Daily choices

 Everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page in the story of your life.

We can't choose the circumstances which surround the events of our lives, but we always have a choice on how we respond to it. Our attitude, every habit, daily routine etc. plays a role in the choices we make. No matter how small the decision, it has an effect on our overall well-being.

 

Choices are made in every moment, every word, thought, and in every action. Only YOU have power over how you shape your world. In order to make positive + life enriching choices you need to live with a positive attitude. With every choice that you make, you move your life in a specific direction, always ensure that whatever that direction may be that it is something meaningful.

 

The choice is always up to you. You decide whether you want to get up and do something OR sit down and let it pass. Make choices that uplift you, choices that make you happy & create a feeling of positivity.

Every:
   CHOICE you make, makes a difference - Always use that power wisely.

Every:
   MOMENT you live provides you with opportunity - Transform it into meaningful value.

This is YOUR LIFE, live it with your best intentions at heart. You will be faced with situations in which you have no control over. Do not become discouraged or frustrated, instead take a deep breath, and move forward one step at a time. In the end, things always work out the way they are supposed to.

One of the most critical choices we have to make during our careers is whether to move to a new job or position, OR in your personal life whether to continue with a relationship if the affection and love has disappeared... You need to ask yourself whether this change is important to you & your goals. If you make this choice today, what will it mean tomorrow? Next month? Next year?

 

Whatever you do, try to avoid making hasty decisions based on an emotion you're experiencing in the moment, give it a great deal of thought & make the choice with good intention.

 

Embrace the opportunities to choose TO DO, choose TO HAVE, & choose TO BE!!

  

Imperfection of Infatuation

Is there anything else that feels quite as beautiful as LOVE? Think about it as you read through this post...

The following might sound familiar?
Your heart is pounding, you're filled with soo much excitement and anticipation. If your phone beeps, you jump out of excitement to answer or read the text. You can’t focus on your work; your appetite for food is lost because the only thing on your mind is that person. The connection you feel with them is like an out of this world experience, almost as if you’ve known each other for a lifetime.

Can you relate to this..? Here's more:
Have you ever met a person that cause an explosion of emotions, questions, feelings, thoughts & attraction in you, that you find yourself thinking about them all the time.. The smallest actions leads you to over-analyze everything they say & do, doesn't matter how simple the act. You ponder over-and-over again about their intentions and how they possibly feel about you. Do they feel, think, miss, dream about you the same way, you do?

So what is this feeling? 
At first it feels like a fresh rush & suddenly you feel alive and overwhelmed. You experience an extreme sense of happiness and it is a bliss just to know and see this person. But somewhere along the way you get carried away by the unreasoning passion or addiction to this person almost like an obsession. And if you carefully think about this, your heart might tell you its love, you are in love, you have found a partner to love, when you see this person you see love but in fact it is INFATUATION.

So what is infatuation?
It is an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or something. Sexual attraction is normally the central attraction and it completely clouds a persons reasoning and judgement.

Infatuation focusses on the perfect. Love is understanding and the mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real. It gives you strength & grows beyond you.
Infatuation says, "We must get married right away. I might lose my love." Love says, "Be patient. You belong together.  Plan your future with confidence." Making decisions based on infatuation will bring heartache and pain - approach with caution.
When infatuated you are excited and eager, but not genuinely happy. Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement be sure that you are sober and don't confuse infatuation with love.

Several articles exist on the internet about infatuation. You will find comparisons between infatuation and love all over, hence my decision not to elaborate too much on it in this post. Do yourself a favor and check it out, you'll be amazed how closely linked these two really are. Perhaps you are in a relationship or admiring someone from a far... Is it love or infatuation? Only YOU can answer!

