Jasmine Goes To The Market

Jazzy went to the market today.








Everyone from stall-keepers to shoppers wanted to get to know her. She, like all birds, needs stimulation and it's important to take her out regularly so she can meet new people and encounter different environments.


When we came across a street-side cafe we joined another couple at a table.






She loves to go out and have a change of pace from being at home.









While we were waiting Jazzy took a munch in her food cup and checked out the scene.This is her summer travel cage: it's very light, weighing less than 5 lbs and allows air to reach her freely.

It took her a while to get used to the idea of going into it. At first she was quite happy to play on the outside, but nothing would entice her to go inside. She decided to go in one day, after it sat around the house, for over a month, where she could see it and occasionally choose to play on it. We were so thrilled when she went in, we immediately took her out for a car trip and she's been happy to go out in it ever since.

The cage comes with a back pack accessory which the cage to be put into. You can see the Adventure Pack Bird Carrier at Flying South Inc. We haven't tried the backpack part of it yet because she's accustomed to going out and about with full range of visibility.Her winter and cooler-weather, Wingabago, travel cage is totally clear perspex with interchangeable perspex and stainless steel doors. The Wingabago cage can be seen in detail with accessories at Chirp n Squawk; it's a very sturdy and totally reliable cage. Jazzy can be seen in her Wingabago travel cage in a previous post called Experimentation.

We have cable-tied together all the parts of the cage so that nothing can accidentally come apart while we're out. The cage is durable, and with the backpack on it, it's completely secure. But without the backpack it's probably safest to have it bound more securely than just the four or so clips that hold the cage stainless steel frame to the purple base. We also plan to cover the bottom of the base as a precaution. If the cage ever does get dropped and doesn't have the backpack carrier on it, we want to be sure that if the base were to shatter there would be no way Jazzy could escape or get hurt.

She loves to clamber around the bars and gets lots of exercise doing this. With the open bars she's also much more a part of her surroundings and very much enjoys it.







While we waited for the coffee to arrive she enjoyed a good head rub.






Jazzy's charm is far-reaching as she makes yet another friend. She enjoys being admired and watching all the bustle around her.






And she loves to have her photo taken.

Setting Goals to Achieve Our Dreams

Do you ever lose sight of where you're going in life?... ...what it is you'd like to accomplish? An excellent way of focusing your efforts is to write down your goals.

If things are a little hazy, creating short-term and long-term goals can be amazingly helpful. For example: 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, 5-year and life goals. Making a list of perhaps ten things you want to accomplish in each of those time frames can generate an enthusiasm and focus that doesn't seem to occur when we haven't concretely defined our goals.

Keeping these lists conveniently available for viewing is tremendously important. There are so many things happening on a daily basis that it can be difficult to keep in mind what we really want to accomplish. It's so easy to get carried away in the flow of daily tasks and whims. This is great too, but if we have goals that we really want to reach, we need a way to regularly remind ourselves of them. Putting the lists out where they can be seen on passing, or, keeping them in a notebook ready to hand, or maybe on your computer desktop.

The energy created by doing this propels us forward much more quickly. This is most likely because our minds are that much more organized as a result. We become more aware of what's important to us, and are able to choose our activities more appropriately.

It's very likely that some of the items on those lists get done sooner than their estimated time slot. Crossing them off, after the accomplishment, is extremely satisfying and this becomes an additional source of encouragement. Every time we see that we're actually making progress, it boosts our confidence and we become even more energized.

The lists don't become stagnant because they change just as we do. As we achieve the tasks we set, new ones emerge; and as a result of our experiences and evolving ideas, the goals might need adjusting from time to time. They become an integral part of our conscious awareness, a map to help us forward.

What we achieve can have such a deep effect on how we feel about ourselves. The ramifications this can have in terms of the satisfaction we derive from our lives can be more than we might at first think. Creating these lists of goals is inexpensive and easy to do and it's a fantastic tool for moving us toward the accomplishment of whatever it is we want most.

