Change your point of view

The following was posted by Allan Passos and I thought it was very interesting and timely. This picture is real and was not edited, the stone is real, the trees are real, the soil is real and the sky is real.

 

This looks like an unbelievable shot, but there is no trick here, there is no special editing nothing was done to make the image appear this way. When I first saw the picture, I was amazed and then confused, I wondered how did the photographer make this stone become suspended in mid-air I suspect you may be wondering the same thing as I did.

To see the picture as it should be all you have to do is to change your point of view.

You see! Our reality is what we make it, sometimes the situation is not so bad as you think it is, but because of your point of view (your vision) things is out of perspective with the reality of things.

We sometimes get caught thinking all is not well in our world as our perception of events is not the reality of what is happening. Take the time to step back and look at the world through a different perspective, which may mean that you have to turn your world upside down to see what is really happening. Easier said than done, of course. 

Turning your world upside down may mean starting by questioning the assumptions you believe. Retirement is a time for renewal and a time to start to question your assumptions and your reality. For over 40 years your reality has been shaped around work, family and leisure. When you retire your reality will be shaped by leisure and family and maybe work. Accepting that fact means that you are on the first step to turning your world upside down.

Here are two more pics that show that turning your world upside down can lead to some interesting ideas.

Special people

Some people just have big hearts, and with this gift they're very often able to feel, offer, and show far more love than they receive from those around them. Which, at times, is a heavy load to bear. 

These are very special people, the caregivers, the friend that stands beside you, and the countless others who make our lives easier, with no thought to their own needs. These people may not think that they are appreciated, but they are, they are needed, loved and valued. On special days we show our love and gratitude to these people but why wait for a special day on the calendar. Make today their special day, just from you.

So today I'd like to remind them, and especially you, that the sun asks not that the moon and planets help brighten each day but relishes her role as a keeper of the light and a bringer of the dawn. Take the time to say thank you to that special person in your life that fills your life with goodness and love. Let them know how much you value them and their contributions to your life. Gratitude is never expected by these folks, but I bet if given, it would not be rejected and it would be valued. Life is good, show your gratitude.

Looking out my back door

This was the scene in my backyard the other day, video compliments of my son. So as I sat and watched the hummingbird I was playing Credence on the stereo. Guess which song?

Visualize

I was wondering the other day about what part of "visualize" do you think most people misunderstand?

The use of visualization to present information is not a new phenomenon. It has been used in maps, scientific drawings, and data plots for over a thousand years. We look in awe at the early cave drawings of life before the written word. Our early ancestors used visualization and visual imagery to tell stories, to create myths and to honor each other.

It is a confusing term and one that is used or misused by many. On one level it is a technique involving focusing on positive mental images in order to achieve a particular goal
visualize or to form a mental image of (something incapable of being viewed or not at that moment visible).

On another level, it is a motivational technique which can help you achieve personal goals. If you really want something to come to fruition, then you have to put your imaginative mind to work. See the result in front of you, play the game you are going to play in your mind, or watch yourself accepting your degree at college. The only limit is your own mind. Visualization is also a useful mental skill which allows you to picture an image or scenario not immediately in front of your eyes.

Visualization used as a motivational technique is a skill that can be learned but like any skill, it must be practiced more than once a day. Many try visualization and fail because of many reasons. One reason could be that we only do it just once a day, for a few minutes a day, because we have yet to realize that whatever it is we most want lies only a little thinking away? So we stop when we fail, rather than continuing to try. Can you hear me now?

Could, woulda, shoulda

I was thinking the other day about life and I thought, when you think about life is amazing. I also think most people suspect that their approach to life is dead-on. But if asked I think that most of us can't think of anything we have ever done that we would have done differently if you had the wisdom you have now.

Well, is that true for you? I know that with wisdom comes the reality that I coulda, woulda, shoulda, done a whole list of things differently if I had only known. I bet many of us realize this as we reflect on our past. There is an old saying, “ If wishes were horses, beggars would ride", which is an English language proverb and nursery rhyme, first recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs. It suggests if wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted.

The same could be said for the coulda, woulda, shoulda thoughts we have about what we would change. The way we lived, the challenges we faced made us the person we are today. However, maybe you should think about visualizing more. Seeing the end result in all its glorious detail, bypassing the cursed how’s, and feeling the emotions you expect to feel.

Hey, we have more time and maybe, just maybe we can continue to learn as life is complicated but good.

Helping out

Life is full of opportunities to help others. But we do not believe that we can change things, but we can. If you think back on your life, there isn't a moment in any day, when someone, somewhere, isn't better off because of something you've done. It is not the big things in life that we do that other people hold in their hearts, it is the little things. Remembering a person’s name, or their birthday. Taking the time to recognize someone who serves you, in the restaurant, or the café or on the bus. 

I was riding the bus the other day, something I don’t do often and I was struck by the little things the riders did to make the drivers feel special. At every stop, when a passenger disembarked from the bus, the passenger to a person, turned to the driver and said thank you. A small gesture, but I watched the drivers face and every time he heard his passenger say thank you, I saw him smile. The passengers may not have known what they were doing as a collective, but by the end of my travels, the bus driver appeared to be floating on air. 

When I was in Australia, I took a bus down the Morningstar Peninsula, on a regular basis and I noticed that from time to time, the driver would stop and wait at a station. I asked why, and the driver said to me, “ I have passengers who rely on this bus, and if they miss the bus, they will be late for work or getting home. It is ok if I am a bit late, but I never want to arrive at my stops early because some people may miss the bus if I am early.”

Small things that make a person feel special, the bus driver appreciated the needs of his passengers and he went out of his way to make sure those needs were met.  We are the same, it is the little things we do, that we do not realize how important these are to the people we interact with, and if we did, we would probably be embarrassed because we do not value the small things we do, but others do and did.

And no matter what you do, or don't do, with the rest of your life, you cannot now comprehend the amounts of love, joy, and personal assistance that are already being pressed out to you in gratitude. 

In gratitude

There isn't a moment in any day,, when someone, somewhere, isn't better off because of something you've done.

And no matter what you do, or don't do, with the rest of your life, you cannot now comprehend the amounts of love, joy, and personal assistance that are already being pressed out to you in gratitude. 

Must be nice

Bad golf, even the pro's have a bad day

My friends and I just finished a week of golf in the interior of BC. We had fun but we also had some days that you wish you could do over. This video shows us that as duffers we are not alone when we have a bad golf game. Enjoy.

Perspective

Do check out these pictures


In Brazil, near Rio, people take spectacular pictures of people tempting fate by hanging from this famous rock. Check out these pictures to discover just how dangerous it really is!

The truth is, the rock is only a few feet above the ground. All that is required is the proper perspective!

Remember this lesson when you read/view material on the internet. Sometimes, the truth is a lot different than what it appears.