Give It A Try
Give it a try! It’s easier to write ourselves off before we’ve even had a chance to start on the things that can transform our lives. Today’s post is about peeling off the layers to understand what we need to
At Last
At last, the new year we have all been waiting for is here. So what are we going to do with this precious gift? We can love it as a starter. All other steps emanating from this love can only be
Another Day To Get It Right – Seize It!
July has crept up on me so I ask myself the question, ‘Have I made the past six months count?’ Time is a currency we all have and one we cannot claw back once it is spent. Read on for
Review Your Fitness Regime
It's easy to train our bodies if we are committed. But what about our minds? Do we take proactive steps to train our minds?
Help For The Journey
Helpers for the journey are very welcome sights especially when they show up at just the right time. We don’t know what our journeys will look like but I’m certain some people have been placed at different points to help
It’s Review Time
Seasons shape many things we do like what we wear and eat but for me, the end of each season is also a reminder to do a personal review. As spring officially starts, end of quarter one of the year
Find Your Voice
Recently, my mind was cast back to the first cassette tape my father made for me while I was still in primary school. He wrote the name of the band and my name on the back of the cassette tape.
What does your dream require of you?
Following a long summer break, it's time for things to ramp up again. It's also a great time to re-assess our dreams.
A dose of reality and other lessons
I had this week’s post all figured out but after spending Thursday in the classroom called life, I feel the need to share some of my lessons.
I was looking forward to the International women’s day and the inspirational event organised by Melanie Malcolm of Yorkshire ladies link. I spent some time, the day before, agonising about what I would wear and almost cracked that nut before going to bed.
Thursday morning, I woke up to unexpected and generous amount of snow. I wondered who didn’t get the memo that I had somewhere to be. I hate driving on snow.
My immediate reaction was to moan and crawl back into bed, but before I gave in to that thought, a friend calls to tell me she wanted to go with me.
Shoot! There goes my escape. I now have to brave the snow but at least I would have some company for the journey so it wasn’t so bad or scary.
Before I even stepped out of the door, my first lessons were:
1. The world doesn’t revolve round me, my comfort zone and what I want. Deal with ‘it’. ‘It’ for me that day was the snow.
2. Even the best laid out plans have to change and it’s not a big deal. I had my clothes all planned, but priorities changed. I needed to dress for weather and not for fashion. Go figure!
3. A timely intervention can set us on the right path. Getting a call from my friend and realising that I needed to get us to the event, pushed any fear of driving on snow aside.
4. Life is easier with the right people in it. Knowing I wouldn’t be alone in the car on slippery roads eased my anxiety
At the event, I was amazed at the determination, adaptability and resilience of the organisers and the participants. All their preparation and perfectly laid out plans went out the window. At times like this, we are faced with choices to - give in to the disappointment or push through, give up or go on? Remain in the old mindset or look for new possibilities? I watched the organisers’ tireless efforts to re-arrange programme, make calls and communicate potential changes to the participants whilst remaining positive, courteous and professional. Kudos to the ‘cool, calm and collected’ Yorkshire Ladies Link team. Then came the inspiring speakers, starting with Chris Pointon who lost his amazing wife, Kate Granger, after a battle with cancer. There weren’t many dry eyes in the room as Chris shared their story. Instead of the session being about how unfair life can be, it was about how we can all make a difference.Get where you want to go
I ended my last post by referring to the quote by Henry David Thoreau that says, "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way."
It is easy to say don’t look back but, some people might ask, ‘what does that mean or what practical steps can I take?’
This quote is a timely reminder at a time when I'm leaving my old career behind to pursue new opportunities. There's a risk that I could be tempted to look back at the familiar especially at those times when fear and self-doubt will inevitably crop up.
This happens to the best of us and I must think now of what to do when that happens. I need a plan now as it will be too late to come up with one if fear and self-doubt has already crept in.
So, here are some tips to help you move in the direction you want to go.
Know the ‘What’ and ‘Why’
Write down the vision and your 'why'. This is critical as if you don’t know where you are going, there’s no way to know when you arrive. At the earliest stage, define what you want to achieve and why it is important. This becomes your motivation.
Create a plan of action Have a plan so you know what to do on a daily and weekly basis. This will be useful on days when you’re not in the mood or don’t feel motivated. If you stick with the scheduled actions and discipline yourself to follow through, you will move in the right direction.