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“Serendipity is putting a quarter in the gumball machine and having three pieces come rattling out instead of one—all red.” - Peter H. Reynolds
“In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” - Louis Pasteur
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’, but ‘That’s funny …’” - Isaac Asimov
“You don’t reach serendipity by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings… serendipitously.” - John Barth, The Last Voyage of Somebody The Sailor
“One aspect of serendipity to bear in mind is that you have to be looking for something in order to find something else.” - Lawrence Block
Image Source: Mini Panic
Often doing something that on the surface is fairly low-key and even simplistic can lead to deeper rewards. This process generally occurs with no planned intent or foresight - it is an unconscious benefit that provides the participant with a satisfaction that moves beyond the initial (and still highly beneficial) feelings of ‘I had fun’ or ‘I liked that’ into something that will resonate for hours, days or even weeks. One can return to these places at other times, and find them equally insightful and rewarding.
Interestingly, items that are inherently deep and meaningful can often be less significant than these seemingly more trivial and considerably more frequent occurrences, certainly on a daily basis. The big things, of course, have great weight and merit but they could not maintain their status as ‘big’ if they were to happen all of the time.
Eternal happiness is perhaps not only an unrealistic and unachievable dream, but I would suggest that any one emotion that continued endlessly without departure or even momentary cracks is not any kind of emotion at all. It is a flat line. Who can say that they are always happy, without pause or reflection? How could you possibly know, if that is all you know?
What is quite doable, however, is stringing together bits and pieces of such that are then fastened together, somewhat like a necklace.
There’s a genuine risk when compiling a post like this of coming across as too ‘hippy-trippy’ or whimsical. However, if one censors the natural, organic output about these things such a list will be quickly become cynical or mocking in tone. Additionally, the final tally will be both cherry-picked and absent of truth.
Understand that a list of this kind is always ‘subject to change’. Perhaps that is better explained as being open to additions, as I cannot imagine anything in what is to follow ever becoming old or of no use.
Finally, then, here is my list of stuff. It comes in no particular order. I encourage you to try some or all of these, and then to develop your own list.
- Think about your life. This is it, after all. Right here, right now. Really think about that, and the choices that you made - or did not make - to end up where you are at this moment in time. Consider what steps you could have taken to make things different, or better. Then completely forget about them. There’s absolutely nothing you can do about that. Concentrate instead on this. What’s next?
- Wake up very early to go to work - then realise it’s your day off. Not only is this immediately satisfying, you get to go back to bed, too. You can’t plan for it - it has to happen naturally. And it will.
- Eat a new flavour of ice cream. Yesterday, I had almond-pistachio. It was real good.
- Make anything with your hands. Plasticine, clay, Playdoh, sand, mud, mashed potato. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you made it. (Bonuses can be applied if you made it for somebody else.)
- Always have an ‘emergency twenty’ to hand, but never use it. This is both empowering and of great financial comfort. Somehow, keeping hold of that twenty seems to always present another one when you really need it.
- Eat pizza. That’s it. Good pasta is a very close second. Don’t hold back on the parmesan.
- Rediscover music and bands that you loved a decade ago but had completely forgotten about until just now. I find this works particularly well within the six-degrees-of-separation that one seems contractually bound to enter when surfing on sites like YouTube, Last.fm, Wikipedia and even Amazon (thanks to their recommendations and user suggestions). Go to any of these sites, search for a band you like now, and work your way through the links. Just this week I stumbled upon Third Eye Blind’s debut album for the first time since about 1997. I’m in love with it all over again.
- Re-read a favourite book. It’s like an afternoon with an old friend.
- Run. And then run further and longer than you’ve ever run before. This principle can also be applied to setting new personal bests when lifting weights, but it’s not as satisfying as a good, long run. Knowing that you have pushed your body beyond a point that would have broken you however many weeks and months ago is deeply satisfying. If you’re not a runner - start now.
- Catch yourself being happy. I’m talking about those moments when you’re so lost in thought that you don’t even realise you’re grinning like an idiot - okay, they’re not so hot when you’re at a funeral or crossing a motorway at rush hour, but the rest of the time they’re pretty great.
- Have a ‘to do’ list with everything crossed off at the end of the day. It really doesn’t matter what was on that list; just getting it done is reward enough. Get it done.
- Go for a paddle. Splashing your feet around in even the coldest ocean water reaps enormous benefits. Sand is a prerequisite. Okay, it’s horrible stuff when you go home (and sometimes for days afterwards), but even the manliest of men are broken by that crippled walk back to the towels on a pebbled beach.
