Optimist

Everything is possible, the impossible just takes a little longer.

-Unknown

Important to always keep in mind!

Words of wisdom

"Appreciate what you have before asking for more".

-Unknown

Follow your heart...

"There is only one success, to spend your life in your own way".

-Christopher Morley

Since I was very young I always went my own way. I did listened to other people, for example teachers and my mother, but I early realized that it's their recommendations, believes and thoughts. What they think is best is not always what is best for you. Who says they are right? Everyone is different. And for that simple reason you should always do things your own way. Do you sometimes get this voice in your head or feeling in your heart telling your something? Follow it! I believe if you stop listening and ignore that voice or feeling you will soon loose yourself due to not following your wishes, dreams and own believes. 

Mitch Albom

If there is one person I would like to meet this year it would be Mitch Albom. I'm a big fan of all his fantastic books. He has written many amazing and mind-blowing beautiful books about life, death, decisions and its consequences. They are eye opening, a kind of art in black inc on white pages that charmed me and may change your way of living and seeing the world. I therefore recommend everyone to read his books. They might not be written for everyone but my sister read all his books very fast after I recommended her to read his first book "Tuesdays with Morrie".  They are short but has a deep and beautiful message. 

Here are some quotes from his books. 


"No life is a waste. The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone."

 -- The Five People You Meet In Heaven

"One day spent with someone you love can change everything."

 -- For One More Day

"What is it about childhood that never lets you go? "

 -- For One More Day

"There is everything you know and there is everything that happens. When the two do not line up, you make a choice."

 -- For One More Day 

"Dying . . . is only one thing to be sad over. Living unhappily is something else."

 -- Tuesdays With Morrie

I first read "Tuesdays with Morrie", which still might be my favorite book of all times. It's about and old man, a young man and life's greatest lesson. After that I fast read all his other books: "For one more day"-“Every family is a ghost story . . ., "Five people you met in heaven" -All ending are beginnings. We just don't know it at the time... and his last published book "Have a little faith"- Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story. .

I can't wait for Mitch Albom to write more books... but start by enjoy these four. You won't regret it! I promise.

Men are like buses...

Never cry for being left by a man because:

"Men are like buses. If you miss one, there will always be an other one coming".

Quote from "A Singel Man" 

An Education

I watched "An Education" last night. Have you seen it? I found it being a very moving movie about life and passion, first love and its heartache, being let down and cheated on but also finding the path back. Finding the path back can seem to be impossible. Admitting you have been wrong may be very hard. But sometimes you just have to suck it up just like the young girl in this movie did. Believe in what you want and you can always do it. Look out for opportunities. You should see the movie if you already haven't seen it. I love movies that has a message and this movie has one, it's not life changing but it plants a small seed in your mind that grows bigger if you give it attention. I made me think that people, especially women, should never become dependent on anyone, not your father, best friend nor boyfriend or husband. 

Always follow your heart and be independent. I think that is the way you will find your true happiness.

Positive attitude

I have since a few years back spend most of my time with a very special and fantastic man. He always blows me away with his positive attitude. Even in really bad and hard situations when I normally feel like crying or giving up he smiles and says: "Oh well, it could have been worse..". He is unique in so many ways. I have never met a man like him. He is not only extremely positive but also incredibly funny, loving, generous, caring, handsome, smart and great at most things. He is like space, endless. I have found the best life partner and friend in the world. 

So my Mr Right never leaves home without a positive attitude and he also always wakes up with a positive attitude. It's very rare I have seen him moody. He is a big inspiration to me and I would also like him to be your inspiration. I try and live each day to the full with as much positivism I possible can carry with me. We all know that if you start off your day negative, your day will only end up that way. 

So be positive it always pays off in the end.

Favorite quote...

"Be who you are,

 Say what you feel,

 because those who mind don't matter

 &

 those who matters don't mind!"

