I love physical contact when I’m not doing chores and so do many. So when my pets come and nestle down with me I feel warm and fuzzy, and contentment.
Category: Life Strategies
New Australian Anthem?
This version is a beauty and has words to sing along to. This should be our Australian Anthem -Â I’m An Aussie, Yes I Am
How to ‘Become Free from Addiction’ Shortcut
MOTIVATION is the fuel for healthy living which becomes weak when addiction takes over and the HIGH or BUZZ reinforces and worsens it. Strengthen motivation to resist the compulsion to do it. Remember THE POWER OF THE MIND is yours to use for an OUTSTANDING WAY OF LIFE and SELF TALK is your KEY Â to reprogram unwanted behaviour and reach your goals.
This REPROGRAMING SHORTCUT Â is for those who aren’t ready to have help or those who have recovery but need a shortcut strategy when ADDICTION/COMPULSION visits you!
- Make total commitment to this REPROGRAMING SHORTCUT
- REMOVE positive and negative STRESS (this is vital)
- Be RESTED and have a NUTRITIOUS FOOD PLAN
- When DRIVEN to do what you promised yourself you wouldn’t  THEN USE THIS SELF TALK formula without fail!
- SELF TALK over and over “I HATE THIS” as you’re doing it
- Repeat even if ANOTHER PART of you says “BULLSHIT!”
- Remember this WORKS if you keep repeating the SELF TALK to reprogram your attachment to the HIGH/BUZZ from “love” to HATE” (using the HATE word is vital)
- Whenever the thought comes regarding how much you love it then REPEAT “I HATE THIS!” While your working, walking, driving, having fun, when the thought comes KNOCK IT AWAY with SELF CHAT which will negate the HIGH,/BUZZ.
- it becomes EASIER and EASIER until it’s second nature to you!
- YOU CAN DO IT! because you already do it when you are tempted to make choices and you tell yourself “NO, NOT NOW, NEXT TIME!” and it gives you the strength to walk away. It’s that PROTECTIVE SELF TALK that you need to PRACTISE with unwanted behaviours. YOU CAN DO IT!
I DO IT with my addiction to BREAD, DIM SIMS, DIET COLA DRINKS and anything else that can be damaging if it becomes a compulsion and I need to stop it in its tracks like gambling, spending and so on.
WHENEVER I think how I LOVE that taste or feeling  I SELF TALK “I HATE THAT IT” and repeat it OVER and OVER when in a few seconds the compulsion leaves me. Each time I now need to only repeat it twice and the compulsion leaves me.
IF YOU NEED HELP WITH THIS REPROGRAMMING SELF TALK book a private appointment with me 0421 101 163👥
Family Portrait Memories for Generations
Family members are not that keen to get together in a Studio because some think it’s corny. Nevertheless at least they dress up enough and the result can be appreciated for generations to come. This is my family with my daughter Tina and her husband Bill Nicolitsis (with the halo), son Nick and daughter Talia on the left. Then my son Paul Zagoridis and his wife Nella, daughters Sabrina and Gaby on the end. Pepi and I have centre stage.
Pets bring joy and then huge sorrow on death
In April 2015 Midnight my Bombay cat (15) died and my heart was broken which is minor in comparison to the loss felt by his cuddling mate Tabby Mae and his feral  younger mate ginger cat Ruby! My Chihuahua Pepi was more relieved than sorry because these two males only tolerated each other for my sake. So the competition was now gone. I cried buckets and nearly a year afterwards I’m more settled. However, I underestimated the grieving which Mae is still undergoing. Even though Pepi cuddles up to Mae and Ruby likes tough love cuddling which Mae fears, it’s not the same as with Midnight.
This was sadly confirmed when I gave the cats some prawns which they turned their noses up at and I murmured that Midnight liked prawns! I will never mention his name again in front of her because Mae spent hours searching for Midnight under the lounge, table and bed. Finally she sat with me and I consoled her. Midnight was an affectionate, responsive cat with a purr that sounded like a lawnmower. He’s so missed 💔
End of an era with NSW Humanist and UNAANSW Executive Committees
After 15 years with the HumSoc NSW committee, at different times as Editor, President, Hon Secretary, Convenor of several events such as Australis 2000 
, CAHS Conventions, End of Year Party 2014 with entertainer Sam Pellegrino, 
and as HSNSW delegate to UNAANSW initiating the partnership event of 
UN International Women’s Day which began with Waratah Gillespie’s (right) experience in Bougainville and ended 5 years later with The Hon Jillian 
Skinner MP and which was my final event in March this year (2015) therefore ending my involvement with both committees. 
