Life – Stepping Stone or Stumbling Block
By Brenda Hattingh PhD
(Xlibris, R155)
Dr Brenda Hattingh says this book has been written for old and young. For young people she hopes it will help them realise they must live a full life – now.
She says one must beware of wasting time on meaningless experimentation on things that are destructive and an illusion. We must live a meaningful life because we now have a chance to do this the right way. Do not waste time, as time is precious and will run out.
The older you get, the more difficult it becomes. A quality life is something you must choose and plan at a young age. For those who are already more mature in age, she says, the book will bring a new perspective and you will realise that it is never too late to change and get the most out of life.
The book has two parts. The first describes five steps that make life a burden, cause pain and are stumbling blocks in the way of progress.
The second part illustrates what makes life a pleasure, brings joy, love and freedom and creates stepping stones to love and abundance.
One of the stumbling blocks is fear. She provides an example of two people, Uncle Theo, 89, and his wife, Aunt Lena, 86. At their age, when others are sitting in retirement homes waiting to die, they still fearlessly visit every part of southern Africa to spread goodwill and encourage others. During one of their moves into an area, Uncle Theo realised that Aunt Lena had disappeared, and started looking for her.
Eventually he found her at a shebeen telling everybody about the saving love of Jesus Christ. To the amazement of the onlookers, he joined her and together they handed out treats, booklets and encouragement to all those who found themselves in the most difficult and darkest circumstances. They go about their business without fear.
Their children were very worried about their safety with so many murders of old people in the country. Uncle Theo’s answer was that he and Aunt Lena had an agreement that they would live life until the day they died.
“This is how we choose to live, and when the time is right, we shall go, irrespective of the circumstances. It is better to die while fearlessly living to the full than to sit and wait for death in fear of everything around you” In the second half of the book Hattingh poses the question, “Is it possible to experience enjoyment and joy in life, irrespective of all the pain, conflict and challenges? The answer is – yes. It is really our responsibility to live to the maximum, to experience life in such a way that we understand the joy of a fulfilled life”.
She states that people who lead productive lives show various attributes which other people who experience life as a stumbling block do not. Happy people are people with deep insight, understanding, gentleness and love for themselves, their fellow human beings, nature and also the Creator. They are comfortable with themselves and all people on all levels and also with life itself. These people choose to accept everything with gratitude and to master every situation as the challenges arise. They are helpful, humble, honest, truthful, fun lovers, full of life.
Hattingh is a personal coach, mentor, psychologist, a business, corporate and leadership success consultant, and an inspirational speaker. She presents workshops nationally and internationally, lectures at universities and has published various books. She is also the recipient of the Professional Business Woman of the Year Award.
• If you have difficulty in obtaining this book, contact Dr Hattingh at [email protected], or fax 086 566 5815. Also visit www.brendahatting.com