While I was taking my morning walk today I reflected on what sort of goals we should be achieving irrespective of age. When we are younger we seldom mull over such thoughts, we would rather enjoy life as it comes rather than benchmark our lifestyle to set goals. But as one gets older one becomes more concern over whether our lives has been successful or otherwise. It also help us make changes or fine tune our lifestyle so that we can achieve those goals. Briefly I think we have the following healthy goals to consider:
Physical Health
The most obvious of all, we try to maintain a good physical health through management of our diet and physical activities. But sometimes pressure at work and family can rob us of actually eating healthily and engaging in regular physical workouts. Until symptoms appear we often ignore advices to manage our bodies. Taking care to look good through cosmetic applications is not enough. We should take efforts to train our bodies to be good.
Emotional Health
Many of us are unaware that emotion is a delicate component of our overall makeup. From childhood we are subject to emotional stresses that can profile how we behave and react later in life. I believe one's emotional health is strongly reflected in one's personality. A generally happy and contented person should smile more and reveal a happier disposition. A sad person tend to look at things more negatively and tend to be harder to relate to. They need more attention and help to recover. It is therefore imperative to watch over the emotional health of our loved ones. Encourage, praise and be sensitive instead of being critical and imposing. We all need space and freedom to express our real self. Any attempt to stifle its growth will surely affect the emotional health of the person targetted.
Spiritual Health
Not everybody agree that we have a spiritual health to worry about. Atheists do not believe in the existence of a god will ignore this aspect but I think spiritual health is intricately tied to one's perception of life and death, conscience and moral values. A general well being would be associated with a good spiritual health. A clear conscience, absence of guilt and good feeling are also signs that we are spiritually well. I think we all can agree that these are good attributes to possess. Setting spiritual health goals will help us build a balanced life. Being rich in body and wealth but carrying a load of guilt and fear is not a worthwhile package to strive for.
Material Health
From the day we were born we have an instinctive desire to possess and even covet. It is a survival instinct that help us develop security fence for ourselves and family. However, being overly materialistic can have its downfall. For example, going for riches can lead a person to overlook his physical health, spiritual health and emotional health of others. I believe that we should go for as much material wealth, and health, as they are needed for our worldly sustenance. What is needed is of course subjective as well as varying. What is important is never to allow a desire to be rich and powerful to take control of our lives.
Overall striving for a balanced aspect of all the health goals should give us a more satisfying experience in our day to day living.
We all get sentimental over objects of affection, like that first golf set we own or the broken down camera that captured so many sweet memories of our children that we don't want to thrash them. But we have to get down to earth and decide when we need to sever such 'unhealthy' attachments, especially if they clutter up the house and fills the attic or store room.
I learn to be selectively sentimental and choose to keep only those stuff that I treasure, like my first camera I won as a schoolboy in a competition. That was, oh 45 years ago, and deserves a spot in my display cabinet. Plus it is not bulky. And I would keep my first dictionary too, also some 40 plus years old and still in good condition. Even though I don't refer to it, it stays as an object of affection and fond memory.
But I do not hesitate to junk those items that I can easily replace and especially if they occupy space. Recently my deskjet printer kaput (blinked, died) and this morning I learned that it cost more to repair than buy a similar unit. Without hesitating I junked it. But I have trouble junking my bulky stereo speakers, the amplifier and tuner and CD changer. They are still usable, nothing terrific by today's standard, but they are a link to my past like in the 1970s. Maybe in 10 years time I'll junk them but for now I shall let them sit quietly and decorate my home office.
In just 2 days the world will know if the United States will, for the first time, be headed by a citizen from a minority group. Barack Obama stands the favorite to snatch the presidency from John McCain and comes November 5, we will know who the winner is.
This time around, I believe the people of the United States are really taking change management to the hilt. Change from the way the country was run for the past 8 years, change from the way the country held its global leadership, and change from the direction the Americans are heading into. If so many people are suffering because of current mismanagement, then surely a change is in order. For that matter, it should apply to any situation when things are so bad that change must take place at any cost. I believe under Barack Obama as the next US president the United States will recover its past glory and will rebuild from its economic turmoil. I guess the Americans are hoping for an Obama miracle, and the rest of the world are doing likewise especially at this time of financial crisis that started from the States and spreaded into Europe, Asia and the rest of the world like a collapsing deck of cards.
Status quo is OK if we have issues under control and well managed. Status quo will be challenged when the people are unhappy and frustrated. All over the world, governments fall not because they did right but because they did wrong. The people know what is best for themselves and have the final power to change.
