Highs & Lows of 2011

Last week, to celebrate our 6th anniversary, my wife Jess and I went out for dinner and, as is our tradition, we spent time reflecting on the year gone past, and sharing our “highs and lows” for the year.

Here are some of my own personal “highs” for 2011 (in order of appearance):

• Paddling in my first ever SurfSki race series - www.marineseries.co.za
• Renovating our House (see also “lows”)
• U2 Concert in Cape Town
• Mens Camp
• Buying an iPad 2 – read 3 Reasons Why I Love my iPad 2
• Road-tripping to Plett with a very pregnant wife (stopping every 5 min to pee)
• Catching the best waves of my life in J-Bay
• Living in Durbs (never gets old)
• Becoming a dad (best thing that has ever happened to me)
• My blog getting Freshly Pressed and getting a bunch of attention and exposure…
• Teaching the Alpha Course live
• Doing the Oribi Gorge swing
• Preaching “Inception” at God in the Movies – definitely one of my favourite films
• Starting Kettlebells (possibly the best and most complete workout you can give your body! see Flux Motion for details)
• Being a part of Red Frogs Ballito

However, as we laughed and reminisced, we also both realised that 2011 has in fact been quite a tough year for us. Here are a few of the “lows” from 2011:

• Renovations that took far too long and cost far too much
• Living in our house while said renovations took place (doing our dishes in the bath for a month is a personal favourite)
• Jess throwing up everyday for 4 months during her pregnancy
• Jess being admitted 3 times to hospital for kidney stones and various complications, worrying if we would lose the baby, having surgery twice while pregnant…
• Becoming a parent (see “highs”, but still a big adjustment)

And so, as we reflected and pondered this year of change, we acknowledged it has been…

a hard year, but a healthy year.

In fact, this time in 2010 we were both exhausted and burnt out, and yet this year we seem to be in a better place than we’ve ever been. With more energy, more peace, more grace towards each other, and an incredibly deep sense of contentment with our lives right now.

And so, I guess happiness and joy is less connected to our circumstances and more connected to our inner world than we might give credit for. It is not simply the absence of conflict, but rather peace in the midst of it.

What were some of your highs and lows of 2011?

From the blog side of things, 2011 has been an amazing year for me. I have absolutely loved sharing some of my thoughts and experiences with you, and I honestly can’t wait for where things are going in 2012. I would just like to thank every single person that has taken the time to visit my site, and be a part of it. I really appreciate the support!

May you have a blessed festive season, filled with God’s peace and joy.

Tom

Nobody Wants a Christmas Worth Forgetting.

Christmas time can be a crazy time for many of us.

Presents. Shopping. Parties. Food. Family. Friends. Boney M.

Now all these things are good things (except Boney M I would argue), but sometimes they can overwhelm us and steal our peace and joy.

And so, as part of your build up to Christmas this year, why don’t you make a conscious decision to do things a little differently this holiday season? Don’t just give presents, but give presence too. That means investing in the relationships around you. Spending quality time with the people you love. Going out of your way to be generous to someone in need, or to do something for someone else.

The Advent Conspiracy is an international movement centered around bringing a deeper meaning to Christmas. The movement is characterized by its four founding principles: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All. Here is a short 3-min video I did on the conspiracy to LOVE ALL this season…

Check it out. It might just make your Christmas an unforgettable one.

16 Ways to Press Pause & Slow Down

This is a guest post by Loren Pinilis, who stumbled on my blog a few weeks ago and requested a guest post. Loren writes on time management and living a balanced life, all from a Christian perspective.

Go. Go. Go.

That seems to be the pace of modern life. Everything around us is telling us to go faster, do more, and try harder.

Taking extended breaks to rest and rejuvenate is essential. But you don’t have to wait until the weekend or until your next vacation to recharge.

With just a few minutes of intentional action, you can start today – even right now – to press pause, slow down, and relax. Here are 16 easy things you can do when you need to refresh yourself mentally and physically during your day.

