Some people overcome incredible odds

This video in the link below will really gladden your heart. I personally found little excuse for not getting on with life after watching. Enjoy!

Apologies if you've seen this before, by the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE

Some people are handed the most incredible challenges to overcome. This guy Nic would definitely fall into that category.

But it's amazing how he almost doesn't recognise it as a challenge or he just gets on with it!

I found his sense of humour fantastic and endearing.

Do you have a big personal challenge you live with every day?

Tell us about it in the comments.

Cheers,

BTO.

Misunderstandings with language learning

Misunderstood: The above cartoon discussion between the two men is a classic example of how the English language can be misunderstood depending on how it is delivered! Photo - CARTOONSTOCK.COM



I enjoyed reading this post in the link below on the website Babbel about how much trouble people can get into while trying to learn a new language. It's quite funny:

http://www.babbel.com/magazine/embarrassing-language-mistakes?slc=engmag-a27-vid-bv5-embarrassinglanguagemistakes-ob&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=cd_engall_gen_cx1_embarrassinglanguagemistakes

I know even being versed in English as a journalist how misunderstandings can occur. They shouldn't in our line of work, but they do.

One person can be talking apples and the other thinking oranges!

I find that if I'm interviewing someone about a complicated subject like medicine or the behaviour of earthquakes and the hallmarks of seismology, I tend to get the answers to my questions repeated by mirroring what the interviewee has said, such as: 'Are you saying in this case that ...?' or 'what does that mean in this particular case?' (and repeat what they've said but in a different way, so not to appear stupid!). This practice also ensures accuracy in what you've heard especially when you've got to relay the answers, in stories about subjects you may be hearing for the first time, on a public media platform.

A superior of mine quite a few years ago, told me that he didn't have to worry about the accuracy of my copy after he had listened to an interview I had done while we were working in the same room.

When I asked him why he wasn't worried about my accuracy, he said: "Because you mirror everything the other person tells you, that you may not understand. That's a great skill."

I appreciated that he was prepared to recognise and mention my skill in this way.

But I have to say, I've never been to a non-English-speaking country and I've often wondered how much of a lonely experience it must be not being able to communicate in the local language, if you are travelling alone. There might be some light-hearted moments when you get the pronunciation wrong and you end up saying something quite different to what you intended! But I guess it must be a bit daunting most of the time?

Have you been in a situation where you have struggled to make yourself understood, even when you are speaking English to another English-speaking person, or even if you've mastered a foreign language and you have still not been understood?

Perhaps you may have a health issue, like a stroke that's affected your speech and makes being understood difficult?

Beating the Odds would love to hear about your experiences in the comments box.

Have a great weekend!

BTO.

More inspiration

 

quotesfans.com

 

 

 

quotesnsmiles.com

 

 

I thought we could do with some more inspiring words.

 

I am exploring values such as gratefulness, blessings, meaningfulness, positivity and the list goes on ...

 

For me, it's about being grateful and finding meaning in the many blessings, no matter how great or small.

 

We, or I anyway, tend to measure myself against others in the world and I get thinking, " if they can do that, get that, have that, why can't I?"

 

Don't get me wrong, it's good to be motivated to looking to improving our lot but there's a difference between looking at being motivated by others and being envious of what others have achieved or have accumulated (and I don't just mean in economic or material terms).

 

I've learned lately, that sometimes we move along life's track at a pace that is not of our choosing. Sometimes, we have to be happy with what we have and the place we're at for now.

 

It's when we are not making the progress we would like because we may have to wait on decisions that are not our own, for instance. In these situations it's how we play the waiting game.

 

It's what we do with our waiting time that determines how we get through the slower moving times.

 

So as it says above, to 'smile often and dream big' because we will all get to our desired destination if we keep doing a little bit towards that result every day.

 

I hope your dreams come true for you!

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Beating the Odds.

 

BTO.

 





Getting inspired

Quote - fwds.in

 

This is a great quote (above) especially if you are feeling run down and need a break. People who don't feel they are going to work everyday but doing something they enjoy, are lucky.

 

I consider myself one of those people. As a journalist I get to talk to so many people from wide ranging backgrounds and occupations. I feel that I've spent the last 20 years learning from others.

