treats from life is a buffet

Happy 90th Birthday, Nelson Mandela

2008-07-18T15:00:00.018+02:00

Today, 18th July 2008 is the 90th birthday of this remarkable man – a true icon in our times.

Here is a man who was jailed as a political prisoner for 27 years. Being in the apartheid era, one cannot begin to imagine the treatment he must have endured during that time.

On examining the virtues of “Madiba”, short of writing a book, here are a couple of pertinent points that have come to mind and can be taken as lessons for the rest of us.

A lesson in patience and perseverance

Would you have the patience to wait 27 years for the good that you believe in to come? How many of us would have given up in the first few weeks?

Would you have the stamina to persevere, at whatever cost, until the good in which you so strongly believe, happens?

A lesson in humility

Would you have the ability to swallow your pride for the sake of the greater good of all others? And then, having achieved your goal, would you be able to remain humble and unaffected?

A lesson in staying positive

Would you wallow in self-pity, or would you make use of your situation to develop and grow? (As Mandela did, continuing his studies whilst in jail.)

A lesson in forgiveness

Having been tortured and abused, would you have it in your heart to forgive your ‘enemy’, using peaceful communication as the answer rather than using anger and revenge as your weapons?

For a man to firstly agree to negotiate peacefully during his prison time and then emerge victorious without the need for retaliation is truly remarkable!

Madiba (his Clan name used as a sign of respect, also implying “head of the family”) - the head of a nation and a leader of the world.

Madiba - an incredible role-model. The examples he has set are so relevant for us all. (I almost wish he could live another 90 years at least!)

Madiba - the Madiba of Madibas – co-recipient of The Nobel Peace Prize, 1993 –
Happy Birthday!

(Nelson Mandela’s Nobel speech can be found here.)
(For a full special report on Nelson Mandela, visit here.)
(Jacaranda FM, a South African radio station, and four local musicians recorded a special birthday song for Mandela to the tune of Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday". You can view it at skit.co.za here.)

Feeling Inadequate? Not Coping? Five Tips to Help You Get By

2007-10-17T01:57:00.001+02:00

How many hats do you wear in a day?

For most of us the various roles we take on or that are forced upon us as
adults are enough to drive us crazy! Often we feel we're
just not reaching the mark - be it in one or all of the activities we set
out to perform.

It is human nature (generally) to want to do our best in all that we do. This creates
immense pressure and stress when we are carrying out our different roles -
parent, employer, employee, leader, student, spouse, etc.

So how do we cope?

Well, of course there are the 'chicken' methods which can be very tempting
but totally destructive - resorting to alcohol or substance abuse or even
the less abusive practices such as laziness, procrastination and escapism.

Here are some more constructive suggestions to help you deal with the often
overwhelming sense of not coping:

1. Step Back and Assess Priorities

Take some time out to BREATHE! You may feel you don't have the time to do
this, but it definitely does help. Just taking a few minutes at the start of
the day to assess the important tasks and prepare some kind of schedule will
make you feel more in control of your situation. (I don't particularly like
using the word 'tasks' because it implies 'duty' and in allocating your time
it is vital to allow for maintaining your relationships, and your own quiet
time. These should never be regarded as 'duties'!)

2. Is It Absolutely Necessary?

Believe it or not, not all situations are life-or-death! Attention to detail
is noble and can be impressive. However, unless you're a surgeon or the
likes, you'll find you can often get by with far less detail than you think
you need. A good question to ask before starting to do something is; "Is
this really important right now?" or "Is there anything I should be doing
right now that is more important?"

(Cari Vollmer from LifeOnTrack.com has written a great article, "Is Good
Enough, Really Good Enough?", to help you alleviate those feelings of
inadequacy. She gives a very simple, two-word answer to the dilemma. You can
read it here.)

3. Live in the 'Now'

If you've planned your day (point 1 above), there should be no reason to
crowd your mind with things that 'still need to be done'. Things such as
focus, effort, enthusiasm, positive attitude... all contribute to increasing
your levels of productivity and satisfaction.

If you're doing something you like - enjoy and make the most of it.

If it's something you don't enjoy - remember, some things just have to be
done and "all time must pass". Focus on getting it done.

4. Be Flexible

You must have learnt by now that you cannot plan everything down to the T
and expect that it will always work out that way. Sorry, but life's just not
like that. Great if all goes according to plan, but be mentally and
emotionally prepared for times when things don't quite work out as planned.
The trick is to be flexible and 'go with the flow'. You'll find that often a
'Plan B' or even a 'Plan C' work out just as well. Most times, you're the
only one who ever knew there even was a 'Plan A'! This doesn't mean you need
to spend all your time strategizing various plans - not at all! Just be
flexible - be prepared to make a quick change to your plans (or thoughts) if
you need to.

