Did you smile Today ?

Just that simple: ) Did you smile today ? Cause the kid on the picture below will most definately kick your ass if you didn't :) 

A quote to start today's post  : 
" Live simply, so that other people can simply live" (check the video on YT called "Most inspirational  Video Ever" and you'll understand where this quote comes from)

Today I want to thank Life for the : 

1. Motivational videos that people create on their own. I mean, a motivation is something that can be present at the moment, and just after a few seconds - it's gone. So I like the fact that there are so many people all around the world who dedicate their time, collect inspirational quotes, music, episodes from movies and create something that pushes us beyond limits and allows us find more strength within to move forward.

Here is a video that made my day today:) No comments needed .

2. Android apps... or maybe I should say "free android apps" :) I'm not a Mac/iPhone user, and this is because of the great variety of android apps you are allowed to use for free. A huge credit to all those people who make apps (all of a kind, from pdf-reading apps to guitar-loopers etc) and to those who write reviews for those apps. 

3.  Volunteers...and here I'd like to thank both - the volunteers that take part in different activities in order to help somehow or to change someones life and also the organisations that gather volunteers and allow them to do what they feel is right. Last month I had an opportunity to be a volunteer on a huge event called T. Harv Eker - Millionaire Mind Intensive. During all 4 days I had a max. of 4 hours of sleep, but still I was so excited about my impact into the outcome and about all the energy around me , that even after 4 hours of sleep I was able to smile and keep doing what I was supposed to do :) It wast one of the best experiences in my life and it all started with the idea "Maybe I should first GIVE something and ONLY THEN expect to GET smth". Leaving my comfort zone and volunteering is one of the most important steps in my life. Thank You.

A quote to finish todays post and sum up the whole week :

"All negativity is an illusion created by the limited mind to protect and defend itself" (A. Wauters)

Don't limit yourself, challenge yourself instead, and of course don't forget to ..
...

..

Have some fun :)

Take care

Bryvus

Freedom Writers

It's been a few days since my last post and from now on I decided to post just twice a week. First post - on Sunday, to start a good week full of nice expectations and emotions, and second - on Friday to sum up everything that happened to me during the week.

My today's post title is the title of the movie which I really like and like to think about as one of my favourite movies. All the characters in this movie are unique, the storyline and the approach that teacher used...man, writing this right now made me realize I want to watch it again :) So the quote from the movie to start today's post is:

Marcus: I've never had a hero before. But you are my hero.

Miep Gies: Oh, no. No, no, no, young man, no. I am not a hero. No. I did what I had to do, because it was the right thing to do. That is all.

The first thing in my today's list would be related to the quote, cause I'd like to thank for : 

1. Ordinary sperheros. And by the word "ordinary" I mean unusual, not fitting to the stereotype of superhero. These are such people as:

Jim Carrey in the movie "Yes Man" (an ordinary guy who is committed to saying "YES" in every situation), 

Connie Herman - a teacher at Perry Meridian High School who was suspended for year and a half for using Freedom Writers Dairy against the wishes of the school board, 

Dick Hoyt - a 73 year old father who has pushed his son Rick(who has cerebral palsy) in a wheelchair along the 26.2 mile marathons for more than 30 years! no comments here :)
David Blaine  - an illusionist who didn't stop after failing for so many times and managed to hold his breath for more than 17 minutes in 2008!!..this World Guiness Record was broken 4,5 month later, but for me David is an example of an enormous dedication , committment, and an approach that says "so if someone could do that, I can..in fact, I can even do better". Thank you David for your inspirational speech on TEDmed :)

Nick Vujicic - a guy famous for his saying "no leg, no hand no worries" ...man, it's hard to watch any of his shows without a tear in the eye..He was , as Lady Gaga sings "born this way" , and while getting through depression and trying to understand " why ? " he decided that his condition (tetra-amelia syndrome) would be his advantage, not a disorder. Appart from being a motivational speaker, this guy has a double Bachelor's degree in Accounting, he is the director of his own non-profit organisation "Life without Limits", and in 2012 he found his spouse!.. No need to tell you how great his shows are, just watch one and you'll be amazed how your complaints seem stupid and meaningless now.

......and many many others I will eventually name in future posts. Thank you all for doing what you do, inspiring others and sharing your stories and experience. Big credit to all of you!

