Tag: Hope

Positive mindsets.

Can a positive mindset achieve results? Yes, but only with positive actions.

On the 14th September I started this idea of thinking your way to success with this Post, Success is an Attitude.

I want to follow that up with a few words on positive thinking or mindset.

All you have to do is a Google search about ‘a positive mindset’ and you will be flooded with free information.

Although this seems great at first, you have the unfortunate task of working out which information you can trust.  I don’t mean to say that you will be supplied with incorrect information, I do however have my concerns about complete information.

I have spoken to numerous people who cannot understand why failure hits them when they have tried to be so positive.  I have also spoken to successful people who have a very positive outlook on life.

I am firmly of the opinion that a positive mind is essential.  If your mind is burdened, the likelihood is that you will worry and all your mental energy will be consumed.  You will fail then to pick up from your surroundings what you should and will not see the opportunities that are everywhere.

However, if you have a positive mindset, you will be more likely to ‘see’ and appreciate your surroundings.  Further, think_you_canyou will be able to identify and appreciate opportunities.

In reality, all a positive mindset does therefore is allow you to see opportunities.  But seeing is not enough.  If you do nothing but see, you must accept failure.  You must examine carefully the opportunities that present themselves and act upon those that merit action.  It is the action that will lead you to success.

In conclusion it is positive thought and positive action will lead you to fulfil your goals and ambitions.

By Dapinder Bains

What not to say

John Lewis joins Learning from Dogs

On September 3rd, a Post was published about John.  Anyone who read that Post will understand the pleasure that both John and I got from being re-connected.  Subsequent chats since that Post have shown that there are many parallels in the way that we think, see the world, and speculate as to what, really, is going on!  It was inevitable that I would ask John to join Learning from Dogs and, when I did, John’s immediate ‘yes’ was proof indeed that this was the right thing for us.  A strong desire to do something is always important.

John’s first Post shows that he will be welcomed by all who read this Blog.

Paul

Read John’s first Post

Journey into (inner) space

The journey into inner space is just as fascinating as the one into outer space.

Many, many years ago, 1973 to be precise, an English author, Tony Buzan, was involved in presenting a series on BBC

Tony Buzan
Tony Buzan

television called Use Your Head.  Tony released a book to accompany the television series.  There is not a lot that I remember about that book but one thing I never forgot.  That was the number of neurons in the brain, 10 to the power 200, give or take.  I will return to this aspect in a later Post but now to the main point of this, my introductory Post.

Read about an extraordinary man

The Saola, what future?

The Saola is one of the world’s rarest mammals, on the brink of extinction.

(Please share this Post as far and wide as you can – thank you.)

NOTE: Thanks to Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism for this amazing picture that came from the BBC. (By the way Yves’ Blog is an excellent subscription if only for the wonderful daily animal pictures.)

If you, like me, had never heard of this creature then be prepared to weep a few tears; this beautiful animal is very unlikely to survive as a species for much longer.

Saola

Read more about the Saola

M’mmmm – Let me think about this!

The pluses and minuses of skydiving.

This looks great. Cameraman is Paul Lewis.

And here’s that Paul Lewis again.  Having a really, really lucky day!

Funny, there is a saying amongst us (amateur) pilots.  Why would anyone want to throw themselves out of a perfectly serviceable aeroplane!

Exactly!

By Paul Handover

10:27 August 14th 2009

A glimpse into the soul of a Nation

My view is that this Blog should be (much) less about the lives of the Blog authors and more about the world we live in within the self-imposed theme of the Blog; integrity.

However, what happened at 405 West Congress in Tucson, Arizona, last Friday morning is an exception to the rule.

The entrance to the Courthouse in Tucson
The entrance to the Courthouse in Tucson

405 West Congress is the address of the Courthouse in Tucson.

Future citizens, families and friends
Future citizens, families and friends

So what brings 50 people, family and friends to a court house in Tucson on a Friday morning in August?

The swearing-in of a group of people to be US Citizens or more properly described as the Order of Admission to Citizenship; the actual process of becoming a US Citizen, other than having been born in the Nation.

It gave me an amazing insight into the generosity of the United States of America and, indeed, of all other free countries in the world that welcome incomers.

Let me explain.

Read more of this Post

Love lyrics

Our love for dogs!

One of my favourite Blogs is Baseline Scenario.  It is hugely popular especially since it was started only in September 2008.  The vision of the Blog is “The Baseline Scenario is dedicated to explaining some of the key issues in the global economy and developing concrete policy proposals.”

However, one of the founders of the Blog, James Kwak, recently had his dog, Dauber, pass away and published a Post in memory of the guy.

Read more of this Post

Little and large, a dog and elephant story.

An African elephant and a dog form a close bond

This is a YouTube video courtesy of CBS Videos that has obviously caught the imagination of quite a large audience – the number of viewings on YouTube is in excess of 3.2 million!  (So, apologies if you have seen this before.)

Read (watch) more of this Post

Patting the dog’s back and positive thinking

We all know that patting a dog’s back always gets a wagging tail in response.

But when everything is piling up against us, sometimes we forget to pat our own back.

Nice little reminder here.

By Paul Handover

Resting and Playing

Few people go through their lives without periods of great angst and emotional pain.  Many at this very moment will be in the middle of situations that, perhaps, could be described as hopeless.  What on earth does that have to do with resting and playing?  Because, however grim life may look like just now, a period of rest or play makes things better.

Dogs (and many other warm-blooded animals) are masters of resting and playing.  Now, of course, it would be wrong to see these behavioural traits in the same way that we regard resting and playing but nonetheless they are great examples for us.  When dogs used to live their lives in packs, within the pack would be an Omega dog, the joker dog, whose role was to keep the pack ‘happy’.

One of the things that is apparent when travelling on the European Continent is how many countries still preserve Sunday as a day of rest.  Sadly not England and, it is suspected, nor America.  Maybe having a day of rest from whatever stresses and strains are in a life has much to recommend it.

So to with play.  And here’s a wonderful example of a group of humans having incredible fun and producing a remarkable result.  What’s the point?  Who knows.  But you can be sure that not one of the participants came away from that stage feeling worse than when they went in.

By Paul Handover