Covid19 – The Year of The Mask

As I looked at this photo, I found it surreal and extreme all at once. Yet, I recognised it, not as a funny sketch, but as a reflection of my new norm for 2020.

How did we get to this? – Canva Photo

How crazy is it to see The Monalisa, not sporting her usual demure smile, but instead a mass produced medical mask that now covers our unique faces? Yet this has become our day to day reality in a very short space of time, globally. No longer are we able to communicate through our facial expressions. In stead, the lower half of our faces have to be covered whilst outside, depending on where we are and how much we are in the presence of others.

COVID19 – The Pandemic of 2020, that changed everything!

Just as it has reduced our exposed faces, so it has reduced our movements and social interactions. Uncertainty and fear, have escalated to unknown levels and the fallout from economic debt and collapsed industries, is tangibly real.

For those who have lost loved ones this year, the pain is truly beyond words. I lost my mum in April during the height of lockdown. There are no words really to express the reality of loosing someone who went earlier than they should have. But all we can do is trust she is at piece with The Lord, such was her faith, for she loved The Lord with all her heart.

If you have lost a loved one, my condolences to you and yours?

Yet inspite, of much sadness and the challenge of difficult times and situations, life goes on. Weddings, births, birthdays, graduations, successes. These are also very alive.

If this year has taught or brought in any positives it is the importance of relationships; Family and quality friends. These have been everything to me besides my faith.

So how do you stay positive during days like these? I have always been “the glass half full” kind a girl. A word I was given in February this year was Jeremiah 17 7-8.

7 But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

It has been my go to scripture throughout this year and it has kept me from surcoming to overwhelm. In the midst of Covid news bulletins, economic downturns, lockdowns, conspiracy theories, loss of friends and family. It has been a standard blowing in the wind of negativity and adversity. An anchor in the current of my struggling emotions and thoughts.

It states the things to keep doing, the most important things are trusting and hoping in the Lord regardless of the challenges because He will be your provider and keeper. With these words I have recognised how important Hope is in the face of news that seeks to erode hope and if your not careful leave you feeling only despair and questioning everything.

Because I have this hope I trust in The Lord for my today and my tomorrow. Ideas, dreams and plans continue and one day the masks will be a distant memory behind us and part of history.

Your ideas, your dreams, your plans are fundamental. So don’t give up on them. If anything, I think we have to become even more creative in how things can work today and tomorrow. Creativity brings it’s own rewards because it supports our mentality.

Writing, drawing, painting, dancing, singing, crafting, sewing, knitting, cooking, baking, candlestick making:-) Whatever is your thing, don’t dismiss it, sideline it or continue to ignore it. These things often add to you mentally and emotionally. Bringing joy, peace and an important release to your life. More importantly, your ideas, dreams and plans can lead to the new businesses and services for tomorrow.

So this me, for today. Remember, continue to be the change you want to see? Until my next post:-)

Gloria (aka Aquene7)

Friend or Enemy?

Time to serve notice😊

Start your day right!

What are you focusing on?

I like this proverb because it says – if how you think on the inside of you is right, you remove the power of anything external being able to harm or destroy you. This is mental resilience.

So if you love you for who you are. Does it not reduced the need for the approval of others?

It is great to be appreciated, recognised and valued. But if this doesn’t happen are you worth less? Has the person of who you are deminished because of the lack of other peoples input?

Often times we give away our power by allowing the words and superficial opinion of others to be of more value than what we think and say of ourselves.

Encourage yourself.

Be the change you want to see. Until the next time.

Like, comment, share😊

 

Gloria

Mindset Is Everything!

Mindset! Mindset! Mindset!

Personally I believe your mind is the most important thing. Because your life is shaped by it.

It was the thing my grandmother valued the most, and she prayed that God would keep her mind, especially during her old age. I never fully understood why she thought this when I  was younger but over the years and as I have grown older  myself, it too has become the most important thing for me also. Why? Because it is the centre to your thoughts, actions and habits. It forms your perception of the world and formulates the decisions for your life both good and bad.

Our mind separates us. Because it shapes who you are in our life.

I love this photo because it depicts a transforming mindset.

Many years ago, like many young people in the early 1980’s, I left school with average grades during a time when unemployment was high and it was extremely challenging for young people with no work experience to document, in order to get a job. So I signed up for a training/skills course and we were given JSA  (Job Seekers Allowance) of £23 per week to cover travel and lunch expenses.

