THE iKiFit BLOG

Resilience is a matter of habit. 

Firstly, a big thanks to my regular readers. As you’re aware, each weeks’ blog is around a word from the song “Every Single Day” which mentions some of the many ways we can make each day a little better.

In this weeks’ blog I’m taking a break from that format but sticking to the theme.

I’ve just finished reading Joe Williams’ new book “Defying the Enemy Within” and was amazed at the number of great adjectives that can be applied to it.

The book is a great read, fast paced and engrossing. Joe outlines his childhood with humor and humility and shares the excitement, the ups and downs of his impressive sporting career. He is articulate, honest and humble.

He deals with his substance abuse and mental health issues openly and bravely and takes us on an involving journey to where he is now – making a powerful, positive contribution to all Australians. His advice on how he stays positive, healthy and highly functional is clear, inspirational and truly helpful.

His comments that the Australian nation as a whole can learn much from the First Nations, if we will just listen, is visionary and timely.

Great job Joe. I’m proud to be a friend and fellow Australian.

Kim

Clean your plate

Opinions differ about whether it’s best to eat everything on our plates or to stop when we’ve had enough. Some say that eating all the food put in front of us can make us obsessive or encourage overeating.

However, I grew up on a farm with 4 brothers and subscribe firmly to eating everything I am served. I think it’s a principle that we can apply to most areas of our lives – i.e to learn to manage ourselves, set achievable goals and to finish what we set out to do.

Serving up a healthy portion at each meal and finishing what’s there is a way of learning to take responsibility for ourselves and our decisions – and to complete what we start.

If you are trying to cut down on your calorie intake, just eat from a smaller plate. There’s lots of psychology in eating, as in everything else, and when you see you’ve finished what’s on your plate, you know you've had enough. It's about making the right choices in the first place.

Learn what and how much is right for us, be satisfied with what we choose and tidy up after ourselves. Clean our plate.

Job well done every time.

“But why Mum?” That nagging question can be annoying but is part of developing – and maintaining - a healthy mind. Encouraging children to explore and investigate doesn’t just help set them up for a rewarding life, it can help extend the quality and length of life as well. And it applies to people of all ages, so don’t be afraid to go along for the ride.

Lots of research – as well as common sense - tells us that the best way to stay young is to act the way young people do.
Stay curious, investigate, keep learning, be interested, be involved, join in.
Practise and model the good behaviours of young people.

Have an awesome week, 

Kim. 

2018 is well and truly under way, now that Australia Day  is behind us and we’re getting back to school and work routines.

This weeks' word is “Dedicate”: I’ve been stressing for weeks about what to write - and then it all became clear when the Australian of the Year awards were announced.

The winners have dedicated much of their lives to things they love and believe in.

I’m excited because 2 of the 4 category winners are teachers: The Australian of the Year, Professor Michelle Simmons, is a teacher and researcher, and Eddie Woo, Local Hero is a visionary high-school maths teacher. It’s great that we're recognising and valuing teachers, who play such an important role in nurturing tomorrows’ leaders.

I’m also excited and inspired by the message given by Professor Simmons who says “Quantum physics is hard. Technology at the forefront of human endeavour is hard. But that’s what makes it worth it. I believe that the things that are most worth doing in life are almost always hard to do- but when you succeed the euphoria is immense”

When we dedicate ourselves to doing something hard, we often have to sacrifice other things – luxuries, time off, holidays – but the rewards can be immense.

Let’s dedicate some time and effort to doing something hard this year. Think of how we’ll feel when it’s done.

We’d love to hear about the things that excite you: things that you’re passionate about, that make you feel rewarded, valued and respected, or that you feel 'just need to be done'.

Have a great week.

Kim. 

I’ve found that the best “resolution keeping tool” is to continually monitor my attitude, and to remind myself, when necessary, that ‘It’s up to me”

Kim.

It’s like most things in life – it all depends on how we look at it. What we choose to focus on. Yes, this time of year can be a “crazy busy’ rush to get everything done. Stress, struggle strain. Or it can be a satisfying time of putting a full stop on the year, tidying up loose ends, being grateful for the good things that have happened and the people who have enriched our lives.

For those of you who have just tuned in, this series of weekly blogs are inspired by the lyrics of the song Every Single Day.

Click here to have a listen, and if you like, you can grab it on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/iki-crew/id1260100883

Learn to relate.

Human kind is made up of myriad colours, national, ethnic and cultural groups, not to mention different body shapes, genders, religions, fashions, fetishes, etc, etc, etc. But we are SO the same. We all want to feel safe, respected, valued, loved and secure.

Learning to relate to others can be one of the most life affirming things we can do, for lots of reasons.

The Dali Lama teaches many things to help us live more productive, satisfying lives. His key lesson is to: “Exchange a self-centred attitude for one of thinking more about others. It is much easier to handle our problems when we realise everyone else has their own. A problem shared is a problem halved”.

It’s easier to get along with each other when we focus on the things we share in common. Our likes, needs and dreams are similar, and even our differences are less than we think they are. All it takes is the effort to look past the “packaging”. And not only does relating to others add to our feelings of happiness, it can impact on our health and safety.

Creating positive relationships in our personal and professional life can bring enormous benefits. How we speak and what we choose to say can either make people feel valued and understood, or disrespected and marginalised. And let’s not forget that the way we treat others tends to come back to us.

Our behaviour really matters.

We humans share 99.9% of our DNA. We are (MUCH) more closely related than surface appearances may suggest. Think of others as like ourselves and it builds better relationships. After all they are our relations!

“Treat others the way you want to be treated” Not for nothing is this called the ‘Golden Rule’ or the ‘Rule of Life’

Or in the words of the iKi Rulz song,

“Treat each other nice today – you will earn respect that way”

Have an awesome week everyone,

Kim.

There is a ‘saying’ in real estate that there are 3 key ingredients to success; Position, position, position.
In achieving goals there are three as well. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

Educate

This weeks’ blog starts with a couple of quotes, followed by the results of a research project that make a powerful point. 

Have a great week!

Kim. 

Enjoy your week, Active Aspiring Amy.