Agatha Seymour's

Everybody has his/her perversions. Mines are not different from others’. One of these (from the most strange ones) is that if at 2 a.m., when I usually go to bed, I can’t fall asleep I put an audio-book into the CD player and I start ironing. According to my husband, it takes some years while a sensible man get used to these kinds of female fancies, but after that he can handle it as part of the everydays that I stroke his shirts until 4 a.m… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I’m aware of the fact that fear is only the game of the ego, but still if I’m not conscious enough I’m afraid of many things, what’s more I can disclose myself in unbelievable fear. Then sometimes I have adventurous moments when I do something that I have been afraid of. It’s an elevating feeling which is every time followed by amazement and confusion. Why don’t I do something that I’m afraid of every day? Nothing would happen but I would realize that this fear of mine was as nonsense as all the others… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

A lot of people complain that their darling has become lazy, inattentive and he/she has put on other unpleasant habits. Unfortunately I must tell you that in most cases the problem is with us, because it is us who make the other get used to being served without return. It’s advisable to consciously build up the everydays of our relationship for the beginning and to pay attention not to let things become unhealthily disproportionate. Later on it’s more difficult to change set habits and that’s why it’s worth keeping in mind the saying: what today is a favor tomorrow a requirement… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Women’s most important virtue is said to be beauty. We only have to visit facebook where we can find photos of dozens of beautiful and desirable women and we might take it for sure that they have nothing to worry about in their lives, destiny offers everything for them on a silver tray, they can choose from crowds of men. I was surprised when one of my male friends, after hearing my amazement in connection with the topic remarked: ‘Beauty. Come on! There are so many beautiful women that they are a dime a dozen. Beauty in itself is far from being enough for a sophisticated men, it can only be a basic requirement to start a relationship.’ /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

There are no women on earth who wouldn’t be obsessed with creams and cosmetics. I’m not an exception either, but I don’t take it to the extremes since I asked my dermatologist about the topic. ‘Don’t pay a fortune for magic cosmetics’ she advised me. The beauty industry sells dreams hidden in wonderful packages. If those expensive creams could really do magic they would be sold at the chemist’s for prescription, as they do it with real active agents and antibiotics. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

It might sound strange, but even if I’m affected only by small pains or offences, I always take my feeling aroused by these events seriously. To be precise, I take it seriously not to provoke myself too far into being hurt and angry because these feeling only take me to the wrong direction, we easily identify with them and we produce failure from these situations and sink into bitterness. My favorite writer’s thoughts come to my mind as a deterrent example, which he gathered during his years spent in hospital: “I knew that suffering doesn’t improve me: it degrades me. It makes people selfish, narrow-minded, mean and suspicious. It digests them little by little. Instead of being superior creatures, it makes them inferior; and I wrote it down angrily that we don’t learn resignation from our own suffering but from the suffering of others.” /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Life energy is a priceless treasure. Often when I meet a lot of people instead of exclusively concentrating on my tasks, I listen to everybody and turn to them with honest attention by the end of the day I’m often exhausted, tired and I feel as if I lost all my energy. I had to realize and accept that a lot of people just collect energy from others, they want to burden others with their problems and then go on relieved. Honest relationships are nothing like that, after a good friendly chat everybody feels better and goes home charged, happy and fresh even in the small hours. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I was sitting in a café with one of my friends. His phone rang, he answered it and quickly closed the conversation with few sentences. Seeing my confusion, he gave the following explanation: ‘I don’t want to spend time or hours on everybody, on giving free advice or just to waste my time. Time is precious and we have the least of it during our lives so we must choose carefully who we share it with. Of course, I’m always here for my best friends but I’d better choose well who I spend time with. In those relationships where only we are the ones who give, sooner or later we will feel bad and start blaming the other, whereas it is only us who are responsible for establishing unequal conditions’ he added. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I love my home. I think one’s home tells as much about a person as his/her clothing. For me my home is an active, dynamic living space and not a museum. It must be simple, natural, comfortable and cosy in order to feel secure. In spring I always reorganize it in the name of revival and rebirth. I know that this is the worst nightmare of every man but I think in this respect we shouldn’t get stuck in our habits and we don’t have to sleep on the left side of the bed all our lives… Sometimes we must shake things up a little around us in order to see our life from another point of view. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

When you are in love, you attribute every delicate feeling inside you and inner wealth to the other. You think that it’s thanks to the other that you are in that heavenly state, that you are deliriously happy in love. If we think it through every feeling that we experience is ours, the energy and the elevated state of mind is in us and not in the other. It’s hard to accept but we are this beauty, this glare, the universal energy, the other is just a mirror. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I’m aware of the fact that fear is only the game of the ego, but still if I’m not conscious enough I’m afraid of many things, what’s more I can disclose myself in unbelievable fear. Then sometimes I have adventurous moments when I do something that I have been afraid of. It’s an elevating feeling which is every time followed by amazement and confusion. Why don’t I do something that I’m afraid of every day? Nothing would happen but I would realize that this fear of mine was as nonsense as all the others… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

‘How can you recognize a 21st century yogi? He/she doesn’t want to persuade anybody about the truth’ said a Buddhist teacher. It often comes to my mind when someone wants to force his/her unwanted advice on me or when I look at myself with outspread arms and can’t understand why I play the smarty? No matter what, everybody will do whatever they want and I believe the most frequent mistake committed by people is trying to change or persuade others… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I sometimes realize that such things annoy me absolutely unnecessarily which I have nothing to do with. After a while I noticed that only those things can concern me which I identify with (usually without a reason, unnecessarily). If I see the events through other glasses and only declare it factually without emotions that another person gave his/her opinion and I don’t start thinking about what he/she might have in mind, might feel for me or might expect from me but I close the case with the factual statement, nothing will happen. Life goes on, everybody does his/her task, they, I and the world as well./Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

To tell you the truth, I always know from the first moment what I’m supposed to do for my aims at a given time, but it often happens that I just put it off for this or that reason. When I again have to face the situation it has grown to be a serious task and it implies so many things-to-do that I have to make serious efforts to manage the situation. But how much easier it would be to deal with things when they can still be easily sorted out and there is no mess around us… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

There are no women on earth who wouldn’t be obsessed with creams and cosmetics. I’m not an exception either, but I don’t take it to the extremes since I asked my dermatologist about the topic. ‘Don’t pay a fortune for magic cosmetics’ she advised me. The beauty industry sells dreams hidden in wonderful packages. If those expensive creams could really do magic they would be sold at the chemist’s for prescription, as they do it with real active agents and antibiotics. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

The greatest value of today’s world is the idea! Everybody is thinking about a truly unique thing, let it be a new ‘facebook’ or anything else which can provide financial or social recognition. In my experience, imagination and creativity can be improved by practice. The more you work, the more things you produce, the more imaginative you will be and it can even happen that one thought drags with itself another one. It is enough to think it through that often by the time we finish with a job, we would create something totally different if we had to start it from the beginning. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

