Be A River-~Keep On Keeping On!

 


Hello Brappers! And what is the first thing you notice about this river? 

For me, it's cluttered with boulders, yet the water is moving forcefully ahead- in fact, the water is positively gushing and due to its very nature, nothing can stop it. I noticed this very thing in my local park last Saturday when out walking with my Sister and her husband. At the time I commented on the speed of the water and how high the pond was- we were near the little waterfalls where the pond sided into streams, and they were flowing very fast. By contrast, when there is little rainfall clearly everything reduces to a trickle or dries up completely. The one thing about water is that every drop becomes part of a cycle. We learnt this in school and all know the basic properties of water- droplets which can just as easily evaporate with the heat, which aptly reflects the energy levels underpinning our daily output. 

So what has a river got to do with you and me? It's a symbol of power, and we all have inner power. It's a force of nature and you cannot stop its flow- but we humans can stop all too easily therefore we need to marry up our inner power with our intentions. The question is, HOW? I'm looking at that river and seeing the boulders as representations of all the challenges in our lives, past, present and future. The river only flows in one direction, it's impossible for it to turn around and go back upstream- but how often do we do this in our thinking? How often do we adopt old thoughts and feelings, applying them to new situations, new people? We can easily become stuck in the past instead of freeing ourselves from it and moving on, especially when lack of confidence, fear or uncertainty raise their heads. The key is understanding what holds the past has on us and why. Once we identify these things we can move forwards. This is something I have mentioned a couple of times recently, so let's look at things in an alternative way.

What inspires us to keep going and make changes?  Now this is key. Who inspires us? What do they do that we can implement? If you really want to make significant changes and create a new you, you have to have a clear idea of what you aspire to be. We are always encouraged to visualise and see ourselves living the life we desire. This can be quite superficial as people often want to escape their lives and imagine jetting off for wonderful holidays, or living with their ideal partner and so forth. These things are all good, however, there is usually work to be done first. What I have come to realise is the necessity of embodying the personal characteristics that will enable those changes to happen, and this really is doable with practice.

The best way to share my thoughts on the matter is by speaking from personal experience as many of us go through similar physical or mental challenges that drain our energy and leave us less productive than we wish. During the past three years my biggest challenge has been consistency due to health reasons- before that it was due to mental challenges! We need to think about what significant actions we can take that will create momentum. I've decided the best plan is to  get my computer out at least 6/7 days per week and do something so that I am consistently working towards my future. I spoke recently about beginning something briefly before work so everything in the evening is a continuation as opposed to a start. This might sound basic but I find it effective. Having ceased all systems temporarily, after the last couple of weeks everything seems slightly chaotic, even my diary entries were out of sync! Crazy, but the mind can confuse things when they are not attended to immediately. These little aspects help us to keep on keeping on through more challenging times, sudden thought- it's time to create some more blogs ready to schedule should the need arise as it is good to prepare for the unexpected.

Sometimes the frustrations in life seem like a jungle. I really wish I had significant time to give to Its Braap as there are so many things this platform can actually be used for, having the potential to inspire and assist people. When we can't see the wood for the trees, we commit to the universe and wait for it to help us find our course around the boulders! What is important is maintaining awareness of what we do well and any progress we make, rewarding ourselves as we go. That is why it's good to write things in a diary or journal so we can see how far we have come. Change is so often gradual and can go unnoticed.

On the subject of keeping on it is time to mention what has gone well, and whilst off work I have been able to complete several units of my course which is major. I have also spoken with Elsie Nemlin regarding her project Odile and will update you regarding new moves when the time is right.

Finally, as a light note, Mozez has a song that has always spoken to me, 'Be like water.' Please check out this out as the video is really interesting, including excerpts of Bruce Lee speaking his truths. The video reads as follows: ' BruceLee.Com presents an intimate look at Bruce Lee's life on the 40th Anniversary of his passing. Recording artist Mozez, formerly of Zero 7 wrote the song heard throughout the video, 'Be Like Water' as a tribute to Bruce Lee's life, philosophy, martial art and influence on the world.

Over to you!!! Do you have a great story to tell? What have you overcome and how? Are you organizing an event that you’d love to share? Have you written an article, poem or short story you would like featured? If so, please contact me with brief info via my Facebook Group Its Braap and I will get back to you. And subscribe to our YouTube channel at  Its Braap TV

Jaz McKenzie~ The Word Magician 


Comments