The Next Level: a Transformational event in Christchurch May 2017

I have been busy  and will soon tell you more about it but here is one of the things I have been enjoying:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-next-level-christchurch-tickets-29427790313

Recently I received an email that Michael Johnson, aka The Mojo Master was coming to Christchurch and if I wanted to interview him. Michael is a transformational expert who not only transforms thousands of lives but also transformed himself.

Michael, I read your biography on your website and it is quite impressive how despite your struggle with depression, chronic fatigue and ADHD you turned your life around and became very successful. How did you do it?

The biggest turning point was when my best friend was involved in a car crash and his 3-year-old niece passed away. It taught me that you must live your life before it is too late. I started to learn step by step who I was and what I wanted from life. I learned that you must be realistic and that life is about pleasure and pain. When people have a baby, you experience the wonder and excitement but also the sleepless nights and crying.
I always felt I had to fit other people’s expectations but went on a road of self-discovery and started to become who I was on the inside. The key part is that you should love everyone, including yourself. Everyone has what it takes to be extraordinary.

Michael, how did you overcome depression?

Sometimes we lose ourselves. It is important that we continually grow and learn about ourselves instead of getting stuck in an idea about where we are and what we should be. The most empowering thing that ever happened for me was when I discovered my true values in life along with my life mission and life purpose of teaching people how to live an extraordinary life (No matter where you have come from).

Fear is also something that holds people back. Was that an issue in your life, like did you have stage fright? 

Of course, especially becoming a public speaker. There are two kinds of fear, realistic fear and imagined fear. With imagined fear, people often imagine things, which will never happen. Real fear is something that could lead to death and is a very important part of human consciousness. If we didn’t have real fear we would take silly risks that could kill us. Imagined fear on the other hand has a tendency to slowly kill people without them knowing it due to never living the life they truly want and stopping most from never living up to their own expectations.

What do you love most about your work?

I do what I love to do, I love to express myself and feel in control of my destiny and I love helping people by giving them the tools to live an extraordinary life. I truly believe everyone is capable of something great in their lives. In fact I believe in most people more than they believe in themselves.

You have helped many people, can you tell me a story of positive change of one of your clients?

There are many amazing stories. One client “Paul” from Cairns in Australia used to come home from work and drink every night to supress his feelings of anger, frustration and stress due to the life that he had created.
He used to have fits of anger and rage until one day he had enough and tried to end his own life. He realised he had a drinking problem and went to AA but left as he felt it didn’t work for him. His life fell apart. He decided to come to one of our events event. For the first time in his life, he realised who he was and why he was here. He got a new job and changed careers. In a short period of time his new company valued the changes he’d made  and the inspiration he bought to the team and they paid for him to continue his studies with us and attend every course we could offer.

You help motivate people but some say that motivation is an internal process. What do you think about that?

Motivation can go up and down. If we want to live an extraordinary life we should go deeper and see what really drives us. This will create an intrinsic drive (from within). When a person is inspired they do not need to be motivated. They are excited and have energy to burn.

My last question. You have learned a lot along the way. What is your favourite piece of wisdom?

I have many favourites. Each time you learn something you go to a new level and want to learn another piece of wisdom. Life is a constant learning process. If I had to give one piece of advice it would be to know thyself, so that you be thyself and love thyself. It’s the only true way to live an extraordinary life. 

Make a slideshow for your blog with Google slides

Our garden delight

Do you want to put your photos in a slide show and include it in your blog?
Some people asked how to do that so I will give an explanation. It's not hard
If you have a Google Account and those with blogspot do, you automatically have access to Google Drive where you can back up your documents and photos but also use programmes like Google slides.
You can search for Google drive and login with your Gmail address or click on the 9 dots when you are already signed in and select Drive.

Within Drive select My Drive at the top, next to the blue 'New' button. Accordingly select  the programme Google slides.
Within Google slides select Slide and then New Slide
When your new slide is on the screen
Select image --------------------------------------

Select Choose an image to upload and navigate to where you stored the picture, select it and click Open. If you want a nice design click on Explore on the right side at the bottom and select a design you like.

Keep repeating till you inserted all your photos

When you are finished select the File tab and then Publish to web

Select Embed which is located next to the word Link

Tick the boxes and select publish. You receive now a piece of HTML code

Copy and paste the code in the HTML part when you create a new post in Blogger.

If you want to continue your post and add some text than press compose and finish your post. Done :)

Sorry, I don't know about Wordpress.