It might sound strange, but even if I’m affected only by small pains or offences, I always take my feeling aroused by these events seriously. To be precise, I take it seriously not to provoke myself too far into being hurt and angry because these feeling only take me to the wrong direction, we easily identify with them and we produce failure from these situations and sink into bitterness. My favorite writer’s thoughts come to my mind as a deterrent example, which he gathered during his years spent in hospital: “I knew that suffering doesn’t improve me: it degrades me. It makes people selfish, narrow-minded, mean and suspicious. It digests them little by little. Instead of being superior creatures, it makes them inferior; and I wrote it down angrily that we don’t learn resignation from our own suffering but from the suffering of others.” /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I was sitting in a café with one of my friends. His phone rang, he answered it and quickly closed the conversation with few sentences. Seeing my confusion, he gave the following explanation: ‘I don’t want to spend time or hours on everybody, on giving free advice or just to waste my time. Time is precious and we have the least of it during our lives so we must choose carefully who we share it with. Of course, I’m always here for my best friends but I’d better choose well who I spend time with. In those relationships where only we are the ones who give, sooner or later we will feel bad and start blaming the other, whereas it is only us who are responsible for establishing unequal conditions’ he added. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Life energy is a priceless treasure. Often when I meet a lot of people instead of exclusively concentrating on my tasks, I listen to everybody and turn to them with honest attention by the end of the day I’m often exhausted, tired and I feel as if I lost all my energy. I had to realize and accept that a lot of people just collect energy from others, they want to burden others with their problems and then go on relieved. Honest relationships are nothing like that, after a good friendly chat everybody feels better and goes home charged, happy and fresh even in the small hours. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Although I adore my favorite cook, Nigella Lawson’s not really low fat meals, if I want to ‘sin’ I rather choose a sugar-free confectionary. There are some very nice confectionaries in the city with quite wide range of cakes. I think the sugar-free cakes are at least as delicious as the ones made with sugar, I only have one problem with them. Even after eating two pieces of cake I feel as if I had eaten only illusion, I’m not full, or even I get hungrier. Of course this little nuance doesn’t distract me from voting for a healthy lifestyle, the brave ones can give it a try! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agahtaseymour.com

We tend to blame our failures on our inner qualities, like half-heartedness, weakness etc… However, in my experience, it is usually just an excuse for myself and for others. Actually laziness, lack of motivation and indifference lingers in the background. It is worth being honest to ourselves in order to see clearly… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Our world has speeded up, as well as our relationships. It seems that we have no time to wait for the other because life rushes past us and we miss the most important things. However, the situation is far from being so catastrophic. Recently I have faced the fact that men can and are ready to wait for a woman if they think seriously about a relationship. One of my good friends is waiting for a lady for months from who he believes she might be the One. He is not forceful, doesn’t act as if he didn’t care, he has honestly stated his feelings and he is waiting for the right moment when they can join together. Ladies, you shouldn’t give up hope!/Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

There are some hard, even tragic situations, like death, illness etc. when we feel exposed and feel that life has taken all our supports. In my experience these horrible situations prove the best who we really are. Those who can rely on themselves, on their inner strength and faith, they realize what a great power they have, that one shouldn’t cry over these situations but fight them and come out of these sorrowful hardships strengthened. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

My friend is a huge wine fan! A few years ago she got a special bottle of wine and she immediately called to tell me the good news and she said that she would open the perfect wine in the perfect moment, for the perfect occasion and I would be among the lucky ones who can taste the special drink. One, two, even three years had passed before the perfect moment came. We gathered together and everybody was waiting anxiously for the big moment. We opened the bottle, my girlfriend excitedly sniffed the cork and then the wine in the glass. We were shocked when she stated: ‘it has expired. We shouldn’t have waited so long…’ Then I realized that the perfect moment is when you still can do something beautiful, something good… /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Sometimes we feel that the end has come, that the problems cannot be sorted out, that the situation is hopeless. When I’m in this situation one of my good friends comes to my mind. ‘You can never know what tomorrow holds’ said she when I had a harder period of life. She was right. If I didn’t struggle but lived my life as before, life always helped me out, tomorrow really holds surprises!/Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I do something everyday, which makes me feel good. It can be an ice-cream, sunbathing in the nearby park, reading a newspaper, the point is that its sole aim should be to pamper myself. Good news for the weekend! At this time you deserve double portion! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Although generally I prefer simple things, there are some accessories I cannot resist. I adore huge rings! They can be worn almost with anything, actually non-stop, they make you look cosmopolitan and incredibly feminine. It’s enough to have one or two showy pieces, which can be varied as you like it and you immediately feel that you are the centre of the universe. I suggest this trick for every woman!/Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

The other day I was in a hurry in the morning. I told my husband that I was in a rush and let’s discuss that day’s program later. Five minutes later he seemed stunned to notice that I was still at home and he questioned me: ‘If you are in such a hurry why on earth do you need a make-up?’ ‘What do mean why?’ I asked. ‘I don’t step out on the street without make-up.’ ‘The hardships of being a woman’ stated he finally ‘but this insanity is why we love you, women!’ Well five minutes in the morning is worth this praise, doesn’t it? /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I have met innumerable types of diets. Despite being lucky and slim throughout my life, I have always had to pay attention to what I eat. If I happen to put on few kilos (maximum 3-5), I turn to the diet I like the best, macrobiotic diet. It was prescribed personally for me after a rather serious illness by my physician. Apart from curing my illness, it made me thin as a yarn during few weeks. I warmly recommend it to everybody who doesn’t want to starve and want to do some good for his/her body!!! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

What does it mean today to live well? In my view, it means that we do what we love and we can live on it. I think the greatest luxury of all, if you can live your life as you like it, live for what you like and do the hobbies you like. For me it doesn’t necessarily include owing a boat or a weekend house in the countryside, but of course if you can afford these things use the opportunity and enjoy every minute. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

What does it mean today to live well? In my view, it means that we do what we love and we can live on it. I think the greatest luxury of all, if you can live your life as you like it, live for what you like and do the hobbies you like. For me it doesn’t necessarily include owing a boat or a weekend house in the countryside, but of course if you can afford these things use the opportunity and enjoy every minute. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

It took me for a while not to compare myself to others. While I was examining, analysing where I am with my life compared to others I always felt that I’m not good enough, not successful enough. It always turned out that there are people much more beautiful, better, cleverer, more talented so I always had opponents. Then as I let these thoughts go and started to appreciate, to love, to pay attention to myself I tried to experience the present and make the best possible decisions, it turned out the my sole opponent had been me. My constant dissatisfaction and self-scolding were in the way, and I also realized that I only have to deal with my own destiny because I’m only responsible for that. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Who on earth, I mean which women, wouldn’t be an enthusiastic romantic? And since this sort of excitement is rather typical of us, we might help a bit our desires to be satisfied if we slip them into our life with a bit of attention and creativity. In a relationship surprises can work as real aphrodisiacs and there are no men who could resist an exciting adventure together. Nobody should decline organizing events which don’t necessarily belong to the favorites of our partner, in my life those events had the greatest effect which we still recall as a shocking experience./Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