The tulips, a lovely farewell gesture from Hum Soc NSW and the roses were presented to me at UNIWDAY by UNAANSW past President Valerie Weekes whose support for the 5 years has been invaluable. It was also memorable having Robyn Carroll (right) Indigenous Community Worker from Walla Mulla Family and Community Support Woolloomooloo carry out the Acknowledgement to Country and to speak about Indigenous Women’s issues. Every year this event has taken place in Sydney State Parliament House gratis for which we are extremely grateful and proud. The Afternoon tea was delicious croissants with coffee or tea.
Intelligence or Common Sense?
Before I attained my PhD I wrongfully believed that most intelligent, hence highly educated, people I had met who lacked common sense to the enth degree did so because they had so much information to cope with that other matters slipped by them to the point of even causing them to be  insensitive! Insensitivity to the extent that they hurt people’s feelings without knowing it and lacking in simple protocol. Also lacking in common sense such as what to do if the catered food doesn’t show up for an event when everyone has turned up and leaving everyone hungry.
Well intelligence has nothing to do with it because it takes i. life skills, ii. learning to care about the impact you have on others, iii. being alert to what solutions you can activate even if others are negative, iii. becoming proactive using your intelligence instead of sitting on it!
Mortgages high levels low interest beware
Before you jump into the deep end “I’ve been there, done that!” so watch out because the banks and lending bodies appear as benefactors offering huge mortgages and low interests and unless you can get FIXED RATES you will suffer their SIEGE MENTALITIES as many of us did with some facing great losses and bankruptcy. I was interviewed on the current affairs program of the day telling our stories where one minute we were given huge mortgages for 6% interest and one blink of the eye and they were up to 23% with the banks not even returning our calls! We ordinary people were not the only ones, even the millionaires went broke too! So when I see those advertisements enticing you to get the huge mortgage at low interests I think “come in suckers!” and “BE CAREFUL!” they’ve done it twice in my lifetime already and this will be the third I’m sure!
The image is my Tabby cat Mae who’s got the perfect look “watch out!”
More on Dignity or Pride
I’ve been encouraged to write more on this topic after my previous post Dignity or pride in 2013. Here I show an image of celebrities Jane Caro being awarded the AHOY 2013 (Australian Humanist of the Year) by Robyn Williams (AHOY 1993) with me as the Convenor/MC of the CAHS (Council of Humanist Societies) Convention Dinner Sydney at which my son Paul Zagoridis was elected President of CAHS. Hence I’m using this example as a positive definition of pride considering that these images are mementos depicting how proud I was of the occasion and the people connected with it. So pride can be both positive and negative. Negative in the sense that it blinds us to the damage of ego. As in the case of not wanting to see the obvious such as when someone we love does not return that love. We only see that person as either popular, wealthy, good looking who will boost our status if seen to be partnered with us no matter what or we don’t want to believe someone we love does not love us as much as we wish – that is an example of negative pride. Or expecting our children to succeed in education, sport or career when it is causing them pain just so that we shine is a negative pride. However, if it is a pride as a result of supporting their dreams and achievements for their happiness then it is a justified pride.
Dignity:Â I don’t believe there is a negative dignity. The word itself implies a positivity. It comes with maturity, both age and emotional, even though it is encouraged that the ‘child within’ needs to be given the freedom to enjoy certain joys in life, being able to discern when, where, how and at what level shows a person’s self awareness and maturity.
Perhaps better than Dignity or Pride should be written Dignity and Pride for both may be needed at times.
Diabetes Recovery is possible
Until
November 2013 I was a diabetic on tablets and insulin and I met Ted Kawamura of Japanese heritage who has a natuopathic supplement formula that he reassured me would free me from insulin within 3 months providing I keep to it strictly. My miniature Chihuahua Pepi appearing on this page, kept vigil and if a hypo threatened he would warn me excitedly. I eagerly agreed to follow Ted’s formula – what did I have to lose – nothing with everything to gain. I advised my medicos and promised they would be the ones to let me know when I should stop taking any of my meds. May in this year my health was so improved that Prof Lesley Campbell my Diabetes specialist advised I would need to stop my insulin shots! Then my GP Dr Misaki Ikegame advised I should stop my hypertension meds as my blood pressure was once more low. What a thrill! Next my Neurologist Dr Stephen Tisch announced I was his successful patient as my Essential Tremors were now greatly improved (actually they’ve stopped and I’m off the meds for that too).