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Business Focus – The Pink Haus

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Describe your business in a short paragraph:
It is a venue for promoting textile and fibre artists in South Africa. Exhibitions of work are held to expose the public to fibre art and classes teaching various techniques are held throughout the year.

When did you start your business?
Last year

What prompted you to start/buy your business?
My husband died and I was left alone in a huge house in a beautiful setting which I didn’t want to leave. I’ve been involved with textile/fibre art in South Africa for many years so decided to fill my home with works of art and invite people to come and share them with me. I call it a Living Gallery for two reasons – firstly I live and work here, secondly, on Thursdays there is a group of people who come here to work on their individual pieces. Visitors love to come and see ‘Work in Action”.

My business is aimed at?
Anyone with a creative spirit who enjoys interesting and beautiful things. ( And I believe that everyone has a creative spark somewhere inside them – sometimes they just need help in letting it out.). Anyone looking to purchase fibre art.

What products/services are you offering?
Exhibitions are held throughout the year and there is usually a visiting teacher who conducts classes three or four times a year. From September 17 till October 17 there will be the ‘Inhibitions Exhibition’, a collection of work from South African artists. During this time Melanie Brummer will be teaching textile printing and dyeing techniques. From December 1 till January 16 2014 there will be an exhibition of 90 works entitled “Movie Directors”. These are from artists in Korea, Japan, France and South Africa and are travelling around the world so I’m excited about having them here. I have exhibitions booked until March 2015 but there will also be a constantly changing display of Fibre art from artists in the Cape and Eastern Cape. I plan on starting to teach again – probably in the new year. The Gallery will also have a selection of beautiful hand made patchwork quilts for sale – all made by local quilters.

What is your competitive advantage?
The Pinkhaus is the only gallery in the Garden Route that specializes in textile art. Because of my years of involvement with textile artists around South Africa I have an incredible group of friends and artists whose work and knowledge I can draw from. South African artists in this field are some of the best in the world but they are not really recognized for their work in South Africa

Personal achievements?
Organised the Travelling Exhibition “Round the Bend” for the South African Quilters’ Guild which toured South Africa for 18 months. This particular exhibition proved to be the second most popular exhibition that the Pretoria Art Gallery had ever had and I had to fight to get them to show it originally. Being an ‘ART’ gallery, and the top one in the country to boot, they felt that textile art was ‘craft’. When I showed them photographs of the work they changed their collective minds and exhibited them. They even bought a piece by Roy Starke. That gave me a huge amount of personal satisfaction. (By the way – the MOST popular exhibition at the Pretoria Art Gallery was the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition which was travelling the world so we were in good company!)

Was commissioned to make replica quilts for the Museum of Cultural History in Pretoria and for the Pioneer Museum in Pretoria..

Have written articles for various magazines about aspects of working with textiles.

Appeared on Kyknet’s Art programme being interviewed about textile art. (Very difficult because my Afrikaans is atrocious!)

What makes your business stand out in the crowd?

It’s not an intense ‘business’. It’s different, very relaxed and people enjoy being here. They leave here feeling uplifted, it’s very gratifying.

Complete the following statements:
“Through experience, I’ve learnt that ……………”
if you do what you love and can survive that’s real success.

“In future my business will offer …………….”
more classes. In September Melanie Brummer (of ‘Show me How’ fame) is teaching for three days. In March 2014 Kathryn Harmer- Fox is teaching here and I will be looking for more teachers before year’s end. I’m excited too because the Gallery has been included in the new Art Route in Great Brak, is involved in the Muse Festival at the end of September and has also been put on the Fragrance Route which is an initiative to draw tourists inland from Great Brak towards the lovely village of Friemersheim in order to create work for the many unemployed folk in that area.

What is the most important message you wish to send to the community?

Doing something creative, even if it is planting a seed in a pot and nurturing it, helps to lift your spirits. Better than Prozac.

The Pink Haus

KONSTITUSIONELE HOF BESLIS TEEN LUTHERSE KERK

By BylineAdmin on

Die Konstitusionele Hof het die Evangeliese Lutherse Kerk van Afrika se aansoek om te appelleer teen die beslissing van die Appèlhof ten gunste van die Mosselbaaise Munisipaliteit in verband die eiendomme waarop die bouvalle van die voormalige Friedrich Scheffler-skool in Uitbreiding 6 geleë is, van die hand gewys.