5. Stay Calm

"More haste, less speed". So the saying goes. Get yourself into a tizzy
about all you need to cope with and you're almost guaranteed to achieve
nothing. What you might achieve is an early book-in to the local rehab and a
whole bunch of unhappy people around you!

A great method for staying calm is:

Stop.
Don't say a word.
Breathe (sounds obvious, but notice whether you're holding your breath or
not next time you're about to lose your temper!)
Breathe again. And again. And again. At least five times.
If you need to speak, quickly run through points 1 - 4 above in your mind.
Take action only after you've weighed up all the possibilities and you're
certain that your decision is the best one for you (and others, if they're
involved) at this particular time.

These tips may not help to take away the responsibilities you might have.
They may not even reduce much of the pressures you have to cope with. But
keeping them in mind and practicing them will help you to deal with the
issues more constructively. This in turn will make you, and those around
you, much happier and you'll definitely gain back some sense of order.

Just give it a try.

=====================================
This article (c) Colleen Wilkinson, lifeisabuffet.co.za

New Article Added: The Real Secret

2007-09-26T16:58:00.000+02:00

We have just added a new enlightening article by Tony Mase on our website. Here he examines whether there really is a secret to obtaining what you want in life. You'll find his simple observations to be very true, and in his words, the *secret* really isn't a secret at all!

Do yourself a favor and read the article now...

New Article Added: Where Do You Go from Here?

2007-02-15T13:52:00.000+02:00

Sooner or later we all begin to look at how much we've achieved in relation to how much we still want to achieve. We also begin to panic about the time we have left to do this.

Tony Mase has written an article that takes an interesting view on how we perceive our age and the impact this perception has on our lives.

This article has been listed with others on our website, lifeisabuffet.co.za, where you will also find other related resources.

Here it is. Hope it helps you to get into that 'young' frame of mind.

==================================
Where Do You Go from Here?
- by Tony Mase
(C) Tony Mase - All Rights Reserved http://www.constructivescience.com ==================================

In response to my recent article "Are You Missing Something?", I received a question from one of my customers that went that went something like this (I've edited out the personal details):

"Your answer to the "want to win the lottery" question was truly disheartening."

"As a 71 year old widow there is no way for me to get employment let alone get into some sort of business."

"My only hope of a better life in my old age is to work towards manifesting a lottery win."

"Now, apparently there is no hope of this either."

"Where do I go from here?"

Good question. :-)

Interestingly enough...

I received several very similarly worded questions, *all* of which began with or included something like...

"I'm 40-something and I can't __________"...

Or...

"I'm 50-something and I can't __________"...

Or...

"I'm 60-something and I can't __________"...

Or...

Like this one...

"I'm 70-something and I can't __________"...

In other words...

They all included a statement of their age, followed by what they *couldn't* do as a result of it, and that their only "hope" for a better life was "manifesting (there's that word again :-)) a lottery win".

So...

Where should these good folks go from here?

Well...

For starters...

I'd *highly* recommend they stop talking about age...

Specifically...

*Their* age...

Really!

In his book "The Personal Power Course", Wallace D. Wattles, best known for his classic masterpiece "The Science of Getting Rich", wrote:

"Is it worth while to achieve health, wealth, and ability if, when we reach the age of forty five or fifty years, we are to begin to lose it all - to begin to go down hill, grow slower of step, dimmer of vision, steadily weaker in mind and body until we are reduced to absolute helplessness and dependence? If we go the common way of the world, just as we become most effective we shall begin to become ineffective; just as we gain what we want, we shall begin to lose it all.

If one is to be counted "old" and "a has been," a "back number" at fifty, life is hardly worth while."

How true! :-)

Now...

I don't know where it comes from...

Maybe it's a throwback to our childhood, when we were tossed such gems of wisdom as "now that you're eight, you can't __________ anymore" or "act your age"...

But...

In my opinion...

"Age" and what you can or can't do at a certain age, is a mental concept more than it's anything else.

And...

Like any mental concept...

It can be changed!

How, you ask?

Simple...

Let me share with you how I did it.

A number of years ago...

To no end of the amusement of people who know me...

I decided I wasn't going to have age anymore...

In other words...

I became "ageless"!

Really...

I'm not kidding you. :-)

I don't talk about age...

I don't think about age...

I don't celebrate birthdays...

I just *am*!

If you were to ask my own son how "old" his daddy is, he'd tell you his daddy doesn't have age, he's "ageless".

Now...

Once "age" is off the table...

Your possibilities are endless, aren't they?

Who says *you* can't get employment?

I knew a lady who took an early retirement at age 62, after the company she worked for was bought out.

Bored out of her mind and not real happy that, on her pension, she couldn't do all the "shopping" she used to be able to do ("shopping" was her absolute favorite pastime :- )), after a few months she went to work for another company retiring again at age 83 with another pension.

Where's it written that *you* can't start your own business?

