BALI - the gratitude island.

This was my second time visiting this stunning island. I call it gratitude island, simply because this is where I truly understood the meaning of gratitude. The genuine smiles from the locals will always stay with me, as they are so rich within. They prioritise the human spirit and its needs, rather than simply material or physical things.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”  

- Melody Beattie -

It is so inspiring to watch hotels, shops, restaurants and homes present their offerings to the gods, they start each day with a blessing and with gratitude. This alone showed me that we should follow their example, and understand that we must find balance between the physical and nonphysical. Showing gratitude daily as we press on with our modern lives will help our deep emotional and physical imbalance. Too many people in developed countries have been conditioned to focus on problems rather than solving them; they’re drowning in depression and addiction instead of keeping the faith. They also chase money over wellbeing and a balanced life, and sadly, only believe in what they can see instead of believing, in order to create. Thoughts are the beginning of all things in our world.

Bali has so much to offer starting with the goodness of the locals, then all of its wonders: the secret sanctuaries; the peaceful temples, the hidden magical forests, and so much more. 

"Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit."  - Frank Borman -

My favourite place is the sacred Monkey Forest, what an experience that was! The monkeys are truly at peace. They’ll chase you around if you have bananas, and believe me, they won’t stop until they have them. These monkeys are such great entertainers. They can play for hours, trying to open your bags, bite your water bottles, and occasionally stealing anything you've left unprotected. They will also jump on you when you least expect it! My advice is to enjoy their presence, but don’t provoke them or try to touch them, they are animals with primitive instincts after all. It’s an amazing experience you will never forget!

The temples across Bali are majestic, they’re all as breath taking as each other, but many tourists miss out on the energy of these stunning temples.  For them its more about selfies than being in the moment and soaking up the vibes of thousands of years of history. You will have to wear a sarong to enter most temples as appropriate clothing is a must. Of all the temples that we visited Tanah Lot was my favorite. You can be blessed at the holy spring, emerging with grains of rice stuck to your forehead, which seem to remain stuck for a really long time.  You can also touch the head of a lucky snake in a cave opposite the holy spring, and both are said to bring peace and goodness into your life. The local guides will often recommend you to watch the sunset from Tanah Lot, and I can promise a spectacular view. If you hang around for a few minutes after sunset, you will also see the thousands of bats flying from their cave to hunt for food, but don't worry they won't come near you. Just imagine thousands of bats filling the sky, something you’ll only see once in a lifetime! Dracula would have been proud!

The beautiful waterfalls are not to be missed. Northern Bali has a stunning hidden heaven off the main tourist trail, with several shining waterfalls all in one spot. When the sun hits at a certain angle, it's like a shower of million diamonds falling from the sky and melting into the water. In the pool at the bottom there was a group of young local boys splashing in the water and enjoying their natural playground. If we could replace all the time that humans spent playing video games, watching TV or transfixed on their phone, by enjoying the wonders of Mother Nature, I believe our lives would be much more relaxed and fulfilled. 

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” 

- Jalaluddin Rumi - 

Bali doesn't disappoint. It will enrich your soul, remind you of what’s important in life, show you the magnificence of mother nature, share its rich traditions, and feed you with its stunning and exotic fruits. It is simply a wonderful destination.

Travel the world, and bring some of their beautiful traditions and culture home! 
We have so much to learn from each other.

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ARE YOU A PEOPLE PLEASER?

Do you put your needs after everyone else’s? Do you wait for people to be happy, so you can feel happy? Do you always say – YES? Do you give more to others than you give to yourself? Are you always organising other people’s lives?

Well, if you answered yes to many of these questions you are simply putting yourself second best. This behaviour is deeply rooted in your past, whether it is abusive parents, harsh critics, an absence of love, neglect, unrealistically high expectations of yourself or feeling at odds with society. 

Being continuously criticised or neglected causes the need for excessive control by trying to please everyone and projecting a sense of perfection. There are many people with this behaviour, and often there is one commonality – the fear of rejection or failure. Your attempt to please the world leaves you feeling like you’ve done something good; by always helping and giving you think people will have to love you in return.

"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing." - AUGUST WILSON -

This pattern is very destructive as you are neglecting yourself. It can make you passive aggressive and foster resentment and it may also affect your ability to enjoy other people’s company and make you reclusive. In the worst cases, it can cause acute stress and depression as you will feel like everyone takes advantage of you. When your heart is lacking love and has done for a very long time, giving and pleasing is one of the many human coping mechanisms – pleasing becomes a currency to buy a moment of love. By pleasing, you feed on the emotion of other people and it will become addictive. You’ll end up relying on other people to make you feel good, whereas it should come from within. The remedy if you’re a people pleaser is learning how to say NO! The more you give, the more you’ll feel that you have been used, where in truth it was your choice to give, no matter if people asked for something or not. The choice to say NO is always yours.

