NEW BLOG PAGE

To all my loyal readers....

After a lot of feedback and requests I have moved my blog to an official page, where you can easily access new and old articles.

I hope you enjoy the new site as much as I did creating it.

Feel free to drop me a line as I love reader feedback ;)


New blog is www.mondayinspiration.co.uk

Look Up!

A Primary School teacher asks her students to write an essay about what they would like God to do for them.

This is the essay one of them wrote:

'Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special: Make me into a Television. I want to be the TV in my house. Have my own special place, and have my family around me. To be taken seriously when I talk. I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions. Have the company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired. I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring me. And ... I want my brothers to fight to be with me ... I want the family to just leave everything aside, very now and then, to spend some time with me. And last but not least, ensure that I can make them all happy and entertain them. Lord I don't ask you for much. I just want to be like a TV.'

My Reflection:

In today's modern world it is less about the TV and more about our mobiles, tablets and computers. We have made these new age items the centre of our lives and we are all guilty of this - myself included. Yes it is true that technology is keeping us in touch with our friends all over the world, but at the same time it’s also isolating us from the ‘real’ world… We are always ‘connected’ but are completely ‘disconnected’ from the people right in front of us.

A study, at the Tel Aviv University, concluded that technology addiction should be regarded as a disorder on a par with gambling, sex addiction and kleptomania. The research showed users were addicted because they become irritable when away from technology. So from today, limit your time on the laptop and every now and again go out without your phone… This is an uncomfortable task as our mobile is attached to us a like a limb, but every now and again it can be quite liberating.

This video is what gave me a shock wake up call.
(I highly recommend you watch it too)

'Look Up' - A spoken word film for an online generation

"Look up from your phone, shut down that display, take in your surroundings, and make the most of today. Just one real connection is all it can take, to show you the difference that being there can make."

May you have an awesome week.
Darren Zwiers

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”― Henry David Thoreau

Burnt Biscuits

Authour Unkown

When I was a little child, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burnt biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologise to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Baby, I love burnt biscuits.” Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides – a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!”

My Reflection:

I love this story because it illustrates how important it is to treat certain situations with a high level of sensitivity. You can be upset and eat burnt biscuits or you can be happy and eat burnt biscuits, either way you are eating burnt biscuits so you might as well be happy. We have to realise that the life we all live has imperfect moments and it is so important to know how to handle these moments and come to terms with them. Learning to accept each other’s faults and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences is an extremely powerful tool in all relationships. Everyday you have the opportunity to cut yourself and others some slack. We have no clue the type of day people are having or what they are going through at that time - so it is always important to exercise a high level of sensitivity to the people around you. When someone drops the ball, instead of giving them a hard time about it, just reach down and pick it up for them.

May you have an awesome week.
Darren Zwiers

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes." -Mahatma Gandhi

The Final Exam

A professor stood before his class of 20 senior organic biology students, about to hand out the final exam. "I want to say that it's been a pleasure teaching you this semester. I know you've all worked extremely hard and many of you are off to medical school after summer. So that no one gets their GP messed up because they might have been celebrating a bit too much this week, anyone who would like to opt out of the final exam today will receive a "B" for the course." There was much rejoicing amongst the class as students got up, passed by the professor to thank him and sign out on his offer. As the last taker left the room, the professor looked out over the handful of remaining students and asked, "Any one else? This is your last chance." One final student rose up and took the offer. The professor closed the door and took attendance of those students remaining. "I'm glad to see you believe in yourself." he said. "You all have A's."

My Reflection:

I love this story because it reminds us of how quick we are to sell ourselves short when we have what it takes to become great individuals. It’s also frightening to see how so many of us will settle with second best just because its easy or requires less effort. We should always live our lives with champions attitude. If you want to truly believe in yourself and become a successful person then you are going to have to face your self-doubts and be ready to take care of it… This isn’t a simple task but a first step will be to adopt a positive attitude. Eg. if you start wondering, “What if I fail?” you can respond by saying, “Then I’ll just try again.” or Instead of telling yourself, “I could never do X,” say, “I can’t do X yet. But I’m working on it.” This simple mindset will transform a negative situation into an opportunity for personal growth and in turn will give yourself a fighting chance to reach high levels of personal satisfaction.

Never forget that you are always more capable and worthy than you give yourself credit for, so what are you waiting for… Go for gold!

May you have an awesome week.
Darren Zwiers

“Don't be afraid to be amazing.”- Andy Offutt Irwin

Smartest Man in the World

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute and yelled to the passengers that they better jump, and he himself bailed out. Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said “I’m a doctor, I save lives, so I must live,” and jumped out. The lawyer then said, “I’m a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live.” He also grabbed a parachute and jumped. The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I’ve lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace.” The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worry Father. The smartest man in the world just took off with my back pack.”

My Reflection:

I always love it when you ask someone what they do and they immediately answer with their profession. We can learn from the above story that it’s never a good thing to tie your self-identity to your job. Anything that can be taken away from you is not a good thing to base your self-identity on because you once that's gone, what or who are you? Yes, your job does take up most of your adult life, but it shouldn’t define who you are as an individual. Remember your career isn’t your life - it is simply a tool for a successful life. Stop being your job and be you!

