June 15, 2019 Uncategorized Post a Comment

An Inspirational Thought

Hi everyone!

I have not had much inspiration to share for some time but you’ll love this one, especially if you read till the end.

It is very easy to advise and speak about having faith in God but it is also easy to forget God when we are going through a difficult patch. At least, that’s the truth about me.

I need constant reminders and the events of yesterday were lined up to do just that. I had something to attend to, which I was told and believed would be a breeze.

I was so confident that I planned everything ahead, expecting A to lead to B and then to C. It was a simple 3-step process. So, I thought.

God had other plans which I was totally unprepared for.

The day started out as planned and I was happy. Then, what I expected to be done in a jiffy took a lot longer. It meant that a planned surprise had to be shelved but I was still on track to accomplish my mission.

When I proceeded to the next step, which was also a quick procedure, things began to go awry. I was informed midway that I had to make a detour to a location which my companion and I were not familiar with.

Besides having to make the detour, I found out that step 1 did not provide the info I needed for step 2, and like in the Amazing Race, I had to go back and get it, which was not as easy as I thought.

That setback threw everything off schedule and I missed my deadline.

And, to top it all, I needed my phone to access important ID info to complete a critical online banking transaction, and it kept reminding me to charge it. Needless to say, I didn’t have a charger with me.

So, I switched it off and on, each time praying it wouldn’t give up until I was done. It didn’t.

Looking back, canceling the surprise and having been alerted to the detour were blessings in disguise, but at the time, I was too concerned about my deadline to realize it.

I’ll skip to the important part of my message.

As we were driving to complete the ‘challenge’, I was stressed about missing the deadline and the setbacks I faced that caused it.

Then, I ‘woke up’.

I suddenly realized that at every obstacle, there were angels who went out of their way to help me. I was not alone throughout the day’s challenges.

My tension immediately dissolved and I felt peace. I took a deep breath, looked upwards and whispered, “Thank you, God”.

What happened next moved me to tears. I’m still emotional recalling that moment.

The car radio began playing Stevie Wonder’s, “I just called to say “I love you“”

Instinctively, I replied, “I love you too!”

I was reminded yet once again that God loves me.

When things don’t go as planned, don’t wait as long as I did to stop and notice God’s presence. It may be subtle but if you make a conscious effort, you will recognize it in every part of your life.

God is with all of us. Always.

Sending love your way! <3 <3

May 30, 2019 Quotes Post a Comment

Maya Angelou Quote

Maya Angelou is one of my sources of inspiring quotes, and this is one of my favorites:

If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you are.

Maya Angelou quote

Be the awesome person you were meant to be!

Stay away from the crowd that wants you to conform to the norm. Surround yourself with people who provide you with the environment to be who you desire to be.

And most of all, be the one who inspires others to do the same!

You can make a difference!

Have a life that is as amazing as you are!

May 28, 2019 Uncategorized Post a Comment

About me

Changing Paths

First, a bit about me.

I’m Kenneth, a Malaysian who is now living in Chiang Mai, Thailand with my wife, Hana. We moved here in 2014 and are now working towards our dream of owning a farm and living a simple life.

There were many circumstances that contributed to our (my) decision to start a new life with almost nothing but I realize now that I was led here to live the life I’ve always wanted.

I grew up with little. Dad worked hard to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food on the table, but we could not afford much more. As I was growing up, I would sit on the floor in our neighbor’s living room to watch TV before we had our own.

I played soccer in a public field and badminton on the street where we lived. Played with little “soldiers” with my sister at home. Simple stuff.

And it was good.

I never felt deprived of anything. Life was simple and I loved it.

One of my favorite TV shows back then was, “Little House on the Prairie”. It sowed the seed of what was and still is important to me. A simple life based on gratitude to God and strong family values.

A lot of that was neglected as I followed the ‘cheese’ first through the school system, then into the rat race.

Life, as I was made to believe, and struggled to accept, was about ‘success’ based on quantitative results such as a degree, a job title and things that represented how much wealth one had, even if most were acquired with borrowed money.

I worked long hour workdays and spent little time with Hana and our fur babies to keep up with the unjustified continuously rising costs of living in a city. Needless to say, I got into debt too.

I’m not complaining. I was happy. Life wasn’t perfect but there was a lot to be grateful and happy about, and those were the things I focused on when I wanted to feel good.

Having said that, I was happy but in a rut. I went through the motions and accomplished a lot, but never felt the kind of inner peace and satisfaction that I believe a good life should offer.

Today, Hana and I have little of “success” as it is valued, we make it through each day and month solely by God’s grace, but I am at peace inside. 

Don’t get me wrong. I still worry about having money for rent, utilities and food, although experience has shown that God will provide, but there is this inner calmness that I never felt before.

It may be different for you but life has new meaning now that I have ‘nothing’. 

I feel inspired because I have the opportunity to start life all over again and live the way I want to.

Join me on my journey to build a dream home with my bare hands (more about this later) and create a sustainable life from scratch.

Until my next post, choose an inspired life!

May 27, 2019 Uncategorized Post a Comment

Welcome!

Hi everyone!

Hope your weekend went well!

I spent a lot of my weekend setting up this blog from scratch. If you’ve seen the previous version, you’ll know it was crappy.

It’s called, “Choose An Inspired Life” but there was an ulterior motive behind it, which was to try and make money from the blog.

I know there’s nothing wrong with wanting to earn money but I have always been someone who gives value first and not expecting something in return.

So, trying to earn from ads for products I did not own but thought would be in demand didn’t resonate well inside me. I did the work but my heart just wasn’t into it.

It resulted in an uninspired blog, which is ironic when you consider the title, and before long, I too became unenthusiastic and the blog was neglected.

Money is important and anyone who knows our current financial situation would expect me to be hustling everyone for money, but that’s not who I am.

I am most happy when I put people’s interests before my own. I realized that a long time ago that good things happen when I am there for others.

It’s why I was happier interacting with strangers on Facebook and volunteering than working on my blog.

This is my inspired life. To be able to make a difference in the world, however small. Teaching children to put plastic waste into plastic bottles, helping them grow vegetables, and making people feel good.

That is why I have restarted my blog, and God made sure I did it from scratch. The earlier website was corrupted and I had a new blog installed, and went through the whole process from nothing.

This time, I’m devoting it to sharing stuff that will inspire. No more ads. Just giving as much value as I can.

And I’m not doing it all by myself. I will be featuring stories from people like you, who have an experience that you feel will impact another life.

It’s still in its infancy so please check back or visit my Facebook page where I will provide updates. The page will also be a community collaboration, meaning you can post stuff there too, as long as it is positive.

I hope you’ll be a part of this new community and spread your brand of inspiration with others.

Thank you in advance. I love you guys!