The National NAIDOC Ball

NAIDOC stands for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The national NAIDOC ball is the highlight of the week. Tickets sell days after they go on sale. The girls glam up to the nines and the boys tux up and look well, let’s just say I’ve got a thing for men in suites (mmm…).

The Black Culture Thing

The reason I’m sharing this with you isn’t to brag. Nor is it to educate you about Australian indigenous culture, though it’s an interesting subject. I’m sharing this because my experience at the ball was quite profound.

I thought I knew a bit about Australian indigenous culture. Many of my friends are indigenous. My best buddy from school who invited me to the ball is aboriginal and I relate to black cultures due to my own heritage.

But NAIDOC opened my eyes to what it’s like to experience a culture collectively. The vibe in the room was so uplifting. There was a pride and connection amongst the thousand-plus guests I have rarely felt before.

Most Meaningful Awards

The theme of this year’s celebrations was ‘Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth’. The award categories were titles like Elder of the Year (Female and Male), Youth of the Year, Artist of the Year and Scholar of the Year.

If there was a ceremony called ‘The Most Meaningful Awards’ Awards, NAIDOC would get my vote. The life stories of the winners gave me goosebumps. I teared up more than once. There was one elder who had never been out of her community before, let alone hop on a plane and come to the city to receive an award in front of television cameras and thousands of her people.

Talk about a wow experience.

The Bond Thing

They say there are six degrees of separation between people. In that room, those six degrees merged into the singular. This was one family linked sometimes by blood, but at all times by a shared history, and a singular view for the future: cultural redemption.

This is a people who have gone through hell in the past and still have many battles to fight today. They are in a constant yin yang of hurting and healing but they are strong.

Through the speeches, performances and conversations that night, I saw clearly that no amount of racial hatred, of ignorance or of rejection is going to suppress these proud and inspiring people. They are kicking butt and white Australia would do well to take notice.

What is Culture?

Okay, so I didn’t go home with a prince on my arm. I didn’t get bummed out because I lost my glass slipper either. But I went home with a better understanding of the importance of culture.

Culture isn’t just about keeping tradition alive. It’s about sharing old stories and creating new ones. It’s about respecting tradition by always adding value to it. But most of all, culture is about family.

Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth

I encourage you to ask yourself three questions:

1. What is my culture?
2. Where do I belong?
3. What (or who) would I fight for and never give up?

If you’re anything like me the answer to each of those questions is ‘Family’. Family is everything. Whether your family is large or small, related by blood or bond, it doesn’t matter. What matters is we love, cherish and respect the people who mean the most to us, the people who are part of our ‘life family’.

We all have people in our lives (duh). But how much do we appreciate them… really appreciate? Who have you ignored or taken for granted, assuming they will always be around? Never assume. Fate can strike a nasty blow any moment.

Spend time with your loved ones. Take granny for a helicopter ride. Take Uncle Henry to a strip club (hmm, maybe not). Throw water bombs with your kids, nieces, nephews, friends or neighbours kids. Go away somewhere special with a friend. Share your time and love with everyone who is close to you. Relish their company.

Create memories that will stand the test of time through stories, told and written, and shared by future youth and future elders. Because death takes us all eventually but it can never take away the stories that keep family and culture and tradition alive.

Here’s to family!

Tracey x

Henry James said, “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.”

I couldn’t agree more. While there are plenty of other fantabulous ways to spend your time, kindness has to be the thing that brings the most joy and pleasure to my life. If someone told me I could have a million dollars but I’d have to be horrible to everyone for the rest of my life, I’d pass, and I certainly hope you would too. If we’re to make the slightest difference in the world in a positive way, then we can do it by showing a little kindness every day.

So folks, I’m not going to lecture or offer my usual off-kilter words of waffling wisdom in this week’s post. Instead, I share with you the perceptive observations of others:

“Kindness is the greatest wisdom.” Author Unknown

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Like a boomerang kindness always returns.” Author Unknown

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama

“Don’t wait for people to be friendly, show them how.” Author Unknown

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.” Jesse Jackson

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” Author Unknown

“Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true.” Robert Brault

“If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” Bob Hope

“A good character is the best tombstone.  Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered.  Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” Charles H. Spurgeon

And to finish with a chuckle…

“If you step on people in this life, you’re going to come back as a cockroach.” Willie Davis

Here’s to spreading the happiness…!

