Thoughts For The Day.

Good morning.

I've kept for a while a blog post containing a list of questions that might help turbo-charge your life, see it here. Essentially I look at it as a list of questions to make you think about you, your life and how you are living it.

I've picked a few of the 99 questions! to have a ponder over.

First one.
Do I take time to listen to what others say? 

I absolutely love a really good chat, whether it's over a cuppa with a friend or neighbour, on What's App with somebody I class as a super, lovely friend - even though we have never met - or on my blog where my conversation can be one-sided when I'm having a bit of a ramble! I love to share, in proper conversations, with other people things that we have in common as it is always great to glean, swap and offer any knowledge you both might have. (I also think it's very important to maintain eye contact when you are listening to somebody.)

However, my husband has pointed out that sometimes I interrupt people. I do recognise this and I have to slap my hand over my mouth to stop doing it again! I don't do this because I am intentionally rude, but if something comes to mind that fits in with the conversation then I think I feel I must say or it is lost; my memory is definitely not what it was. Maybe this is a pointer for me to do some brain exercises to maintain my brain as I get older. 

Perhaps this question could actually turbo-charge part of my life?!

Secondly.
What are the biggest priorities in my life?

This is a complete no-brainer. The biggest priorities, the three biggest priorities, in my life are my husband and my two boys. Nobody is as, or more, important to me and I say this emphatically. They ALWAYS come first, I consider them before anything else in the way that when Jon and I make decisions they come first as family-based decisions are made. 

Me and my three are my world, beyond ANYTHING else.

Thirdly.
Am I being authentic? Do I allow myself to be me? Am I trying to be somebody I am not?

Now, when I started college I began to think about how I wanted to be perceived as a person. All teenagers go through it and I wanted to be just even slightly cool as I had been soooo un-cool at school. I sort of managed this by dressing how I wanted to, my fondness of charity shops began then I think-searching out some off the wall, funky clothes which I loved doing, and at times fitting in with the more cooler kids; even there was some issue of conformity. I began using my middle name instead of my given name which I feel has continued to suit me much more up to where I am now in my life; I've never changed it by deed poll but I plan to do so this year before I should ever need a new passport...

As time moves on I think you stop wanting to be perceived as anything because when you do get to a certain age you are hopefully happy in your skin and with you as you. It is an acceptance of yourself; I'm not sure you actually are allowing yourself to be you but it is a realisation. I'm not saying you can't change through further life experiences or things which might happen to you but they will hopefully also enhance your life.

Therefore I think I am not trying to be anybody I'm not at my age, which is 50 this year, gulp! I think I've felt like this for a good while and undoubtedly part of this is due to having got married and had my children. Being a wife and mother brings a whole new perspective to life which goes back to the second question. One other question on the list was about caring or not about what other people think of you and I think this fits in with this current question. I would say I don't care really. I'm not being bolshy but just that if others are unhappy or disagree with the decisions and choices made then I am more than fine with that. If those decisions are made for the benefit of me and my three then that is how people should accept them and me. Simples really.

I hope you find the list of questions interesting and maybe they will make you think about things in your life. I may come back to some of the others myself at a later date.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx