Good Ideas – a cooking pot and twisted tales

Most of us who have hit 40 and beyond have most times become hardwired in our ways that change does not come easy and is often worse than pulling teeth, however, if we fail to embrace change both internally and externally we will slowly decay, grow out of touch with times and very well become stubborn, doddering old coots.

Some may say that after all, we are not going to live forever nor get out here alive – they do have a point – so why bother to keep up with change? There are boundless reasons why change is not only good for your body and soul, your mental health, your business – whatever that may be – and it may not only elongate your life but perhaps make your life more interesting and ‘you’ a less of a stubborn doddering old coot 😉

We know that change is constant and even when we don’t seek it, it is thrust on us that we are not left much choice; you either fight it to a bitter finish, or you embrace it with flourish. The choice is yours.

The many benefits derived from change range from:

Personal growth: you will learn new things, discover new insights and perspectives every time you experience some change. Sometimes the outcomes and lessons learned may not be your initial expectation and could be much better.

Improvements: No situation in our life improves by itself without making the necessary adjustments; be it our finances, health, job, relationship, home…We need to take those vital steps required to improve that circumstance that we are struggling with because without making the effort things will continue to stagnate.

Life values: Mere looking at the present conditions of our existence and how a pandemic has made most people reevaluate their lives and reinforce those important life values is an easy example. From time to time we need to assess our values.

Flexibility: Embracing change helps us adapt easily to new situations and even thrive whilst at it. We become far more supple.

Ripple effect: Making big changes in one swoop is extremely difficult, but taking those little steps of change surely lead to bigger ones and hopefully better results.

Strength: A lot of change comes with attendant challenges and overcoming them only makes us tougher.

Progress: Progress is the child of change. Your vehicle will most certainly not move forward when the gear is constantly in neutral. To get where you want to be, be prepared to change the gear and move forward.

Opportunities: Change brings opportunities – both expected and unexpected – and they could present you more fulfilment, happiness and growth. To illustrate, nearly two years ago I flipped my career pursuit and started a journey in the educational sector where I started out teaching French in a new school here in the UAE and within a short space of time, I was promoted to a head of the section. My initial goal was to keep my French sharp and not lose it the way I have lost speaking Spanish, here I am now, not knowing for sure where the ride is going but enjoying it and hoping to make the best of it all the way.

Exciting New beginnings: Change brings that much-desired excitement that we need in our lives. It puts a spring in your step when you close a chapter that should have been closed way back and open a new one that leads to greater things.

A more interesting life: What would life be when it becomes one monotonous, boring and uninteresting routine? As dull as dishwater. Resist that temptation to stick to predictability all the time and aim to initiate little self-evolving steps of change that will lead you where you need to be.

Enjoy the butterflies!

The Ring

Getting the right ring is very important. It is a symbol of your love that will be in your family for generations to come. It can be tempting to go for something traditional to play it safe, but your partner isn’t likely to be that impressed by it. You need to go for something more personal to them, it will make the whole proposal that bit more special. If you’re looking for something a bit more out there, you can get Tacori engagement rings here. They’ll be able to give you something far more unique than a bog standard engagement ring. Once you’ve got the ring sorted, you need to work out exactly how you are going to pop the question.

Scavenger Hunt

If your partner loves puzzles, a scavenger hunt is the perfect way to propose to them. Set out a series of clues, getting more difficult as they progress, and wait at the end ready to propose. One way of making it even more romantic is to base the scavenger hunt around places that are special to you. Perhaps your favorite restaurant or the place where you first met. They might start to work out what is going on halfway through, but that will just make it all the better when they finally reach the end.

Jigsaw Puzzle

You can get custom jigsaw puzzles made online these days and they’re the perfect way to propose. Have one made up that says ‘will you marry me?’ on it somewhere. Don’t make it too large otherwise they’ll be able to tell before they solve it. Getting a puzzle with a thousand pieces is also a pretty bad idea because your partner might get bored before they’ve finished solving it and they’ll be pretty suspicious if you are insistent that they need to finish it.

Restaurants

Restaurants are one of the most popular places to propose, but doing it front of all of those people might not be ideal for them. A good proposal should be a personal thing between you, not something that you share with a bunch of strangers. Instead, you should take them to their favorite restaurant and hire the entire place out just for the two of you. Try booking the restaurant fairly early, or on a weekday so they won’t get too suspicious when you arrive and nobody else is in there. They’ll never see it coming when you get the ring out and pop the question. For an extra special touch, have a string quartet come and play some romantic background music.