Scribble Face For Sale!

I've got a brand new Scibble Face, so I'm getting rid of the old battered one if anyone wants it - very cheap, it's a bit worn around the edges but it's still good for a few years  ....." What on earth is she on about now?" is that what you're saying? My Scribble Face is what my dad, always rather endearingly, refers to as my cross face - like the sort of face the stick people have in children's pictures when they're angry. Unfortunately, the other people I know just refer to this expression when I wear it as "THE FACE ........... AGAIN!"


Some of us are unfortunately born with scribble faces - not because we are miserable buggers all the time, but because we just can't find much around us to make our scribbled mouths straight, let alone become full blown smilies!  With me, this "condition" is becoming more severe the older I  get , despite the fact that I am doing so much more work on myself to reduce my Victor Meldrewness! You see, I think the root cause of my problem, is that I don't like people very much! Well, no that's unfair, it's not that I don't like ALL people, it's just MOST people. If I've lost some readers already - then goodbye! For those who are staying on for more - thank you ...I'm starting to like you already.

I've always been quite outspoken with my opinion of the people around me. Growing up, it wasn't too bad, because I was indulged quite a bit by my dad who liked my strength of character. But I've always found it strange  how that same characteristic that my dad called "strength " has ,since I left the love of  his house, often be referred to as "aggression !" Perception is a funny thing isn't it? As an adult , my opinions have been less well received and have sometimes  been the cause of difficulties for me , but speaking up for what I think  is right and fair has always been important to me and if that makes me unpopular then so be it. I'm not talking about politics or economic issues (leave that for another blog) I'm just talking about everyday little things , behaviour and the way people  interact with each other and that's what I want to talk about this week.

I'm not sure if it's because I did a lot of team sports like hockey and netball growing up, but I've always had this impression of life that we're all in it together somehow. That I'm not just experiencing life as an "individual" in isolation  but that I must also  OBSERVE how my life impacts other people and how other people impact mine . As a result of this , I have found myself seeing life, or  attempting  to, from as many different perspectives as I can - trying to see what it feels like to walk in the shoes of others if you like.
But , sadly the reason I find my expression rarely changes, is because the vast majority of people " out there" don't  share this view point . To make matters worse, there are many people who chose to live in a way that is so completely irritating to me that I had to speak up about it.

Our behaviour says so much about us, even without us saying a word. The way we behave towards those we know, those we don't know, every interaction has an impact. It leaves a lasting impression.
It is so powerful it can create a heaven or a hell right here on Earth; it can make us blissfully happy or mournfully sad. Our behaviour can make people want to move mountains for us or turn their backs on us forever.

Just to watch people interacting with each other, even in a social setting - its incredible how much bad behaviour you can spot! In any social gathering, it is usually quite easy within an hour or so, to establish who the Controllers, Selfish and Rude ones are. The Controllers will talk the loudest and talk over everybody else. They will spend the entire time telling you how wonderful and successful they are, at everything they do, and how you are not .They will constantly tell you that you're wrong and then basically say exactly what you've just said in their own words! The Selfish ones, will talk about their own story all the time .They'll ignore your questions and your answers, because they only hear their own voice and when they're not talking, don't be fooled -- they're only listening to their own thoughts anyway!  And the best ones have to be the Rude ones. Not only do they not listen to the conversation, the rude ones will not even be aware that there are in fact other humans in the room at all and they still think they're great!
Those of you who have ever been the ones who never got a word out , or felt undermined in  any way , or just been  upset by others will understand exactly  what I am talking about . Those of you who may be guilty of perhaps a little selfishness or rudeness may tell me to stop being so analytical and relax! Where do you fit in?

Anyone  who know me , will no doubt say " well Surjit you have a pretty loud voice yourself " and I do , but I am also happy to be told when I'm wrong . Remember, I did say my rather passionate nature is often misquoted as aggressiveness! However, my reason for writing this blog is not just to have a rant, but to say that if we were all a little more considerate of the impact of our behaviour on those around us surely everyone would benefit. Arrogance, selfishness , controlling others to make ourselves feel good are  surely  all character FLAWS and therefore are not things to aspire to . And the worst extravagance of all must be to take advantage of the love, kindness and compassion of another. For that crime, there can be no forgiveness in my book.

And these are the things that give me a Scribble Face.