 

Everyone has a story. Yet most people don't think they have. Every life has something valuable to share. 



 

Quote - braiquot.es.blogspot

In a world that struggles with tolerance and compassion in some areas, this quote (above) I believe is so true.

 

Having a patient heart isn't always easy. I admire people who seem to have loads of patience. They are truly people I can learn from.

 

I hope these quotes are encouraging to you.

 

Enjoy!

 

Beating the Odds

BTO.

 

 

 

 



 





Disability doesn't keep some people down

This man called Paul Smith in the link below is an inspiration to many able-bodied of us. Watch this:

http://www.thecoast.net.nz/videos/we-could-not-believe-what-we-saw-when-we-zoomed-in-on-this-drawing/

Paul's abilities as an artist are astounding, even in a usual sense. There would be many able-bodied people who would struggle to create anything like what he has in these amazing drawings.

And don't you love the caring, inclusive attitude of the care home workers towards Paul.

What makes some people stay buoyant, despite some of the most life-impeding challenges thrown at them?

Acceptance goes a long way to helping people to live as full, contributing lives as they can, when disability either is there from birth, or strikes some time during a lifetime.

A Queensland MP, Warren Pitt, talks about the need for people with disabilities to not be facing negative attitudes from communities:

This is what he says in a speech called See Beyond Disability, part of the link below:

"Disability touches the lives of many Queenslanders in some way — whether it be directly or through experiences with friends, family, colleagues and members of the community.

"We’ve come a long way as a community over recent decades, however we still have some way to go.

Negative attitudes and stereotypes can be more disabling than impairments themselves and can prevent some people with a disability from fully participating in work and community life. Overcoming the barrier of misconception and prejudice is something we can all aspire to."

https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/.../disability/...involvement/docume..

Here is some valuable information for people who may be struck by a disability in some way:

http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/coping-disability-illness.php

Do you have a disability you live with every day?

Tell us about it in the comments. It may help someone else facing the same thing.

Best wishes.

BTO.

Police dogs valued like their human handlers







Happy reunion: Police dog Thames reunited with his handler Constable Mike Wakefield of Wairarapa Police. Photo - stuff.co.nz

The heartening story of Thames the New Zealand police dog being found after having been lost in the Tararua Ranges has been a great story of survival this week:

http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/missing-police-dog-found-safe-and-well-2015051014#axzz3aAGrmCgc

I worked for the police as an unsworn support staff member back in the 1970s and early 1980s and I know how these animals are held in such high esteem by all police members.

I used to cringe when a handler would bring his dog past my desk and they would always say, 'don't be scared, he/she won't hurt you'. But when you see them in action and in full flight grabbing hold of absconding criminals on television reality police patrol documentaries and grabbing an acting crim (usually another police member) at demonstration events, you can't help feeling a bit vulnerable around them.

However, their training seems to teach them when to be scary and when not to be!

They are classed as equal to their uniformed human counterparts and their valuable contribution to fighting crime and keeping communities safe can't be underestimated.

Although they have a special purpose, as police officers, they also live with families of their handlers and despite having to sometimes become scary in order to catch criminals, they are extremely gentle with small children and other people close to handlers.

You could see how distraught Thames' handler was at the thought of his four-legged police partner being lost in the bush.

It was evident also, how relieved not only the handler was but also his work colleagues and the wider community when Thames was found.

Here is a bit of the history, in the link below, of the police dog section in New Zealand and a memorial of those injured and killed in the line of duty since the early 1970s:

http://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/structure/teams-units/dog-section/history

Here is some general information, in the link below, about the police dog section of the New Zealand Police and what the dog's main role is:

Patrol dogs are mainly used to track and search for people.  Many of them are also trained for:

• search and rescue work
• victim recovery 
• deployment with the Armed Offender Squad 
• narcotic detection work 

http://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/structure/teams-units/dog-section

Any dogs that are not suitable for service go to good homes.

Have you given a former police dog a home, or are you a dog handler?

Beating the Odds would love to talk to you about your dogs, and handlers, we would love to talk to you about the valuable work you do with your canine police partners.

Let us know in the comments box.

BTO.