- Write things down. Keep all your ideas and inspired thoughts in a format that is easily-accessible to you. Refer to it throughout the day. Having ideas is easy - acting on them is the stuff of real genius. Keeping things written down makes that process a lot easier.
- Decide what matters. Think about it a while. Discard what doesn’t. This principle can be applied to anything, but as we’re there already, let’s look at our Internet usage. It’s very easy to sign up for every new ‘next big thing’ that comes along. Eventually you’ll flitter away what you don’t immediately like or ‘get’ and end up with a series of sites and applications that, after a time, you may well feel are essential. Except they are not. I’ve written before about my problems with Facebook, and about a week ago I closed my account completely. My intention was to see how I felt going without it for 28 days but this far in I don’t miss it at all and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to use the platform again. I haven’t used my MySpace account in years. These things can seem overly important and subsequently take up an enormous amount of your free time. Whilst one can reap some benefit from social networking, if you are honest with yourself you’ll accept that for the most part you’re just wasting time when you use them. Which is why an increasing number of organisations are shutting down on sites like Facebook (or at least imposing strict usage parameters). See what matters to you. Do a short-to-medium length trial where you have zero contact with those things you’re unsure about. Chances are you won’t come back. This is a good thing. (You can’t actually delete a Facebook account, incidentally - you can only suspend it. Another reason not to return, perhaps, but equally, a ‘risk free’ opportunity for you to see how you feel without it.)
- Free your life of naysayers. For years I surrounded myself with people who argued about and had an opinion on everything - people, it must be said, who were exactly like me. Whereas an occasional healthy debate can often provide meaningful insight, seeking to argue, debunk, criticise, ridicule or openly mock was something that I quickly realised was not only largely an immature approach to life, but an absolute waste of one’s time. The Internet is littered with people like this - those who are quick and eager to point out the flaws and problems but never have anything constructive to add. Life is better without them. Much better. Don’t waste your time trying to ‘prove them wrong’ or ‘helping them’ to see things in a different light. They won’t. All that will happen is you’ll waste all of your energy on a person who, more often than not, goes through life with a major chip on their shoulder and will never see things openly or in any way which conflicts at all with their own prejudices and beliefs.
- Sleep well, nap often. You’ll rarely feel better than you will after a good night’s sleep. Whereas steps can and possibly should be taken to ensure we don’t give away too much of our lives to slumber, sleeping well - a concept that seems laughably simplistic but is a struggle for a great many people - will have a ripple effect that will benefit your entire life, for all of your life. Nap when you can. Naps have a great restoration effect on the body. Six-time Hawaii Ironman champion Mark Allen swears by them. So do I. I dozed for just over an hour earlier this evening, and woke up feeling energised and refreshed. Without that nap, I wouldn’t be writing this article now.
- As soon as you wake up, make your bed. It sets the right attitude for the day.
- Don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Actually listen to what other people are saying to you. You know how you feel. What about them?
- Surround yourself with motivation. I’ve done this all my life but it’s something that seems somewhat unique to me - I surround myself with motivation, mostly in the form of magazines, books, DVDs and digital video clips. These items match my current or longstanding interests and desires, and provide a quick and convenient source of inspiration whenever I found myself in a slump. For example, if I was training for a marathon, I would have many running magazines and books at an arm’s length in all the places I tended to dwell (the sofa, computer desk, at work, etc). Maybe I’d change the desktop wallpaper on my computer to something appropriate, too, or sign up to a series of blogs about running. This keeps the ‘thing’ always working in my mind and reminds me of my goals. If and when you’ve accomplished your goal, simply put all the items away until you need them again, or replace them with whatever supports your current objectives.
- Remember something that’s important to somebody. We’re constantly sharing and receiving pieces of information about the things we like and desire with our friends and family. Often this is done casually and not with any conscious attempt on our parts for that person to do or obtain this thing for us. Many of these items are spur of the moment or flavour of the month and ultimately do not really matter. However, there are times when our associates will inform us of something that is very important to them, and by simply remembering that thing many weeks, months or even years later can be mutually rewarding. Your friends like to know you’ve been thinking about them, and that you know who they are.
- Ask yourself - why am I arguing about this? If it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. Let it go.
