Homeopathy in Croatia

I just want to say a few words about a recent trip I made to Zagreb in Croatia. Again I had the privilege to work with a group of students new to homeopathy. There were just over 20 people from all walks of life who were keen to learn more about homeopathy with a view, potentially, to practising sometime in the future.

I did 2 days of teaching followed by 2 days running a teaching clinic. Over the 2 days of the clinic we had 6 new clients. I find this uses up a good deal of my energy and it is immensely enjoyable. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to see people full of enthusiasm and commitment embarking on a 4 year course of study leading to a professional qualification.

Homeopathy in Serbia

I have also been back to Serbia again to teach the students I worked with last November. Back then it was the first session of their course. I went back for session number 6. More students had joined the course and it was great to see how the students’ knowledge and confidence had improved over those 6 months.

Seeing people grow in their knowledge and understanding and knowing that I have played a part in that makes me feel good. I look forward to doing more teaching in the future.

Get 7 Free lessons on the Law of Attraction.

a

Homeopathy in Croatia and Serbia

Abundance !
photo credit: Noël Zia Lee

Nice, simple, straightforward style - not pretentious or superior - just honest advice freely given.

I look forward to receiving these emails but I rarely read them immediately. Instead, I wait until I have a space to properly concentrate on them.

So, if you’re interested in the Law of Attraction, either as a beginner or as someone with more experience, I suggest you subscribe to Open To Prosperity. What have you got to lose ?

Incidentally, I don’t get any financial reward for this recommendation. It’s a resource I have found useful and I hope you will too.

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

Get 7 Free lessons on the Law of Attraction.

a

Open To Prosperity

photo credit: littledan77

I feel a bit embarrassed about this really - as if I brought this illness on myself as a result of what I wrote last week. At one time during the week, I thought my estimate of living till 85 was wildly exaggerated !

My reflections this week are about why I got ill and what positive lessons I can take from this experience.

Enjoying My Work

I am someone who enjoys their work which, of course, is great. You will know, if you are a regular reader, that I design and build web sites for clients through my AttractMore Web Design business, I am a practising homeopath, I teach homeopathy and am a director of a homeopathy college. None of these occupations pays me a fixed salary, rather, I get paid for what I do.

The danger with this way of working coupled with the fact that I enjoy doing it all, means that I can end up working more hours that would normally be regarded as sensible. I’ve always felt this was OK because I was enjoying doing it.

ENOUGH

On further reflection (I’ve had plenty of time to reflect this week !), I suspect that I was working too many hours and this is why I got ill. It was as if my body shouted ‘ENOUGH !’ then forced me into nearly a week’s downtime.

Positive Aspects

The positive things I take from this week are

• A realisation I am not super-human (yes, really !)
• A deeper understanding of the supreme importance of health
• There were no disasters even though I did very little work this week
• I was able to finish the novel I have been reading for a while (Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens - GREAT book).
• I have not drunk coffee for a week now
• A need for boundaries

If someone had said to me that I should take a week off, I would have reacted with horror and said that I couldn’t possible do that. However, the choice was taken away from me and it was OK.

Boundaries are important. The setting of limits to work time is important. If there are no boundaries, nothing can be contained and everything leaks away. Is this what happens with ME/CFS ?

Lessons

If you enjoy your work - beware ! It’s a great blessing to enjoy what you do but, if you’re not careful, it can take over. Take time off, even when you think you can’t. Work-Life balance IS important (I even had that in my New Year’s Resolutions I think - ironically).

If you do get ill, ask yourself why that might be. It could, of course, have nothing to do with work. I think there is meaning in illness and, I suspect that finding out what that meaning is can help us stay healthier in the future.

Here’s to your health (and mine) !

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

a

A Waste Of Time ?

Yep, it was my birthday yesterday. 52 years and counting. I had a good day and we went out for a fantastic meal last night. I don’t really like the idea of my birthday much - perhaps it reminds me of my mortality. I know it’s just another day and it’s really just one more day older but still…

Time

photo credit: sergis blog

While I was thinking about time, I was reminded of an idea someone mentioned to me a while ago. I can’t remember who it was but it goes like this. Have a guess at how old you will be when you die; subtract your current age from that number to get your estimate of how many years you have left. Now multiply that figure by 365 to get the number of days remaining in your life.

Calculations

So for me, I am going to guess that I will die when I am 85. And now I’m 52, so I have 33 years left which is equivalent to 1716 weeks or just over 12,000 days.

