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Count Your Successes (no matter how small)

By Books & Authors, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, Inspiration, Life, ThinkingNo Comments

We should all count our successes (no matter how small) and occasionally take time to reflect and contemplate them. So here’s a list of my recent successes:

  • Watched I Love You Phillip Morris, a film about a gay serial con man and prison escapee who finds love in prison. Based on a true story, staring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor.
  • Installed a printer/scanner/copier on an painfully slow computer running Windows Vista.
  • Found some single-piece deep silver jar lids for some mason jars. The jars will make up part of some Christmas presents, as well as be used for my next batch of candles (more information in the new year).
  • Gift tagged my homemade candles, ready for Christmas.
  • Caught up and reconnected with my family. We gathered, ate (a chicken dinner and wine), talked and laughed lots.
  • Finally caught up with my friend Sye. We all have that one friend that never fails to inspire us. For me, that’s Sye. I talked through a major problem with my idea for my next batch of candles and he solved it like that (*snaps fingers*).
  • Celebrated Samhain in style with my friends Simon & Chrys. Great food, drink, fire, music and company.
  • Come off Facebook for the beginning of the week. I made the decision to come off after seeing two major spoilers about The Walking Dead on my news feed. I’ve been amazed how much time I’ve saved by coming off Facebook and realised how much time I used to spend ‘checking’ Facebook.
  • Come up with titles for a series of blog posts with a Mental Health Focus. I’m thinking of releasing one a week (once they’re all written) on a Monday and calling it #MentalHealthMonday.
  • Shared my post 15 Lies That Depression Would Have You Believe on a number of Facebook pages. This has increased visitor traffic, but not only that, someone commented stating: ‘Thanks for posting that today, I really needed to read/hear that today, really made a lot of sense and was comforting to read (if that makes sense).’ It’s always wonderful when you write something that resonates with someone and helps them.
  • Watched series 1 and 2 of Zoo.
  • Started and finished reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Here’s a random upbeat cover of The Edge of Glory by Walk off the Earth & Roomie, which makes me feel good:

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Keep counting those successes,

Antony

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Saturday 5 November 2016

A List of Famous People with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia

By Education, The Web, Thinking12 Comments

Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia all affect the way people learn. Some people may have one of these conditions diagnosed, whereas others may have two or even all three of these conditions diagnosed.

I have been diagnosed primarily with Dyspraxia, with some Dyslexia and more than a touch of Dyscalculia. But with determination, support and self-belief I have overcome adversity to be relatively successful. I am not alone. Many famous people have Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia and have managed to be successful at what they do.

Below is a definition of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, along with a list of famous people (in alphabetical order) with each condition:

Dyspraxia is:

…a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults…DCD is a lifelong condition, formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation…[DCD] occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present: these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experiences.

(From: Dyspraxia Foundation – About Dyspraxia, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

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A List of Famous People with Dyspraxia

albert-einstein

Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist [Deceased]According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © Wiki Media.
bill-gates

Bill Gates, Philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © The Telegraph.
daniel-radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, Actor
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © NBC.
isaac-newton

Isaac Newton, Physicist and Mathematician [Deceased]According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © Wiki Media.
pablo-picasso

Pablo Picasso, Artist/Painter [Deceased]According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © The Art Story.
richard-branson

Richard Branson, Business Man and Philanthropist
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © bio.
robin-williams

Robin Williams, Comedian and Actor [Deceased]According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © DAVID LANZILAO/REDUX on Daily Beast.
stephen-fry

Stephen Fry, Comedian, Writer and Presenter
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © Stephen Fry.

 *

* Apologies for the lack of females on this list. No famous females found to have Dyspraxia online. Know a famous female with Dyspraxia? Leave a comment below.

Dyslexia is:

…a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It’s a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected.

(From: NHS Choices – Dyslexia Introduction, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

A List of Famous People with Dyslexia

agatha-christie

Agatha Christie, Writer [Deceased]According to Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © bio.
cher

Cher, Singer and Actress
According to Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Cher.com.
eddie-izzard

Eddie Izzard, Comedian, Writer and Actor
According to Dyslexia Association of Ireland.
Image From & Copyright © SBS TV.
keira-knightley

Keira Knightley, Actress
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © IndieWire.
leonardo-da-vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, Inventor, Artist and all-round Genius [Deceased]According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © Leonardo da Vinci.net.
orlando-bloom

Orlando Bloom, Actor
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © TimeInc.
steve-jobs

Steve Jobs, Inventor and Apple Co-Founder [Deceased]According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © 9to5Mac.
steven-spielberg

Steven Spielberg, Film Director
According to: Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Slate Magazine.
thomas-edison

Thomas Edison, Inventor [Deceased]According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © bio.
tom-cruise

Tom Cruise, Actor
According to: Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © TomCruise.com.
whoopi-goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg, Comedian, Actress and Activist
According to: Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Teacup Puppies Store.
winston-churchill

Winston Churchill, Politician and Former Prime Minister of the UK [Deceased]According to: Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © ITV.