Volgens die Konstitusionele Hof, is die aansoek verwerp omdat dit geen kans op sukses het nie.

Die Appèlhof te Bloemfontein het in Mei 2013 ten gunste van die Munisipaliteit besluit in verband met die geldigheid van ‘n terugvalklousule ten opsigte van die twee eiendomme in Roselindstraat. Die eiendomme is deur die destydse Mosselbaaise Munisipaliteit aan die kerk oorgedra op voorwaarde dat dit vir opvoedkundige of kerkdoeleindes gebruik sal word, en onderhewig daaraan dat die eiendomme na die Munisipaliteit sal terugval indien dit nie langer vir dié doeleindes gebruik word nie.

Die skoolgebou het in die laaste paar jaar in onbruik geraak, en in so ‘n mate verval dat dit nie meer bruikbaar is nie. Dit het ‘n skuilplek vir ongewensde elemente geword. Nadat geen versekering van die Lutherse Kerk verkry kon word dat die gebou herstel of gesloop sal word of vir skool- of kerkdoeleindes heraangewend sal word nie, het die Munisipaliteit hom op die terugvalklousule in die kontrak tussen die kerk en die Munisipaliteit beroep.

Die Kaapse Hoërhof het in 2010 ten gunste van die Lutherse Kerk besluit dat die eiendomme nie na die Mosselbaaise Munisipaliteit moet terugval nie. Die Munisipaliteit het besluit om appèl teen die uitspraak aan te teken omdat dit groot getalle eiendomme aan kerke vir kerkdoeleindes beskikbaar gestel het en steeds beskikbaar stel, en dit ‘n onhoudbare presedent sou skep indien kerke die eiendomme vir ander doeleindes kan gebruik as waarvoor dit aan hulle toegeken is.

Die eiendomme sal nou na die Munisipaliteit terug getransporteer word. ‘n Besluit is nog nie geneem hoe eiendomme aangewend sal word nie.

Lets get Legal – Can water rights be transferred? What do our courts say?

By BylineAdmin on

Water rights are an essential commodity in the agricultural sector and a commodity with limited availability. Accordingly, the transfer of existing water rights is a critical aspect for many farmers as it affects their ability to expand and further develop their farms. Many farmers also carry the perception that in practise the transfer of water rights is only possible to persons that meet the minimum requirements for black economic empowerment, particularly as regards ownership and management.

In the recent appeal court case of Makhanya v Goede Wellington Boerdery (Pty) Ltd, the court confirmed that the transfer of water rights is indeed possible, that an equal consideration of various factors must take place in the consideration of any application for the transfer of water rights, and that no single factor may be afforded preference or carry a heavier weight than any other factor in such consideration. The judgement therewith confirms that, although empowerment is an important factor in the consideration of licenses, it is not the sole factor to be considered and that a balance must be struck between all relevant factors as prescribed by the National Water Act in the consideration of any application.

In the Makhanya case the farm Goede Hoop belongs to Goede Wellington Boerdery (Pty) Ltd (“Goede Wellington”) in the Wellington area, Western Cape, and Goede Wellington has a right to use water from the Berg River on the farm Goede Hoop. A further entity, ECPA Boerdery (Pty) Ltd (“ECPA”) owns the adjacent farm Middelpos in respect of which ECPA also has water rights from the Berg River for use on the farm Middelpos. The sole shareholder of Goede Wellington (which owns the farm Goede Hoop) is also a trustee and beneficiary of the Middelpos trust, being the sole shareholder of ECPA (which owns the farm Middelpos).

A portion of the water rights of the farm Middelpos became available for transfer as a result of the installation of sophisticated water savings technology. Goede Hoop on the other hand required the use of the additional water to develop a high quality citrus orchard. As a result of the relation between the two farms they concluded a use agreement to facilitate the transfer of the surplus water rights and Goede Wellington accordingly proceeded to submit the necessary license application to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (“the Department”).

