Archive for the ‘Change’ Category
Imagine a world without stress. Imagine a world where no-one is demanding anything from you. Imagine you are the happiest you could possibly be. Can you imagine all that? I hope so, because if you cannot, that is a sure sign that you require some “ME” time.
If you can imagine all those things, then you are probably doing a lot of self-care already, as you appreciate the importance of looking after self. You appreciate and understand why it is imperative to look after your own safety on an aeroplane before your child, because if something were to happen to you first (like you do not get enough oxygen), then you are of no help to your child.
Now, just very quickly think of all the things that have been building up over the past year, and specifically those things that have spilled over into this year. Can you picture them? Has your mood changed? Is the weight of the world sharing its burden on you right now? It’s so easy to get caught up in the woes of the world, the media, our networks and indeed our own families. Is it over-burdening, over-whelming, too much to bear?
And my question to you is simply: Compared to what?
How do you know this is good for you? Are you coping with all the stress a new year can bring? On top of all the left over trauma of 2011?
Now, bear with me here and really think about the following. Write them down so you can check on them at the end of this post:
Think about the best thing that happened to you last year. Think about your greatest achievement of 2011. Think about your biggest learning for 2011. Think about the relationships you nurtured in 2011, new and old. Think about the single happiest thing that happened in 2011.
Now, pat yourself on the back, schedule some “Me” time for every day this year and plan for great things to happen, because then they will. If you write them down, and say them loudly to yourself, then you are setting the tone for your year to come.
And if you are overwhelmed just now, still reeling from the effects of 2011 and the holiday period, read this inspiring blogpost on starting your year in February, not January 
Happy New Year, and may 2012 bring you everything you plan for.
As a small business owner, you ARE your business. If you have ever seen any of the worldwide “Dragon’s Den” type programmes on the TV, you will observe that the dragons invest in the person behind the business as much as the concept itself.
It is important for that business owner, to constantly watch trends, be familiar with their market, and adapt to the changes that invariably happen. We also need to keep an eagle eye on what the competition is up to, and notice what they are changing, and are those changes in line with consumer changes, or are they trying to influence the consumer / client.
This is where business owners can get “bogged down”. Constantly watching out for the enemy, copying their strategies, playing cat and mouse to try and gain ground.
Let’s say our business has been successful in the past, and now, inevitably things are tough. We batten down the hatches, cut costs, cut prices, downsize, and cut budgets. You are probably familiar with any one of these strategies.
But why do we do this? Because the strategists recommend it? Because your competition is doing it? Because of the proven facts from the past? Because historically, it works?
Think about this: where do we get the notion that repetition is the best tactic? What influences us to think that what worked before will work today, for our business?
Now think about this… is this the same type of recession as before? Will the next boom (there WILL be a next boom) be the same as the previous one? I would imagine NO, and NO!
So, why then, are we doing the same things now that we did before? Read the rest of this entry »
W
hen I was in a 9-5 job in 1993, I distinctly remember arriving into work on Monday mornings and being subjected to complaints, grumbles, disdain, and other such negative gossip.
This was the only negative about my Monday mornings. In fact I never had Monday morning blues because I practiced a very simple alternative. Back then, in my early 20’s living and working in recession Ireland (yes, we had one then too) the general gist of good fun was to go out with colleagues and friends.
Traditionally this was done Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Three late nights of overindulgence was bound to take it’s toll, and it did. Coming from a college background, I had become accustomed to going out on “College nights” (aka Thursday nights). I maintained this routine and did not go out late on Sunday nights.
Of course this meant that Friday mornings were tough, but one cannot have Friday blues if they are off for the weekend, and have an early finish to look forward to. So I was therefore able to camouflage my blues into a Friday, rather than a Monday.
However, I feel the negative sentiment has remained with many people, whether they are employed, self-employed, or between jobs.
Why should we dread Monday Mornings? Because we have done so traditionally. For some of us, it’s simply always been that way (similar to finding it difficult to get up in the mornings).
Here are a couple of measures you can take to beat the Monday Morning Blues: Read the rest of this entry »
Well, it is that time of year again.
Barcamp IV Cork is on this Saturday Nov 20th, Webworks, Cork City.
I will be presenting in the morning, and am basing my talk this year on running a business. My take on this subject is ~ “Are you running FROM your business?”
My presentation will include interactive slides, insights, tips and tricks on the practicalities of running your business. The first thing to address is the “Entrepreneurial Spirit” and if such a thing exists, or if it is just a myth!
