Author: jeremy

  • Everyday, choose love

    Everyday, choose love

    I’m fortunate to have two cute lil labradors friends. Each day they want to play and muck around. It’s unconditional love, with a minor clause of – feed me human ✨😂

    Labradors generally have a bite force of 230 PSI or pounds per square inch. To break a human finger bone requires about 300 PSI. The labs could easily do it. Labs’ bite force is comparable to a bull terrier, if we compare to another dog breed. They are of course very different breeds and each individual behaves differently.

    Labradors are peaceful. They possess immense potential to cause damage to us, and yet each day they choose not to.

    Everyday, it’s a conscious choice. When we play, they sometimes mouth my hand, but it’s the gentlest of effort. Again, they choose to use 2% of the force they actually possess.

    “This human is a friend, I have no need to cause harm. They feed me, make me happy and there is no anger. “

    It’s a choice of love everyday. We could wonder why, is it how they were raised, genetics? Maybe it’s all of it.

    Each day, we can choose the same.

    When the universe tests us, other choices might be frustration, anger, jealousy or revenge. Choose grace and love. Or just bite the annoying person! lol 😂

    Choose love.

    One day, you will look back and be grateful for your choices, I know I am.

  • Eventually things will find their natural place

    Eventually things will find their natural place

    Things in the house, on your desk or in your relationships, eventually find their natural place.

    When you buy something for the home, or to put on your desk or in a specific room, it’s usually done with focused intent. You think that’s where it best fits, it aligns, it looks great and maybe it’s functional. Maybe the colours are amazing, the light reflects well or the energy feels right.

    It’s a trial really though.

    Whether it’s in the best location or not, is yet to be revealed. And maybe it is for the current point in time, life changes though.

    Eventually the object will reveal itself as being in the best place, or not.

    It might need a slight move to one side. Or be best in another room or given to someone else. Naturally, we’ll move a thing till we’re happy with it. Eventually you may realise, it just doesn’t fit and lets ditch that truckin’ thang!

    Take my doormat for example. Cute thing. Got it cheap for $5, and it’s recycled material. I bought it as a shoe doormat, to remove sand. It’s usually very clean, but it was on the step and I was tripping on it. So I moved it up into the entrance and eventually it just got in the way more. Now it’s sitting in the donation corner washed and ready.

    Things, friendships, job roles, cars or whatever it happens to be, they all find their natural place in your life and eventually move locations or change in some way so they fit best in our lives.

    We move things around. Sometimes, around and around and around lol. I’ve moved some things so many times, I pick them up and wonder while I’m moving them – “why do I even have this?!”.

    Eventually though, adjustments or changes are made and everything finds its right place in our world.

  • To create is to be brave

    To create is to be brave

    Creating a thing is to manifest something from within yourself. It takes energy, courage and bravery to just imagine something creative, let alone make it become real in the world.

    In life, it’s so much easier to look at something that exists and critique it. A sideline critic is an easy path. Most people will have an opinion and many will be happy to share theirs about your creative work.

    That doesn’t mean we need to take that feedback to heart. Filter the noise, understand that people’s motivations are sometimes just spur of the moment remarks based on ignorance or boredom. And there are those who will comment because they’re triggered. They feel accused, guilty, exposed or something personal that’s being elicited by your work.

    Treat them with kindness and compassion and castle-like boundaries if they cross lines.

    To manifest an idea, create it so it exists and then publish it for the world to see, is pure bravery.

    When we publish something, we become vulnerable and open ourselves up to criticism and if you post it online, that feedback can come through instantly.

    For this very reason I’m a hype man. I like what I like, comment positive feedback where I want and just stay away from things that don’t interest me. Isn’t that the best way? Why add to the noise?

    Keep creating, there are lots of admirers and your work may be helping some people get through their own lives or bring some light to a slightly dark moment.

    Forge on with life like a bright burning light. Make that thing and put it out into the world.

  • No one but you sets your standards

    No one but you sets your standards

    I love 🫶🏽 this one because it’s a reset & reminder to not be influenced by others’ standards.

    In life we’re gonna encounter loud, quiet, pushy and all sorts of people. And if you spend time with them, you’re likely to be influenced in some way. There’s a saying about us being the average of the people we send time with. I’m not sure I agree, but it’s hard to completely avoid influence.

    Your standards are yours to maintain, change and set higher for yourself.

    In a way it’s so freeing when you think about it. We are in control, and who cares if someone has a differing opinion or standard. It’s not always that easy, and as humans we likely care by default. But we can aspire to filtering unnecessary influence.

    When you can reach the point where you know your standard limits so clearly, it becomes second nature in interactions to recognise our own lines and choose how we respond.

    Sure we also have rules and standards enforced on us by society, they’re hard to avoid, but even those are sometimes best broken.

    The loud ones. You’re gonna bump up against people who think they know best, proclaim their level of cool or authority, get in your business or talk the loudest.

    They’re likely the most insecure in the room.

    Their insecurity maybe rooted in things like fear of peer pressure, embarrassment, jealousy, confusion or just lack of clear direction or experience. How that fear manifests in behaviours also reveals a person’s standards.

    We set our own standards. We maintain them and when we waver, we are the one that decides how far into the grey zone we allow ourself to go.

    When we find ourselves too deep in the grey and warnings are going off, it’s our choice to continue or not and our limits and triggers will be different to the next person.

    Like anyone, I let my standards slip at times. I pull myself back and sometimes when doing so, realise I’ve let more than one standard slip against my values. This I think, is the constant effort of self discipline. We’re human, we’re gonna wander off the path a little. Correct course and move forward.

    Reset and remind yourself of your standards and values. And in doing so, free yourself from the external influence.

    Your standards are yours.

  • It’s probably not personal

    It’s probably not personal

    This is one of the more powerful lessons I’ve learnt over time when it comes to the behaviour of others and how we perceive, react or respond to it.

    If someone has done something you disagree with, don’t understand, makes you confused or left you questioning their behaviour or motivation, then take a pause and breathe through it.

    You might have intrusive thoughts such as, what are the possible reasons!? What are they thinking doing that?!

    The longer we dwell on it the more we worry. Learning to let it go is a powerful skill and understand that if it’s behaviour around you, without direct communication not a lot will be resolved. And from experience, it’s not easy to identify the reason why someone did something or acted in a certain way.

    Take a breath, give it some time and let it sit.

    It’s probably not personal. There’s likely another reason someone acted in a surprising way.

    And once it’s discussed, it often becomes clear there were reasons or circumstances we weren’t aware were a factor.

    It’s likely not personal.

    Holding this mindset is a great method of relieving ourselves of worry and personal blame when it’s unwarranted. Of course, if it is us! then take responsibility.

    Give people some time and space and the reasons may become clear.

    Be kind to yourself and let it go. It’s likely nothing to do with us and with communication, it will become clear.