If you think you’re stuck with depression think again.
www.DiscoverPeaceOfMind.com for the adventure of a lifetime.
Make sure you claim your FREE ebooks – THINK AND GROW RICH, and, THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON.

If you think you’re stuck with depression think again.
www.DiscoverPeaceOfMind.com for the adventure of a lifetime.
Make sure you claim your FREE ebooks – THINK AND GROW RICH, and, THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON.

Over Christmas I was fortunate enough to stay at the Quamby Estate near Launceston in Tasmania. The Quamby Estate also houses the base of the Cradle Huts group, who arrange treks through the Cradle Mountain region. Part of the attraction is that the trek group stays in private huts with hot showers, private rooms, and prepared meals. Cushy trekking!
The guides we had were brothers Linton Tuleja and Harley Tuleja. Linton and Harley carried the biggest packs, supervised the group, shared information on flora and fauna, history and waterholes, encouraged the walkers, provided first aid, provided snacks, cooked the evening meal, baked bread, laid out breakfast, did the dishes, swept the floor, scrubbed the showers, cleaned the toilets, never once complained. Their work ethic was amazing and inspirational.
Over the years, I’ve worked for, with or managed hundreds of workers, many of them quite good. Yet only a few really stand out in my memory as super-consistent in their demeanor AND their contribution, and how easy I found them to deal with during my time with them - Helen Pilati, Michael Butlin, Linda Tyler, Grant Palmer, Ian Johnstone, Robert Best, Javed. Linton and Harley just about topped everything I’ve seen.
When I get tired and want to put things off, I glance at a new note that I’ve made that simply says, “Work Ethic”. Linton and Harley – thank you.
Rodney Lovell
Recently, I had an conversation with a client whose ex-wife has moved in with a ‘working man’ who enjoys watching and simulating sexual violence.The problem for my client is that both his daughters are living in the same house and he doesn’t want this man’s influence, innuendo or state of mind to affect his daughters.
It’s an interesting point because women who become victim to abuse, either verbal or physical ALWAYS later say, “How did I get into that situation?” The easiest answer is “INCREMENTALLY”.
These men don’t have a plan because they operate at a sub-conscious, immediate gratification level. In practical terms, they simply test your limits. A comment here, an inappropriate touch there, and it is the woman who suddenly finds herself in the awkward position of trying to say NO. Each time you don’t say NO, allows them to try something a little riskier next time. Suddenly, you’re fighting them off in the broom closet and saying, “How did I get into this situation?”
Often, the man will pose the comment or act as a joke. If you say NO, their response is, “Can’t you take a joke”, which belittles you and keeps them safe.
Therefore, my clients concerns about his daughters are valid. Although the ‘working man’ may not physically touch them, he is incrementally belittling them and adding innuendo to conversations, so smut becomes the norm. If they speak up, they are shouted down, and incrementally they become politely submissive. This can have a dramatic effect on other relationships the daughters may have in their future.
Unfortunately for my client, his ex-wife has not yet reached the stage of “How did I get into this situation?”, and so she indirectly & unknowingly supports the negative influence on her children. Nor does she realise the slow drain on her own self-respect. Inevitably, her family and other outsiders will see what is developing but they will not say anything. It’s been proven that in award situations, rather than tell the truth, people often tell you what they think you want to hear! So, you can’t rely on family and friends to save your bacon when it’s clear to everyone but you that you’re making the wrong decisions!
Without ‘insider’ support my client is practically powerless to alter the situation his ex-wife has imposed on their daughters. What would you do?
Have you seen the movie, The Matrix? If you haven’t, I urge you to do so. I’m not a big sci-fi fan, but I loved this movie.
Billions of people roaming through life as best they know it. For Mr Anderson, aka Neo, life is missing something. Without fulfilment, acceptance, control and energy, Neo delves into his one passion, which links him to new acquaintances. For so much of the story, Neo is looking for answers.
During his journey Neo begins to recognise his inherent talent. He has hope, which quickly fades as his questions are unanswered. His belief begins to waver. At the point where Neo is most in need of his amazing talent, he is ambushed and is suddenly shot. This analogy is so similar to the spirit of people who suffer from depression. Glimpses of hope. Recognition of talent and passion. Looking for answers. Often their spirit is ambushed….and in its weakened state spirit is easy to kill off. A man with no spirit is quickly fading, not vitally thriving. All that survives is a faint glimmer of hope.