2. The Audiobooks :) Once again a big credit to those who spend their time recording audiobooks (and often not getting paid for that) and letting us listen to amazing things while driving a car,ridding a bicycle or while simply laying on the bed comfortably and staring at the ceiling. I love audiobooks and I am really thankfull for all those people who make a contribution to the recording and distribution process of those. Thank you very much!!!

3. The web-sites that allow you to convert files eg. from "pdf" to "jpg" etc. I know that it seems like no big deal but for me it makes my life much easier therefore I had to mention it here. Thank you all for creating these web-sites and making it (sometimes) absolutely for free. 

That's it for today, seems like I've summed up my week with three things  - internet (web-sites) , education (audiobooks) and heros among human beings ;)

A good quote to start an effective and positive weeek :
            

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." (F, Nietzsche)

Be insane, hear the music, and don't forget to have fun!
Bryvus

New Era

Yep, maybe not all of you know but the title of today's post is the brand that makes baseball(nowadays not only) caps. But still there should be a quote to start , so , considering the fact that the title of the post is somehow "fashion-related", here's a quote to start today's list of "thank-you-life-for..." things :)

It's a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It's all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together.Alexander McQueen 

Ok, so automaticaly first thing I'm gonna thank for is :

1) New Era caps:) I started being a fan of these since I was like 13 or even 12 , cause at that age I listened to Limp Bizkit , famous red cap guy who in "Take a Look Around" called himself "New Era committed". New Era caps are nowadays sort of mainstream, but still for me these caps have special meaning and bring nice memories.

2) Free courses of...well in my particular situation it's a meditation course. Today I've found out that a great meditation course, called Vipassana is available  absolutely for free in my city . The course's duration is 10 days, and during these 10 days you're provided with food, acommodation and of course the teachings of Vipassana. Amazing how great things are nowadays given for free! (btw Vipassana meditation is a specific 10 days course during which you can't speak to anybody , meditate and focus on your innes self..there's a great documentary about Vipassana in US, where a group of volunteers started these teachings in...prison. That's right, the'ye meditated with murderers, rapists etc. and helped them understand all the insights of the meditation.The movie (documentary) is called "The Dhama Brothers" if you'd like to watch it, of course I highly recommend it :))

                                   

3) Reggie Watts stand-ups :_) Actually I like a lot of comedians , such as Louis C.K., Katt Williams, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Aries Spears, George Carlin and others, but this guy (Reggie Watts) makes something different, he combines story-telling with singing and some funny dancings and in all this I as usual can find some deeper meanings. On of his stand-ups , actually just a story told by him in his unique manner was about a girl who tought him how to be himself. He said the being "who you are" and loving yourself just the way you are is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.
Thanks Reggie for great and new art you're creating. Humor + music +afro = Reggie Watts:)

As usual, a quote to start a nice and sunny Tuesday :

I guess, in a way, I grew up mixed race: half white, half black. That question's always been on my mind: 'What are you? Are you this or that? Are you a white dude or are you a black dude?' In a strange way, music and comedy is kind of the same thing. I'm both.They're just different modes of expression.

Reggie Watts 


That's all for today, stay focused, drink good tea and some coffee when you need it and don't forget to have fun!
Bryvus

Ip Man & Immigrants

The title of todays post is the title of the movie I find really interesting. Of course, as every movie about martial arts it has a lot of scenes with fighting etc, but for me it's meaning is a little bit different. A quote from the movie to start my today's post :


Miura: [after witnessing Ip Man single-handedly defeat ten Japanese fighters at once] What's your name? 
Ip Man: I'm just a Chinese man. 

Here's today's list of the things I am thankful for  :

1. Rubik's cube :) It started in my college, when one our teachers said it's not really a big deal to solve a 3x3 cube. After he said so, everybody in the class wanted to prove he's right (or wrong) and bought their own cubes. It turned out that solving a 3x3 cube is not as hard as it seems at first, as a lot of people did actually learn how to solve it, after one or two weeks. A nice cube's cost back then was like 25 PLN's or smth, (equal to 8$) but I didn't want to spend that much, so I bought a cheaper one that successfuly broke in 5 minutes:D That was the end of the rubik's cube story for me until last year when I bought a small one which can be eassily hidden in a pocket. Of course now with internet access and some free time I've learned how to solve it in just one week. But for me it has two meanings : first, really simple - it improves memory, imagination etc. Second, more personal - for me it means moving forward and "sharpening the saw" as S.Covey said in his book. I look at myself 5 years ago - shy, financially unstable with not really high self-esteem. Now , of course not everything, but a lot has changed. And thanks to the memories connected with rubik's cube, I am sure about that:) 

