HOW DO WE FIND MEANING IN LIFE ?

Just a little bit of existential philosophy/therapy; the beauty of this aspect of philosophy is its emphasis on human’s freedom, choices, responsibility and problems that arise with existence. We may often  be caught-up with the busyness of the day where sometimes we become overwhelmed, anxious , stressed and have no time to question what this all means for us or what we want from life.Existential philosophy explores some of its themes viz-a-viz.

Freedom: is an essential principle of existentialism, our freedom to choose allows each of us to transcend the immediate circumstances of our life, we done. have to be victimized by nature, others or self unless of course this freedom is underdeveloped or denied.
Responsibility: with freedom comes the assumption of full responsibility for what we become. Nothing or no one can be blamed for who we are. Freedom and responsibility are inseparable.People must accept responsibility for directing their own lives.

Choices: The comportment in which we live and what we turn out to be are as a result of our choices.

Existence: One can distinguish 4 dimensions of human existence, the physical, social, psychological and spiritual. On each of these dimensions people encounter the world and shape their attitude out of their particular take on their experience. Our orientation towards the world defines our reality. The four dimensions are obviously interwoven and provide a complex four dimensional force field for our existence. We are stretched between a positive pole of what we aspire to on each dimension and a negative pole of what we fear.

What I love about this branch of philosophy is its flexibility. It acknowledges our freedom to think , explore self subsequently arriving with our own meanings .It philosophizes that the essence of human existence lies in searching for meaning and purpose.Meaning in itself is however,not automatic.We must seek it .We must trust ourselves to search from within and find our own answers.In addition,life is not meaningful in itself; the individual must create and discover meaning.
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Uhanan Musa

PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance is a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state etc., especially. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. It is a skill when learnt that can help push us toward our goals and perhaps missions. It determines how we manage various situations we find ourselves in from time to time. My experience of perseverance is like pushing through a brick wall; it’s sometimes not one of the most pleasant feelings or experiences but the end results are generally outstanding and rewarding. Most of us at one time or the other will be faced with a situation(s) which will call for perseverance. This should explain the need to master this skill as one of the many life learning survival skills.  It is sometimes worth looking deeply at the situations weighing both the pros and cons as well as working out what the end result will most likely be before you dip yourself into the need to preserve .This in itself requires skills and practice based on your experience.
For some it is time to make changes; you may be fed up of leaping from one thing or situation to the other without getting results. For others you may just want to be more persistent in whatever you are currently doing or trying to accomplish.

So here are few tips to try bear in mind

1,Open mind:Having an open mind basically from my own experience means the ess need to be quick to judge or jump to conclusions. Its a person's ability to hear and understand others even if you totally or do not agree nor accept what they are saying or doing. This is a way of opening yourselves to new experiences where you can tap into new ideas subsequently learn and move forward.

2,Focus and Purpose: When I had my driving lessons years ago I could remember my instructor saying to me “be aware of things especially passerby around you but keep looking ahead and stay focused”. I thought “its alright for you to sit there and tell me what to do”. My first few lessons were obviously awful but then I had to stay focused because I had defined a purpose I wanted to drive to make my shopping for groceries easier; so with practise I sailed through and passesd. My point here is keep pushing on;  that is look ahead , focus and always have a purpose. It is a good motivating factor. P.S note: I have used driving as an example but this may well be applicable to different life experiences.

3,Motivation:Defining a purpose should drive your motivation. Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful ~ Mark Victor Hansen.

 4,Positivity: Surround yourself with positive people those who will support, encourage and inspire you throughout the whole process.Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks~Johann Gottfried Von Herder.

5,Responsibility: it is easy to avoid perseverance if you blame everyone and everything around you. So explore different ways to take responsibility for your own actions. In my view responsibility equals growth and maturity.When you blame others, you give up your power to change~Author Unknown.

6,Patience; we cannot talk about perseverance and not mention the word endurance which indirectly means we sometimes need to be patience .Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience~Thinkexist

7,Hopeful:we need to be hopeful for perseverance to work . I was listening to one of Jim Rohn CD’s where he was saying humans are incredible and are able to do incredible things and I belief that ! Once you set your mind to the task or whatever you hope to accomplish you must achieve it because you can! Don’t be discouraged.It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock ~Author Unknown.

8,Be dynamic: know when to review what you are driving towards and make changes along the way as needed.

