Ron Ashworth's blog

The Future

After being away from my blog for another long spell I found that some more readers paid a visit. In December I thought I knew what I was going to be involved in during this year, but little did I know that my business could take on a whole personality of its own. Since December my business has taken over my life. This may sound strange, but it literally has and there has been virtually no time to blog or relax.

I really enjoy photographing people and love enhancing the results in Photoshop with my new filter software, but there has also been very little time for that. At least I still enjoy creating websites for clients. Only this morning I finished a new Home Page for a client and she was very pleased with the results.

When the 'future' I planned turns out different to what I had anticipated, the best thing to do is go with the flow, as long as it is going in a positive direction. It's almost like surfing a huge wave that you have no control over. If you make a wrong move you lose your balance, slip off your board, plunge into the icy water and get pounded by the gigantic force of the wave. If you are lucky to survive that ordeal you get your head above the water before you pass out from lack of oxygen and drown. I have only body surfed, but the same thing happens when you get it all wrong. A couple of times the waves broke over my head and I got tossed about under the surf like drowning pin pong ball.

The main thing is that I have pinched off some time to pound away at my keyboard and allow my thoughts to flow. I really wish I was good at this, then I could write a novel, become famous, make a living off my writing and travel around the world signing books and delivering speeches to eager fans. Wow, the imagination runs away.

We got quite involved with riding our mountain bikes so I thought I'd include a picture of us in this post. What has become clear to me is that, as much as I try to plan my life in advance, things happen and I have to make adjustments as I go along.

The 'future' therefore remains a big unknown that holds surprises that impact our lives and we have to learn to cope with events as they unfold. This is the journey that we have to master, moment by moment.

May your future be a bright one and may you live life to the full and enjoy all your blessings with a thankful heart. If you would like to leave a comment about this, please do.

 

Christmas Cheer

The Christmas spirit is here and everywhere. At this time of the year people do extraordinary things and spread love and goodwill to almost everyone. Many go away on holiday for that welcome break. Those of us who are left behind notice a drop in the local population. Many businesses have already closed. MNet shows a string of old movies that you have seen before or they replay christmas movies over and over. At this time of the year you just want to be close to children that have married and moved far away.

On the positive side I want to express my gratitude for things in my life. I want to say thank you to every person that has shown me kindness during 2011. You are the grease on my wheels going forward. In other words you make life easier to bear when the pressures come. Running your own business is usually filled with challenges because you have to balance your resources and some people don't appreciate what you put in on their behalf. May your light shine brightly in 2012.

I have a GOOD wife that's a pleasure to be with. I also want to say I am thankful for all the things in my life. I have discovered a lot, learned a lot and created some fine works this past year. If I have been able to shine a light of love in the hearts and minds of others, then I am thankful for that too. Instead of wanting more "things" I just want to be happy that I have what is already in my life. Most of all I want to say a BIG thank you to my Father in Heaven. All that I have comes down from Him, the most amazing daddy anyone could ask for. And that's all because of Jesus who came to save me from being a total jerk.

Have a fantastic Christmas and a beautiful New Year.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

What The Future May Bring.

It's an amazing feeling coming back to my blog to find that some people were still taking a peek even though I have been tied down by mountains of work. I am also speechless when I think that I actually spent so much time here in the past. Maybe it was a good thing that I ventured into another world of thought expressing myself so abundantly. Did I do all this writing?

So much has happened since I was here last. I became so occupied with work that I had no time to put my thoughts into words. It's now summer and I can smell the aroma of freshly cut grass that I fantasized about. The warm summer days with thunder and lightning are here again. Christmas is just around the corner and another year has come and gone. For once the bottom line in my business is looking good again - all that hard work is paying off!

What lies over the horizon of tomorrow? A new venture into photography and the realization of things I dreamed of. I rediscovered my passion for taking pictures and playing around with them in Photoshop until something exciting emerges.

Alas! I have discovered the power of filters. You can take an ordinary shot and add all sorts of effects to it to create a mood and atmosphere that makes that photograph a pleasure to behold.

This family had just spent some time on the other side of my lens and were returning to their car. What a pleasant group of people. They were punctual and a delight to work with. Yes, there still are amazing people on this planet.

I'm journeying into a future with greater, exciting challenges.My entrepreneurial spirit has urged me to take another leap of faith into 2012. At 59 I am learning more than ever before. New experiences and challenges all the time. Life is meant to be lived beyond fear and I am moving forward boldly.