I am semi-retired and looking after a training centre for the learning disabled. A few months back we went on fund raising at its anniversary celebration and got the major newspapers to write articles about our work. I was pleasantly surprised, and flattered, when one of the national television stations, RTM1, approached us for permission to present our work on air. They had read about us in one of the papers. We of course said yes and 2 days ago the production team came to interview me and film the activities. We expect the station to broadcast our work in a week's time.
Surprise, surprise. Another local television station, RTM2, have also approached us to be featured in a special programme on disabled people. We are really excited over such free publicities.
I guess one thing I learned is that if you work hard enough you will get noticed. And when people noticed you they will trust your work and be willing to help you. It is well and good to dress up the website or blog but the real test comes when visitors actually see the fruits of your work. Looking after the training centre is like promoting a product or service. Once you get attention you must make sure that your service or product are really good. I sincerely believe we are doing good work and deserve to be helped. Visit us at www.pbs.org.my.
By nature I am an organized person who sometimes allow myself to be sloppy. It feels good to be unorganized just to feel the pressure taken off for awhile. But I cannot stand too many outstanding matters and would like to clear them as speedily as I can. My typical habit is to jot down things I need to do the next day and organize them in the order of getting them done. This is usually done the night before. For instance, this morning I have organized myself to see a lawyer, see my accountant, visit my bank and buy fresh apples for juicing, in that sequence. It feels good to have these errands completed smoothly, which I did in 2 hours. I like it when I uses my time efficiently. I feel like I am in control.
A few days back my color printer broke down and I began looking for a solution: is it worth repairing since the warranty is over? if not, which printer model should I buy as replacement? what new features would I like incorporated? what is my budget? is there any constraints like space or software upgrade? These questions set me up to study the latest printers available. I am not one who go for the cheapest nor the more expensive ones. I always weigh my needs against the choices before me and get what is practically the most suitable. And I weigh in reviews quite seriously as I always believe in adopting the experiences of other owners, although I do take note that some reviews may not be objective.
The joy I experienced is after I have made my final choice it turns out to be a good one. As far as possible I would not make a rash decision, especially when I can have the facts and figures to study. So what is my choice? I've decided to get an Epson Stylus TX400 all-in-one printer. I have been hungering for my own scanner for some time and now that I am replacing a faulty printer I thought a scanner would be great. I expect the Epson to arrive in a few days and have begun clearing up my desk. From the picture I think I am going to like it. Take it from me, when you have a choice you should always get what you want that not only serve you well (at least from its declared features) but also look great.
My next purchase is a bookcase and I will apply the same process to get what I want. What are the best dimensions? What sort of books go on? Is there a color preference? Will it match the other existing furnitures? Can I live with it for at least 10 years?
It is the word, recession, we hear a lot today. People are just wondering if they will be affected by it when it arrives. I have been through 3 or 4 recessions and never really felt their impact on me. Fortunately I did not lose a job nor find myself unable to settle bills. This time when recession hits my country I think I will be spared again. I believe I am materially secured against any economic downturns.
What really is a recession? Wikipedia calls it a contraction phase of a business cycle. The U.S. based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines a recession more broadly as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales." A sustained recession may become a depression.
I will define recession simply as our economy going into a losing streak and a pattern is established and the nation finds it hard to reverse the trend and get back on top of what it used to enjoy before. As an analogy a recession is like a person getting one step ahead but falling back 2 steps. A recession make people lose confidence and cause them to withdraw, become more careful. We may see recession as a passing storm and take shelter from it but some people think we can beat the recession away by deliberately overspending and creating job opportunities. It may work or it may not, depending on how severe the recession is.
I am not afraid of recession because I am not in debt. My fear is only in the way financial institutions invest my money or lose it. Overall it may be wise to slow down and contain one's lifestyle. Certainly do not shy away from going on holidays, enjoy occasional good meals, buy some gifts, celebrate. But do them all in moderation and keep the economy going. After all, many people need to keep their jobs in tough times and withholding your money just because it is recession only help them lose their jobs.
The good news about recession is that it will eventually go away. The main concern is how long will it last?
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Blog Directory ID: 3135
Blog URL: http://jazzylips.blogspot.com
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Blog Description: We normally live in neutral or low gear. How about shifting itup and rev to a life that is productive? purposeful? and pleasurable? Live life to the max before Death max you out!
Blog Category: Development & Growth Blogs
Blog Owner: Peter Yew
Blog Added: June 20, 2008 10:18:51 AM
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