Another way of looking at this is to say that I’ve been here for nearly 19,000 days so far and so I’m over 60% through my life if my estimates (and my maths) are accurate.

Perspective and Motivation

Now I’m NOT saying this because I feel maudlin. It’s much more about putting things into perspective - a reality check, if you like. 12,000 days doesn’t seem all that much to me and there’s still plenty I want to do and achieve before I move on elsewhere. So, I feel it’s quite a motivational idea - I don’t want to waste time, I want to get on with life, to enjoy it. I want to attract more wonderful things into my life and I don’t want to hold myself back. There is no time to waste.

Do you want to do your own calculations ? I’ll leave you to it.

Short post this week - I’m sure you will see why !!

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

a

Birthday Reflections

What exactly is self-esteem ? Where does it come from ? Were we born with it ? Is it something we have or something we do ?

Esteem
Let’s start with the word Esteem. Here are some definitions I found

• respect: regard highly; think much of;
• admiration: a feeling of delighted approval and liking

How do you treat someone you hold in esteem ? Think of someone. I imagine that you:

• Listen to them
• Respect them
• Value their opinions
• Like them

So, could you do these things to yourself ? Could you esteem yourself ?

If you feel like it you could write down the ways in which you esteem yourself and ways in which you don’t. How could you go about adding more to the ways in which you do esteem yourself ?

Self-Esteem Suggestions

One thing you might consider is spending more time with positive people and less time with the negative ones. I wrote a brief article about this a while ago where I referred to people as either Drains or Radiators. People who are drains take away your energy and can make you feel less than, if you let them. On the other hand, radiators give out energy to others and can boost your self-esteem.

Some Personal Self-Esteeming Tips
One of the things that I do which contributes to my positive self-esteem is that I talk to myself ! No, not out loud - just in my head. And I say encouraging things to myself and congratulate myself when things go well. ‘Nice one, Rog’, ‘Well done, Rog !’. Yes, these are things I say to myself. Does that sound weird, odd, arrogant ? Not to me and I think it helps.

The other thing that helps is that I say thank you to people who do things for me. It’s not a mechanical thank you - I mean it. I suspect the reason this helps my self-esteem is that I appreciate my life and the other people in it and how they contribute to my well-being. Somehow, I’ve created this life and attracted into it all these things - which is great - and I am grateful for what I have created.

Summary

So, to go back to some of the questions I asked earlier, I think self-esteem is something we gain by doing. It is the continual result of a on-going process. The more positive things we can do, the stronger and better our self-esteem will become. If doing the positive things becomes habitual, then our self-esteem is continually reinforced. This process has been called self-esteeming and it’s something we can do every day if we want to. Which is why the power to change is here in the present.

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

a

Self-Esteeming - Creating Self-Esteem

The view down Hamra Street
from the balcony of my hotel room
photo credit: Roger Knight

Impressions Before I Arrived

I have to say that I was a little concerned about going to Beirut. Not hugely anxious, but definitely concerned. The reason being that my perception of Beirut was a place associated with violence, risk, political unrest and a potential war zone. So I was concerned for my own security and whether the students would be able to get together in one place for teaching.

I don’t read the news much and I guess my impression had formed from what I had read in newspapers and seen on the TV.

Arrival

My flight arrived at 2245 local time and I had been concerned about whether it was safe to be travelling in the city at that time of night, however I was assured that it was OK. When I arrived I was met by 2 of the students and taken to my hotel. I saw a few soldiers/police around on the streets of the city - they looked bored and everything seemed peaceful and calm.

We drove in past signs for KFC and actually passed Starbucks and Costa Coffee - so plenty of familiar brands to make me feel at home !

The Reality

I had a very enjoyable time in Beirut. I really enjoyed the teaching. All the people I met (with the possible exception of a couple of airport staff) were friendly, pleasant and welcoming. The food was wonderful. I never once felt unsafe or in the slightest danger. I had expected to see bombed out buildings and evidence of violence. There was very little of this.

The students were full of enthusiasm and I have the greatest respect for them in studying homeopathy which doesn’t seem very well established there. They have been studying for over 2 years and they’re doing well.

False Fears

Before I went to Beirut, Lebanon, to me, was a place on the map - a place with a reputation of violence to my mind. Having been there and seen the reality, I know that my impression was false and was based on a distorted (possible historical) perception. I was ignorant of the current facts.

