Two ears and one mouth

Well the title of this post might be a little bit confusing, but it's about listening and it's importance in our lives, and the quote below describes it fully :

“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.” 
― Zeno of Citium, as quoted by Diogenes Laërtius

Last week I gave a presentation on effective listening, as I think it's a great and really useful skill and tool that most of us are missing nowadays. Anyway, that was a small intro to my list of things/people I want to thank for :

1) Those who spread the idea of bodyweight workout throughout the world. A so-called "calisthenics workout" or "barstarz workout" means more than just building muscles. It's very symbolical for me : first of all because you don't need any extra weights, barbells etc - you're free of even thinking about that stuff. Secondly it's always about "raising the bar" which in this case means doing the maximum amount of reps and than some more. Because when working out with weights, to increase your strength or build more muscles you can simply add some weights , in calisthenics you have to be creative, think of some different approaches and lastly - work your ass off. (of course I don't mean that bodybuilding with weights is bad or smth, is just that nowadays everybody is searching for smth unique, something extraordinary and at the same time simple..for me that's calisthenics)
                                           
2) People who have good manners when it comes to such simple things as seats in the buss/tram or opening the door for somebody. I know it might sound old fashioned, but nowadays everybody seems to be in a hurry constantly, which doesn't make sense cause it doesn't necessary make them "busy", it's just might be the sign of bad time management...whatever...thanks for those who respect "old school rules" and show some respect to older people , don't interrupt others, say "please" and "thank you", are there on time etc.

3)A new way of drinking wine I've recently was introduced to :D I was on a small banquet with a lot of foreigners, and the thing is that next morning I had to get up really early so there was no option for me to drink a lot. And then girls from France showed their way of dealing with such problem - they simple poured some white wine into my glass and added soda to it !:D brilliant. just like scotch and soda, but it's wine & soda" . It tasted great, I wasn't percieved as "strange person who doesn't drink at banquet" and of course I didn't get drunk at all! Many thanks for the French girls from IESEG school for this simple but brilliant drink that I would call "win(e)oda" :D
                                       
That's probably all for today, and as usual , a nice quote to start an effective Tuesday :

"I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."

Robert A. Heinlein 

Take care everybody and have fun!
Bryvus

Hustle while you wait

The title of my today's post comes from Stephen R.Covey's book "7 habits of highly effective people". In the chapter , where dr Stephen described how important it is to write your own "life mission" he gave some examples of his clients' and friends' life-missions. In one of those examples, someone wrote this quote "hustle while you wait" as on of his or her most important rules in life. To me it means not waisting precious time or simply "doing stuff while waiting for another stuff is to be done" :)))

Today I want to thank Life for  :

1) S.Covey's book I've mentioned above - "7 habits of highly effective people". At first, because of the title, I thought it would be about some time-management techniques and money-making schemes. But it surprised me, and to this day I claim that it's the best book I've ever read. If you doubt it - read it. If you've read it - use the principles described there and you'll make a great change in the world , starting from your own life.

2) An unknown person who writes beautiful quotes in front of our university. They're written on the stairs in a way that you can read the whole phrase, word by word while going from the subway station upstairs. Last year there were two phrases : "You've got nice haircut today" and "C'mon and smile". This year he/she wrote "Do what you want to do, as I do" and "This is it.This day is special". It really makes my day each time I go to the university (not that often this month but still:))) Thanks a lot misterious artist!

3) People who share their knowledge, and here I'm talking about all kinds of video lessons that are available online. I don't remember exactly when YouTube was started , probably some 6-7 years ago (too lazy to google it:)) but before that happened, it seemed impossible to find anything. And after YouTube was launched, it allowed thousands of people to share their knowledge - that's how I learned how to play guitar. Now , from time to time I play some new pieces, but I am sure that I wouldn't be able to do that without special knowledge and confidence that videolessons on YouTube gave me. Here I would also like to give special thanks to MikeHerberts, John H. Clarke and mrFake - three of them inspired me to play the guitar and helped with learning process by distributing music sheets etc. Thank you very much.

That's all for today. Tomorrow would be Friday, and in 1995 there was a nice movie with Ice Cube called friday. I guess it would be ok to finish today's post with a quote from "Friday" movie :

 "Weed is from the earth. God put this here for me and you. Take advantage man, take advantage." (Smokey)

Take care everybody and remember to have fun!:)

Screw it Let's Do it

Todays post, is named as Richard Branson's book -  Screw it Let's Do it. This is the book that I've read recently. One of author's quotes (not in this particular book) was :

Right now I'm just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath.(R.Branson)

So what am I thankful for today  ? Guess that's not gonna be a long list, but still   ; 

1) Generic drugs, which are cheaper and sometimes do not require perscription -  it's really helpful if you don't have any insurance. However, before bying medicines online, make sure that source is reliable and that you really need them.

2)Yogurt with muesli :D I don't know who came up with the idea  of mixing yogurt with muesli , but it's one of the best things one Earth I think. Besides it's very healthy and the taste is... ..smth incredible:"_"

3)Coincidences - last week I've found 50 zł ( didn't take it though) This week I forgot my books when I was leaving home and then had to return. When I came back , I met a post officer near my flat, who gave me the packaging I was waiting for. Coincidence ? I don't think so,

The quote to start a good Wednesday would be also Richard Branson's quote  :

You can change "business" form this quote into "life" , just skip this word if you're not really into business, or leave it as it is, it's up to you.

The point is that you should move forward constantly, make new decisions and look for new things and people around you.
 