2. The stories of success of people who were or are immigrants. I also percieve myself as immigrant as I'm not living in country of my origin which is Ukraine. So first year of studies in a foreign country was a bit difficult. But only now I've realized that these "so-called" problems I've experienced are normal when moving to another country. And stories of such people as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzeneger, and Levi Strauss are a good proof for that. So yeah, although it wasn't easy at the beginning, I feel I've made a right choice and stories of people mentioned above help as a motivation when I sometimes feel down :)

3. Free Wi-Fi (nowadays in most of the restaurants). It might sound silly, and I might sound like a grandpa saying  "in my days there was no ...blahblahblah" but once again - thank you life for free wi-fi in public places :) I try to stick to the rule "hustle while you wait" and if sometimes I have a choice of "doing nothing and staring at the wall  OR reading an interesting article/book online" I definitely choose the second. Yep, there are pros and cons of constant access to internet, but today I don't complain and just appreciate the fact that I'm writting this post in a cafe sipping on my favourite rooibos tea...cheers :)

As usual, nice quote , also from "Ip Man" movie to start a good Saturday (or have nice thoughts before going to sleep on Friday) :

Yip Man: Kung fu is more than a system of fighting. It's a system of thought. You must outthink your opponent, whatever form he takes... because some of them will be more than just men. 
Voice of Young Bruce: What else could it be Si Fu? 
Yip Man: We all have inner demons to fight. We call these demons 'fear', and 'hatred', and 'anger'. If you don't conquer them, then a life of a hundred years... is a tragedy. If you do, a life of a single day can be a triumph

Take care everybody and don't forget to have fun:)
Bryvus

Wordless Chorus

As the title of my today's post is the title of the song by "My Morning Jacket" , I will start with a quote about music :

"One good thing about music - when it hits, you feel no pain" (B. Marley)

As you can see I'm a big fan of Bob Marley's music, so one of the things I would like to thank for today would be reggae music. So here's my today's list of things I am thankful for and which I percieve as very meaningful :

1. Earplugs for sleeping :) I don't have any specific brand that I use constantly, in fact I've started using these things just recently when I realized that the quality of the sleep is in direct proportion of two main things : your level of fatigue after the whole day, and the comfort you have(or don't) while sleeping. And while the first does not always lie in our "circle of influence" , the second can be controlled by such things as soft and comfortable pillows or - wait for it... earplugs for sleeping :) And here's a little bit of history :

The first recorded mention of the use of wax earplugs is in the Odyssey, wherein Odysseus's crew used wax earplugs to avoid being distracted by the Sirens' songs. In 1907, the German company Ohropax, which produced earplugs, was started by German inventor Max Negwer. 

Thank you guys :)

2. Reggae music..for me it just means a very special period of time in my life, a time when I learned that Love is actually something more than emotion or feeling, when I learned what real patience is and all that I've done by accidentaly finding a Bob Marleys "Gold Collection CD"..I think I was 16 at that time, so no weed , no drugs, just pure music and funny to say , but understanding of so many important things came to me.

 Thank you Bob, for reggae and philosophy it has brought us.












3. Tv series that promote intelligence and staying true to who you are. Maybe some people might disagree becasue for example one of the most popular tv series " Dr. House" didn't actually show us a new role model to follow, or if it aimed to, such role model is unacceptable in our society...maybe that's true, but that's not the point I wanna make. I am thankful for such Tv Series as "Dr. House" , "Lie to me" , "Psych", "Sherlock", "Elementary" because they show individuals who are unique and excel at particular things without worrying of others opinions. And these tv series promote inteligence as something that you can really work on, something you can improve and use in everyday life (for making money). I know that watching tv series might be percieved as a waste of time, but I don't regret of any episode of these listed above, as they proved me that being smart can and should be "cool", but it also requires great effort.

That's all for today, as alwasy, good quote to start Thursday :

“I guess sometimes you have to lie to find the truth. ” 
― Scott Westerfeld

Take care everybody, get a good sleep and have fun :)
Bryvus