The Department was obliged to consider the application and consider a number of factors as set out in section 27(1) of the National Water Act for the approval of a license.

The application of Goede Wellington was however declined by the Department and the Water Tribunal on the basis that the application did not meet one of the requirements as stated in section 27(1)(b), namely “the need to redress the results of past racial and gender discrimination”.

Goede Wellington approached the courts for a review of the decisions of the Department and the Water Tribunal. The High Court, and later also the Appeal Court, found that the Department and the Water Tribunal misinterpreted the provisions of section 27(1) of the National Water Act by regarding section 27(1)(b) as a prerequisite for the approval of a license application. The court accordingly confirmed that “all relevant factors” must be taken into account for the approval of a license (and thus the transfer of water rights), and although the Department has a discretion, it is still required to maintain a balance in its decision-making and should not award undue preference to any single factor (such as section 27(1)(b)) in the making of its decision.

This judgement shall undoubtedly serve as the reference point for applications for the transfer of water rights in the future and provides welcome clarity regarding the relevance of empowerment as one of a number of factors to be considered in license applications. It also opens the door for the review of decisions which are not taken on this basis.
Mosdel Parma & Cox
ppam@mpc.law.za
033 533 1101 •

Proe | Cannelloni

By BylineAdmin on

60 ml olie
1 blik gekapte tamaties (400g)
250 g maalvleis
1 ui (gekap)
1-2 knoffelhuisies, (gekneus)
150 g gekapte spinasie, of 1 pak bevrore
spinasie, goed gedreineer
30 ml varsgekapte basiliekruid
sout en peper na smaak
150 g gekopte cannelloni-buisies

Kaassous:
60 g margarien
60 ml meel
625 ml melk
125 ml gerasperde parmesaan- of cheddarkaas
sout en peper na smaak

Metode:
1. Stel die oond op 180°C.
2. Verhit helfte van die olie. Voeg die tamaties by en laat prut vir 5 minute.
3. Verhit die res van die olie in ‘n ander kastrol en braai die vleis tot bruin.
4. Voeg die ui en knoffel by en braai liggies saam.
5. Voeg die spinasie, kruie en geurmiddels by en laat prut vir ‘n paar minute.

Kaassous:
1. Smelt die margrien in ‘n kastrol.
2.Voeg die meel by en roer saam.
3. Voeg die melk by en roer aanhoudend tot verdik.
4. Verwyder van die hitte en voeg kaas by. Geur.
5. Skep die tamatiemengsel op die basis van ‘n middelslag- oondvaste bak.
6. Skep omtrent 30 ml van die vleismengsel in elke cannelloni buisie.
7. Plaas die cannelloni op die tamatiemengsel en giet die kaassous oor.
8. Strooi ekstra grasperde kaas oor.
9. Bak vir omtrent 35 minute in ‘n voorverhitte oond.

 

Kos vir die siel | Hande vat

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Die afgelope week was ek bevoorreg om ‘n baie besondere vrou te ontmoet… Op die oog af is sy so klein en fyn dat ‘n sterk wind haar maklik kan omwaai, maar innerlik is sy absoluut onbeweeglik sterk. Groot was my verbasing om te hoor dat hierdie fyn vroutjie ‘n plaasboer is ………..ja, sy boer alleen, sonder ‘n man aan haar sy. Toe ek bietjie dieper begin delf, ontvou hierdie ongelooflike verhaal.

Sy en haar oorlede man is die vyfde geslag boere op die familieplaas. Op die jong ouderdom van 54 jaar, is hy skielik en baie onverwags tydens ‘n vakansie oorlede. Sy se sy het nooit vir een oomblik getwyfel dat sy sou aanhou boer nie. Haar seun studeer tans, en sy het geweet sy sal alleen aanhou totdat hy, as die 6de geslag by haar kan oorneem.

