La Beauté de la Vie

Abraham Lincoln said, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses”. You have the choice to become the best version of yourself. You can either stay stuck or you can decide to make a new choice that will propel you forward.

As the storm raged on this past weekend I began to see snowflakes in a new light. I carefully observed the way they fell, how each looked, and it was during this observation that I found snowflakes to be a great analogy for life and living.

The race is not for the swift or for the strong but to the one who endured to the end. There is no competition in destiny. Stay in your lane and run your own race at your own pace!

The book “The Third Door”, written by Alex Banayan. Paints a vivid picture of how the world’s most successful people launched their careers. They took what is known as the Third Door. The one where you have to run down an alley, climb through a window, or bang on a door many times before getting an answer.

What are your plans for 2021? As you start the New Year remember that it is important to know where you are going. It is important to set goals and have a long term vision for your life. This week’s episode will discuss how we can be more productive in setting our goals and visions for 2021. If you wish it, plan it, then do it!

As we come to the end of 2020, let us all take the time out to express our gratitude for the highs and lows of the this year. Let us all continue to be intentional with practicing gratitude and thankfulness. Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.

This story was written by Charles Dickens many years ago. It tells the tale of a mean-spirited old who is visited by the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley informs Scrooge that the spirits of Christmas past, present and future will visit him and show him is current fate. In the end Scrooge realizes the errors of his ways, and is overwhelmed by the chance he has to redeem himself and s...

Having compassion for oneself is really no different than having compassion for others. Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings.”, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings. This week let us all try to practice self-compassion by; 1 practicing forgiveness of self, 2 employ a growth mindset, 3...

“Don’t be afraid of change. Instead accept it gracefully” The story is told of the choice an Eagle makes when it gets to the age of 40. The Eagle has to decide whether it would like to continue living or die. If the bird chooses to live it must go through a painful transformation that will take five months. The Eagle will pluck its beak out, then it will pluck out its talons and finally it will pl...

Sophrosyne is an ancient Greek concept of an ideal of character and soundness of mind. When this concept is combined in one well-balanced individual it often leads to other qualities such as temperance, moderation, decorum, prudence, purity and self control. The idea of this harmonious balance is the basis of two famous Greek sayings “nothings in excess” and “know thyself”. We often see the invers...

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but the words you say will never hurt me” As a child, I believed that physical injury was more painful than psychological or emotional injury. Today I realize that words do hurt, studies show that positive and negative words affect us on a deep psychological level. This reminds us that whatever your are thinking and feeling right now in this moment, is creat...

The Book the Great Gatsby is one of the most iconic books that I have ever read. Today, I wanted to share some of the lessons that I have learnt from this novel. 1. The importance of not taking things at face value “ whenever you feel like criticizing anyone just remember that all the people in the world have not had the advantages that you have had.” 2. Reflect in order to try and figure out what...

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that “ self- deception is an awful disease and eyesight a lying sense”. Many times in life we make decisions solely on the things that we see and hear. However, can we really believe everything that we see? From time to time our brain plays tricks on us, our eyesight and hearing cannot be trusted. We live in an age where technology is constantly changing, with...

I want to welcome you to this week’s episode of La beauté de la vie, the beauty life is. The topic of today’s podcast is the beauty of Autumn. Of all the seasons I think autumn is the most inspiring of them all. I enjoy watching the trees change colors. This season blazes with hues of gold, red, yellow and orange. Autumn has a certain special appeal, there is a freshness that comes with the cooler...