“Fire Destruction is One Man’s job,
Fire Prevention is Everybody’s job.”

We don’t think of fire in our daily lives a lot. When we see or start a fire it’s usually on candles, kitchen stoves and sometimes (for the lucky ones) in nice and cozy fireplaces. We don’t think of fire as a threat, because the one we normally see is contained and beautiful.

But what about the accidental fire? The one that is not contained and slips out of control? We don’t take it much under consideration. And that’s where we make a mistake. 
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that there were 499,000 structure fires in 2017, and this is in US alone. It’s difficult to gather data on the numbers worldwide, but if you’re interested in more detailed statistics, you can refer to this report.

Just to give you some wider perspective. “In 2017, on average, a fire department responded to a fire every 24 seconds in the United States (…). A structure fire occurred every 63 seconds, a home fire (…) every 88 seconds, and an outside property fire (…) every 51 seconds. Fires occurred in highway-type vehicles every 3 minutes and 8 seconds”

Many of the fire accidents are happening of natural causes. The climate changes rapidly, which causes a lot of wildfires around the globe and this is something that needs to be handled by well-prepared services of highly skilled and trained people. But no one is able respond to the fire situations in our houses or neighborhoods as fast as we can.

Few points to remember about fire prevention. These are the things that could one day save your life, health or property.

1.    1. Buy the Powder Fire Extinguisher and keep it handy a home

2.    2. Fire extinguishers to buy: 4-6 kg at home, 2 kg in the car. They should always be ABC type, so you can stop the fire of flammable solids, liquids, gases and the energized electrical equipment.

3.    3. NEVER pour water on grease fire. When you do that, this happens:

Cover it with a lid or a big thick fabric to cut off the Oxygen supply and then call the firefighters. 

4.    4. Always use the fire extinguisher – even from the distance, even when the fire is big. The powder from fire extinguisher will contain the fire in one place and will not allow it to spread. Remember to remove the cotter pin before using it. If it won’t go, turn it around to cut off the plastic it’s contained with.

5.    5. Fire goes wild in a regular size room in less than a minute. As soon as you see or feel the fire – run for your life and grab your fire extinguisher to save what you can.

6.    6. You will always escape from fire – your body is designed to avoid the heat at all costs (including your own death). You will most likely disregard the smoke, which is deadly to you. As soon as the fire starts always use a piece of fabric to cover your face. Better wet than dry, but both will do well.

A Firefighter’s tip: when you don’t have many clothes on you, take off your shoe and use your sock to cover your mouth and nose, then put the shoe back on your foot. The smell might not be pleasant, but it will prevent you from fainting and dying surrounded by smoke.

And, last but not least – always remember, who saves the day when the fire spreads around you. The firefighters put their own lives at risks to save the ones in need. You can consider finding the firefighters foundations in your location and donating some money or time to their cause. I’ve already found mine: http://www.fundacjapsp.pl/

Here's also a cool video showing how to escape the burning house. Hope it will never be useful to you, but as the wise man said: better safe than sorry.

Stay safe!

"Happiness is a problem"

Mark Manson

Everyone wants to be happy. Happiness is like taking a drug – the more we have it, the more we crave “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile” (quoting positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky).

Unfortunately, like all other drug effects, happiness is not a permanent state. It gets you high very quickly, the awesome feeling lasts for some time and then either your body and mind adjust to the current state of reality (which makes it predictable, not anymore special and usually boring) or the stuff supply is being cut off and you need to cope with the ugly detox.

On top of all that, we have so many problems in our daily lives. Most of them imaginary, full of excuses (“I’m too short, so I won’t achieve anything in sports, I’m not smart enough, so can’t make good money, my parents/siblings didn’t love me enough, so I will never marry a nice guy/lady”). Some may seem more real, but the excuses are usually still lame (“I have children, so I can’t have a career, I have a shitty job, so I won’t achieve anything great in life, I haven’t done anything spectacular so far, so I will be a loser forever” etc.). Some of us have also real issues like illness, huge mortgage we struggle to afford or old parents to take care of. And how often do we use them to feel special and appreciated?

It’s time to admit it. We love having those problems putting us in the center of the universe. And let’s face it. A personal problem is what actually makes us feel alive and important. We claim, that we want to be problem free, when in fact having problems make us driven for change and give us the purpose. They force us to move our butts and do something that matters. And what would make us really happy? We usually think, that it will happen when the problem we have would be solved and gone. But is it really the case?

I’ve been reading a book called “The subtle art of not giving a fuck” by Mark Manson and he described happiness from a very unique angle. Mark doesn’t see happiness as a lack of pain, suffering and struggle (that combined we could call “problems”). On the contrary. Problems may be the best things to keep us happy. Whenever we engage to solve a problem, we feel motivated and great about ourselves – because we’re doing something that matters to us. Which ultimately means, that being happy is actually solving our own problems. Simple and amazing.

So how to make our lives happier? What is the golden recipe we can take away now and use it forever? Well, here it is, in Mark’s book.

"True happiness occurs only when you find the problems you enjoy having and enjoy solving".

I’ll leave you with that. I think this knowledge will help my life a lot and hopefully make yours better (and happier) as well.

What doesn’t kill you makes you… wiser.

You never know where life might take you. Some events are so random, unexpected and weird, that there’s no way to foresee or prepare for them. They usually occur out of nowhere and leave you with your mouth wide open, but also with the new knowledge and experience, that can change your point of view or even style of life.

Such things happen, when we least expect them. Sneak up on us. Put us in a position of a victim without our permission and often require the strong decision making at the same time. But I do believe, that the more intense the experience is, the stronger we become as a result of it.

I had an unexpected surgery after just a week of a plain stomach ache. Nothing has ever indicated that I might have been growing a 10 cm mass inside of me, but turned out I have. It is quite remarkable, how completely your body can be changed overnight, even if the only thing they’re doing is cutting of something that should not be there in a first place. All the things that you could do before, the normal things – like getting up, lying down, walking by yourself – after a surgery you can only dream about them. A complete incompetence of your body is so frustrating that you wake up and go to sleep with the same single thought: “I want it to be over”. On different stages this phrase may mean slightly different “overs”.

But to the point. We never know, what may happen to us. Life is unexpected. The important thing is to be ready for any possibility – both mentally and physically. But how to be prepared, when you have no idea what will come to get you? How to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to overcome the unknown?

The answer is simple: self-discipline. Unfortunately this is not something you can gain overnight. It requires an effort to build your discipline and it has to be done regularly, even if your enthusiasm and motivation are low. So if you haven’t started building yours yet – now is the time to do it.

These are not the big things that require a lot of time from you. The recommendation from scientific research is to go small at first. 2-3 minutes of sitting straight during any point of the day. Drinking a glass of water and doing few physical exercises right after you get up. 5-10 minutes of reading, watching or listening to something that develops and interest you. Thinking about 3 things you’re grateful for by the end of the day.

It’s all very doable and doesn’t take much of your time, but it has to be done on a regular basis (daily is the most efficient way). The best way to achieve that is to monitor your progress - write down each “self-discipline building” activity and mark them down as “completed” or “not achieved” every day. This technique might seem silly, but it’s actually one of the most powerful tools for discipline building according to science.

What are the benefits of self-discipline? There are plenty. It gives you the sense of purpose and builds the habits, that you can rely on for the rest of your life. Makes you consistently free and independent from your own limitations and inhibitions. 

The good habits influence your life in a way that all other (involuntary) habits do – they become a part of you. They build your strength, self-confidence and self-awareness. And in case of an unexpected emergency they will not allow you to fall into pieces, because you will want to get back to them as soon as possible.

Discipline is freedom.