Elkeen van ons weet dat boerdery vandag geen grap meer is nie, en vir menige man is dit al ‘n baie groot uitdaging, hoeveel te meer vir ‘n vrou. Op my vraag of sy nie bang was en onbevoeg gevoel het nie, is haar antwoord:” DIE WERKERS OP ONS PLAAS IS BAIE BETROUBAAR, SOMMIGE OOK AL BAIE JARE DAAR, EN HULLE HET MY HANDE GEVAT, EN VANDAG DRA ONS MEKAAR! Ongelooflik! In ‘n tyd van stakings, onrus en ontevredenheid, klink dit amper te goed om waar te wees.

Dit het my laat dink oor ons optrede in ons elkedagse bestaan. Help ons nog mekaar? Is ons nog bereid om iets vir iemand anders te doen sonder vergoeding? Vat ons nog mekaar se hande sonder aarseling wanneer ons van nood bewus word?

Ons leef in ‘n tyd waarin ons geld al hoe minder werd word, waarin tyd kosbaar is, waar kennis geld is….. wat is ons gesindheid teenoor ons naaste? “Elke ding het sy prys” hoor ek my vriendin se. Baie waar, maar hoe ver strek hierdie reel. Sal ons gevoude arms toekyk hoe iemand ten gronde gaan net omdat ons nie finansieel gaan baat daarby as ons sou hulp verleen nie? Is ons bereid om betrokke te raak by ‘n saak waar ons enigste vergoeding sal wees dat ons kan weet ons het maar net ons beskeie deel bygedra?
Die talente wat ons het is uit Genade aan ons geskenk. Die kundigheid waaroor ons beskik, het ons met Genade uit die Vaderhand bekom. Die kennis waaroor ons beskik, is uit Genade aan ons toevertrou. Toegegee, ons het ook ons deel bygedra en hard gewerk om te kom, waar ons vandag is, maar dit was nog steeds Genade. Is dit dan reg om te alle tye geld te verwag wanneer ons ons kennis of vaardigheid met ander moet deel? Ek praat nie van jou brood en botter verdien nie, ek praat van wanneer jy dit terloops kan gebruik om ‘n naaste in nood te help.

Miskien moet ons ‘n oomblik stilstaan en besin oor waar ons ons gawes, kundigheid, kennis en talente vandaan gekry het, voordat ons weer ‘n blinde oog draai op die nood van ‘n ander, wanneer ons nie finansieel kan baat deur hulp te verleen nie. Miskien moet ons die blinde oog draai na die verkeerde dinge in ons samelewing en begin fokus op die regte dinge… Terwyl ‘n massa staak en onrus stook op plase, draai ‘n handvol ‘n blinde oog daarop en fokus op die onmiddellike nood rondom hulle, reik ‘n helpende hand uit en staan saam met hul werkgewer se vrou, ongeag wat dit van hulle vra.

En haar getuienis:”Ek ploeg nou terug deur vir hulle te betaal vir eksterne opleiding om hulle beter toe te rus vir die lewe, want ek vat nou weer hulle hande!

Loeloe

The Spying Eye

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Op die N2, tussen GrootBrak en Mosselbaai, kry ons deesdae sommer twee verkeersvoertuie met kameras wat die spoedoortreders vastrek. Persoonlik voel ek dis ‘n goeie ding want: “Don’t fool yourself, speed kills” se die groot borde op die hoofpaaie mos.

So ry ek egter by die Pinnacle Point afrit in Mosselbaai toe en sien daar ook ‘n voertuig met ‘n “kameraman” flink aan die werk. Groot was my ontsteltenis egter toe ek net die volgende oomblik sien hoe hy ‘n lee koeldrankbottel met ‘n netjiese boog by sy venster uitgooi tot binne in die bos langs die pad!

Nou vra ek myself af: “Moet daar nou weer iemand aangestel word om die wetstoepasser op te pas sodat hy nie die wereld met Rommel besoedel nie? Vra maar net!

Mugg and Bean
Ek hou nogal daarvan om by Mugg and Bean in die Langeberg Mall te gaan eet. Dis werklik ‘n gewilde plek en jy sukkel nogal soms om sitplek te kry. Gewildheid het egter ‘n prys, want nou is die sitplek gedurig te min en die logiese oplossing is om meer tafels in te dra. Maar o wee! Nou is daar ‘n groter probleem!

