#retro beauty goddess

So I’ve seriously been slacking BUT daily I have found 15 MINUETS to do a little something, something… so just wanted to post to say…

• take at least 15 minuets daily to work on your physical 

1. leg raises
2. crunches
3. sit ups
4. push ups
5. donkey kicks
6. light stretching
7. 1-2 reps of hatha yoga sun salutations
8. hula hooping
9. anything else to fill 15 min. 

• 4.5/5.0
• going through the started, but never finished text. so happy that i picked this up & believe its testimony to everything at the right time. really didn’t know much if anything at all about the chairman. not only does this text include a brief biography, but also the works of mao & his wife. really an eye opener into the driving force behind his mission. also got a change to brush up on world history as well as marxism, communism, socialism, etc. while reading this text i was so captivated that i watched documentaries, scholarly interviews, & did a bit more research. this book is so short and easy to read that i highly suggest it. although it does its best to set the stage, i could see if someone did not posses the basics of world politics or marxism it could be a bit much, but you wouldn’t be completely lost. 
• another don’t know how it got in the library, but am happy to give it a home. i would suggest borrowing this book, if so moved, yes purchase. however, there may be & probably are better text out there on mao Tse-tung, which i would suggest reading. he is an interesting man. 

• 3.9/5.0
• surprisingly i never read this text in entirety as a young adult. figured it was about time to get around to reading it once and for all. was & was not what i was expecting. at times i found it to err on the side of plain old weird. the references to this text will for sure have a stronger meaning to me as the set up on 1984 is really quite scary. it was a quick & easy read with an interesting story line, so much so that i watched a film adaptation, but felt it fell short. why a 3.9? well i guess because it was all a bit predictable & at times i felt a little extra. nonetheless i think it is a book that everyone should read because it does make for good discussion. 
• had a dogged copy in my library… will purchase a new one to replace it. don’t think it it’s totally necessary to own, but because it takes up such little space why not?

Last month my King man blessed me with a beautiful introduction to Shojin Ryori. 

There’s a lot of information on this style of cooking & I highly suggest those interested in Zen Buddhism, Tea, Conscious Eating, Vegan/Vegetarianism, Japan, Foraging, Tofu, or just food in general to take a deeper look into it. Shojin Ryori cuisine is basically the foundation of the Japanese Kaiseki meal style and is just generally really quite interesting.

Intro to Shojin Ryori:

https://www.saveur.com/japan-shojin-ryori-temple-cuisine

https://savorjapan.com/contents/more-to-savor/shojin-ryori-japans-sophisticated-buddhist-cuisine/

truly one of my favorite resources. thinking of uploading much more from this text.

1. Know The Power Of Silence

Whenever you hear people speak, you hear music. Language is sound. And if you’ve ever heard a beautiful piano sonata or a violin concerto, a bad note in the middle of a stirring melody can really ruin the mood. The same goes for someone who says “uhhh, uhmmmm” before and after every sentence. These are people who are, in some sense, afraid of there being silence in the conversation.

The people who speak eloquently know the power of silence, and if forced to pause, use that silence to their advantage. Silence creates suspense, and can either be seen as “uncomfortable” or as an opportunity to make the next statement that much more poignant. There is power here, and the greatest speakers know how to use it to their advantage.

2. Eliminate uhm, uhh, etc. Replace with “Well; you see; now…”

Going off the above, people tend to stutter and fill silence when they are nervous, uncomfortable, don’t know what they’re talking about, etc. We all learned this in middle school. The fastest way to make your teacher believe you didn’t do the work was to stand there with your hands in your pockets saying “Uhhh….”

Whether or not you actually are nervous or if you have no idea what you’re talking about is besides the point. It’s what your audience BELIEVES that matters, and these things can be easily concealed with words like “Well; you see; now…”. Instead of saying “Uhm, I was thinking…” you say, “Well, I was thinking…” Very different sounding, yes? These little words, especially “Now” is a filler word that can help you extend silence if you need time to think. Take a moment to pause, say “Now…” pause again, and then move on with what you were going to say. That’s 2 whole seconds you get to formulate your next thoughts.

3. Jargon Isn’t Impressive

The best talkers leave the jargon at home. Want to know the difference between a new salesman and a seasoned salesman? The new salesman leaves you confused, the seasoned salesman makes you feel like you are more educated than you think.

Jargon is pointless. It’s meant for people at your office, people you work with, to get more done faster. It’s not intended to be flashed around to make people feel impressed. It usually doesn’t impress them. It just makes them confused and feel left out of what the conversation really should be about, which is how to provide value, or an emotional component that is easier to relate to. Think more poetry, less endless prose.

4. Eliminate Curses

The sophisticated don’t use words like fuck, shit, ass, bitch, etc. They just don’t. I myself have a sailer’s mouth, but I also know there’s a time and place for it. The fastest way to earning the trust and respect of those around you is to speak well, and that means eliminating the “gutter” words.

5. Be Descriptive and To The Point

Somewhat in line with jargon usage, get to the point and don’t talk around it. There’s no point. Nobody wants to sit through your stream of consciousness. Say what you mean to say in the least amount of words, and then when you get to the meat of what you’re saying, describe it in such detail that the person you’re talking to can envision it with perfect clarity.

Details are everything. They’re what wet our senses and are ultimately what draw us in. It’s the reason why some people are terrific storytellers and others put you to sleep. This is not to be confused with saying “a lot.” It’s not about length. It’s about saying what you mean to say, and saying it well.

[online source] 

the power of speech has really been on my mind lately. so this is one of several pieces on communication that that ive come across & i’m hoping to find many more of. please join the conversation by sharing any tips you may posses!