26Oct 2014 by CJ

Don’t underestimate the magic of ordinary days

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
There are some titles, quotations and song lyrics I find so simple and inspiring that I often find myself carrying them around in the back of my mind to be retrieved at a later date. One such example comes in the form of a title, from author Ann Howard Creel’s novel, “The Magic of Ordinary Days.” The word “ordinary” gets a bad rap in society. Far too often anything that’s ordinary is deemed boring and mundane in a world so pathetically obsessed with popularity and excitement. But I can tell you with great certainty that when your normalcy all but vanishes, you’ll soon find yourself craving the undeniable magic of ordinary days. Moments of exhilarating excitement are just that – moments. They can never be recaptured or relived and for…
Read More
17Oct 2014 by CJ

The trouble with the truth is we all think we know what that is

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
The trouble with the truth - an odd statement when you think about it. I mean how could there possibly be anything problematic with regards to a word that has come to mean “a statement or belief which corresponds to reality”. I mean after all, reality is in fact what we deal with from the time we wake up until the time we close our eyes at night. One would assume that the alternative might be more deserving of an entire editorial piece. But I can’t lie, the truth isn’t always the easier of the two to swallow. From employers to government officials. From family members to friends. From our children to our spouses. The trouble with the truth is no one has the courage to face it. We live…
Read More
07Oct 2014 by CJ

Don’t wait for the right moment, create it

Life & Living, Youth
Paulo Coelho once said that, “The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” Patience – I’ve never been a big fan. While I’m far from being a registered member of today’s Instant Gratification Society, I hate waiting around for things to fall into place. Perhaps what I hate most about these times is the fact that they’re often beyond my control. Curses! – can’t things just fall into place a little faster? But then I remind myself that change is always possible, and before long you’ll find yourself staring “the right moment” in the face. You’ll probably laugh at how ridiculous you were behaving during your “disappointed” phase. How you’d…
Read More
03Oct 2014 by CJ

Sometimes the only validation you need in life is yours

Life & Living
“How would your life be different if…You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free Very often the choices we make in life don’t always make sense to those around us. It’s human nature to have an opinion about what everyone else is doing – forgetting that others are doing the same to us behind our backs. Ah humanity! Most of us crave validation and a feeling of acceptance in society – so much so that we sometimes make choices based more on what others would say then what…
Read More
02Oct 2014 by CJ

Living in the present is the only thing that matters

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
“It's being here now that's important. There's no past and there's no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can't relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don't know if there is one.” ― George Harrison Job interviews are often filled with a series of generic (and very predictable) questions all would-be-employers feel the need to ask in order to get a better understanding of who you are. I have little difficulty answering such questions – all but one that is. Whenever I’m asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years” I’m often left dumbfounded. While I understand the logic behind the question, as they try to measure your…
Read More