The Book Of Life: Change your Mind and Change your Life!

By Jo Roderick

There is no 7 step, 14 day, 5-exercise plan to being yourself! Fortunately, this book presents logical information that can guide you on numerous subjects.

The material contain in these pages is written in a layman’s “black and white” approach. There are no enigmas, mysteries, or secrets! The content is presented in a digestible, humorous fashion!

Sheep faithfully follow the same path home day after day. You have the choice of a different path, take it, and enjoy the new scenery. The aim of this book is to make you think. Once you do, you will never be the same again ....

Genres:

* Creativity

* Happiness

* Inner Child

* Motivational

* Personal Transformation

* Self-Esteem

* Self-Help

* Spiritual

* Stress Management

Key Concepts:

Personal Power; Karma; Abundance, Wealth, and Success; Stress, Debt and Money; Love; Guilt; Happiness and Depression; Change, Choice, and Expectation; Guidance; Productivity, Freedom, Self-Help, Confidence, Self-Esteem; Inner Child; Attraction, Friendships and Relationships; Master Goals; Daydreams and Ideals; Enlightenment, Faith, Spirituality, and New Age; Martyrs and Victims; Live For Today; Communication Skills; Positive Outlook, Affirmation, Motivation, Fulfilment, and Inspiration; Philosophy and Psychology; Conscience and Self-Discovery; Moving On; Intent, Purpose, Guidance, Passion, Manifesting, and Growth; Challenges For the Future, Leadership

Other Books by the Author
* Happy Now!
* Recycled Thoughts
* Publish It Yourself! (Book 1 of Publish It Yourself!)
* Format It Yourself! (Book 2 of Publish It Yourself!)
* Viral WordPress SEO
* Twitter for Humans
* Six For Seven (A South African Dinner)
* The Scandari Saga - Aeonosphere
* The Scandari Saga - Back To Christmas
* Bermuda Phoenix

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Roderick
• Release date: Jan 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386921592

Book preview

The irrepressible Preface

For many years, I was prompted to write a book such as this one. I have always had some reason or other not to sit down and write the damn thing: I was too young or too inexperienced; I would know when the time was right; it would come to me in a blinding flash that would leave me with no doubt.

Well, it took me a while and a wander through life, but finally I realised that the time was right. How did I know? One night, while having one of my many sleepless nights, I realized that the time was upon me. A few reasons I could find was that I was alive, and most importantly, capable!

What better reason for commencement and fulfilment of my desires but the fact that I was still breathing? Death no longer requires any earthly achievements. My mind was reeling with ideas, sentences, and words of advice. So grab your opportunities before it is much later.

Live life with passion! All else is just a sad excuse for reality. If your life is in motion, then you have every reason to live.

CHAPTER

1

Introduction and Induction

Fools rush in leaving the wise to bury them

In the recent decades, much has been written in the guise of ‘Self-Help’. While this book has come about from an urge and a prompt to help people, it does not necessarily conform to any particular programme or contain clearly defined steps. Any form of instruction is only as successful as its application.

It seems to be quite the norm to provide a fixed set of steps on how to better one’s life. When it comes to emotional, psychological, and other challenges, people are not cured in ten steps, ten chapters, or even ten years. There is often no ‘quick fix’ for what challenges us. It is more realistic to accept that sometimes ‘managing’ a condition is tantamount to a cure. Human beings seem so set on curing psychological afflictions that they are often disillusioned to discover that sometimes there is no immediate or even ‘permanent’ cure.

It is natural for us to want to be ‘cured’ of all that ails us. Sometimes that cure can even be instantaneous but often, our ailments are managed through a lifetime of practice. Ask a victim if he or she is ever cured of psychological scars and you will be told that some days are better, and some are worse. They get through each day as it unravels. They learn to ‘manage’ their fears and get on with the daily task of living.

A simple set of steps cannot be applied to the unpredictable script that is ‘life’. I personally find all that a little too rigid for my way of thinking. I do not follow programmes with X number of steps, specific mundane instruction, or a strict regime. I simply do not respond well to such restrictive systems. I like to absorb, assimilate, and process information in my own manner and I encourage others to do the same.

Instead, I prefer smaller routines that assist me to manage time and life in a more constructive manner. I have set routines for most of my daily activities. These mini routines are my many forms of ‘autopilot’, which allow me to perform simple tasks unconsciously, leaving my brain to wander and ponder topics that are more interesting.

You will find that making decisions and spending time utilising your brain on solutions is far preferable to being told what to do. Society has a strong enough grip on its individuals. It is imperative that we do not fall into a similar trap in the form of the written word. I am not condoning any outlandish behaviour or raising a tide of anarchy, transforming sweet, innocent individuals into outlaws, hopelessly in the grasp of road rage and anti-establishment concepts. That would be rather irresponsible.

