Happy new 2014! :D

Just watched this ted talk by mick cornett, the mayor of Oklahoma City.
http://www.ted.com/talks/mick_cornett_how_an_obese_town_lost_a_million_pounds.html

It was actually very enjoyable watching the talk because it seems the guy is highly skilled at the art of public speaking; he was very funny, clear and engaging even without slides :D

There was this pretty cool part:

'And so, on New Year's Eve of 2007, I went to the zoo, and I stood in front of the elephants, and I said, "This city is going on a diet, and we're going to lose a million pounds."

Well, that's when all hell broke loose.

The national media gravitated toward this story immediately, and they really could have gone with it one of two ways. They could have said, "This city is so fat that the mayor had to put them on a diet." But fortunately, the consensus was, "Look, this is a problem in a lot of places. This is a city that's wanting to do something about it." And so they started helping us drive traffic to the website. '

I think there are many situations in which we can actually take these two approaches e.g. in our assessments of ourselves. But the latter is a lot more positive and encouraging.

On new year's day, I decided that one of my key directions for growth this year will be to be more positive. I am likely to be very busy this term, and I was initially quite worried, but I think it would help to remember that these are things I want to do, and to look forward to the challenge and learning experience. I was watching WIN (Who Is Next) a couple of weeks ago, and although one of the teams lost, I still really envy their journey, specifically how hard they worked (together) to chase their dreams. I think that spirit (and the accompanying depth of emotion) in itself is one of the greatest joys in life and although it may not be easy, I believe it brings great satisfaction.

Some of my other goals for 2014 include: keeping in touch with and being there for my family and friends more, applying moisturizer every day, watching a top gear recording live, reading at least one book a month, continue getting a life (not just entertainment videos) e.g. dancing, jogging, cooking, exploring the parks in London, volunteering etc. Probably I will come up with more through the year ^^