The death of a loved one or the inability to find people who understand you can leave you feeling isolated. Webster’s dictionary plainly describes loneliness as being without companions. It’s natural to experience an emptiness while longing for love or acceptance. Loneliness is therefore an emotive state that can be experienced whether or not one is physically alone.

It was Geoffrey F. Fisher who said, In cities no one is quiet but many are lonely; in the country, people are quiet but few are lonely.

We tend to fill loneliness with all types of distractions. For example, some single women would rather spend a Friday night with a man they have no genuine interest in, than spend the night alone. They long for a way of killing time while they await the man they are actually seeking. Then there are young adults who are involved in cliques where they can’t really relate to their companions. However, they would rather feel accepted on a superficial level than risk feeling outcast. So what is it about being alone that scares us?

Do not be spooked by the unfamiliarity of silence. Silence can be an amazing thing. It teaches you how to truly listen. It teaches you to pay attention to what’s going on inside of you. Only when we are alone, can we have the space and peace we need to think without being outwardly influenced. It therefore becomes easier to make important decisions as well as identify whatever feelings are culminating within.

Get in touch with yourself so that you can make conscious decisions rather than simply react to emotions. Appreciate the time you have to yourself. Let the peace and understanding you find better equip you for the commotion of today’s world.

But what happens when you get a whole string of those off-days, maybe lasting weeks, months or even years? Too many of us say that we’re in a rut, feel stuck, fed-up, or bored and admit that we don’t want things to be that way, but we don’t know what to do to change. That’s the problem, when you’re in a rut, you don’t have the energy or motivation to change things for the better, and it’s tough to find the insight or resources you need to make that jump.

Here are five fun and easy ways you can use right now to climb, or better yet, leap, out of the rut and start to get something better for yourself.

1. Do Something Differently
Life tends to run smoothly when we establish systems and routines for things, but the problem comes when things run too smoothly and we become blinded to any ideas or choices that sit outside of our routine. All the stuff we do every day becomes the norm, running on auto-pilot, and it becomes our whole world.

Start with making one or two simple changes to your day – be it at breakfast time, your radio station, gym routine, route to work, lunch routine, etc. Don’t worry about what the changes are or whether they’re right or wrong, just make a couple of simple choices that will serve you well.

Doing something differently or changing parts of your routine, instantly takes you out of the norm and allows you to shake off the things that make you feel confined. Step out of your routine and you’ll be in a position where you’re able to make different choices, see things differently and get a different result.

2. Use your Intuition

Your intuition is a powerful ally, and we all have it even though you might not recognize it. The dictionary says that intuition is:

1.a. The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.

1.b. Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.

2. A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.

One of the best friends you’ll ever have in life is your intuition, and tuning in to it and learning to trust it is something that can have some truly remarkable effects. Accessing your intuition is a bit like working and developing a muscle, but unfortunately it can be harder to locate than a bicep or quadricep, which tend to stay in the same place. Here are some quick tips for accessing and trusting it –

• Practice maintaining an open-minded, playful, experimental, non-judgmental attitude. This is the most fertile ground to tap into your intuition.

• Practice making wild guesses in your everyday life. Guess what a salesperson’s name is, what a new person or place will look like or who’s calling on the phone. Don’t worry about getting it wrong, you’re just working that muscle.

• Try a few simple observation exercises in your daily life. Whether you’re in a restaurant, on a train, in a bar, or out shopping, practice noticing non-verbal behavior in others. Look for shifts in posture, eye movements, vocal tone or tempo, etc. Guess how they’re feeling or what they’re talking about.

3. Nourishment

Imagine you’re walking home from the supermarket with a couple of bags of groceries, but those bags have holes in them. You’re walking along merrily leaving a trail of your things behind you, but when you get home you unpack what’s left and ask, “Didn’t I have more than this?”

Nourishment is about plugging those holes in your life and making sure you have things that keep you feeling nourished – nourished in your head, nourished in your heart, and nourished in your stomach. Remember that you can’t give away what you don’t have, and can’t spend energy you’ve already spent.

It doesn’t have to be the big things in life that nourish you and it’s often the simplest little thing that strikes a chord, makes you feel like yourself again, or makes you smile from ear to ear – calling a friend, talking a walk in the park, or listening to your favorite song, for example. So what keeps you balanced? What relaxes you or makes you feel peaceful? What makes you feel like you again?

The fact is that you’re important enough to spend time taking care of yourself and it doesn’t matter what it is, just take the time to do it. If necessary, go as far as booking time in your diary. You’re the only one of you there is, so it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re okay.

4. Perfect Day

Here’s something to play with – your Perfect Day. This idea came to me a few years ago when a good friend suddenly asked me “What would be your perfect day?” I’d never been asked that before and I found myself spontaneously making up a story – telling her about my Perfect Day from the moment my eyes flickered open to the moment my head hit the pillow.

