Category Archives: Vitality

a better life, abdominals, accountability, action, adaptation, adequate sleep, ageing, asking questions, attitude, authenticness, awareness, balance, beauty, belief, belief systems, Beliefs, better choices, body, Body shape, body weight, caring, change, change management, chaos, choices, compassion, consciousness, courage, decisions, desire, diet, eating, Energy, examined life, fairness, faith, fat, Fitness, forgiveness, fundamentals, game of life, Goals, goals, God, gratitude, gym, habits, happiness, hope, Imagination, intimacy, leaders, leadership, life, long-term perspective, long-term strategy, love, muscle building, muscles, needs, patience, perseverance, perspective, planning, respect, responsibility, risk, safe training, self, self discipline, self love, self-image, self-respect, significance, spirit, Strength training, strengths, success, symmetry, synergy, taking action, time, Timing, training, truths, Vitality, wisdom, workouts, you, your life

HABITS are like WATER 💦. Here’s why ….

One ☝️ of my “soul” places…. Where the grass meets the sand meets the water meters the sky … we’re all walking, talking capsules of predominantly water.

I believe habit is like water (I’ll come back to why later).

Have you set your goals for the year? How are you progressing towards it? How are your physical goals?

Right about now, for some, is a “sticking point “ as far as adopting new/good habits towards a healthier & fitter you.

is Your will power 💥challenged?

What is “Will-Power?”

Well, there are various forms of Power – military power, horse power, financial power, political power, wind power etc

The most relevant to each of us is WILL POWER, the strength to do more than we thought we were capable of doing.

The ability to go that extra step, that is what Willpower is and everyone has a personal limit to how far their willpower will be pushed until it breaks.

Remember, to modify a habit, you must DECIDE to change…. and the most important ingredient in creating belief in change is the WILL to BELIEVE.

… so, you’ve got to keep going…. and build a powerful weapon- “momentum”.

We are affected by what we feel, certainly.

You need to start with education not motivation and letting go bad habits in replacing with good habits isn’t necessarily easy or quick.

It isn’t always simple.

Learn not only to ask questions but more importantly… to ask the RIGHT questions. Not to know the answers…. No. Simply because you have a why(s)?

There is Power in Habit.

There is power 💥in habit.

Yes, there is.

How do I know? Well….

Consistent & persistence application of habits took me to two consecutive world natural physique championships.

Being one of the best in the world in my chosen sport (or anything for that matter) requires many inputs and the adoption of relevant habits. Talent alone is not enough.

You must also have DEDICATION to the DELIBERATE PRACTISE of the DISCIPLINE you’re in.

In effect you must be DISCIPLINED WITH DISCIPLINE. This, my readers, is a beautiful definition of “love”.

Now, anyone that lifts weights (grandfathers & mothers to teens), aiming to build muscle, improve strength & health & transform their body is, by definition – a “bodybuilder”.

The competition for this physical activity is “physique contests”.

Representing Australia 🇦🇺, & competing against the best from nations around the world, I made the Finals (the top 5) in the world at natural physique contest) two years in a row. This was staged in NY, USA.

There is Power in Habit.

Feel your emotions. Think through and with your heart. Listen to your íntuition We are not ‘thinking creatures who feel’ … but instead we are ‘Feeling creatures that think”. We need to always remind ourselves of this.

With curiosity & education, I learned the half dozen (6) key habits that make 80% of the difference in reaching body re-engineering goals (for me, being in the top 5 in the world).

Working “with my body” (increasing awareness of how the body/mind/spirit works) and the amazing machine that is the human body allowed me to achieve efficient & effective results, safely.

One of the things I see after almost 3 decades of training with bodybuilding principles is many people “work against their bodies”, instead of WORKING WITH THEIR BODIES.

For example, each individual cell of the 75 million cells that make up your body is made up of 75% water. So, give it more of what it needs. Thirst should never be an indicator to drink (generally too late).

One (out of the 6 key habits) habit that was a key contribution to achieving a world class physique is:

– adequate (1 litre : 25kg of body weight) daily intake of water (h2o)

Try this one habit for 7 days – 1 week!

(Even if you didn’t change any other existing habit). Your body snd brain/mind will love you for it.

Your energy will go through the roof and you will feel fantastic!