If Ray Kroc could start McDonald's at age 52...

If Harland Sanders could start Kentucky Fried Chicken at age 66...

You can certainly start a part-time, home-based business to supplement your pension and live a "better life".

Don't have the "skills" you say?

Odds are you have far more "skills" than you give yourself credit for...

And...

Those you don't have are easily developed.

The bottom line key is this...

Remove the "mental block" that says...

"I'm 40-something and I can't __________"...

Or...

"I'm 50-something and I can't __________"...

Or...

"I'm 60-something and I can't __________"...

Or...

"I'm 70-something and I can't __________"...

And...

A whole new universe of endless possibilities will reveal itself to you!

-----

Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D. Wattles and the publisher of the "The Personal Power Course: Ten Lessons in Constructive Science, Teaching You How to Use Your Own Subconscious Energies for Health, Prosperity and Personal Achievement" ebook by Wallace D. Wattles...

=====================================================

"The Personal Power Course" by Wallace D. Wattles Ten lessons in constructive science, teaching you how to use your own subconscious energies for health, prosperity and personal achievement. Click Here => The Personal Power Course

====================================================

New Article Added: Are You Missing Something?

2007-01-31T19:30:00.001+02:00

Are you struggling to get what you want from life? Below is an article by Tony Mase with some insight as to why this could be so.

This article has been listed with others on our website, lifeisabuffet.co.za, where you will also find other related resources.

Here it is. Enjoy.

==================================
Are You Missing Something?
- by Tony Mase
(C) Tony Mase - All Rights Reserved
http://www.constructivescience.com
==================================

Not long ago, I received a question from one of my newsletter subscribers that went something like this (I've edited out the personal details):

"In say the past year I have been applying the law of attraction consciously to winning the lottery so I can get a beautiful home for myself, a car, and wonderful gifts for my family and friends."

"On occasion I might win a free ticket or maybe even ten dollars."

"What am I missing?"

"I certainly allow myself to receive, so tell me if there is something else required."

Hmmm...

Interesting question.

Even more interesting...

Believe it or not...

Is the fact that I get asked this question a lot.

More often than not...

It's preceded by a statement something like...

I've been applying the "law of attraction" to winning the lottery so I can get __________...

Or...

I'm trying to "manifest" winning the lottery so I can get __________...

Followed by the fact that it isn't working for them and then the million dollar question...

What am I missing?

Every single time I'm asked this question...

I'm immediately reminded of something Wallace D. Wattles, best known for his classic masterpiece "The Science of Getting Rich", wrote in one of the articles in his "Lessons in Constructive Science" series:

"There are altogether too many people who seek to use mental power as a means or nstrumentally by the use of which they can get something for nothing; who think that in some way the new thought may be used in taking advantage of other people, and whose mental science is in reality nothing more nor less than an attempt at robbery. It goes without saying that sooner or later these people are going to come to failure and disaster."

You see...

What all these folks are missing is simple...

Really simple...

Really, *really* simple...

Are you ready?

Here it is...

A way to *earn* the money to get what they want!

Throughout his writings, Wallace D. Wattles wrote about the importance of getting into the right business or profession for you and giving other people more in use value than you receive in cash value.

And...

Therein lies the "secret" to getting a beautiful home for yourself...

A car...

Wonderful gifts for your family and friends...

And/or...

Anything else you want that money can buy.

You know...

It's absolutely incredible to me how many people don't get this simple concept.

For some strange reason...

Totally unbeknown to me...

Maybe it's all the "law of attraction" and "manifesting" nonsense floating around out there on the Internet...

Many well-intentioned, well-meaning folks seem to think that all they have to do is sit in a corner somewhere and "meditate" what they want into their lives without giving anything of value to others in return.

Now...

Just in case you're one of them...

Let me let you in on a little secret...

It doesn't work that way!

Might it work that way someday?

Yes.

Does it work that way right now at our current state of development?

No.

If...

You believe otherwise...

You're fooling yourself.

And...

You're essentially reducing your life to a crapshoot!

So...

If you *really* want to get a beautiful home for yourself...

A car...

Wonderful gifts for your family and friends...

And/or...

Anything else that money can buy...

Scientifically...

Here's my advice...

In addition to knowing *exactly* what you want...

In addition to having the *faith* that you'll get what you want...

Get into the right business or profession for you and then put everything you've got into it, giving each person with whom you deal more in use value than you receive from them in cash value, with the intention of getting what you want.

It's that simple.

Remember...

"There are altogether too many people who seek to use mental power as a means or instrumentally by the use of which they can get something for nothing; who think that in some way the new thought may be used in taking advantage of other people, and whose mental science is in reality nothing more nor less than an attempt at robbery. It goes without saying that sooner or later these people are going to come to failure and disaster."