Patterns and Textures In Composition

Patterns and texture used in isolation to create a composition can give rise to an almost abstract image. It can even be difficult for the viewer to decipher what the subject is. This can lead to an atmospheric piece in which many ideas come to mind, producing for the person more of a superposition of feelings when looking at the image.

For example, the photograph here might be a number of things. The mind can search for what seems most likely, and in doing so, it's almost as if the image becomes all of them at the same time. This might fascinate the observer and render the composition more interesting.

Another effect is that the variation in color throughout the composition has increased importance. It can become almost like observing a fire in which the variations in flame color can intrigue an observer for long periods of time.





The selection and focus on texture to enhance the appeal of a subject is also very effective.










Focusing on patterns in nature can draw greater awareness and appreciation for the intricacies that we may not have time to stop outdoors for long enough to study closely.



Trees and their bark can be fascinating subjects.








This tree trunk seems to have a character of its own. Letting the imagination run, it can almost seem that there's a horse and a person hidden in its folds.







The soft, slightly varied repetition of the pattern of flower bunches in this image give it a gentle, soothing radiance. The cascade in the tree branch is fun to follow.

The pattern generates a direction of movement from the upper left to lower right of the image.



The movement generated by patterns can be consciously used in a composition to attract and guide an observer's eye.

Shapes that don't follow an exact, repetitive geometrical rule can create a scene that's relaxing to look at.The next image is somehow haunting, and what might seem at first to be a dull rendition, keeps pulling the eyes back to it to look some more.


Even though the background is a similar color to the flower, the texture of the background throws the flower into unexpected relief, where every detail on the flower is important.











The window light falling on the floor stones creates a very mellow, earthy feeling.




The sky is a source of an infinite variety of changing patterns and textures.
Whether your art is photography, painting, or even graphic design, the directed use of patterns and textures in a composition is extremely important for creating a desired impact.

Toxic Fumes on Airline Flights: What's It All About?

In a recent post Becoming More Aware of Toxins In Our Environment, I referred to an article published on June 10, 2007 by The Independent called, "Toxic fumes on planes 'threaten thousands of passengers each year". This article reports that scientific research has shown that fumes present in planes have rendered pilots incapable of flying their aircraft safely. One of the symptoms cited was fatigue, along with many others which coincidentally are all typical of those experienced by people with chemical sensitivity.Two more articles have appeared on this subject since then. On June 19, 2007 NewScientist published an article titled: "Toxic fumes impairing our ability to fly, say pilots". It reports that pilots say that toxic fumes on planes are poisoning them, rendering them unable to fly and that they are campaigning for 'aerotoxic syndrome' to be recognized as a disease. The article also refers to symptoms: "Symptoms related to long term exposure purportedly include neurological and respiratory problems, memory loss, difficulties with speech, and chronic fatigue." This list of symptoms is remarkably similar to those experienced by people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

A third article was released today, June 25, by the BBC: "Tired pilots 'compromise safety'". This article makes no mention of the extended symptoms referred to in the other two articles cited above. Far along in the article it qualifies fatigue as 'chronic fatigue', which is known to be a common way of referring to a symptom related to an ongoing health condition, rather than incidental tiredness from lack of sleep. The paragraph with this reference reads: "Dr. Ian Perry, one of the country's leading consultants in aviation medicine, says the number of pilots coming to see him who are chronically fatigued has doubled over the last five years to four or five people a fortnight, he said."

This means that five years ago the doctor was seeing at least two pilots a fortnight who were chronically fatigued. This illustrates that this isn't a new problem. Given the importance of it, both from the perspective of pilots who are becoming ill in statistically significant numbers, and secondly, to passengers, it would be reasonable to expect the aviation industry to have taken faster action to remedy the situation.

