1. Bigger Vocabulary

When reading the classics you’ll come across many words that are no longer commonly used. Why learn words most people don’t use? To set yourself apart. Having a bigger vocabulary is like having a tool box with more tools. A larger arsenal of words enables you to express yourself more eloquently. You’ll be able to communicate with precision and create a perception of higher intelligence that will give you an advantage in work and social situations.

2. Improved Writing Ability

Reading the classics is the easiest way to improve your writing. While reading you unconsciously absorb the grammar and style of the author. Why not learn from the best? Great authors have a tendency to take over your mind. After reading, I’ve observed that my thoughts begin to mirror the writer’s style. This influence carries over to writing, helping form clear, rhythmic sentences.

3. Improved Speaking Ability

Becoming a better speaker accompanies becoming a better writer because both are caused by becoming a better thinker. Studying works of genius will teach you to express yourself with clarity and style. By improving your command of the English language, you’ll become more persuasive, sound more intelligent, and enjoy an advantage over less articulate people.

4. Fresh Ideas

Isn’t it ironic that the best source for new ideas are writers who’ve been dead for centuries? I’ve derived some of my best ideas directly from the classics. It makes sense when you consider the competition. Everyone you know is reading the same popular blogs and bestselling books. Observing the same ideas as everyone else leads to generic and repetitive thinking. No wonder it’s difficult to sound original! By looking to the classics for inspiration you can enhance your creativity and find fresh subject matter.

5. Historical Perspective

I could argue this point myself, but why bother if Einstein has already done it?

Somebody who reads only newspapers and at best the books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely nearsighted person who scorns eyeglasses. He is completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of his times, since he never gets to see or hear anything else. And what a person thinks on his own without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of other people is even in the best case rather paltry and monotonous.

There are only a few enlightened people with a lucid mind and style and with good taste within a century. What has been preserved of their work belongs among the most precious possessions of mankind.

Nothing is more needed than to overcome the modernist’s snobbishness.

6. Educational Entertainment

Reading great books is fun. The key is getting past the initial vocabulary barrier. It’s actually less difficult than you think. Even challenging authors use a limited vocabulary. After the initial learning curve, you’ll find the classics as readable as modern books and infinitely more stimulating. Classics have endured because of entertainment value. There’s a reason filmmakers keep remaking old books — they have the best content.

7. Sophistication

If you’d like to excel in conversation, knowledge of the classics is essential. These are books that keep coming up. They’re a part of human history that isn’t going to disappear in 10 years like 99% of books on the bestsellers list. By reading the classics you gain a deeper appreciation of ideas generally taken for granted. Plus quoting Aristotle or Voltaire is a great way to win an argument.

8. More Efficient Reading

I just finished reading The Road by Cormac MacCarthy. It’s so good that it won the Pulitzer Prize. Afterwards I read the first few chapters of Lolita. I was shocked by Lolita’s superiority. Truly great books don’t come around every year. If you only read contemporary literature, you’re drawing from a diluted pool. Why not make the most of your reading time by finding the best of the best?

9. Develop a Distinct Voice

If you’re a writer/blogger, ignoring the classics is a mistake. This has nothing to do with subject matter. Regardless of what you write about, you need to be persuasive and develop a distinct voice. The best way to learn is from the masters. I’ve seen several articles recommend examples of good writing — they’ve all been other blogs. I have a feeling most people reading this article already read enough blogs. Spending some time with the classics will give you an edge.

10. Learn Timeless Ideas

We like to believe, in our modern arrogance, that technology has changed everything. In truth, it feels the same to be alive today as it did a thousand years ago. The lessons of the classics carry as much weight as ever. They contain information that is directly applicable to your life. Don’t believe me? Try reading Ben Franklin’s Autobiography without learning something. Reading the classics develops an understanding of the human condition and a deeper appreciation of modern problems.

In closing, I’d like to briefly anticipate criticism. This is not an attack on everything modern. To read nothing but the classics would be as foolish as completely ignoring them. The aim is to combine the wisdom of the past with the innovation of the future. The two are inextricably linked — the best books are yet to be written.