Remember this:

The REAL power in habit is the realisation that your habits are what You CHOOSE them to be.

Brings me back to my first point I made in the beginning of this post, that habit is like water.

Water 💦 creates channels, which grows deeper & broader over time… and even when it stops flowing, it begins when it flows again, the channel/path traced by itself before.

These are the new neural pathways in your brain 🧠!

So, even if you haven’t started, that’s ok, it’s never too late to BEGIN. Just decide to begin.

Besides, LIFE is truly a constant BEGINNING. We are all just at different stages of beginnings

All the very best to you … you can do it.

I’ll share with you the other 5 key habits over the next 5 weeks that makes up 80% of your results. (Simply applying one of nature’s principles: the 80-20 principle).

Cheers 🍻!

The old man –

P.

🌺🌴💥

Changing habits – releasing bad eating habits and adopting some good ones is like facing an internal Predator. You need to ‘face the Lion’ within you. Having a conversation with a lion.
Standard
a better life, action, adaptation, asking questions, attitude, awareness, balance sheets, beauty, belief, better choices, caring, change, choices, compassion, consciousness, courage, Dying, Energy, examined life, faith, game of life, Goals, goals, God, grace, gratitude, greed, habits, happiness, honour, Imagination, Knowledge, long-term perspective, love, patience, perseverance, perspective, planning, respect, responsibility, risk, self, self discipline, self improvement, self love, significance, spiritual balance sheet, strengths, success, synergy, time, truth, Vitality, wisdom, you, your life

** MATERIALISM or THEOLOGY… on the Conveyor Belt of Birth, Death & Decay **

Enjoying lunch in my beautiful Sydney CBD recently.

Many are living a life of Materialism. 

~ With this philosophy, the individual seem to think 🤔that – if we came from no where … going no where in particular, and are here for no reason, in particular, then all ethics, morality, culture are illusions.

They are led by the idea that … we are simply here on this earth 🌍 to be active and animated, as long as breath flows through us. But, as soon as DEATH comes, that is the end of us – there is nothing more to be expected, nothing more to be hoped for. 

~ What I find quite discouraging is that at the end of life, they have no one to say THANK YOU to, for the Life they had the privilege to Live. 

Many follow this BELIEF, also referred to as the INTELLECTUAL SUPERIOR ATTITUDE. This attitude explains everything by DENYING everything. This is the foundation on which they (the believers) expect to build an enduring culture.

~ To me, This “Materialistic ” point of view is a huge part of the problem / the mess we (the world) finds ourselves in, today. You see, if there are – No PRINCIPLES … No REALITIES (or multiple realities), then each individual just lives for himself. The “selfish-gene” in them is ACTIVATED and is their compass. 

They selfishly just live for themselves and only think about what he/she can get. They think that … One day he/she will go to sleep forever, that there is very little MEANING to EXISTENCE. To them, There is no HOPE, no PURPOSE… no OUTLET into the FUTURE… no FAITH in the FULFILMENT of DREAMS or ASPIRATIONS. 

~ There is only a conveyor belt of BIRTH, DEATH & DECAY.

The (very ) weird thing is that many in modern day societies (almost the whole world 🌍, with the internet) … view this as an somewhat ELEGANT ATTITUDE.

Now … 

~ The alternative viewpoint in life is one of THEOLOGY. Generally BELIEVE that you, me, us (Mankind) have a REASON for EXISTENCE. We believe that Man was Created by a DIVINE POWER💥. We believe in a GOD… that Man is here to live a DEFINED DESTINY. 

And when we leave here … we will be punished or rewarded according to HOW we lived our life. Our Spiritual Balance Sheet of our time on this earth, 🌍 is reviewed and we are held to account.

~ So … which view/ boat are you in? How are you Captaining your sailing ⛵️ through the Oceans of Life… doing it with the 1st view/philosophy or one based on THEOLOGY?

ME?

I’m without a doubt… in the latter boat. I don’t “Believe “ in a God. After 3 NDEs (Near Death Experiences), I KNOW there is a GOD. 

May God continue to give you STRENGTH, COURAGE & WISDOM in all the decisions you make.”

