And In the Morning, I’m Making Waffles. Rest In Peace Mr. D

I haven’t written in a whole, and to those that were disappointed with the lack in posting, please accept my apology, I am sorry.

I’ve been putting off writing this because I was trying to find the “right” way to write this, but really, no words can truly describe the shock, confusion and sadness. Here it goes.

Last week was a difficult week for me, and many others I know, we lost a good man, a son, a father, a colleague, a friend, a teacher, a mentor.

He is a hero to me, a man who helped me out during tough times, who was understanding and caring. He motivated and inspired. He gave the best damn hugs in the world and had a smile that was infectious.

He helped me see the light when I needed it the most.

He understood, he cared and he helped.

I am very sure that my feelings of him are shared by many others, I only wish that our friendship could’ve been much more.

When I heard the news, I didn’t believe it, I told my friend not to kid about this and check his sources and told me not to get back to me until after my test… But I couldnt wait and called him an hour later, and it was confirmed, the world lost one of the Good Guys. My dear teacher was no longer with us.

I felt numb, confused and shocked. It wasn’t easy, the day was hard and I can’t imagine what the others closer to him must have been going through.

Mr. D, I will remember you for all that you taught me. The laughter, the motivation and hugs. I will always remember you for the person you encouraged me to be, that I was not relegated to letting my condition to dictate my life. I will remember you for all the good you did and all the smiles you gave us. The dancing, the Music and the pizza.

Thank you for helping me see that I can be what I always want to be. Thank you Mr. D, thank you so damn much.

Thank you to the organisers of his memorial on Monday, it was beautiful. Heartfelt, spot on and very Mr. D.

My condolences to his family back in Canada. My condolences to his loved ones, friends and colleagues. My condolences to my fellow classmates, seniors and juniors. And my condolences to anyone who knew him. This is a tough time but we will get through, there is a light at the end of this tunnel, you might not see it now, but it is there.

Thank you for reading this blog Mr. D and encouraging me forward. I will make it a point to pay it forward.

Well, I think that’s it, it’s time for me to test some shut eye and… In the morning, I’m making waffles.

Straight From the Heart

Thank You Mr.D — The letter i wrote to him a few months back.

Tuesday Morning Inspiration 4

Good Morning everyone. How are you guys doing? I’m feeling a little jaded but good. Had my holy hour, swam and spent some time with my mummy 🙂 ❤ that’s why today’s post is a little later than normal. Love you mum 🙂

So I’m joined at Starbucks by a few friends studying for their finals and not my normal Café Mocha, but with a dash of hazelnut, I think I’ll stick to normal Café Mocha after his 🙂

So today is Tuesday and I’ve picked Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Steve Jobs is part of my Council (a team of great/inspiration people who are my role models/inspirations etc) and he has been for some time. Not the nicest person you’ll find but definitely a great man. I won’t go into depth here about him, he’ll be Octobers Crazy One.

His commencement speech addresses many issues that we face in life, and always helped me to re-focus and realigned myself. Whenever I need something to help me get thinking, I watch this
Reminds me always live my own life, and not somebody else’s, that things that really suck (like the last 2-3 years with the health and dropout) can be a blessing and help you achieve and reach your best. It may not seem like it wt the moment when shit hits the fan, it never will, but you just got to remain positive and keep moving forward. It’s not easy, it’ll get hard. Thats when you look to your loved ones for support and your Council for inspiration. That will be the difference.

You may not be able to connect the dots now, but it’ll be worth it one day.

Life has a way of taking away that which you love, stay strong, keep moving forward. Remember last weeks post, Tuesday Morning Inspiration 3, re-read it.

Death is the best invention of life, your life is short, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” he told the Stanford grads in 2005.

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

-Steve Jobs-

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.

Watch the clip above

Straight From The Heart,

Arkay6

Tuesday Morning Inspiration 3

Good Morning dear readers! And thanks for joining me on the wonderful morning 🙂

I’m feeling pretty good today, woke up at 6. Got my ‘Holy Hour’. Did my journaling, put a list of my goals in the bathroom so I’ll read them every morning, listened to some great classical music via my dad’s Bose Quiet Comfort 15 (amazing headphones), and swam for a bit. I’ll admit I wasnt feeling as good when I woke up, I felt tired but I fought the urge to go back to bed and got the day started.
I’m chilling at Starbucks now, listening to Good Feeling (love the song, makes me feel so damn alive) on my dad’s headphones with my Café Mocha beside me.

So today is Tuesday, and you know what that means, it’s my weekly dose of inspiration for you guys 🙂 today I’m posting a clip from one of the Rocky movies… I haven’t watched any of the movies but I absolutely love the clip, Rocky Balboa best inspirational speech ever (Subtitles). it’s where I got the phrase at the top of my site. Whoever wrote the speech got it so right, life isn’t easy, it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, but that doesn’t mean you should let it beat you down.

The first time I heard this speech, it really resonated in me, I related to it, I saw my self as Rocky’s son who had gotten lost. I started looking for something to blame when things got tough, i didn’t want to take responsibility or when i did it didn’t last very long before i relapsed. These 6 weeks have been my best run, and i want to keep it that way. So many emotions come into play whenever I watch this, even today. It feels like Rocky is talking to me. I feel motivated, inspired, there are times i feel like tearing when this clip makes me reflect on the times that I was a coward and refused to take on the world, that times that I turtled up and stay within my comfort, not wanting to get hit, not wanting to get hurt… Yes, getting hurt sucks, but it’s part of life, it will help you grow, gain experience and reach for excellence… That is as long as you don’t let life beat you to the ground and stay there instead of fighting back and getting back up.