9,Spirituality: If you do pray or meditate.please integrate this into your life /plan. I feel we all can benefit from spiritual support and growth. People who preserve situations generally feel more confident, happier and are able to talk from experience; this is what money cannot buy So when you do have a moment, review areas in your life that may need a bit of perseverance and start making changes. Good Luck
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Uhanan Mimi

BE AN OVERCOMER

When you look deep within yourself, there lies a hidden compartment where strength lives. Everything in life that happens to you whether good or bad-is all for your benefit. When you look back on past events that almost stole your happiness, your trust and your whole being--you realize now that you did not die but in fact you are alive and well. The aftermath of failure, downfall, depression, sickness, and disappointments are success, happiness, and achievements. When you resolve in yourself and in your mind that nothing absolutely nothing can stop you--that is when life begins.You are unmovable, insurmountable and undefeatable. Nothing can take away your pride, happiness, success or your self being without your permission. You must go through life with authority, believing that you can overcome any and everything. Being an overcomer is a choice and a lifestyle. An overcomer is a person who goes through with an understanding that everything happens for his or her own good. 

I challenge you to be an overcomer today. To go through life with authority and to tap into your vault of strength. Show the world that you are indeed unstoppable.Remember that you have the power to change the direction of your life. Being an overcomer is not only a choice but a lifestyle as well.

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Uhanan Mimi

FEELING BLESSED

Do you feel blessed? Some people wonder what it means to be blessed. The word blessed can mean a number of things such as blissful, having great happiness, and having comfort or joy. Being blessed is both spiritual and physical. To feel more blessed, take time to understand the meaning and purpose of the word.What's the Meaning of Being Blessed?There are many things that can help you feel blessed by God, and each person has different things that work for them. When you are blessed, God’s character is incorporated into you and your everyday activities. To be blessed means that you give thanks for things in your life and are grateful. Hardships are even a part of feeling blessed as not everything is positive.

Tips to Feel Blessed

Some of us feel stressed rather than blessed and look for ways to feel blessed. Here are a few things that you can do to feel more blessed daily:

Breathe!

You should realize that you are not the only one feeling stressed. No matter how strong your faith may be, we all can become stressed. Stop and take a breathe and just relax. Deep breathing calms the mind.

Don’t Become Isolated

Make sure you are around friends as well as family to keep you social and not alone. If you have people you have not seen or talked to for a long time, give them a call and talk to them. Catch up on old times. Listen to them share their experiences with you.Having friends to talk to means you are blessed and it's worth it.

Random Acts of Kindness

Another great way to feel blessed is to send a random act of kindness to a friend or someone. For example, send flowers or a card to a friend or family member who is sick. You can also send an e-mail or even a text message to let someone know you are thinking of them. There are many things you can do to show kindness to others.

Count Your Blessings

Each night before you go to bed, take a minute to think about all of the many things you have to be thankful for in your life. Think about the many good things that happened to you during the day. Even the small things count as sometimes we seem to forget that the small things can have a huge impact on ourselves and others.

Move About

Instead of sitting on the couch, get up. Move around and take a walk or do some yard work. A great thing to do is to act as if you are a tourist and see what your entire town has to offer. Go buy yourself something nice.

Focus on what the word ‘blessed’ means to you and work proactively to encourage more of the feeling in your own life.
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Uhanan Mimi

HONOURING YOURSELF

For Single Ladies:7 Important points on Honouring Yourself.

1. A relationship is about mutual respect and honour.

2. You are worthy of honour and respect. If you don’t learn to honour yourself, you won’t be honoured in your relationship. If you don’t love yourself, no one will love you.

3. Learn to treat yourself with respect. Your significant other observes the way you treat yourself. If you treat yourself badly, guess how you will be treated by your significant other?

4. If something dishonours you in any way, you have to face it and stop it in your life. For instance, if you work in a place where you are treated less than a human being, it will crush your spirit and make you feel bad about yourself. Simply do all within your power to find another job.

5. We teach people how to treat us. If you don’t show your significant other how you want to be treated, you will be treated the best way that he knows how to and that may not be good for you. Gently explain to him the way you love to be treated and be ready to do the same for him.

6. A relationship is not a slave contraption. It is a value contraption. If you have to dishonour yourself to remain in a relationship, you are better off without it. Don’t beg to remain in a relationship in which you are not wanted, respected and honoured.