Also, this is not an appeal to snobbery. Quite the opposite. Reading the classics is a cheap hobby. Used copies can be borrowed from the library or purchased for 1/20 the cost of trendy books that are the talk of high society. Please stop associating the classics with your English Lit. Professor.

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -Einstein

The biggest misconception about creativity is that it involves a moment of magical creation when the incredible appears out of thin air. The truth is less romantic. Everything comes from somewhere. All ideas have been thought before and all artists, especially the most brilliant, have their sources of inspiration. I’m going to break Einstein’s famous rule by revealing some of my sources and explaining how I use the genius of others to further my own ambitions.

Everyone starts somewhere so I might as well come clean from the beginning. Before I started this website my creative credentials were nonexistent. I had no tangible experience as a writer, designer, marketer, or entrepreneur. Aside from this site I still don’t. All I can say for myself is that I read voraciously and draw fairly well. You’d think a chump like me wouldn’t stand a chance in the hyper competitive online world.

So how did I end up with this fine looking site, a readership that’s growing every day, and over 100 original articles, several of which have been featured on the likes ofLifehacker.com, Problogger.net, lifehack.org and all the major social sites?

By observing how others became creatively successful and combining their genius with my own.

A seed was planted the day I read Steve Pavlina’s, 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job. Through that article I found How to Make Money From Your Blog and ever since I’ve been obsessed with creating a profitable website based on my own original writing. It wasn’t Steve’s monetary success that inspired me, it was his literary style. The wit, the humor, the brutal honesty, and the fact that people were eating it up and begging for more made me believe that I could do it too; that I could build a business around my passion.

From Steve I learned the value of lengthy original articles, serving the reader, writing from personal experience, and choosing topics that apply to everyone. More than through his words, I’ve learned from observation; from the locations of his ads, the frequency of his posts, and a thousand other details the casual reader would never notice.

Sure, I could have ignored everything that worked for Steve, but what would be the point of that? Too many people try to reinvent the wheel when a Ferrari’s roaring past.During the Renaissance apprentice artists learned by replicating the works of the masters. The secret to being creative is recognizing the genius of others and re-purposing it for your own ends.

If you want be more creative, you have to learn from people who are smarter than you are. Unless you can find a mentor this means learning from observation. When you see a piece of work you admire, dissect it scientifically and discover exactly what makes it great. Is it the tone of an article? the subject matter? the author’s personality? its usefulness? The same concept applies to design. What creates that feeling of visual pleasure? What made you click that ad? What made you subscribe? The clues to creativity are everywhere. You need to gather them and apply that understanding to your own creative work.

It’s also important to find models that fit your profile. If you’re a nobody like me, don’t try to build the next TechCrunch. It won’t work because you don’t have Mike Arrington’s insider connections. Think of yourself as an engine in need of a body. You can find one that fits by investigating people with a background and style similar to yours.

It’s important to note that collecting inspiration is distinctly different than plagiarism. Although Steve’s work has influenced mine I haven’t stolen any of his content. I’ve taken the model and adjusted it to my own needs, the same way Steve probably followed the examples of other successful people when building his site.

In truth, he’s only one of many influences. If I had to list them all this post would be 100,000 words. Some of the more prominent dead ones include Bertrand Russell, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Henry David Thoreau, and George Orwell. Some living ones you may know include Jason Kottke, Merlin Mann,Brian Clark, Robert Scoble, Darren Rowse, Seth Godin, Hugh MacLeod, J.D. Roth, andTim Ferriss. But only naming a select few neglects countless others. I draw inspiration from everything I read and everyone I come in contact with.

I need to give an extra special thanks to Chris Pearson for designing the Cutline Theme. When I started this site I didn’t know any CSS or HTML. Like any beginner I downloaded the best free theme I could find. Over time I’ve continuously built on it, doing at least 3 major overhauls and making small changes on a daily basis. The key to making a good design if you have no experience is looking at other sites, finding what works, and blending it into a unique creation.