There is another BBC article published 9 years ago, dated September 1998, "Health Cover up over pilot fatigue" in which the same Dr. Ian Perry, the examiner of pilots for the Civil Aviation Authority and the Federal Aviation Authority, tells that many doctors are grounding pilots for fatigue, but are giving another reason on official reports. The article says: "He admits he himself covers up the extent of the problem, which could be a factor in plane crashes." The article continues: "Research shows 70% of crashes are due to pilot error."

The last paragraph of the NewScientist article from the 19th of this month, (mentioned above) quotes Jonathan Nicholson, a spokesperson for the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as saying: "Everybody recognises that there are incidents where fumes enter cabins. We will look at further work on the issue if long-term health issues are proven."

In his blog, Seth Godin recently wrote a really relevant post called Responsibility. He calls marketing people to attention with examples, demonstrating just how influential marketing tactics are. He says: "If you get asked to market something, you're responsible. You're responsible for the impacts, the costs, the side effects and the damage. You killed that kid. You poisoned that river. You led that fight. If you can't put your name on it, I hope you'll walk away. If only 10% of us did that, imagine the changes. Imagine how proud you'd be of your work."

That is great advice, not just for marketers, but for every single one of us to strive for -- a call to live honestly, courageously, truthfully.

Summer Fields In The Pays de Gex, France

The wheat in the Pays de Gex, France, is a shimmering gold color that's very lovely to look at in the summer.
With the heavy rains here recently many of the fields have been damaged.









Everywhere in the valley right now there are tractors coming and going from the fields.

Many can be seen at work in the fields even today, on a Sunday.



Where there aren't tractors, there's often a clear trail left behind of where they have been.




















There are vineyards......fields of sunflowers...















...and corn.








With the cool weather the poppies have lasted a long time.










In places, the corn is growing tall.














It's all very picturesque with Mt. Blanc in the distance.

Thunder and Lightning!

We've had lots of rain in the area recently. The skies have been beautiful to look at and quite a bit of the rain in the recent days has happened at the end of the day. It clears and cools the air and makes everything look sparkling and vibrant.







Looking out across the valley the spread of colors in the rain clouds is phenomenal. The build up to the rain can be very pretty. The air gets heavier, hotter and then it breaks.

A few nights ago it waited until it was dark and then buckets of rain came down.


And there was thunder and lightning, and it was very close!

Benefits and Repercussions of a Global Society

With modern forms of travel and the Internet, the Earth has become a relatively much smaller place. We travel easily and quickly from one distant country to another. There has always been movement of people since history began, but it seems that more individuals, or small groups of people are moving around, leaving friends and relatives in other locations.

This has many advantages as well as disadvantages. The dictionary defines society as "an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization". In the past, societies have been largely woven out of local influences and have been very closely associated with location. There are a large number of very tightly knit communities with characteristic cultures and customs carried from the past into present times.

The large movements of individuals from every conceivable origin to every conceivable destination brings new elements into communities all over the world. The intermingling of different cultures and outlooks can bring tremendous benefits, but it can also cause confusion as the customs and familiar rules of etiquette become diluted by the presence of newcomers.

Change can be difficult to accept. People leaving what they know may be prepared to learn new ways, but while they're acquainting themselves with a new community they inadvertently bring new elements into that society themselves. Locals meet such new elements with a variety of responses.A society is an evolving entity, change is inevitable. Some personalities enjoy embracing the new, and patches of a modified society occur where mixtures of outlooks are adopted and accepted. But how does a community ensure that the qualities they hold dear are not overcome and lost by the rapid insertion of new ways and ideas?

The richness of variety is extremely important to moving forward constructively in any endeavor. If we, as people of the Earth, can respect and admire our differences and learn to bring them together without obliterating our varied heritages, we will have the best of everything for building the future.

Jasmine's SilverBowl and Other Toys

Jazzy is a bird, as you probably know by now, and birds need lots of things to do.
Jazzy has a stainless steel bowl to put many of her toys in. She likes to sit on the rim and play.