Tracey

But nothing happens. There is no genie. Hmm, you think. You wait a second then you peer inside. All you see is swirling mist. It smells stale. You sneeze. A puff of grey dust escapes the lamp and settles on your coffee table. So that’s it, you think?

After all that, it was nothing. Maybe the genie escaped before you found the lamp. Maybe it died of boredom. Maybe the magic expired, or there’s a password, or old magic doesn’t work in the 21^st century. Disappointed, you put the lid back on, make yourself a snack and switch on the TV…

**********

So, you thought a genie was going to burst out of the lamp and grant wishes just like magic, didn’t you? Sorry to disappoint but that’s not how life works.

The thing about opportunities is they rarely get handed to us on red velvet cushions (or from a genie inside a magic lamp). Sure, we may stumble upon something that may possess the power to change our lives but then it’s up to us to make the most of that opportunity. Often that means using some initiative, doing some hard work and showing some commitment followed by more of the same.

Don’t just recognize opportunities, pursue them.

Waiting for opportunities to come knocking at your door, leads to disappointment. Go out there and search for them. Look around for what you want and you will often be surprised to see it turn up. Pardon the hippie-speak but the world is a bountiful place and good things flow abundantly (totally, like, wow man…). Seek and ye shall find.

Decide what you want then go for it

Naturally you must be selective and realistic and select what fits in with your values and aspirations. Then select your strategy and tactics and create a plan. Make it happen. It sounds simple, but execution is the most important part of the process

It’s great to dream and plan but at some point YOU have to DO something. No one else is going to do it for you. Sure, you can get help but ultimately all opportunities are there for you to either accept and grow or reject and let go.

Often opportunities require us to confront a fear or sacrifice something else. There is always a pay-off. That could be time, money or relinquishing other opportunities. This is not a bad thing, folks. It’s called personal growth. Embrace it.

6 things you need to create opportunities

• A spirit of adventure: be open to new ideas, people and places.
• Knowledge: know your values, skills, strengths and weaknesses.
• Initiative and drive: take charge of your life and open your mind to new approaches and ways of thinking.
• Courage: be bold and daring and not afraid to take chances.
• Resilience: success is rarely immediate. Stick to your guns and stay firm.
• Flexibility: when you take the initiative, good things happen, but sometimes they aren’t what you intended. Be flexible to diversions and change.

**********

Back to the story…

(Did you really think I would end it like that?)

So there you are watching TV and eating your snack when you have an epiphany. That’s it! I’ve got to rub the lamp! You grab a cloth and some polish (hey, you might as well do a proper job of it) and you rub the hell out of the lamp. You rub until you’ve worked up a sweat and then you rub some more.

You’re at it for hours but the lamp is starting to shine now and it’s hot to touch. Time goes by. You wipe sweat from your brow. Your arm hurts from rubbing. You peer inside the lamp and notice the swirling mist seems thicker and heavier. Rub, rub, rub… the lamp shudders. Rub-rub-rub… there’s a smell like incense or candles… Rubbidy-rub-rub … the lamp is now so heavy you almost drop it. Carefully, you place it on the floor.

With a final shudder you hear a woosh! and there, standing in your lounge room, looking all-powerful, intimidating yet charismatic, is a genie with big muscly arms folded over his chest.

“Hey, thanks for the release,” he says in a friendly surfer-dude voice. “Great job with the polishing, by the way. So… you know the score: three wishes. Go for it.”

“Really? Awesome!” You are so excited you have a massive goofy grin on your face. Can this be real? There’s a genie poking out of a magic lamp in your lounge room and he’s just granted you three wishes. No one at the office will ever believe you but who cares? You got wishes!

The End

Here’s to all your well-earned wishes coming true,

Tracey

BEING AN OCTOPUS

Octopuses are outgoing, charming, fun-loving and carefree. Everyone loves an octopus and the octopus loves being loved. An octopus needs to be around people almost as much as they need air and water. It energises them. Octopuses need to share their learning and experiences for things to become real. For most octopuses, it is this need to share that drives them.