I wondered how many other fears and limiting beliefs in life are also based on a false perception of reality. I suspect I don’t question or challenge the basis of my fears. Could we do that ? Have you had an experience which made you re-evaluate a fear or limiting belief that you had ? Maybe you hold on to a belief about yourself that you picked up in childhood which limits you in some way ? Is it based on a false perception of reality or out-of-date information like my fear was ? Do drop me a line in the comments and let me know.

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

a

Fear - A False Perception of Reality ?

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

So, for today, I just wanted to let you know about an online community called Gaia. You may already know about this of course, however, my impression is that it doesn’t get a great deal of publicity on the internet. I read a good few blogs every week and like to think I am quite up to date with what’s going on, yet I rarely see anyone mention Gaia.

There are so many social networking sites out there - general ones like Facebook, ones focussed on the ‘Boomer’ generation like Eons and special interest ones like Hugg for people specifically interested in ‘green’ issues.

The reason I want to bring Gaia (previously known as Zaadz) to your attention (apart from my assumption that it is not that well-known) is that it is for people interested in changing the world for the better. That’s me and I’m guessing that it could be you too.

This is what Gaia is all about

Our Mission. We’re here to change the world. You’ve probably heard Gandhi’s beautiful directive to “be the change to wish to see in the world”? Well, we’re here to help you do just that. We’re here to remind you to listen to your own heart, to discover your path-and to do something about it. We’re here to encourage you to live your dreams. Because really… what’s the difference between the deep longing within your heart and the call of the planet as a whole?

We’re already building the most inspired and supportive community you’ll find online-a network of seekers, visionaries, artists, environmentalists, healers, dreamers, creators, and conscious entrepreneurs, of all ages and from countries around the world. (We think this alone is pretty powerful: just imagine being supported by thousands of others who’ll encourage you to create the life you’ve dreamed of!) And we’re in the process of building a platform that’ll help those of you who are already working for yourselves to grow your businesses-so that we can all participate in circulating wealth and wisdom in a way that honors our connection to each other and to the planet.

I’ve been a member for about 6 months. I have to confess that I have not been a very active member during that time and I do plan to explore the site more and to participate in the community.

If you do decide to join (or if you’re already a member), do ‘friend’ me. This is my profile. Hope to see you there.

(You can also catch up with me on Facebook.)

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

a

Changing the World For The Better

Life Coaching

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to find a life coach/business coach to help me push my businesses (web design and homeopathy) forward. It seemed that the time was right to put this into action. I had a search around and, to cut a longer story short, I found someone very near to where I live.

photo credit: andrew_stawarz

This post is not all about the coaching I have experienced - just one part of it that seems important and, perhaps, symbolic.

A Lesson

I have the privilege of living opposite a park. When I look out of the window here, I see trees, grass, daffodils almost in flower, people walking dogs etc. However, I had just taken it for granted and hardly ever went into the park. One of the things my life coach, Helen, suggested was that I went for a walk in the park every day and looked at what was there. So I did.

At the moment there are crocuses of a variety of colours in bloom and daffodils just about to flower. There are buds starting to show on some of the trees and hedges. How do plants know when to flower ? And trees when to bud ?

Where Do Trees Come From ?

Talking of trees, there are some fairly big and old trees in the park here. They are tall and solid. How did they get to be so substantial ? Where did all the wood come from ? It has all been derived from substances in the soil I presume. Don’t you find that astonishing ? That great hulking tree is made up from minerals and other substances that its roots sucked up from the earth. I find that astonishing. And I’d never really thought about it before.

What I Have Learned

So how has this helped me ? I think partly it’s about getting a bigger perspective, a better sense of proportion - breaking out of the rut I was in and seeing way beyond that. It’s also about getting back to a sense of wonder and knowing that amazing things can and do happen all around me. Also, walking in the park has given me time to think and created space in my head for new ideas to ‘blossom’. It’s made a big difference to me.

So my suggestion is that you consider doing something similar. You may not have a park nearby but I think finding a natural environment is important. Take a walk, even for 10 minutes. Things change here in my park every day and I think it is important to notice the beauty around us. Really SEE it.

Gratitude

I think I ‘knew’ all this before I started my daily visits to the park. The difference now is that I can FEEL amazement at what I see and I feel GRATEFUL for having this nature nearby. And, being grateful for beauty will, I am sure, bring more beauty into my life through the Law of Attraction. This is one of the ways in which I feel prosperous.

And life just carries on being amazing even when we don’t notice or appreciate it. Shame we miss out on seeing it sometimes !