Kliente kan nie tussen die tafels deurbeweeg wanneer mense daar sit nie! As ons nou die plek van agter af volmaak is die probleem nie so groot nie, maar wat nou van die agterste ou wat klaar geeet het en wil uitkom? En hoe vul ons dan weer die oop tafel sonder om, op pad daarheen, ‘n ander gas se elmboog ‘n baie onbedagsame stamp, per ongeluk, te gee.

So stap ek nou een oggend daar in en tref dit heel “stil” aan. Ek bekyk die situasie om ‘n oplossing te prober vind. Nadat die derde kelner dieselfde tafeltjie vir die derde keer moes wegskuif, elke keer na ‘n ander kant toe, sodat hy/sy verby kan kom. besef ek: Goue reel!!! Spasieer tafeltjies met genoeg beweegruimte vir kelners soos wanneer al die tafels in die restaurant se tafels beset is. Skuif dan ook die tafeltjies in die regte posisie sodra die gaste geloop het. En onthou die belangrikste punt. Verwyder asb die vuil skottelgoed wat nie meer gebruik word nie so gou as moontlik!

Ek sien uit na die verbetering wanneer ek weer daar kom. Mooi loop. •

Egskeiding | Deel 1 | Egskeiding en die Kinders

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Egskeiding kan kinders se wêreld laat verkrummel en totaal in duie laat stort.
Probeer die seer makliker maak deur hulle tuis steeds geliefd, veilig en gelukkig te laat voel.

Daar word gesê dat egskeiding meer traumaties is as die dood aangesien egskeiding die gesin uitmekaar skeur en daar met die seer voortgegaan moet word, terwyl die dood finaal is en daarby bring die dood dikwels oorlewendes nader aan mekaar.
Ongeveer een derde van Suid Afrikaanse huwelike eindig in die skeihof. Maar dit hoef nie noodwendig ‘n ramp vir die kinders te wees nie. Hoe ons as ouers saamwerk, is die belangrikste faktor wat bepaal hoe goed hulle die traumatiese ervaring gaan baasraak.

Skei ter wille van die kinders?
Natuurlik is ‘n gesin waar ouers gelukkig saamlewe die beste vir kinders, maar soms werk dit nie so nie.
Waar een ouer fisiek of emosioneel geweldadig is of gedurig ontrou is of alkohol en/of dwelms misbruik is dit die beste om te skei.

‘n Ongelukkige huwelik kan jou as ouer so beïnvloed, aangesien dit jou selfvertroue ‘n knou gee, jou energie opeis en jou emosioneel aftakel.
Daarby veroorsaak al die argumente dat julle huis ‘n oorlogsone word.

Dit alles het tot gevolg dat julle nie regtig daar is vir die kinders, en dus ook nie hulle belange voorop stel nie.

Onthou – dit is net so sleg vir die kinders as julle skei en nie hulle belange eerste stel, as wat dit vir die kinders is om nie veilig, geliefd en belangrik te voel in ‘n ongelukkige huwelik nie.

Kinders se ervaring en reaksie op die nuus:
In meeste gevalle vermoed die kinders reeds lank dat hulle ouers se huwelik in die moeilikheid is.

Hoewel skoolgaande kinders oor die algemeen anders voel, meen baie volwassenes, hulle ouers moes eerder geskei het, as om “vir die ander se onthalwe” bymekaar te gebly het. Sommiges verwyt selfs hulle ouers dat hulle nie eerder hul liefdelose huwelik beëindig het nie.

