The therapy of blogging

No-one who knows me would ever put their hand up and swear I was the person they knew who always wanted to be a writer. In fact i never thought about being a writer because my writing style is simply not anywhere near up to par.

So why do I have a blog then?

Well, all my life I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. I work hard, obsess about being a failure, and generally stress myself into a state of being very unwell.

So 54 years, plus a lot of alcohol and antidepressants later, i realized I was simply addressing, and not that well either, the symptoms.

I was never into yoga. Chanting never did it for me. Imagery, I must admit, did help. My music teachers eventually considered suicide.

But, the real shocker came when I realized that i was jealous of creative people. What was even more amazing was that these feelings of jealousy were stronger than my desires to earn more and more money and climb the corporate ladder.

So, with no other options available to me, I thought I'd give blogging a shot. Now, here's the kicker. I don't care how bad my writing is or whether or not people approve of it or not. It feels great to write. It de-stresses me. I am under no pressure to do it, I do it because I love to do it, and it makes me feel creative.

So what, you ask? Well I think that most of us are under so much pressure from so many sources that we no longer know how to be happy.

And sometimes the answer is right in front of us.

Do something you've always wanted to do. Don't do it for anyone except yourself. You might just like it. It might just make you feel happy again. There is certainly no downside to trying is there?

Selling when you don't think you are selling...

Whether it is correct practice or not people inevitably ask you what you do for a living and who you work for.

As of that moment, whether you are in a social or work environment, you and your company are being judged by your actions. As of that moment you are selling yourself and your company (and by inference, your company's products and reputation).

Now you may argue that this is not fair, not right, and it doesn't happen. Well i hate to shock you but it doesn't matter whether it is fair or right, and it does happen!

But no-one at the gathering has anything or will ever have anything to do with my company. Mmmmmm....maybe.

But after 54 years on planet earth I never fail to be shocked and surprised when I learn that "a" knows "b", who knows "c", who happens to be someone you end up presenting your product to 6 months down the track - what a bummer if you acted like an idiot in front of "a". 

So whether you know it, like it, or simply refuse to accept it, you are always selling. Even if "it never happens", what have you lost? You've simply acted "on your best behavior" (there, no use of the "sales" word).

Being forewarned is being forearmed...or, better to be safe than sorry.

a change in attitude is better than taking pills

I wrote in an earlier blog about my epiphany - the "light bulb" moment that changed my life.

Reflecting on that event I have come to a number of conclusions:

• being positive made me feel better about myself
• feeling better about myself got me to start exercising and feeling healthier
• i started performing better at work
• i took up hobbies that I had been putting off, ignoring, not doing anything about: photography, blogging, writing, starting my own businesses
• this made me feel even better about myself
• which made me see the world in a different, less dark, light
• which in turn made me happy

This is only one man's experience but I think that the lesson is don't put off to tomorrow all those dreams and plans that you have left in the "ideas to be acted on one day" cupboard.

There is no downside, only upside.

It beats wasting time in front of the TV.

And it feels great to feel great.

Shocked, stunned, and not a little bit amazed...

I had an epiphany!

I actually had to look up the word in the dictionary to confirm that "an epiphany" is what I had actually experienced.

Basically it is an emotional/pyschological kick in the head resulting in an "awakening" of sorts.

Without delving into the details, in the middle of a conversation with my boss it dawned on me that I was a "glass half empty" person, and it shocked me!

At 54, it occurred to me that I had spent the vast majority of my life believing the worst. If I knew someone was talking about me then it has to be a bad thing. If I caught a cold then it had to be the beginnings of pneumonia. Chest pains, rather than being caused by stressed muscles, were an indication of a soon-to-be heart attack.

Life is simply too short to waste. Yes it throws out constant challenges. Yes many of the people in the world are struggling, hungry, under siege from illness, war, and financial hardship. And yes maybe smiling won't contribute to a solution to these challenges.

Bit it won't harm! And in a best case scenario it might actually help us all think more clearly about how to solve some of our real or perceived problems.

Laughter really is the best medicine. Smiling and being positive in the face of adversity can help. And maybe, just maybe, the problem we face, or think we face, is not quite as large or dark as we think.