One thing is for granted, you can never take anything for granted. Any time I form my opinion and I get relaxed that this is how it is, really this is it, I immediately bump into somebody who has entirely different thoughts about the same situation and I must change my opinion. After a while I had no choice but to admit that I can’t stick to one opinion since things are in constant change, I always gain new experiences about the world, and I must keep my vision about the world fresh and up-to-date and I have to remain open-minded. If I get stuck in a situation or opinion my attachment becomes addiction and it would be very painful to get rid of that./Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I usually don’t complain and nor can I handle others’ complaints. Simply because I know that everybody must cope with his/her own problems on his/her own. I have to solve mines (I have enough to do), others have to solve theirs and I don’t like interfering into others’ life (unless they ask me to). I know it very well that each decision lays responsibility on you, so everybody must take the consequences for their own decisions. Besides, as I see it, it’s much more exciting to make ourselves interesting for ourselves and for others with creative, practical tasks and work instead of complaining. A well done job with refreshing, original solutions can inspire everybody! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Being honest and natural is an unbelievably good feeling! Until, out of timidity or opportunism, I didn’t try to be honest to myself and to the world, I didn’t know what a huge burden I was carrying on my shoulders. Then when I had nothing to lose I tried it and I gave up posing, I didn’t try to be nice in order to make myself more loveable and acceptable, suddenly a whole new world opened up. In this world it turned out that you can be the most natural and the most genuine if you are yourself. Since then if someone asks about me I open my arms and add: That’s me, no more, no less! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

In my experience, if you learn to accept and love yourself, you don’t want to live up to others’ expectations any more. You will feel happy, will be content and life will give you more good and beautiful moments. Since then more and more happy and content people have entered my life, whose success and creativity have inspired me as well. However, life is still colorful and sometimes I happen to bump into rude and malicious people, but I’m neither afraid of them, nor the situation any more. Of course, I do my best to handle the situation but I don’t pay attention to their remarks because I know that I don’t need everybody’s love!/Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Life is constantly testing us. The “devil” comes in scheduled intervals and temps us. He quietly and crookedly whispers into my ears: ‘Give it up, look for the easier way! Can’t you see that you’re not going to reach your aim?’ I’m often really very tired and only God knows what gives me power to keep on doing my things when the results are nowhere, I’m just investing energy into the process and just waiting for the tangible results. I think in this case I’m inspired by the fact that I know if I don’t resist temptation and I give up I will never reach what I want, I will never get to where I want and this belief of mine has always proved true. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I’ve given up insisting on everything happening in accordance with my own will. I set my aim but I don’t insist on fulfilling it on the basis of my plan, I let creation help my life in a way it wishes. I believe we should let life flow in its natural bed. With this I want to imply that it’s only worth fighting for aims if we keep in mind all the time the fact that the world is constantly changing and the circumstances are changing with it. Maybe life wants to give twice as much on the road towards the aim as I’ve imagined in my version, that’s why it’s worth paying attention to the signs and flowing together with the events. /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I love reading! Of course, it’s compulsory for those who deal with writing. Now I’m reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. For me this book depicts the suffering caused by the lack of growing up. It’s about what a painful and childish thing it is not to take responsibility for ourselves and our fate. The protagonists of the novel could have escaped, could have started a new life, but they didn’t, they rather accepted the hardships and death. We mustn’t forget that it’s we who define ourselves and although it’s hard to break down our limitations, rewrite ourselves, the things which were burnt into us in our childhood and take a stand for happiness but what does life worth without it? /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

I don’t complain and nor can I handle others’ complaints. Simply because I know that everybody must cope with his/her own problems on his/her own. I have to solve mines (I have enough to do), others have to solve theirs and I don’t like interfering into others’ life (unless they ask me to). I know it very well that each decision lays responsibility on you, so everybody must take the consequences for their own decisions. Besides, as I see it, it’s much more exciting to make ourselves interesting for ourselves and for others with creative, practical tasks and work instead of complaining. A well done job with refreshing, original solutions can inspire everybody! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Being honest and natural is an unbelievably good feeling! Until, out of timidity or opportunism, I didn’t try to be honest to myself and to the world, I didn’t know what a huge burden I was carrying on my shoulders. Then when I had nothing to lose I tried it and I gave up posing, I didn’t try to be nice in order to make myself more loveable and acceptable, suddenly a whole new world opened up. In this world it turned out that you can be the most natural and the most genuine if you are yourself. Since then if someone asks about me I open my arms and add: That’s me, no more, no less! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

In my experience, if you learn to accept and love yourself, you don’t want to live up to others’ expectations any more. You will feel happy, will be content and life will give you more good and beautiful moments. Since then more and more happy and content people have entered my life, whose success and creativity have inspired me as well. However, life is still colorful and sometimes I happen to bump into rude and malicious people, but I’m neither afraid of them, nor the situation any more. Of course, I do my best to handle the situation but I don’t pay attention to their remarks because I know that I don’t need everybody’s love!/Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Money is important for everyone, whether we admit it or not. There is nobody who can buy things in the shop for free, who doesn’t pay at least for the books at university or who can maintain a car or a flat without a penny. However, as I see it, those who only have in mind the material side while working, aren’t going to receive the financial recognition they are longing for or they aren’t going to enjoy it. I personally believe that love and passion that we invest in work provide the fertile ground for financial, as well as for any other kinds of recognition. If we predominantly don’t work for money but for the joy of creation or for making ourselves and others happy, for enriching the life of others then the Universe is going to reward us! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Many say that there is nothing more reviving than a tasty wine. I couldn’t agree more! I usually drink red wine. My favorite type is Pinot Noir. I like its cherry-like, fruity taste, its light fullness, its elegant and sophisticated structure. I believe that a well-chosen, sophisticated wine really purifies the body and heats the jaded soul. I can’t imagine any more enjoyable ways of preparing for the challenges of next week./Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

The weekend revitalization means to meet my friends and to go out for me as well. I make these social gatherings even more memorable with a special perfume. For the time being it’s one of the sent-compositions of Chanel. Anytime I spray it on I feel as if I’ve got lost in a wonderful garden somewhere in the South of France and dreamy flowers and trees would hint their light breath on me... Everybody deserves one drop of luxury!/Agatha Seymour/ You are wellcome at my website: agathaseymour.com

Since never did I have anybody to encourage me or believe in me, I thought I’d find a supporter for myself. Someone who is by me all the time when I need it, someone who wants me to reach my aims as much as I do, someone for whom I’m as important as for myself, and since I had no other choice I chose myself. So it’s me who is always there next to me (Buddhist approach) and who encourages and strengthens me. I’m the one who pokes me when I shiver from fear or I whisper to my ears when I find the task too difficult that ‘you can do it, go ahead, things will work out and if you get stuck Providence will send you help just pay attention to the signs!’ I’ve never regretted my choice. Good news! Everybody has such a good supporter at command!!! /Agatha Seymour/ You are welcome at my website for more information: agathaseymour.com

I take my optimism everywhere with me. No matter whether I go to the newsagent’s at the corner or on holiday. I always count on positive outcome wherever I’m. Of course, sometimes however hard we try, the positive turn doesn’t want to come. Such a situation happened, for example, when my car was towed from in front of a hospital. Apart from having to go by cab to the middle of nowhere, I got my car back against a huge fine and I had to pay an on the spot fine as well. At first I thought I’ll have a heart attack but then I only said this much to the workers on the site: ‘Anyway I’ll remain cheerful!’ Everybody smiled, me too!