All art is imitation. The most creative people imitate rarer, more brilliant sources and cover their tracks. That’s why reading nothing but blogs makes you write dull generic posts. If you absorb a mediocre style, your output will be mediocre. If you scour the classics for the most intelligent, passionate writing in existence your own inspiration will follow. Pay close attention and you’ll even notice the passing of ideas through history. No one could read this essay by Oscar Wilde and Plato’s Symposium without noting a remarkable similarity.

There’s a reason great artists are always clustered together, both geographically and chronologically. Interacting with creative individuals makes you more creative. Rival artists exchange techniques and competition increases effort. The present is the ideal age for creative people. The internet has connected everything, allowing us to draw inspiration from classic works of art and our finest contemporaries without leaving the couch.

It’s also important to draw from a wide array of sources. Your best option is to play the statistics. Creativity isn’t a spark it’s a boiling pot. Sample an enormous amount of creative work and you’ll produce an inspirational concoction. The most important creative asset iscuriosity.

Genuine creativity doesn’t exist, particularly in a cosmic sense. Living beings don’t create life, they re-purpose existing matter into offspring. Nothing has been created since the Big Bang. All we can do is rearrange the stuff we find around us. If you want to be more creative, stop waiting for inspiration and start experimenting. Creativity isn’t creation at all, it’s reorganization.

There will always be temptation to forsake the future for immediate gratification. We all want to buy that new piece of technology, treat ourselves to an expensive night on the town, or take out a loan for the flashy car we can’t afford. It might feel great at the time but rash spending hurts a lot later on.

Enjoy life’s simple pleasures and save as much as you can. Expensive things don’t create lasting happiness and security. Careful spending will bring you greater leisure and enjoyment in the long run.

2. Put Your Money to Work

Saving is great, but to make the most of your money you need to put it to work. Good investments can be the difference between retiring in your 40′s or in your 60′s.

A post today at The Simple Dollar really got me thinking. According to Trent’s projections, if a person in their early 20′s invests 20% of their income in an S&P index fund, the interest they earn will equal their current salary when they reach their early 40′s. They could retire without a drop in income!

Wise investing is the surest path to financial independence and it’s something everyone can work on. It’s definitely an area I’ll be devoting more attention to in my personal life and on this blog.

3. Educate Yourself

To be happy we need continuous growth. The best way to grow is life long education. This doesn’t mean you need to pursue a doctorate or spend 2 hours reading every day. Self education can be anything that takes you out of your comfort zone. The important part is keeping an open mind and searching for fresh ideas and perspectives.

Education builds over time. It might feel like the bits of wisdom you acquire don’t mean much, but over the years they add up to form a wiser, kinder, more interesting person.

4. Develop Lasting Personal Relationships

Suppose you had everything you wanted. Would you be happy without anyone to share it with? The personal relationships we develop with friends and family members are the greatest source of happiness in our lives. Don’t forget about them.

Taking the time to cultivate and enjoy personal relationships is essential to longterm happiness. Without the people you care about you’ll probably be miserable, no matter how successful you become.

5. Work Towards a Dream You’re Passionate About

Even if your life isn’t perfect, you can always build towards a goal you’re passionate about. If you aren’t building towards something, you’re probably stagnating. When this happens to me I start to feel like a victim trapped by my own life. The best way to reverse this is working towards a goal.

We can’t control everything about our lives, but working towards a goal gives us something positive to focus on and lays the foundation for future success. No matter what your passion is, get out there and start doing something. As Lao Tzu said, even a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

Bonus: 6. Stay in Shape

You only get one body. Once it’s been ruined there isn’t much you can do about it. Exercise to keep the rust off. Avoid excessive consumption of damaging substances and unhealthy foods. It may feel like terrible self denial at the time but enjoying good health in your later years is worth the sacrifice.

god bless.

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We’ve all faced the disappointment and guilt that comes from setting a goal and giving up on it after a couple of weeks. Sustaining motivation for a long-term goal is hard to achieve, and yet the best goals can usually only be accomplished in a few months or even years.

Here’s the solution: Focus instead on creating a new habit that will lead to achieving your goal.

