LEARNING FROM LIFE’S EXPERIENCES

A very good friend of mine from high school recently just reminded me about how we can move forward in life after we face bad experiences. How could this be possible though? I mean if you go through a heart break or break up how do you get back up on your feet again and move on? Or if you lose your job and don’t have an income for months on end how will you survive? There are so many questions that seem answerless, but the truth is that anything is possible, it just takes time! “We were each given a life to live, and one which we are to learn from our experiences to grow into a bigger and stronger person. Sometimes we stuff up and make wrong choices and bad decisions, but hey we are human aren’t we? Bad experiences only make us learn from them and make us look forward to the bigger and better experiences which are still yet to come.” At the end of the day we all know what we want in life and where we want to go. What we have been through and what we have experienced has all contributed to the person who we have grown to be today!

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE!

“FAITH – Is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not yet see!”

WRITING INFLUENCES

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this and now have finally come to the conclusion that it’s all about your frame of mind when it comes to writing.
When I am off the ship my days are so full on and packed full of tasks and errands as well as being surrounded by friends every day that I just don’t get the time to sit down and write. Therefore my time to myself on the ship is a perfect time for me to sit back and put pen to paper. On the ship I have the freedom to express myself and my opinions freely. It’s such a nice feeling, and this is when my true self is expressed.

50 THINGS I SEE IN A DAYS WORK ON THE SHIP

Alarm clock, Marmite on toast, Sunrise, Logbook, Handheld Radios, Trim Latte, Bridge/Wheelhouse, Captain in uniform, Camera, Calm Glassy seas, Pilot Boats, Diary, Stability Program, Cargo loading lists, Banana’s, Whales, Tory Channel Entrance, Dolphins, Trucks, AMOS (maintenance system) Fire extinguishers, Passengers, COLREG’s Blogpage write ups, Trestles, Sailing yachts, Ships wheel, Joy and Laughter, Navigation marks and lights, Shooting stars, Fire Hoses, Spag. Bol, Lifeboats, Fire and Boat drills, Sunset, Hot water bottle, The ceiling (deck head) My blanket, Cell phone, Railway wagons, Pen and paper, Scarf and Beanie, Smiles, Starlit nights, Marine farms, Bow doors, Mooring Ropes, Cruise Ships, Cup of tea and honey and last of all my mirror!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

“Body image is what our eyes see when we look in the mirror and self-esteem is how we feel about what we see when we look in the mirror!”
Most people think of body image as the picture of the body in the mind’s eye. This is only one of four factors that determine our final body image. Body image is the sum total of the visual, emotional, physical and historical aspects of a person and is influenced by their own beliefs and attitudes as well as ideals in society. Body image not only affects our behaviour, it also influences our self-esteem and personal identity.
“Look in the mirror and smile at yourself, allow others to compliment and encourage you, believe you are valuable no matter what and always be glad that you are YOU!”
The honest thing is that a mirror will never lie to you. A mirror reflects back to you the exact same image which looks into it. Whether you like it or not that’s the honest truth. Nothing can truly show you who you are apart from a mirror. Spend time looking at yourself, identify the features which make you the unique person who you are and the parts of your body which you like. You will then start to notice a change in how you view yourself – happier, more confident, content and full of life again!

LIVING THE LIFE OF “MEGS” FOR A FORTNIGHT

The life of Megs is divided up into two parts. Part One is My Home and Love Life, followed by Part Two which is My Ship and Work Life. In order to be able to maintain both of these completely different life styles I have to be able to handle the transition period which takes place on Wednesdays. The hardest day of my week! (Sounds strange? I’ll explain)

THE CONFIDENT PRINCESS WITHIN

Confidence is attractive, beautiful and essential to maintaining a healthy self-esteem. We were all born with confidence, but sometimes life’s happenings can knock it out of us. 10 things that confidence is are: being sure of who you are, boldness, assurance, intimacy, openness, security, positive and accurate self-talk, friendliness, graciousness and purposefulness. Confidence enables YOU to decide for yourself! Woman are found to be a lot more sensitive to men. They take a lot to heart, are compassionate towards others and care a lot about their appearance. Woman can easily lose their confidence in themselves when someone criticizes the way they look or the way they do things. Self-esteem is fuelled by your own confidence and perception of yourself. Deep down all women are Princesses – we are all attractive and beautiful in our own unique way.

WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT DURING DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

Now some would believe that working the night shift means that your work the period of darkness, right? Wrong! Not in New Zealand. Daylight savings means that we have more daylight time than darkness. So what does that mean for the night shift then? We start work at the normal time, 6pm, but this time we work while watching the sun go down. The night shift is full of sailings across the Cook Strait under the moon lit sky surrounded by thousands and thousands of stars! At the end of the shift we go to bed after watching the sun come up. Doesn’t that sound a little unusual to you? Yeah of course it does, but that’s part of my job and I love it!!! It reminds me of when I was working on the deep sea ships on the 4-8 watch. It’s the best possible shift work you could ever come across in your entire life. You work from 4am-8am and then again from 4pm-8pm. It was perfect. You get the twilight stars in the morning before the sunrise and in the evening you get the sunset followed by the evening twilight stars! It’s just truly magical!

Personal Satisfaction

One thing that I have realised since being at sea is that "Receiving recognition for doing well in your job is not as important as personal satisfaction and achievement."
It’s hard enough for a guy to ask a woman to do a job on a ship let alone thanking them and telling them they did well.
In my case when I prevent cargo spillage on a tanker or load a Rail Ferry to maximum capacity in record time, you would expect even just a little bit of thanks or praise for my work.
Some people need to be given thanks and praise in order to keep strong and feel good about themselves in what they do. The career path that I have chosen doesn’t offer praise to employees. For a woman that is hard since all woman like to be told when they do something well. So I have learnt to strive on personal satisfaction in my work. Doing what I do well, giving it 110% and looking back and thinking that I couldn’t have done what I did any better. That’s the sense of achievement that gives me courage to stick with what I do.

"Believe in yourself and you can achieve anything!"