I am advocating strong, determined, and informed individuals: people who can ‘think’ for themselves. Observe life, analyse it, interpret it, assimilate, and make their own sense of it all.

A strong premise that you will find throughout this book is that the emphasis is indeed upon the reader helping him- or herself. More importantly, I strongly encourage people to ‘think’ for themselves. It is not arrogance that leads us to use our intellect! The human mind grows and thrives under deliberate thought and analysis.

This book does not imply that any one path is better than another. It also does not attempt to do the work required of the reader. It is an honest approach to life’s situations. It encourages the reader to think and find personal solutions that are suitable and successful. I have found that if you solve someone’s problems, they learn very little and simply become reliant. I believe in assisting people in understanding their problems, suggesting possible plans of action, and then setting them off on a life path of intelligent thought and independence.

I have spent far too much time concerned with the fact that I did not fit in, rather than crafting my own stage from which to entertain and enlighten people. So now, we come to one of the very reasons why this book has finally come about! Yes, I was busy taking notes from life in preparation for this book. This book is in fact the manifestation of many of the philosophies, concepts, suggestions, and examples compiled in the different chapters.

We are all different in nature, constitution, and behaviour. There is place for each and every one of us to burnish up a life path filled with accomplishment in our own unique manner. We need to always keep in mind that above all else — gold cards included — one must be happy and content with life.

It is true what is said about money except for one huge oversight! Money can buy you literally everything but time. I know of no one who has reached the abrupt ending of life and thought to him- or herself, Hmmm, I think I’ll buy myself some more time!

Perhaps some of my ideas seem to be a little radical, but that may be simply because some of these concepts are just so simple that one may stop and ask, Is that all there is to it?

One of the goals I wish to achieve in life is to set people free from mental slavery and to bring about a new way of looking at life and its challenges. People are not cured upon reading books; they are enlightened! I would like people to follow their hearts and their natural spiritual and physical rhythms to lead a full life in harmony with their true selves.

The very fact you are reading this book shows a desire on your part to try something different. Perhaps previous methods and attempts were unsuccessful or fell short of expectation. A willingness to improve is what distinguishes success from the repetition of past patterns.

Some of the decisions you will be faced with in life will ask of you this question: is it more important that you be well liked or that you like yourself? There will come times that you will be forced to decide. You may have to make choices that will not result in popularity. Having integrity may not always be easy, but it will serve you well.

This book is not a textbook; it is a loose, humorous read, containing no strict sections or arrangement, and is designed to be an informal and easy read. This is a work in which I depict what I have observed through my contact with the human race.

I have tried to construct a logical flow of chapters, but you can read this book in any order. If you prefer, just jump ahead to the sections of particular interest. Please bear in mind that some chapters may benefit from preceding content and provide additional insight!

The content is considered to be the important aspect. Leaving out crucial information because it does not fit neatly into equal parts or risks repetition would be a poor compromise. I certainly hope that this book will make you think and interpret your life in a new light. It is far easier to follow unquestioningly, but it is far more rewarding to take charge and make informed decisions on what influences your life and your environment.

In taking stock of one’s life, it is important to ascertain, maintain, and appreciate our physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional gifts and talents. Every part of your life requires maintenance, and the physical side of the equation, while not overly significant in the afterlife, has its equal quota of importance in this life. Just as you need to exercise your physical body, you also need to give your other capabilities a good stretch!

I cannot stress or repeat the key word ‘maintenance’ enough! It is important in all aspects of life, but most emphatically so when it comes to your body and mind. We need to stop thinking of our physical selves as machines that never deteriorate or expire. We often come to realise this when it is too late. Youth is an ignorant state of immortality.

When we are young, we abuse our bodies! We torture ourselves with sleep deprivation and malnutrition. Oh, what fun to be young and virtually indestructible! The world is not only your oyster but it is also your poison!

So read on, absorb, and learn to process information in a magnificent new way. You may even laugh a little.

TakeawayIcon

Takeaways:

The individual needs to create a custom program that will work in the long term.

The solution is not always a cure. Sometimes it is about management and maintenance of a challenge or situation so it no longer is a hurdle even in its continued existence.

The focus is on taking control and responsibility and not resorting to a victim mentality state of mind.

Celebrate your individuality and stop trying to be the perfect clone.

It is most important that you honestly like yourself. Whether others like you or not has a low priority in comparison.

CHAPTER

2

Nocturnal Disclosures

There is no rush to watch a sunrise. Sunsets are just Sunrises in reverse, but at a more sensible hour!