It dint about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.

Straight from the heart,

Arkay 6

Keep Moving Forward

Dreamers & Realists

“There are dreamers and there are realists in this world.

You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists but… more often than not, the opposite is true.

You see the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun.

And the realists… well, without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.”

-Cameron, Modern Family (Episode: Punkin Chunkin)

Tuesday Morning Inspiration 2

Good morning everyone, any guess where i am? 😉 hope Monday didn’t take too much of a toll on you.

As for me, I wasn’t feeling in tip top shop on Sunday, but I’m doing way better today. Got up at 7:30, swam for a bit, and came over to Monash. It’s feeling like a good day.

I have said before, motivation is something that we need regular doses of, just like showers they eventually wear off. So put together your own regular dose of motivation, I’ll help you if you want it, all you have to do is ask. Have I told you about my wall? It’s covered with papers. Quotes, sayings, lessons etc. I read it every morning before I go out into the world, and it helps. I’m not bullshiting. It has made a huge difference in my attitude and mood.

For every “issue” of ‘Tuesday Morning Inspiration’, I will attach a video with it, a video that I feel is great motivation and hopefully you feel the same way. Today’s video is a scene from the Al Pacino’s movie ‘Any Given Sunday’, please do watch it and tell me what you think. I first watched it last year, sometime after Arsenals colossal screw up in the Carling Cup, the original clip I watched was Pacino’s voice over an Arsenal clip, if you are an Arsenal fan, take a look at it, it is a fantastic clip called Arsenal – March 2011, Down But Not Out‘.

I just finished re-reading Richard Branson’s Screw It, Let’s Do It (Expanded), a great read, I highly recommend it. Here are a few quotes from this amazing, persistent, innovative, entrepreneurial, Crazy Humanitarian Capitalist.

“The lesson I learned throughout all this is that no goal is beyond our reach and even the impossible become possible for those with vision and belief in themselves.” Richard Branson

“Don’t Give up, stick to your guns and find another way.” Richard Branson

I hope this post has helped you, even a little. 🙂

Straight From The Heart

Arkay 6

“You need to stretch to grow.” Richard Branson

5 things to be Grateful for this Monday Morning

Good morning again!

My second post on this cool Monday morning,

I know a lot of people will be feeling the Monday Blues, especially since this morning was such awesome weather to sleep in but don’t wake up in a bad mood. I used to and It didn’t help my day at all.

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn

Waking up on the wrong side of bed is an excuse we give ourselves to feel like shit and be grumpy for the day. There are plenty of things to be grateful for today and everyday and this is very good practice for everyone, it has helped me a great deal in the past few weeks (thank you Robin Sharma). Wake up in the morning, think about 5 things you are grateful for, whether it is a great family, a job, a car or just that the sun is shinning. It really does help, take it from me. Have a journal and write it down, it doesn’t have to be a book, I use my iPad and iPhone. Another thing I do every morning is I read my favourite quotes which I have pasted on my wall, I call it my “Daily Wall Reading” and it helps me feel great,motivated and inspired every morning.

“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” – Dr Seuss

The difference between waking up on the wrong side of bed and on the right side of bed is how you want to wake up. The above methods sound cliche and cheesy but they helped me get out of a very dark place and help me stay away from the dark place. If it helped me, it can help you and c’mon, no here no harm in trying, is there?

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

I am grateful for:
1. A family that loves me and believes in me
2. I was able to wake up this morning without feeling like I was run over by an 18-wheeler
3. The brilliant cool air that invigorated my soul
4. The responsibility of having little brother that has helped me mature and develop.
5. The people (you) who have supported my blog and help me feeling great, everyday.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau

I’ll post pics of my wall reading later.

Have a great Monday and a great week ahead!

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay 6

Moving on

Sometimes the cards we are dealt are not always fair. However you must keep smiling & moving on
Tom Jackson

Moving on, is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard.
Dave Mustaine

Moving on, so easy to talk about it but not so easy to actually do it, but it is an integral part of growing up and and growing into the best version of yourself.

Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, it means being able to close a chapter or your life, whether it’s a mistake or a loss, and get on with the next phase. It means getting to the next step without holding back, without holding on to what was once and move towards what could be.

It means having the courage to face the world, to get out of your safe zone after the shit has hit the fan. To be able to say, “yea, I screwed up, but i’m not going to give up.”

“What don’t kill me can only make me stronger”

Is hard to move on, to let go of that that was once so sweet but then turned bitter, to let go of memories of great times, but if we decide to stay and hide amongst those good memories past, we will never be able to carve out memories.

As difficult as it is to move on from a rough patch, or mistake or bad phase or our lives, it’s even harder to move on from “reliving” the “Glory Days”. Being trapped in a vicious cycle of replaying a part of your life that was so great, it is living in a little comfortable dream and not letting yourself live what could be even better life. Living in an illusion that those were the best days and that you won’t get better ones, but how do you know you won’t get better days? Especially if you’re too busy watching replays and not out there trying to live life the best you can.

I’m not saying that you should forget shut the good old days, or forget about the bad times and mistakes; remember them, talk about them, reminisce, but don’t let it hold you back. It is all those parts that build who we become, learn from them, gain from them, appreciate the experience but don’t live your life wishing you had done things different, spending your days reliving good memories instead of making new ones, letting bad memories haunt you instead of learning from them.

Have a great day,

John Reynolds: Tommy, that’s a hundred thousand dollars on a goddam golf swing!

Thomas Crown: It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, John… What the hell else have we got to do?

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay 6

Keep Moving Forward

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