Want to run a marathon? First create the habit of running every day. Want to get out of debt and start saving? Create the habit of brown bagging it to work, or watching DVDs instead of going to the movies, or whatever change will lead to saving money for you.

By focusing not on what you have to achieve over the course of the next year, but instead on what you are doing each day, you are focusing on something achievable. That little daily change will add up to a huge change, over time … and you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come in no time. Little grains of sand can add up to a mountain over time.

I used this philosophy of habit changes to run a marathon, to change my diet and lose weight, to write a novel, to quit smoking, to become organized and productive, to double my income, reduce my debt and start saving, and to begin training for an Olympic triathlon this year. It works, if you focus on changing habits.

Now, changing your habits isn’t easy — I won’t lie to you — but it’s achievable, especially if you start small. Don’t try to change the world with your first habit change … take baby steps at first. I started by just trying to run a mile — and by the end of the year, I could run more than 20 miles.

How do you change your habits? Focus on one habit at a time, and follow these steps:

1. Positive changes. If you’re trying to change a negative habit (quit smoking), replace it with a positive habit (running for stress relief, for example).
2. Take on a 30-day challenge. Tell yourself that you’re going to do this habit every day, at the same time every day, for 30 straight days without fail. Once you’re past that 30-day mark, the habit will become much easier. If you fail, do not beat yourself up. Start again on a new 30-day challenge. Practice until you succeed.
3. Commit yourself completely. Don’t just tell yourself that you might or should do this. Tell the world that DEFINITELY will do this. Put yourself into this 100 percent. Tell everyone you know. Email them. Put it on your blog. Post it up at your home and work place. This positive public pressure will help motivate you.
4. Set up rewards. It’s best to reward yourself often the first week, and then reward yourself every week for that first month. Make sure these are good rewards, that will help motivate you to stay on track.
5. Plan to beat your urges. It’s best to start out by monitoring your urges, so you become more aware of them. Track them for a couple of days, putting a tally mark in a small notebook every time you get an urge. Write out a plan, before you get the urges, with strategies to beat them. We all have urges to quit — how will you overcome it? What helps me most are deep breathing and drinking water. You can get through an urge — it will pass.
6. Track and report your progress. Keep a log or journal or chart so that you can see your progress over time. I used a running log for my marathon training, and a quit meter when I quit smoking. It’s very motivating to see how far you’ve come. Also, if you can join an online group and report your progress each day, or email family and friends on your progress, that will help motivate you.

Most important of all: Always stay positive. I learned the habit of monitoring my thoughts, and if I saw any negative thoughts (“I want to stop!”) I would squash it like a little bug, and replace it with a positive thought (“I can do this!”). It works amazingly. This is the best tip ever. If you think negative thoughts, you will definitely fail. But if you always think positive, you will definitely succeed.

Life thrills

How we achieve happiness can be different for each one of us. Our passions, expectations, life experiences, and even our personalities all contribute to the level of happiness we experience in our lives. Some find happiness in their careers while others prefer the bliss found in their marriages or other intimate relationship.

No matter how you define happiness for yourself, there are certain universal and time-proven strategies to bring, and sustain, more happiness into your life. The following 14 ways to live a happy life can be adapted and even customized to fit your needs. Over time, these strategies will become positive and life-changing habits that will begin to bring more happiness, joy and peace into your life.

1. Notice What’s Right

Some of us see the glass as being half-full, while others see the glass as half-empty. The next time you are caught in traffic, begin thinking how nice it is to have a few moments to reflect on the day, focus on a problem you have been trying to solve, or brainstorm on your next big idea. The next time you get in the slow line at the grocery store, take the opportunity to pick up a tabloid magazine and do some “guilty pleasure” reading. Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation. At the end of the day, you will more content, at peace and happy. Take the time to begin to notice what’s right and see the world change in front of your eyes.

2. Be Grateful

How many times do you say the words “thank you,” in a day? How many times do you hear these same words? If you are doing the first thing, saying the “thank yous,” the latter will naturally happen. Learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.