Have fun!
Let me know if you have any questions

One sunbeam lights a room

I am not as tough as you think. After a week of everything breaking down at work, a 5.4 earthquake under our house, a cancelled flight because of the Chili dust cloud, a child that stubbornly does the opposite as what is good for it and an illness in the family I had a little meltdown again. It was like everything was out of  control, I felt powerless, everything just happens and you can't do anything to stop it or change it. Than that same evening I got out of the blue some nice phone calls from friends. I also received an email from friends with some encouraging words and the above video and I realised that we do have power, authentic power. We are able to touch other people and make them feel good again. We are able to make little changes which can lead to big changes. We are able to make a beginning of something which has the potential to become big. As the poem says "one candle destroys darkness, one Sunbeam lights a room"
Very inspirational. Thanks

We haven't been able to go out a lot as it is winter here. As the weather was good today we went for a bike ride to Tai Tapu, 8 km down the road. We recently bought some bikes. As the petrol prices are soaring we thought it was a good idea to pick up biking again. It is quite an adjustment as the bikes here are OK but they aren't Dutch bikes, with big saddles with springs underneath it for example. But they are OK. We arrived in Tai Tapu and to stay in the spirit of this week my hubbies bike broke down. A guy from the petrol station was very helpful and gave us access to his tools and the bike got fixed. We celebrated with a coffee, sat on a comfortable chair in a garden and a cow on the roof  looked sadly as we departed again (as they do).That was a nice trip.

Here a link to a post at Life in the land of the long white cloud about new developments in Christchurch

Take care, marja

Midsummer nights dream

Hermia and Lysander.........................................Puck surrounded by the fairies Yesterday night I went to the play Midsummer night dream performed and interpreted by the students of Mayke's and Davy's school Unlimited. First I was a bit apprehensive to go. I knew it was a play from Shakespeare. I didn't learn much about him at school and thought it was all heavy stuff . You know what; I absolutely loved it. I was enchanted and entertained all the way through. This was of course first of all credit to the students. I was very impressed by them. The story is about two couples Hermia & Lysander and Helena &Demetrius and the many complications in their love. This is made worse by Puck a mischievous spirit. Puck was sent out by Oberon, king of fairyland to apply a flowers juice to the eyes of Demetrius. The juice will make the person fall in love with the first one he sees upon awakening. Puck mistakes however Lysander for Demetrius. In the enchanted forest where most of the story takes place Bottom the weaver and his friends Snug, Snout, Quince and Flute practise a play for the wedding of the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta, a lady warrior A lot more happened, but find that out for yourself. I feel that me on discovery of all these great experiences thinks if only education was so exciting when I was young. The theme of the play is that emotion and imagination influences the perception of human beings and a famous quote in the play is "The course of true love never did run smooth" Sight

Disconnected

Prompt disconnected for Sunday Scribblings

Hi all. Here a photo of my first view on New Zealand from when I came back last Tuesday from my trip to Holland. I think it is stunning and today I felt the beauty of New Zealand deep in my veins again. I feel very privileged to live here. I also feel privileged that I was able to go to the other side of the world to visit family and friends and I was treated there like celebrity and I had an absolutely fantastic time. I thought the first thing I would do is sharing all the excitement with everybody here but I couldn't I felt completely disconnected with the world. Probably partly because of jet lag. I had to go to work the next day so that doesn't help. Another reason is I think when you get so many impressions, emotions and experiences and no time to let them settle, your brain shuts of. It was like "Scotty beam me up" and I was in another world, day became night, autumn became spring. I am also a fairly anonymous person here in New Zealand and when I came home, although a lot of people left my home town I still met many people on the street who recognised me. We talked as if I had never left the place and if nothing had changed. Ah well sort of.

Now I am back here it all seems like a dream. I still feel a bit disconnected but it will all come back and I will show you bits and pieces. There was also a different form of disconnection.

It was hard to bring over the part of me here in new Zealand to the people in Holland because most can't form a real picture of it and that's were the following words are about

Disconnected

By Marja Blom

 Flying through time landing in the past

where I am still me

but disconnected from a part left behind

disconnected from a place in a tale

not seen nor touched by many

just words forming an imagination

of an invisible cloak around me.

Back in town

Hi Back home again. We had a wonderful holiday and my next post will be about Mount Cook. The place where we stopped first and I will also visit you all soon. Don't know when because I am still enjoying the company of my brother. I haven't laughed as much for ages and people must have thought that some lunatics travelled through NZ. Anyway on my header you see the peak of Mount Cook , the highest mountain in NZ Isn't it beautiful?