~ Paul 💝alentine ~

I wrote something along these lines back in 2015 . Here it is if you are interested: http://i
Standard
a better life, accountability, action, adaptation, ageing, attitude, awareness, basics of training, beauty, belief systems, Beliefs, better choices, body, care empathy, caring, Energy, examined life, game of life, goals, good posture, gratitude, gym, habits, happiness, hope, Imagination, long-term perspective, long-term strategy, love, mind-muscle connection, muscle building, muscles, self, self discipline, self improvement, self love, self-image, self-respect, significance, Strength training, strengths, success, taking action, training, trust, Vitality, workout, you, your life

** IMMOBILITY & MUSCLE BUILD & STRENGTH **

Retirees taking the time to build muscle to help themselves reduce the risks of age-related illness by working out in a group – setting to off-set the on-set of ageing”

We are all ageing.

We all lose strength & bone 🦴 mineral density as part of the ageing process. 

We are all ageing. 

We will die eventually. Nobody gets out of life, Alive. 

I hypothesise that there is a direct observable CAUSE & EFFECT relationship between a person’s MOBILITY & MUSCLE 💪 BUILD & STRENGTH.

My understanding is that There is a 1% decrease in strength every year after the age of 25, more so in females than in males. By the age of 60 you would have lost > 30% of your strength and bone mineral density (oesroporosis). 

This is largely a preventable cause. 

My tip: do weight training (progressive)to “off-set the on-set “ of ageing. We are depreciating but the depreciation rate affects the “effective useful life of the non-current asset”(accounting terminology and analogy) from my 10 years as An Accountant/Business Consultant.

Every person has a body they are inhabiting that depreciates/ages at a different rate. Some faster than others. You come across individuals that look and behave older than their respective age.

Combined with a suitably balanced nutrition plan to suit you (age, activity level, body type etc), cardio exercise & a flexibility program, you can slow down the ageing/depreciation rate.

This would have a positive flow-on effect on the life that you’re living. 

For example, the risk of living your retirement years with high susceptibility to fractures and breaks of Bones 🦴 would drop significantly. 

The risk of Experiencing severe mobility issues that restrict the scope of your activities will increase. These can have severe consequences on a person’s health. 

It could contribute to rising mental illness rates leading to suicide, dementia etc.

Photo (above): don’t end up like this friend of mine in the photo… you have the power to do something about this NOW). 

He regrets not being made aware of the benefits of weight training & soon something preventative in his early life 

It affects your mental state

Ultimately, it (immobility) affects your mental state and put you into a negative mindset. Over 25% of the aged population who have hip surgery due to falls die within a year. That’s great for doctors and surgeon’s pockets and lifestyle but disastrous for the poor individual 

Change in habits now – begin the workouts you’ve been putting off and start eating 🍽 more balanced meals. 

Your activity levels will have a significant impact on the QUALITY of your life, not just your length of life.

It’s never too late to start. 

So… start… Just DO IT (love this original Nike slogan)

Life is about choices. Choose well.

It’s your ONE ☝️ LIFE after all (unless you have 9 lives like a cat 🐱… meow!!)

Cheers 🍻 & ahoy!

The Old Captain Viking Pirate 🏴‍☠️ ⚔️Muscle 💪Monk ⚔️😎 …& thoughts on ageing & mobility issues & its relationship with Muscle

We ALL need to summon the Superhero within to build & hang on to as much muscle as possible to stave off the early on-set of ageing-related illness
Standard
a better life, art, attitude, authenticness, awareness, beauty, better choices, caring, choices, compassion, consciousness, dreams, Energy, eternity, evolution, examined life, game of life, Goals, goals, God, grace, gratitude, hope, Imagination, life, long-term perspective, love, passion, perspective, responsibility, self discipline, significance, spirituality, success, truth, Vitality, wisdom, you, your life

Creativity is a SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.

An example of my love expressed & transmuted through fineline drawing.

Artwork.

I believe every single human being has the ability to CREATE.

What do you create?

For me …

~ Every time I create something from nothing, I feel that 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 attempt to & have the opportunity to Re-create the Creation of God, I have a spiritual journey.

I NEED to keep moving … like a Spiritual Shark

… if I stop improving, stop re-creating I will sink to the bottom of the Ocean of life and …

Die.

