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Have you ever experienced that you continually think about a matter, a problem, or a wish? That you create many scenarios how it could succeed, or what you should do in order to fix or solve the case? Unfortunately, it stays with thinking and there is no action. I’m personally a thinker and I look from different angles to an issue. Mostly, it helps me doing the right thing, but sometimes it results the opposite because thinking is time consuming and affects your morale. I’ll try to explain.

Each person is busy with something on a daily basis. You can think of it as a 'to do' list which occurs to you every morning with notifications for the short- and long-term. So in your to do list there are things like: going to work, eat, sleep et cetera (things you do daily). And the long-term goals which should be turn to little daily objectives. Whether you want to achieve a certain body weight, passing a test, obtaining a deadline for a project at work or finding a job. There are certain efforts required from you to achieve these goals. You have to work daily on long-term goals. Even if it is a little bit. And you shouldn't start tomorrow.. If it requires a certain change in your lifestyle, you have to do it immediately. And you'll have to be patience. You can't expect that your goal succeeds instantly.

If you're able to turn your long-term goals in to small daily objectives and you work on them every day, it will give you satisfaction because you're trying and making progress. This will make you happy and will give you the energy and strength mentally and physically to continue. If you keep complaining that it's a lot of work and effort you'll never succeed. If this ever occurs or if you think that you could take a day off because you're doing good, I recommend you to shut down your feelings and to work on your goals while visualizing the end result, your goal.

There is a Turkish saying called: Damlaya damlaya göl olur, drop after drop can become a lake in time. So with this thought, try to work continuously on your goals. Apply the things you wish for yourself.

Apply what you have to, and you'll get there.

Patience

We live in a day and age where people want immediate gratification, and one is hardly willing to wait, to work hard or to endure temporary difficulties in order to see results. 

Patience is a difficult matter, which you'll have to deal with for the rest of your life. There're moments when you'll desire excitement, sensation, or an event. However, this isn't always possible and you’ll be expected to wait patiently.

'Patience is a virtue'

You're making every day decisions where patience is bounded by. Mankind is created with desires and an intellect. Your body desires something tangible, or an event and the mind will indicate whether it's good or bad. As a human being, it is important to consider your choices properly before making a decision. Any decision you take sends you in a certain direction in your life. A simple example; It happens a lot that someone arrives to late for an appointment you've made with him/her. Are you able to wait patiently, or will you react immediately with consideration of all the consequences resulting your actions? We have no control over the situations in which our patience will be tested. The only thing we can do is respond. And so we'll have to make the right decisions.

Being patiently isn't something you can learn in one time. It's a continuous process. It could happen that you can't bring up the patience you normally have in a given situation. But it is important to work on your patience. You can improve it by training it. It may help to think about the upcoming reward for the patience you’ve shown. We humans like instant gratification. This isn’t always possible. Think about the upcoming result, which can strengthen your patience to endure the matter your facing.

Remember: Life is all uncertainty. Be patient, and you'll be fine.

Nature

Do you ever take a day off to profit from the benefits of the nature of our beautiful world? Everyone has a busy life and is dealing with his or her issues. Life can become a roller coaster. The nature could help you in many ways. Flowers, trees, the sea.. Everyday we walk by it without realizing what it really means to us. Have you ever thought about the fact that for example: flowers almost perform a dance with their movements to grow in their blooming phase. That there beauty emerges us with color, taste and touch. That a walk in the forest could give you lots of inspiration. Especially now in the autumn, when the leaves begin to fall and all kinds of colors appear. Or a walk on the beach with the singular air of the sea. That it could remove all the negative energy in your spirit.

In the nature, we have a sense of being away from the all day stresses and strains of our lives. Time spend in nature gives us the opportunity to renounce and to look with a different perspective to matters. A day in nature stimulates and pleases our senses. It can give you the feeling that you'r in a supportive and harmonious environment. What do you think that all these profits will lead to?! It encourages our optimal human functioning! Explore our world. Feel the earth and enjoy from the benefits of nature.

'Take a quiet walk with Mother Nature. It will nurture your mind, body and soul' - Anthony Douglas Williams. 

Listen

What would we do without sound? It's a blessing from Allah that we can hear various sounds. It's one of the key factors of our lives. Whether it's listening to music, to the nature, the sounds surrounding you or simply listening to another. You're getting continuous stimuli. Listening is the key to communication. It's the key to every relationship, to every friendship. Simply said, it's the key to every event. Listening is something we do both consciously and unconsciously. We've partly in our command what we want to hear and what not. 

Communicating can create something very pleasant if we give the other the time to tell their story and if we have the patience to listen. It can create impulsive emotions while you're listening. But I'm wondering, are you really listening attentive to the others story? Are you giving the other person a chance to tell his story, without interrupting? Many people do not really 'listen' unfortunately, which results misconceptions. It is important to prevent this as much as possible. Give the teller a chance. Give him some time and try to understand his story. And remember, you don't listen just with your ears. Body language is also a way of communicating which is an important aspect.  Try while you're listening to imagine what the other wants to tell you. Try to make his story your own by visualizing his story and trying to create his emotions in you while your listening. Maybe it won't be possible to experience the same, but the teller will sincerely appreciate seeing you trying. 

