Change Can Change the World

Written by Deborah Jordaan

Good day to all the beautiful souls in literature land. We are blessed to have you read our stories. We all have change in our cars or at home, what do we do with it?

There are millions of rands laying in the world, so if we distribute the change to people like car guards, waiters, paraplegics and people in need there is already a difference in their lives.

Instead of the money laying around it is going to be used functionally to assist these people. The change will eventually end up in retail stores which in turn will bank it which will help the banks get the money back.

By changing the peoples perception of not hoarding change or thinking it doesnt have much value we can change many lives. The person receiving the change goes to shop which in turn the owner banks the money and middle-class people can then take loans at the bank for what they need.

Not everyone has the same need. The car guard could need bread and milk. The paraplegic could use it toward saving for medical aides. The waiter could need it for student fees etc.

It can create employment, for example, by giving a freelancing carwash person change for washing a car he, in turn, hires someone to help wash more cars. That in itself creates employment.

There are many scenarios I can use in context to this subject but it all comes down to the generosity of people that can give out money.

Imagine if radio stations could be used as a platform for collecting change from their listeners monthly even if it were just a five rand – each radio station has a certain amount of listeners, so whatever these people collect goes back into their community being SPCA, old aged homes, child care centres and small businesses. It is almost like the lotto but a broader variety of people will be receiving funds which will be managed by the radio station. The radio station can keep five percent for administration which will pay a new person to be employed to do just that.

The 94.7 radio station said they have about 1.2 million listeners, now imagine each of them donating 5 rand. That is 6 million rand per month. We pay more than that a month on taxes but we still see poverty and unemployment where our change will definitely be making a change that will be benefiting the poverty stricken.

There are hundreds of radio stations worldwide. They can all make a difference without using their funds coming from advertising on their radio station.

So by moving money from a piggy bank to a cubbyhole to bottles at home to people that are trying to assist us on the street and elsewhere we are creating wealth mentality in the world. Be blessed and please bless someone with the change you have in your pocket.

A Message for Me

Written by Neshni Naidoo

The perfect wife, doting mother, supportive friend, gracious hostess, always smiling – that is how most people described Jodie. Very few knew that her beautiful smile hid a painful secret. She was dying. Not of a physical illness, but a dis-ease of the mind that was slowly robbing her of joy and purpose.

The shrill tone of the alarm pierced through her dream. Jodie reached over and hit ‘Snooze’. “Five more minutes,” she thought to herself. The alarm jarred her sleep again. “Why don’t you turn that damn thing off if you are not going to wake up when it rings!!” barked her husband, Reese. Cursing silently, she rolled out of bed and into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, she wondered, “Where have the last 20 years gone? Where was the zeal, energy and passion I had at university?” She splashed cold water onto her face as if to wash away the unwelcome thoughts. As she dressed, each piece of clothing, each layer of make-up served as her armour, preparing her for the day’s battles. The finishing touch was the lipsticked smile. Jodie looked at her reflection, pleased by what she saw, and said to no-one in particular, “Let this be a good day.”

Her two children, 10-year old Sarah and 13-year old Joshua were extra slow that morning, having only got to bed at 10 after completing their schoolwork. It still added to her frustration though and she scolded, “If we don’t leave in the next five minutes, you are going to be late for school. Then you can explain to Mr Steyn why you are late!” They sped up whatever they were doing silently, knowing that it was best not to argue with mom when she was in “one of her moods.” By the time, they arrived at school, Jodie had calmed down a little and feeling guilty, she gave them each a quick hug, saying, “I’m sorry. You know I love you, right?”

The conversation at the school gate revolved around the same issues – too much homework, lack of motivation, too much screen time, and their hectic lives and what to cook for supper. Even though it was reassuring to know that other moms shared the same problems, Jodie’s insecurity still raised its ugly head. “What am I doing wrong? Why are my kids just average and not excelling at anything? Have I done enough to encourage their talents or is it too little? Leaving work to be at home with them hasn’t seemed to make any difference.” Once again, there was no stopping that nagging voice once it started.

