Bring your best self to light - January 2007
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Choosing to make a difference...a good conscious difference.
Today is the first day back at work for many people and I know for many people it's not a happy one...there are many people for whom work is simply a means to an end: it gives them a place to go, it provides them with money, they do a good job but they consider their "real life" to be elsewhere...and I've coached several people like that...and it's fine.
However, other people want more from their job...they want a shared vision, a sense they are contributing something, that what they are doing is making the world a better place. People like this are usually highly competent, internally motivated and almost impossible to control. If they feel they are not getting the meaning they want...they will move on.
With regards to making a difference...I think we all make a difference all the time, whether you know it or not...you ARE making a difference. . The question is WHAT sort of difference? Are you the person who reaches out the helping hand to a struggling colleague or the one who complains and gossips at the break? Have you been around people who brings relief when they leave the room? They have made a difference alright...although not perhaps the one they would have liked!
I think the difference is that we want our actions to be applauded, admired and acknowledged. We see the Mother Teresas, the Nelson Mandelas and forget that they have paid a high price for this visibility...Nelson Mandela spend 27 years in jail, Mother Teresa got a lot of opposition when she began her mission. Adi Roche responded to a need she saw and just went ahead and did something.
I know as I write this, that many of you are muttering about the lack of power you have in your own job to make any "real difference". But here are some questions for you... Where could you reach out a helping hand or give a listening ear to someone in your workplace today? I remember the people who helped me in my first job with immense gratitude...although I know they have no recollection of it. Could you be just a bit kinder to a young person in your office? Look at what your company does and see how it makes a difference to the lives of other people. See what a difference it makes when someone does their job with a bit of enthusiasm and interest.
Let me give you a practical example...before Christmas I brought my son to Smyth's toys to purchase some gifts for his cousins. I was amazed by the staff there...they were mostly young people but their product knowledge, courtesy and kindness to my son was second to none. None of them would even remember us now but WE remember...and we will be returning. Their actions really made a difference..
Many of us think that our contribution has to be BIG and glamourous (and for some people it is) but why not begin by asking yourself today how you can make a positive difference to the people around you? What one quality could you develop in yourself that could transform your life and the life of people around you?
Take Action!
Choose one quality you want to develop more in 2007:e.g. kindness, patience, self-discipline, fun, setting boundaries with others. Now make yourself some sort of daily reminder about this...make a poster, a screensaver, put a sticker on your phone..and use this reminder to get a prompt on how to develop this quality. The beauty of taking this approach is that it has a wonderful knock-on effect on many aspects of your life. For example, if you choose kindness...it will improve relationships at work and in your personal life. Cut yourself some slack...you are definitely going to fail...(failure is DEFINITELY an option!) but keep going. Acknowledge your successes and be kind to your mistakes...
And maybe 2007 is the year in which you choose to pursue what truly inspires you...
The quality I really want to develop in 2007 are self-acceptance ( recognising and acknowledging all aspects of myself...the good, bad and ugly). What am I going to do? Well, for one thing I'm going to be noticing what really pushes my buttons and see what I'm not acknowledging in myself. I want to acknowledge and develop more of the gifts I have to help myself and to serve other people.
Articles
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Bits & Pieces - 43 things
If you have made some new Year's resolutions but want to link up with people who have made the same ones (and hear from people who have achieved them...)...www.43things.com is the site to check out...
Pampering products - take good care of yourself...
These are made by a friend of mine - Jackee Holder - and I can vouch for them as being absolutely gorgeous....please read more. Even if January is a dry month...why not indulge yourself just a little with these...
Discover the
scents of Ms Bodacious Luxury Body Oil (Sweet Almond and Sunflower Oils) and the
wise scents of Mother Wit enriched with the essential oils of Orange and Rose
Geranium and Lavender and Grapefruit.
Ms Bodacious woody and citrus tones kicks start your mornings and
Lavender and Grapefruit will soothe your spirits throughout your day.
These Pampering products are handmade by Jackee Holder (Jackeemakesscents)
and are made using all natural products and ingredients.
Pampering boxes made to order (You decide how much you want to spend).
Orange and Rose
Geranium Bath Salts
"Salt is born of the purest parents; the sun and the sea."
Withering spirits are reenergised with three to four heaped tablespoons
of our Orange and Rose Geranium bath salts in a hot bath.
A blend of Sea Salts, lappings of honey and Sweet Almond Oil
and scented with the essentials oils of Orange and Rose Geranium.
£12 0.5L Le Parfait Jar
Ms Bodacious - Orange and Rose Geranium Luxury Body Oil
Seduce your skin with Ms Bodacious succulent body oil.
Ms Bodacious is scented with Orange and Rose Geranium essential oils
and blended with the oils of Sunflower and Sweet Almond.
For everyday use or special occasions
£12 8oz £8 4oz
Mother Wit - Lavender and Grapefruit Luxury Body Oil
Mother Wit comes in the fragrances of Lavender and Grapefruit
essential oils. She is an old time favourite, sturdy but with a kick.
Blended with Sweet Almond and Sunflower oils. For everyday use or
for special occasions
£12 8oz £8 4oz
Sole Food
Peppermint and Chamomile Luxury Foot Oil
(for feet).
Sole Food Foot oil is blended with Sweet Almond and Sunflower oils with
Chamomile flowers and scented
with Peppermint essential oils.
£8 8oz
Soaps
Indulge with the succulent fragrance of Frankincense and Myrrh, Lavender and
Wild Flowers or Peppermint Soaps (boxed soaps). A Traditional African recipe
blended with Raw Shea Butter and Soy Milk.
£4.50
We use new and recycled Gift boxes, beautiful packaged and presented at an
additional cost.
All prices confirmed on order along with p&p.
Email
jackeeholder@aol.com or call 020 8693 2617 with orders and personal requests
Recommended - what I'm reading/listening to
Personally, I'm not much for nostalgia. I always think the present and future is so much more interesting than the past..but this year I decided to purchase (on DVD) the BBC series Poldark. This was on in the late 70's and was based on the novels of Winston Graham. I wanted to see if it was as good as I remembered...(yes, it is). Was Robin Ellis as totally gorgeous as he was to me as a 14 year old..(absolutely yes!) What did strike me though (watching it as an adult) was the huge difference in production values between now and then. It would seem dated to our eyes..but the story still holds its own.
The Coffin Dancer by Jeffrey Deaver
If you enjoy a fast-paced thriller...Jeffery Deaver is hard to beat. This features his quadriplegic detective (Lincoln Rhyme) and his sidekick Amelia Sachs...their opponent seems to be able to outhink everything Lincoln and his team can do. It seems to me that Lincoln does the modern thing of Hercule Poirot's "little grey cells".
Sadly, I couldn't get to see George Michael when he played the Point. It clashed with a work commitment (which was then postponed...damn annoying). But I did get the DVD and had a very delightful few hours getting up to speed with Wham! (they really did make the most joyful exuberant pop music....) and his later stuff. It really is a pity he's gone over to the other side...