But …

What I said above will not happen if I move … travel WITHIN…. Travel with my VIVID IMAGINATION and most importantly, I Continue to be CURIOUS and travel & have adventures, filled by this insatiable curiosity.

~ 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.

It is when you truly…

BEGIN.

For me …

~ Creativity is a spiritual journey.

My thoughts 💭. My deductions on a specific area of life so far. My share & gift 🎁 to YOU

Thank you

Keep safe. Don’t stop believing. Keep punching.

~ the old Cap’n Viking Pirate 🏴‍☠️ Muscle 💪 MONK … & his thoughts 💭 on the Spiritual Journey (ies) of Creativity

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bandanna is a salute to Pirates … the originators of today’s Capitalism.
Standard
a better life, adaptation, art, asking questions, attitude, authenticness, awareness, beauty, better choices, breaking points, caring, change, chaos, choices, communication, consciousness, courage, creation, creativity, creator, decisions, dreams, eternity, examined life, game of life, genuineness, Goals, goals, God, gratitude, habit, habits, happiness, hope, Imagination, infinity, Leader, leaders, leadership, life, listening, long-term perspective, love, mind, needs, order, passion, perseverance, perspective, respect, responsibility, risk, self, self discipline, significance, spirituality, success, symmetry, synergy, time, truth, Vitality, you, your life

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.

Standard
a better life, accountability, action, adaptation, asking questions, attitude, authenticness, awareness, balance, beauty, belief, belief systems, better choices, brain, breaking points, caring, change, change management, chaos, choices, consciousness, courage, decisions, Energy, examined life, friendship, game of life, genuineness, Goals, goals, gratitude, hope, Imagination, life, listening, long-term perspective, love, mind, needs, patience, perseverance, respect, responsibility, self, self improvement, self love, self-respect, significance, skills, strengths, success, synergy, taking action, time, trust, truth, Vitality, wisdom, you, your life

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
Standard
a better life, action, adaptation, asking questions, attitude, authenticness, awareness, balance, beauty, belief systems, better choices, care empathy, caring, change, choices, communication, consciousness, courage, creation, creativity, decisions, desire, examined life, fundamentals, game of life, genuineness, goals, gratitude, habits, hope, Imagination, leaders, long-term perspective, mind, needs, patience, perseverance, perspective, real man, recreate, reflection, relationships, respect, responsibility, self, self discipline, self improvement, self love, self-respect, significance, spiritual balance sheet, success, trust, Vitality, wisdom, you, your life

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.
Standard
a better life, accountability, action, adaptation, art, asking questions, authenticness, awareness, balance, beauty, belief, Beliefs, better choices, boys, brain, breaking points, caring, Change Agent, change management, children, choices, christian, courage, dads, dads love, dating, daughters, desire, dreams, Energy, examined life, fairness, friends, game of life, Goals, God, gratitude, greed, happiness, heaven, honour, hope, Imagination, information, intimacy, intimacy awards, Jesus, kids, leadership, life, listening, long-term perspective, love, male, man, marriage, muscle building, muscles, opportunity, parenting, parenting skills, perspective, self, self discipline, self improvement, self love, self-image, symmetry, synergy, taking action, Team that works, Team work, Teams, time, trust, truth, Vitality, wife, wisdom, you, your life

MARRIAGE: The ULTIMATE TEAMWORK.

The 💝alentine tribe (minus our dog 🐶 – Mr Fuzzy/Fussy cuddles

Marriage is Teamwork.

No matter what a husband or wife happens to be or do, MARRIAGE IS TEAMWORK.

From my experience of being married for almost twenty years now and also from learning from other peoples’ experiences, marriage is a great example of ULTIMATE TEAMWORK.

I would go further to say that, given the high rates of divorce, marriages that last are not just because of teamwork but they have teamwork because they are a TEAM THAT WORKS.

Marriage is not about the hope of WORKING AS A TEAM, it is about two people WHO COME TOGETHER… & FIT … like 6 fits into 9, to make “69”.

Family.

God is an Amazing God.

God is an amazing God.

God gives many things.

God does not give individual gifts 🎁 to frustrate a marriage. No. God gives us unique gifts to ENHANCE the marriage. God does not lead two people into a marriage to see “sparks fly”, pulling a husband & wife in opposite directions.