7. The more value you add to yourself, the more it will reflect in your relationship and in the way you are treated by your significant other. Value attracts honour and respect. In Proverbs 31, a woman of value attracts the respect of her husband:her husband ‘praises her and calls her the best.’ You can be the same.
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Uhanan Mimi

COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE TO FACE YOURS FEARS

Some people think that courage and confidence are comparable, while others think they’re opposed to each other.
What is courage?
Courage, as people say, is the grace under pressure. It is the ability to stand even after a great fall. It is the overcoming of adversities regardless of the odds. And most of the time, it is the belief that everything is sensible even if the circumstance is beyond our understanding. It can be physical bravery, when you are able to withstand physical pain or moral courage when you have the guts to do the right thing in the face of antagonism. It’s like being trapped between a rock and a hard place and still able to break out from it. As Mark Twain put it in plain words, ‘Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.’What is Confidence?It is how you hold yourself in any given situation. It’s about thinking about yourself and feeling good about it. It’s the acceptance of consequences that may arise from a situation, may it be good or bad, and not dwelling too much about it. It’s finding accomplishment instead of drowning in the possibility of failure. But do not mistake being confident to thinking that you are better than others and acting all high and mighty. That’s arrogance, not confidence.Are Courage and Confidence Parallel or Paradoxical?Courage is the assurance that you can win despite your fear. Confidence is the courage to think that you are capable of doing something. Some people believe that courage is more of an emotional thing while confidence is more of an intellectual thing. Others believe that to have one is to have another. Defining courage and confidence is like giving meaning to something that is too complex and too simple at the same time. But whatever it is that you believe in, it is important to have bravery and self-assurance You can’t just feel them in a heartbeat, so how do you go from cowering and running away to being cool, calm and collected?How to achieve courage and confidence?The first step to achieve bravery and confidence is doing a reality check. What is it that’s holding you back? What is it that makes you fearful? Why do you feel incompetent upon given situation? Identify your weaknesses and strengths. If you know your strengths, utilize it. Exploit it! Start with small things first and try to accomplish it. Even a tiny bit of fulfilment will boost your morale and help you explore bigger things. When it comes to your weakness, ever heard of desensitization? It is a technique used in overcoming fears. To put it simply, it’s like exposing yourself to your fear bit by bit, until you’re no longer susceptible to it. The more exposure, the more you've become used to it.Self-consciousness can also deter you from having courage and confidence. If you keep finding fault in yourself, the more you beat down your self- assurance and slowly extinguishing the hidden bravery in you, because you are your worst critic.
Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful
Mark Victor Hansen.

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Uhanan Mimi

A REASON, A SEASON, A LIFETIME

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong -doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But only for  a season.

 LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. 
Thank you for being a part of my life

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Uhanan Mimi

TURNING DREAMS TO REALITY

How many times do you sacrifice your dreams because reality says you should do so? As we journey through life we have ideas and dreams of how our lives should be. We develop certain ideals as yard-sticks-but reality soon sets in.
When we think of reality we think of being in a state of what's real. The role of reality is to wake you up from dreaming but it should not stop you from dreaming nor should it stop you from turning your dreams into reality. Reality is self perceived-you have the power to not only change your surroundings but to create your own reality.Don't let the power of "reality" dictate what you can or cannot achieve. Remember reality is self-perceived. Do not let reality control you. You create reality, don't let it create you!

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Mimee PK

I OWN EVERYTHING ABOUT ME

I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it -- I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know -- but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.

Virginia Satir

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Uhanan Mimi

HOW TO MANAGE SELF DOUBT

Self doubt is a limiting factor and should be eliminated from our thoughts in order to achieve the accomplishments we set out for ourselves. Not one person is better than the rest or even perfect than the rest. There are a few different ways to help eliminate the self doubt you may have. There are a few different ways to achieve this and you may need to try a few different methods to find what suits you.
7 ways to conquer Self Doubt
Talk to Others
A great way to manage your self doubt is to find someone who has gone through the same thing and has done what you are trying to do; a mentor so to speak. This will give you the opportunity to see how they have achieved their accomplishments, giving you the confidence and roadmap to achieve them yourself.

Be Compassionate

You should find ways to be thankful for things in your life. If you show compassion towards others, this can let them know that you have empathy. Don’t be afraid to show compassion as you will get the same in return.

Laugh

Laughter is a great way to help manage self doubt. Try to find humor with everyday activities you do. You will feel more confident when you laugh and you will notice the self-doubt disappear almost instantly. Laughter can be a great stress reliever and is good for your health.

Don’t Give Up

If you have a goal or dream you want to reach, don’t let anything stand in your way. If you are faced with a dilemma, try to find ways to work through it instead of giving up.

Overcome Weaknesses

This is another great way to help eliminate self doubt. If you are working towards achieving something and come across a weakness, try to think of a way to avoid it. Set up a fame plan to help you along the way. Once you have one in place, use it and you will be able to overcome any weakness that may present itself.

Making Mistakes

By admitting that you are wrong when you make a mistake, you are showing others that you can stand up for yourself. People will also have more respect for you. People tend to have a higher self-esteem when they are respected by others. No one is better or perfect than the rest of us and being around those that do think they are perfect can make others feel bad about themselves.