Apparently, I’m not sure whether it’s true, I love variety due to my Aries nature. I try something new whenever I can; no matter whether it’s going shopping on a weekday where I choose a different type of cheese or exploring another way in the city I’m always delighted to have variety. I love trying unknown things since each little novelty hides some adventure, experience and self-knowledge in itself. We always learn something new about ourselves, what we like, what we long for or what we are good at. Let alone how much every experience enriches our life and how boring it would be to do the very same thing over and over and over again until we die!

I often waited for the circumstances to change a bit, for things to work out and ‘then’ I’ll go ahead with my plans. Later on I realized that there are no perfect moments in life. It’s impossible to find the moment when every circumstance serves my aims. There will always be problems, details to be sorted out, and challenges. Today if something seems ‘good enough’ I go ahead. Challenges make us stronger, more self-confident and from this point of view each moment is perfect for a plan!

If you’re used to realizing your plans you start devising plans all the time. It was hard to get used to dealing with the first step and the last one, but after a while I learned it. I plan in advance what the first step, the second and the next and the next one will be on the road leading up to my aim. If the whole plan is ready I get down to realizing the first step with intense concentration. Fulfilling a new aim, even though you have some routine, is always like starting an entirely new big project. It’s quite hard to concentrate exclusively on what I’m doing that moment solely on that one thing, instead of daydreaming. However, it’s the key to efficiency, to be present at the moment and do your best 100% in it!

The weekend revitalization means for me as well to meet my friends and to go out. I make these social gatherings even more memorable with a special perfume. For the time being it’s one of the sent-compositions of Diptyque, available in ths US as well. Anytime I spay it on I feel as if I’ve got lost in a wonderful garden of a secret island and dreamy flowers and trees would hint their light breath on me... Everybody deserves one drop of luxury!

I love jazz, I’m always happy to go to one of the well-known clubs for a jazz concert. It’s a real nice program and the average entrance fee doesn’t put a burden on anybody’s wallet. Fortunately my friends are also music-lovers so I can enjoy the wonderful concerts in excellent company. And of course the intervals provide a great opportunity to chat and sometimes I bump into old friends as well.

I often felt that I’ve been alone all my life, that no one has ever helped me. Then I realized that we tend to pity and victimize ourselves. Actually there were several people who helped me, although these weren’t unbelievably big or crucial helps (I didn’t win the lottery, didn’t enjoy the support of any influential people), but still they were important. Since I was a little child, I remember people who consciously or not, but stood by me in the right moment, encouraged me with two good words or supported me in any other ways. In retrospect, then and there any tiny attention meant a lot, that’s why I remember them with gratitude and I try to pass on these helping energies to the best of my knowledge. I’m sure that even the most helpless person can recall such moments…

I have one absolutely basic role in connection with my wardrobe: what I didn’t wear during the last year (except the absolute classics and basics) I won’t ever wear it. Once a year, usually in autumn, I sort out my whole wardrobe and I collect and give those pieces away as a present which belong to the ‘over a year’ category. To some families it means a great help and for me this is an opportunity to keep energies continuously flowing in and out.

Not everybody and not always in our youth are we given the opportunity to find the job that best suits us; which we would do even for free, in which we would invest all our creativity, every single minute of which we enjoy. That’s why I believe it is essential to spend our spare time with things that make us happy. Don’t have to think of expensive and priceless staff! It can be panting, dancing, music, sport, modeling or anything else which is personal and unique in its own way. I strongly believe that a good hobby can greatly improve our life standard, it brings happiness to the gray everydays, it makes our personality more colorful for ourselves and for others. You haven’t got a hobby? What an adventure it is to explore ourselves and our interests!

I got one of the most practical teachings from my singing teacher, Judith. It also happens to me sometimes that I whine because of something small, attach enormous significance to insignificant things or an unpleasant experience makes me sick. On one of these occasions she “cured” my wailing with one single sentence: ‘A coal mine! That would do good for you! If you worked 10-12 hours a day for a piece of bread and water your thoughts would get clear in a minute! You wouldn’t have strength to think about all this nonsense, you’d be so tired that even getting a good night sleep would make you happy,’ she said. I didn’t go to work in a coal mine but I immediately understood the teaching. I make great use of it even today…

If I had to draw up the storyline of my love-life and mention the most interesting elements of my relationships, I would say that I learnt something important from each man, I tried their hobbies and I got to know a new and special way of thinking. One of them taught me to look at the sunset instead of doing the washing up because the latter will wait for me. Another took me to numerous rock concerts – all the hitch-hiking trips in sleeping bags remained unforgettable – there was someone else who brought regular sport into my life, someone else the power of faith, the importance of religion and its place in my self-definition. In retrospect I must say that I’m grateful for each of them for the time spent together, even if there were sometimes quite trying situations… They shaped me to a great extent, I learned a lot from them about myself, about men and about the world, since beyond the magic of love, relationships are also about enriching and teaching one another.

There is nothing wrong with somebody living alone. I’m always happy to recall the memories of those periods of my life that I experienced without a relationship. Good heavens! How much time I had for myself, for my friends, for going to the cinema, for evening walks, for big chats on the bank of a river. How many plans I devised, how many ideas I had, how many things I started. It always makes me smile to remember that since I had plenty of spare time on Sunday mornings I taught English and I spent the money I earned on guitar lessons and art workshops. I didn’t lean playing the guitar, I can’t draw in a professional way but I made several interesting acquaintances and friends, I always was a very happy single woman.

I’m a 21st century woman. I try to use all opportunities provided by the our time, value everything which is given by our modern world, let it be anything. I’m not at all against the creatures of the modern world but I’m happy to turn to classical values at any time. For me sometimes the most romantic Sunday afternoon or evening program is to snug myself into my armchair with my favorite collection of poems and read, read, read and daydream for hours…

I’m not ashamed of learning from others. It is not a problem for me to admit that I’m far not as clever as Stephen Hawking and in this life I’m not even going to approach him. What’s more! Actually I happily declare that I don’t have to struggle with forced compliance under the burden of “I know everything” and I’m happy due to the fact and experience that there is no person from whom I couldn’t learn something. Everybody is able to seem clever or be a smart aleck, but not everybody is capable of being open-minded, paying attention to others or learning from others. I believe the latter requires more wisdom; anyway life constantly brings further things to learn to my way, so it’s worth paying attention to everybody’s life experience and wisdom.