Don't you be one of them! :-)

-----

Tony Mase is a serious student of the works of Wallace D. Wattles and the publisher of the "The Personal Power Course: Ten Lessons in Constructive Science, Teaching You How to Use
Your Own Subconscious Energies for Health, Prosperity and Personal Achievement" ebook by Wallace D. Wattles...

=====================================================
"The Personal Power Course" by Wallace D. Wattles Ten lessons in constructive science, teaching you how to use your own subconscious energies for health, prosperity and personal achievement.
Click Here => The Personal Power Course
====================================================

Welcome the Official Life is a Buffet

2007-01-30T08:22:00.000+02:00

It’s been a while hasn’t it? Well, at last we can say that we have uploaded the official site of lifeisabuffet.co.za!

If you’ve been following this blog, we certainly hope you weren’t holding your breath in anticipation! This has been a ‘hobby’ exercise and is certainly not our day job (yet).

I must say it’s fascinating to see how the site has evolved. It seems to have taken a life of it’s own and is certainly very different today to what our original concept was. I guess that’s one of the secrets to development: get the idea, START something with it, and see where it takes you.

As with any infant, you’ll notice that this baby’s still got plenty of developing to do. We’ve had a lot of fun learning the ropes so far, and we still have so much learning to do. Our vision is now bigger than it was when it was conceived and I’m convinced life is a buffet will be with us for many years and develop into a fully matured, wise old adult long before we do!

What’s Up?

No Membership Requirements

Previously we focused on the site as a membership one. This is no longer the case. Not to say that membership is not ever going to happen – we just feel it’s best to get our message out to as many as possible before we start bringing in membership criteria.

Articles

There are a couple of thought-provoking articles at life is a buffet. Really worth a read. The list of articles will be added to regularly and promises to be a healthy stop-in for those of us who acknowledge that in life there is always something new to learn.

Audio Books

One of our affiliations is with Hear2Read, an audio book store. We have hand-picked some of the more relevant books for you to select from. Take a look and see if there’s something there for you.

Inspiring Quotations

Dotted throughout the site are words of wisdom to jog you into thinking about who you are and what you could be grateful for. As life is a buffet grows, these quotations will become a section of their own.

Free e-book

A book that really has inspired our thinking, and which we turn to often – it’s right there for you on the home page. Why not grab it now?

Stay tuned to this blog – soon we’ll be informing you of what’s in the pipeline. Now that the ball has started rolling, we’re positive it won’t take too long before we can let you in on the next exciting chapter at life is a buffet! As we now firmly believe – all good things always happen In Time, On Time and In their Own Time.

Take care.

Our Pre-Launch Site is Almost Up!

2006-08-21T06:57:00.000+02:00

You can make a difference in the world and improve your life at the same time!

Over the past few days we have been working hard at the ‘nuts and bolts’ of Life is a Buffet. This is a concept that will benefit everyone – you included! We are SO excited to get this up, and we have a very special offer coming up for our founder members.

I’m not going to say too much here, except that we know you’re going to find this an extremely useful site. Please keep an eye on this blog, because we’re going to make the pre-launch announcement here first!

Life is a Buffet - Help Your Self

2006-08-11T17:15:00.000+02:00

Did you notice the deliberate mistake in the heading? By helping yourself to the opportunities and options life presents to you, you will be taking great steps to feed your body, mind and soul, and ultimately, Help your Self!

Choosing how one deals with the various hands life deals us has a HUGE impact on how we perceive our 'lot'. We have discovered that in every aspect of life, there are many options for dealing with them. Life really is a buffet. And your choice of what you take from it will determine whether you experience life as bitter or sweet.

So you see, it's not about the circumstances you find yourself in, it's about your attitude to dealing with these circumstances - are you going to be a victim, or are you going to dump the scraps and dish up what you choose to take from it?

At Life is a Buffet we are dedicated to encouraging and motivating each other to examine the array of choices we have in our individual circumstances - without judgement. Whatever these circumstances may be - mind, body or spirit; financial, relationships or health. Sometimes self help and self motivation requires a little 'nudge' from outside - just knowing you are not alone in whatever it is you are dealing with and that others are either in the same boat or have been there before, is all you need to spur you into action!

Our conclusions are that:

The first place to start with making a difference to your circumstances stares at you in the mirror every day - no-one will be as dedicated to your change as much as you.
How you perceive your self and your circumstances is based on your attitude, no matter how gloomy or dull things may appear at that time.
You do need others, particularly when going through a change. Emotional and moral encouragement and support, even if not from professionals, often helps you to see things from a different perspective.

You can change your circumstances whenever you decide to. Help Your Self - you'll find life is delicious when you take the time to examine, prioritise the really important things and make the decision to be grateful and enjoy where you are in life at this moment!

___________

This blog is the starting point for the manifestation of a dream. Eventually we will be serving a much bigger community - helping our selves and simultaneously helping others. Watch this space...