time as I don’t really ask questions for answers but for better understanding.

Here’s the thing, To ask, you may run the risk of indicating:

⁃ You don’t know.

⁃ You ran out.

⁃ You don’t understand.

⁃ You’re not prepared.

⁃ You need more information.

⁃ You came up short.

⁃ You can’t find it.

⁃ You failed.

⁃ You’re not sure.

As Christians, we should never be afraid or shamed of asking … of asking questions. Not asking questions, undermines our need for God.

Jesus says we should ask … we should knock … we should seek. And why?

Because asking puts us back in alignment with God. It assumes a “two-way relationship “… a NEED-Relationship with him. You could say a “hand-to-mouth” spiritual existence.

We live in modern Societies that tries to satisfy every desire … with instant gratification. Over time, this constant rush to fill every felt need of the individual … rips … steals the soul of a person.

We eventually get our soul back but … at a price.

“And what is this price?” You may ask

I will answer that question with a question: What do you think is the “price” you pay … for losing your soul?

Balance & symmetry brings you closer to harmony … to beauty …closer to infinity. Just like mathematics does

Questions. For God & From God.

Can you live without knowing the answers to questions? Many are simply not willing to live with questions.

To have questions, brings down your aura. It leaves us feeling vulnerable, weak, even needy.

Questions open up holes to others where they may not have perceived to be… it raises doubts with regards to our theology or our lifestyle.

If you’re anything like me, you have many questions about life and living. You have questions for God and seek answers from him.

Sometimes God answers us with questions . Sometimes, we get questions from God. questions that may leave us humbled, awed, speechless, weak and believing.

Believing, not because we’ve Found the answer but because we’ve seen God.

I have more questions now than when I started. I’m sure you do, too. That does not matter … that is not the important point.

What matters … is that you, me… we … christians … SEE GOD.

It is only when we allow ourselves to SEE GOD that we discover the TRUEST ANSWER to ALL our questions.

And do you know what the truest answer is?

Well, It is to … WORSHIP HIM.

We must ALL follow him. We must ALL follow the man who said the greatest Leadership statement ever made –

Come.. follow me.”

I know I AM. Who’s with me?

May God continue to shower his blessings down on you

Until next time,

Christians believe in Jesus Christ, their saviour. Do you believe in him? DO you believe in God?
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ART, just IS.

Life is NOT about Time Management, it is about ENERGY MANAGEMENT. Learn to manage energy better by becoming a better conduit of energy, the better at life, you become.

A little play-with-words from me … to you… a small snippet of un-edited thoughts on ART –

“It is a message … a flow of energy

From the heart… the soul.

Art is an expression of love,

It materialises the MYSTERY of

The UNKNOWN… removing the

“UN” from UN-KNOWN;

Don’t strive to make GREAT Art,

Just MAKE, Art.

Don’t strive to be a GREAT Artist,

Just BE an Artist.

The desire to create great works of art,

Makes it harder to create any Art at all!

With any worthwhile GOAL, the pursuit

of it, requires COURAGE, To begin with.

Nothing can be achieved without it.

Matter of fact, life itself,

EXPANDS or CONTRACTS in

Direct proportion to Courage.

Have COMPASSION.

With YOU.

Your heart.. your soul … your mind,

With your Creative output…

Your work.

Every person faces CREATIVITY FAILURE (S),

Throughout their lives,

And the trick is to survive them;

Successful Creative Artistry of any art medium,

Is built on the back or successful creative failures;

To deal with these creative failures,

One must summon courage

To manoeuvre these CREATIVE U-TURNS;

By, firstly, extending oneself sympathy,

One must be more COMPASSIONATE with oneself;

I see the Creative Artist 👨‍🎨 WITHIN,

as – a CHILD;

And what does a child do?

A child – sulks, throws tantrums, holds

Grudges, hides irrational fears – like –

Fear is the dark, the bogeyman …

Work on convincing the WHOLE YOU,

To be released from these child fears and

Come out to play.

As LAO – TZU said –

Be really WHOLE and all

Things come to you.”

– Paul e 💝alentine –

My gift 🎁 to you.

