David Stidston
Bio
My name is David Stidston, and I am a single father to my 8-year-old daughter Mia. We live in the beautiful city of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. I am currently self-employed, working as a freelancer and casually in market research.
Stories (216)
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Wake Up Call
I am a firm believer that things happen to us for a reason. Sometimes we will never understand the reason, perhaps because we failed to grasp the opportunity that was there for us within the reason. There will be many times we won't understand the reason for a period of time. Other times, things happen as a bit of an instant wake up call. There are times where we will be the instigator of the change, decision, or circumstances, and other times someone else will be the instigator, and force us into change, decision, or circumstances. We will often find that these changes, decisions, and circumstances, that are forced upon us, are against our will, creating immense stress, pain, hurt, unhappiness, anxiety, depression, and discomfort. It's easy to become angry and frustrated, even to the point we respond abruptly and nastily, but sometimes what others do to us can quite often be a blessing in disguise. There may be something they say or do that actually helps us to realize that we actually needed a good kick in the pants. Even when this happens, so often we tend to preserve our pride, and rather than admit that what someone said or did to us was in fact a great wake up call that we needed in life, we instead take our frustration and anger out on them. We deny fault, we try and pass blame, and we even try to shift focus and identify their faults and mistakes instead, all in an attempt to avoid feeling down about ourselves, and having to admit to error.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
It's Why We Need To Be Driven
It's one thing to be motivated by our goals, but it's an entirely different level of determination when we are driven by them. At the start of journeying towards our goals, many people believe that motivation is the trait that will help us to succeed. After all, if we have both enthusiasm and reason, it should be enough to get us off the couch, and inspire us to take action, right? Absolutely! I cannot deny that motivation is an imperative characteristic that we need to possess if we are striving to achieve our goals, because we need to continually be positive, energized, and proactive, along the journey, but the problem with motivation is that it is a characteristic that can easily be influenced. Motivation is a wavering characteristic, which can come and go, dependant on the circumstances, situations, events, and emotions, that we are experiencing at each moment of time. One moment we may feel on top of the world, inspired and hungry for success, but then we may encounter a setback, or a failure, or maybe several setbacks and failures, which then start to install doubt and fear within our mind. We start questioning if all our time, energy, money, and hard work, are all worth it and equating to what we are working towards. That fear and doubt then starts to play with our motivational levels. Perhaps something unexpected happens in our life, such as the death of a loved one, a marital split, or similar painful experiences. Our mind becomes overwhelmed with what's going on in that aspect of life, which affects our mood and emotions, leaving us to feel negative and upset, to the point we lose our motivation and focus on achieving our goals. When motivation falters, it can easily become a time where we throw the towel in and give up, hence why we can't rely on motivation to achieve success.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Quitters Never Win
For most people worldwide, when the going gets tough, they get going. Sadly, I'm not talking in the sense they get going in a progressive way though, as they instead get going to the nearest exit. That's right, unfortunately most people take the option to quit, and they take the easy way out. When it comes to striving for goals, or some form of personal accomplishment, or a change in habit, whatever it may be that is of great benefit to our life, most people do not have the perseverance and patience to just keep going on that journey to achieve it. I think we all have the expectation that the journey is going to be tough, and we know that it will require a lot of hard work and dedication, but undoubtedly, we underestimate the level of intensity. As a result, when we face adversity along that journey, we are mentally underprepared, and our mind becomes filled with doubt that the success we envisioned may not be possible after all. The journey towards achieving goals, personal success, wealth, happiness, and fulfillment, is brutal, there's no shying away from that fact. The greater the reward, the more brutal the journey is. There are so many traits and characteristics that we need to both possess and maintain, in order to see that journey through. It's about having the patience to keep going for as long as it takes to reach that success, which often takes years. It's about having the will to continually work hard, constantly directing our focus on the actions required to reach the goal, despite the intensity, pain, and mundane nature of these actions. It's about having the courage to take risks in order to achieve what we desire. It's about making sacrifices, giving up some things we enjoy that provide us that short boost of satisfaction and enjoyment, rather than long term. It's about having the resistance to repel the judgement, doubt, and criticism from others, about our decisions, actions, and the journey itself. It's about having the drive and motivation to fulfill our goals, using it to spur us on, no matter the circumstances. It's about having the determination to succeed. It's about having the adaptability to change actions, and embrace new concepts. Above all, it's about having the resilience to overcome all adversities, challenges, and failures, then to have the perseverance to keep on going, no matter how tough things get.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Grades Don't Determine Glory