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

Get 7 Free lessons on the Law of Attraction.

a

Life Really Is Amazing Even When It Doesn’t Seem So

photo credit: baconista

Some Of My Sub-Personalities
OK, at the risk of being thought completely barmy, I am listing some of my sub-personalities

• Steady Steven - keen on routine and order. Wears a cardigan
• Kevin King of DIY - likes to fix things and (occasionally) make things. Wears overalls and has a pencil behind his ear
• Hooray Henry - posh, upper class gent. Likes to stay in expensive hotels
• Romantic Ruby - likes quiet intimate dinners. Wears a lot of ruby red clothes !
• Mountain Man aka Eric the Explorer - the tough guy. Climbing and outdoor suffering are his interests. Lots of dogged determination
• Mystic Malcolm - interested in Tarot, the paranormal and anything a bit out of the ordinary
• Bin Bag Brian - the bad guy. Named after punks who used to wear black bin bags ! Nasty and unpleasant. To be avoided at all costs
• Sympathetic Sarah - kind, caring and, of course, sympathetic. A shoulder to cry on whenever required
• Reverend Calvin Luther - believes in stoicism and self-deprivation. Definitely not a fun person to have around as he believes enjoying yourself is bad behaviour.

OK, that’s enough. There are more ! I’ve just used these as examples. Bin Bag Brian has been on the wane for many a long year. He looks ridiculous (although he thinks otherwise) and is outdated.

In psychology speak, I think it would be said that he represents the shadow side of me. The Reverend Calvin Luther might be in that camp too.

Rather than reject the sub-personalities we don’t like and attempt to suppress their behaviours, needs etc, a better strategy is to integrate them into the whole. Uncover their motivations, background - find out what makes them tick. I can’t tell you exactly how to go about doing this. All I would say is, accept that you have a range of needs, so of which may not sit comfortably together. Permit paradox. Be tolerant of ambiguity.

That’s enough from me and I would love to hear from you about your sub-personalities. What are the name of yours ? What do they get up to ? Do let me know in the comments.

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

Get 7 Free lessons on the Law of Attraction.

a

Sub-Personalities

So, what do I mean by the term sub-personality ? Well I mean (and I fully recognise this may not conform with any officially accepted definition) a part of me that I can identify and recognise by its needs, desires, behaviours, interests etc.

Everyone of us has a ‘different colour’,
Yet we live in the same home.
Photo by Thiru Murugan

Where these sub-personalities have come from I’m not altogether sure. In my case, I can see some elements from my upbringing in some of them - others are a mystery to me. But that’s not really the point of this article.

Example Sub-Personalities

If you have a critical voice in your head that sometimes puts you down, then that’s not all of you - it’s just a part of you. I would call it a sub-personality. Let’s give it a name - Christopher The Critical, for example. (I know this sounds a bit daft, but stick with me). What does he look like ? What is he wearing ?

Perhaps there’s a part of you that gets angry sometimes. Perhaps when you behave this way people have referred to you as Mr or Ms Angry. They have already identified a sub-personality for you ! What does this person look like ? What are they wearing ?

Why Are We Doing This ?

If we can identify these elements of our personality then we can examine them and find out what they want/need. Why is Christopher being critical of you ? What’s in it for him ? Who does he remind you of ?

This is a technique for teasing out and ‘packaging’ certain parts of ourselves If we can understand the parts better we will understand the whole better.

Giving them silly names, I think, reduces their power over us. You could imagine the more destructive ones wearing ridiculous clothes or shrinking in size or anything that helps you to limit their control over you. Some of your sub-personalities will be helpful and useful. Be grateful to them. Some sub-personalities are likely to be male, some female irrespective of your own gender.

Play with these ideas. You could write a list of your own ‘motley collection’ and describe them for yourself. Next time Christopher The Critical turns up you will recognise him and you can shrink him down to size or remember that he reminds you of your old teacher or whatever.

A Better Understanding

All this leads to a better understanding of ourselves. And of course, it begs the question of who is actually in control ? Is there a super-personality in which the collection of sub-personalities operate ? Well, I suppose so, but at the moment, for me at least, that doesn’t matter. I’m more concerned with managing my own collection !

In the next post I will describe some of my own favourite sub-personalities and let you know what they get up to !

[If you have enjoyed reading this post, please consider sharing it with others by using the buttons below. Thanks.]

Get 7 Free lessons on the Law of Attraction.

a

Integration of the Parts - Becoming Wholesome !