Until next time,

Find your strengths. Society only rewards when you’re working from your strengths. Work to your strengths. Give your Gifts. Live. I like this hat.
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Here’s Why we should REACT snd question “PROGRESS “

No one can play “you” better than – YOU. Be, You.

Reactionary.

All human behaviour is fundamentally, REACTIONARY.

We are ALWAYS Reacting to something or someone. Many businesses thrive on this Reaction and the predictive futures of this reaction.

We stop reacting when we are dead. Have you observed people who have “stopped”. They’re like walking zombies … they effectively live like they were dead!

Not healthy. Not recommended.

So, I believe ALL human thinking is, in a way, reactionary.

And we, as individuals, as communities, as nations … have to react to accepted ideas propagated by those who control communication platforms.

A yellow door maybe? Perhaps you like the colour yellow. What is your colour blind?

Progress.

Here’s one accepted idea: PROGRESS.

What does that mean?

You hear it regularly thrown about by large corporations as they exploit the resources of developing and poorer nations. As they force archaic working policies on our fellow civil citizens. And their request: that we just stand by idly and accept.

Without a voice. Without a reaction.

Progress in technology … progress in pollution… progress in pornography … progress in freedom of speech… progress in behaviour … and so forth… are not All that good.

And why?

Well, because the HUMAN NATURE does not change. The term “progress” is a human invention. There is no evolution in the human character and … in the human mind. Human Relationships still take time to form.

Does that mean that you need to stop the change?

No.

Change, in itself, is not necessarily good. Just like stability. Change can be good or bad, just like stability can be good or bad.

It is a question of QUALITY.

Everything in our lives … our human life … every problem is a question of Quality and not quantity.

And yet, the progress has technology and importance of numbers and logic is of paramount importance. This is a very distorted approach to viewing progress as it primarily uses a very deductive and logical framework. At the expense of intuition, of matters of the heart. Of feelings.

All for the sake of Progress.

As part of a healthy inclusive discussion, we should be encouraged to listen to all sides of anything or anyone claiming that something should be adopted.

The pros and cons of the idea or creation or technology should be debated and “thrashed out” before it is implemented.

This should be a normal part of any healthy discussion.

Let’s look at one example:

Where is your “Hulk?” The Hulk is very reactionary and he expresses his ANGER in a very destructive way.

Anger.

What is Anger?

Anger is just that – anger.

Our society frowns at anger.

Anyone that displays and outward

Expression of what could be seen as

Anger, is frowned upon.

They’re asked to take “Anger Management”

Courses.

But, anger is no different to any other of the

Multitude of emotions that we all feel

From time-to-time.

It is the “other side of a two-sides coin”

Anger, is simply, Anger.

It is a Reaction.

A reaction to something or someone who

Throws you off balance

It is a reaction… just like I said earlier that

All human behaviour is reactionary.

Anger is a reaction.

Is it seen as pro-progress if we suppressed

Anger?

Should we?

Would it not be more beneficial for each of

Us to question and react to whatever it is

That is “rubbing you the wrong way”

Under the disguise of “progress?”

Anger, is simply, Anger.

It isn’t good. It isn’t bad.

It just is.

It is as reactionary as any other human behaviour.

What you do with it is what matters.

It’s like anything else.

You can use it to build or to destroy.

You just have to make the choice.”

But do you really have a choice?

Anger can be expressed positively and negatively.

Positive anger is also termed “Constructive anger,” Also known as passion.

People with passion is reverred.

Throughout history…

Passion has overthrown tyrants and freed prisoners and slaves.

Passion has brought justice where there was injustice.

Passion has brought kindness & care where there was savagery.

Passion has created freedom where there was nothing but fear.

Passion has helped souls rise from the ashes of their horrible lives and build something better, stronger, more beautiful.

Passion is that fire 🔥 that grows into lasting

Hope and faith that there will be a

… better tomorrow.

So… it is what we choose to do with that inner fire 🔥 is what matters

And …

We should not be afraid to express it …

So as to react to and question all ideas that sprouts “progress “ as their mantra.

Not everything that says is contributing to “progress” is necessarily good for you.

We should all be wary about just accepting all the benefits espoused by new technology and not sitting down to discuss the limitations or risks in the short & long-term.

Thank you

Until next time,

My idol.

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