I felt good in those relationships where I was a bit selfish, or rather when I loved myself very much. When I always turned a blind eye to everything… somehow things didn’t work out. Then suddenly I got fed up with and said to myself that it would be great to be alone for a while, I’ll enjoy myself alone as well, I’ll have more spare time for my things and for my friends. From this moment on I expect my partner to pay attention to my needs, to feel the importance of the things which are important for me. The most important conclusion of my relationships so far is that everybody can go as far as we let them and only those things can be done to us which we let to be done! The most important thing is to love and respect ourselves, so that our partner can love and respect us as well!

‘I paid too much attention to other’s opinion. I made unworthy sacrifices because I wasn’t brave enough to cause pain,’ wrote my favorite author, W.S. Maugham. I have been thinking a lot about this sentence. I think no matter how sympathetic we are with others sometimes there is no other possibility but to cause pain because taking responsibility for ourselves is not compatible with the interest of others. Of course it is not always the case and not at any cost, since it would be selfish, I think healthy, instinctive common sense can help finding out from the maze of possible decisions.

Sometimes I don’t feel like doing anything. I’m sniveling and yawning all morning and reprovingly observe the weather. I guess angels love me very much because on these days they send someone who needs me. Let it be my neighbor, the elderly Anna who can’t take the trash out because the elevator is out of order, or any other acquaintances of mine who need my help, I immediately feel better and through helping I get eager for action. I get down to work and I work until I faint. Anybody can try it, it works!!!

It’s important to keep in mind that nothing is ours. Not even information! That’s why it’s pointless to struggle for acquiring or possessing any kind of knowledge because knowledge is everywhere, it’s floating in the Universe and therefore it’s everybody’s. I’m happy to help anybody either with ideas or experiences, since the more people know something important, good, and useful, the better for everyone, the richer we all are. Envy leads nowhere but to confusing our own inner love-system, blocking the way in front of ourselves on the road to knowledge due to our inferiority complex. It’s not a problem if we can’t be honestly happy about someone else’s happiness. It’s enough to say despite our negative feelings that I wish you luck and in this way we let all negative energies go.

Candlelight and nigh are inseparable for me. Due to intimacy and the sight of real fire I immediately feel myself better. Anyway, it’ inevitable that I light a candle at night in summer or in winter alike. I always carefully choose the color of the candles. Since I believe in color therapy, I usually have many colors at home so I always have the one I need inside. If I need to strengthen my practicality I choose a color in line with this, if I long for calmness then I look for the appropriate color, but above all I like the color of love.

Who on earth, I mean which women, wouldn’t be an enthusiastic romantic? And since this sort of excitement is rather typical of us, we might help a bit our desires to be satisfied if we slip them into our life with a bit of attention and creativity. In a relationship surprises can work as real aphrodisiacs and there are no men who could resist an exciting adventure together. Nobody should decline organizing events which don’t necessarily belong to the favorites of our partner, in my life those events had the greatest effect which we still recall as a shocking experience.

It took me for a while not to compare myself to others. While I was examining, analysing where I am with my life compared to others I always felt that I’m not good enough, not successful enough. It always turned out that there are people much more beautiful, better, cleverer, more talented so I always had opponents. Then as I let these thoughts go and started to appreciate, to love, to pay attention to myself I tried to experience the present and make the best possible decisions, it turned out the my sole opponent had been me. My constant dissatisfaction and self-scolding were in the way, and I also realized that I only have to deal with my own destiny because I’m only responsible for that.

I try to renew myself outside and inside from time to time. Sometimes people around me look at my new outfit, some of the new cocky items in my wardrobe with astonishment and also at the constant reorganization of the flat, but I think these changes do good for everybody. If I could I would move in every few years, I would live once in the downtown, once up on the hill, once on the bank of a river. I believe that the changes of the environment always mean a new life, new life-style, new habits and new opportunities. In my view this active variety is one of the extremely effective ways of remaining exciting for ourselves and maybe for others as well.

For me being an adult also means that I try to be a professional in what I do. I try to be aware of the fact that whatever I do and say has a consequence, try to turn to others with respect and honest attention. If possible, I’m always well organized, meet my deadlines, plan my year ahead, set clear aims for myself. I know it from experience that others take me serious as much as I take my job serious.

I’ve got a teaching for a lifetime from my favorite author and ideal. He always comes to my mind whenever I feel blue or I see the situation hopeless. W. S. Maugham became an orphan at the age of ten, his uncle didn’t care much about him, he spent his childhood as an orphan, lonely and stuttering. However, he didn’t break down, he decided very early that despite all the difficulties and seemingly considerable disadvantages he’ll have a great plan for the future and he will make the most of life. Well, he did make the most of it and became a world famous author. For me it means that nothing is impossible, anybody can achieve anything if you work for it hard enough.

One thing is for granted, you can never take anything for granted. Any time I form my opinion and I get relaxed that this is how it is, really this is it, I immediately bump into somebody who has entirely different thoughts about the same situation and I must change my opinion. After a while I had no choice but to admit that I can’t stick to one opinion since things are in constant change, I always gain new experiences about the world, and I must keep my vision about the world fresh and up-to-date and I have to remain open-minded. If I get stuck in a situation or opinion my attachment becomes addiction and it would be very painful to get rid of that.

I know it might sound strange but relaxation for me doesn’t always mean the traditional form of having a rest. Since I do intellectual work most of the time and my mind can’t have a break even when I’m trying to sort out my things in the city, so for me real relaxation is physical work. In my experience, intellectual tiredness (even bad mood) can be cured with physical work. If you are dead tired and don’t even want to move, you won’t burden yourself with mental or spiritual problems for granted… Well, you don’t have to think of any very burdensome work! But if I think it over a substantial cleaning really makes you move…

As I’ve mentioned I’m not really a culinary expert but if I feel like, and only if I feel like, I venture into the kitchen! You shouldn’t expect big creations, nothing like that is about to come. First of all, I take one of my favorite cook, Nigella Lawson’s amazing books and I start searching eagerly. I almost get full already with the wonderful illustrations!!! I like Nigella because her recipes are simple, the ingredients can be bought at the non-stop shop at the corner and it doesn’t take more than then minutes to prepare them! Today I prepare an extremely simple dessert for myself, just for the sake of bit of a luxury, after all it’s weekend!

I usually don’t complain and nor can I handle others’ complaints. Simply because I know that everybody must cope with his/her own problems on his/her own. I have to solve mines (I have enough to do), others have to solve theirs and I don’t like interfering into others’ life (unless they ask me to). I know it very well that each decision lays responsibility on you, so everybody must take the consequences for their own decisions. Besides, as I see it, it’s much more exciting to make ourselves interesting for ourselves and for others with creative, practical tasks and work instead of complaining. A well done job with refreshing, original solutions can inspire everybody!

Being honest and natural is an unbelievably good feeling! Until, out of timidity or opportunism, I didn’t try to be honest to myself and to the world, I didn’t know what a huge burden I was carrying on my shoulders. Then when I had nothing to lose I tried it and I gave up posing, I didn’t try to be nice in order to make myself more loveable and acceptable, suddenly a whole new world opened up. In this world it turned out that you can be the most natural and the most genuine if you are yourself. Since then if someone asks about me I open my arms and add: That’s me, no more, no less!

