Well... this is my first organised run of any kind..... I was pretty anxious about whether I would end up crossing the finish line on my hands and knees !!

I actually surprised myself and do did better than I thought. I was expecting to do a time of 2 hrs 10 mins to 2 hrs 30 mins but I actually did it in 1 hr 58 mins.... so yeeaaayyyyy !! :-)

Am hoping to do more runs in the future...

Also running is FREE.... well apart from the running shoes :-)

Am delighted with the fact I've lost 28 pounds over the last 3/4 months preparing for this run...

So....all's Good !!

To bed now to rest and then out on the town tonight to celebrate (I spied more than one cutie in the race !! lol )

Just finished reading The Secret (got from local library). Sorry if this topic has been done already... This book has only recently become well-known in Ireland but I think it has been "out" in America for a good while now.

So.... can you THINK yourself into wealth ??? Whether wealth to you is plentiful money, a committed relationship, one-night stands, success in your career or happy family-life etc etc

In my amateur opinion - yes.

To me outlook is everything. I'm coming at this from the perspective of having used Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in the past to improve my self-confidence/level of happiness. CBT basically works by recognising that negative thoughts are distorted and replacing them with positive thought.

Oscar Wilde :"We're all in the gutter, it's just that some of us are looking at the stars" (or words to that effect :-) )

How many people here have gotten themselves into debt through emotional spending - to make themselves feel better- then discarding the item they bought - like a chocoholic (yes I am one !!) eats chocolate for a short-term feel good factor when they are upset/low. Could they have improved their mood without breaking out the CC ??

I don't wanna write a marathon post - basically I feel that if you are content/happy on the inside and you look to the future with optimism then the chances of all good things (read wealth in various guises) flowing to you are high.

If you sit all day in a negative stupor complaining about what you don't have, then you'll still be complaining when you are old and grey...

Any opinions/experiences to share ??

Got my car serviced today... was expecting to be paying anything up to Eur 500 but it only cost Eur 145 !! Yeaaahay !

Had to travel to a neighbouring town to get it done so it was sort of a day out:

Spent Eur 10 on haircut, Eur 4 on tea and scone, Eur 20 on groceries for the house and got Eur 20 of petrol on way home. Not frivolous spending... well maybe apart from the tea and scone :-)

The local court was in session so spent half an hour there observing an interesting case about a man who was caught driving with no insurance... love this real-life stuff... glimpses in other ways of being.
Saw a heroin addict being remanded in prison - he actually wanted to stay in prison. Before he was called to the stand, I knew he was an addict... the sunken eyes with the dark patches underneath... and only a young man... such a pity.... makes me realise how lucky I am.

Also today made first payment into a new savings account I have started for future accomodation expenses. Basically my idea is to pay the same amount I pay in rent into a high interest savings account every month. I have no desire to buy a house at this point. The plan is by doing this...I will never have to worry by having a roof over my head.. because effectively every month I am paying for a month's rent in the future and with the power of guaranteed compound interest it will grow into a sizable fund in say 20 years. At that point, I could nearly buy a home outright or travel the world renting as I go.... ahhh Freedom... I love the smell of it :-)))

Little Man... I know you are in for a major trauma with the whole birth thing about to happen - your future Mama is beginning to question the whole "keep-it" decision while waiting for the epidural to kick in & your father cannot go for a few pints after watching the Irish national soccer team beat England 1-0 because he has to go to the hospital and pretend he'd rather be there waiting in the canteen.

But listen, let me save you a lot of heartache and distress by saying the following:

1. You are perfect at this moment.

2. The only 4 things you will absolutely need when you hand in your notice at your current abode are: air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink and a safe place to sleep.

3. Having feeling good inside as the status quo is a product of your outlook on life and cannot be bought.

4. Your current abode is in matters of size, decor, fashionability and function exactly the same as everyone elses was at your age. When you complete your life-journey, you will not care very much for your physical accomodation. Every abode you occupy in the meantime is a choice of varying degrees and NOT an indication of your worth as a human being.

5. One of the most important relationships in your life with be with a thing called "mooh hoho ney". "Mooh ho ho ney" is not your reason for living - nor is it a fellow human being. It is there to enable you to live your life in accordance with the social mores you find yourself in. You are it's master. Tame it before it bites you.

6. Mother Earth loves you. She breathes life into everything everyday. She's breathing life into you right now. She wants you to live a full and happy life. Please allow her to live a full and happy life also by taking her needs into account when you have the choice to. She loves non-wasteful people.

7. You are a complete individual human being. There are many many many others like you. You are no better nor no worse than any of them. Please don't seek the approval of those who withhold it for their own reasons. Please be generous with praise for those you admire - particularly those younger than you. Buying drinks for sullen relatives you hardly ever see, buying sports cars to impress female human "10s" and signing up for a mortgage to impress the Joneses all cost money. Saying "I hope you know I think you are a wonderful little girl" to your cousin's daughter is free and of infinitely more value.

8. The true price of anything is how much life you exchange for it. Anything you may possess/ desire outside the 4 necessities (now..at which point did I explain the 4 necessities to you ?? C'mon you know this... don't roll you eyes at me.. "2". Good Little Man. Well done). Anything outside these necessities is a luxury. You can hand back or sell luxuries when you have used and are tired of them. You cannot ask for a refund of the amount of life you exchanged for them.

9. Look around you... Please... go ahead.
Feel around... all warm and gooey isn't it. Well believe it or not Little Man... This place that jump-started that little heart of yours is most likely to break it in two. It is also a financial danger of nuclear ferocity. I know you won't understand this now buddy......it won't cost you anything to take off from the runway lined by your mother's legs but, My God.... listen boy...don't say you weren't warned.....

be careful what you do to enable yourself to make a landing at another airport.... is all... nod nod.. wink wink...

More of that later buddy.

10. This advice is free. Until you reach 21 years of age, remember that free advice - with no strings attached - is the only advice worth listening too.

Best of Luck Little Man :-)