 - Dr Seuss

Live by this everyday

योग

 योग

I have promised myself for years that I will start doing more yoga. I have always liked it so why wouldn't I? And I have always wished to do more. I used to feel that I never had time. So I have now decided to make time for yoga in my everyday life. Just a few weeks ago I decided to try to expand both my knowledge and also practice about yoga. I now start my mornings with a yoga session. It feels great. My body slowly wakes up by stretching and finding its strength for the day. By doing yoga regularly I also feel that I learn more everyday, see more aspects of myself and my body. I feel that I with yoga can explores my strengths and my inner self. 

I hope this will inspire you to do the thing or things you always deep down wanted and dreamed to do. It's never too late. And you can always make time. It's your life and you are your own boss.

Be the change...

Inspired by my yoga teacher: 


"Be the change"

- Debbie


If you want to change something in your life, at your work or in the world then you have to be the change. You have to apply the change into your life and live after it. People will see it, maybe get inspired and also follow you. It's not enough just believing. So once again:

"Be the change"

Life Lesson 1

"Never look back.

Remember you can deal with today and tomorrow but there is nothing you can do about yesterday. Learn from your mistakes, but don't dwell on them."

-Henry Blofeld

We all know this very well but even so I still can't apply this to my everyday life. I love people that do and I will work harder on thinking and planning my life a little bit more careful so I never will have to look back in what I could have done different or things I regret doing or not doing...

Your ecological footprint

Why are we, the world, so obsessed by producing, consuming and buying more and more every year?

Why do we want so much?

Why do we need so much?

Check out your ecological footprint:

http://www.myfootprint.org/

It can be eye opening! 

Did you know that...

...25 % of the earths plants and animals are threaten by extinction?

And still people are just standing by watching it all happening. 

It's time to wake up. 

Ask yourself;

 What kind of car are you driving?

Where is your shirt made?

Where were your apples produced?

How do you go to work?

How do you heat your house?

Are you supporting and buying locally and organically grown products?

What do you actually do for the environment?

Remember small things matters!

Time

Make time for what really matters

Dare... take the risk!

Too many people are afraid for changes today. People end up getting stuck in jobs, cities, apartments, relationships and lives they don't really want.

I dared to take a risk. I decided to resign from my old job which in itself wasn't too bad, actually some peoples dream. But it didn't give me anything anymore. Some people  told me that I shouldn't but be grateful that I had a job, because many due to the world rises haven't got any. But I believe in taking risks, follow your heart and realize your dreams. Due to that I dared and I got a hole new life. 

Always follow the voice inside your heart and you will be on the right path. But make sure you plan every step carefully and always make sure you have a back-up plan, just in case.

I ended up with the best job I possible could get at the moment. If you close one door there will always be a new one waiting to be open with new adventures and challenges. I also have a new home and even better it is together with my boyfriend. I have now many exciting things in life to look forward to: create a home together with the man I love, learn new things in my new job and hopefully give a needing dog a warm home one day soon...

I hope you found some inspiration to realize your dreams by reading this.

HOME...

Home is where your heart is...

-Unknown

Every 6 sec...

Do you know that...

...every 6 seconds dies a child of hunger...

...one child every 6 seconds...

... people, the world, are aware but yet nobody stops it...

I Just Can't Have Enough..

... of AloeVera Juice. 

Have you ever tried? I just tried it while being home in Sweden. It's my latest addiction and a must to try or abuse. It's natural, organic, healthy and therefore good for both your body and mind. Swap your unhealthy energy drinks and sweet sodas for this tasty juice.

http://www.aloeveradrycken.se/

Mmm...! 

Dream

When you find a dream inside you heart never let it go...

For dreams are tiny seeds from which tomorrow grows...

- Unknown

Change of Diet

I will today changed my diet. 

I became vegetarian at the age of 14. This year I'm turning 25. It was definitely one of the best choices I have ever done. It has been hard at times, especially traveling to other countries like China and Philippines. In the little village I grow up in in Sweden, people thought I tried to be special due to that I was vegetarian. But many friends followed "the trend" I set. The reason why I wanted to become vego was after reading international news about how terrible and massive the animal industry is, which I even as a young teenager couldn't support. If we all were aware of all the abuse and injuries animals suffers from in the meat industry nobody would probably eat meat. Just the ones with any feelings. Animals in the meat industry are only born with one propose:

to end up on your plate and bring in money.

