Thursday, 26 June 2014
Valuable Life Lessons – June 2014
Benjamin Franklin famously said “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”, though words to that effect were first expressed by author Daniel Defoe in his work The Political History of the Devil. As a tax accountant, I disagree that taxes are a given and my viewpoint can be supported by a recent article by economic journalist Peter Martin published in The Sydney Morning Herald in May. According to this article, the latest tax statistics show 75 super-high earning Australians paid no tax in the 2011-12 financial year, despite each earning more than $1 million from investments and /or wages. Yep, you read right – ZERO tax and no Medicare levy or Medicare surcharge! And it’s not just the mega-rich not paying any tax but also those who sought out quality tax advice. That said, for me there’s only one certainty in life and that is, death.
One year
ago, my beautiful friend was tragically killed in a freak accident. Dealing
with the loss of a loved one, in any case, is an emotionally difficult
experience. Having to also comprehend an unexpected tragedy as well as accept
an untimely death makes it all the more challenging because a sudden ending
leaves you completely unprepared; you’re unable to say goodbye and tell them
all the things you want them to know, or provide words of comfort. This
unfortunate incident has definitely been life changing for me so, this month I
would like to share with you what I have learnt from the unforseen passing of
my fun-loving friend.
I truly
understand the value of each moment.
Life is made up of a series of moments and is lived one minute at a time. Utilise every moment wisely because once that moment passes it is gone forever. This doesn’t mean you have to perform great deeds or be doing something incredible every minute of the day, just make the most of every moment. How? Forget the past and future and be present this instant – right NOW as this exact moment is beautiful and is all that exists. Be happy and unconditionally grateful for everything you have now so more good things will come to you. Laugh as much as you can, live each day fully and passionately and enjoy every minute.
Life is made up of a series of moments and is lived one minute at a time. Utilise every moment wisely because once that moment passes it is gone forever. This doesn’t mean you have to perform great deeds or be doing something incredible every minute of the day, just make the most of every moment. How? Forget the past and future and be present this instant – right NOW as this exact moment is beautiful and is all that exists. Be happy and unconditionally grateful for everything you have now so more good things will come to you. Laugh as much as you can, live each day fully and passionately and enjoy every minute.
Don’t wait
for a time other than right now to act. Act with urgency to do what needs doing
and say what needs saying; admit to your mistakes, be quick to apologise and
quicker to forgive. Be patient, learn to compromise. Overpower your fears and
doubts and immediately seize opportunities when they appear. Surrender to the
person your heart adores, let them see and feel your vulnerability – no pretending,
holding back or playing games. Spend time with family and keep close to your
heart only those who encourage, support, cherish and genuinely care for you or
else as they say, “you might wake up one day and realise that you've lost a
diamond while you were too busy collecting stones.”
Love is
what matters most because it’s the only thing we take with us and give to
others so it’s important to share our feelings in that moment. Express your
love, affection and appreciation to those you love and truly love you. Even
when your loved ones are behaving in an unloving way, be soft and sweet with
them. I’ve learnt that’s when they require my softness and sweetness the most.
Make your heart, not your mind, your guide. Take time to
listen to what your heart truly wants and how it feels. When I listen to and follow my heart, not only am I
really happy but amazing occurrences flow readily and easily to me from
doing so.
Always remain flexible, open-minded and receptive when your desires
appear differently to how you imagined. Realise the universe has brought them to
you in the most organic way, which benefits all involved so open your heart to
receiving and just go with it. Remember, the end result is to have what you want.
Direct your stubbornness for good; constantly challenge and prevail over your
ego with your heart. Make the decision to act the instant an opportunity arises then let go of
how things should unfold, and allow yourself to be carried along and be
pleasantly surprised by the magic that materialises.
Don’t let
your dreams just be dreams. Make them happen – nothing happens without action
and effort. Do all the things you want to do. Know what it is you want, set
goals then break them down into practical, realistic plans of action and work
diligently towards their achievement.
Treat
every experience as a singular event, even similar experiences with the same
person. Each experience is just that - an experience and nothing more. We need
experiences to grow, a lesson to be better than we are. Understand the person’s
true essence - their goodness and gentleness remains unchanged, that they are
reacting this way because they are hurting, scared or have otherwise been
deliberately misinformed, so don't let your pride keep you feeling offended and
hostile. Learn the lesson and release feelings of hurt by filling your heart
with love, forgiveness and tenderness.
Be careful
how you say things and phrase your feelings. Choose your responses
thoughtfully. Most issues arise from simple misunderstandings and the
involvement of others. You know the truth about people by the way you feel
about them in your heart and how they act when they are with you so, don’t ever
take another’s words about someone at face value and jump to conclusions. Find
out the truth for yourself. Self-confidence, a smile and a healthy figure are the best ensemble - wear them proudly.
Don’t save
your nice clothes for special occasions only, wear them often and always look
your best.
Show kindness and compassion to everyone as you don’t know
what they’re going through or what’s happened in their life. It is your
behaviour towards others and whose heart you touched that will be remembered.
If others mistreat you (it happens!), refrain from feeling
angry and bitter for you’ll only lock yourself in a vicious cycle of negative
energy which will be detrimental to your health and produce setbacks in your life - no one else’s. Instead, be
loving and remain calm (so hard to do, I know) and with a breath that’s ever so
kind blow these people away then let the universe sort them out. Keep your
focus on what your heart wants.
Be curious - there is so much to learn, explore and
experience.
We’re so busy we forget that life is
unpredictable, fragile and limited which is why every moment is precious. Death
is final and makes you understand what is really important in life. Whilst each
of us has our own lessons to learn, remember that each day is a chance to
start anew and create wonderful, meaningful experiences to lead a more
fulfilling life.
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