To live well and laugh often

The following is a famous poem that has been falsely accredited to many authors. It seems to belong to Bessie Stanley.

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.
-Bessie Stanley

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One year ago

One year ago I came off a plane and landed in Sydney. I caught a bus to Canberra and was finally home after nine months of being away.

Perhaps I came back with my tail in between my legs. It had felt like a long time away. I had no job to go to, no savings left and I was tired from the 9 months I had just lived. Nevertheless, my spirits were lifted, I saw my family again, I realised Canberra is the place for me now and I had my fiancee with me. Continue reading

The Blue Mountains

Earlier this year, I had the privilege to finally visit the Blue Mountains in NSW.

The journey was amazing, I felt like a child on a school excursion. It took a while to get there but every minute of it was interesting. I never imagined there would be so many towns along the way. When I’ve heard that people lived in the Blue Mountains, I always assumed that they would live at the foot of the mountains but never did I expect to see so many houses right at the top!

Without going too much further into it. Here are just a few photos from the trip. Enjoy.

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The Travel Bug

I was on a ferry a couple of months ago in the beautiful city of Sydney.

I was in my own paradise for ten minutes as I sat outside with the wind against my face and the distant lights from the city slowly getting closer.

As I heard small waves knock against the boat, I was able to take in the beauty of everything around me.

It reminded me of travelling. I always tell me friends that it’s not the landscapes that make a trip memorable, it’s what you’re feeling at the time and those short moments you experience while doing ordinary every day activities.

Being on that ferry brought back many memories of places I have visited. At that moment I wished I was back there to retrace my steps as an older person.

That’s when I realised that when you travel you leave pieces of your heart at every place you visit. As time goes on, those pieces of your heart call to you, asking you to come back. And I believe it’s not enough to visit a place just once.

Mediocre jobs for mediocre satisfaction

I’ve been putting off publishing this post for a while now but I think it’s important to do so. I enjoy writing positive and constructive posts but every now and then you have to be aware of the things that threaten your happiness, well being and levels of enjoyment. We’ve all had less than satisfactory jobs before (well, most of us). This following post indicates why it’s necessary to leave these jobs as quickly as possible for our own sake – global financial recession in place or not!

So why are we all here? I think it’s quite old to think that you do a job simply for the money.

Humans, being curious species, we search for more than just shelter and a bit of cash savings.

Fulfilment is the new currency nowadays. What do I mean by that?

  • We want relationships
  • We want good health
  • We want money to do the things or buy the things we desire
  • We want spirituality or faith, that offers the logic we need, to better understand the circumstances that we face
  • We want time. Free time to enjoy our spoils

This is my understanding of what comprises fulfilment in one’s life.

How can you feel fulfilled if your job doesn’t reach the same high expectations that you’ve set for the other aspects of your life? Life is about risk. Risk identification, risk mitigation and risk management. You’re taking a risk when tolerating bad working conditions (in other words, continuing in a crappy job). The risks are that the stresses involved will affect other areas of your life and eventually, decrease your levels of enjoyment. Continue reading