The joy of being inspired!


Allow me to set the scene of what this blog is all about....... Firstly it feels a rather random act to be doing this but I hope as I write it becomes obvious why.

Like many of you I have always felt the need to have a creative outlet which enhances the experience of day to day existence. I am constantly Inspired by so many people I know Who have done this and other expressions of themselves. It is often easy to put something off (insert excuse....time,energy e.t.c) but experience has taught me to commit and act. I have therefore committed to writing which is something I have always enjoyed but writing about myself directly is new, scary and exciting.

 I say with certainty that every one of you is better than me at something which means I can learn from you. The reverse of course therefore must be true.

When I meet people who are passionate about certain things but in particular things that are positive for the body, the mind and the soul if you believe you have one, I am often left with new information that has the potential to alter in however small or big a way, the way I look at the world around me.

I am passionate about a few things but to summarise I am on a quest to become a better human being. Sounds like a rather grandiose proposition like some feudal knight from the 1300's I agree and requires me to give a definition of a what I feel a better human being is. So let me try..... Call me unimaginative but happiness that weird word with its all encompassing power is my goal. Just about all of my happiest moments have been directly due to the actions of many of the people that I hope take the time to read these blogs that I am committing to write.

This monthly blog will begin with a bit of an overview of my forever 'work in progress' views on how my brain works in understanding this rather amazing experience we all call life.

I have many many flaws! I don't propose to have any answers to the topics I intend to raise in this series of blogs but merely to give you an insight into 'how' but also importantly, why I think the way I do about them. I get things wrong all the time! I trust many will have differing views to me and I am always keen to learn more. Many will have well considered views on topics that may be diametrically opposed to mine and to me that is fine often a different perspective casts extra light on an issue.

I try to live by a certain maxim. The maxim is to look at issues through as many angles as possible (metaphorically walk in another man's moccasins).  I do this by listening to different points of view from the best sources I can find. Wherever possible I will always credit the person who has given me a new perspective on a particular topic or even a whole new way of thinking. Another thing that I now seem to get is just how valuable time is. There are so many opportunities that you need to seize so I want to try to maximise this commodity that you can never get back.

In practice valuing time means that I want as much of my time to be happy and stimulating as is possible. The time I spend with my family comprising of my loving supportive wife Vicky, a 2 and a half year old daughter Mia, a 3 week old son Otis and 3 year old boxer Nala is my priority. No matter what else is going on in my life my main job in life is to create as healthy, supportive, relaxed and happy atmosphere as I possibly can by my actions and what I choose to focus on every day.
Time spent at work and my hobbies is therefore very important, I want to maximise whatever opportunity to learn which as I will explain later I find to be closely linked to teaching and having a good time.

An example of this change in emphasis and the way I use my time is the daily commute which I am sure is the same for many people. I used to listen to the radio, to a combination of songs only some of which I liked and news only some of which I believed, contributing to my resentment at the fact that I spent so much time travelling to work. In rush hour traffic it takes around 1hr and 20mins to get to work. Of course that is just the average time and this time could vary greatly dependent on the amount of traffic and weather conditions we get in Scotland.
I wasted a lot of mental energy being upset at loosing almost 3 hours every day sitting in a relatively bad posture driving ageing cars that could be kinder to the planet and resented it. I now look at things in a different way. A rather unexpected bonus of a long commute means that if you are moderately IT literate there are a plethora of podcasts and audio books on almost every conceivable topic that you might be interested in. For me I pop my headphones into my phone or car radio and I am educated by such diverse personalities as Dan Carlin the expert story teller on his series called hardcore histories, Joe Rogan who swings from Martial arts to comedy, altered states of conciousness and philosophy, Jim Alkalili's the Life Scientific. Jim a theoretical physicist himself interviews accomplished scientist's such as James Lovelock and David Nutt about what made them passionate enough to dedicate their lives in the pursuit of knowledge. Beyond using the previously dead time more productively making it more enjoyable I also choose to appreciate that we can afford the cars we have rather than being disappointed that I cant afford a nicer one. It is little changes in focus like this that I love because they do a magical thing. You have the same physical experience but your response to that stimuli gives you a different mental experience that brings me back to where I started and happiness.

Not all changes can be overcome so easily by technology nor do all things that are positive come easy. Exercise and nutrition are excellent examples of behaviour that I know to have a hugely positive outcome but is not always easy to follow. In 2013 most of us are aware of what is healthy and what isn't. I am not here to preach to anyone but rather to encourage experimentation with your body this wonderful vehicle which carries you around every day responding to our every whim. When I am healthy and 'in shape' I have more energy to do the many things that make living a wonderful experience therefore I invest time and energy in looking at what works for me, my priorities my goals and learning from the past.

Other topics that I hope to expand on are
Martial arts and sports as development tools of human potential
Religion past present and future
The Mongol Khans and the Wrath they unleashed
Education
Politics
Science...... From photon's or radiation and bacteria to planets and Galaxy's
Life philosophy
This is not an exhaustive list and as you can tell I regularly go off on bizarre tangents. I do not claim to be an authority on any of these topics but merely try to ask the right questions from people who are.

To clarify I love everyone. If I cause any offence it is unintentional. My attempt is as much a snapshot for myself and of what I feel to be pivotal moments that establish my thoughts on the world as a 32 year old. In everything in life there is always greater understanding to be learnt. I am a different Peter Oshagbemi today than I was 10 years ago and I am working towards being a better version of myself in every way that matters to me every day through knowledge from whatever source I can find it and action. In the word's of the 9th Century philosopher Al-Kindi "It is fitting for us not to be ashamed of acknowledging truth and to assimilate it from whatever source it comes to us.There is nothing of higher value than truth itself. It never cheapens or abases he who seeks"

Ok I feel like I have taken up quite enough of your time for the moment and you now have fair warning! I intend to punctuate these blogs with experiences that I have been through with the people who have inspired me in a positive way. If you are reading this and DON'T want to be mentioned under any circumstance please message me and I will respect your privacy. I will endeavour to contact anyone I reference before hand especially if I perceive the topic to be fairly personal.

I have fears and financial worries of an uncertain future just like everyone else with mountainous highs and deep lows. This blog is one of the ways I try  to make sense of it.

Right bases covered, proud to have started this journey and curious as to where it leads me. Which leaves me to bid you farewell for now, Namaste, Oss, praise Odin and all that good stuff. Peace and love!

Peter, aka Shaggy, aka Benga aka Bengabus!