No… God, leads them into marriage to blend and maximise their strengths, their usefulness.

Whenever this happens in my relationship with my wife, I pray to God for his help…. To give me the strength, courage & wisdom to make good decisions.

This is where our faith in God helps us during turbulent times in the marriage. There are many forces (internal and external) that work hard to tear a marriage apart.

If you believe in your marriage & what it represents is important to you, ask for God’s guidance and work hard to keep your marriage .

My beautiful wife of almost 20 years now. My love for this human being keeps increasing every single day.

The most difficult Act of Art of all.

As I see it, much of the problems & tension that occur in marriages comes from the INABILITY to BALANCE the ACT of GIVING to your spouse /other while retaining a SENSE OF SELF.

Mastering this balance, i believe is the most difficult ACT OF ART of ALL in life. I am still trying to master this after almost 2 decades.

In other words, the tension comes from grasping or holding onto what we consider our INDIVIDUALITY. I believe no matter what our gifts, talents or personalities… when they are given To god.

With strong belief in God, he will work & blend it all out and provide balance, because that is just what God will do.

No other team that you are a part of in life – business, sport, religion, politics etc … will ever be as IMPORTANT or benefit & challenge you like a successful marriage.

It takes WORK… a lot of real hard work. It is the complete & ULTIMATE example of TEAMWORK in life.

With God (part of the team, too).

Here’s a few questions for you:

1. Has there been a time when you put one of your individual goals “on hold “ so your spouse could pursue a dream?

2. Was the eventual outcome positive for you?

Until next time …

Yours in care, compassion & trust,

P.

Here we are … my beautiful wife and I. at a dinner party.
Loving & love in the Family provides key input for Balance.
Standard
a better life, accountability, action, adaptation, art, asking questions, attitude, authenticness, awareness, balance, beauty, belief, belief systems, Beliefs, better choices, change, Change Agent, change management, choices, christian, compassion, consciousness, courage, creativity, decisions, Energy, examined life, faith, game of life, Goals, God, grace, gratitude, habits, happiness, hope, Imagination, Innovation, Knowledge, Leader, leaders, leadership, life, long-term perspective, long-term strategy, love, path, patience, perseverance, perspective, responsibility, risk, self, self discipline, self improvement, self-image, self-respect, significance, spirit, spirituality, surprises, symmetry, trust, truth, Vitality, you, your life

What is PURPOSE to you?

Embrace Love. BE Loving. BE, Love.

To GIVE is to RECEIVE.

For some, life can feel empty if they don’t find or grasp a higher calling… a “purpose” in life. These are the people who seek for answers in all kinds of places, some of which would be less than ideal.

Here is the thing about these types: They know they are looking for something, but they don’t really know what it is. Almost like a headless chook.

They have lost their zest for life … that essence of life, I call Vitality.

To me, purpose gives the Individual, hope … the strength to continue past obstacles and unexpected changes we face every day. In some views of life, hope is all we really have.

To find Purpose, I believe one has to find it WITHIN… but get inspiration, EXTERNALLY, from others.

Everyone looks to better themselves & strive to live a BETTER LIFE. Most think that to do this, they need to only acquire more VALUABLES.

Stop ✋!

Change your viewpoint: life should not be about acquiring more Valuables, instead, should be about making yourself more VALUABLE. We are alive on this planet to primarily, GIVE or express ourselves through sharing, in some creative outlet.

Believe in love 😍. Give love. Receive love. Do all thoughts & actions with love.

For me, it is GOD.

Success, like happiness, cannot me pursued. Release all desires to achieve success as a self-promoting goal/target. This route, taken by many will not give you the opportunity to live a FULL LIFE. It won’t bring you full success.

Success, true success, in any field, only comes through the pursuit of something greater than you … an ideal… a standard that allows you to surrender to a higher power.

For me, it is GOD.

Life’s purpose does not require intense cognitive power. It is not something that you can THINK your way to discovering. Thinking leads to overthinking, which is what many in this left-brain dominated modern societies celebrate – should I try this? What if it turns to failure? Would this work? What if it does not bring income? and leads to non-action or procrastination.

From my experience, I can gracefully admit and share that there is NO “ONE WAY” … THE WAY for me was not Found by simply looking for it… but by DOING IT… by LIVING what I LOVE TO DO.