How did I get to the title?
From all the titles I could have chosen, I decided on " imperfection of infatuation" because the more research and thinking I did about this topic, the more "flaws" I identified. Soo many people confuse this or are not fully aware that what they are feeling or going through is in fact infatuation and all the signs & feelings are soo real that they think it is love. Unrealistic expectations are set! When infatuated a feel good atmosphere should always be present and when things go wrong the parties involved easily pull away because it wasn't love - no real commitment was made, it was fun while it lasted. So as beautiful it might feel, it is not love. However, I do not deny the fact that in some cases infatuation can grown into real love, but again I will emphasize on knowing the difference and approaching with caution - someone might get hurt and that someone might be You.


To conclude:
Sorting out your feelings can be a real challenge, whether you are admiring someone or are in a relationship it is important to be fully aware of your true feelings.

Ask yourself whether your relationship be able to stand the test of time? Because love benefits and grows through time; infatuation ebbs & diminishes with time. Infatuation lacks confidence and is insecure. When the person is away, you wonder if she/he cheating. Infatuation might lead you to do things you`ll regret later, but love never will - LOVE CONQUERS ALL!

To answer the question I asked in the beginning, "YES, there something else that feels quite as beautiful as LOVE"

There's a big difference between falling in love and being in love. There's a big difference between infatuation and falling in love. Phil McGraw

“Yes, I was infatuated with you: I am still. No one has ever heightened such a keen capacity of physical sensation in me. I cut you out because I couldn't stand being a passing fancy. Before I give my body, I must give my thoughts, my mind, my dreams. And you weren't having any of those.”   ― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath    

My “Love list”

Have you ever thought about the things you love in your life?

You are about to read the list of things I deem important. I am focussing what I enjoy & make my everyday worthwhile.  The list is not in a specific order.

I LOVE:

SPENDING TIME with family & friends and even though I do not see them everyday, every moment with them is cherished.

TRAVELING. To explore new places, meeting new people & simply enjoying whatever the destination has to offer.

CHALLENGES. It tests our courage, determination & willingness to change. 

LEARN NEW SKILLS. It makes me feel empowered & well equipped for the task at hand.

SOCIALIZING & having a good, meaningful conversation.

See other SUCCEED.

The sound of RAIN.

DANCING. It is good for the body and soul.

KISSES -all types of 'em but the ones on the forehead makes me feel special.

finding a QUOTE or phase that describes my current situation

having an old FAVORITE SONG popping up in my playlist

getting a LETTER in the POST (very old school but I still love it)

TEA- it refreshes & revives me

WINE - A glass a day, keeps the doctor away (my motto...) BUT on a serious note; the antioxidants in red wine may help prevent heart disease so I got to love it!

Good morning MESSAGES

HOLDING HANDS - Sometimes reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey.

HUGS - The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust & a sense of safety. This helps a lot with open and honest communication

INTIMACY with my wife - to me its about being emotionally close to her & letting my guard down - sharing my "inner-world"

WAKING UP beside my wife.

RUNNING - it relieves stress, builds strength, creates happiness and inspires my creativity.

GIFTS - big or small, it's the thought that counts.

SURPRISES - Simply love them, irrespective how unexpected or weird they might be, I always welcome them.

CANDLES - They are comforting & they add ambiance.

MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH

COMPLETION of a project.

Meeting INSPIRING, AMBITIOUS and GOAL-DRIVEN people

FLOWERS - My favourite St Joseph Lillies

A truthful COMPLIMENT (giving and receiving one)

LAUGHING until my stomach aches

SCENIC drives and views

The SOUND of the OCEAN

Behaving silly and not caring what others think - just LETTING MY HAIR DOWN.

Looking at the SUNRISE or SUNSET

Taking pictures

I LOVE the colour RED

So to end this off, my list can shrink or grow as time goes on. Things CHANGE, I change, and so will this list.

Don’t let the things you LOVE get buried in the stress of your daily life cycle or get overpowered by challenging times. Keep them alive by digging into them daily - even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Life is a series of moments to be experienced - always do what you love & enjoy the beauty inside each moment. Do not put off the FUN & JOYOUS things for later. Do them 1st, because you never know if today may be your last!

Live each day in the pursuit of happiness!