Verskeie emosies agv die komende egskeiding kom na vore:
– Hartseer: want hulle moet magteloos toekyk hoe alles voor hulle oë in duie stort, terwyl hulle niks daaraan kan doen nie. Tydens die skeiding “verloor” hulle nie net ‘n geliefde ouer nie, maar daar is ook veranderinge soos met verhuising, hulle verloor hulle geliefde kamer, speelplek, troeteldiere, maats, vriende ens..
– Woede: aangesien hulle probeer om die skielike pyn en leegheid te verwerk deur te baklei met broers, susters, deur te wil wegloop van die huis en deur die ouer by wie hulle agterbly te beskuldig.
– Depressie: die gevoel van verskeie neerdrukkende en slegte emosies soos hartseer, die onbekende, moedeloosheid en magteloosheid kan depressie veroorsaak.
– Onsekerheid: Die kinders gaan vrae hê oor die toekoms. Hulle weet nie noodwendig hoe om situasies te hanteer en hoe om op almal se vrae en kommentaar te reageer nie. Hulle is geneig om te onttrek, of hulle raak so besig dat daar nie tyd is vir sosialisering nie.
Skuldgevoellens: afsku, verwerping, angs, vrees oorheers hulle gedagtes en gevoellens. Aanhoudende moegheid en hoofpyne kan voorkom, verlies aan eetlus, gewigsverlies, slaaploosheid en maagpyn kan voorkom agv ingehoue spanning.
– Verwerping: kinders voel maklik verwerp, veral waar ouers oor die kinders baklei. Praat met die kinders, stel hulle gerus en maak tyd om met die kinders te gesels.
Waar daar reeds ‘n nuwe persoon in ma of pa se lewe is is dit net soveel moeiliker. Hulle is bang hulle gaan ook eenkant toe gestoot word, bang dat daar nie nou meer plek in pa of ma se lewe vir hulle is nie.
– Probleem/rebelsegedrag: vir jong kinders is hul gedrag die enigste wyse waarop hulle van hartseer, woede, frustrasies ontslae kan raak bv. deur afknouerig te raak, ander seer te maak en “tantrums/vloermoere” te gooi.
– Konsentrasieprobleme: aangesien daar tuis soveel veranderinge plaasvind en die kind met sy eie gedagtes en emosies worstel, vind hulle dit moeilik om op hul skoolwerk te konsentreer.
– Aanvaarding: wanneer die kind die proses verwerk het en ‘n nuwe roetine gevestig het, kan hulle begin om die egskeiding te aanvaar. Hoe lank dit gaan neem is moelik om te sê, elke kind ervaar egskeiding verskillend.

Julie Retief •

Beplan ‘n Troue | Deel 5 | Die Seremoniemeester

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Die seremoniemeester vervul seker die belangrikste en kritieke rol by die onthaal.

Die ideale seremoniemeester sal die gaste, familie en veral die bruidspaar met herinneringe laat om vir altyd te onthou.

Daarenteen sal swak beplanning en onvanpaste grappe die gaste verveel en selfs ontstig.

Beplan asof alles wat verkeerd sal gaan jou skuld sal wees en weet dat 80% van die sukses, nie afhang van goeie kos of ‘n wonderlike lokaal nie, …. dit hang van jou af !!

Om suksesvol te wees moet beplanning reeds lank voor die tyd begin en moet jy al die rolspelers leer ken.

As seremoniemeester moet jy ook die gaste se veiligheid verseker, en hulle waarsku teen enige gevaarlike voorwerpe of gladde oppervlakes ens.

Weet ook dat ware humor nie ‘n grap is nie, maar om na die lewe te kyk uit ‘n ander hoek.

Berei ‘n bekendstelling vir elke persoon wat gaan optree voor. Wees kreatief.

Elkeen wat heildronke instel, moet gehelp word en vaste reëls kry. ‘n Heildronk is korter as 4 minute, dit raak die hart en bring ‘n glimlag met ‘n traan.
Vertel een of enkele spesifieke dinge wat kenmerkend is van die persoon en vermy leë woorde wat niks beteken.
Onsmaaklike grappe is uit !!

Om ‘n seremoniemeester te wees is om drome waar te maak en dit mag dalk net een maal in jou lewe gebeur.
Gryp dit aan en koester dit as ‘n nuwe lewensvaardigheid.

Julie Retief •

 

Self-Disciplined People Are Happier (and Not as Deprived as You Think)

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It’s easy to think of the highly self-disciplined as being miserable misers or uptight Puritans, but it turns out that exerting self-control can make you happier not only in the long run, but also in the moment.

The research, which was published in the Journal of Personality, showed that self-control isn’t just about deprivation, but more about managing conflicting goals. Since most people associate highly disciplined folks with being more task-oriented — they’re not likely to be the life of the party, for example, or eager to act on a whim — the scientists decided to correlate self-control with people’s happiness, to determine if being self-disciplined leaves people feeling less joyful.