In my experience, if you learn to accept and love yourself, you don’t want to live up to others’ expectations any more. You will feel happy, will be content and life will give you more good and beautiful moments. Since then more and more happy and content people have entered my life, whose success and creativity have inspired me as well. However, life is still colorful and sometimes I happen to bump into rude and malicious people, but I’m neither afraid of them, nor the situation any more. Of course, I do my best to handle the situation but I don’t pay attention to their remarks because I know that I don’t need everybody’s love!

Life is constantly testing us. The “devil” comes in scheduled intervals and temps us. He quietly and crookedly whispers into my ears: ‘Give it up, look for the easier way! Can’t you see that you’re not going to reach your aim?’ I’m often really very tired and only God knows what gives me power to keep on doing my things when the results are nowhere, I’m just investing energy into the process and just waiting for the tangible results. I think in this case I’m inspired by the fact that I know if I don’t resist temptation and I give up I will never reach what I want, I will never get to where I want and this belief of mine has always proved true.

I’ve given up insisting on everything happening in accordance with my own will. I set my aim but I don’t insist on fulfilling it on the basis of my plan, I let creation help my life in a way it wishes. I believe we should let life flow in its natural bed. With this I want to imply that it’s only worth fighting for aims if we keep in mind all the time the fact that the world is constantly changing and the circumstances are changing with it. Maybe life wants to give twice as much on the road towards the aim as I’ve imagined in my version, that’s why it’s worth paying attention to the signs and flowing together with the events.

Apparently, I’m not sure whether it’s true, I love variety due to my Aries nature. I try something new whenever I can; no matter whether it’s going shopping on a weekday where I choose a different type of cheese or exploring another way in the city I’m always delighted to have variety. I love trying unknown things since each little novelty hides some adventure, experience and self-knowledge in itself. We always learn something new about ourselves, what we like, what we long for or what we are good at. Let alone how much every experience enriches our life and how boring it would be to do the very same thing over and over and over again until we die!

I often waited for the circumstances to change a bit, for things to work out and ‘then’ I’ll go ahead with my plans. Later on I realized that there are no perfect moments in life. It’s impossible to find the moment when every circumstance serves my aims. There will always be problems, details to be sorted out, and challenges. Today if something seems ‘good enough’ I go ahead. Challenges make us stronger, more self-confident and from this point of view each moment is perfect for a plan!

What does it mean today to live well? In my view, it means that we do what we love and we can live on it. I think the greatest luxury of all, if you can live your life as you like it, live for what you like and do the hobbies you like. For me it doesn’t necessarily include owing a boat or a weekend house in the countryside, but of course if you can afford these things use the opportunity and enjoy every minute.

It’s common knowledge that I’m a great movie fan, so we often have film clubs at our place. Everybody brings some kind of a treat that we eat before watching the film (I’m also good at preparing two kinds of cakes and the guests can usually enjoy these in turns) and choosing the film is my task. This week we watch one of the classics of Buñuel.

Although I hate routines, the practices that I have built into my life provide me with a firm base and security. Of course, I carefully consider what I should spend energy on every single day. For me these things include meditation, practicing mantra and running. This is a kind of outer and inner construction of myself. The energy I invest in these activities turns back to me multiplied, I feel myself fresh and it’s great to know that I start and finish my days with activities from which I gain energy for a long time.

However strange it might sound in our bitter world, sometimes as a believer I wish all the best for every creature, mainly on the basis of Buddhist teachings. I wish that everybody feel good and has a better life. As I see it, we shouldn't live without sympathy. Just because one doesn’t put their sorrow in the showcase, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have any problems. Many people are expelled to the streets, children don't have anything to eat, so many horrors are there in the world.... We must be grateful for the things we have and it doesn't cost anything to wish all the best for everybody before going to sleep.

I regularly take my books, which I don’t need any more to the second-hand bookshop. On the one hand, the new pieces of my collection don’t have enough space; on the other hand, it always comes to my mind what if someone needs the books I have already read. Maybe others will also consider taking their read books to the shop and I will be able to read the one I have been looking for. How wonderful it would be if in a nice circle always everybody would find what they want to read.

One of my friends has just moved into a new flat. When I visited her in her new home I was surprised seeing her living room. The snow-white wall was full of black and white pictures of her family and friends framed in black frames. ‘I took all the pictures or one of my friends. They don’t represent artistic value but they make me happy whenever I glance at them. I feel as if my loved ones were here with me’ said she and the idea and the view obviously made her happy.

Everydays become quite burdensome without inner peace and harmony. That’s why it’s good to remember some things consciously. One of these ideas is that everybody is needed on earth. Everyone’s existence is important! For ourselves at the first place, but for many other people as well. You should never forget it!

My husband is an ultra-rational man. I have heard countless practical guidance for life from him! One of his important teachings was the following: Half-work is not crowned by half-success. The world only appreciates the final result and it doesn’t really matter how much you had struggled for achieving nothing or half-success because usually nobody can profit from that so that doesn’t count. In life you are not graded, you can’t get a D or a C, you can’t just pass. You either know something or not, either achieve something or not. Unfortunately, I have had to face so many times the truth in this statement…

As I see it, honestly uttering your opinion is part of real freedom. Of course, not being a smart aleck, not shouting, not shaking your fist, not offending others, but in an appropriate and calm way. It’s important since being a coward doesn’t pay off neither in the short run, nor in the long run, neither regarding your health, nor your self-realization. Apart from that, especially in a superior-inferior relationship, you must declare for yourself and the other that you don’t let the “superior” suppress you, since we are all equal human beings!

I used to be obsessed with the idea that I had to see the world as others do. Today I’m happy that everybody sees it differently. In this way the world seems much more exciting, colorful and I believe it is extremely interesting to get to know the worldview of others. Moreover, each and every new encounter means plenty of new ideas and thoughts from which everybody may profit, ideally.

For a while now I stick to one rule: I don’t want to fight all the battles of the world, I have chosen the ones that are important for me and I don’t care about the others. Until I wanted to fight every battle in every possible location, life seemed no more than the line of endless struggles. Since than I (maybe) have become a bit wiser and now I don't consider it so important to fight all the battles. For myself I leave some time for having a rest and for others for fighting!

If summer, then cotton candy and cooked corn. Of course not together but in turns, one at one day and the other the next day. Although I’m devoted to healthy life, there are some things I can’t resist. Of course while committing these ‘violations’ I must admit that this much is acceptable and even healthy. At least for your soul. Anyway I’m happy that even though I stick to my own rules, I’m kind-hearted to myself and let the little pleasures of life sweeten my everydays if the opportunity knocks on my door….

I believe in the sixth sense. I even incorporated some elements into my daily routine with which I can improve it. Before opening the mail-box I guess how many letters there are. If I get a text I try to guess who sent it. The result speaks for itself. Of course not just in case of letters and texts, but also in other fields of life when it really counts and when it is important to make a good decision I can count on my inner voice.

