The Daily Love by Mastin Kipp

The Daily Love is a website by Mastin Kipp. It's "A Place to Love and Be Loved". He is one of the twelve heroes cited by Rhonda Byrne in her book "Hero".

Having just heard Martin spoke on Upgrade Your Patterns - Upgrade Your Life, I think it would do you good to hear him out, too. So click here to check it out.

Hero (Part 2)

Dictionary.com defines a hero as "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities". And, thefreedictionary.com defines a heroine as:

1. A woman noted for courage and daring action.
2. A woman noted for special achievement in a particular field.

3. The principal female character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.

Jason Chee, who returned to work with the Republic of Singapore Navy as an operations supervisor in June 2014, is one such outstanding hero. In December 2012 he met with a horrific accident on board a warship when he got caught between a motorised winch and one of the berthing ropes. Consequently, he lost both his legs, his left arm, and three fingers of his right hand. As part of his recovery and rehabilitation, he had even taken up table tennis and represented Singapore. Click here to view images of Jason and read more of his story.

When the storms of life come, we need to be supple enough to bend with the wind, stand our ground, take the beating with staying power and not break. When a person bounces back from a setback to where he was before, that's resilience. However, a hero is one who is able to go beyond resilience and come out stronger from the ordeal.

According to research done by experts, they have identified the following characteristics of a hero:

a) Religiousness -- belief in a God who cares;

b) Gratitude -- thankfulness, which is likened to be an emotional reboot button;

c) Kindness -- attitude of how can I be a blessing to others?; 

d) Hope -- the leading indicator of all successes; and

e) Courage -- bravery to move forward or move on.

As we can see, our mind is very powerful indeed. Our thoughts and attitude -- mental health or strength, could really help us to overcome life's challenges and keep on dreaming of a better and greater life. 

In a recent discourse with my immediate superior on Jason's courage, she spoke of The Secret written by Rhonda Byrne on how we can achieve anything we want (e.g., health, wealth and happiness). Piqued, I proceeded to get a copy of from a bookstore which was having a sale. The shop assistant said that it was out of stock, but ventured to say that they have "Hero". For a moment, I really thought that she was pulling a fast one on me. With a modicum of faith I played along and approached the shelves she was pointing towards. I scanned the shelves for a while before I could locate "Hero" which was packaged like "The Secret".

It proved to be great and inspiring reading; value for money and time. it is easy to read and contains a mine of wisdom nuggets from twelve individuals, including Rhonda herself, who have taken the Hero's Journey and are living their dream life. I agree with Rhonda that we have within us all that we need to discover the hero within us and live out our dream.

Please allow me to leave you with this hook from the inside cover: "Imagine if there was a map that showed you how to get from where you are now to the most brilliant, rich, fulfilling, and dazzling life you could ever dream of having. Imagine that this map showed you every step of the journey to that life; realizing your greatest dream, how to find the way over obstacles, how to overcome challenges, defy the odds, and how you already have every powerful ability and quality you need to be victorious on your journey.

You are holding in your hands such a map. This is the map for your life -- this is the map to greatness.

Twelve of the most successful people living in the world today have followed this map. They share their seemingly impossible journeys, and reveal that each of us was born with everything we need to live our greatest dream, and that by doing so we will fulfill our mission, find everlasting happiness, and literally change the world.

This is why you are here on planet Earth."

 For more information about "Hero" by Rhonda Byrne, please visit http://www.thesecret.tv

Bike Dancing

Yesterday I wanted to search for a bicycle scene on YouTube which I vaguely recalled. The only lead I had was silver; silver bullet, silver lightning .... finally, I hit jackpot with Quicksilver. 

I found the racing scene in the movie and this pleasant scene of literal bike dancing which somehow did not figure in my memory. Click here to enjoy.

In a sense, life is like a dance. So keep your head up, loosen up, let your hair down and dance. Remember,

"The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can." -- Neil Gailman

"We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God." -- Martha Graham

There is also this lovely haiku on the "Dance of Life" located at Bastet and Sekhmet's Library blog. Click here to view and reflect.

Manuka Honey

Honey has never been my cup of tea. From way back I recall putting a spoonful of this liquid gold into a glass and dissolve it over hot water for a drink. Then there were the occasional sandwich of honey and cheese or margarine and the relatively more frequent honey-glazed chicken and honey-baked ham.

Recently, I decided to buy a small bottle of manuka honey so as avail myself to its much touted goodness. Its name is derived from the manuka bush in New Zealand which the bees help to pollinate. From what I have read, this type of honey is sought after for its purported ability to reduce high cholesterol and for easing gastrointestinal ailments.

If you wish to know more about the world of honey, please feel free to explore web sites such as Benefits of Honey and Honeyworld. 

What takes the cake for me in this re-adventure with honey is the way I eat it. Hard pressed for time, I launched off by taking spoonful neat and it impressed me pretty much with its alluring sweetness and goodness (at the back of my mind). 

Truth be told, I suspect that the pros or ardent followers also scoop it straight from the pot to consume it a la Winnie the Pooh and those honeycomb raiders on Discovery channel. Never in the wildest dream would I take a spoon of sugar, Marmite or Bovril neat. But, when it comes to honey, yes, you can. It has an amazing sweeter-than-sugar and much-more-pleasant-and-palatable-taste-than-processed-sugar. 

Just take spoonful a day; quick, simple and delicious. Sweetness has suddenly and surprisingly taken on a whole new meaning for me. 

"Hero" by Mariah Carey

Recently, I watched one of Dr. Mike Murdock YouTube clip where he shared that: "It is my responsibility to keep myself inspired. The struggle of life is to stay inspired."

He went on to say that we are inspired by people, pictures and/or sound. And, the question for us is: "Have you discovered how to excite yourself?" His suggestion is that we surround ourselves with the people and stuffs that boost our energy level.

"Hero" by Mariah Carey works fine for me and possibly for millions of others, as well. The lyrics are as follows and you can click here to enjoy her steady. controlled and strong rendition of the hero that lies in each of us.

 "Hero"

There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

[Chorus:]
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

[Chorus]

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time
You'll find the way

[Chorus]

Ever Thought You Could Fly?

Today I am reminded again that our thoughts are precious and powerful. 

Our thought are precious because, come to think of it, the battle for our life is for our mind. If the advertisers, for example, can captivate our mind and imagination, they can by extension reach for our time (watch that movie) or money (buy that meal). 

And, the battle of our mind is for focus. What are we giving in to by way of distraction? Or what kind of goal or target are we fixing our mind on?

If we can reign in or direct our thoughts according to our best intentions, we could be well on our way to a greater and better tomorrow for ourselves and others beside.

This brings me to just how powerful our thoughts are. Some people still have thoughts that people should be given wings literally. I think if God the Creator think that we had needed wings, He would have given them to us. 

Yet, in spite of being wingless and eyeing how birds could fly, mankind pursuit of flight became a reality. From a thought we now have Airbuses and Dreamliners taking flight daily and round the clock.

What's your dream or breakthrough idea? It can be done if you can first see it. Our thoughts are precious and powerful indeed. When facing an obstacle or challenge, do not be frightful. Choose to fight for your dream. That's a thought, to begin with, as you would have observed with hindsight.

O, the power of a made-up and focused mind.

Beautiful Birds of the World (Nature Documentary)

Worth watching if you like birds and you will be amazed at what birds can do. Click here to watch.