Kategori: Reflections…

The importance of reinventing yourself…

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Have you ever hoped for something very strongly and then experienced the disappointment that follows defeat…? I believe it happens to everyone at least once in a lifetime and probably many times to most of us! The distance between the peaks of high hope and the abyss seem unimaginable, but it’s amazing how fast you can go from one to the other… Back in the day when internet and computers didn’t exist, I imagine it would take a while to get bad news and thus the hope remained for that much longer. Nowadays, it only takes the time you need to write an email and send it, before the receiver goes from hope to devastation… 

However, the point of writing this is not so much to dwell in the self pity that might follow bad news, as it is to focus on the importance of staying in the moment and reinventing yourself! The immense disappointment of receiving bad news should always be taken seriously, but it’s what you do next that makes all the difference! The process of waiting for news, whatever they may be, is very tiresome. You’re waiting for something and that something, makes it difficult to focus on everything else… It might get to the point where you loose interest in most things, simply because you’re waiting and hoping for the best! When you get the news, good or bad, it releases a lot of adrenaline and that’s when you need to be ready to act! Being able to accept disappointment, is also what will make you able to rethink your situation or change your focus…

It all comes down to your outlook on life(or situation), I guess… If you’re able to see the defeat as something that wasn’t ment to be, you’ll probably have a better chance of changing your focus and using it for something positive! The ability to let something go, is also what will make you able to refocus your mind on what comes next. The reinventing of yourself, or lack thereof, will determine wether or not your disappointment is just that or in fact an opportunity to do something completely different in or with your life! Do yourself a favor and don’t dwell too much on the why and what if’s… Instead, use all the newly released capacity to make a change and head in a new direction! 

Pink prosecco
In my own disappointment, I choose to celebrate life and enjoy some pink prosecco…

Muffin Monday…

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Every once in a while it’s important to relax and, if you have the time, do some activities that takes your stress level down a few notches… Ever since I was a young teenager, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchen and baking always relaxes me! At some point, I even wanted to be a baker when I grew up… Now a days, I try to combine my love for baking with a healthy lifestyle and that includes paying attention to what I actually put in the different batters and cake mixes. Make no mistake, I really like my cakes and desserts the way they were invented! But I find that on regular weekdays, it’s ok to avoid white flour and sugar when possible. In addition to being a good choice health wise, the whole food recipes are just as tasty as their white food counterparts!

My focus on healthier recipes has developed alongside a stronger focus on exercise and wanting to pay more attention to what I eat. Not that I had a very unhealthy diet to begin with, but it’s also true that you are what you eat! And since I’m not 25 anymore, except in my head, it’s important to be proactive!

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to get this healthy muffin recipe from a friend of mine and I’ve used it on a regular basis ever since! The basic recipe is very easy and the finished result is only limited by your own imagination or what ever you have in your cupboards. Since this is a whole food muffin, it’s perfect as a smaller in-between meal or as a snack  when you go for a hike. If you add chocolate chips to the batter or serve it with ice-cream, it becomes a less unhealthy dessert or afternoon treat.

 

muffins
Healthy muffins…

The recipe: 

200 g oatmeal

300 g low-fat vanilla curd   (mager vaniljekesam)

2 eggs

0.5 dl vegetable oil (any type of healthy oil without a distinct flavor)

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons brown sugar

Adjust the batter with whole wheat or other wholemeal of choice.

 

Add-ons to the recipe can be: Apple, cinnamon and nutmeg; Chocolate, cottage cheese and raisins; Frozen berries (blueberries,redcurrants, blackcurrants etc) and rapsberryjam; Etc…

 

Baketime: 20-25 minute /  200 degree celsius in the middle of the oven

Approx 8 large muffins

 

 

Wether you decide to bake muffins or not, enjoy your Monday and make sure you find your own stress relief 🙂

What type of chili are you?