At his moment of ultimate darkness, Neo returns to life. The most infinitesimal illumination is brightest in a dark room. Having hit rock bottom, he can drop no further. His resurrection is wonderfully sudden. As quickly as he was shot down, he is able to rise….but with the benefit of his journey, he now sees the answer. He could not have arrived at this point without his failures to learn from. Nature is an amazing thing. Mistakes and challenges lead to advancement, fulfillment, control, acceptance and safety. Experience leads to growth….sudden growth.
A question can be answered in a few seconds. If that answer resonates with you, your change can be that sudden…a few seconds. Just look how quickly your mood can change when somebody dangerously cuts you off on the freeway, or, when you get promoted. It’s the same to escape depression. The moment of change can be sudden. Your career may take some years, but the promotion is simply a moment in time. Your drive may be just a few kilometres, but being cut off takes just a moment. Your life has taken many years to reach its current point and along the way, there has been many ‘moments’. You will be reading this for a reason, so you will be looking for your moment, your answer.
For me, I escaped depression in under one hour. Firstly, one simple phrase was the answer I was looking for. Secondly, a trip to the library to research my new understanding was enough to lift weights from my shoulders that I’d been carrying for years. I saw the world in a whole new way, recognising systems, signs, and symptoms.
But knowing the answer is not enough for lasting fulfillment. Neo, and I, had to apply these new insights. Knowing the answer can help you escape from depression. It is the application of knowledge that is the ultimate transformation.
I see people time and time again who say to me, ‘Yes, I know that’. They know it intellectually, but they certainly do not apply what they know. The word “but” is used a lot. ‘ I know it, but…’ The answer must be lived, not filed. You can be a beacon of inspiration by doing no more than your daily routine, and yes, it must be a different routine than what you have now.
Neo coupled his new knowledge with application and conquered The Matrix. His results were astonishing….like yours will be.
If you think you’re stuck with depression, think again. Discover Peace of Mind.
Happy new year,
Rodney Lovell
Simply put, White Ribbon Day, focuses on eliminating violence against women and girls by men or boys. It’s a pretty simple concept that I agree with. I became a White Ribbon Ambassador, and, made a committment at http://www.myoath.com.au/ Check out the website and make a committment too.
But it’s not just committing to not being violent against women, it is that you will SPEAK UP if necessary.
I’ve shared my values with a few of my mates. Basically, I don’t want them to put me in a position of having to ‘protect’ them. Some guys think they can do anything and then I, and others, shouldn’t say anything – but then the onus has been transferred to me! I say the them, “Don’t you put me in this position”. It isn’t dobbing. If they can’t toe the line, I’m not their bail ticket.
An old mate who I’d known for over 25 years, Alan, had been verbally abusive to his wife of just 8 months or so, and her daughter, during my visits. At the time, I was too stupid to say anything. In hindsight I should’ve simply said, “Alan, ease up, that’s not right”. It wasn’t my problem to solve, but it was my responsibility to speak up if she was being abused. And it’s not just relating to violence against women.
I once had a friend at work who would nick off early. But as his manager I had to haul him over the coals for it. He said to me, “I thought you were my friend”. My reply was simple. “I thought you were my friend, and if you were, you wouldn’t have put me in this situation.”
If a guy wants to play up on his wife – someone I know, don’t expect me to ‘keep it quiet’ from her. If I’m going to be looking her in the eye, mate, don’t put me in the awkward position. And it happened to me too. The abusive Alan mentiioned above, began an affair with my wife. Later when I found out, he was puzzled why I wouldn’t ‘get over it’. He tried to make it my fault that our friendship fractured. “If you were my friend, Alan, you wouldn’t have put my in this situation.”
The funny thing is, I heard Alan tell my wife he loved her, on the night he proposed to his wife! I simply dismissed it as ‘beer talk’, but I should have said something there and then. I didn’t want to spoil their night in front of 100 people. I was his best friend at that night. Yet, he shouldn’t have put me in that position. If the night turned sour, it was his fault not mine.
Over many years, I’ve not spoken up about lot’s of things, things that I should have. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King
There are all sorts of reasons why we should speak up. White Ribbon Day is just one.
Rodney Lovell
Computer problems! Arrrgghhh! Recently, I’ve encountered two persistent problems that have stopped me in my tracks….but wow, what a feeling when I finally managed to solve them. To me, it felt like the feeling I had when I knew I had overcome depression to discover peace of mind. It’s great to confront a challenge and prevail.