3. Remember the Kid You Were

Do you remember how to play? I’m not referring to playing a round of golf or a set of tennis. I’m talking about playing like you did when you were a child – a game of tag; leap frog, or street baseball when the bat is a broken broom handle and the bases are the parked cars. One way to find or maintain your happiness is to remember the kid you were and play!

4. Be Kind

There is no question that by merely watching acts of kindness creates a significant elevation in our moods and increases the desire for us to perform good deeds as well. Kindness is indeed contagious and when we make a commitment to be kind to ourselves and to others we can experience new heights of joy, happiness and enthusiasm for our lives.

5. Spend Time with Your Friends

Although an abundant social and romantic life does not itself guarantee joy, it does have a huge impact on our happiness. Learn to spend time with your friends and make the friendships a priority in your life.

6. Savor Every Moment

To be in the moment is to live in the moment. Too often we are thinking ahead or looking ahead to the next event or circumstance in our lives, not appreciating the “here and now.” When we savor every moment, we are savoring the happiness in our lives.

7. Rest

There are times when we need the time to unwind, decompress, or to put it simply, just “to chill.” Life comes at all of us hard and fast. Time, as do the days on the calendar, keeps going forward at its own natural pace, which is not always the pace we would choose. Fatigue, stress and exhaustion may begin to settle in on us faster than we may think, or notice. The best remedy for this is indeed rest.

8. Move!

The expression a “runner’s high” does not infer an addiction, but a feeling or a state of mind – a state of euphoria. There is no question exercise, or any physical exertion, elevates your mood and enhances a more positive attitude as well as fosters better personal self-esteem and confidence. Indeed, one way to increase your happiness is to move!

9. Put on a Happy Face

Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. I’m not suggesting that we not be honest, real or authentic, but I’m suggesting, sometimes, we just need to put on a happy face and keep moving forward. Researchers claim that smiling and looking like we are happy will indeed make us happier. Studies further show that if we act like we are happy then we can experience greater joy and happiness in our lives.

10. Pursue Your Goals

The absence of goals in our lives, or more specifically avoiding to pursue our goals, makes us feel like we are stuck and ineffective. The pursuit of goals in our personal lives, in our relationships, or with our careers, is the difference between having a mediocre life or a life full of passion and enthusiasm. pursue your goals and watch your happiness soar.

11. Finding Your Calling

Some find meaning in religion or spirituality while others find purpose in their work or relationships. Finding your calling may be much more than accomplishing one simple strategy for increasing your happiness, but having a sense of purpose – of feeling like you are here for a reason – can perhaps bring the greatest joy of all

12. Get into the Flow

Flow is the form of joy, excitement and happiness that occurs when we are so absorbed in an activity we love that we can loose ourselves and time seems to stand still. What creates flow is unique to each one of us. To find and sustain true happiness in our lives, we must get off the sidelines and get into the flow.

13. Play to Your Strengths

One way to achieve flow is by understanding and identifying our strengths and core values, and then begin to use these every day. Once we aware of our strengths and we begin to play to your strengths we can better incorporate them in all aspects of our lives.

14. Don’t Overdo It

Know when to say when. What gives you joy and happiness the first time may not work the second time. Too much of a good thing may begin not to feel as good if the “thing” becomes more of a routine, or an expectation. Set healthy and reasonable boundaries for yourself and don’t overdo it.

This guest article was written by Alex Blackwell. Alex writes about how to improve relationships, sustain happiness and create lasting success at his blog The Next 45 Years. 

As I lengthen my stride to catch up the wheels I’m also thoroughly enjoying the scenery along the way…. We’ve moved house!

To the BEACH!! YAY!!

Ever since I was a little girl enjoying family holidays on the beach of the Gold Coast, I had always told my Mum that one day I would live on the beach in Queensland…. 20-something years later and I’ve only just realised that I’m finally fulfilling my prophecy! And not a moment too soon!! HI MUM!!!