I went through each part of the day telling her what I was doing, who I was with, where we were, how it felt and what happened next. Bit by bit and without even thinking about it, I’d put together a rich, colorful, exciting, and comforting day, which still holds true as my Perfect Day. The best part is that you can start introducing little bits of your Perfect Day into your real life or working to make some of it happen. For example, in part of my Perfect Day I visit a company where I’m helping the directors and employees to focus on their strengths and to create a environment where people love to work and can be their best – and that was even before I knew that there was such a thing as coaching or that I could be a coach. My Perfect Day has now become like a good friend of mine whom I can call on whenever I want to.

So what’s your Perfect Day? Don’t think too much about it and don’t worry about it sounding silly or too grand. Just shoot from the hip and see what comes out naturally for you. Write down words, ideas, themes or a whole narrative – even draw pictures if you want to. Have fun with it, play with it – it’s your Perfect Day.

5. Get Some Fun, Fulfilment and Freedom

The Three F’s – Fun, Fulfilment, and Freedom – encompass a lot of what people are looking for in life, and also contain the solutions to having, doing and being those things. Here are some definitions,

Fun, n. – A source of enjoyment or pleasure; playful activity.

Ful-fil’ment, n. – To bring into actuality; to complete; a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.

Free-dom, n. – The capacity to exercise choice, free will; frankness or boldness; the absence of constraint in choice or action.

Read those again. Those things are huge, deep, and broad, and are a lot simpler than we make them.

Belmont Park In San Diego

Located in sunny San Diego, the Belmont Park is one
of the best amusement parks in San Diego.  With plenty
for the entire family, this Park has something for
everyone.  With rides for the entire family and basically
everything in between, Belmont Park makes for a very
exciting adventure.

The most distinctive attraction in the Park is the Giant
Dipper Roller Coaster.  The coaster was built in 1925 and
has been restored over the years.  This coaster is truly
one of a kind, as it offers quick drops, steep hills,
and insane speed!

Belmont Park in San Diego also offers the endless wave,
which is perfect for wave riders.  The Flowrider offers
hourly rides, even lessons for beginners.  If waves
aren’t your sort of thing, you may find the raceway bumper
cars or the Chaos enticing.  Chaos resembles a ferris
wheel, although it creates a random three dimensional
rocking and rolling.  Anytime you get on it, no two rides
are every the same!

For arcade enthusiasts, there is a family fun arcade and
gamelords.  This creates the ultimate gaming experience,
keeping kids, teenagers, and even adults occupied for
hours on end.

Other rides at the park include the Vertical plunge, krazy
kars, and the infamous “plunge”.  The plunge is a great
attraction, and actually happens to be the largest indoor
heated pool in San Diego.  Perfect for swimming, diving,
and just enjoying yourself, the plunge is a blast.

To feel the sensation, the Crazy Submarine and the
Trampoline can help you.  To truly test your limits, the
Rock Wall will offer a unique challenge.  Anyone wanting
to give it a try, can get to climbing the wall and see if
they truly have what it takes to get to the top.

Once you’ve had your fill on rides, there are plenty of
other entertainment and events to keep you occupied.  In
Belmont Park, there is always something going on.  With
San Diego being a tourist attraction, you can bet the
entertainment in Belmont Park is nothing short of
spectacular.

For the kids, Belmont Park offers some truly unbeatable
deals on birthday parties or private parties.  If you
decide to have a party here, you can pretty much rent a
chunk of the park for yourself.  For kids, this can truly
be an unforgettable memory.

Closed Monday – Thursday, Belmont Park is open Friday and
Saturday 11 AM – 10 PM and Sunday 11 AM – 8 PM.  Although
the park is closed on major holidays, you can visit on
the weekends and enjoy the best in entertainment.

To round out your fun, make sure you do a little shopping
and take in some of the food.  Belmont Park in San Diego
has great food and shopping, giving you more than a few
reasons to visit the park and be amazed – truly amazed.

Really tight album, everyone was on point with this one.

Tracklist:

01 Campfire
02 Take It Back
03 Get Them Out Ya Way Pa
04 Rushing Elephants
05 Unpredictable [ft. Dexter Wiggles]
06 The Heart Gently Weeps [ft. Erykah Badu, Dhani Harrison & John Frusciante]
07 Wolves [ft. George Clinton]
08 Gun Will Go [ft. Sunny Valentine]
09 Sunlight
10 Stick Me For My Riches [ft. Gerald Alston]
11 Starter [ft. Sunny Valentine & Tash Mahogany]
12 Windmill
13 Weak Spot
14 Life Changes

classic