En-route to her car, Jodie suddenly stumbled, feeling faint, then felt herself falling as everything went black. When she came to, her friend Laura was at her side, a concerned expression on her face. “Hey, you scared us when you toppled over like that. How are you feeling?”

“Weak…… a little confused…….. Don’t know what happened, “she said, the metallic taste of blood on her tongue.“

“Don’t try and get up, “said Laura, “We’ve called for an ambulance and Reese is on his way.”

The paramedics checked her vitals when they arrived. Her blood pressure was 80/60 which is why she had fainted. She had a split lip from knocking it against the gate as she fell. However, she would have to be taken to the hospital for observation and x-rays to determine if there were any other injuries. Reese arrived just as they were placing her in the ambulance.

“The kids……” she muttered.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything,” Reese assured her.

Thankfully, there were no other injuries but Jodie would have to remain in the hospital for a few days for an MRI and other tests. Initially, she was concerned about the children and how they were coping without her, but relaxed when she saw that her mum and Reese had everything under control. Not used to doing nothing, she used the time between tests, the prodding and pricking, to catch up on her reading, complete a knitting project and plan for the following week.

One morning, she picked up her diary and pen with the intention of compiling her “To-Do” list. She went no further than the date. Her hand began moving across the page as if it was being controlled by another force. A picture began to take shape. Minutes passed, as she drew, unaware of her surroundings. When she finally put down her pen, she felt spent, as if she had finished an intense workout.

Putting her pen aside, she focussed on the drawing. It was a little girl, curled up on the floor, crying. She was alone, surrounded by a protective shield. Around the shield were arrows being hurled at her and bouncing off the shield.

“THIS IS ME,” she thought. As the tears welled up, Jodie went to hide in the bathroom, trying to stifle and mute the sobs that racked through her body. Returning to her bed, she began to write. Every sentence helped her understand. With each sentence, she could feel a part of her protective shield breaking away.

After all the tests, the diagnosis was that she was stressed. The doctor gave her recommendations and suggested a psychologist help her manage her stress levels. Jodie smiled inwardly because she’d understood the message delivered with this incident and received the guidance she needed to start the healing process.

The Tension Between Inner Self and Outer Self – by Karin Kelly Lawrenz, Transformation Coach

The tension between the inner self and outer self is common in the modern world. Each of us is tugged in multiple directions every day and our actions and behaviours do not always align with our core values as a result.

However, becoming aware of your inner self and how it balances with your outer self is the foundation for good mental, physical, and spiritual health.

This is why it is an important aspect to consider when working on good balance in your life.

The Outer Self
At times it is helpful to present a different outer self to the world than what we experience on the inside. Most of us weigh the pros and cons of sharing our true feelings depending on what we expect in each set of circumstances. Our outer self is what we present to the world, and we usually try to curate it to reflect the best. However, problems arise when this becomes a habitual pattern at the expense of your true feelings.

The outer self is generally concerned with material things, such as how you present yourself (hair, clothes, etc.), as well as groups you belong to or personas that you portray. Your outer self spends its time coping with the demands of school, work, home life, and whatever other real-world distractions you experience each day. This external world can be demanding, leaving little time for you to consider whether what is taking place on the outside of your life matches what you ultimately desire on the inside.

The Inner Self
In contrast to the outer self, the inner self is about what can’t be seen: feelings, intuition, values, beliefs, personality, thoughts, emotions, fantasies, spirituality, desire, and purpose. A strong inner self means that you cope well with your emotions, are self-aware, have clarity and a good sense of your values, and feel a purpose in life.

It also means that you are able to remain calm and resilient in the face of adversity from the outer world.

Conflict Between Inner and Outer Self
Problems begin when the inner self and outer self are in conflict or out of balance. In its simplest terms, a conflict between the inner and outer self refers to a mismatch: you think one thing but do another.

