Archive for the ‘Giving’ Category
Hi there,
I just want to wish everyone a fantastic holiday and very best wishes for 2012, whatever you look forward to this year, make sure you write down at least ONE thing from your wish list, and really tell yourself you will achieve it this coming year!! Go on, it will work, I promise!
And my message to you… click here to see
To your best year yet!
Elaine
We all love free stuff!
We feel good about ourselves when we get free stuff, and we feel good about the person or company that provides the free stuff. It’s a “humanoid” thing.
We have a feel good factor, and openly and willingly talk about the product or service that we got for free. Whether it’s a competition win, or a genuine offer of advice / service, our feel-good hormones kick into overdrive and we feel like a winner. Read the rest of this entry »
A beautiful lady, Frederique Murphy, told me of a Coaching Blog Awards a few months ago. I decided to enter my blog, knowing that I would be away for 3 weeks, and not have the chance to actively promote my entry.
Having said that, I sent out a “few” e-mails, asking friends and colleagues to vote, but more importantly comment to promote my blog in the rankings.
Then I headed off on my well earned break, and on my return found that I had made the Top 10 entries based on votes. What surprised me more, were the comments. It truly touched my heart, that I had not only touched these people, but that they “understood” my unusual approach to blog writing.
As most of you know, I don’t write conventional blog posts about enhancing your personal development or actively get your business increased or improved. Rather, I seem to be drawn to things and ideas based on the very things that happen around me in my personal and professional life.
Hence, the odd analogies, and strange comparisons 
Read the rest of this entry »
This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday March 14th. In some countries, it follows the old traditions of Mothering Sunday which is a Christian festival celebrating the mother church throughout Europe. It generally falls on the 4th Sunday of Lent. Secularly, Mothering Sunday became a celebration of motherhood. Eventually, the two more or less combined, along with other celebrations (Simnel Sunday, Refreshment Sunday, Rose Sunday) into Mother’s Day. As we are well aware, it has become very Read the rest of this entry »
Ok so we know the date February 14th every single (no pun intended) year is called Valentine’s Day. According to our superior on-line encyclopedia (WIKI):
“The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Read the rest of this entry »
Feedback (sometimes referred to as positive criticism) is a process in which the effect or output of an action is ‘returned’ (fed-back) to modify the next action. Feedback should only ever be used as a basis for improvement. It should not be mistaken for negative criticism and vice verse. If feedback does not provide learning or a chance to improve, then it is being communicated as negative criticism.
“Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.” – Publilius Syrus (35 B.C.)
So why is feedback important?
Whether you are a Read the rest of this entry »
Well – the time has come and gone, that one day, June 21st 2009 that marks a special day for Dads all over has passed and all dads go back to normal life today. Father’s Day does not get as near the amount of coverage and exposure as Mother’s Day, which begs the question: Are dads not as important as the mums???
The mother has the privileged and at times, arduous, task of carrying a child for the best part of 10 months, and then giving birth. So she may naturally have a stronger bond with the child before it’s born. However, it is a known fact that an unborn child is sensitive to noises and sounds happening around him/her, and does become familiar with the voice and tones and accents of those close by (including co-workers, shop assistants or anywhere else the mother may frequent).
So by the time the child is born, they are very familiar with both mother and father’s voices and presence, as well as the relationship between the two adults. Most fathers are present at the birth and often can be the first Read the rest of this entry »
I was sending a text to a friend the other day and I used the words above. What did I mean about them? Simply, that you are the most important person in the world to YOU!
Your work is important. Your business is important. What you do in the future is important.
Our economy has been struggling for a while. Jobs have been lost. Our country is suffering from the effects of bad spending, plundering of resources and rash decisions. SMEs have been left aside and are being targeted and ignored at the same time. Targeted for any shred of tax or levies they may owe, and ignored as the future of Ireland’s economy. The big Corporates are baling out month on month. The States and semi-States are under huge strain. The way out is clearly through small business. They will lead the way for future growth and job creation. They will rebuild this economy. One business at a time. Read the rest of this entry »
“If you believe you can or cannot do something, you are probably right” – Henry Ford
All change is stressful: whether positive change such as moving house, getting married, starting a new job or having a baby, or negative such as experiencing a bereavement, being made redundant or getting divorced. This is because change, whether positive or negative, involves uncertainty and altering your routine.
Where there is life, there is change. We change through action, learning, and commitment. Transitions are periods of risk and possibility. They are a period of danger and opportunity. The danger is that we will be unable to cope with the transition and will be scarred by the experience. The opportunity is Read the rest of this entry »
I came across this story recently and thought I should share it so it could gain a wider audience:
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers
walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the great & picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As so on as it seemed appropriate, the other m an asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his
first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.
“Today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.”
The origin of this letter is unknown.
The Power of Now is more relevant than the power of the past or future. We can only dwell on the past and fear the future to maintain negativity. This can be powerfully turned around by simply focusing on the present and treating it so – as a gift (and a gift can only be positive).
Enjoy YOUR gift,
Namasté,
Elaine