Dyscalculia is:

…is usually perceived of as a specific learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more appropriately, arithmetic.

Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disorder that is characterised by impairments in learning basic arithmetic facts, processing numerical magnitude and performing accurate and fluent calculations. These difficulties must be quantifiably below what is expected for an individual’s chronological age, and must not be caused by poor educational or daily activities or by intellectual impairments.

(From: British Dyslexia Association – DYSCALCULIA, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

A List of Famous People with Dyscalculia

cher2

Cher, Singer and Actress
According to Dyscalculia Blog.
Image From & Copyright © Cher.com.
benjamin-franklin

Benjamin Franklin, A Founding Father of the United States of America [Deceased]According to Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © Wikimedia.
bill-gates2

Bill Gates, Philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft
According to Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © The Telegraph.
thomas-edison2

Thomas Edison, Inventor [Deceased]According to: Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © bio.

 *

* According to Dyscalculia Blog, Dyscalculia is rarer than Dyslexia. Dyscalculia is not as well known as Dyspraxia or Dyslexia. This means that it’s likely that less people are assessed for Dyscalculia and therefore less people diagnosed with it. This would go someway to explaining the lack of famous people with Dyscalculia on the list above.

Write soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Friday 5 August 2016

Book Review: A Survival Guide for Life by Bear Grylls

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
bear-grylls-survival-guide-to-life-book-cover Bear Grylls shares the wisdom he’s learned through life in A Survival Guide for Life. Life can be difficult at times, in A Survival Guide for Life Bear writes how to not only survive these times but thrive in them. His positivity in this book is inspiring and infectious.

Bear gives advice like:

  • Have bravely to face your fears.
  • Failure is the key to future success. If you’re failing your making progress towards success.
  • Set your goal and focus on the journey not the destination.
  • Be the most enthusiastic person you know.

Over the 72 short chapters (each chapter being 2-3 pages at most) there isn’t a single wasted word. That said, I would have preferred Bear to tell more of his personal story.

He quotes people he admires including the famous, friends, colleagues and the bible.

When I bought A Survival Guide for Life I didn’t realise that he was a Christian and initially it didn’t bother me. However as the book progressed the tone was preachy at times and at one point he even recommended that the reader sign up to an Alpha Course. I also felt like he was atheist-bashing at some points. His religious views made me physically sigh on more than one occasion.

The presentation of A Survival Guide for Life was excellent. A good selection and use of fonts, as well as spacing created a consistent style that was pleasing to the eye of the reader.

If you ignore the Christianity in A Survival Guide for Life, then book is great. The wisdom he imparts is the sort of life lessons we should be teaching all children in our society. His his upbeat tone is captivating and makes it a joy to read. A Survival Guide for Life by Bear Grylls is available to buy on Amazon.

Review soon,

Antony



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Saturday 2 August 2014

Book Review: Unsaid Things…Our Story by McFly

By Amazon, Books & AuthorsNo Comments
mcfly-unsaid-things-book-cover This autobiography tells the tell of McFly. Written in an interview style, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter start in their childhood’s and proceed chronologically through the decade that the band has been together (2003-2013).

It’s one of the most honest autobiographies I’ve ever read. It tells-all (well almost!) about the band including: the band nearly ending before it had began because of weed, Tom’s struggles with his mental health and Dougie’s battle with addiction (and how he got into recovery).

The good, the bad and the ugly (not that there’s any ugly) it’s all in Unsaid Things…Our Story. As is how the band celebrated and enjoyed their successes and learned from their failures.

In Unsaid Things…Our Story McFly acknowledge the support from their fans and thank them. There was a suitable amount of glossy photo pages, but more would always be welcome with these attractive guys.

People of my sort of age (late twenties) will get all their references. A good example is growing up we all watched Back to the Future. This film had a huge influence in how the band got it’s name. Want to know more? Buy Unsaid Things…Our Story and find out.

In Unsaid Things…Our Story McFly fans will learn when they wrote which songs, what those songs were originally about and what they feel about their past albums now – looking back.

I enjoyed reading this honest and open book about McFly’s ten year journey. Here’s to the next decade and beyond McFly! Unsaid Things…Our Story by McFly is available to buy on Amazon.

Review soon,

Antony

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Friday 25 July 2014
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