The greater the conflict, the wider the difference between what the inner self believes is right and what the outer self does. This conflict ultimately causes stress that can be damaging to the mind, body, and spirit.

Often, this conflict arises due to spending too little time considering your inner self. How much of the time are you “running on empty,” just struggling to get through the demands of the day, without considering whether your actions and behaviours are in line with your inner self?

Conflict between the two selves can result in stress, which makes you more vulnerable to illness. Your daily functioning may also be affected. You may feel successful on the outside but empty on the inside. When this happens, you may also be at risk for quick fixes to heal your pain, such as turning to drugs or alcohol.

One way to identify if you are experiencing a conflict between your inner and outer selves is to identify gaps between your true values and outer actions.
Take a moment and list your core values. These might be things like believing in the value of honesty, integrity, friendship, helpfulness, etc.
Now, for each value, make a list of activities that you do each day that is in alignment with that value. Examples might include calling friends to see how they are doing or telling the truth even when it is difficult.
Finally, look for values that have little actions each day to support them. This is where you will find your conflict. If you value friendship but spend each day alone, that reflects a conflict between your values (inner self) and actions (outer self).

Balancing the Inner and Outer Self
Once you’ve identified problematic areas in your life, it is time to begin quieting your outer self with a goal of connecting with your inner self. Slow down, focus on the moment, and listen to your thoughts as you go about your day.

If you still feel in conflict, consider whether you might need to make life changes to address these issues. Perhaps a new job, change of relationship, or ending of friendships might be in order. Only you will know what specific changes might help to align you with your true inner self.

While thinking about what changes you need to make, it may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:
What do you most want to pursue in life? Does this match what you are doing?
Will you feel good about the choices you are making at the end of your life?
Does your current life require you to stifle deeply held values?

Go back to the gaps that you identified in the previous section, and start with the largest ones. Ask yourself what changes you will need to make to align your inner and outer selves.

For example, one person might choose to change careers or reduce working hours to spend more time with family. Another person might change his or her field of work to more closely align with his or her values.

You might find that only simple changes need to be made, such as slowing down each day and taking the time to talk and listen to others, rather than always being in a rush. Sometimes the conflict between our inner and outer selves is not that large and doesn’t take that much to address.

However, becoming aware of your inner self and how it balances with your outer self is the foundation for good mental, physical, and spiritual health.

This is why it is an important aspect to consider when working on good balance in your life.

The Outer Self
At times it is helpful to present a different outer self to the world than what we experience on the inside. Most of us weigh the pros and cons of sharing our true feelings depending on what we expect in each set of circumstances. Our outer self is what we present to the world, and we usually try to curate it to reflect the best. However, problems arise when this becomes a habitual pattern at the expense of your true feelings.

The outer self is generally concerned with material things, such as how you present yourself (hair, clothes, etc.), as well as groups you belong to or personas that you portray. Your outer self spends its time coping with the demands of school, work, home life, and whatever other real-world distractions you experience each day. This external world can be demanding, leaving little time for you to consider whether what is taking place on the outside of your life matches what you ultimately desire on the inside.

The Inner Self
In contrast to the outer self, the inner self is about what can’t be seen: feelings, intuition, values, beliefs, personality, thoughts, emotions, fantasies, spirituality, desire, and purpose. A strong inner self means that you cope well with your emotions, are self-aware, have clarity and a good sense of your values, and feel a purpose in life.

It also means that you are able to remain calm and resilient in the face of adversity from the outer world.

Conflict Between Inner and Outer Self
Problems begin when the inner self and outer self are in conflict or out of balance. In its simplest terms, a conflict between the inner and outer self refers to a mismatch: you think one thing but do another.

The greater the conflict, the wider the difference between what the inner self believes is right and what the outer self does. This conflict ultimately causes stress that can be damaging to the mind, body, and spirit.