As children, we are taught from an early age not to tell lies, and yet it's ironic, that the education system itself, is based on lies though. You see, we are raised by our parents and teachers to believe that, in order to obtain success, wealth, and job satisfaction, it's imperative that we have to achieve high grades at school. We are told we have to achieve high grades at primary school so we can advance to high school, then it's even more crucial that we achieve high grades in high school so we can advance to university, and then it's even more crucial again that we obtain a diploma or a degree at university, so we can be accepted into the job of our dreams. All throughout this 15+ year process, our teachers and parents are continually heaping pressure on us to achieve these high grades, otherwise we will only end up spending our life as a failure, in some dead end job. What utter rubbish! We are molded by society like robots, programmed to think like everyone else, and to copy what everyone else does. We have our life planned out for us, and if we dare challenge it, question it, or defy it, we are criticized and shamed. The truth is, there is no set plan for our life, apart from the one we design ourselves. Don't get me wrong here, the job of a teacher is undoubtedly extremely hard and stressful, and they only teach what the government insists children learn, otherwise they wouldn't receive their salary after all. Many are even extremely passionate about what they do, and they thrive on helping and supporting their students to achieve high grades, then ultimately progress to success in life. The simple fact is, your grades don't determine your future success, and no child should be told otherwise.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Admit To Fault
One of the most frustrating things in life has to be when someone is clearly in the wrong, or worse, when they have been proven guilty of being in the wrong, but yet they still don't admit to fault. Despite being at fault, there's always some sort of excuse they will refer to in order to try and justify their innocence, some sort of scapegoat to pass the blame on, just to protect their pride and reputation. I could list several names of people I know personally, even many of whom are extremely close to me, who will never admit when they are in the wrong, or have done something wrong. Now I can't sit here and pretend to be an angel though either, because there have been several instances in the past where my pride has got the better of me also, and I have denied being in the wrong, knowing full well that I was. Over these past couple of years however, thanks to investing time into personal development, mind training, and bettering myself as a person, every single day, I have found myself always taking ownership for my mistakes nowadays. Admitting when I have made a mistake, admitting when I have been in the wrong, and most of all, apologizing to those who I have transgressed against, has now become habit. It's not only the taking ownership of my mistakes piece, but also acknowledging that I am human, that I make mistakes from time to time, that I no longer have any control over the past and what I have done, and that I need to forgive myself and move on. It's been about swallowing my pride, having the courage and the courtesy to apologize to those who I have wronged, and then learning from such mistakes, in order to avoid doing them again in the future. What I've found, is that admitting to mistakes and errors, I have began feeling a overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and release.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Parental Appreciation
I think it's true what they say; that you never truly appreciate the sacrifices that your parents made, until you become a parent yourself. It's not to say that you couldn't appreciate all your parents have done for you, in not being a parent yourself, but becoming a parent yourself definitely puts things into a far greater perspective. As children, we seem to have no understanding of sacrifice whatsoever. The world is all about us, and just having fun. We don't give a thought to the fact our mummy or daddy packs us a healthy lunch to take to school each day. We don't give a thought to how our mummy and daddy spend their time and energy to provide us with clean clothes in our drawer to wear. We don't give a thought to how the food placed on the table in front of us was provided from mummy and/or daddy after having worked hard at their jobs each day, and then coming home to prepare our meals for us. We don't give a thought to the fact that our mummy and daddy work so hard just to keep a roof over our head, and provide us with warm clothing to wear. Our thoughts are only centered around what new toys or what yummy lollies and ice cream mummy and daddy can buy for us. We want to just be happy, have fun, and we live with an expectation that mummy and daddy will always be there to provide for us. By the time we reach our teenage years, even then, our expectations rarely change. The only difference is that we become more defiant, and we demonstrate a worse attitude. In fact, our expectations become greater, as we feel the need to keep up with our friends in having the latest forms of technology at our disposal.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Your Superpower
