3D REFLECTIONS OF LIFE

It is 20h21. There are only three hours and 39 minutes left before we welcome in the new year, 2015. I have been thinking hard about what to say to you and me about our vision for 2015. How do we prepare to make our lives matter? How can we live more authentically? How do we build on our successes? How do we make the changes that we have to make in our lives?   Making changes will never be easy. But we have to start somewhere. We have to learn to commit to our dreams by starting small. Every small act or action adds up and before we know it, we are moving ourselves to becoming happier people. We need goals to be our maps, but we forget that each of our goals is a composite of many tiny goals. Those small goals are really the small actions that move us closer to our main goal.   One of my overarching goals is to live a more purposeful life. One big stumbling block is that I am a self-confessed workaholic and I have begun to question its impact on my life.   My obsession ...

Do you feel you can't shake off that exhaustion even though you are on holiday? If this is the case, the reality is that you are suffering from burnout. Many of the symptoms of burnout were there throughout the year, but you probably dismissed those early warning signs.   There are two reasons why you don't see yourself as a sufferer of burnout. Firstly , you may not know how to recognize the symptoms of burnout. You may have accepted being tired constantly because of work overload. Family demands frustrate you, you ignore spending time with friends and your conversations are mainly about work. This preoccupation with work after hours and the absence of fun and quality time with family and friends are all telltale signs of burnout.   Secondly , you may be in denial. You tell yourself that it is normal to feel wasted at the end of the year. You may also play the blame game and identify everybody else as causing you undue stress and not take responsibility for your own ...

One of these days we will be entering a new year, the year 2015. The ideal time to get rid of toxic people in your life. You know the kind that drains our energies. They come in all shapes and sizes and they are everywhere. Let's go minimalist on those people who complicate our lives. Let us be grape pickers of our own vineyards. Shall we start our pruning and harvesting? Right, here we go. We are that bounteous cluster of grapes, brimming with life. Here and there we see a spoilt grape tucked between the energising grapes. Remove these imperfections and see them as those people that you wish to exclude from your life. Those shriveled grapes may even be parts of your own personality that you wish to change. Go ahead. Prune vigorously so that you can make way for new sprouts, new beginnings.   If we can visualize this cleansing, transformational process, we are well on our way to improving our quality of life. Now we just have to put our plan into action. This may sound simple, ...

Khoi fish Are you aware of all the beauty that surrounds us? If you are like me, you are probably also drawn to all the things that can sap our energies. Our family and work lives become so busy that we miss the splendour that surrounds us. But, I am making a concerted effort to find more time to do things that are soul-inspiring.   My passion for taking pictures has raised my awareness of my surroundings. I became excited when I saw this sleeping turtle dove, perched on a yucca leaf. I spent a while watching this turtle dove and tried to study its beak, head and the various feathers. No matter where you look, there will be some form of plant life that can energise you. The shape of a tree trunk, the smell of freshly-mowed grass or even wild flowers that grow in open spaces are there to lift your spirit. Flowers in bloom have a magnetic pull. Here I posted a picture of one of our indigenous plants, the sterilitzia. The intricate design of the sterilitzia enhances its beauty. W...

I simply love the idea of a birthday. The Birthday Girl doing her Nerdy thang! A few weeks before my birthday, Basil and the children will start asking our famous question " And who will be celebrating a birthday on 4 July? I enjoy this teasing which has taken a bit of a turn because my children have finally realised that moms do age! So there's the bantering about my walk that is becoming slower and when I show any sign of longwindedness - heaven forbid!  My hairstyle comes under scrutiny and the way I dress is dissected. I am not supposed to wear too much make up because it does not suit me and my hair must be styled fashionably else the Lewinsky-kid syndrome goes haywire.  Of course, I enjoy this banter and play along . Desiree, Levona, Sharon, Erica and Devine in action Desiree, Levona, Sharon, Erica and Devine with the most devine pout Then when my birthday strikes, the mood is jovial, there is much singing and pampering to die for.  Throughout ...