There’s something so soothing about the sound of the ocean gently licking the sand as you drift off to sleep, and of the birds and the wind dancing in the palm fronds to signal the variations of the days sunlight, temperature and weather. Mother natures perfect timing device lies in all of her perfect creations! *Sigh*

So I sit here contemplating the world from my balcony; looking out at the vast blue expanse just across the road, the sand that still looks warm as the shadows lengthen, peppered with well worn foot trails, the dogs excitedly walking their people, communicating enthusiastically with one another as they pass, the kites that peer over the tallest palms whisking their riders along ever slower as the breeze begins to settle in for the calm night ahead. I can smell the first scents of the evening, someone, somewhere close is breaking open precious cloves of garlic, exposing its vibrant, stinging pungency, the sprinklers come alive and the freshness of the garden cools my tiled surrounds, and as I type I am witness (thankfully) to the first attempted assault on my skin by blood thirsty savages who in increasing numbers begin circling my hands, and now probably my ankles too! I take this perfect signal as a sign that it’s time to retire behind closed screens… or maybe take a walk on the beach!

N.

My birthday is in a week, and nearly all of my friends will be there helping me ring it in.

I have fucking awesome friends.

I listen to good music all the time.

The student newspaper’s website is better than ever.

I’m setting up my own contract this quarter and I’ve picked out all my reading materials.

I’ve been flexing my editing muscles and I LOVE IT.

Oh god, do I fucking love it.

No one can rain on my parade. (Though the Olympia weather is trying its hardest.)

(Title of post from “Teeth,” by The Ettes)

The principles of life makes a person an emotional being. These principles determines what our senses perceive. We relate as people relate to each other. I can think that divisions by differences set in. And by thought, the world is an arena where these groups of differences take their challenge to prove themselves. This makes the World, a bunch of human beings that create a crowd of their own definition- Principles.

We people have different definition to live a life. Why is it? How is it?

For some is to survive.For some to search life in its full. For some to learn others. And for some is to taste what it is to drop by and leave-hoping to see life in another dimension. A dimension that even they themselves don’t know where to find its fullness.

Life is not a race-for soul sake, reflecting deep- I believe all of us have this unspoken fine definition, and in our deepest deep we believe that it’s never a race. Because if it were, why do we find sleeping an essential part of our lives to live?- Practically . Sleeping I define here as shutting down our consciousness. Letting our sensory to rest for a while. If there will be a sense left,it is our unconscious sense -where its is said that we have no control of but have this definition of who we really are . We are one,we are human beings- as simple as that, a HUMAN crowd…;))

Principles to live is somewhat a share of our learned history- whether bad or good, we have learned. We market that principles and that defines our differences in view of others. Furthering the thought what makes sense out of this is that, In all its search to find oneness despite the differences of each individual we need to come up in one principle. A principle that all of us could understand. Digging deep to our unconscious sense in our soul, the God’s breathe life- We are a living being because of Him. And that makes us in oneness as human beings for its oneness in God. No principles of our mind can define it as our cause for division to prove our differences .

Knowing this powerful truth about who we are gives room for us to reflect our definition about life. Life is as simple as breathing the life God has breathed and keeps on breathing for our living.

Many living beings suspend their lives to realities,the realities of this world. For a time they know when to stop to find where they are; in their walk, in their purpose, in their relationship, and in their direction to walk on; in search for this oneness. Who can tell when they will get back to reality once more?

Other living beings really stop and caught themselves no reason or no hope to move forward. Are they the ones who have reached their principles and can’t still find any sense at all. Are they the ones who failed and had the fear to try once more for a chance to prove their fate. Who can tell?

Other living beings just take it easy on life, taking the load of their responsibility to others. Demanding that in someways, others are more capable of living their lives for them, or say by living in their shadows makes them one living being in a colorful defined cluster. Who can tell?

There are a lot of definitions to hold in each ones principles about life. In contrast, I believe our soul defines its simplicity and completeness.

It’s God’s breathe that makes a living being.

MAYBE, even animals and creatures has this God’s breathe life. They too have emotions to respond and perceive life, and have control of.(mystery conclusion)

How much are the Human beings who have given more of value. A rational living being.