My Book Chapter 1

   It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon and I had a train to catch. I had just been elected as a deacon in the N G Church at the Rand Youth Hostel where I stayed. My weekend was spent with my new girlfriend, but now I had to head back home.
     As I sat reading a book about the life of Jesus a chilly evening breeze swept across the train tracks as the sun was hugging the horizon - I was eager to get home to my friends and the evening service. The silence was palpable since I was the only soul that occupied the train station so I comforted myself with the words in front of me. Whenever I reached the conclusion of a page I’d take the opportunity to glance to my right to see if that darned train was getting any closer, but no, nothing coming yet. I looked forward to the safety of numbers - when the train arrived I wouldn’t be alone any more. I would at least be amongst fellow travelers.
     Little did I know that there was something brewing around the corner. Events happen so suddenly that we are usually caught off guard, completely surprised. Was I prepared? No. If I had known what was about to transpire I probably would have caught a bus if I could. My plan would rather have been to stay with my girlfriend and leave for home the next morning. But that wasn’t an option. I had a duty to perform.

     Once again I reached the bottom of a page and as I turned to the next one I turned to see if that long awaited train was on its way. Not yet - nothing. But wait, I wasn’t alone any more. Three guys were headed my way and an uneasy feeling started developing on the inside of me.
     Before I continue I need to offer a bit of background. I didn’t know the area all that well. A recent promotion made me move to Johannesburg to work in the offices of the Regional Director of the Post Office. This was where I had met this cute girl whom I had visited over the weekend. Everything was all so new to me. My work, where I stayed, the new girl in my life, the church I had joined and this area where she stayed. Believe me that town had its fair share of unsavory looking characters. That’s why I felt so uneasy when I saw those three headed in my direction.
     Run! Escape! No, too late. The biggest one of the group walked right up to where I was silently pretending to be absorbed in the story of Jesus’ life whilst my heart was pounding furiously with anxiety. Not wanting to reveal my feelings of insecurity and give the ogre any more reason to intimidate me I just pretended he wasn’t there. But I felt completely vulnerable, being outnumbered three to one, I was like a sitting duck waiting for the slaughter. Anyway, he had two mates as backup and wanted to show them how powerful he was, acting like he was king, able to do anything to anybody just because he could.
     At school I used to be bigger than most of the pupils in my class. I was confident that, if put to the test, I could beat any of the guys. This confidence was evident to all and they knew not to put me to the test. Despite having a bad start in life due to recurring illnesses, I had developed into an athletic young man in primary school. I was fastest in the 100 yards sprint and could outdo my age group in the high jump. At the swimming pool I could outswim my peers. This instilled an air of superiority in me and academically I also shone. That was in primary school.

This blog doesn't allow me to place the whole chapter on a page, so I have to do it in stages.

 

 

Website Design Tips

Since I design websites for a living I have decided to write an article outlining a few website design tips so that customers can get an overview of things that need to be considered before they go ahead with the project. There are many types of websites on the Internet and almost just as many designers with different opinions about design. The important thing is to ensure that your website visitor is not put off by what he or she finds whilst visiting your site. I don’t pretend to know it all, but I have noticed that certain experts break their own rules and also disregard the overall appearance in their designs. After all, you want to see something that is pleasant to look at and easy to navigate.

1. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

This is a very important subject. A website design that makes proper use of the right number of keywords in the right place is a winning website design in terms of being found by search engines on the Internet. An appropriate page title that includes the right keyword relevant to your website page improves the search even more. To arrive at the best Search Engine Optimization solution for your website design you need to do quite a lot of research, not only focusing on the words you want to use, but also what your target market is. Many companies wanting a website on the Internet think in terms of copy that suits their needs without considering investing the proper resources to arrive at search engine friendly content. All this means is that the structure needs more thought put into it. After all, each page is competing with other content that is already on the Internet.

This is a short introduction and more on this subject will follow. http://www.ashworthweb.co.za

A Powerful Lesson - Conclusion

How do you continue to soar victoriously above life's circumstances?

• Know who you are in Christ
• Remember His word to you
• Rely on Him for help
• Trust in Him
• Acknowledge Him
• Allow Him to guide you

Admittedly it takes practice getting used to relying on God's guidance and help when we are so self-assured and used to getting things done ourselves. After all, didn't we work hard for the things we have? Wasn't it our sweat that got us to where we are? We may think so, but in more than one place in the bible we are told that all good gifts and all perfect gifts come from above, from the Father. Once we can honestly acknowledge that, we are less important and He is more important. This humble attitude and thankfulness to Him isn't stupid. It's just what places us on the right path where God can direct our steps to a successful outcome.