She has lots of different things to choose from. (Click on images to enlarge.)

There are untreated wooden shapes to gnaw on,...

...stainless steel metal loop bolts with pins to unscrew,...


...stainless steel straight bolts and washers to undo,...


...wooden toys threaded onto wood sticks,...







...more wooden toys threaded onto the straight bolts along with washers for challenge and interest,...






...extremely hard plastic gadget that's a nice color and sometimes fun to experiment with,...





...small unscented, untreated rawhide dog toys to chew and dismantle,...well, and yes, sometimes to soak very nicely in the water bowl to make it really soft!,...



...the before and after of the moccasin rawhide,...



...the occasional untreated wooden clothespin,...




...and interesting spiral etched wooden peg.








Jazzy also likes to play with a rawhide bone hung on the side of the cage. We drilled a hole in it and threaded it through a fastening bolt. It is also made of stainless steel, as is all of the metal Jazzy plays with. Other metals can cause metal poisoning. Of course, the fastening bolt is a definite hit for playing with too.





















When she pushes it all the way to the end of the cage she has a good stretch to reach it.














Jazzy likes to spend a bit of time with a book before retiring at night. You can see it there ready for her on the cage.









It's a very appreciated and well-used book!


And she has small cardboard boxes that she can hold in her hand and work at.




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Here you can see her standing on her nylon cutting board platform very engrossed with her box.There are also many fantastic stainless steel toys at Birdsafe Store and nice extravagant wooden ones at Chirp n Squawk that Jazzy very much looks forward to getting in the future. Jazzy is a DIY type of bird. To see more of her in action with her toys you can go to DIY Bird.

Looking On The Bright Side

There are many things in the world that could do with improving: in our individual behaviors, our personal lives, and also in the larger society and world that humankind has created.

Sometimes the thought of this can be overwhelming if we concentrate for too long on what's wrong. It's important to think deeply about these issues and to address them, but it's counterproductive to dwell on the negative aspects of ourselves or situations.

The majority of our attention is better spent admiring and enjoying the good things, which in turn gives us more energy to work towards making improvements where we feel they are needed.

In our society, technological advancements and way of life allows us, and perhaps even encourages us, to spend much of our time indoors. It's possible to go from one concrete structure to another without really being aware of all the life there is outside. Birds, bees, insects, small animals, trees... They become abstract objects, without a personal meaning or relationship to us. It's easy to live isolated from the wonder and magic of being alive.Even taking the time to look at non-sentient and inanimate objects can give us a boost. Colors give us energy. Observing shapes and patterns can be relaxing and calming.

One simple way to enhance our awareness of the beauty around us is to look at the sky.








Watching changes take place in front of our eyes allows us to experience it intimately.





By engaging our powers of awareness on the beautiful things around us we create a positive environment for ourselves. We connect with our feelings and this generates a dynamo of enthusiasm. As a result, we have more energy and zest to make other things even better than they are.

Air Filters For Asthma, Allergies and Chemical Sensitivity

If you have asthma, allergies or chemical sensitivies one of the best things you can do to reduce the symptoms you experience is to use an air filter. Do you often have a runny nose, congestion, sore throats, dry irritated eyes? Do you, or someone in your family, catch colds frequently? Do you have trouble sleeping? Running one or two air filters in your home can dramatically reduce the particulates and chemicals present in your indoor air. And this can have a dramatic effect on how you feel.

It's especially important also for babies and young children. Last month the Los Angeles Times published an article "Common chemicals pose danger for fetuses, scientists warn". Two hundred leading environmental scientists from five continents around the world wrote a declaration stating that exposure to common chemicals makes babies more likely to develop an array of health problems later in life. These health problems included: diabetes, attention deficit disorders, prostate cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorders and even obesity.

