Category: Daily Life

Taken from Wikipedia:

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North have theorized that the burnout process can be divided into 12 phases, which are not necessarily followed sequentially, nor necessarily in any sense be relevant or exist other than as an abstract construct.

1.The Compulsion to Prove Oneself
Often found at the beginning is excessive ambition. This is one’s desire to prove themselves while at the workplace. This desire turns into determination and compulsion. This leads them to show off to their co-workers, proving that they are doing an amazing job, that they are doing better than all others.
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I get a daily “meditation” in my email inbox each day from Livinglifefully.com and one that arrived recently stuck in my mind as one of the things I’ve learned over the past 12 months. That the more you dwell on your faults, the more wrapped up in them you get, there is less room for the good things, the things that make you happy.

“By keeping my mind on the positive, though, I attract more positive things to me–more positive people and situations and outcomes. And as my faults matter less and less, they go away, killed by neglect. And I may even find that some of what I thought were faults actually are among my greatest virtues!” (livinglifefully.com)

Our neighbour Jan gave us some Frangipani and Mulberry Tree cuttings from her garden. I put a couple of the Frangipanis into pots and split the other one, so it has to dry out again before I plant them. Did a search on propagating Frangipani, it seems many people get bitten by some sort of bug that makes them want to collect and propagate lots and lots of Frangipanis!

Tomorrow will have a go at striking some Mulberry cuttings.

Had a weird dream the other night. Dreamt I’d sent a message to Rob, our Workplace Health and Safety Officer, about a breach of some kind. Something about the message infuriated Rob and he got stuck into me, called me an idiot. I felt really mindless and stupid.

Then the other day at work, Ros commented that Bob behaves like an alpha-male, because he dominates the discussion at meetings.

Well, I love the BBC series of this name but I’m also wanting to make note of an interesting web site I discovered via Google search. It’s a blog called Raptitude – Getting better at being human, and is written by a bloke called David. His articles relate his own stories of rising above shyness and other human limitations. He writes in a very down to earth style, very easy to relate to. Already since reading a couple of his articles on conversation and connecting with people I have felt inspired and renewed.

Another poem. When I was younger, I liked consider depression as a condition which helped me appreciate the highs and lows of life. Depression takes you to such depths, it was comforting to imagine it has some positive effect, of making joy-filled moments more poignant and meaningful. This poem reminded me of that.

Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind,
The boughs drink in new beauty, and the trunk
Sends down a deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief
Can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come
To stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.

Edwin Markham