Many groceries have gone bankrupt recently. Lately I bumped into the owner of the only shop, which runs very well for more than ten years. ‘No secret’ says the owner. ‘Before opening my own shop I had worked in another shop for years. I made my employer assign me all kinds of responsibilities, so I could learn all the stages of the work processes, which are essential for this business. I opened my own shope in possession of the relevant experience, practice and knowledge. If you take my advice, at first you get to know all the important details in connection with the business you want to set up.’ Good advice!

Sometimes I get lost in the world. ‘It’s not a wonder’ says my husband, since as a philosopher of religions I didn’t learn much practicality during my studies. In these cases he, as a rational mind, corrects me and helps me to see reality. Recently I came across an amazing offer. I was astonished by the opportunity and I almost said yes when my husband shyly, in his down-to-earth manner help me to decide with one single remark: ‘Something that looks too good to be true, is not true’ he said. What a good remark! Good to remember it when you have to make a decision!

Recently I saw an interesting interview on TV with a well-known singer. She talked about her life, her philosophy of life and several other things. For me the most interesting of all was when she confessed that she has a tattoo on her arm saying: ‘I don’t give up.’ Whenever she has to face difficulties in life, she just looks down to her arm and gathers power from what she can read there: ‘I don’t give up.’ Even though I don’t have a tattoo, and I don’t even intend to have one, this thought deeply impressed me. Even without getting a tattoo, her approach might stand as an example for many of us.

I have some acquaintances who are unhappy ever since I know them. For a long time I couldn’t understand their behavior. Then following some lengthy conversations I realized that they are not happy because they don’t want to be. These people are not interested in anything, have no motivation at all, and I couldn’t find the trace of enthusiasm about anything. I guess in order to be happy they should surmount some kind of inner obstacles, such as self-pity, envy, sense of guilt etc… And this won’t be done by anybody else for them!

Sometimes we need difficult, fate-determining, fateful events in life. These always cast new light on our lives, our everydays and ourselves in general. These help us to start a new life, to see the world from a different point of view, to change and to open up new dimensions. A difficult or stormy situation might help us in letting a relationship or a job go; and through letting these go we provide room for something new!

I always have a book with me. There is always a volume of short stories from my favorite writer in the glove compartment of my car. If I go to a place where I have to line, I immediately put it into my bag and kill the time with reading. If I think it through I have read several dozens of books on the subway, on the bus, on the train or on a plane etc. I warmly recommend this method to those who like reading, but chose carefully regarding the size, as it might be uncomfortable to carry around a heavy book all day…

If I don’t feel like reading on the bus or in the car I listen to a brain-control CD (101 Positive Thoughts) or to the audio-book of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. These boost my good mood and millions of new ideas rush my mind while listening to them. I recommend them to everybody!

I often see my acquaintances living their life aimlessly. I simply can’t understand them. Life has millions of opportunities in store for all of us, the only thing we have to do is to make an effort and enable these opportunities to find us. It’s not easy for anybody, but if we are waiting for a miracle or we are not at all interested in our everyday lives, then why do we live? Let alone the fact that we have less time each day for creation and for being happy. The where, with whom and how is everyone’s own decision!

In my experience, having a look at myself and at my surrounding, it’s not necessarily immense knowledge what makes someone wiser or more successful. I’m not saying that there is useless knowledge, only that there is a difference between knowledge and knowledge. There is a kind of knowledge that you can use and there is a kind, especially theoretical knowledge, that you can’t or only to a limited extent. We had better take the above into consideration before starting to learn anything, since it’s important to see how much the thing that we study enriches our life or whether it enriches it at all…

I’m a real daydreamer. Unfortunately I can rarely use this characteristic of mine in life. I sometimes get angry why on earth I didn’t study some kind of exact science for example physics or something else which is measurable and keeps me on the ground. One of the most important things that I’ve learned from my favorite writer (he was a doctor) is that one can always profit from rationalism, it teaches us to be reasonable, consistent, practical and it never goes out of fashion.

Everybody is looking for happiness throughout a lifetime, some find it and some suffer from the lack of it during their whole life. In my experience, happiness, in some ways, is also the question of skill. For some life offers again and again that things will go great but can’t use the opportunity because he/she is constantly lamenting on whether it’ll be good enough for him/her or whether this decision perfectly lives up to society’s expectations. One of my psychologist friend commented on the question: ‘If one wants to be happy on the basis of the world and the society’s expectations he/she is very likely to be unhappy. If there is any possible advice to give, maybe it would be that everybody should be happy on their own ways as they can and as they dare’ she said.

A lot of people complain that their darling has become lazy, inattentive and he/she has put on other unpleasant habits. Unfortunately I must tell you that in most cases the problem is with us, because it is us who make the other get used to being served without return. It’s advisable to consciously build up the everydays of our relationship for the beginning and to pay attention not to let things become unhealthily disproportionate. Later on it’s more difficult to change set habits and that’s why it’s worth keeping in mind the saying: what today is a favor tomorrow a requirement…

When you are in love, you attribute every delicate feeling inside you and inner wealth to the other. You think that it’s thanks to the other that you are in that heavenly state, that you are deliriously happy in love. If we think it through every feeling that we experience is ours, the energy and the elevated state of mind is in us and not in the other. It’s hard to accept but we are this beauty, this glare, the universal energy, the other is just a mirror.

I’m not ashamed of learning from others. It is not a problem for me to admit that I’m far not as clever as Stephen Hawking and in this life I’m not even going to approach him. What’s more! Actually I happily declare that I don’t have to struggle with forced compliance under the burden of “I know everything” and I’m happy due to the fact and experience that there is no person from whom I couldn’t learn something. Everybody is able to seem clever or be a smart aleck, but not everybody is capable of being open-minded, paying attention to others or learning from others. I believe the latter requires more wisdom; anyway life constantly brings further things to learn to my way, so it’s worth paying attention to everybody’s life experience and wisdom.

I felt good in those relationships where I was a bit selfish, or rather when I loved myself very much. When I always turned a blind eye to everything… somehow things didn’t work out. Then suddenly I got fed up with and said to myself that it would be great to be alone for a while, I’ll enjoy myself alone as well, I’ll have more spare time for my things and for my friends. From this moment on I expect my partner to pay attention to my needs, to feel the importance of the things which are important for me. The most important conclusion of my relationships so far is that everybody can go as far as we let them and only those things can be done to us which we let to be done! The most important thing is to love and respect ourselves, so that our partner can love and respect us as well!

‘I paid too much attention to other’s opinion. I made unworthy sacrifices because I wasn’t brave enough to cause pain,’ wrote my favorite author, W.S. Maugham. I have been thinking a lot about this sentence. I think no matter how sympathetic we are with others sometimes there is no other possibility but to cause pain because taking responsibility for ourselves is not compatible with the interest of others. Of course it is not always the case and not at any cost, since it would be selfish, I think healthy, instinctive common sense can help finding out from the maze of possible decisions.

