There's a saying that's attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, do one thing every day that scares you. You don't have to jump out of a plane or hold a snake. We all have fears:
fear of spiders 
fear of snakes
fear of what people will think of you
fear of making a fool of yourself
fear of public speaking
fear of failure...
You learn to be brave by facing your fears, not by avoiding them. You can feel the fear and do it afraid. Some of my favourite memories involved a degree of fear - zip lining in Thailand, watching whales miles from the coast, exploring crowded markets in Cambodia, tasting exotic dishes in Bali, climbing the Sydney harbour bridge. Most personal growth happens outside our comfort zone so be brave!

I've seen the "Look up" advertisements on a couple of buses recently so I decided to find out what it was all about. The Look Up movement is based on research by neuroscientist, Dr Fiona Kerr. We spend so much of our lives looking down that we miss out on really living. The Look Up campaign encourages us to put down our phones and look up, to engage with the environment and those around us. According to their website, "scientists have discovered looking up is good for our brains, our bodies, our relationships, and our shared experience of the world." You can find out more at www.lookup.org.au. I took the photo above on my morning walk today. Before you reach for your phone, look up!

I have a confession to make - I'm addicted to The Voice. I have loved watching the All Stars who have come back after not turning a chair in the Live Auditions in the past or being eliminated during the show. It shows such resilience and strength of character to get back up after a rejection. When they got a 'no" they didn't give up, they worked harder and came back again. All of them had improved from their first appearance on the show. So, just remember - no doesn't mean not ever, just not today!

I have a confession to make - for most of my life I was completely unaware of white privilege because I was born into it. I grew up with people from various different cultural backgrounds and only ever saw them as equals, but that doesn't mean that their experience of growing up in Australia was equal to mine. I took it for granted that flesh coloured bandaids matched my skin tone, that the people in the television shows I watched looked like me and that most of the books I read were about people just like me. I wish someone had explained this to me when I was younger. 

​The following information is from an article called 10 Things You Should Know About White Privilege (https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016/10/13/10-things-you-should-know-about-white-privilege).

White privilege means that you are born into the racial 'norm.'
A privilege where you can;

• Turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of your race widely represented.
• If you wish, you can arrange to be in the company of people of your race most of the time.
• If you buy “flesh” coloured items like band-aids or stockings, they will more or less match your skin tone.
• If you were able to use the original suite of emoji's, the 'thumbs up' or 'peace sign' hand gestures represented your race.
• You can easily can find picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and magazines featuring people of your race.

Being born white means that you were born into a system that validates and reaffirms that you are socially included - and being socially included, is a very valuable privilege.

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This animation shows two methods to deal with negative thinking - a life skill everyone needs!!!

We are quick to blame someone else or try to make excuses for our mistakes. It shows great maturity to own up to them and say sorry. You may get into trouble and it's hard - but it's the right thing to do.

Alcohol and drugs can have serious side effects such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, and death from overdose. They can also make you look ugly:

• tooth decay
  
• facial sores
  
• accelerated aging of the skin
• bloodshot eyes
• red rash all over the body
• cellulite

The good news is, you can have a good time without drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

This is a good principal for all areas of life, whether you're tackling homework, chores or your to do list. If you put off the hard things you will most likely run out of motivation and possibly time. If you do the hard things first, you will be more likely to have the motivation to keep going through the easier tasks too. Plus you will have the satisfaction of crossing them off your list, rather than the nagging dread that they still need to be done.