Computer bugs really bug me, yet computer bugs became a fantastic analogy for me to use when talking about depression. I have worked with a number of computer systems in the business world. It quickly became apparent to me that one bug caused many others. One bug was the root cause while others were the symptoms. What surprised me was how many colleagues didn’t recognise the pattern. People would often complain about the symptoms and not hone in on the root problem.
It’s the same with life. I recently saw a current affairs article where a student had been expelled from school four weeks out from final exams, all because she wore the wrong colored stockings. Her mother and others complained bitterly. They can argue all they like about the validity or reasoning of the rule. However, to finish the year, all the student had to do was wear the correct stockings. The expulsion was the symptom. The cause was the student deciding to constantly wear the wrong stockings. Bloody hell! Wear the right stockings – finish your exams. Easy!
With depression, many people treat the symptoms. The lethargy is treated with a need for exercise. The chemical imbalance with drugs. The disinterest in life is countered by doing something you love. And though those options may treat the symptom well, they do not remove or remedy the underlying root cause. I know. I tried them all.
When I had depression, I often searched the internet, as it evolved, for new information about depression cures. There is a lot of symptom treatment but nothing focussing on a root cause. Adding to the mix was that there is differing opinions amongst researchers as to what causes depression. I had a similar experience when I began to research the first of my computer problems this week. Microsoft Outlook would not fully open. As the ‘waiting’ icon went around and around for hours on end, a small word appeared in the bottom left hand corner: “Databinding”.
Obviously, the word ‘Databinding’ combined with Outlook not responding simply were a symptom of a computer bug. I researched the internet and found that the common suggestion was that Outlook had corrupted ‘pst files’ and that I needed to run a program called scanpst.exe. The instructions that people offered caused me no end of confusion and I could not find one person who verified that the recommended and common solution actually worked. Where was a practical step by step solution?
The solution was unlikely and came from an unlikely source. I stumbled upon a forum post by a man named Andrew Wallace. Andrew is a “Junior Member” of the forum with only a few posts to his name. Andrew had stumbled across the solution himself whilst applying a fix for a different problem.
In contrast to the complexity of other solutions, the simple solution that this junior member was able to post was stunning and simple. It also highlighted, once again, about life being a paradox. The solution is often found where you least expect it.
The solution to the ‘Databinding’ and ‘not responding’ error in Microsoft Outlook is: Open Internet Explorer (an apparently unrelated program), go to Tools / Internet Options / General Tab / Browsing History and delete all history for all options. That’s it. Outlook then worked perfectly. There were no corrupt pst files. I didn’t need to run complex programs like the consensus was saying.
Now where else have I heard this type of thing? That’s right…depression cures. Depression is not an illness, it’s a symptom. Commonly misunderstood but entrenched by consensus. But I digress.
The second computer problem I had was with my Skype connection. I have a Skype number and can dial landline phones from my computer. It is very handy when I’m travelling. However the sound became garbled and conversations were impossible. Skype had no answer to this problem.
Again, searching the net offered more ‘expert opinion’ rather than usable solutions. There was talk about changing programs, buying compatible equipment, and running support programs, however, one post had a passing reference to a file named index.bat becoming ‘bloated’ with use. This file can be deleted but reappears. However it reappears without being bloated. Now I don’t need to know how a common file named index.bat links with Skype, all I need to know is how to delete it. For that, a nice simple little program named Crap Cleaner did the job. I’ve used this program for quite a while now and found it to be practical. That’s what I like. I simply selected every ‘delete’ option and it quickly cleared index.bat, as well as a stack of unnecessary other, um, crap! Skype was now connecting me loud and clear.
Two computer symptoms cleared by totally ‘unrelated’ bugs. Imagine how quickly you could clear depression if you knew where the root cause lay. Look at depression as a symptom, not as a disease.
If you think you’re stuck with depression, think again. 2010 is the year to Discover Peace of Mind.
Rodney Lovell
I like reading Paulo Coelho books. If you know The Alchemist, you’ll love his others too. A few weeks ago, I finished The Zahir. The message I took from the book is that my life journey continues. It doesn’t stop with finding treasure. On my recent flights to & from Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Jakarta & Phuket, I had a great chance to read some of the smaller books in Paulo’s collection: The Devil and Miss Prym, and, By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept. One of the constant themes throughout Paulo’s work is to do new things, feel alive, try something different. And so it was with great pleasure that I arrived in the hustle and bustle of Jakarta, Indonesia to find my eldest daughter Jayde and her English school.