In oneness as human beings is oneness with God, there are no measure, or capacity, or understanding can comprehend this oneness, only in LOVE.

And only in Love that God made us one with Him through Jesus Christ.

The Ulitmate Love God has given us was permitting that truth about Him, to proved His definition of Life for us. It is True Love.

A God’s Son became a human being, to communicate with us through our limited capacity to comprehend, and simply lived with us, to have relationship with us-in a humble and human being means. He did not proved anything but testified hope and freedom and fulfillment. And in return a sacrifice of His living being’s life with all the senses to feel the suffering and pain, just to prove this Love that will make oneness with God. Not having a single account of our flaws, our well- defined mundane self principles. Truly Jesus is the definition of Life, To mind us in living its fullest. The connection that we really need to define in ourselves who we really are. A precious one with precious destiny in the eyes of God.

Jesus Christ honored God of His life, as human being with its definition of fear and weakness and its limit. He knows well that God is so worthy of praise that even the sufferings and trials He faced cannot entirely measure how oneness with God can fulfill the living being’s search for Love. As human beings, it’s always a mystery to comprehend God in His full Glory.

It takes a look who we are in God’s eyes by faith and confidence to honor God of our lives, too. As Jesus Christ had done everything for us to fulfill that fullness of life, it’s a great praise and honor with gratefulness to live life Loving God, and Loving people, all of them…

So when we sacrifice and struggle in our lifetime we should smile and embrace it with a hope that in oneness with God we will find the Love we are searching for.

Everyone needs Love, and I believe every one of us knows how to love, its uniquity and mystery God sets in each one of us, this Love. The Love that make us share it amazingly in oneness.

Love is unfathomable. So as we walk with life, keep searching it upwardly together with the people God gives you. In oneness let us give and take this Love gratefully until we perfect it for God’s coming, The ultimate experience of Love.
<3 <3 <3

Let our many principles of life define us in one conclusion: LOVE life in oneness with God

Gen. 2:7- the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

John 3:16-  ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Ephesians 3:19- May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Romans 8:35-39-Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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1. Change
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

2. Control.
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

3. Forgiveness
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

4. Action.
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

5. The present moment.
“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

6. Everyone is human.
“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

7. Persist.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

8. Goodness.
“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

9. Truth
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

10. Development.
“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

So… I see Matt on the weekends and I speak to him during the week if he initiates the conversation, whatever form that may be.  It’s so lovely to see him. He’s always eager to see me, paying lovely attention to me. I’ve been finding it really easy to maintain being in my power  for the whole time we’re together. We’ve been having some really lovely, hot, sensual sex as of late also, and let me tell you…woah baby! In one of Emily’s books I read that the woman holds the sexual energy. I think it’s Wild Attraction by Paul and Patricia Richards. How true it is.

It’s really fun letting my flirty side out, ever to subtly. I love having little crushes and just being… doing what I want. Life is amazing.

A friend is coming by tonight who used to live here in this communal house. I caught my self tidying up my room and making sure my hair looked good. I laughed out loud at myself! Here’s to just living and allowing the goddess to light the way!

Blessings,

Oh godddddddessss I’m so happy

J

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Ric was so elated with the youth’s response to every work God entrusted to him. the fruit of his labor was seen positively in his face. A happy man makes me happy too. He feels for the youth–a deep concern and a brotherly love.
Monday early morning we rushed to the airport at Mactan City for our 8am flight, some youth managed to rise up early to bade us goodbye for the last time.
Visiting there was an experience.I had a great time knowing them and sharing a capsule of time with them for three days.

This is one of my realization how life is made to share for others,especially the fellowship with Christian friends–That no matter what differences;geographically, culturally or even personally, each one God places in the heart a sense of gratefulness and belonging-ness–one that is found in Jesus Christ alone- Grace!
Thank you Lord for the experience! Amazing.

They were practicing a pantomime, something classical and Greek and pointing back to those days when comedy went hand-in-hand with genitals. The students had chosen a secluded rose garden. The photographer, unfortunately, had done the same.