We all have a light that helps us see as we journey through the paths we choose in life. My light is God. What is yours?

This Diamond called CLARITY.

Success, in life (& any pursuit in life) comes to those who face their fears and TRY NEW THINGS… without being glued to the end result. What you get, then, is something that is a KEY foundation stone to your building of success: CLARITY.

If is only when you take on the role of the VIKING or PIRATE 🏴‍☠️ in you, that you sail out to EXPLORE uncharted seas. It is through exploration that you discover this gem … this diamond called CLARITY.

Results come only with repeated ACTIONS, done with sufficiency and appropriateness. Wondering and dwelling on what to do and not actually “doing”, pushes you even further away from reaching your ultimate purpose in life.

In finding my path, for example, I stopped watching tv many, many years ago. And as modes of communication increased, I taught myself to block more of these modes out. Just as I manage what I eat for my body for optimal physique conditions, I manage input into my brain.

I simply began, being more LOVING.

Beginning with me, myself snd i snd the Holy Trinity within me : the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit. I did and tried everything – fine-line sketching, body sculpting, writing poetry, writing books, photography, blogging, podcasting & public speaking…

I even tried doing NOTHING…. Snd appreciating the emptiness of nothing…. Ams trying to create SOMETHING FROM NOTHING.

I learned and discovered my TRUE PASSION and that is … speaking and sharing NUGGETS OF VITALITY.

There is now CLARITY, where confusion existed. There is PURPOSE where once was WONDERING and over-thinking.

The WAY to find your purpose is NO WAY. It all comes down to energy .. to that life source … to Vitality, the “essence of life”. The source for this brave discovery you intend to make is from the whispering of your heart.

You will experience more joy .. snd more inspiration when you listen to and follow the guidance of your heart. Here’s the challenge: you need to not only listen, but listen, WELL.

Energy is your fuel and you can find this energy to live … to live out your dream 😴 with purpose and meaning. The next step is to explore creative and new ways of expressing and sharing this energy of creativity that comes from within.

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

Embracing Passionate Living.

I’ve helped hundreds … no, thousands of individuals for close to 30 years now, many of these people the top of their fields … very successful in their own right.

But, I have noticed that sometimes, at the top of their success wave, some of these individuals acted and felt as if there was still something missing in their lives.

I heard many reasons why they felt that way. I strongly felt (for some of them), that they were feeling that way because they were trying to stay with the one thing they thought they were meant to be doing.

I felt that this way of thinking 🤔 was a self-imposed ceiling … a self-limiting belief … that blocked their journey towards reaching their full potential.

I don’t just consider myself – an enthusiastic World-Class Problem Solver or a 2 x World Natural Physique Champion … I actually wear many hats and play many roles … so apart from being a husband of 20 + Years and father to two kids …. I create.

I love creating through many mediums of expression: I actually create in multi-media, I sculpt, I design, I write (blogs & poetry & books), I coach, I conduct virtual talks & seminars, I design & create my podcast, I fine-line sketch, I educate and share “coaching conversations”, I dance & I do martial arts 🥋, and share NUGGETS OF VITALITY … but most of all …

I continue to DREAM 😴… and fuel my IMAGINATION. My goal is always to not only continue to imagine, but to IMAGINE, BETTER.

All of these constant daily activities brings me joy and helps express my PASSION FOR CREATING.

Here’s a little secret to living a BETTER LIFE: consider learning to and embracing PASSIONATE LIVING. Work towards doing what you truly enjoy doing and this, I believe, will guide your path towards finding Purpose.

Sometimes, you need to simply jump in and giving things a try. Sometimes, we just need to shoot before we take aim. Sometimes, picturing yourself after having “giving it a go”‘and thinking or saying our loud –

“Just DID IT!”

Would bring you an amazing sense of satisfaction. It is the DOING and the courage required & summoned that is the way to overcome the feeling that you are missing out on life.

Not a nice feeling at all.

One of my Top Students to have not only achieved and exceed her initial goals but has gone on to share and guide others with the education she learned from me & my programs.

Be more like a VIKING/Pirate.

There are endless opportunities in life and is only limited by your imagination.