- Walk away, re-evaluate, come back later. This is similar to #13, and has a relevance to #20 above, but it’s a lesson that can be learned twice, and applied in different ways. If you find yourself uncomfortable in a given situation, wherever possible - and this is definitely a tool one can use against the sort of people discussed in point #14 - walk away. Clear your head. Think about what is going on. Re-group. And if you still feel it’s important to you and you have more things to say, come back and take care of it. You don’t owe it to anybody to always be ‘on’ or to provide an instant response to everything. Ultimately, very little of this stuff really matters. It seems to matter at the time, but that’s your emotions speaking for you. Once you’ve calmed down and had a chance to reflect, most of the time you’ll just forget about it and move on. This is a good thing - let others work themselves into a frenzy over life’s trivialities.
- Read. A lot. You can’t read enough. Learn to discard that which is of no benefit, but one should always be reading something.
- Make sure your underwear fits. I’m serious. This is particularly true if you’ve recently lost or gained weight. Throw out the old stuff, and buy new. You’ll feel a lot better. (And that includes socks.)
- Every once in a while, stay at a hotel for absolutely no reason. Just to get away. I love hotels. People clean up after you, you can order food over the phone, and they have a mini-bar right next to your bed. What’s not to like?
- Use debit cards, not credit cards. If I was the only person who’d ground themselves into a financial hole through the use of credit facilities, then this would be a somewhat hollow point. But I’m one of tens of millions. Credit cards are evil. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to function in modern society without being able to pay for things over the Internet or telephone. That’s where debit cards come in. Or pre-pay credit cards. They stop you going into the hole, as you can only spend what you actually have, not what somebody else is prepared to loan to you.
- Spend time with yourself, and enjoy it. I need regular ‘me time’. Without it, I become increasingly irritable and snappy. Learn to be comfortable with your own company. Ensure you get regular breaks from everybody else. They will thank you for it.
- Get 100 per cent out of your kids. And I don’t mean by forcing them to do five hours of studying a night. Make the most of your time with your children. We’re all prone to barking at them when they’re too loud or running around like wild animals, but kids are finite. They very quickly grow up to become adults. Who bark at their kids. Don’t waste those precious early years being busy or disinterested.
- Dream. Plan. Create. Dreaming in and of itself is a futile state of mind. Your dreams will always remain that way if you don’t craft them into something doable. We all have dozens of ideas each and every day and chances are some of them are absolute gold. But if we don’t establish a course of action those ideas are soon forgotten. Write everything down. Think about it - really think about it. Is it doable? Could it work? What do I need to make happen to make it work? Who can help me? What do I need to get started? Then make it happen.
- De-clutter. You know it makes sense.
- Eat well… most of the time. Trying to do anything 24/7 almost always results in failure and often a complete one-eighty on the original goal. Teach yourself to eat well most of the time. You can eat anything you like one day of the week if you eat healthily for the other six. On a meal-by-meal basis, that’s an 85.7 per cent success ratio of healthy:not so much. It’s a system that works, with zero ill-effects.
- Get in shape. You’ll have your own definition of what ‘in shape’ means to you, but specifically I mean lose weight - or gain it if you’re under-nourished. We all know roughly what we should weigh. Take the steps to make that happen. Join a gym. Hire a personal trainer. Read everything you can on the subject. Find out who knows what they’re talking about, and listen to them. You’ll feel better and live a longer and more rewarding life. It’s never too late.
- Keep as much money in the bank as you can. This is something that I’ve really struggled with my entire life. Some people have a problem with money burning a hole in their pocket - mine seems to burn its way out of the cashpoint machine. It’s am immature attitude to something that can have a profound impact on your quality of life. Regularly saving a given percentage of your income - my magic number is five per cent - can lead to financial security in as little as 6-12 months. I recommend keeping a separate savings account that, if possible, receives automated credits from your main bank account each payday.
- Have an ‘emergency fund’. Keep this separate from everything else - including your savings. Savings are there to be saved, not dipped into every time you run out of petrol or food. Keep a nominal amount of emergency money - £50 ($100) or so - in an envelope somewhere safe and easily remembered (i.e., a finance book) but not in your wallet or purse. Use it only when you absolutely have to, not because you fancy a Chinese.
- The best is sometimes the worst. If you decide you want to start running next week - and if you do, you’ve made a great choice - you don’t need $200 sneakers, an iPod Nano and a top-of-the-range Polar heart-rate monitor to begin. The principle of Sod’s Law applies here - the more you spend on any brand-new hobby or endeavour, the higher the likelihood is that you will quit in the first few weeks. Equally, don’t buy the absolute cheapest thing on the shelf, but educate yourself to know the difference between what you need and what you want. Using running as our example, you will need a pair of running shoes (that should cost approximately £40/$80). But your old t-shirts and shorts will suffice and if you must have a new MP3 player, consider an off-brand, something used or the iShuffle, first.