That was all for today, as I am really exhausted. Take care everybody and have fun:D

Bob Marley & Yoda

Today I'm gonna start from Bob Marley's quote as it's somehow related to what I will be thanking for   :

"My home is in my head, my home is always where I am." (B.Marley)

It's Sunday , it's sunny , ant it's the perfect day to write about some of the things I appreciate :

1) Skype; ) maybe I should have put "internet connection" instead of skype, cause I am thankful for the opportunity to stay in touch with people who are important for me. But in most of the cases I use skype to call my family and friends, so today I'm thankful for skype.

2) Songs about homecoming. Well, it's been two years since I've been home , and to tell the truth I miss my family, eventhough I constantly call them. So today, maybe beacause of the nice weather, or maybe because I was a little bit exhausted ( lack of sleep: ) I tried to remember the best songs about home and homecoming that I like. Here they are : Game feat. Chris Brown - Pot of Gold,

P.Diddy feat.Skylar Grey - Coming Home, Kanye West - Homecoming and of course - Bob Marley - Roots.
I think it's important to remember where you come from, therefore I'd like to thank all those listed artists for great hits and beautiful lyrics they've given us.


3)TEDx  videos - some of the videos on Youtube are really inspiring, but appart from that, I find them really interesting no matter what mood I'm in.As far as I know , almost 80 % of our knowledge comes from the communication, in other words, we learn what hear from others mostly.And as people that give speeches at TEDx events are very intelligent , I think it's worth watching at least one such movie a day, even if your opinion on particular subject is different.

4) Victor Cheng's blog about tips on writting cover letters and resumes for consulting. It helped me a lot to get an internship in consulting, which I am also thankful for, but the reason why I am so inspired by V. Cheng's blog is because of the post about self confidence and being who you are. Thank you Victor, this post was breaking for me.

That's all for today , and as usual, a quote to start a nice week tomorrow :

"Do or do not. There is no try." (Yoda)
For me this quote means that in this world there are only two options - you whether are in process of doing something , or not doing it. So don't TRY to do things, act and if you fail  , act once again untill you succeed.

Take care and have fun.
Bryvus

Kung Fu Panda

It's probably a good idea to start each post with a nice quote that is somehow related to this post or day. So my todays quote would be a quote from Kung-Fu Panda, that wast told by Turtle (Oogway) :

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."

So today I am thankful for  :

- 50 PLN's (polish currency) I've found today :) I found it on the street, but didn't take it..I didn't cause I simply don't need them , I've got my own money , but it made my day  , it's nice to see money all around you. And cheers to the person that took it :)

- naps I can take -  as in two weeks Im starting the preparation to exam for MA studies, and probably won't have much free time..but for now - thank you Universe for this great thing we call nap :P

-energy drinks..well , I know they are harmful for our liver, but from time to time you need some caffeine , and if you're in a hurry or it's hot and you don't want to drink coffee , a redbull or a burn is just what you need..but of course , if it's not that important to stay awake (at the end of the day nothing is SO important ) - take a nap:))

that's probably all for today , I don't want these posts to be extremely long , so that would be it.
a quote to start a good day tomorrow, also from Kung-Fun Panda :

Oogway: There are no accidents. 
Shifu: [sighs] Yes, I know. You've already said that twice. 
Oogway: That was no accident either. 
Shifu: Thrice. 

Take care everybody and have some fun :)

Day 1 - Intro

So I made myself a promise to post every 2 days , but first things first - what is the purpose of this blog ?

Well, I don't want to tell you my whole lifestory, at least not in my first post. But the truth is , that along the way , which some of us call life , and my way lasts 21 years already , I've noticed a great power that helps us manage our lives better ...not some superforce, just a natural law if you wish, a law that lies within each of us and helps us move on no matter what. This power is called the power of appreciation. I could be writting examples from everyday life, or some celebrities that talked about appreciation, or about biochemistry of the body and hormones that change while we thank someone for something ..but it's in our nature not to believe untill we see or experience something. So This post is basically for me  - every day, or every other day, Im gonna post one , two or a few things that are pretty simple and easy to notice , and that I wish to thank for that particular day.Aaaaand, if I would be able - a picture that is related to those things that I thak for.
BUT. (there's always But :D ) the part where I wrote that this blog is just for me is a little bit tricky :) You see , this blog is for each of you guys , but not for everyone. Nice quote by the way - for each of you, but not for everyone. It means that it's personal , and if you find it interesting , maybe inspiring than you don't need to search for some more reasons - this blog is for you. Besides, when you're gonna read (or maybe IF you're gonna read these sometimes stupid and funny things Im gonna write about, you might think about your life , and about some small but meaningful things in your everyday life)

So here it goes, my Blog about things I'm grateful for.

Day 1 :
Thank you Life (instead of Life there might be God, Master , Earth, Force, Infinity, Infinite Field etc , but I chose Life without any special reason)) for

- the SPF 15 cream , which helped me go out during first sunny day of spring without worrying of getting sunburnt :D

- the cheap water that I can buy in nearest 24/7 as water is probably one of the most important things in my diet, and while shopping , I can't buy water as it's gonna be heavy to carry it :D

-ecco shoes...man , I don't why , I've always bought Nike's but last month I bought Ecco Biom running shoes, and only last week had an opportunity to try them ..amazingly comfortable shoes , thanks to those guys who manufacture them and esp. to designers who made green shoelaces that look really nice in spring :D

-bergamont tea...I must admit that I'm a big fan of tea , esp. all chinese sorts of tea, but this , I've got as a present. And believe it or not, I don't care what's happening around me, what challenges the life is preparing for me, as long as I have a nice cup of this tea...seriously , great flavor.

That's all for today, 4 things I've mentioned and hopefully you'll be able to say same thing (Thank You) for at least on of the listed 4.

Take care and have fun.
Bryvus