I wish you have an Awesome week :)
Darren Zwiers

“You are you. Now, isn't that pleasant?” ― Dr. Seuss

The Two Lumberjacks

It was the annual lumberjack competition and the final was between an older, experienced lumberjack and a younger, stronger lumberjack. The rule of the competition was quite simply who could fell the most trees in 24hrs was the winner. The younger lumberjack was full of enthusiasm and went off into the wood and set to work straight away. He worked all through the day and all through the night. As he worked, he could hear the older lumberjack working in another part of the forest and he felt more and more confident with every tree he felled that he would win. At regular intervals throughout the day, the noise of trees being felled coming from the other part of the forest would stop. The younger lumberjack took heart from this, knowing that this meant the older lumberjack was taking a rest, whereas he could use his superior youth and strength and stamina to keep going.At the end of the competition, the younger lumberjack felt confident he had won. He looked in front of him at the piles of felled trees that were the result of his superhuman effort. At the medal ceremony, he stood on the podium confident and expecting to be awarded the prize of champion lumberjack. Next to him stood the older lumberjack who looked surprisingly less exhausted than he felt. When the results were read out, he was devastated to hear that the older lumberjack had chopped down significantly more trees than he had. He turned to the older lumber jack and said: “How can this be? I heard you take a rest every hour and I worked continuously through the night. What's more, I am stronger and fitter than you old man”.The older lumberjack turned to him and said: “Every hour, I took a break to rest and sharpen my saw.”

My Reflection:

After being on a rejuvenating holiday I thought it would be apt to share this story. In today’s age it's very easy to become a "workaholic," getting caught up, working long hours and taking few breaks. It’s fascinating that we naturally think the harder and longer we work, the more we can get done. This isn’t true at all… Resting correctly builds concentration, physical fitness and most importantly a positive mood. When it comes to work, you have two choices: you can rest and renew yourself everyday, or you can totally burn yourself out by overdoing everything. Every new day provides a fresh opportunity for renewal - an opportunity to recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. There are many ways to relax in between work, you need to find what works best for you, but all it takes is for you to stop, take a break and sharpen your saw.

I wish you a new and refreshing week :)
Darren Zwiers

“Things are always better in the morning.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Walk In Freezer

Sammy Braun, the owner of a ritual slaughter plant in Argentina, was generally the last person to leave every night. The entire area was surrounded by a tall chain link fence and everyone entered through a wrought iron gate in the front, near the parking lot. The guard at the front gate, Domingo, knew that when Sammy left in the evening, he could lock the gate and go home.

One evening as Sammy was leaving, he called out to the guard, "Good night, Domingo, you can lock up and go." "No," Domingo called back, "not everyone has left yet."

"What are you talking about," Sammy said, "everyone left two hours ago!" "It is not so," Domingo said, "One of the shochtim (ritual slaughterers), Rabbi Berkowitz, hasn't left yet."

"But he goes home every day with his colleagues, maybe you just didn't see him," Sammy said.
"Believe me, I am positive he didn't leave yet," the guard insisted. "We better go look for him."

Sammy knew that Domingo was reliable. He decided not to argue, but instead got out of his car and rushed back to the office building with Domingo. They searched the dressing room for Rabbi Berkowitz. He wasn't there.

They ran to where the animals were slaughtered, but he wasn't there either. They searched the truck dock, then the packing house, going from room to room. Finally they came to the huge walk-in freezer where the large slabs of meat were kept frozen. They opened the door and to their shock and horror they saw Rabbi Berkowitz rolling on the floor, trying desperately to keep himself warm. They ran over to him, lifted him off the floor and helped him out of the freezer, past the thick heavy door that had locked behind him. They wrapped blankets around him and made sure he was warm and comfortable.

Sammy Braun was incredulous. "Domingo," he asked, "how did you know Rabbi Berkowitz hadn't left? There are over two hundred workers here every day. Don't tell me you know the comings and goings of every one of them?"

The guard's answer is worth remembering.

"Every morning when that Rabbi comes in, he greets me and says hello. He makes me feel like a person. And every single night when he leaves he tells me, 'Have a pleasant evening.' He never misses a night - and to tell you the truth, I wait for his kind words. Dozens and dozens of workers pass me every day - morning and night, and they don't say a word to me. To them I am a nothing. To him, I am a somebody.

"I knew he came in this morning and I was sure he hadn't left yet, because I was waiting for his friendly good-bye for the evening!"

It was Rabbi Berkowitz's genuine regard for another human being that literally saved his life.

My Reflection:

One of the best things you can do for other people is make yourself easy to remember and the ultimate way to be remembered is exactly like the above story. A simple friendly gesture to a stranger can go change and even save your life. This also raises a great question - what do you want to be remembered for? We don't ask ourselves this question enough, yet it should be a pivotal and motivating factor in our lives. Most if not all of us want to be remembered as good, compassionate and kind people.... yet at the best of times we don't display this behaviour. If you want to be remembered as a person who is friendly and greets people then DO IT everyday. If you want to be remembered as a humble person then be humble everyday. Yes we have our bad days and drop our guard, but it's these days that people will see your character shine and remember you... If you are consistent in your goodness people will truly remember you as a great person.

I wish you an awesome week :)

Darren Zwiers

Whether it's eight o'clock in the morning or eight o'clock at night, I always try to greet others before they have a chance to speak to me. - Zig Ziglar