I will then look at the practical side to working in your business, and the importance of working on your business, touching mainly on SALES, ACCOUNTS/ADMIN, and STRATEGY and then bringing it all together.
Looking forward to seeing you there, don’t forget to say “Hi”
P.S. An interesting “take” on un-conferencing here by Kaliya Hamlin
I am sitting in Amsterdam Airport at 6am, or was it 5am? Well it was 10am where I was coming from, so needless to say, I was a little disorientated. Armed with a strong coffee and a muffin, I began to do some work. Something caught my attention. It sounded like a bird, could there be a bird in Schiphol airport? Did it get trapped?
Sure enough, as I squinted up, there was a Sparrow sitting high above me (I was a little concerned about my exposed coffee, keyboard, open mouth and muffin, so closed my mouth). The sparrow swooped down just as a family left a table in the restaurant, much to the delight of others sitting nearby, a welcome distraction after their overnight flights and disturbed sleep.
The LBB (Little Brown Bird) began to Read the rest of this entry »
Well it’s that time of month again!!! (no ladies, not THAT time of month)
Friday 13th is a normal day for some but for others it can mean not going outside the front door. It is right up there on the scale of superstition with April Fool’s Day and Murphy’s Law. I am not at all superstitious but do believe in Karma, so do something good for yourself on Friday 13th.
Here are some facts according to WIKI:
“The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (meaning fear). This is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen, and is also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia.”
What a mouthful!
Here is a suspicious little story for you:
Do you know how to determine if a mirror is 2-way or not? Read the rest of this entry »
“No, it has to be three weeks” I compromised with my husband as he expressed his wishes to drive across Europe to Germany, then down to southern France and back to Ireland, covering 4500km in 2 weeks. To my horror, he was actually calling this a holiday!
So we settled on 3 weeks and one day, including the ferry trips. The Germany part was attending a birthday party, but the Southern France part was for more obvious reasons – sun, sights and food (ok, maybe the wine too).
I was so looking forward to warming up my bones after a disastrous winter here in Ireland. Our garden was still reeling from the adverse weather conditions earlier in the year. We packed our bathing suits, sunscreen, blankets for sunbathing, and summer clothes. Getting off the Oscar Wilde in Roscoff and feeling the warm sunshine on our faces, we were just about ready for a good break, a good rest, great food, and plenty of sight-seeing.
Our first week involved a lot of driving. In fact, the majority of the overall journey was done in the first 2 days. Arriving into the Alsace area of France from Germany, we were ready for the famous “Massif Central”, an area well known for Read the rest of this entry »
Friday, April 30th 2010. I was in the mid-sentence with a client during a coaching session when a waiter came up to us to collect our empty glasses. He informed us that Gerry Ryan, the much-loved Irish radio broadcaster, had died. He then continued with his hypothesis, when I had to say “Thank you for telling us”. He promptly left us alone again. It brought back memories of Michael Jackson’s death, Lady Diana and Rory Gallagher.
Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when the Omagh bomb blew the street apart on 23 June 1985? Or Lockerbie on 21 December 1988? What about when the Air India flight blew up over Ireland on 23 June 1985?
Gerry Ryan will be buried today after 11.30 Mass as the country continues to mourn. This day will be etched in many people’s memory and some will struggle to remember.
I was just admiring my garden yesterday morning while having an espresso. I was noticing the devastation that challenged me for the “Big clean up” after the adverse weather conditions we had experienced over the past 6 weeks. A blackbird caught my eye – he was busily upturning leaves, looking for breakfast.
“Ah”, I thought, “things are back to normal.” The air is calm, the garden is green, and the temperature reads a satisfying 9o. Read the rest of this entry »
So we have had a tough 2009 all round. Some more than others, and those of you who have been concentrating on your health will know how difficult it can be to keep the momentum going.
Someone said to me recently: “I saw a new car the other day and it had “Zero Ten” on the registration plate” She then realised her mistake (one zero) and claimed it was difficult to pinpoint a name for the year.
So what do we need to consider when we embark on the New Year ahead? Firstly, we need to decide what we are going to call the year:- Two thousand and Ten? Or Twenty Ten? It’s important to have this clear in your mind, so you can plan ahead and the name of the year remains consistent. The problem with not deciding on a definitive name for yourself, is it conjures up uncertainty, and that is the last thing we need coming into a new year with a new routine and new ideas. Consistency!
The first thing we can do to get us on the right track is Read the rest of this entry »