'One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say' - Bryant H. McGill

Proximity

How would the world be if every single person would walk this Earth with an open perspective to his fellow human being? Would it make life harder by hearing and experiencing more difficulties and problems? Or would it be the other way around with more happiness and joy? The things that will cross your path are inevitable. Every person has memories of strange or unusual events. It could be a good or a bad memory, but overall, it gives you the feeling that you’re alive. There is much more possible in this life than the things we’re already doing. But this requires a particular setting in our way of life. If I have to summarize what I'm trying to say, it would be called: ‘Proximity’. 

Life is organic. Even if you assume or think that you have it under control, you don't. We can't see life as a linear narrative. A lot of people are busy with their own life, their own issues and are acting as if they're having blinders on. But one should not forget that the life we live is created by the experiences we have. Proximity means in definition: nearness in space, time or relation. Try to live with an open perspective to the uncontrollable new experiences that happen in your life and try to explore new paths and possibilities in yourself and around you. This will create more nearness to each other, which will hopefully result more joy!!

Be untamed to create more proximity.

Chilling

First of all: Take the time for a chilling. Both mentally and physically, its something you desire and need. Occasionally you need to make time for yourself and enjoy.

The meaning of chilling from my perspective is: ‘a day off’. Everything that you do and encounters you on daily basis in your life needs to be pushed a side. This means the responsibilities you have, things you need to do, time, money.. There is no longer any reason to stress. The only thing that remains is an empty mind. 

A chilling is possible in a variety of ways. You can spend the day with one good friend, a few friends, but don't underestimate the pleasure of enjoying a day by yourself in a completely strange city. Once the day has been planned and it is known where you'll go, it begins. It's even possible that you'll have a kind of tension the evening before. That you wont sleep well. But that's okay, it's positive and something as tiredness does not exist on that day!

Antwerp

Early in the morning you get on the road to your best friend and then to your destination. And I mean early! You should arrive at your destination at 9:00 am. The intention is that you enjoy the whole day.. 
It is strange, but if you have a busy live in which you don't have often the time for such a day, the first few hours, you don't even realize what is going on. Disbelief occurs, as it is not happening.

Once you arrive, drink a nice cup of coffee while enjoying the sun and the silence of the city. There are people around you, but everyone is quiet and relaxed. 10:00 am the stores open and you start shopping. I understand that times are tough, but at such a day, which is rare, you should buy what you want. Don't think about finance, not this day! Otherwise you'll regret it. There will be a solution afterwards, don't worry.

After several hours of shopping, relax again and have a tasty lunch. Then continue to enjoy the streets. Walk into streets you've never been before. Get into shops, which interest you: interior ships, boutiques, bookstores, candy stores..

Have a nice dinner in the evening and socialize. Afterwards, have a drink in a lounge or a nice bar. Talk to people who you've never seen before, enjoy the evening. You can learn the most interesting and craziest things from strangers.

Bolivarplaats, Antwerp

At the end, around 11:00 pm, it's time to go home. Reminisce on the highest level! You just had such a tremendously day which you won't forget easily. You'll be thinking about it the next upcoming days and maybe even discuss it with your friend.

The things, which are important at such a day, are that you forget everything. You really need tot do what you want, talk to people you don’t know and don't think about money. If you apply these facets to the maximum, you'll create something unforgettable. The best part is, that it feels like you've been gone for two weeks and it took only one day. Allow yourself such a day from time to time, because you deserve it. This was my happy face during my day of chilling :).

Morning

Early in the morning, your alarm goes off. You snoozed it immediately and want to stay in your bed. But knowing yourself, you set four consecutive alarms to make sure that you'll wake up. It's dark and cold outside. The morning has a strange silence. You're actually not hearing anything, but you can hear the nature waking up. Mainly birds. Once your ready for the day, you'll close the door behind you and you'll go to work, school et cetera. The dark sky is getting brighter and slowly, the sun is coming up. Your environment is gradually becoming more vivid. Nature’s already in full swing, but we don't realize it. You're feeling fresh and energetic and the start of your day is a fact.

People often underestimate the importance of the morning. It is the moment when your day begins. Everything you’ll do on a day starts with an initial. A poor start will affect the rest of your day and it can result that you wont be doing the things you planned. This can be annoying. But if you start your day proper, you'll be able to achieve a lot. I'm someone who likes to get up early. It gives me a fresh energy and motivates me to make the best of my day. What one must remember is that you lose a lot of life in terms of time if you get up late. Try to get up early, because the early morning is one of the most beautiful moments in life.

Bohemian Switzerland/Czech Republic

Motivation

Every person has certain goals in their life. This could be getting a degree, a job, or a certain weight. It's easy to say that you want something. A few words are enough. But how bad do you really want it? Do you want it as much as you want to breath? It isn't always easy to accomplish goals. Some of them are small and require little effort. But some of them are so big that you need years to accomplish them. Even some of them could require certain changes in your life.

Recently I ran into this picture. After seeing it, I could imagine what it means and what it does to my own life. I'm convinced that discipline is one of the most important things you need to accomplish your goals.

Unfortunately, during your journey, times will come when you'll get demotivated. You'll feel miserable because of your failures and want to dive in your bed and forget everything. You'll be losing the believe that you can do it and want to give up.

But let me tell you something: Setbacks are guaranteed! It will not always go as planned. Delimitation and demotivation will occur. But you have to believe! One by one you will handle the setbacks and step-by-step you will move forward. You need to be constantly motivated to overcome all the adversities. My advice to keep yourself motivated is that you need to visualize your ultimate goal. There lies a tremendous power in the thought of reaching your goal. It will give you the motivation to keep on going until you reach your ultimate goal, and you will.