Often, this conflict arises due to spending too little time considering your inner self. How much of the time are you “running on empty,” just struggling to get through the demands of the day, without considering whether your actions and behaviours are in line with your inner self?

Conflict between the two selves can result in stress, which makes you more vulnerable to illness. Your daily functioning may also be affected. You may feel successful on the outside but empty on the inside. When this happens, you may also be at risk for quick fixes to heal your pain, such as turning to drugs or alcohol.

One way to identify if you are experiencing a conflict between your inner and outer selves is to identify gaps between your true values and outer actions.

1. Take a moment and list your core values. These might be things like believing in the value of honesty, integrity, friendship, helpfulness, etc.
2. Now, for each value, make a list of activities that you do each day that is in alignment with that value. Examples might include calling friends to see how they are doing or telling the truth even when it is difficult.
3. Finally, look for values that have little actions each day to support them. This is where you will find your conflict. If you value friendship but spend each day alone, that reflects a conflict between your values (inner self) and actions (outer self).

Balancing the Inner and Outer Self
Once you’ve identified problematic areas in your life, it is time to begin quieting your outer self with a goal of connecting with your inner self. Slow down, focus on the moment, and listen to your thoughts as you go about your day.

If you still feel in conflict, consider whether you might need to make life changes to address these issues. Perhaps a new job, change of relationship, or ending of friendships might be in order. Only you will know what specific changes might help to align you with your true inner self.

While thinking about what changes you need to make, it may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you most want to pursue in life?
• Does this match what you are doing?
• Will you feel good about the choices you are making at the end of your life?
• Does your current life require you to stifle deeply held values?

Go back to the gaps that you identified in the previous section, and start with the largest ones. Ask yourself what changes you will need to make to align your inner and outer selves.

For example, one person might choose to change careers or reduce working hours to spend more time with family. Another person might change his or her field of work to more closely align with his or her values.

You might find that only simple changes need to be made, such as slowing down each day and taking the time to talk and listen to others, rather than always being in a rush. Sometimes the conflict between our inner and outer selves is not that large and doesn’t take that much to address.

We Have Lockdown. So? by Elsabe Smit

Millions of people all over the globe are house-bound and only allowed to go out for essential trips. Of course, I could write a book about the reasons for this, and whether the lockdown is justified or not. However, it is what is.

The more important question is what to do about it.

In a way this is better than experiencing a full moon. An adult body consists of around 60% water. If you know what the moon can do to the ocean in terms of tides, imagine what the moon does with the water in your body during full moon! When this happens, many people feel as if they are being attacked by an invisible power, and they “fight back” with anger and aggression.

With the lockdown, we cognitively understand what is happening. However, many people still struggle with fear and anxiety, and if they don’t get help, they feel overwhelmed very quickly.

What can you do about it?

Firstly, go inside – no, not inside your house, because you should already be inside the house unless you have a garden to enjoy. I mean meditate. Just experience the silence in and around you, with no expectations.

This is a time where you can assess your faith. There is this silly belief that spiritual people who don’t go to church or follow organised religion also don’t believe in God – or whatever you choose to call this higher power. We know that is not true. We do believe in a Higher Power, and we know better than to blame this Higher Power for a man-made situation. If you have any doubts, you can fall into the trap of doubting or blaming yourself for not believing “enough”, or you can do something far more constructive: put your doubts into words, and find the reason for the doubts, and deal with them. There are always people who are willing to be used as a sounding board, and who can help you strengthen your faith.

One of the big issues for many people is the fear of dying. A truly spiritual understanding is that life and death cannot be separated, and that dying is really like changing into invisible clothes. You never cease to exist. If it is your time based on your life script, then that is how it is. Do you really want to leave this world in fear? Not me, thanks.

The second thing you can do is assess what is happening in the world. You can focus on the fearmongering and misinformation in social media, but I for one do my best to avoid that like the plague. I choose to delete anything that remotely looks like chainmail or that is meant to instil fear, and rather focus on all the good that is already happening in the world. Fear lowers your body vibration and compromises your immune system, whereas gratitude has the opposite effect.