And through this discovery, through this courageous Viking/Pirate adventure, you will also realise that it is a JOURNEY TO LOVE 💕. It is this journey that is the process of becoming increased AWARENESS , to fully be AWARE of this flow of the essence of Life .. of this Vitality … this Energy from your heart.

Here’s my tip: BE MORE LIKE A VIKING and/or PIRATE 🏴‍☠️.

This energy … you won’t see it … and it is not something that is tangible as what you can taste, smell, weigh …

It is more something that you FEEL… that comes from within … something INTANGIBLE.

Be awake when that message comes.

All the very best in being more like a Pirate & Viking… as you sail and Captain your ship through the changing seas of life.

Cheers & ahoy!

The old cap’n Viking Pirate 🏴‍☠️ muscled monk

Find the Viking… or Pirate in you. It is there, embrace it and … sail your ship towards your purpose.
Standard
a better life, ageing, anger, asking questions, attitude, awareness, beauty, better choices, boys, children, choices, courage, dads, dads love, dreams, examined life, father, friends, game of life, Goals, gratitude, happiness, hope, hulk, Imagination, kids, Leader, life, long-term perspective, love, male, man, needs, parenthood, parenting, parenting skills, patience, perseverance, real man, relationships, respect, self discipline, self love, son, strengths, success, taking action, Team that works, truths, Vitality, you, your life

My son turned 10, today.

10!

I sit back and go … “wow!’

Where has time gone? Ten years went by … .like a blink of an eye. Memories… that is all we have … shared memories.

We have many.

The young man and I. Cruising.

He knows he will always have a home.

He has spent his first ten years of his life, with me, his mother and his sister. Spent it in our home .. which is HIS HOME. 

I like to think that his home is a place of celebration, a continuous celebration of Life. His home is the place where he can let down his hair and just be, himself. His home is where living happens and laughter rocks the walls. 

I’d like to think that his home is the place where he learns to play, to have fun, to relax, to love and … to pray. Each day in our household is a celebration. Everyday, our Family prayers allows us to reflect on our life so far … with GRATITUDE.

Our home is A celebration of Life.

There is an abundance of laughter in his home. So loud that it carries all the way to the streets and neighbours.

Enjoying Kayaking together in Sydney’s beautiful seas

His home is where Real Living, takes place.

He learns how to work, how to play, how to eat, how to ride in cars together, how to attend Taekwondo lessons, how to play music in bands virtually, how to watch youtubes and videos, how to host friends, how to take care of his self, how To be a better brother, how to be the loving son that he is, how to develop our own private family jokes (usually they love “roasting’ me).

In our home .. his home, we try not to take life too seriously. In our home … a home of celebration we thrive in conversation and accept that humour and laughter is essential elements to our Family cohesion.

Our home … his home … vibrates to us and to everyone around us that … 

“This is what life is all about. In a nutshell, life is what happens in our home … it is where he is celebrated.”

He loves creating stuff. With all kinds of tools.

Home is where … 

My son … has his Nintendo game, his soccer and rugby balls, his books, his swords, his toy guns, his snacks. 

Home is …. Being able to walk around in his undies all day … home is Eating cold watermelon and tropical pineapple together at the dinner table on a winter day. Home is where he is allowed to yell … to get angry … and it is ok. Home is where he can play wrestle games in the bedroom and backyard and come out of it … unscathed.

Home is where he gets unlimited hugs and kisses and learns about the important things in life. Home is where he learns how to agree to disagree and resolve conflicts.

Home is where he learns to be appreciated and listened to. Home is where his strong sense of self … his powerful self image … his confidence is built. Home is where he understands his responsibilities to contribute to the family to make it work … that little things, matter.

To sum up … I hope my ten year old son learns much … in our home .. his home.

One day, I hope, he would look back and realise that home is where he discovered wonder and learned to not only Dream … but …. To Dream BIG. One day, he remembers to repeat some of … OUR traditions … OUR unique family qwirks … our UNUSUAL ceremonies.

I hope that one day, my son looks back and views his time in his home .. our home as a period where he not only FOUND but …. EXPERIENCED, JOY.

With … his dad (me), his mum, Cathy, his sister, Olivia and our pet schnoodle : “Mr Fussy/Fuzzy Cuddles”.

Until next time,

P.

Can you see “me” in my son? Can you see you in your son?
Standard