One of the greatest fantasy questions in life that we may be asked of, is "what one superpower would we love to possess in life, if it were reality?" From the array of films and fictional characters, there are so many of these superpowers we would ultimately love to possess, so it makes it a hard question to narrow it down just to that prized one. Would we want the capability of being able to fly? Would we want the capability of being invisible? Would we want the capability of possessing superhuman strength? Would we want the capability of being able to hear other people's thoughts, or read other people's minds? Would we want the capability to time travel? I could keep going on and on listing the many superpowers there are, and boy would it be awesome if this fantasy could actually be turned into reality, or what? Sadly for us, it's just that though, fantasy. Although, having said that, we actually do all possess a superpower, and the funny thing is, many of us don't even know we possess it. These may not be superpowers that give us the ability to fly, be invisible, or travel through time, but they are gifts that we possess within us, which stand us out from other people, and highlight our uniqueness. We can do things, achieve things, perform things, or understand things, better than most other people can. We perhaps may even be able to transfer our experiences of the past, into revelations of the future. In fact, some of the greatest superpowers even lie within our characteristics, behavior, and attitude.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Celebrate Being Single
Didn't get any Valentine's gifts or messages yesterday, huh? The hopes you held that someone whom you really admire, or that hope of a gorgeous looking mystery person who secretly admires you from a distance, or that hope that the partner who recently left you, yet whom you are still deeply in love with, any of these would've possibly used yesterday as the perfect opportunity to offer you their heart, sweep you off your feet, guide you into a wonderful relationship, and help you rediscover love once again, all completely dashed. Here you are, yet again, on a Monday morning, feeling sad, lonely, rejected, unloved, and depressed, having had to endure another Valentine's Day without a loving, dedicated, caring, faithful, and supportive, partner by your side. All you want is to be loved by that one special person, to rediscover that warm and reassuring feeling of being touched, kissed, and cuddled. You look around and see all your friends with partners, all these other people on social media sharing their pictures of themselves and their partner kissing, enjoying eachother's company, and having all sorts of great fun together. Life and love are just completely unjust and unfair, hey? To be loved, appreciated, treasured, supported, and truly cared for, is one of the best feelings we could ever experience in life, I can't deny that. When in a relationship, knowing that someone is there by our side, accepting us for who we are, faults, blemishes, bad habits, and all, it's pretty special. Even just that feeling of someone pressing their tender lips up against ours, kissing us with pure love in their heart, or even just that warm embrace of a hug, it's magical. For some of us, we just cannot handle the thought of not being in a relationship, we just have to experience those feelings I mention above, and we just simply have to have that special someone by our side.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Save Lives
Today's topic isn't exactly one of joy, cheer, and celebration. In fact, it's exactly the opposite, however it is one that needs to be addressed, and one that we all need to be giving an increased amount of awareness to. Today, I am addressing the issue of suicide, and how, as a collective group of humankind, we all need to be playing our part in reducing the ever increasing number of people who sadly, take their own lives. Those of us who suffer from depression, or another form of mental health issue, would be well aware of such thoughts that run through our head, about how we often feel it would be better to end our own life, rather than continue battling on in life, to face more non-stop rejection, failure, hurt, pain, hardship, hatred, unhappiness, and adversity. It's not to say those who don't have a mental health issue are exempt from suicidal thoughts, however those who do, are more prone to regular moments of giving it all in. Personally, I have suffered depression now for the past 11 years, and there have been an infinite number of occasions where I have thought about doing myself in. Certainly, when circumstances and events are falling apart all around me, these suicidal thoughts begin to escalate, and on several occasions, I have even began to put the wheels in motion, only to back out at the last minute. I have somehow managed to regain control of my mindset, and focus on all that I should be grateful and appreciative for in life, rather than allow myself to be torn apart by all the negativity. The past couple of months have been the most challenging period of my life, and yet here I am, still alive and typing away to encourage others to follow my lead, remain strong, and hang in there. It has got me thinking though, why do so many people suicide? What are the main factors behind why someone would rather end their life, than enjoy the blessing of being given life?
