Sorry Pauline

If this article at News.com.au is right, Pauline’s in big trouble.

It claims that the more time you spend with someone, the more similar you become, and that includes the way you look. I’ve heard that dogs begin to look like their owners but couples looking like each other takes it to a whole new level.

US research comparing photographs of the same couples as newlyweds and snaps taken 25 years later found many had grown to look more like each other over time because people in close contact mimic each other’s facial expressions.

I could do with a touch of Pauline’s beauty and I wouldn’t mind a thicker head of hair but I’m not convinced she would be keen on looking more like me. The longer couples stay together the more alike they become and considering that we’re intedning on sticking together ’til death do us part’ there may be very little hope.

Dr Ruth Walker from the Flinders Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University said similarities between couples could also have health impacts.

“If one person’s mood is quite negative, even depressive it will affect the other person, as it will if they’re happy,” she said.

Have you seen older couples becoming more and more similar in mannerisms, moods, interests, behaviours and looks?



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I don’t want to climb a mountain

Maybe I’m just not motivated enough but I really have no desire to go and climb Mount Everest, or any other mountain for that matter. I just don’t see the point. Heck, I’m not even going to climb a set of stairs if I really don’t need to do so.

I don’t have an issue with mountain climbers, or anyone else who sets huge, challenging goals, but it’s just not my thing.

A lot of people have taken to the idea of writing a bucket list; a list of things they want to do before they die. There are some things I’d like to achieve before that day comes, whenever it may be, but I won’t be adding mountain climbing to my bucket list. I also won’t add things like living in a villa in the south of France, sailing solo around the world, jumping out of an airplane, or inventing something that will revolutionise the world. All of those are fine goals but it seems to me that many people add unachievable goals to their bucket lists and then spend the rest of their lives miserable that they haven’t achieved them yet. Bucket lists can be a great tool when used correctly but they can also be an excellent way of living a very unfulfilled life.

One of my concerns with some bucket lists is that they turn life into a ledger of extraordinary experiences which may or may not be achievable. It’s as if life can only find its true meaning in the accomplishment of random items on a self prescribed list. We tick off each item once it’s done and then head off to find the next momentary thrill. It’s as if we need to take our focus off the everyday to seek some kind of greatness when in fact our true greatness is most often found in how we deal with our everyday lives. I wonder if we are diminishing the value of what we already have to seek after something we don’t really need.

What are some of my goals in life? To marry a beautiful and intelligent woman who I deeply love. Check. To have a couple of wonderful children who I absolutely adore. Check. To have good friends that I can depend upon. Check. To work in a job that I enjoy. Check.

They might be ‘ordinary’ goals, but they’re real and will continue to provide a greater satisfaction than some of the wild goals that many other people see as essential.

Of course I’ve had my fair share of extraordinary too. I’ve cycled across Australia five times, battled Indian traffic on a bicycle a number of times, escaped a foreign city in the grip of rioting, cycled beside the Canadian Rockies and lots more, but none of that brings the satisfaction of a life well lived with people I love.

Sure there are other adventures I’d like to make a reality such as seeing the Tour de France live or travelling more extensively, but those desires will continue to take a back seat to the contentment that comes from doing the ordinary as well as I can. I refuse to let everyday life suffer, or blame it for holding me back, just so that I can tick items off a list.

If you feel you really need a bucket list, you might want to add a few ordinary things to that list. You’ll find an excellent start at the very funny post
50 Amazingly Achievable Things To Do Before You Die by Mike at Fevered Mutterings.

How about you? Are you finding fulfillment in the everyday? Are there still some goals you’d like to achieve? How important is a bucket list for you?



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Are you richer than a millionaire?

Australian MoneyI read something today that is a perfect reminder of something that I think is so very important.

Trey Morgan wrote a post titled I’m richer than a Millionaire. He talks about a recent encounter with a mulit-millionaire. I don’t want to spoil it for you so please read Trey’s post.

Once you’ve read the post I hope you’ll be able to join Trey in saying that you’re richer than a millionaire. I know that I can say that I am.



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Most workers unhappy with their careers

Workers AheadDo you enjoy your job? If you do it seems you’re in the minority.

According to recent research only 22% of Australian workers are happy with their careers. I’m guessing that figures would be similar in other western nations.

I suppose I should admit to being one of the few that enjoys their work. That doesn’t mean that my job is perfect or that every day is better than the last, but as far as work goes, my job is very satisfying and I’m glad I’m doing what I’m doing. I used to ‘play radio stations’ when I was a child. I loved the idea of working in radio from a very young age so having been in the industry full or part time for almost 22 years is the realisation of a long held goal.

Apparently it’s not just that over three quarters of people don’t enjoy their work, it seems that there is a significant amount of the workforce who turn up each day to a job they hate.

The survey, conducted by education provider Martin College, also reveals nine per cent of Australians actually hate their jobs.

Only 22 per cent are happy with their careers and don’t want to change, with Brisbane workers the most satisfied. Sydney and Melbourne workers hate their jobs equally.

The research is backed up by a survey conducted by Reuters last year that found only 13 per cent of employees planned to stay in their current positions.

Two thirds said they were looking to change jobs in 2010 and 21 per cent admitted to networking last year to get the ball rolling. – News.com.au

So why are so many of us remaining unfulfilled in our chosen careers? I wonder if it’s a deeper dissatisfaction with life.

I’ve had several jobs over my working life, everything from my cooking apprenticeship to running a printing press for the education department, to organising bike rides across Australia and overseas. There have been occasions throughout my working life when I’ve felt dissatisfied with the job I was in at the time. When I looked more closely at circumstances I’ve realised that the dissatisfaction has been more closely linked to things going on outside of work. When I’ve dealt with those personal issues my work life has been a lot more satisfying. Thankfully it’s been many years since I’ve felt those sorts of issues rising to the surface.

Of course that’s not to say that it’s never the job. There have been times when I’ve needed to move on but if work isn’t everything I want it to be I look at the wider situation before making any big decisions.

So could it be that many Australians are feeling the same way? Could difficult personal situations or a general lack of a satisfying and fulfilling life out of work hours be what’s behind the alarming figures of those who are not enjoying their work situation?

I wonder if there is a social, relational or perhaps spiritual reason behind what seems on the surface to be a work related issue?

I’ve love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to leave some comments.



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Just Thinking

How will you use the 24 hours you’ve been given today?

Would you use those hours differently if today was the last day of your life?

Can you be absolutely certain that today isn’t the last day of your life?

What difference will those questions make to the way you live today?



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