But I did receive something recently that allowed me to relax the muscles in my face, for a change. It was an email entitled - Random Acts Of Kindness. The message was simply to give the reader examples of acts of kindness that they could do for total strangers, without the receivers knowing who had carried them out. It included things like; paying the toll for the car behind you at a toll bridge, putting money into parking meter for someone just before it ran out or simply giving way to a car in a traffic jam. Looking down the list , I decided that I would try and do some of these on a regular basis, not  because I want to go to heaven or  think I'm a goody goody , but because it'll just make other people , people I don't even know feel a bit  happier. That's what life is all about. It's about being good to those around us, not just for personal gain or to step on so you can get to the next "rung up." It's a team sport, and too many of us expend too much energy competing against the same side.

I love my new Scribble Face, it's really grumpy looking this one! Actually, those of you brave enough to come closer will know that behind the scribble I'm not that bad really, some days I can even be quite nice. So please don't be afraid I don't bite - well, not unless you really annoy me!!!

An Awakening

I'm sorry I have not written for a while . I was unwell for a time and following  that, went into a bit of a tail spin emotionally that left me feeling lost and without direction once more . It's strange how dizziness quite literally turns your world upside down.  Coming out of that tail spin, has been a bit of an odd experience this time . I can't even say with certainty, that I've actually "come out "of it at all. But what I can tell you, is that I feel like I'm waking up from a dream, or at least parts of it.

I have always been intrigued by matters concerning the mind and learning and so when I heard about an incredible learning system called Photo Reading a few months ago, where you are taught the skills to read at a phenomenal speed of 25,000 words a minute,  I was naturally curious. The basic premise is that you are able to comprehend much more information, yet spend a fraction of the time reading by using something called  a "whole mind system." A system developed by a man called Paul Scheele back in the 1980's.

So two weeks ago, I decided to take the Photo Reading course. I'm always keen  learn new skills and my natural curiosity allows me to "think outside the box " enough to  give such things a chance. However, I wasn't at all sure how it was going to work or IF it was going to work at all . BUT , I went into it  with a mind that was wide open and  the willingness to accept that whatever I was about to be taught  was possible and achievable because others had had success with it . What I had learned of this "genius reading," as I'd heard it being referred to, had on the whole been very positive. Though the little sceptical voice in the back of my mind was often hard to keep quiet  as time and money were also one the line.

The course  was incredible . It was not at all what I had expected it to be , in fact it greatly surpassed my expectations .  With the relaxation and visualisation training , it turned out to be something that really tapped into my unconscious mind and psyche far more than I had expected it to.  I went away from the course, being able to access the information I needed from any average sized book in around 15 - 20 minutes and effortlessly write or speak about what I'd read in detail ! This in itself was incredible , but the thing that really blew my mind was what had happened IN MY MIND! I'm not sure if it was purely  because our instructor Marilyn Devonish,  also a trainer in  NLP and  Hypnosis, was so superb  in delivering the training, which she was . But since this course, there appears to be something that I can only describe as an "awakening" occurring inside me.

This awakening is from a number of things. Old habits , behaviours ,relationships, things that no longer serve any purpose therefore need to be thrown out of my life and all in all clarity seems to have entered from somewhere. One of the exercises we were taught, involved increasing the awareness of our peripheral vision. As a result of this, I now feel as though I am able to access my mind better. It's as though I almost  have  a 360 degree view of whatever is going on inside there; the thoughts and beliefs, the feelings, the clutter! Whatever has made it possible for my mind to scan an entire book in 5 minutes and ONLY focus on the information that is relevant to my purpose, seems to have also made it possible for me to scan other parts of my life to see whats good and what needs to be changed . I seem to be able to see it now .

One rather weird  thing that has happened, is that I seem to be able to recreate things rather easily now. The other day we at an Indian Restaurant and I was having a Chick Pea dish.  I love to cook , but  I never cook  chick peas because mine are never as good as the  restaurant ones. That day, I decided to use my new found skills and put my training to practice. I focused on the tastes and textures and "took in" all that I loved about  what I was seeing and tasting. That weekend I recreated the dish, without a recipe, and at the first attempt mine tasted and looked exactly the same as the restaurants - No difference !!!

Has the photo reading enabled me to realise capability that had till now been lying dormant all this time? Am I just waking up and becoming more conscious of what's important and what's not in my life and therefore just uncluttering my mind, allowing for clarity of thought and better judgement? One of the first things Marilyn had said when we started the photo reading course, that really resonated with me, was  to just "trust and believe" in our abilities - did the technique work with me because I did just that? I'm not sure, but I do know this for sure, if you're not learning and growing you're dying. So, I'm going to keep learning and  I'm going to keep growing and when I figure it all out, I promise to write and tell you all about it. Till then, go safely and go with love .