Through a series of tests — including one that assessed 414 middle-aged participants on self-control and asked them about their life satisfaction both currently and in the past — and another that randomly queried volunteers on their smartphones about their mood and any desires they might be experiencing, the researchers found a strong connection between higher levels of self-control and life satisfaction. The authors write that “feeling good rather than bad may be a core benefit of having good self-control, and being well satisfied with life is an important consequence.”

The smartphone experiment also revealed how self-control may improve mood. Those who showed the greatest self-control reported more good moods and fewer bad ones. But this didn’t appear to linked to being more able to resist temptations — it was because they exposed themselves to fewer situations that might evoke craving in the first place. They were, in essence, setting themselves up to happy. “People who have good self-control do a number of things that bring them happiness — namely, they avoid problematic desires and conflict,” says the study’s co-author Kathleen Vohs, professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota.

That became clear in the study’s last experiment, which investigated how self-control affects the way people handle goals that conflict with one another. In particular, the researchers were interested in how self-disciplined and less-disciplined people differed when it came to choosing among “virtues” or “vices” — like the pleasure of eating a sugar cookie vs. the pain of gaining weight. More than 230 participants were asked to list three important goal conflicts they experienced regularly — and then to rate how strongly the goals conflicted and how frequently they experienced the conflict. They were also queried on how they managed to balance the goals.

The highly self-controlled showed a distinct difference from those with less discipline over their lives. They tended to avoid creating situations in which their goals would conflict, and reported fewer instances of having to choose between short-term pleasure and long-term pain. The result? They experienced fewer negative emotions. The authors write that “one interpretation of this finding is that people use self-control to set up their lives so as to avoid problems.”

“[It’s a] very interesting study,” says Kristin Smith-Crowe, associate professor of management at the University of Utah, who was not connected with the research, “The authors address some of the most important questions in life: What leads to happiness and how can we achieve a life well lived?”

The answer, it seems, lies in being a good manager. Self-control, for one, may not consist so much of being better at resisting temptation, but at finding better ways to avoid it. “High self-control does make you happy,” the authors conclude.

So why does exerting more self-discipline seem so dreary? Dieting, for example, is all about self-control but isn’t necessarily associated with happy thoughts. Part of that may have to do with the effort required to bypass or diffuse conflicts created by temptation. “From other research, we know that exercising self-control is taxing,” says Smith-Crowe, but that may only be a perception, since it results from our tendency to focus on the difficulty of exercising discipline rather than the benefits that result when we do.

And self-control doesn’t always mean self-denial: it may mean saving now to get a big payoff later. For dieters, it means making choices to avoid entering a bakery since you’re more likely to buy a cupcake if you do. Granted, self-control isn’t the best route to instant gratification, but it may bring something even better: long-term contentment.

Researched By : Kátia C. Rowlands – Pilates Instructor & Personal Trainer – 082 513 4256 •

Onder die Vergrootglas 30 Augustus 2013

By BylineAdmin on

Ons is steeds besig met Groot Brakrivier!

Almal is in rep en roer vir die Muse fees wat hier plaasvind oor die naweek van 25 tot 29 Sept 2013.

‘n Skatkis van kultuurbedrywighede word beplan met bekende name soos ander andere Nic de Jager, Randal Wicomb en vele meer besoekende kunstenaars. Dan praat ons nog nie eers van die bekende kunstenaars wat hier woonagtig is nie. ‘n Egte Afrika aand en ‘n Gedigte aand is maar twee van die groot lekkertes wat die fees inhou.

Volgende keer sluit ek vir julle die volledige program in asook baie meer inligting rondom die ontstaan en oogmerke van die fees.
Vir alle kultuurliefhebbers is dit natuurlik ‘n naweek om na uit te sien! Vir almal wat lief is vir mense is dit verseker ‘n naweek om glad nie mis te loop nie! Vir alle Nie-kultuurliefhebbers is dit absoluut lewensnoodsaaklik om dit te beleef want jy sal dit nooit weer wil misloop as jy eers besef wat jy nog altyd misgeloop het nie!