- Treat yourself. Especially when you’ve done well. When you run your first 10K, buy those $200 sneakers.
- Speak to strangers… selectively. Most of us have an in-built ‘lunatic’ radar that will ward us off those that mean us harm (either physically or mentally). Conversely, you can often get a good feeling off somebody you’ve only just met. Engage with them. What’s the worse that can happen?
- Eat nuts. Nuts are great. If you, like me, are the sort of person who craves things like chocolate, crisps, chips and stuff like that, switch to nuts. You’ll replace cravings for those other foods with a craving for nuts. This is a good thing. Eat all varities (not just one kind, like peanuts). Don’t worry about the fat content. If your diet is otherwise healthy you can eat 50-100 grams of nuts per day and not have to be too mindful about the consequences. A Harvard study, reported in the September 2006 issue of Longevity magazine, found that women who ate at least 142g of nuts a week were 35 per cent less likely to have a heart attack than those who ate less than 28g a month. Nuts are packed full of protein, fibre, healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants. Don’t be nuts - eat nuts.
- If you want to laugh, surround yourself with laughter. Read funny books. Watch good sitcoms. Rent comedy films. Ask people what their favourite joke is. Look at photographs taken from a time when you thought you looked ‘cool’.
- Remember that most people do not know who you are. Because we spend all of our time inside our own heads it’s easy to sometimes think or feel that everybody else has the same thoughts that you do, or that they feel the same way about something as you or that they even know how you feel about it. Even with friends and family, most of the time this is not true. With strangers, it’s never true. But - and again using the Internet as an example - I can’t believe the amount of times I’ve been surprised at somebody’s reaction to something I’ve written to the point where I’ve gone, “How could you not know what I meant?” How could they - they don’t know me at all.
- Realise when you’re being an idiot. It will happen. As much as you possibly can, analyse your actions as they are happening. This is a skill that takes some effort to master, but is an incredibly powerful tool. When you feel yourself moving off the path to a point where you’re engaged in something to such a manner that you are not acting in a way that is appropriate or beneficial, take charge of your emotions and ask yourself why. Most of the time you’ll realise you’re just being foolish, and once that is realised the matter can be easily rectified. Just simply admitting that you’ve behaved inappropriately and apologising is more than enough for most people in your life (that matter).
- Don’t worry about the news. The really important things will filter through to you. The rest of it is time suckage. To keep up with the world is a near-constant effort. At the end of any given 12-month period, how many of that year’s front-page headlines were all that significant to your life? Probably less than 1 per cent. The media has an uncanny ability to make the exceedingly trivial seem of utmost importance. Indeed, many of your broadsheet-consuming friends will feel the same way. Ignore them. Or, if you really want to know what is going on, use your friends dedication as a convenient tool and ask them. Most of the time even the most important stories can be summarised in a few lines. It’s the pages and pages of analysis, speculation and editorial opinion that make up most of any given newspaper. Time moves pretty fast. In all but the most major of world events, nobody will care in a month or two.
- To move forward, sometimes you have to let things go. Progressional change is always difficult but notably so when one feels duty bound to people and places that for all intents and purposes are holding you back. It’s not healthy or productive for either of you to maintain the status quo. Let things go.
- Surround yourself with winners. Who do you want to be? What do you want to be? Find out what that is, then seek out people who have already done it (or similar) before you. Write to them for advice. Improve your social circle. Cut the deadwood. Repeat.
- Realise how much music affects your mood. If you endlessly listen to depressing music, you will be or already are depressed. It seems trite and obvious, yet for many people it’s an easy fix that they cannot or will not rectify. Find some balance.
- Cut back on the amount of TV you watch. In the past six months or so, without even realising it I’ve gone from watching about 20 hours of television per week to one hour - and that’s Born Survivor, with Bear Grylls. And even that is a show I Tivo. Don’t live your life around a TV schedule. Record or download what is essential to you. Rent box sets of the shows that you love and watch them at your convenience. Most major networks re-broadcast their best shows online. TV as an entity is not ‘evil’ but it is a major time-waster. Take those hours you would have spend in front of the box and read, write or exercise instead.
- Whenever you see a ‘random page’ option on a website, click it. There’s no easier way to learn about new things. Wikipedia is your friend.
