Life Lessons

What life lessons would you tell your 13 year old self if you had the opportunity?  Maybe these would be a good start...

• You only have one. The one you are living right now. There are no rehearsals in life.
• Life is not that complex. If you manage to follow simple rules you can go far/
• The world is not optimal or efficient. Do not consider the world around you to be "the best it could". There are a lot of improvements that can be done and you should make many.
• You are more capable than you think.
• People are not rational and in most cases they do not take rational decisions. Let that be your guide in your behavior to others and to the products you create.
• Everything in moderation is the one and only advice anyone could give you. From eating, to work, to sports, everything in moderation is what you are aiming for.
• Success in life is a combination of skill and luck. The only thing you control is skill and you hope that luck will also be there when you need it.
• Most in life is random. Accept that and you will feel much better in inadvertent times.
• Life is an aggregate of moments. The ones that really matter are the smaller ones. Pay attention.
• You will always envy someone else's possesions (the one who is supposedely one level up). Try not to focus on that and enjoy your own stuff.
• Life is not a race, but a journey.
• Life doesn't have one ultimate winning price.
• Be very careful with other people's advice. They are not you. They will never be you.
• Chart your own path. Life is all about doing your own thing and take your own initiatives. Don't try to be like someone else. You will never manage to do so successfully. Be you with the positive and negative aspects.
• Don't be afraid of failure. Be afraid of conformity.
• Your life needs a purpose to be meaningful. Always be searching for such a purpose.
• Life is fun only with others around.
• Money has nothing to do with your life's meaning. Is just a medium. Treat them like one and you will get a lot.
• Focus on your passions and you will rule the world.
• Being inspired is a great feeling. Inspiring others is the ultimate one.
• No one is a failure in the middle of a big change. You can't fail if you're moving toward something. You fail only if you stop.
• It's not the outcome that matters, it is always the decision to act.
• Never lose faith. It's the only limitless fuel of your engine.
• You cannot do this alone. Build relationships that will help you in a time of need. Help before you ask to be helped. It always comes back.
• Do not try to calculate everything. When there is a known result and a similar but unknown option choose the later. Most of the times it will teach you something new.
• The more you get out of your comfort zone, the more alive you will feel. Trying things (and failing for the biggest part) is the faster way to move forward.
• Never settle.
• If it makes sense to you, don't be afraid to go against the common way of thinking. Following your way of thinking doesn't mean that you are doing somethign wrong.
• It is better to do something and then apologize, than not do something because you feel you will be criticized.
• Changing one bad habit starts with the smallest of actions. Do not try to go big right away and focus on one goal, not many.
• Action brings more action. Even if the initial action is small. Go do your bed.
• Do not forget the simple hacks for better life expectancy. Think positive, do not smoke, do not drink (that much), have sex, do not sit more than 6 hours per day, get married, own a pet.
• Turn off your TV.
• Facebook is a tool to connect you to the people you love. Connect and stop losing time piping in other people's lives.
• Allow serendipity in your life (on what you read, what you do, who you go out with etc).
• Diversify your goals. Do not have one big goal, rather than have more smaller ones. Much better probability of success.
• Invest young and diversify your assets. Your investments grow exponentially, not linearly.
• Try to be effective, not efficient.
• Keep yourself busy with things that matter. Do not strive for intentional "busyness".
• Your family, wife and friends are the most important elements in your life. Keep them close.
• Do not focus on the things you don't have, focus on the things you do.
• Exercise. It will give you a better mood, motivation to do more things during the day and a healthy outfit
• You stay fit by doing 20 push-ups (or any preferred exercise) every day, not by going to the gym 2 months a year.
• You are not going to remember everything you read, do and see. Accept that.
• There is a big difference of what happened and of what you remember that happened.
• Always put goals even if you think you are not following them. Even their mere existence will guide you subconsciously.
• Accept that your goals will change as will your plan for life. Adapt.
• Having your worst fear materialized will give you an excellent baseline.
• If you haven't hurt yourself in a relationship with a woman, you haven't really known what a healthy relationship is. Wait for that to happen.
• Eat fruit and eat salad. It's good and it's proven.
• Your parents love you more than you know. You will only understand that when you become one.
• Random (small) acts of kindness are a huge boost. Send a nice email or help a friend from school with a small chore. It will make you feel fulfilled.
• Enjoy your youth.
• The fact that any 65 year old would give most of his money to be again a 13 year old, must give you a good estimate of the Money vs. Time analogy.
• It is never "too late". It is actually usually the opposite. Do not let time go because you think you don't have enough.
• The biggest source of inactivity in the future is looking tat your inactivity in the past.
• At some point you have to settle with another person for the rest of your life. Treat that person as your king/queen and remember he/she will become the best link to your past.
• The future belongs to the curious. Be one.
• Travel.
• Death is natural. A death of a loved one will come and surprise you but what will also surprise you is your ability to cope with your life.
• Remember that people tend to overestimate the importance of a moment and underestimate the importance of their life.
• Give to get back.
• Don't worry about things you cannot change and focus on the ones you can
• Most of the things written here are things you will forget. Try to come back to the list but most of all collect your own truths and stick to them.

The story of a jar

I came across this story the other day and felt compelled to share it - enjoy...

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty glass jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes”. The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor. “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls represent the important things – your family, your health, your children, your friends, your passions, the kind of stuff that if all else was lost and only these remained, your life would still be full. “The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car. “The sand is everything else, the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first, there will be no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.”

