Agatha Seymour's

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! If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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! If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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. If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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. If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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? If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

I’m an obsessed fan of films! Even during my school years I was a devoted member of the film club and I think that was when I irrevocably and unstoppably fell in love with the art of cinema. This time of the year, in January I happily engage myself in digging into the piles of DVDs on sale, because I might find something new or something which I haven’t seen for ages and I would like to watch again. Of course, I have my own good old favorites. For example, Annie Hall by Woody Allen. My absolute favorite. I could watch it hundred times, but I might have seen it more than hundred times.... If you want to know more about the writer please visit: 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! If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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! If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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! If you want to know more about the writer please visit 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! If you want to know more about the writer please visit: agathaseymour.com

I’m a great fun of saunas! As if it was designed for my lifestyle. Since I work a lot and sometimes and don’t sleep enough my immune system needs it, it’s good for relieving stress and it also positively affects ‘skin tiredness’ caused by the lack of sleep. I have a look at the schedule of the nearby sauna in advance and I manage my Sundays so that I can participate in the lemon infusion program. For me this is one of the most effective ways of physical and spiritual revitalization and it’s a perfect opportunity to gather some strength for the challenges of the week to come. If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

I’m not really good at cooking. Actually everybody benefits from it if I keep considerable distance from the kitchen. However, there are exceptional events when I venture closer to the cooker. When I buy all the ingredients my husband agrees to prepare together paella at the weekend. He, as a fan of Spanish culture, turns toward culinary arts with such precision and expertise which is unknown for me. My task is to chop and prepare this and that and to give these to him in the meticulously counted moment. Excellent family therapy and culinary journey, I recommend the happiness of cooking together for everyone! If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

For me the glass is always half-full. It can’t be otherwise. When I saw it as half-empty I immediately started to fear and I exclusively made bad decisions and they always had negative consequences… For a long time I only said that the glass is half-full because I couldn’t believe it. However, I was sure that it’ the same glass in question and I tried to think, even though I couldn’t fully believe, that the attempt and the spoken word will help. They did. After a while I started to believe that it’s half-full. If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

So far I’ve only regretted what I didn’t do. Of course, with this I don’t want to say that I’ve only made good decisions, not at all; but I gained experiences from the bad decisions and the good ones obviously made me happy. I only feel sorry even today for the loves left inexperienced, the missed outings, and the meetings with my friends that were cancelled down to laziness. These opportunities are gone forever, are left inexperienced forever, I can’t even do mistakes. Too bad! If you want to know more about the writer please visit agathaseymour.com

Everybody is amazing and our bare existence hides millions of possibilities inside. Among others that’s why it’s not advisable to put the advocacy of our interests in the hand of someone else. Nobody will ever talk so excellently and trustworthily on behalf of us as we would do. I’m still surprised even today that those problems, which I was trying to solve with great difficulties from the ‘distance’, were so easily and creatively sorted out after a face-to-face meeting. Your personal aura, appearance, personal persuasive power can add a lot to it, it’s worth using the possibility!

In my experience, no one can escape from the obligatory hellish parts of life. No matter what a wonderful place you were born to, no matter how much you are protected from the hardships of life, ‘destiny’ makes its way through and shows its true self. In my view it is not necessarily wrong if you experience situations when you have to grit your teeth and have to pray crying and quietly to being able to survive what destiny has delivered for you. Although I don’t like recalling the memory of my hell but I must admit I haven’t profited so much from anything as from that experience. I believe, life is always right and these few decades which we spend here are only truthful if everything is involved… From my part I would only add to these hard moments that they only worth being gone through honestly. If you are able to wait for God’s grace you might even be rewarded.

When things are going great I tend to forget that failures are also part of life. Sometimes it surprises me and I stand there astonished and then it comes to my mind what I heard once at a brain-control training: the reason behind failure is that you don’t have to face enough failure which means that we haven’t tried hard enough. So I always get cheerful after my failures; well, well… another experience leading to success! I’m approaching my aim!

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.

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 Diptyque, available in Hungary as well. 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!

Learning Study of Religions meant the part of looking for the way to happiness; and as a crazy student I loved Hegel the most. I’ve learned a lot from his lectures on the study of religions and his most important thought was connected to his teachings about emotions. He once wrote that only those can get lost in the storm of emotions who don’t have anything else in their lives apart from looking for happiness. However, those who have aims in their lives, who are going towards these aims (despite all emotional crises) and continues to approach these aims, those can much easier overcome difficulties. In connection with this teaching always the film about Muhammad Ali’s life comes to my mind. He was preparing for one of the most important matches of his life when one of his many wives attacked him: ‘Ali! Everyone is talking about your affairs. What do you want? Tell me, tell me what you want?!’ ‘I wanna be a world champion...’ was he answer… If you want to know more about the writer ple...

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!!!

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!

When I wriggle out of bed on the first day of the New Year I gather myself and with confidence and faith think of everything that awaits me this year. In myself I wish everybody what I wish for myself for 2012: health, bravery, strength for the tasks, a sense of humor for the unpleasant and hard moments, passionate love, success, challenging tasks, faith in a better future and that Providence is taking care of all of us and we are safe.