- Change your look. If you’re a man, grow a beard. Shave it down to a goatee. Try a ‘number one’ all over. Bleach your hair. Grow it long. Use different styling products. Straighten it. Curl it. Stop going to all the shops from which you normally buy clothes - try different places. Change your deodorant and body scents. Spend more on underwear. Buy a decent suit, shirt, shoes and tie.
- If you always take the car, take the train. Who knows what might happen? Not you, unless you try something different.
- Climb a tree. Literally. When was the last time you did that? I bet you can’t even do it now.
- Swim in the ocean or a deep lake. Paddling (#11) is great, but going for a swim in deep water is an entirely different experience, particularly if it’s something that fills you with dread. If you can get past that fear - and obviously you have to actually be able to swim in the first place (if you can’t - learn) - the spiritual rewards are immense. (Important tip: If you live in South Africa, Florida, California, India or Australia, don’t swim at night near a harbour or area with lots of sewage.)
- Drink lots of water. Two litres per day is a minimum. Aim for three. Keep a half-litre bottle with you at all times. When it’s empty, fill and repeat. And yes - tap water is more than fine.
- Regularly apply for jobs, even if you really like the one you have now. Knowing where you stand in the job market is valuable. It’s best to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. By regularly applying for jobs in your field, you can gauge exactly what your current value is and what your potential prospects are. More importantly, when you don’t actually need a job you’re likely to be a lot more confident in your presentation and interview significantly better. And who knows what might turn up? Conversely, leaving things until you’re fired or desperately need a change is inevitably when your stock is at or near to its lowest point.
- Take the time to talk. Whose opinion do you really value? Make the time to talk to that person for 30-60 minutes each week (or as often as conveniently possible). And I mean make the time. Schedule it. Get together for whatever reason - a drink, a meal, a round of golf - and talk. Therapy is expensive. This is cheap, and easily as beneficial.
- Realise how much you owe your closest friends. Consider the relationship you have with your friends. What have they given to you? What have you done for them? Have you ever caused them any pain, and if so, what does it say about them that they are still by your side?
- Be polite. It’s free, and it’s easy. Make it a habit.
- If you’re not naturally confident - fake it. Confidence is an illusion. Some people are naturally more confident than others, but many, many people have led significant lives despite having early or sometimes constant problems with self-confidence. How? They faked it. Or they ‘borrowed’ it from people like them. Understand that faking confidence and being confident are one and the same. If you can fake it and pull it off, you are confident.
- Every so often, sleep on the floor. It keeps you humble.
- Don’t do it later - do it now. The former mounts up, fast.
- Decide what really matters to you. What excites you the most? What do you think and talk about almost constantly? Can you make a career out of it? A book? A network? A blog? Then do it. And if you can’t think of anything - keep looking.
- Change where you buy most of your food. Even if it’s just to another supermarket. Variety is the spice of life, and who knows what spices your store’s competitors have? Not you, if you shop in the same place every week.
- Analyse your value system. Is it limiting? Is it holding you back? Is it dated, or in some way corrupt or without substance? Take a piece of paper and write down ten values that you hold dearly and are the most passionate about - your core beliefs. Ask your partner or close friend to do the same, but, again, for you (not them). Compare lists. If they are significantly different, consider how much you actually value the things you chose at all, and/or whether you’re in any way vocal about them. If not, why not? Is it because they don’t really matter to you? And if not - what does? Is your partner’s list closer to home? And if not - if they’re way off - how does that sit with both of you? It may prove to be an uncomfortable experience but it will provide impetus for change and development.
- Remember when you were seven, and you woke up that morning and it had snowed all night and your stomach turned flips? Try and remember that feeling was like. What is in your life right now that matches this feeling the closest? What would you have to bring into your life to replicate this feeling exactly? Find out what that is, and make it happen.
- Take a piece of paper, and make a list of all the things in your life that you truly regret. Now go through them one by one. Can you fix that thing, or make it right now, in the present? Whatever you can, do. Do it now. Whatever you can’t, cut it loose. What is done is done.
- Have a staring contest with somebody close to you. First person to blink loses. No cheating. Really try and win. Do a best of three. Laugh about it. Have fun. Next time you’re involved in a big argument with that person, suggest determining the outcome by ‘staring contest’. Loser eats crow.