“…So I’m going to try to snap these pictures -without- getting man bits in the background,” the photographer murmured.

While he snapped photos, we could hear the students practicing the same line: “We already have hard-ons!”

…It was interesting.

Photoshoot for SBR Committee

The scene pretty much summarizes my life as of late: unexpected, amusing, fascinating, sunny. And very, very Cambridge.

Cambridge is a funny place to be in May and June.

Last year, outside, sunshine

In May, the entire university shuts down. Students tuck into dark corners. They tuck into libraries. They tuck into old books with greek handwritten footnotes (true story) and dribbles of greek food (also, unfortunately, a true story).

In June, everyone reemerges. The weather is suddenly better. Exams are finished. Students remember to smile. There are garden parties, evening parties, parties held on grassy stretches of Cambridge land while girls frolic in pretty dresses and delicate heels, and men lounge in ruffled shirts and black jackets.

Pentathlon Garden Party

People go up and down the river with picnics in punts, drinking this weird mixture called Pimms and nibbling strawberries.

June is a lovely time.

So it is that I’ve been tucked away, hidden behind books and in a dusty library corner. I would surround myself with text after text. I had fourteen binders full of paper. I think they are still there, those binders, still piled into the corner of the library; after my last exam, I couldn’t bring myself to go and collect them.

“Don’t worry. We’ll have a bonfire out at the farm,” my friend Z promised me.

“Really?”

“…could do.”

SBR Committee

So now I’ve finished, written my last Cambridge exam, those long three-hour horrors that have questions like: “Can politicians be honest?” or “How do we answer the question, ‘what is equality?’”

It’s all over.

I’ve accepted a job working for Epoch PR, a London-based PR firm that does a lot of corporate/business/think tank/policy stuff. I’ll be a Junior Account Executive starting July 11.

July 11th is soon.

I only graduate June 30th.

I’ve also been busy with small tidbits of random life. I wrote another post for USA Today’s College blog, a post which became the most popular and has remained that way now for two days. The title? “Ten Things US Students Could Learn from Cambridge Students.” I wrote it on the day of my last exam, post-essay, pre-celebration, when my eyes felt like they were going to crawl from my head and dance on the keyboard.

It made me remember how much I love writing.

And now?

Now I get to enjoy Cambridge. I am sighing into the last savory days of student freedom, enjoying the events, the mixers and minglers and socials. I am reacquainting myself with all the friends I forgot when I was hidden beneath mounds of knowledge.

Pentathlon Annual Dinner

I am getting ready for the St. John’s College May Ball, the ball that was listed as the Seventh Best Party in the World by TIME Magazine. I am cooking cupcakes for the Pentathlon garden party. I am laying in the sun and reading Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Life is good.

Especially when it’s unexpected.

-Melody Beattie, “Finding Your Way Home”

Today is a very good day.

Why?

• I’m alive.
• The sun is shining.
• I had good cuddle time with my husband before I left for work.
• My mother-in-law are getting along better {No, we weren’t fighting. I had to give her space to work through her “stuff” and I was feeling impatient around this.}
• My longtime friend (since 1987) and I had a great chat today.
• I meditated for 20 minutes.
• I’m meeting another friend, later, to coach her in working on a vision board.

When I woke up today, I made sure to set an intention.

My intention was,

   You will be fine today in all you have to do and you will be at peace.

I said this to myself, in a teeth-brushing mumble, while looking in the mirror. It was completely up to me to care for myself today and to remain open to whatever would happen.

As I finished my morning routine, drove to work, sat in meetings, answered phone calls, participated in my coaching class, ate lunch…and so on…I kept reminding myself,

   Today is your day!

I had a mountain of work to do today – and it was not sexy work. It was analytical, detailed driven, and a bit dry. I did not mind it. I kept breathing, took small breaks to do some office yoga, and reminded myself that

   Today is your day!

When you have a lot to do – or unexciting tasks are on your “to do” list – what do you tell yourself?

How do you better the activities or tasks so you can maximize your life?

How do you keep moving forward in order to stay mindful and centered?

mission image