Most of the time octopuses raise the energy level around them and everyone has a good time. If you are an octopus you may find that you often rely on the reactions of those around you to support your actions. Especially when you are in ‘entertain’ mode. You may notice that your more tentacle-challenged friends wonder how on earth you maintain the appearance because it seems like such an effort. But to you and your tentacly-gifted friends you are blending in and being perfectly normal.

But sometimes octopuses don’t know when to take off their party gear and go chill out. If you are an octopus who is constantly accused of being ‘too full-on’ it’s important to form your own vision of yourself in a positive way. Embrace your charisma but be aware that there are times that you may need to tone down your energy to allow others the chance to be seen and heard. If you struggle to switch off, then you may want to investigate the benefits of yoga, tai chi or meditation.

NOTE: if you feel the pressure to change your personality on a more permanent basis, remember: someone has to be the life of the party so it might as well be you. You are who you are!

BEING A POLAR BEAR

Polar bears are calm, intuitive, highly attuned to their surroundings, emotionally sensitive (self and others), creative, intelligent and nurturing. They have an innate sensitiveness. Generally speaking polar bears are naturally shy and prefer to take on the role of observer or work behind the scenes rather than take centre stage (say ‘thanks’ octopuses).

But there’s a problem with being a polar bear. As a general rule the octopus is more accepted and well-liked in society. This means that some polar bears want to be octopuses. Just do a Google search on ‘how to become an extrovert’ and you’ll see what I mean. The question is, why would you want to become something you’re not? As a general rule, society values extroversion over introversion. Extroverts are good self-promoters and attention seekers so they are first to be chosen for jobs, teams and other competitive roles – especially those that are high profile, influential and sought after. It’s easy to see why polar bears would feel the need to change: to compete.

In certain situations we all have to compromise our behaviour so often it’s necessary for a polar bear to ‘fake it’. If you’re a polar bear considering such a compromise, simply ask yourself: how much am I prepared to compromise myself to have/do/be this?

NOTE: if you feel the pressure to change your personality on a more permanent basis, remember: you play a vital role in society – one that has been undervalued for far too long – so stand strong and proud… in your own way. You are who you are!

BEING YOU

Octopus or polar bear, we all want to feel comfortable in our own skin. None of us want to feel the pressure to become something we’re not. When you learn to accept yourself everything starts to make sense. What’s more important than being liked or disliked is being true to your uniqueness. Trying to be someone else doesn’t work. People see through it, either knowingly or subconsciously. The only way you are going to get what you want out of life is to be yourself. Then love and respect will come your way and it will be genuine.

Being yourself leads to being the best you can be. When you are yourself you think your best, feel your best, dream your best, and live your best.

Until next time, swim your own stroke, fishy-peeps!

Tracey

You could say it’s the benchmark of authentic living. But how can we tell if we’re happy other than comparing ourselves to others or counting how many times we smile in a day? And if we don’t know how happy we are how can we can become happier?

Let me be clear here – I’m not talking about pigging-out-on-a-colossal-chunk-of-chocolate-cake kind of happiness. I’m talking about inner happiness. Inner Happiness is when you can approach life’s challenges with a positive outlook, humbleness or even with laughter. It is about being able to put your faith in life and humanity. It doesn’t mean you won’t have problems, but the way you handle them will surpass understanding and baffle onlookers.

Finding inner happiness is the same as finding yourself. You don’t find happiness, you make it. You choose it. Discovering who you are and who you want to be paves the way to happiness. When you do what brings you the most meaning and satisfaction in your life you automatically open the door to inner happiness.

Think of it this way: if success is getting what you want, then happiness is wanting what you get even when you don’t prepare for it. Take the Happiness Test to discover how happy you really are… and you may also find out how you can live happily ever after!

Click here to take the Happiness Test.

When you’ve finished, click here to find out how you did.

Click here to get your results.

Have fun!

Tracey

P.S. Let me know how you go by leaving a comment.