My course was to learn office skills, including touch typing, so that eventually I could apply for office work. I must admit looking back, it did equip me to find my first job and I met some lovely people at the time. But I can’t say I loved the course. However, I met one young lady at the time who was so different to all of us. Let’s call her J.

J was not into fashion or clothes. I personally thought she could be alot more attractive as a female if she took more pride in her appearance. (Yep, as a young person I had my own stereotypical  view of how us girls should be.)  But J was very unkempt. We became friends though, because she was infectiously different and fiercely independent. She danced very much to her own beat and being popular was not on her radar. She had her own goals and working in an office wasn’t one of them.

I found out she loved horses and she worked in stables and had somehow purchased her own horse, which she worked hard for in order to look after it. Her JSA money was used towards that to.

Her mindset was totally different to all of us at the time. She had the responsibility of maintaining something she loved and had worked hard to obtain. I remember being amazed that someone so young could have bought a horse and that her life wasn’t about being in an office job.  I met up with her years later and she look great. She still had that powerful drive and independent non compromising spirit. But she was by then a business owner for more than one business and she still had her horse and now had her own stable.  Her mindset was so focused when she was young. She didn’t have much. Infact, she sacrificed a lot of personal extravagances in order to support her dream.

Her mindset, set her apart from the mainstream. She had the same limited funds but she used her limited resources in the best way that worked for her.  Buying your own horse would have cost a good amount of money back then. J, clearly didnt say “I could never afford that” instead she planned a way to make it happen and then did whatever she needed to, to maintain and care for her horse.

What do you have in your hand and at your disposal right now? Are you making the most of your resources? Are you making your dream become a reality bit by bit? Or does it remain still in the starters blocks, the dream yet to have begun?

How you think determines what you do or do not achieve in your life.

“Better to have tried and failed than to have not tried at all!”

Each day I have decided to be intentional about the things I want to achieve. If I dont move things forward and make them happen in my life who will? No one can live your life or your dreams for you.

Dr Myles Monroe said

Your future is not ahead of you its inside of you.

Call it your potential, your dream, your goals. However you see it, only you can release it. Others can guide, coach, mentor or support you, but the achieving and realisation of it, is down to you.

Your mindset is everything. Limiting beliefs and uncontrolled fears can rob you of your dreams.

So what are you doing about your mind? How are you promoting a healthy mind for yourself and your life? A healthy mindset is more than just positive thinking. It is very much about action. Making things happen whether in small steps or big steps.

So until then, continue to be the change you want to see😊

 

Have a great day

 

Gloria

One Lovely Blog Award!

I have been really inspired with my blogging since taking up the Blogging 101 Challenge this September, it has been like a second wind! I think I have been stretched in my writing and it has been really lovely to see how things have changed in such a short space of time.  I have gained new followers and received more comments from readers, which has been such a buzz!

So it was such a wonderful surprise to receive Saana’s comment yesterday afternoon, saying she had nominated me for the ‘One Lovely Blog Award.’  Saturday 4th October marked my first anniversary as a blogger, a milestone I was so pleased with on a personal level as I had no idea I would have lasted a year when I first started.  It’s a wonderful way to encourage someone who is new in blogging and its has made my day today:-)

The One Lovely Blog Award nominations are chosen by fellow bloggers for those newer or up-and-coming bloggers. The goal is to help give recognition and to also help the new blogger reach more viewers. It also recognizes blogs that are considered to be “lovely” by the fellow-blogger who chose them. This award acknowledges bloggers who share their story or thoughts in a beautiful manner to connect with their viewers and followers. In order to “accept” the award the nominated blogger must follow several guidelines.

 The guidelines for the One Lovely Blog Award are:
• Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
• Add the One Lovely Blog Award logo to your post and/or blog.
• Share 7 facts/or things about yourself.
• Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform nominees by commenting on their blog.