The greatest gift is having a loving Father that knows what we need and cares for us. Nothing escapes His attention. He has placed things in His word for us to discover - to help us live better, abundant lives. We are encouraged to give our full attention to His word until it forms part of our thinking and actions. This is the greatest privilege.

If we just stay in the nest for the rest of our lives we will always be reliant on others to feed us. If we walk on water by faith or soar on wings of eagles, we will learn to have confidence in God's goodness and all He promises us in His word. Pay the price to do this and you will live the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10. This abundant life is not so much about things than it is about the wonderful relationship you can have with God. In short, don't just read the Word, do the Word.

A Powerful Lesson - Middle

Now imagine that you read in your bible that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall rise up on wings as eagles. There is a reason why I started the story asking you to "imagine you were born an eagle." It's easy to just read something and then not really think it through, which is called meditation.

That young eagle knew it was an eagle, but it still had to learn to fly. Now you have read in the word of God that if you wait on the Lord you will be able to soar like an eagle. I doubt whether the eagle knows anything about aerodynamic principles such as lift and drag. She just trusts that she can fly on those wings that she was born with. She had to exercise to make them strong and she had to learn to imitate her mother. Ultimately she had to trust what she was told. "Do this and you will fly."

Now the One who inspired the prophet Isaiah to pen those words (His will) said that if you wait on Him (trust in Him), then you will be strengthened beyond your own abilities to soar like that young eagle.

So, the first time and the second time this worked for you, it didn't click in your brain that things worked out because He was actually helping you. You forgot what you had read and that you had waited for that promise to manifest in your life. It's so easy to slip back into that "I can do everything in my own strength" mode.

The conclusion will follow in the next post.

A Powerful Lesson

Imagine you were born an eagle. You find yourself in a cosy nest with your brother (another eagle). Soft down feathers have been strategically placed all around the nest for warmth and protection. Your parents take turns in bringing you tit-bits to feed on.

Nested high on a rocky crag you are safe from other predators. Apart from changes in the weather things couldn't be more perfect and you begin to think that life couldn't be more glorious than this.

As you grow bigger and stronger you discover that the nest isn't so spacious anymore. Already you are starting to peer over the side of the nest and discover some of the world out there. You can see your mother launch herself into the air and disappear from sight, and return later with a tasty morsel. Whenever danger lurks she wards it off with aerobatic maneuvers and sharp talons and beak - a true warrior she is.

But sddenly the day has arrived when you have to take to the skies yourself. All those exercises flapping your wings and still you haven't actually flown yet. You look down from your vantage point at all the perils that lie beneath you and you are filled with doubts. This doesn't look good at all.

Impatiently your mother nudges you to the edge. Suddenly you are falling and your heart is pounding. Swoosh, the jagged rocks on the mountain face whizz pass within centimetres of you as you  race towards those treacherous boulders below. What now? Suddenly you instinctively spread those magnificent wings of yours and manage to avoid the dangerous rocks that were heading straight for you on a collision course. Your maneuver catapulted you away from the mountain face into a powerful stream of rising air.

Up you go like an express elevator twisting and moving your wings and tail to maintain your balance. Wow! You are actually flying and it's wonderful. You try one of those crazy rolls that you saw your mother perform and you start falling again. Better leave that till next time.

There's more to follow. But there is a wonderful lesson in this story so don't miss out. Come back for the next half.

Sunday 25 September 2011

I decided to cycle to Maranatha church this morning. It was perfect. I had the opportunity to truly be alive, smell the vegetation, listen to all the sounds, feel the breeze and just enjoy gliding through the shadows of magnificent trees. Cycling makes you more in touch with what's around you whereas traveling by car isolates you - like a passer by.

Maggie also loved it. Total distance traveled was only 14 km, but it seemed further because it was up and down all the way. For once we were on time - believe it or not. The rest of the day was spent at home doing whatever we wanted to do - priceless. Deciding to do something physical and then succeeding in its execution is rewarding.

If you are someone that checks in on my blog and recently found very few entries, I apologize. I was hit by a few conditions that hampered my well-being considerably. Some of it was learning, some a severe eczema attack, then a painful constipated bowel and lastly too much work. All of that is behind me except for the mountain of work. I'll just keep doing the best I can.

Wednesday Night

Spent the evening working on a website and then Maggie wanted to watch Eclipse. Unfortunately sleep got the better of her and I am awake half-watching it for a second time while I read a few pages of "A Writer's Book Of Days." Also went online to view writing there. The Internet is way too slow nowadays. Facebook is also very slow. What has happened? Does anyone have an answer to this?