In the article, Dr. Bruce Lanphear, director of the Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is quoted as saying: "Reducing exposure would lead to tremendous benefits. We shouldn't wait for an epidemic to fully mature before we develop policies to protect children."

Pollution is also a big concern. Ozone is created when car pollutants interact with sunlight. With summer coming we're moving into a time when ozone levels in outdoor air increase. The International Herald Tribune posted a blog article today discussing the effects of ozone pollution. Ozone attacks the lung's lining and causes coughing, wheezing and watery eyes. The article says that many cities in Europe routinely exceed what the European Environment Agency deems to be harmful levels of ozone in the air. Ozone travels large distances and so it is a problem for people outside the cities also. It is suggested that people with lung problems avoid outdoor exercise when levels are high.

There are many sources of pollution that enter our homes, both from the inside and outside. An air filter is a very effective way to reduce our exposure. There are quite a variety of filters available on the market and there are a few things it is good to be aware of. The quality of the components and substances used in these filters is extremely important, otherwise the filter itself ends up introducing unwanted chemicals.

I bought a very expensive filter a year ago that was advertised as being suitable for those with chemical sensitivity, but it turned out that the unit itself was releasing chemicals that caused problems. It was housed in a soft pliable plastic, which undoubtedly makes it more durable and robust to denting, but which released chemicals that caused increased breathing difficulty.

It's also important that the manufacturer take care to ensure that oils lubricating the motor don't cause contamination. And the quality of the carbon filters also needs to be high.

I highly recommend the filter company AllerAir. They have all types of filters. The HEPA filter and high efficiency carbon filter remove airborne chemicals, gases, odors and particles. They know firsthand what materials are required for someone with chemical sensitivities because the company was established after a member of the family developed MCS and they discovered there wasn't a suitable filter on the market. AllerAir's units are made of metal and they take great care to ensure the materials they use are high quality.




The AirTube is a great choice for smaller rooms and costs around $300. It can also be a huge help as an interim solution if you don't have the funds to get a more powerful filter right away.



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The Allerair 5000 MCS air purifier can have dramatic effects on how you feel after a night's sleep and during the day. The MCS unit costs approximately $1000.






After running an air filter in the indoor environment for a few weeks, a person can experience a huge increase in energy and reduction in symptoms. It's a worthwhile investment that can make a tremendous difference to current and long-term health and, as a result, even lifestyle.

Jasmine And What She Does In Her Cage Part II

Down in her silver bowl Jazzy, of course, loves to find her stainless steel nuts and bolts and entertains herself taking those apart.


But she also has some other hobbies and one of these is to dismantle and shred small woven baskets. These are actually sold in the pet store for small caged birds to make nests in. We take the metal fixture off them and they work perfectly for something for Jazzy to slowly crunch into tiny bits. It also makes the most satisfying sound, which is very important to Jazzers.
When she's done playing in her bowl she climbs up the front of the cage and moseys on back to the perches up above to see what's going on.


Sometimes she brings one of her carabina metal loops and pin, which you can read more about in DIY Bird, with her to undo up on the perch.

Once she has removed the pin she likes to shuffle them around in her beak, experimenting with what can be done. And when she's ready or fumbles one of them, she drops it; then she twirls the other piece for a bit. And finally she drops that one too. It makes a great clanking sound when it lands below. Fantastic toy all round. At least it seems Jazzy thinks so, because she never tires of playing with them.

She has a couple of wood toys placed on either side of her food cups, which she also likes to play with. They have the added advantage of deterring her from sitting on her cups with the wrong undercarriage position - which can otherwise often result in a sanitary mishap!

On the right in the photo the edge of Jazzy's book can just about be seen. Yes, she's a reader! Well, actually, her style of reading is a bit different. It's a children's book with thick sturdy pages, which she likes to shred. It has become a just-before-bed-time routine for her to settle down for a while to chomp on her book. She has no compunction about bending the corners of the pages.