My mom's argument to why I couldn't become vego at the age of 12 was because I was too young. She also claimed that our locally produced meat was not subject abuse in any kind of way.

A few weeks before Christmas 2001 there was a headline on all local newspapers saying that our local slaughter-house, Kalmar, mistreated the animals before being slaughtered. They therefore suffered before being killed. Many animals were also injured in transportations. And that was the day I became vegetarian. 

But the last 4-5 years I have started to eat fish and seafood again. I lost weight and I thought by eating some protein in form of fish I would regain the weight and muscles I lost. Which I now have. I absolutely love eating all kinds of seafood but I have anyway decided to stop eating fish. 


Why? 


First, because I can not any longer support the commercial fishing industry, which is close to emptying the worlds oceans. Their big fishing nets bring up any species that happens to swim in the water where the nets are: sharks, turtles, dolphins...

Second reason is that the oceans are today very polluted, which makes it almost a health risk to consume fish. 
Third reason is the fact that the worlds oceans are over-fished and it's about time to do something about it.

I prefer to dive and explore the oceans and observe all its beauty, instead of eating its amazingly beautiful and peaceful inhabitants. 

What do you prefer?

Your Body is Your Temple

"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you how beautiful you are" ...

It is important that you feed your body the right food.

Why?

Because you become what you eat!

Around 2 kg of chemicals are the amount a person every year consume though foods that contains: preservatives, colorings, pesticides, artificial flavorings, binders and so on. Food we might think is healthy such as: vegetables and fruits might be the worst due to that they have been sprayed with poison for various reasons.

I'm not telling you to stop eating but I want to inspire you to buy organic produces products. People are like nature: a very sensitive ecological systems and illnesses occur due to pollutions and also due to artificial produced foods. 

Be organic,

Be real!

The inspiration to this is a Yoga book, which discuss how important the right food is. Also an article about soya plantations in South America. These plantations produces soya which later is used as animal feed. This soya fields are highly sprayed with poison/ pesticides, which can be tracked 40 meters down in earth. People and workers living and working around these fields suffers from headache, children are born sick and handicapped. People die early, mostly in cancer. How does this affect us? Well the food that we later consume such as: milk products, beef and chicken contain this the poison remains in their system, which we later consume...

How can this be happening? Don't ask me. Ask the people who are in charge: How they can let this happen and not stop it. In fact President Fernando Luga tried to change this by creating stricter regulations regarding the use of  pesticides in Paraguay. But he got stopped by the government due to the soya producers, who are so powerful that they have influence on the government. Things like this will not change over a night. 


My advise:

eat  and support organic and locally produced vegetables and meat.

Over consumption- a scary thing!

The Material World = Our World today, 

Most people, maybe even you, just keep buying more and more. It hurts to see. This Christmas I read in the newspaper that millions of people bought unnecessary things to friends and family, which ended up in the garbage. But why do we do this? Aren't homo sapiens sapiens the most intelligent "animal" on the planet? It doesn't seem so to me. Moreover why do we feel stress of buying things for each other that they might not need nor want? Is this really what being kind, nice and caring means? I don't think so!  

I have to say: I have always been very impressed by my sister. She always finds me the ultimate Christmas and birthday gifts. Things that are very useful and that I end up using for years till they eventually break. When they break I become sad. Not because my bag broke but because it was a gift from my sister. Since my sister and I live far from each other, she in Netherlands and I in U.A.E. the gifts from her have a meaning as well. I end up always carry them around with me no matter where I am in the world and it always feels like she is with me. Moreover from photos of me she can also tell that her gifts are the things I always carry with me. I'm very impressed by her in this prospective: that she cares and thinks before buying something. If more people did that the world might be very different. Don't you think?

