Never shop for food when you're hungry, never negotiate a contract when feeling insecure, never set out on a journey when you're in a rush. All good advice, but not always so easy to take.... Needs must be responded to, regardless of how right or otherwise the time may be. ...

What's the definition of success? A refusal to be beaten by failure, perhaps!!!. What brings about progress? A determination not to stand still!!!
A miss, they say, is as good as a mile. That though, rather depends on the size of the target. If we are trying to achieve something exceedingly specific, then simply getting close will give us no comfort. Rarely in life though, do we need to organise our arrangements and involvements with the precision of an engineer. Indeed, if we try too hard to engineer anything we risk compromising our happiness by narrowing our expectations. Some say if we're not getting what we want, perhaps we should try wanting what we've actually got…..but that is seldom possible in reality….cause we live in a world where high achievers are congratulated and held up as examples to follow.

We tend to forget, though, that true quality of life is not related to how much we can get done but how deeply we enjoy our day-to-day experience of simply existing. Maybe we should be asking not, 'What can I add to my world?' but, 'What extraneous factor can I reduce or remove to lead a simpler, enjoyable life. Remember what the Americans say. 'Less is more'.

Some of us really don't want our problems to be solved. Some enjoy dealing with difficulty. They like having something to complain about. They fear that a life of comfort and contentment would be dismally dull or tiresomely tedious. So they keep on secretly stirring the pot…. I am not one of those people!!!

Why am I saying this to you now? Oh, no reason, really. Just passing the time making pleasant conversation, that's all. Nice weather we're having for the time of year, isn't it? Er...

It's funny how we can cope so well with life's big problems yet feel so frustrated about much seemingly smaller stuff. Maybe we take some of the anger that we really ought to feel about the big matters that we can't change, and direct it instead towards those more trivial targets. Or maybe, it's just the fact that sometimes the littlest things can provide the greatest pleasure…..

A friend of mine asked me this week…what makes me happy…..this is the second time that someone has asked me that question….and I have looked at them blankly….I may not have had an answer for that exact question but thankfully I could tell them what didn’t make me happy.. I do not need to be rich to be happy. Nor do I need worldly status, a blissful domestic set up, a brilliant creative idea or a perfect romantic life….okay…maybe a perfect romantic life… (But who is to say what is perfect!!!)…. All these things are nice enough if you happen to have them but they are still nothing more than 'roads to a destination'. The destination itself, a sense of profound contentment and gratitude for life, is a city to which there are a thousand approaches. Often, the less obvious paths provide a quicker, simpler, less-cluttered route to the centre…..

I had a conversation with myself in my head today...it was rather amusing...thought I share that with you... "Leave it alone...Don't meddle, don't fiddle, don't fret and don't think. Forget it. Ignore it"..... ....I was tempted to add 'mind your own business' but this may have been a misleading piece of advice for the 'it' in question is a piece of business that does, at least partially, belong to me. Nonetheless, it's best put aside. Legally speaking, I own the engine in my car. That doesn't mean though, that I am therefore qualified to fix it...right? So I guess even you are going to tell me "Have patience and it will be" ?? ya ya...I know...that is what I told myself too!!

"Like is Like"!!!!

There are things in life that words can never explain. Shakespeare once described them as: "Words, words, mere words". If the great wordsmith knew the limits of language, it surely follows that there must be times when the likes of you and me are best advised to keep our mouths shut...Resolve not to say anything unless we are sure it's wise ....Resolve too not to use our brain when we should be using our heart. I don't know if my instincts are accurate and wise... Even our cleverest ideas, though, are a little less than perfect sometimes...