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Did you know that there might be close to 3000 different types of chili peppers? According to this webpage, there are 25 varieties growing in the wild and between 2000 – 3000 varieties cultivated across the globe. I’m sure you’ve heard of the most common chilis, such as habanero,  jalapeño, poblano and cayenne… A more complete list can be found here.

The fascinating thing about chilis, are the enormous varieties in which they come… I’ve always heard that size matters, meaning the smaller the chili the hotter it is! The heat of a chili is measured in SHU – Scoville Heat Unit – and the Carolina Reaper is currently holding the record for being the worlds hottest with as much as 2,200,000 SHU. In comparison, you’ll find the average jalapeño between 2,500 – 8000 SHU.

Homegrown chili - Hot Banana variety
Homegrown chili – Hot Banana variety

Much like chilis, human beings are very different as well… We come in all shapes and forms, some have a hot appearance & others a hot temper. Skinny, heavy, tall, short with different sexual orientations and various racial origins. Born into poverty or richness, depending on where you’re from. Fortunate to be born into a peaceful and democratic country or growing up knowing nothing but war and tragedy! Regardless of these variations, every human being is born equal and should be treated as such!

It’s been said that 20 % of the worlds population consume 80% of it’s resources! In other words, the lifestyle we have in the industrialized countries exist solely because of the lack thereof in the third world countries. It comes down to people thinking better of themselves and in doing so, degrading others based on religion, race and geography. If you look at Africa, you’ll find that as little as two countries are considered never to have been colonised – these being Liberia and Ethiopia. The actions of our predecessors are haunting us today and continues to be a strong divider between us and them!

The big question is how to change it and make this world a better and more equal place to live? I believe that prejudice is something we learn from early on and this is supported in research.

“Social learning theory suggests that prejudice is learned in the same way other attitudes and values are learned, primarily through association, reinforcement and modeling.” Diane Maluso, Associate Professor of Psychology at Elmira College

This means that every human being also shares the responsibility of what they give to the world, first and foremost their children and others close to them. With this knowledge, we’re all accountable for whatever prejudice exist in our local community, country and ultimately the world.

So what type of chili are you? Maybe that’s the wrong question to ask since it appears that chilis, unlike us human beings, don’t have prejudice!! They just appear with the strength Mother Nature gave them…

Seize the moment…

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I was visiting my best friend last night and, as so many times before, we got to talking about future plans and potential dream jobs etc. As someone who’s just finished a year at university to complete a Bachelor’s Degree, I guess you could say that I’m a little anxious when it comes to the «getting a job» part of my future… While my friend had no problem understanding how I felt about the lack of potential jobs at the moment, he also challenged me to think about it differently… Why not just enjoy the summer and leave the stress behind, since it does little to solve your situation and a lot to potentially ruin it? Maybe you’ll look back to the summer of 2015 and realize that it was the best summer of your life because you had complete freedom!  It made me think about how I live my life and how I would like to live it! Do I spend too much time planning the future or thinking about everyone else and what their opinion might be?

It seems to me that, in order to be considered successful in life, we have to work long hours every day and be engaged in several activities in our spare time. We need to renovate our houses every other year to stay updated with the latest trends and it appears that, while we have everything we want, we’re missing out on what really matters in life… Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the trendy renovations or updating with the newest gadgets that the market supply! And I’m no better than the next guy, when it comes to being part of social media or wanting new things… I’m just thinking that somewhere along the way, we lost touch with the ability to enjoy the small things and live in the moment!

When I look back at a certain day or week, I realize that the moments I cherish the most are the moments that enhance my life quality. Wether it be a friendly conversation on the verandah while having coffee or going for a walk by myself listening to music, those moments matter! And why not make the most of it while I have the chance… I know I’ll get that job sometime soon and I’ll be busy as you wouldn’t believe, while doing exactly as my friend predicted: thinking back to the summer of 2015 when I had complete freedom and could do exactly as I wanted!

Are you ready to stop and seize the moment?