By David Stidston5 years ago in Psyche
Conceive, Believe, Achieve
Have you, that one goal in life, which you would desperately love to achieve? Now I'm not talking about just your run of the mill goals, such as losing 10 kilograms of weight this year, or saving up $5,000 to go on a holiday next year, I'm talking about a life transforming goal. I'm talking about a goal that will turn your current mediocre and unsatisfying life, into one that is enriched with happiness, success, and prosperity. There's certainly nothing wrong with having other goals, such as the two examples I mentioned of above, but we should always have that one goal that will help us discover our purpose, help us to create success in our life, help us to achieve greatness, help us to be fulfilled and satisfied with our life, and help us to find happiness and prosperity. We should even be ensuring our goal is tied to delivering benefit, joy, and help, to the lives of others also. Such goals are extremely challenging, and take a massive amount of patience, resilience, perseverance, and hard work, to achieve, yet in completing the journey, they bring us such an immense level of satisfaction and happiness, because we can reflect on all the failures, all the rejections, all the setbacks, and all the hardships, that we have managed to overcome in the process.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Bitterness And Resentment
When someone hurts us, breaks our heart, embarrasses us, rejects us, criticizes us, or maybe just inconveniences us, quite often our reaction is one of bitterness and anger. We too often have this urge to get even, wanting to retaliate and get revenge, by causing some hurt, embarrassment, or inconvenience, on them in return. We feel low, we feel sad, we feel unhappy, we feel betrayed, and we feel nothing but resentment and bitterness towards that person. I can honestly say I have, for too long, been on of those people, and one thing I have started to learn in life, is exactly what today's quote reads. I sure am working on myself to get better in this area, as I know how it has negatively impacted me, over these years. Harboring bitterness and resentment inflicts no pain, hurt, embarrassment, or inconvenience, back on that other person whatsoever. As far as physically plotting and executing a plan to get revenge, well that's not going to make things better or right either, despite what we may believe. Plus, two wrongs do not make a right, after all. The only outcome that results from constantly feeling bitterness and resentment, is we actually start inflicting more pain, suffering, misery, and hurt, upon ourselves. How many times have you been in the situation where harsh words were perhaps spoken between you and another person, where many harmful and derogatory words were exchanged, which ended up becoming extremely personal and hurtful? Following the disagreement, you walked away feeling extremely angry, hurt, bitter, and maybe you even ended up in tears. Then, over the next few days, that same event plays over and over in your head, and you start thinking of all the different things you should have said to better defend yourself, or you should have worded differently, or perhaps things that could have inflicted more hurt back on them. How many times has this happened to you? So, how do you feel in these moments? You continue to feel angry, hurt, upset, and even regretful, of course, but now have a think of what these feelings are doing to you mentally.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
Flogging A Dead Horse
Fear not animal lovers, today's blog entry is definitely not about animal brutality. I'm dead against that as it is, but that's a totally different subject for another day. Today I talk of the phrase "flogging a dead horse", first used by an English politician by the name of John Bright, all the way back in 1859, when he was addressing the House of Commons about a political campaign he felt was not producing results. The meaning behind this idiom is that it's a waste time and effort trying to do something that is impossible, or applying oneself to a particular venture or task that is a waste of time, as there will be no desired outcome. For anyone who has ever made a genuine effort to pursue and achieve their goals, would well know of the unrelenting, and spirit crushing, challenges they faced along the journey. Because such a journey usually takes an extreme amount of effort, hard work, resilience, and patience, there will always be times where doubt creeps in, as it so often feels like progress isn't being made, and the goal feels no closer. Such a belief is actually far from the truth, because even with failure, each time we overcome it, and persevere towards our goals, we are learning, growing, developing, and maturing, all traits which actually help guide us to success. Most of us fail to see it this way however, as we are too focused on achieving the goals themselves, rather than celebrating the small wins, and taking the time to embrace the journey. It's actually at this juncture of failure that many people opt to give up and concede that achieving their goals may just be mere fantasy, rather than reality. They have worked hard, they have been 100% committed, they have invested so much time, effort, and money into it, and yet they keep facing non-stop challenges and failures, and it's why they start to believe they are in fact just flogging a dead horse. They start believing they are doing the impossible, or just wasting time on something and not getting the desired outcome.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