Overcoming hatred



No matter where anyone stands on the South African issue this quote by the late Nelson Mandela shows how possible it is to forgive in the face of what you feel is great injustice.

It takes a big person to not feel hatred and bitterness after such an experience of imprisonment and a lengthy one.

I'm sure we are meant to learn from not only the experiences of other people but also the way they handle them and go on after the fact.

I believe it would be hard to forgive such an injustice.

But, Mandela found a way through the negativity of hatred, to realise that holding onto such emotions, would just keep him imprisoned even though he was free from being behind bars.

Have you suffered an injustice?

Tell us in the comments below, how it made you feel and what you learned from it, or what if anything came from it.

Thanks,

Beating the Odds
BTO

 

Kiwi limelight dweller survives harrowing challenges









Catch it: Kiwi rugby player Zinzan Brooke in full flight, above centre. Formerly a member of the New Zealand All Blacks. Generic photo - getreading.co.uk



Rugby statesman: Zinzan Brooke has moved on to good things following a harrowing financial struggle. Generic photo - standard.co.uk

I like the attitude of New Zealand former All Black Number 8 Zinzan Brooke and his wife Alison, to their personal financial struggle a few years ago now, and highlighted at the time, in the New Zealand Woman's Weekly article in the link below:

http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/front-page-top-stories/zinzan-and-alison-brooke-we-will-get-our-life-back/?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Zinzan and Alison Brooke: We will get our life back?

Some people really have that survival mechanism within and are able to look ahead and visualise better times to come after a difficult experience.

That's what the Brookes' seemed to do, probably with lashings of good old Kiwi 'can do' attitude thrown in!

Why do some people have that amazing ability to see through the hard times to good things in the future?

In this link below, it talks about surviving in an environmental sense but it points out the ability of someone under stress being able to control it or not:

http://www.aircav.com/survival/asch02/asch02.html

In the case of financial stress, which the Brookes' clearly suffered, in my opinion it is admirable how the couple and their six children managed to see their way clear of destructive stress over their situation and were not too proud to take an option path that many people would have done anything to avoid; the path of bankruptcy.

But they said it was their only option and it would seem that although being famous and living in another country, yet not allowing how things 'looked' to have an impact on their strong family unit, they opted to take the line of least resistance.

I'm sure it would have taken a lot of guts to have taken that path.

Have you had a difficult experience in life that has changed you, or the way you look at things now?

We would love it if you would share your experiences with us or let us know what you think in the comments.

Thanks.

Beating the Odds. BTO.

How a mind battling autism works







Overcomer: Temple Grandin shares the positive sides of having autism. Photo - warrenpl.com

Temple Grandin talks about the possibilities autism has given her and paints a positive view of it:

https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds

In this link below, she talks about how she learned various behaviours in childhood:

http://www.templegrandin.com/



Then there is Australian-born Donna Williams, who spells out her life of huge challenges, including autism:

http://www.donnawilliams.net/about.0.html

It is inspiring to see how people deal with some of life's biggest challenges and go on to become beacons of light to others facing the same problems.

Both these women make it clear that they are never free of their challenges but they at least have found ways to deal with them and carve out existences for themselves despite them.

I found myself feeling thankful that I don't face these kinds of difficulties.

Do you have a life challenge that you would like to share in our comments?

Your story could help someone else.

Seen any pink elephants lately?



Pink elephant: Gag caught on video. Illustration - clipartpanda.com

The people in the video link below are obviously being had but it's entertaining. Have a look:

https://www.facebook.com/kyleandjackieoshow/videos/908057089229200/?fref=nf

I can't help thinking how disconcerting it would be to be getting a ticket for a driving misdemeanor or something else and start seeing 'pink' elephants walking past! LOL.

You wouldn't blame the police officer pulling you up, to wonder just how much you HAVE been drinking, or even putting you through the hoops to prove you may or may not be fully with it.

Trying to explain it away would be a challenge.

You can see by the reaction of the people seeing the elephant and then trying to tell the officer what they've seen and not being believed.

It's a light-hearted look at human behaviour and the actions of people seeing something they don't understand.

Quite a gorgeous video.

Enjoy!

BTO.