The Magic Bullet

If I could offer you a magic bullet that would make you feel like the most powerful person on earth…would you go for it?

I mean, why not ??

One of the most challenging things to do is to believe. . . 100%!

Believe that a certain action can lead to an outcome that you will only see the benefit of in time to come.

One could research and see the benefits of having a ritual in ones life and all that it has to offer…but I will leave that up to you to do.

My sister once gave me a birthday card (that I probably have somewhere in a box), that said – God shuffles the deck (of cards) but we have to play the hand…

And we do not always have the opportunity to pass rituals on. Coming from a divorced home I never had those opportunities to pass rituals on that I practice.

The opportunity in that is the possibility to be your own person and to beat your own path (and drum) so to speak.

And then the question, how to be a man in the world…and what kind of man does one choose to be ?

There are so many stereotypes…but is their space for individuality, uniqueness, allowing yourself to shine in your own special way ?

And not forgetting the basics, of honouring your parents, elders, and respecting those around you…because that is how one honours and respects themselves.

Looking back at my youth, my first rituals only came about when I was about 17…and I decided I wanted to run the Comrades marathon (87kms).

Every morning I would wake up and go for a run – before school…(sometimes with a friend – which helped).

But at 17, it was already too late…and a lot of negative influencing had crept into my life. So although I had my running routine, I too had routines of so to speak negative influences…

To lead a happy life… one needs positive influences…the more positive influences one can have … the happier you will be…

Surrounding yourself with happy, positive people.

To lead a successful life … one needs to put together on a continuous basis, little or not so little steps of positivity…building blocks.

A natural trait of all humans is too connect…

We are just born to do that…

There is a statistic too about how people that are married (or living with partners) live longer happier lives…

How do we connect ?

Before we connect to others – we need to be connected.

A light that is connected, can be switched on…shining bright.

In my life I have tried to be a lighthouse …a lighthouse as opposed to life boat…the boat rescues…the lighthouse shines the way.

But because of our hand we are playing … that has not always been so simple.

Watching from the sidelines in all that you participate in and being your biggest fan.

Being an adolescent – is sort of like being in no mans land…not a child, and not a man yet… a critical time…

Every minute (if not every second) of every day, we are free to make choices… it is the only real freedom we have.

Another statistic that is well known is that to succeed at anything one needs to spend 10 000 hours doing that thing!

How does one know what that thing is?? How do we know we are making the right choices ?

And how do we remember that we need to be happy while doing that thing…as opposed to being happy once we have completed that thing…

Being happy, having a smile … is one of the secrets to attracting positivity into your life.

To wake up everyday with that smile J

Not easy when you need to rush to get ready for school for a start…or contend with some else’s mood…or …who knows what….

But the way you choose to respond to all that is going around you, makes the difference.

One way of getting there is through connecting with yourself…

By connecting, switching on your light…smiling…you will exude happiness and happiness will come to you.

In the Torah - the framework that holds the world together – we are taught, Na’aseh ve Nishma … we will do and then listen …

We do not have the capacity to see into the future …

And we do not know what the future holds …

But the present is the gift we have been given…and by taking right action now…we can build towards a happy, successful, rewarding life…each in our own unique way…and in your unique way.

Rituals lead to happiness…doesn’t seem tangible now…but trust me…I have been there…I know… and so do a lot of other people…

Also thinking ahead for us when we are not living in the same city…how are we going to connect ?

So one way would be if we had a shared ritual, something that we both did together even if we are not together…that keeps us connected.

So that would be to my benefit too ;)

‘They’ say it takes a 100 days to create a new habit…which is a very small amount of time…taking into account the days you have lived…

Your benefit will come in time – this is the magic bullet…it’s the doing of the small things everyday that leads to meaning, adds meaning …having a structure to hold you, especially when times are tough…will make you feel powerful beyond measure and create happiness.

And my ultimate wish for you – is to be happy J