In reality we need new things once in a while. But I hate to see people, like some of my shopoholic friends, buying more and more things, clothes and crazy amounts of gadgets with their new almost unlimited credit cards. It hurts to see. Walking around in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or in New York and see all stores full of material things is: CRAZY!

Our world is run by making money and therefore also spending money. Sad. Shame. And makes me a shamed of the Western world. Are you? 

Money is control, 

Money is power, 

Money rules our the world. 

But money is not the key to real happiness!

Therefore are consumers, like you and me, essential to keep it going. But do you like your world to be like this? I don't.  

I have, since I started buying myself things first of all, been careful with spending my money. Then I ask myself: 

Do I really need this? 

Next, will it come to use?

Do I have something similar already?

Due to this I believe I don't over consume too much. But yes I do admit I buy myself more things that I need. Shopping works sometimes for me like a happy pill. Shopping can make me feel good. But talking with someone, a good friend or family, or head off to the gym is a much better solution to solve the real problem than spending money.

Guess how many phones my mom has? Four in one house and they are all wireless! Isn't that crazy?! But she also have two other older ones phones that she doesn't work. Plus a cellphone..

Things like this just makes me sick. Why? No, not because I'm a "hippie" or an anti-materialist but because there are people in many, actually too many places, in the world that are starving to death, have no money to feed their children, have no money to pay their rent and have no money for medication. The world is not fair.

How come the world with all its well educated and smart politicians who have the power to change things don't?! It's all because of money. Next question, what do you do? Do you buy fair trade coffee? Consumers can also do small things by thinking before buying/consuming. Start caring. Start reading. Be aware. We all know about this and still changes are too slow. People, like you and I, that have food to eat everyday are lucky because millions of people don't. Think about that next time you buy something. 

Over consumption of any kind is NOT GOOD.  

Nobody is perfect

I'm not perfect, 

You are not perfect,

In fact no one is. Always keep in mind:

"A person that never makes mistakes never makes anything"

Unknown 

Fear- Rädsla

"Fear is an unavoidable part of life but we can choose to either challenge it or let it rule our lives." - Unknown


What do you choose?

"Rädsla är en ofrånkomlig del av livet men vi kan välja att antingen utmana den eller låta den styra våra liv." - Okänd

Vad väljer du?

Bot mot negativa tankar

Vem är du utan alla dina negativa tankar och budskap?

Who are you without all your negative thoughts? 

"En människa blir vad hon tror sig vara. Om man gång på gång upprepar för sig själv att man inte kan göra en viss sak, är det möjligt att man till slut blir oförmögen att göra detta. Och motsatt, om man tror att man kan göra det, kommer man säkerligen tillägna sin förmågan att göra detta, även om man inte ägde denna förmågan från början." 

Inspiration från M. Gandhi

No tomorrow

"If you want something done, do it yourself"

I have learnt this the hard way from living in the Middle East the past 4.5 years. You can NEVER trust anyone to get things done, NO ONE. Best is to do it yourself. That way, you get it done and also exactly how you want it. For ex. no one will realize your dreams for you. You have to do it yourself. Step by step you will reach it one day. Do it today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow might never come. . .

Find your way...

"There is only one success: to spend your life in your own way"

Mr. C. Morley

I need to remind myself this often because sometimes I try to "force" other people, for ex. my very unhealthy grandmother, to live like me.Why? Because my ego thinks my way of living is the best. But always remember, your way is the right way for you. Some of us think our way is the best but in fact we are all very unique beings even if we are family, best friends, sisters or life partners. Never follow any other. 

Find your way and live your life in your way:

only your way is right for you. 

Our thoughts

"Vi är vad vi tänker. Allt vi är börjar i våra tankar. Med våra tankar skapar vi vår värld"

- Buddha

"We are what we think. It all starts in our thoughts. With our thoughts we create our world"
 - Buddha

"我們是我們的想法。這一切都開始於我們的思想。我們創造著我們的思維我們的世界"
-佛

Buddha - my big inspiration