Jayde Lovell is a marvel. Yes, she is my daughter and yes, I am biased. Yet I defy anyone to argue with her record of trying new things. Like, attending a world environmental mission in the USA, staying in host accommodation. Oh, but aged 8. Attending and presenting to a world conference on the endangered pantagonian toothfish. This time aged 14. Tackling Year 11 mathematics whilst in Grade 4. Becoming a black belt karate teen. Organising a political conference at 18. Sitting on media discussion panels and even appearing on tv in Australia’s “A Current Affair” . Beginning a science club….the list goes on and on.
And so I arrived in Jakarta to visit Jayde and her English school, “Melbourne International School of Language“, aka MILS. (http://www.mils.or.id/) The streets reminded me of the crazy traffic of Kabul. The city’s style reminded me of Manila – dense and old.
Jayde had decided that she wanted to establish an English language school to teach to Indonesians. At the same time, she wanted to learn the Indonesian language. Of course, what better place to learn to ride a motor cycle than on the mad streets of Jakarta. And to top it off, live in an Indonesian apartment building, whilst paying herself an Indonesian wage. What a challenge! What an adventure!
While many young adults travel to the UK to work in pubs, or to the USA to work in holiday camps, I think that Jayde’s adventure is certainly another level all together.
Yet, we don’t have to have extreme adventure to feel alive, to try new things, to help Discover Peace of Mind. Sometimes, simply walking a different street at night may be all one needs. I’m sure you can think of new or different things that make you feel excited, challenged or adventurous.
If you’re looking for ideas, read a Paulo Coelho book, or, visit Jayde in Jakarta.
Rodney Lovell
It’s been an interesting few months since I added to my blog. Why?
Imagine your computer being stolen…while it was in use and not password protected! Then imagine synchronising hundreds of your phone contacts onto your new replacement computer and having the system malfunction, wiping 95% of your contacts. Then, imagine your Western Digital backup failing and corrupting data. Then after setting up your new replacement Asus computer, imagine it having the hard drive failing. Imagine being all alone while it happened. Your work is gone. Your notes are gone. Your contacts are gone. Your photos, jokes, email, passwords, references…all gone. Your electronic life has simply disappeared.
What would you do?
It’s times like that when we are really tested. All the ‘positive’ talk, the knowledge of overcoming adversity, how to overcome depression and how to appropriately express anger put to the test. Perseverance, resilience, cracking under the strain.
During my years in business, I constantly encountered systems that failed under pressure. Justification from managers, staff, IT experts, “Oh, we had an emergency, so we had to dodge the system”, without a care in the world of the impact to other system users. A system is not a good system if it doesn’t work when it’s most needed. Similarly, if a ‘life coach’ cannot cope under pressure, what good is what they teach? I’ve seen some of the world’s best presenters up close and cracking. A sound fault during a presentation, or, a response they did not expect, and they cracked on the spot.
When I played footy, there were plenty of players who were brilliant on the training track, but under game pressure, when the team needed them, they went missing. Training track stars. Finals football has commenced here in Australia and we get to see who will step up and handle the pressure and who will be a training track star.
So, when the computer was stolen, I had a choice. Be a training track star and just use fancy words to others, or, face down the agony and disappointment and work on getting back to business. There is still a long way to go. My schedule is now thrown out and I’ve had to postpone many plans. I’m pleased that I faced this obstacle and prevailed. It was my mind equivalent to finals football. Sure it wasn’t without frustration, tears, and occasional feelings of hopelessness. However, I often talk about being a beacon of inspiration to yourself as well as those around you and this was great opportunity to remind myself that I am on track. It’s no crime to Discover Peace of Mind and pat yourself on the back when you know you’ve done well.
Now, imagine that all those computer problems happened to the person closest to you. Their tears on your shoulder.
I helped. We’re back. Now, it’s time to catch up.
Rodney Lovell
Whether we chat in the playground while waiting for the kids or when we meet someone at a work or a party, Australia’s networking expert, Kate Brighton, says networking is vital. Kate is a mover and shaker in networking, and suggests that anyone who is serious about their business keeps in contact with all their contacts. And I suggest to you, that if you are seriously looking to Discover Peace of Mind in your business, get in contact with Kate Brighton. katebk@mac.com
Rodney Lovell