Find the opposite of anything that you feel instils fear in you and find the gratitude for a unique experience. You will say this is easier said than done, but I have read about a way to do this that is so simple and powerful that it is mind-blowing.

When the emotions overwhelm you and you feel that there is no way out, ask yourself a simple question: “So?” and see what happens.

For example, a client told me she is in a total panic about her aged mother’s health and immune system. I asked “So?” and the client said: “she is in lock-down in a nursing home”. I asked “So?” and the client said: “Nobody can get to her – not even me”. I asked “So?” and the client said “That means her chances of getting infected are miniscule”.

The exchange may sound simple, but you should have seen the effect on the client. Suddenly she radiated and her whole demeanour changed. She smiled broadly and I could feel only relief from her.

When you feel overwhelmed, use this simple word and ask yourself “So?” and see and feel what happens to you. When someone else radiates fear to you, ask the same question, and ask it until you see the change in the person.

One simple word can help us through this wonderful opportunity to turn the world around, and it can start with one person at a time.

So?

YES, I CAN by Karin Kelly Lawrenz

When I read the excerpt below my article, I was intuitively drawn to share about not giving up.

About 7 years ago, I lost everything, materialistically and on a personal level.

In my case I had a brain tumour and did not know I had this tennis ball housing itself in my head, without paying rent I might add.

Due to this free renter, over a period of 2 years my mental faculties deteriorated rapidly and increased pain. My clear decision making and sharp mental work was almost void.

Due to this my coaching and teaching practise closed and I had to sell my home etc.

I am not going to go into detail as I am sure you get the logistics of the little bit of my inside story on loss.

As hard and tough as it was for years after my pause period, having to find myself again, heal and connecting to my journey …. I did not give up. Oh please believe me, that there were times I questioned myself however the warrior in me is a pretty stubborn fighter and knew that my juicy part of my journey was just beginning.

That been said, I do not want to deter you from the golden thread of the excerpt below about Colonel Sanders.

The golden thread to Colonel Sanders story and mine is:

“DO NOT GIVE UP”

However, I am guided to say the following before you read the excerpt: When we look at the outside of an individual and the inside of the same individual …. at times they can differ dramatically, for example, “Robin Williams”. There is a great need for mental health advocacy and understanding.

Unfortunately, this tends to happen after someone’s death.
​
Even if you are feeling unwell, even if you are hurting, even if the world seems full of despair — everything is not lost. A small gesture can make a difference. Our small gestures can be part of the everything.
You have what it takes to be successful. Go for it and make a difference.

The excerpt:
At age 5 his father died.
At age 16 he quit school.
At age 17 he had already lost four jobs.
At age 18 he got married.
Between ages 18 and 22, he was a railroad conductor and failed.
He joined the army and washed out there.
He applied for law school, he was rejected.
He became an insurance sales man and failed again.
At age 19 he became a father.
At age 20 his wife left him and took their baby daughter.
He became a cook and dishwasher in a small cafe.
He failed in an attempt to kidnap his own daughter, and eventually he convinced his wife to return home.
At age 65 he retired.
On the 1st day of retirement he received a check from the Government for $105.
He felt that the Government was saying that he couldn’t provide for himself.
He decided to commit suicide, life wasn’t worth living anymore; he had failed so much.

He sat under a tree writing his will, but instead, he wrote what he would have accomplished with his life. He realized there was much more that he hadn’t yet done. There was one thing he could do better than anyone he knew. And that was how to cook.
​
So he borrowed $87 against his check and bought and fried up some chicken using his recipe, and went door to door to sell them to his neighbours in Kentucky.

Remember, at age 65 he was ready to commit suicide.

But at age 88 Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Empire was a billionaire.

Moral of the story: It’s never too late to start all over.
​