We all have a path, a journey that is lived out through our lives and envisioned with our dreams. Finding your way is never a simple pursuit in this rugged and busy stream of animated experiences called life.

The foundations of constructing a castle in the sky are the hardest; they need patience as they are painful and hard. It is your experience that will uncover hidden truths and aid you in your journey. 

Through your quest of endurance you will soon learn to take the winters as they come and enjoy the warmth of the Sun while it last, it is all part of an inevitable cycle of the ultimate design. 

Nature true relationships and never forget to love from the heart for all is One. Realize that everything worth living for is gained through dedication, discipline and unmoved focus. It is the choices we make that get us ever closer in reach of our true calling. 

A masked reality of hope will arise and you will be given a thought that will force you make a choice. Giving up half way in is never an option; learning to take the tides of your world will keep you strong and ground you below. Familiarize yourself with your surroundings deception and mirages are all around you. 

Today begins your voyage in crafting your path of self Seeking. It is at this moment that you will refrain from looking into the future, be present and live each moment as its own never compared with eyes of the past.

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Dickies South Africa | C O N S T R U C T Chronicles | Awareness

At some point in everyone’s life they will have to become re-inspired, and reconnect with what truly drives and motivates them. People grow, interests change, and if you are a social innovator, maintaining your creative edge will help to keep your social venture thriving. The ability to be mindful can come in handy when you find yourself lacking inspiration and motivation. Think about these three suggestions the next time you find yourself in need of some creative inspiration:

1. Discover YOU. As your interests and ideas change over time, it is important to always be in a constant state of learning and discovery about who you are and what you want in life. Discover and question your own brand of creativity by trying new activities, contemplating divergent ideas, meeting new people, and making time for yourself every day. When you find yourself in a comfortable rut, sometimes experiencing a little discomfort helps to invigorate and motivate you to take action towards a new and exciting path.

2. Take action NOW. As the famous psychoanalyst Carl Jung once said, "You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do". Those who truly seek change, will do whatever it takes. Find out what it takes, and go do it! You don’t have to get it right the first time, or second. You don’t even have to finish right away. What’s important is that you start. Feeling insecure? Talk to like-minded people to gain support or enlist a trusted mentor to help your confidence and get advice. Feeling overwhelmed? Carry a pen and notebook with you to record thoughts or your mobile phone, most basic ones have note pad apps so no excuses! It is vital and a master tool to note anywhere and anytime you feel inspired. Above all, don’t be afraid of where this may take you, as there is always the opportunity to learn something new.

3. Make sure it’s FUN! If you are going to set out to become inspired, it’s definitely going to be more challenging if you don’t plan to have fun along the way. Part of re-discovering what motivates you, is doing the things that you are passionate about. Spending time doing the things you enjoy doesn’t have to be frivolous, hobbies can strengthen skills and create new opportunities for learning and adventure. It’s up to you to take the plunge!


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Creative fuel | Awareness
   

Being true to who we are isn't always easy. Most of us wind up spending more time than we like in a state of phoniness, faking enthusiasm for our "friends" playing impressed with your boss’s lame ideas, laughing at jokes we don’t think are funny, spending time with people who's consciousness isn't in-line with yours for the sake of security or even working for companies we no longer believe in.

Turns out all that false behaviour exacts a price, according to new research from Northwestern University. It actually makes us feel as immoral as if we’d cheated or lied.

“We wanted to understand the deep psychological effects of being inauthentic,” says Maryam Kouchaki, Ph.D., a professor of organizational behavior. She says the new research shows that inauthenticity doesn't just feel lousy. We feel so dirty that we actually want to wash more.

The researchers asked one group of participants to write about an experience that made them feel inauthentic, and another group to write about a time when they felt especially true to themselves. They then asked subjects to fill in missing letters in cleansing-related words. “W _ _ h was more likely to be completed as "wash" by the inauthentic group, for example, and "wish" by the people who had written about authenticity. The participants who felt phony were more likely to say they wanted to use cleansing products and take part in cleansing behaviors than the group who had written about authenticity. It turns out that the sense of being inauthentic inspires the same feeling of being dirty that doing something immoral does.

“We were surprised at the strong connection this group felt to immorality,” Kouchaki says.

The research also suggests that to ease the guilt that comes from that feeling of falseness, we’re more prone to good deeds. The inauthentic group was significantly more likely to volunteer to help experimenters out with a 15-minute survey, for instance.

For anyone looking to make changes in order to feel more authentic in their lives—whether in their work or relationships—the findings offer plenty of validation: When we can’t show our true colors, we suffer. The price we’re likely to pay for being disloyal to our true selves, Kouchaki says, “is distress, and feelings of being morally tainted.”

Always keep it real.

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Life Imagined | Awareness