1. Write an encouraging Email to someone.  A lot of people only hear complaints. Compliment someone on what they’re doing. It’ll lift your spirits and give you some perspective.

2. Wash your face. Try this one – it works. Cool water can refresh you when you’re hot, and warm water is very soothing when it’s cold.

3. Pray. Briefly give thanks to God or pray for strength and peace.

4. Stretch.  Get out of your chair and move around. There is loads of science out there that confirms the effectiveness of stretching, both physically and mentally.

5. Get a breath of fresh air. Step outside. Get out in the sunshine.

6. Have a snack. A light healthy snack does wonders to help you slow down, and gives you the energy needed for the next push.

7. Laugh. Watch a funny YouTube clip, or have a conversation with someone who makes you smile.

8. Think of a few things for which you’re grateful. Take a moment to count your blessings.

9. Breathe. It’s cliché for a reason – it works. Take a little while to breathe deeply and slowly.

10. Take off your shoes. Scrunch up your toes and rub your heels. This really does wonders if you’ve been on your feet all day.

11. Pay attention to your posture. Sit or stand up straight. Make sure your desk and chair are correctly positioned.

12. Drink some water. Don’t gulp. Sip on a cool, clean glassful.

13. Listen to a worship song. These do well to help you take a step back and regain an eternal perspective.

14. Get physical. A few jumping jacks or a brief walk around the office can refresh you immensely.

15. Unplug. Turn off your digital devices for an hour and do your most important work.

16. Get perspective on work. Remind yourself that your work is an opportunity and not a burden. Be grateful for the blessing of an income.

A few minutes later, you’re hopefully refreshed and ready to tackle life again.

What are some “tricks” you use to press pause and slow down?

Want To Read More Books? Here’s How.

I don’t have time to read.

We all know reading is important and we should read more, but how many of us have free time that we can spend curled up on the couch with a good book?

There are only 24 hours in a day. Most of us spend 8-10 hours (hopefully not much more) working, and 6-8 hours sleeping. Then there’s stuff we have to do like eating, getting dressed etc. Add exercise, travel, family and friends into the mix, and that doesn’t leave much time for other interests, like reading.

Of course, I could give up the few times a week I treat myself to an episode of Game of Thrones or Parks and Recreation, or go to bed later. But the reality is after nine o’clock I’m not much good for anything other than zoning out in front of the TV anyway, and when I’ve tried to read at night I usually end up reading the same three pages over and over again…

But wait! There is a solution.

Just listen.

Over the past few months I have subscribed to Audible.com – Amazon’s audio-book service, and absolutely love the experience! Despite a crazy work schedule, studying my Masters degree, trying to exercise five times a week, not to mention becoming a new dad, I have still managed to “read” more in the last few months than ever before!

I listen to my audio books with the Audible Books app for the iPhone. The convenience of having my audio library with me wherever I go means that I listen to my books all the time – while I’m running, driving to and from work, even when I’m making dinner sometimes. Any spare moment can now magically be transformed into “personal story time” just by popping in my earphones and hitting play.

Now, of course, there are some literary purists out there who would scoff at my advice. They are not fans of all the new-fangled reading technology like iPads and Kindles. They prefer good old-fashioned printed books, and consider anything else “cheating”. But I have to disagree.

Audio books are not cheating.

In fact, in many ways, I think hearing a spoken story aloud can be more powerful and bring more depth to the experience. As Jamie Lee Wallace writes, “There is something about hearing a story read aloud that brings it to life in a more intense way. Hearing the author’s word spoken out loud gives them a greater weight. The audio experience demands a different kind of focus and attention than the printed page. There is magic in the storyteller’s voice. After all, our oldest story traditions are all oral.”

She is dead right. For thousands of years we have been telling stories, not just reading them.

And so, if you feeling like you want to read more but never seem to have the time, why not try audio books? You may, like me, be pleasantly surprised at how much “reading” you can fit into your life this way.