I have always been nocturnal by nature. As a child, I recall staying up way past my supposed bedtime, reading under the covers by the light of a torch. Fortunately, I did not use any inflammable light sources or I might have indeed been a torch myself!

Being nocturnal is generally seen as undesirable behaviour. It is simply an alternative existence, which yields the most productivity and creativity in my case. For the most part of my adult life, I have been self-employed. This was my way of finding my niche in life, which was a compromise between my true nature, and what society expected.

I do not go to bed at the same time each evening, get up in the morning with the birds, eat lunch at precisely midday and I certainly do not sit down to watch the weather on television every evening. For many years, I struggled to be ‘normal’. Now, many years and quite a few grey hairs later, I have given up pretending to conform to what others expect me to be. Instead, I have become more of myself and less of a cardboard cut-out, stamped by society.

I get up late in the mornings, often far too late indeed, but in turn I am often burning the midnight oil, churning out the work. As the years roll by — with increasing velocity and distance from my birthdate — I have come to realise that one of the most treasured lessons I have learnt is that true fulfilment only comes from falling into a rhythm that is congruent with my inner nature.

While this subject seems to be rather self-centred or a narrow field of discussion, it really does pertain to most aspects of life. It is simply an example of how we are socialised to conform. This is an example of how we often make the mistake that it is more important to conform, than to be true to form; true to our unique rhythms and ourselves.

We are indoctrinated into set patterns and expected to pick a suitable box in order to ‘fit in’ to society. The truth is that society is made of people such as ourselves and we are society. Society is not what we ‘should be’, but rather the sum of us as individuals.

Being a conforming individual is often confused with being tolerant and accommodating! You can be all those things and yet not bend to the pressures to conform. If our planet had more tolerant and accommodating individuals rather than conforming ones, we would be a much happier species.

There is room for everyone to be unique and peace is not dependant on conformity. Blind conformity is a tool used by the few to influence the masses into doing their bidding!

Strive to be a complete individual rather than what society dictates.

TakeawayIcon

Takeaways:

Be true to your body’s own rhythms and ‘natural’ patterns and not what is ‘expected’, but do not use it as an excuse for procrastination.

There is room for every type and personality. Every new human being is cut from a new and unique cookie cutter!

CHAPTER

3

Curiosity and Research

Do not bother me .... I am far too busy to think!

I have learnt most of what I know about life by being curious. I ask many questions about subjects I know little about. I research when I need confirmation. I will attempt doing just about any task if I feel I am able to.

I have always had a natural curiosity about everything. Children are often referred to as sponges eagerly absorbing all stimuli and information the world presents. I guess I just never got out of that phase. I am a grey-haired sponge of sorts! If it intrigues me, I investigate. If it fascinates me, I research it. If it overwhelms me with an obsessive compulsion, then I make it an enduring pet project.

I am not really a person that enjoys studying out of a book in order to write examinations on set subjects. Throughout my tertiary education I seldom ever really studied at the year-end finals. What I picked up by attending class is usually what got me by. If it interested me, I took it all in. I would ask endless questions, postulate ideas, and generally annoy everyone else who simply wanted to get out of class early! If I was not even remotely interested, then my mind simply wandered elsewhere to more interesting pastures.

That natural curiosity is what has helped my mind to keep active and continually work overtime. I suppose being mentally hyperactive probably had a little to do with it too. As alarming as it may sound to most people, I am often more comfortable multitasking than simply doing one thing at a time.

I love manuals for newly purchased electronic goods. I am sure to be seen walking around guided by only peripheral vision, looking for power adapters, available power points, batteries for the remote, trying to find just the right spot and angle for my new toy, all the while reading the manual and specifications held in my left hand.

Years ago, when I was a lot younger and possibly just a little silly, I attempted to dye a green sisal carpet a lovely shade of Caribbean blue. I researched as to where I could obtain enough dye to physically cover a four by five metre carpet, how to apply the dye, and then of course where I would actually undertake this mammoth task!

I ordered a large batch of ‘Caribbean Blue’ dye via post (since I could not buy up enough dye locally). Next challenge was where to apply the dye to aforementioned and unsuspecting sisal carpet. Since my late father would have been none too happy with a fresh blue tint applied to his paved driveway I opted for the lawn! After all, it was organic and would grow out of its blue hue in time.

I thoroughly scrubbed the carpet, dragged it onto the lawn, and began applying my lovely new shade of blue. The result was spectacular. I left the carpet to dry in the sun. It is a pity that the result was a rather short-lived effect! The sisal never absorbed the blue dye and it simply ran off after the initial wash to get the excess dye off the weave.

I still have this carpet in my office after all these years! It is still a stubborn shade of dull green but it is now tinted with a hint of blue along the edges! The moral of this little anecdote is that a person