- If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, how would you occupy yourself today? Try and live every day like that. What one thing would you most like to do today? What’s preventing you from doing it? What if this was your last chance to do it? And what if you were going to die in three months, or six, or a year…
- Realise you cannot tell somebody what is funny, erotic or moving. It just is. Or it is not. They are different to you. You know they are different to you. So why get all moody and irritable when they don’t like something that you recommended?
- Make a list of your five all-time worst movies. Why do you dislike those films so much? Is it just because they are poor, or did they somehow disappoint you in some way? For example, it might be a badly-made sequel to a favourite film. Or maybe the screenwriter changed something you loved in the original book. Or maybe the cinematic experience itself played a part. Or maybe you hate it so much simply because somebody else hates it, or somebody you hate likes it. Or maybe it’s just fashionable to hate it, or fashionable for other people to like it. Find out the reasons behind your list, and consider what they suggest about you.
- Go and stand by your bookcase. Look at all your books. How many have you read in the last year? The last five years? Ever? How many are you likely to read again? Justify the existence of each and every book as if all of the space in your house depended on it. It does - throw out, sell or give away every book you cannot honestly defend. My guess is that’ll be 80 per cent of your collection. Buy new books to replace your old ones - but this time, be a little more selective.
- On a normal day in your house when all the people who live there are present, pay careful attention to each and every noise and other sources of irritation. What can be done to eliminate and/or reduce those annoyances? Do squeaky doors need to be oiled? Televisions and stereos need to be turned down? Mad children need to be calmed? Whatever should and can be done, do it immediately. The benefits are immediate, significant and long-lasting. Meantime, if left alone, the negatives are exactly the same.
- Switch your TV off while you are eating dinner. Speak to the other people in your family. Make it an enjoyable experience. Consider making dinner time a period when your kids can ask any questions that are on their mind. Discuss, discuss, discuss. Let everyone have their say. Don’t assume you have all the answers.
- Learn how to use Google. I mean, really learn how to use it, both as a search engine and tool. Google hasn’t published its index size since 2005, but back then it had over eight billion pages. The company - and the Internet - has grown significantly in the last three years. There could be 20-30 billion pages on there now. What, you think because you can’t find what you were looking for, then that means it’s not out there? Google is a weapon. Being able to find reliable information on anything you want has got to be a good thing, right? Educate yourself.
- Realise that some people are beyond hope. I mentioned the naysayers and critics above, but that only covers some of the negative people in your life. At least you know where you stand with them - at the end of a barrel. Possibly even worse are the lethargic, whining, moaning, clinically depressed and generally soul-destroying people that maintain such an endlessly dreary presence in life that just being around them for a short period of time seems to make you more and more like them. It’s like they have some kind of a social leprosy - and you’re their cure, in a ‘problem shared is a problem two people now have’ kind of way. Remember that scene in The Matrix where Neo touches the mirror? How it’s like a liquid, and then it moves up his arm and begins to kind of consume his very being? That is what these people are like. They’re drainers. They’ll take you for everything you’ve got and leave you exhausted. Help those you can - those who are really, properly depressed - and do everything you can to free yourself of the rest. Nothing good can come of it. Eventually, they will succeed, and you will become one of them.
- Try and really get away at least each year. For at least a week every 12 months, get away from it all. Go abroad. Go somewhere where, because of a language barrier, lack of roads or electricity or drinkable water you won’t find it at all easy. Live it up living it down. Find out what you’re capable of. Challenge yourself to make it work. Leave everything with a button at home.
- Find out what you can and cannot eat. While there’s a lot of hype about food allergies, it’s a fact that some people eat some things they really should not. I do a lot better when I avoid milk, white bread, non-wholewheat pasta and potatoes. I can eat these things - and at least once a week, do - but regular consumption plays hell with my insides. Most people seem to have some kind of carbohydrate or dairy intolerance. Mine isn’t severe, but it’s severe enough for me to want to take action. It might be the same for you. Find out what works by removing foods one by one, analysing how you feel, and then re-introducing them. You’d be amazed how many everyday problems, minor illnesses, aches and pains could potentially be traced back to your diet.
- Be wary of ‘experts’. The world is full of them. Nearly every single one is self-proclaimed. Be mindful of the things they tell you that you must do. Everybody has some kind of an agenda.
- And finally: Don’t spend all of your life reading or compiling lists. Lists can be both productive and fun. You can learn a lot from lists - other peoples, and certainly your own. But you can also become absorbed by them, overstate their importance and fill your day reading list after list, taking in little or nothing of significance. Everything in moderation, and all that.
I’d be very interested in reading your thoughts and own suggestions in the comments area below. Thanks!
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