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Monday, August 6, 2012

Holstee Manifesto

Read about the inspirational story and team behind this manifesto here
This sort of tenacity and lust for life is what fuels my views towards self-love. But it also re-enforces my belief in the power of perspective. Sometimes we may get stuck in the cyclic daily patterns of modern life that we forget to pause and reflect. We reach a state of mysterious unhappiness amidst this repetative cycle because we forget to click refresh, recharge our batteries, stop and smell the roses, or whatever other idiom there is to just stop, inhale, exhale. And this is why I feel having regular 'me' time is so valuable. You need to give yourself a chance to just breathe for starters, and also to just think. It is in these times that you allow yourself to fully reflect on you, your life, what is happening in and around you.

A huge advantage is being able to finally realize what a little change in perspective could do to make life easier for you. When you allow yourself to stop and think of why you keep losing your keys, for example, you are able to find the root of the problem and better address it rather than getting more and more frustrated with yourself every time you lose your keys. You may even begin to realize how your constant frustration over losing your keys could have some sort of ripple effect throughout the rest of your day. So imagine how a little tweak in attitude could ultimately improve how your day goes.

The real value here, is when you adjust your perspective when it comes to your relationships with the people around you. You are having difficulty with someone at work; what is the common theme if there is any? Is it something only you are dealing with? Is it harmful or harmless? Could their troubles at home possibly be affecting their behavior and conduct? Maybe their behavior stems from fear, insecurity or just downright immaturity. And the list goes on. I don't see this as digging for excuses, to me this is the search for empathy. All it takes is a little empathy to adjust your perspective which will then allow you to face the problem head on, or at least be able to put up with it to a reasonable extent. It is in such adjustments that you start to begin to understand more about human behaviors that surround you, and you are more able to empathize rather than frustrate yourself time and time again. It is in this compassion and consideration that ultimately grants you just that much more peace of mind (like I said, no such thing as a selfless good deed, but no harm in being a little selfish here!).

You are better able to deal with people around you the more people you meet. Your ability to empathize grows and as does your patience. It may require some discipline, yes, but to me it is well worth it. Things start to make so much sense once you begin to understand. This doesn't necessarily solve all your problems but it helps lessen the load. When you have dedicated time to actually think about a certain matter long enough you are better able to make an informed decision on how to proceed, or at least it gets you just that much closer to doing so. Don't bury your problems in the back of your mind, unload them regularly at your own pace instead of drowning in them until the day comes when you just explode without warning.

Therefore you should always seek to understand, not judge. Seek to make friends, not enemies.Seek to build bridges, not break them. Realize the power of empathy and the value of human understanding. You are not always the victim, sometimes you're just caught in the crossfire. Learn to just forgive rather than hold grudges. That will do so much more than reacting - or rather overreacting - without thinking.


I know this is terribly mainstream of me, but I adore this song! It never fails to make me smile, even the video. Good night my beautiful people <3