Sometimes I don’t feel like doing anything. I’m sniveling and yawning all morning and reprovingly observe the weather. I guess angels love me very much because on these days they send someone who needs me. Let it be my neighbor, the elderly Anna who can’t take the trash out because the elevator is out of order, or any other acquaintances of mine who need my help, I immediately feel better and through helping I get eager for action. I get down to work and I work until I faint. Anybody can try it, it works!!!

I observe myself and my addictions. I have some obvious ones which I try to change intentionally, but then I have some which crookedly hide among the everydays. It’s not easy to let any of these go. We usually insist on them so much (even though we are aware of the fact that they just hold us back and keep us enslaved) as if we couldn’t live without them. However, quite the contrary, it means freedom if we don’t give anything or anybody any power over ourselves.

I love flowers! That’s why we usually always have a bunch of them on the table. Since summer offers a great opportunity to have your home filled with the smell of flowers, it’s worth trying it. Fortunately there is a wide range of cheaper and more expensive ones on offer. For those who live in the jungle of blocks of flats or in a smaller or bigger town, it’s a simple and great opportunity to make their home cozy and beautiful.

Summer provides sport fans with a great variety of entertainment. Since most of us can’t afford to travel where the events take place, we enjoy the matches on TV. For myself, I love watching these matches with friends, it’s a great opportunity to meet, chat and get closer to each other.

I can see several relationships around me where, although being together for numerous years, the couple is unable to decide to get married. In my experience, love is always on its summit at the beginning of a relationship and after that it is slowly ‘declining’. It doesn’t necessarily means that it gets worse, only that passionate affection slowly transforms into love or into a custom or something else that doesn’t urge the desire for officially committing ourselves to each other. Therefore, I think it’s better to get married early in a relationship. One or two years should be enough to make a decision. If he is the one, you shouldn’t wait and nor should you if he isn’t…

One of my idols is Nigella Lawson, British cook. Not simply because she can cook as well as I will never be able to, but also because her love of life and her passion pervades everything around her. Also, her healthy approach to the difficult situations of life is exemplary for me. The answer often comes to my mind that she always gives to the frequently asked questions in connection with the numerous fatal illnesses in her family and her difficult childhood: ‘So what?! Bad things happen to everybody, I’m not the only one, I don’t let myself die of these tragedies and I go on, that’s all!’

Sometimes we need tragedies in order to being able to face our weaknesses and worries and being able to let them go. However, it doesn’t mean that we are victims! We must consciously realize that we had to experience something and we have to observe the events from a certain distance. Sometimes life takes us into events as ‘children’ and we come out of them as ‘adults’. It’s important that instead of the sorrow and the role of a loser, we only keep the consequences and the freedom for the future.

There were times when I felt that nobody cares about me, as if I was invisible. I suffered a lot from this feeling but when I didn’t turn to the events with ‘pointing outside’ I saw that the problem is not in the world. It’s me who cannot pay attention to myself, to my inner voice, my real needs; and I only want to take something with force from others that I should provide for myself . Since then when the ‘I don’t get enough attention’ feeling rushes me I close my eyes and turn to my self with love, pay attention to my feelings, my thoughts, my desires and it usually turns out that I ‘only’ needed to be important to myself.

If I have a little saving I always invest it into myself. As I see it, the best investment is educating myself, getting to know myself better, working actively on my consciousness everyday, preserving my health and gaining lifelong experiences. I believe, sooner or later all of these will be manifested in the physical world, because only the wealth existing in the inside can be realized in the outside.

What does it mean today to live well? In my view, it means that we do what we love and we can live on it. I think the greatest luxury of all, if you can live your life as you like it, live for what you like and do the hobbies you like. For me it doesn’t necessarily include owing a boat or a weekend house in the countryside, but of course if you can afford these things use the opportunity and enjoy every minute.

If it’s summer and hot then cycling! As soon as summer comes, I dust my bicycle and I’m already riding it. I think this is the best summer sport, you are in fresh air, move and you can live social life and by the way it’s a great program!

Many people treat others as if they were insignificant nobodies, even though we were shaped by the same Creator. Nobody should be looked down on, every single person hides unbelievable treasures inside. As soon as we change our attitude towards others and treat them respectfully, they reveal their true values and become great. That’s the secret!

‘If you can picture someone, you can’t miss that person’ said one of my girlfriends. The problem is that we want to experience everything until getting nausea from it and we are not content with what we get. Then if we get the other, we get bored in no time and then we again start longing for someone else…

Everybody uses a different strategy for making decisions. The other day one of my acquaintances introduced an interesting approach to me. ‘While a relationship or any other projects provide me more than what I invest in it, I go on’ said he. ‘It is true to my relationships, business matters and everything else in general. It works perfectly and I’m absolutely satisfied with the results’ he added. Practical approach!

We tend to blame our failures on our inner qualities, like half-heartedness, weakness etc… However, in my experience, it is usually just an excuse for myself and for others. Actually laziness, lack of motivation and indifference lingers in the background. It is worth being honest to ourselves in order to see clearly…

Our world has speeded up, as well as our relationships. It seems that we have no time to wait for the other because life rushes past us and we miss the most important things. However, the situation is far from being so catastrophic. Recently I have faced the fact that men can and are ready to wait for a woman if they think seriously about a relationship. One of my good friends is waiting for a lady for months from who he believes she might be the One. He is not forceful, doesn’t act as if he didn’t care, he has honestly stated his feelings and he is waiting for the right moment when they can join together. Ladies, you shouldn’t give up hope!

It’s common knowledge that I’m a great movie fan, so we often have film clubs at our place. Everybody brings some kind of a treat that we eat before watching the film (I’m also good at preparing two kinds of cakes and the guests can usually enjoy these in turns) and choosing the film is my task. This week we watch one of the classics of Buñuel. If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

If I have time I love participating in the collection of fruits. Fortunately some of my acquaintances and friends are happy to have some helping hands on the fields and for me it’s a great relief being out in fresh air doing some physical work after a whole week sitting in front of the computer. And of course we shouldn’t forget the joy of eating a huge amount of fresh fruit! If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

Although I hate routines, the practices that I have built into my life provide me with a firm base and security. Of course, I carefully consider what I should spend energy on every single day. For me these things include meditation, practicing mantra and running. This is a kind of outer and inner construction of myself. The energy I invest in these activities turns back to me multiplied, I feel myself fresh and it’s great to know that I start and finish my days with activities from which I gain energy for a long time. If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

However strange it might sound in our bitter world, sometimes as a believer I wish all the best for every creature, mainly on the basis of Buddhist teachings. I wish that everybody feel good and has a better life. As I see it, we shouldn't live without sympathy. Just because one doesn’t put their sorrow in the showcase, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have any problems. Many people are expelled to the streets, children don't have anything to eat, so many horrors are there in the world.... We must be grateful for the things we have and it doesn't cost anything to wish all the best for everybody before going to sleep. If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com