Often we'll present her with a couple of books for her to choose the color and style she prefers at the time; she has definite preferences and it's important to give her as many choices in her life as possible.


African Greys have a tremendous number of feathers and it takes a lot of time and attention to keep those in order. So she spends some quiet time preening.
When Jazzy eats she tends to frequently flick the food off the top of her beak, sending it flying far and wide. So we constructed some very effective perspex shields with stainless steel hooks, which we place over the bars close to her food cups.



And then there are the times when it's just good to sit, look and think.





Occasionally she'll scoot along the floor to find some interesting morsel that she dropped on the floor of the cage.

And there's also exciting indoor football; for more about football you can see Jasmine Plays Football.

We place three small nylon cutting boards on the bottom of her cage to allow her space to move around without having to clamber along the bars. It's good occasionally for her to be able to have her feet spread out flat.

This does very much require that the boards be closely monitored and cleaned regularly throughout the day so that she doesn't wander around in unsavory droppings. This is very important in order to make sure she doesn't become ill as a result of uncleanliness.

The vege and fruit food cup is always a great place to be.In this photo it's possible to get a better view of her food shields, which when they're put in place we inform her "Shields up!".



This is her home and she thinks it's a great place to be. Often when she's out and about the house, she'll decide to go back into her cage and she actually pulls the door to, once she's inside.

The Back Streets of the Old Town Annecy, France, Part IV

There are a number of artists selling their paintings of the local scenery. The artist with his setup here is at the bridge with the view directly onto the Palais de L'isle -- a prime spot. The fellow there on the day we passed by was a really fantastic artist. One of his paintings would definitely make a great souvenir and lovely addition to any wall.




Crossing the bridge leads to the narrow streets of the Old Town of Annecy. They are full of cafes and restaurants and many small shops.





There are hat stores, clothes shops, souvenirs and all manner of items for purchase.


It's fun to pop into them just to see the variety and craftsmanship. There's no end to the creative imagination behind the items that it's possible to buy.

The buildings follow one after the other in continuous succession, but each one different with its own unique character. They lead to a spacious sunlit square.

Turning round and looking back the way we came you can see, in the background, the mountains that are on the other side of Annecy Lake.














There are many restaurants with tables outside, making for a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

It's bright and cheery in the sun and the fountain gives a nice sound and a refreshing feeling.In the far right hand corner of the square there's a quaint and appealing cafe.




Here is an arch leading out of the older part of the town.












Taking some of the streets that go uphill there are some interesting and beautiful buildings. This mustard color house is very warm looking and inviting, and the texture almost makes it look good enough to eat - well, on second thought, maybe not!










Looking up another one of the hills gives a further view of the houses and buildings of the town. On the right hand side of this street is a small park with very nice flowers and trees. It's a peaceful place, and the shade is welcome during the hot day climbing the rather steep gradient.









At the top we're rewarded with a magnificent view of the Basilica of the Visitation. The order of it's monastery was founded at Annecy by Saint Francis of Sales and Saint Jeanne of Chantal in 1610.


Near here, turning around and walking in the opposite direction, is Annecy Castle, which will be our next and last trip in this sequence to Annecy.

Jasmine And What She Does In Her Cage Part I

Jazzy has a large cage (well, actually she has two large cages, but that's another story). This one stands 143 cm (4'8") tall from the floor to the top of the cage, 86 cm (2'10") wide and 61 cm (2') deep. It has a nice wide and tall door on the front.

This cage has some great features. It's easy to clean because both the grating at the bottom and the tray slide out easily. The whole cage dismantles, without any screws or bolts of any kind, into separate pieces for easy transportation. And it's easy to move for cleaning underneath it because it's on wheels. The shelf below the cage is excellent for storing toys and food pellets. And, should you need it, there are slots on the sides to allow for other cages like it to be joined alongside. I don't have the brand name, but there are similar cages at The Birdsafe Store.