Furthermore a happy New Year and thanks to all family, friends and blogging friends for all the good wishes and wonderful post.

A special thank to my friend M.Kate who has sent me all in the picture above;

A mystic knot "It is the number 8 written many times and there is no ending to it when your finger traces it" writes M.Kate "It symbolises never ending wealth, joy abundance and good things and good health" It has a special place in my house now.

The red packet on the top right is usually used as a gift for special occasions. The sign on the envelope means "double happiness" This sign is used on weddings. Red is the colour of celebrations. She generously sends it as a symbol to give unending love and joy.

The red church on the postcard right under is a Dutch church in Melakka in Malaysia. I visited that one a long time ago and there are some beautiful cards from Sarawak and Borneo.

Thanks a lot M.Kate I feel honoured.

I am sure this is going to be a great blogging year with al of you

Aroha Marja

A guest from Zambia

Wild safari in Zambia

A few years ago I did an introduction course in Journalism and that was the most fun course I ever did. Why? Because I had to do interviews for homework and I now had an opportunity to ask people all kind of questions. Instead of 2 interviews for homework I did about 5 and I found one of them in a box tis morning. I started emptying a closet for my brother who comes next week but instead ended up going through a pile of old stuff.

I interviewed somebody from my husbands work who I will call Peter. Tell me if you enjoy it than I might do some more interviews next year, but probably it is too much writing.

A Guest from Zambia

Peter is from Zambia. Zambia is a landlocked country in South-central Africa. Months ago he came with his children to New Zealand. “There must be a lot of difference between life here and in Zambia” I asked. “No” said Lewis, I work; I still shop at Woolworth etc. I felt something was bothering him. I remember how lost I felt when I came first to New Zealand so I asked “What do you really miss about Zambia”. He answered straight away “the people”. Peter told that he was a chemical engineer. The last years he worked however for Totall as a sales representative for oils and diverse applications. Everybody knew him there. He often got reimbursed to entertain his customers and share some drinks with them. His house was paid off and his children went to a private school. “Why did you come here then” I asked. “To follow my wife and the children missed their mum” he said. His wife came to New Zealand in January this year to do some study as a registered nurse. She got offered a job before her course was even finished. A job well paid. “In Zambia nurses are heavily underpaid. From her salary you could buy just a tank of petrol “he said. “There were lots of strikes. I came over, but I still have my house in Zambia to go back to and within a certain time I can get my old job back as well. We’ll give it a try here however”. Peter had 3 job interviews already and is doing some temporary work. Peter was however not very hopeful. Then he asked me carefully “Tell me, are there not a lot of Africans in New Zealand”. I knew what he meant. “There are a lot of people from South Africa” I said “they are white people however. Then there are some refugees from Somalia.” I asked “Do you feel that people stare at you” He nodded. We changed the subject. “Tell me more about Zambia. What did you do in your free time?” I asked him. “We played squash and soccer. With the children I went sometimes to polo tournaments.” “All very English” I said “What about festivals. Do you have your own cultural festivals?” “Yes” he said,” there are 3 major festivals in different areas of the country; The first one is called Mutokombo, a festival of the Bemba tribe. It reflects the migration from the jungle of the old tribes in Northen Zambia. Then there is Kuomboka. This is about the travel of nomadic tribes from the low land, which gets flooded, to the highland. When the low land is dry again they go back and repair their houses. Another important festival in the eastern part is Mtesa, This is a festival of the Zulu people who came from South Africa. In the 17th century there was a brutal chief named Sjaka. He banned his way over 5000 km throughout Africa and killed lots of people. During the festival they sing war songs about the resistance against this chief. Then there are a lot of harvest festivals with special dances and of course the Christian celebrations of Easter and Christmas. “What is the typical music in Zambia” I asked. “The Rumba” Peter said. “It came over from the Congo. My last question was. “Did you see a lot of wild animals in Zambia”. “Sure” he said There are several big reserves in Zambia. Some as big as the South Island. Often I had to cross one of them for my work. Sometimes you had to stop for an elephant. You had to keep still. Blowing your horn would make them angry. They often travelled in a herd of 60 animals. Often you saw zebra’s and giraffes and sometimes there was a big snake on the road. I started to come in the spirit of Africa; Elephants and African people who show their special dances. That was the Africa I liked to think of. His story ended here however but my interest in Africa just started to be fuelled.