7 Facts/Things about Myself

• Well, there is a lot of information about me scattered throughout my blog but one thing that has not been mentioned it that I don’t eat meat. I do eat seafood, which I totally love!
• I have a lovely cat called Neo.
• I am the biggest fan of Downton Abbey, Holby City and Luther. (Phone calls do not happen when they are on:-)
• I have a serious fear of heights, and yet I imagine doing the most ridiculous things like Sky diving, etc so vividly in my head, so weird!!
• My favourite song from a musical is ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables sung by Alfie Boe.  Totally emosh when I first watched it.
• I love Pixar, Walt Disney and anything like that for Kids:-)
• I love the beach, sea and sun.  Lots of it:-)
• I have been driving for over 25 years and love the fact I can go where I want when I want. I hate waiting for public transport.

My 15 Nominees are:-

1. A Humble Journey
2. Work For The Cause & Not For The Applause
3. The Eff Stop
4. Inner Haven
5. Jdubqca – Poetry
6. Debrazone
7. Raising 5 Kids With Disabilities & Remaining Sane
8. The Belief Blog
9. Daniel Trump
10. Marthapfeil
11. Aminelle Nali
12. Walter Bright
13. The Sound
14. Estelea’s Blog
15. DaniellaJoe’s Blog

2nd Nomination

I also wanted to say thank you to Malva who nominated for another One Lovely Blog Award. I am very honoured by the nomination and just wanted to say thank you. Please checkout her blog just click on her name.

Football – ‘The Beautiful Game’

I have often heard people, (mostly men:-) ) refer to football as ‘The Beautiful Game.’  That’s some statement, and obviously born out of a real  love and passion for the sport.

Now, I am no avid football fan, nor expert for that matter.  In fact, my love for the game comes around once every 4 years!!  It’s now World Cup season and if you are not a fan of football right now it can be quiet lonely as a wife or girlfriend and boring if you are a lover of TV, because right now, its prime time for Football lol!

So why is football referred to as ‘The Beautiful Game?’  I can only guess, it’s because when people get to see a fantastic match, showing skill, quality goals and mastery of the game,  their end sentence is along the same lines, implying that  it was a ‘Beautiful Game!’ to watch.

There’s no denying the skill when you see it and you don’t have to be an expert to admire a fantastic goal.  I have attended a football match only once ( told you, I am a Philistine when it comes to football 🙂 But the sound of a stadium singing and chanting is phenomenal that’s all I can say!

For me ‘The Beautiful Game’ should be ‘my life,’ and I can relate life to a game of football.

• Challenges can come from any direction, at any pace
• Every player has a purpose and a position to play
• The overall aim is to be a team player.  To benefit others, your team and those who have come to watch, not to just benefit yourself.  The ultimate purpose in life is the serving of others somehow, through what you do. 
• There should always be a single purpose and focus in spite of all else, ‘The Goal’ and Winning. You have a purpose and a destiny, its down to you to seek it out and find it.
• Not everyone plays fair and with Sportsmanship. The cards you are given in life are rarely brilliant. Some people may feel the have no hope at first, but some how your beginning cannot be author of your end.
• Some tackles are ruthless, harsh, vindictive and can take an opponent out of the game and their career. This happens in life, some people, somehow find a way to turn these situations around.
• There is going to be natural wear and tare on your body and health.  You get injured, you can become ill and at some point you will require time to mend. Life can stop you in your tracks.  There will always be events and situations outside of your control. You just have to work with it.
• Once fit you always return to the game or the next available game. Obviously you only have one life and one game.
• There is a time limit on how long you can play as a professional player as there is to life itself.  So you have to make the most of your time while you can.
• Skill requires sacrifice, focus, persistence and dedication. Discipline
• All Professional Footballers start off as unknown’s.  A small child playing in the park, their local street, their school. Some poor and impoverished, far from the glamour of being a Professional.  As in life, humble beginnings is the starting point for many business, etc.
• Footballer’s don’t quit or give up! Being competitive is all part of the buzz.
• There is always a stand out player. In life that is always you.  You are the star of your own match!
• The goal that counts is the one ahead of you not behind for your team. In life the focus is not your past but your future!

Now, I know that many would not see their life as a ‘Beautiful Game.‘ But for me, your choices in life can make it so.

Yesterday I attended the Herbalife 30th UK Anniversary and it was an inspiring event, because of the ordinary people who had made amazing and dramatic changes to their health and were recognised for it.  It was there I saw this clip, and yep, I loved it and it inspired this blog!

 

Life can be ‘The Beautiful Game’ are you driven to perfect it?  Remember the star player is you!

 

Be the change you want to be, until next time:-)

 

Aquene7 = Peace