Jazzy likes to sit where you see her there on her wood perch and chat about things, all sorts of things.

The top of her cage has pieces of cardboard (mainly from cereal boxes) interwoven along the bars. Jazzers likes to climb up to there from the inside of the cage to tear and pull these down. It's great fun trying to put them in place because Jazzy thinks it's the best game to get there first and see who can win at either pulling them out (J) or weaving them in (me)! But she's always gentle and so we both have lots of fun doing this.

Another game we like to play at the top of her cage is what we call 'gotchas'. She clambers along the bars upside down, and I follow her from above with my hand, gently touching her feet, sometimes her leg, sometimes her tummy and then I say 'I gotcha foot!', or whatever it is I'm touching. She loves doing this and usually ends up twisting herself double to put her head between her legs close to the bars for a head rub. And then we have a quiet moment where she enjoys a little scritch around her neck and on top of her head.

At night the cage is covered with a light sheet and she sleeps on the blue perch.



If she has been stationary for a while she always stretches before she does anything else.

As usual with Jazzy photos, you can click on the images to see them enlarged.

Sometimes she looks like she's doing tai chi.









She likes to meander over to her pellet food bowl and take a chomp at the wood toy she has nearby.Below her on the floor of the cage is her stainless steel silver bowl, which is full of toys. And at the back there's a tattered empty tissue box that she likes to chew on from time to time. She makes her way down to the bars to the bottom of the cage to her silver bowl...

...to investigate the toys she has.


She loves to spend long periods of time playing in her bowl, digging through the many things she has there.

How To Discover Our Passions

If you want to know more about someone and what they think about different things, a good way to find out is to ask them. This can also work extremely well for ourselves!

That might sound like a funny idea, but there are times when we don't know what we're thinking or feeling about a situation, a person, or even our life. There may be some niggling sensation that tells us we do have thoughts and feelings about something, but we may not have the time, or take the time, to stop and listen to what they are. They can become buried, difficult to isolate. A good approach to find out what's really going on is to ask ourselves.

A particularly important facet of our lives that can be very fulfilling is doing something we really enjoy. Becoming completely engrossed in an activity can lead to a sense of satisfaction, contentment and accomplishment.

Some people know what they like to do and they do it. They can become so involved in their passion for it that they become experts and they naturally develop strengths that cause them to excel in it. They eagerly put hours into cultivating their interest, and while it might be hard work some of the time, they have the motivation required to persevere until they achieve what they want. It can frequently follow as a simple progression that a person like this ends up pursuing their genuine interest in some form of career or employment.

For others it may not be so easy. Some of us may not even have fully figured out what exactly it is we like to do. There can be many reasons for this, but it happens all too frequently that we don't have time to investigate what we like simply for the pleasure of it. Or maybe we have the notion that it wouldn't be an acceptable way to spend time, perhaps it doesn't seem useful enough.


It is amazing though, the variety of extreme and bizarre activities people have managed to turn into a hobby and then, eventually, a means of income.


Whether it's to find a new career that is more directly related to things we love to do, or whether it's to find out more definitively how we would most enjoy spending our spare time: there's a simple set of questions we can answer for ourselves in order to begin to discover more concretely what it is that we like especially.

List three, four or more of your most favorite:

1. magazines
2. books
3. known hobbies or fun things you like to do
   
4. topics of study or reading
   
5. historical periods or events
6. people
7. legends or interesting topics
8. films

Give as many short (one or two-word phrases) of explanation that you can think of for liking each of your choices. For sure there are more questions that can be added to that list to reveal us to ourselves; answer as many questions as you can think of to get your answers.

Patterns begin to emerge in the answers and this enables us to see more clearly what is most important and appealing to us. The answers can be a real surprise and it's lots of fun to find out what we may not consciously know about ourselves. This secret life can hold some gems that might dramatically change our outlook.



Do you have unknown passions waiting for you to discover? Try it and see!