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection" - GAUTAMA BUDDHA -

You are no good to anyone if you don’t look after yourself. Your heart is in the right place, but before you feed the world you must feed yourself. Give to others if you have extra, but don’t deprive yourself from things that your heart desires. Don’t let the guilt of success or personal abundance ruin your enjoyment of life. Start being generous towards yourself, as other people only need your love -- anymore than that is superfluous. You cannot buy love, but if you surround yourself with the right people they will love you unconditionally. Indulge in the things that you enjoy – by fulfilling your deepest desires and making your dreams come true, you won’t have the need to please continuously.

Most people want to surround themselves with strong and confident people; so you must learn how to say NO as otherwise you will be taken advantage of. There are many people who will try to pass you boring tasks and make you responsible for difficult situations, don’t make their life easy at the expense of yours.

“If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.”- DHIRUBHAI AMBANI -

You are an incredible human being with a bright future, just choose to see it! Release the pain from the past, your lack of love can be filled with a handful of good people and the pursuit of a happy life.

YOUR UPBRINGING & YOUR PAST DON’T DEFINE YOUR FUTURE. 

YOU DO!

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WOMEN. Why can't a woman be equal to a man?

A woman simply can't be labelled as a child bearer and slave to the opposite sex. Women certainly play the lead role in keeping the human-race going, but they are also wives, lovers, friends, business partners and so much more.

“No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Wife or Mother, if it is both, he is twice blessed indeed.” - GODFREY WINN -

I find it fascinating that women in our century are still in many ways inferior to men, even though they have proven to be as emotionally strong and intelligent. Is it because they are feminine, sensitive and concerned? That only means they care, perhaps some more than others, but in general they care. We do live in a man's world, but only because we allow it to be. Men earn more money, have better jobs and hold more positions of power. In some parts of the world they're allowed to marry several women, be educated and drive, but all these rights are forbidden to woman.

Men have had the vote since democracy was put into practice, but woman had to fight for it and even today, in some countries, woman still don't have the right to vote. Furthermore, woman in many cases are expected to give up work to raise their children; becoming a mother shouldn’t mean sacrificing the pleasures of being independent and successful. Far too many men forget they have a share in raising their own children.

New Zealand was the first country to allow women to vote in 1893, while the King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia granted women the right to vote in 2011. The United States began allowing women to vote in 1920, after the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. 

In our modern world, women are often seen as sex objects and this can easily be confirmed by observing the behaviour of some men when they’re around women. 

Guys need to understand that their behaviour towards women has an impact on society and the female psyche.

Women have the right to feel elegant, pampered, and sexy without the fear of being harassed or demeaned because they dared to turn down the attentions of a man. It is down to men to control their sex drive and primitive reactions towards beauty and the female form. Thankfully, I know and have met plenty of good men who are charming, socially aware and value woman by always treating them with respect. Ultimately, woman and men will play an equal role in the survival of our planet, and the society we build, but for now, male dominance is still global. Nevertheless, things are always changing for the better, perhaps too slowly in developing countries and theocracies (places that are governed by religion) where the power over woman can be both physically and mentally abusive.

Since the breakthrough of social media, the truth about how woman are treated in every corner of the globe is being exposed. Every day you read about rape, domestic violence, child abuse, mental torture and sexual discrimination. In some parts of the world women are sold as slaves, denied freedom and reduced to nothing – for example women living in Yemen are still waiting to obtain a right that westerners take for granted: the right to be considered a full human being! They are many good men out there, but also many that will use their physical force to boost their ego by belittling woman.

Women have showed their worth and incredible abilities throughout history. Their contributions to developed societies are undeniable, so we need to keep fighting for women who are kept in the dark without a voice. We must keep fighting for women’s rights everywhere in the world – they are still too many women and female children who are denied the freedom to be. 

“I hate men who are afraid of women's strength.” - ANAIS NIN - 

Here’s a short list of pioneers and powerful woman from the past and present; may their legacy keep growing.

Dr. Wendy Jacobson was the first woman on the moon. She flew to the moon on Apollo 23, in December, 1975. She was the first woman to walk on the moon.

Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her multi-award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show which was the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011. She has been ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and is currently North America's only black billionaire.

Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 1821 – 31 May 1910) was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, as well as the first woman on the UK Medical Register. She was the first openly identified woman to graduate from medical school, a pioneer in promoting the education of women in medicine in the United States.

Dilma Rousseff is the President of Brazil; she is one of the world's most powerful heads of state. Rousseff is more than halfway through her term as President of Brazil, the world's seventh-largest national economy.

WHATEVER YOU GIVE A WOMAN, SHE WILL MAKE IT GREATER.

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