critics rarely create

Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here’s the thing(s):

1. trolls will always be trolling
2. critics rarely create
3. they live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. professionals (that’s you) get paid to ignore them. It’s part of your job.

“Can’t please everyone,” isn’t just an aphorism, it’s the secret of being remarkable.

- Seth Godin

Look what the flea brought in

chunky bangles, polka dotty sash and a slim belt (not pictured) for $15

Bits of yellow around the house

ochestra

13 years old. so charming. too talented. crushhh!!!!!!!

A Conspiracy of Improbabilities

The stone…after the throw

The word…after it’s said

The occasion…after it’s missed

The time…after it’s gone.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Such a lovely movie. Love story. Love.

I never quite got into the book as, to me, it simply defied logic and I couldn’t understand how many of him there were at one time, and how, if its in the chronological order of her life, he can meet her half-way through the book when she’s young again! However, I thought to myself, I’ll just watch the movie without analysing the technicalities of it. So I did. Perhaps that how some things should be appreciated, simply as they are. The film is lovely. Must watch.

He can travel back in time and meet who people who have since passed, and she tells him thats such a good thing. He says it doesn’t make a difference; he can’t change things, whatever happens to them will still happen to them. So true.

Striking

All images from The Selby

pre-destination vs self-determination

For the longest time, I’ve questioned whether life is to be self-determined or is there pre-destination/luck/fate/destiny/serendipity/affinity. Largely because there are things which I have not been able to reach and I could not figure out whether it was because there’s something I wasn’t doing or whether, despite me having done the best of my abilities, there is a element of ‘luck’ beyond effort and beyond my control and that I simply had to accept.

Yesterday, this came up in two different books and one podcast. Too much of a coincidence, I thought.

*

Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship – a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he’s a little bit of both.

We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses – one foot is on the horse called “fate”, the other on the horse called “free will.” And the question youhave to ask every day is – which horse is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it’s not under my control, and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?

- from Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

*

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

- Dr Reinhold Niebuhr, quoted in Putting the Power of Your Subconscious Mind to Work by Joseph Murphy

*

Kathy Freson was on an episode of Oprah’s Soul Series where they got around to talking about individual theme songs. Oprah says hers is ‘Amazing Grace’, Gayle’s (King) is ‘Walking on Sunshine’ and Kathy Freston said hers is ‘Que Sera Sera’.

She says a part of her always tries to manipulate life and to control consequences. Then her theme song sometimes pops up in her head and reminds her, que sera sera, whatever will be, will be; Accept what is, as it is.

She also talks about the balance between accepting, being, the ‘what is’ on one hand and being pro-active on the other.

Balance between the truth of what is (be it illness, divorce, getting fired), not denying this and being pro-active in taking specific steps such as meditating, visualising, meeting healers, reading a book which will ‘pop (her) mind into a new place’, surround myself with positive people etc.

You’re boring

You’re boring

Sorry, someone had to say it.

Your products are predictable. Your insights are recycled. You don’t bring surprise with you when you enter a room.

That’s why people are ignoring you.

Which used to be fine, because you could just buy attention for your brand or your company or your sales efforts. But that half-price sale on attention is now over.

The only path left is to lean out of the edge and become interesting, noteworthy and yes, remarkable.

- Seth Godin

Audi Fashion Week