Take Up a Hobby

Taking up a hobby can also help increase your self-esteem. Taking up a hobby can also give you a feeling of accomplishment. You may also have a more positive attitude and feel more confident about yourself. Take up gardening, or a type of sport, or anything that interests you.
By eliminating self doubt from your life, you will be able to achieve your dreams and goals. Stay positive as this will also make things easier for you and can help reach your dreams. Not only will doing good things for yourself create a self-image that is positive, but so will doing things for others around you.
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Uhanan Mimi

CREATING A FIRM FOUNDATION

Plant your feet in solid ground. Build your house on rock rather than sand. Build lasting relationship rather than fleeting romances. Seek the house of the Lord rather than the "House" then the Lord. These are some catch phrases to remind you to create a firm foundation. Why is it important to create a firm foundation, I will tell you why? Creating a firm foundation prevents you from loosing your yourself and everything you have worked hard for.

How do you create a firm foundation? You create it by building your life upon principles, individual set of values, morals, your religion and so forth. Principles like honesty, integrity and values like responsibility and bravery. Each value system differs from person to person. By governing your life by these ideals, it will help during the most difficult time. As for me my faith in God helps me through many situations. I'm not the type of person to carry my relationship with God on my shoulder rather I choose to carry it in heart and mind. Those are the values and beliefs that govern my life and in which I choose to build my house upon.

It is important that we let our beliefs and morals be at the forefront in our lives. Let it guide you and speak for you. Your actions speak louder than your words. And your actions are a depiction of your lifestyle. And your lifestyle is a mirror of who you are. Remember every great structure needs a firm foundation.

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Uhanan Mimi

MOVING FORWARD

This is the time where we all need to continue to press forward. There is no other time like now in which our present and future calls us to become manifestations of our dreams. We all have goals and visions in life. And we must fulfill them. Your destiny will partly help but perserverance solidfies it. Many of us have dreams and goals that are like visions in which we seize to nurture. The time is now for you to carry out the goals you set before yourself. Whether it be a new business, finishing school and etc.--the reason why is because, there are some of you who are chosen to make a significant difference. And you must take advantage of time. We are discouraged and perplexed from many angles...still yet you must move forward. You cannot let your problems (or what you view as problems) deter you from your goals. This may sound cliche...but it is the truth. I come across alot of people who have something powerful about them, but sadly they don't know it or realize it yet. Time waits for no man and time will pick someone else if you are not ready to step up to the plate. The reason why we do not have transformational leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Mahandis Ghandi is because many of us are not willing to make huge sacrifices for the betterment of thier neighbor. We believe by getting an education we then educate the youth...yes..but our youths need visible leaders who will inspire them to become higher than just teachers or professors. We don't need to read about social movements or non violent protests...we need inspiration to have one.
We need to be inspired to write books, not to read them. To make speeches, not to listen to them. To become leaders, not to read about them. As an individual we need to move forward in our own personal lives. We need to become more active in this process of life.


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Uhanan Mimi

A CONFIDENT WOMAN

A confident woman is a strong woman. She is rooted in her values and convicted by her truths. She walks with authority and does not settle for less. A confident woman is a hard-working woman, who is aware of her gifts and basks in her accomplishments. Are you a confident woman?
Here are ten steps to building your confidence:
1. Be comfortable in your own skin.
2. Look good and feel good.
3. Work towards becoming a better you.
4. Write your goals on paper.
5. Read self-help books.
6. Surround yourself with positive people.
7. Discover your passions and strengths.
8. Speak Up.
9. Look Up
10. Love yourself.

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Uhanan Mimi

EMPATHY

The power of empathy, to be able to feel, identify and relate to the experiences of others. How different would this world be, if people could sense and feel the pain of others? If we could picture ourselves in the shoes of others and understand their world, I believe it would be a better world. The problem with people is that when we look at others we only look but we do not feel. We ought to be grateful and appreciative to God because we could be in the same situations as others has found themselves to be in.
The whole point of life in my perspective is to see how your life can be meaningful to others. It is to learn from people, help others, be kind and respectful and most of all be empathic and compassionate. It takes a sincere human being to truly understand others, to understand their actions, decision, mistakes, grievances, accomplishments and so much more. It takes a pure-hearted person to not turn their nose up to a homeless person or to look down on a prostitute. Life is all about circumstances, it is because of circumstances that people find themselves in certain situations. You could have been that homeless person or that prostitute, but it is by the grace of God that you are where you are. And it is the grace of God that you have come out of whatever demons that troubled you.
Learn how to love genuinely, talk with honesty, walk with integrity, feel with empathy, hear with wisdom and act as if you owed the world your life. It is not enough to say, "I know how you feel," the world needs more people who not only understands but to truly feels.

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Uhanan Mimi