In that way that life has of bringing things to you when the time is right, I came across this article this week. In it, Jeff of My Super-Charged Life looks at the life lessons he has gained from scuba diving. Since I just this week successfully completed my written test on my way to open water scuba diving certification and am preparing to head to Negril to complete the certification, this was very timely.

Learning to dive was part of my plan for living a full life as I find learning new things to be a critical element for me. But even within scuba these lessons can definitely apply to the wider world.

1. Breathe continuously - That’s key. Just keep breathing no matter and you will most likely get through whatever challenges you face.
2. The buddy system - We need to have partners in life to help us through, to keep us sane, to enjoy the ride with us. Be they friends, family, lovers, surround yourself with people that can help you through their support.
3. Avoid entanglements - Underwater is definitely not where you want to get entangled, but avoiding that in life can help keep your life simple and stress-free.
4. Know your limits - This keeps you safe underwater and is a good idea out of it. Not that you shouldn’t challenge your limits in life but you must know what they are and keep them in mind so as to ensure you make it through.
5. Have fun - Life should be fun, go out and enjoy it!

Wow, if you really want to check your progress in developing yourself as a person, try asking these hard questions. The answers may be difficult to face if you are not on the right track but that should spur you to make some changes.

1. Does anybody love me?
2. Am I ‘really’ successful?
3. Am I proud of myself?
4. When I die, will I be surrounded by people I love?
5. Do I have integrity and keep all my promises?
6. Am I doing everything I can to reach my goals?
7. Would I be friends with myself?

Some people will really discover some things about themselves with the answers to these.

(Another email forward)

Maybe…

We are supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

Maybe…

When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the new one which opened for us.

Maybe…

It is true that we don’t know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don’t know what we have been missing until it arrives.

Maybe…

The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything they have.

Maybe…

You should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of and want to do.

Maybe…

There are moments in life when you miss someone – a parent, a spouse, a friend, a child – so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real.

Maybe…

The best kind of friend is one you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word…but when they walk away you feel as if it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.

Maybe…

You should always try to put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person, too.

Maybe…

You should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe…

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don’t expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart; but, if it doesn’t, be content that it grew in yours.

Maybe..

You shouldn’t go for looks; they can deceive; Don’t go for wealth; even that fades. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile

What is the purpose of life? That’s one of those big questions. People answer it in different ways and some people never figure it out. Steve Pavlina declares that the purpose of life is to:

1. Discover and accept ever deeper truths.
2. Learn to love more deeply and unconditionally.
3. Develop and express your creativity.

He points out that these three activities lead to wisdom, joy and strength which are in fact the end goals of life - to be wise, joyful and strong.

He does in fact say quite a bit more than this but if you make these three items part of your life goals you are definitely going to be headed in a good direction.

Ok, so I have made a habit of incorporating self-reflection into my life, not just at major milestones but along the way. I have not yet developed the habit of a regular review. This article at Marc and Angel provides 20 questions to ask yourself every Sunday. It seems pretty long and involved but I guess if done regularly the answers might well come easier. I can see where thinking through things in this way would help move you forward.

1. What did I learn last week?
2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week?
3. Which moment from this past week was the most memorable and why?
4. What’s the #1 thing I need to accomplish this week?
5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful?
6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the upcoming week?
7. What was last week’s biggest time sink?
8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the week that can be dropped?
9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done?
10. What opportunities are still on the table?
11. Is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to?
12. Is there anyone that deserves a big ‘Thank You’?
13. How can I help someone else this coming week?
14. What are my top 3 goals for the next 3 years?
15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals?
16. What’s the next step for each goal?
17. What am I looking forward to during the upcoming week?
18. What are my fears?
19. What am I most grateful for?
20. If I knew I only had one week to live, who would I spend my time with?

Though I do think my brain is great (heh heh), it can always be developed even further. This article I found on My Super-Charged Life has some tips on things to do to exercise your brain. Some of my favourites:

1. Read a good book - Reading a book stimulates the imagination as your brain draws mental pictures.
2. Be a continual learner - Seek out new experiences, skills, and knowledge and challenge your brain to improve its abilities.
3. Recall old memories - Old picture albums can tap into your brains memory banks.
4. Make beautiful music - Music is a great workout for the mind. Nuff said.

I came across this great list of money-free ideas, ie. ways to spend time without spending any money. The author of the article has a money-free weekend every couple of weeks with his wife and they are not allowed to spend any money (besides money already spent on utilities). So no renting videos or going out to eat. The list has some fun ideas, some of which I do or have done including starting a 101 in 1001 list (which in itself is a good starting point), baking homemade bread or just learning stuff.

P.S. Speaking of my 101 list, I am slowly making progress. I have only completed about a quearter of my list with several more in progress. I am running out of time in my original 1001 days but no worries, maybe I will start another when that’s up.

Came across a new (to me) blog yesterday, called My Super-Charged Life, all about living life to the fullest. So far the content is pretty interesting like this article on doing the right thing.

Have a big decision to make? Follow these tips and you can be pretty sure you make the right choice, be it career, school, relationships, whatever.

1. Know your core values - Know what you believe in.
2. Take a clear look at the situation - Separate emotion from facts.
3. Trust your gut - Listen to your conscience.
4. Do the right thing
5. Stick to your guns - Stand by your principles.
6. Prepare for the consequences and expect resistance
7. Review your actions - Learn from situation.

This great article over on the BBC’s website about disabled people, their lives and experiences, looks at the phenomenon of sign names in the deaf community.

It seems that finger spelling someone’s name everytime becomes tedious and once someone is “deemed worthy” they are usually given a sign name. It’s a nick name of sorts that could be drawn from:

• an aspect of your personality, such as talking all the time
• something to do with your appearance, like wearing a lot of earrings or jewellery
• a play on your name, like Angel for someone called ‘Angela’
• a hobby or a job – such as playing a certain sport all the time, or being into drama or photography

Made me think, because it could get really interesting if we did just give people we know this sort of nickname. The difference is that one’s sign name may not be a “nice” one. I think of people I would name: ‘Longface’, ‘Showoff’, ‘Frizzy hair’.

Heh heh. Of course, I worry a little about the name I might get. Hopefully as innocent as ‘Freckles’.

Wow! People may really just be born to be couch potatoes! Such is the possible results from recent studies with mice.

It seems they have found genetic indicators that may affect the level of activity the subject is inclined to participate in. This has some serious implications on the health and fitness industry which has for decades proclaimed that everyone can just do it. It may help to explain why some people, despite knowing just how could exercise could be for them, and realizing they need to increase their activity level, just can’t seem to get started.

Now us lazy folks have an excuse.

Of course, on a scary note, can you imagine genetic screening for laziness?