You know, the same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small things, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the elements that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Set aside time for your medical check-ups. Help out at a charitable institution. Take your spouse out to dinner. Don’t worry. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the hinge on that cupboard door. Take care of the golf balls first; the rest is just sand.

They came, the world saw, Team GB conquered

Like your favorite Doctor Who, there will always be one Olympics which was "the best". For me it was Los Angeles 1984. The time of Ben Johnson v Carl Lewis, Daley Thompson v Jurgen Hingsen, Zola Budd, Coe, Ovett, Cram, the rocket man, the blue flashlights - ah just so many great memories! I love the Olympics, I tend to put my life on hold for the duration and watch sports that I really have little interest in outside the Olympic fortnight but somehow I get drawn in. I've pretty much watched them all live so when London secured the 2012 games the sense of excitement was far greater knowing that it was in my time zone and I wasn't going to miss a thing.

Time never fails to amaze me how fast it passes - we secured the games 7 years ago back in 2005.  I was 34 - wow... not married, the kids hadn't burst onto the scene and it was before the current economic climate. Where have that 7 years gone?

The embryonic preparations started and for most of us fell below the radar until the dawn of 2012. Then the rain came and boy did it rain. The period of April to June was the wettest second quarter in the UK since records began in 1910. Floods, disasters and catastrophe hit the country as the jet stream got stuck much further south than it had ever been. When did it move? Late July - just in time for the sun to shine, dry things up and show Britain in all it's glorious green pastured glory. The timing literally coudn't have been any better.

Days before the opening ceremony my wife asked me "Do you think that London can do this" referring to handling the Olympics in the way we all hoped. "Without a doubt" I had replied.

What had we all worried about? The opening ceremony was an incredibly perfect mix of history, music, emotion, respect and comedy. I watched it live and again the following morning - it was quite simply a Danny Boyle masterpiece.

Despite our kids being 5 and 1 the TV stayed put on BBC1 and they quite happily sat and watched the action, as if they were conscious of history in the making. We've never had such a long period of absence from kids tv... As the Team GB medal tally increased so did the nations attention. Like most I had always longed for the track and field to start but the cycling, rowing and swimming amongst others made compelling viewing. I can't pass over the accomplishments of Michael Phelps - it has been an absolute pleasure to watch him over his career, he is quite simply a legend who's record I can't see ever being surpassed.

Week 2 - track and field. You always hope that the games live up to expectation, that the global athletes are in form and on the top of their game. I've never known the an Olympics like it, the world was quite simply blown away by the quality. From Jessica Ennis and Mo Farrah to Usain Bolt and David Rudisha - it was compulisive viewing. 

Team GB, well what can I say. The dedication and perseverance of the athletes simply just not wanting to let the crown down was inspiring. I really hope that their efforts do inspire the next generation. I had asked my parents if they had felt that our success had been down to the "home advantage" or "the money that has been pumped in" - it was a split decision. Personally I think it's a mixture of both, that's why I hope that we can build from here and not disappear down the medal table like Australia has since their roaring success in Sydney 2000.

My favorite Olympics? London 2012.

Children with Cancer benefit gig - The Channel

Pictures of Living - Alchemy Album

Part four - the final instalment of my mobile camera experimentation.  Hopefully it just goes to show that you can get pretty decent images from the iPhone.  I must admit that I'm pretty impressed with its ability, the macro focus and auto-aperature functions are excellent.  Just so you know, 99% of the 48 "Pictures of Living" photos were done in one take so you don't have to spend hours setting pictures up, taking multiple shots or spending lots of money on expensive camera equipment - just get out and have a go!

1 - Indulgence

2 - Natural Selection

3 - Sunday Sitting

4 - Time's A Calling

5 - Postcard Pleasure

6 - Jubilant

7 - Absent Pleasures

8 - Reflected Childhood

9 - Foolish Folly

10 - Confusing Seasons

11 - Aqua Play

12 - Seaside Solace

Pictures of Living - Elements Album

Part three and I'm starting to look at my surroundings in a different and more creative way.  I'm aiming for a picture a day for 48 days before moving on to a different style of composition.

1 - Force of Nature

2 - Ivory Towers

3 - Dignity

4 - Enlightenment

5 - Decadence

6 - DNA

7 - Spiral

8 - Homeland

9 - Firm Standing

10 - Subconscious Muse

11 - Strangest Fields

12 - The Play Ethic

Pictures of Living - Evolution Album

Ok, so here's part two of my experimentation into photography and processing.  It's worth bearing in mind that all the pictures you will see over the four albums are taken on a iPhone 4G and edited and processed with a few different apps.  Enjoy!

1 - Finding Shadows

2 - Ruby Past

3 - Damaged Soul

4 - Sunnyside

5 - Destiny Calling

6 - Polar Devine

7 - Deepest of Sighs

8 - Bliss

9 - Caustic Days

10 - Elegant Peace

11 - Graft

12 - Down Deeper

Pictures of Living - Conception Album

These first images begin a series of albums which will make up the "Pictures of Living" collection.  Each album will contain 12 photographs and are an experiment in photographic and processing techniques.

Your comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Image 1 - Righteousness

Image 2 - Ahead

 

Image 3 - Nemesis' Love

Image 4 - Subjective Beauty

Image 5 - Drifting Tides

Image 6 - Heavens Gate

Image 7 - Voices of Reason

Image 8 - Marvellous

Image 9 - Heart

Image 10 - Patience

Image 11 - Burning Bridges

Image 12 - The Weekend