I have heard all the talk about 'Twitter' but have resisted every opportunity to sign up to it.
I know I probably sound like one of those old stick in the mud's, but I do usually take a little time before I demonstrate any interest in the latest new thing. I can be, on the odd occasion a little slow to find out about things. I like to at least take a breath before I go rushing in. Although I am sure that my husband would probably not agree with that.
Everyone has been going on about Twitter, and to tell the truth, I have wandered what it was, but have been too busy to be bothered. Today however, I finally heard someone on BBC Radio 2, the Steve Wright Show, actually explain what it is all about and how many famous people have become Twitters and regularly post their contributions on line.
And I still don't have a screaming desire to sign up, but at least I have a better understanding.
You never know, maybe, I might one day have a burning desire to let everyone across the world wide web know what I am doing or thinking in just that moment, but that has not happened yet.
Until then, I will write my occasional blog and post it on to the world wide web and let everyone know what I'm thinking in that very moment. I have no interest in Twitter at all!
Friday, 6 March 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
Doing Something Silly
Have you ever done something that you thought was really silly. Something that you thought you'd never do; something you would say is not like you; not what you would expect of yourself?
Well if your answer is yes, I would really like to know about it, because if nothing else, it would let me know that I am not the only silly person on earth.
I had been invited to attend an awards dinner. I was happy to have received the invitation and really looking forward to it.
I registered the date in my mind and put the letter in my diary on the date, just to ensure that I would not forget it.
So the day arrived. It was quite a busy day and I spent most of it working in another City from the one I live in. About an hours drive home during rush hour. It was a bit of a push, but I managed it.
Sorted the family, got dressed, whilst driving my husband insane, as I tried to find something suitable to wear to a black tie dinner. He is the most patient man in the world. He ran around helping me choose different outfits from the wardrobe; zipping and unzipping me at least 20 times; then ironing my dress after I had finally decided what I was going to wear.
At last I was ready. Oh did I mention that he got my shoes from down stairs and brought them up to me?
My husband ordered pizza for him and the children, turned my car around in the drive, so I could drive straight off and sent me on my way with a kiss. I know, he is a saint.
I was running just slightly late, I hate being late, but tried not to allow myself to get too stressed, as I know this is not a good thing when driving. Earlier in the week I had heard of someone who had died in a traffic accident last year. Left his wife at their shop and went off home, but never arrived. These thoughts tend to hang in your mind when you learn about this type of accident. I've got too much to live for.
Any way, thankfully I arrived at the venue for the event safely and parked the car.
As I was about to go in, I thought I would look at my invitation.
Can you guess what I am going to say?
Yes, you are correct.
I got the day wrong. The date was right, but I was only a month out. Of all the things that could have happened, I was one month ahead of myself.
I got back into the car and drove home, thinking to myself 'I am now going to have to tell my husband that after all the stress I put him through, it was the wrong month.' I can't say that I was looking forward to that.
I would also have to explain to the children why I have returned home.
The embarrassment of it all!
Fortunately for me I have a very forgiving husband and wonderful children. We all made a joke out of it and they shared their pizza with me. It's good to have a place where you are accepted even when you've done something clueless.
Okay, I'm going to have to admit that I am human or at the very least have human traits.
Maybe I need to ensure I get enough rest. I'm blaming it on a week of working very long hours. I'm talking about finishing work at 1:30 am and getting up again around 6:30 am. I guess that would do it.
Silly event of the week over.....
Well if your answer is yes, I would really like to know about it, because if nothing else, it would let me know that I am not the only silly person on earth.
I had been invited to attend an awards dinner. I was happy to have received the invitation and really looking forward to it.
I registered the date in my mind and put the letter in my diary on the date, just to ensure that I would not forget it.
So the day arrived. It was quite a busy day and I spent most of it working in another City from the one I live in. About an hours drive home during rush hour. It was a bit of a push, but I managed it.
Sorted the family, got dressed, whilst driving my husband insane, as I tried to find something suitable to wear to a black tie dinner. He is the most patient man in the world. He ran around helping me choose different outfits from the wardrobe; zipping and unzipping me at least 20 times; then ironing my dress after I had finally decided what I was going to wear.
At last I was ready. Oh did I mention that he got my shoes from down stairs and brought them up to me?
My husband ordered pizza for him and the children, turned my car around in the drive, so I could drive straight off and sent me on my way with a kiss. I know, he is a saint.
I was running just slightly late, I hate being late, but tried not to allow myself to get too stressed, as I know this is not a good thing when driving. Earlier in the week I had heard of someone who had died in a traffic accident last year. Left his wife at their shop and went off home, but never arrived. These thoughts tend to hang in your mind when you learn about this type of accident. I've got too much to live for.
Any way, thankfully I arrived at the venue for the event safely and parked the car.
As I was about to go in, I thought I would look at my invitation.
Can you guess what I am going to say?
Yes, you are correct.
I got the day wrong. The date was right, but I was only a month out. Of all the things that could have happened, I was one month ahead of myself.
I got back into the car and drove home, thinking to myself 'I am now going to have to tell my husband that after all the stress I put him through, it was the wrong month.' I can't say that I was looking forward to that.
I would also have to explain to the children why I have returned home.
The embarrassment of it all!
Fortunately for me I have a very forgiving husband and wonderful children. We all made a joke out of it and they shared their pizza with me. It's good to have a place where you are accepted even when you've done something clueless.
Okay, I'm going to have to admit that I am human or at the very least have human traits.
Maybe I need to ensure I get enough rest. I'm blaming it on a week of working very long hours. I'm talking about finishing work at 1:30 am and getting up again around 6:30 am. I guess that would do it.
Silly event of the week over.....
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Keeping A Positive Frame of Mind
During the past few months I have been asked by several people how they can to keep a more positive mind set even during these difficulty times. Much of what we hear in the media is negative.
We each have specific things that set us off in any given direction of thought and emotion. The main point is understanding what this is for ourselves.
There are some things that are more difficult to rise above or that may take longer to move on from such as loosing a loved one or being made redundant when we are the main or only bread winner for our family. In the case of loosing a loved one, only time can make this less painful. With loosing a job, however, it may be all about what we choose to focus our minds on, on a regular basis.
If considering what you think about or actually keeping track of what you think about is something you have not seriously considered before, it can be hard, at the beginning to change your patterns of thinking, but this is not impossible. And being in a stressful situation will certainly not make this easy to do.
This is not to be confused with wishful thinking or being unrealistic or not facing the truth about your situation. This is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about is working with your own thoughts to strengthen your own abilities to deal with you are going through.
Taking control of your thoughts can have a huge impact on your emotional state; how happy you feel or make a difference to how quickly you overcome what you are going through. It can affect how easily you make positive progress moving from where you are now, on to where you want to be. All of this can be influenced by what you are thinking about. It can also help you with feeling and being in control.
The first step is making an effort to realise when you are focusing too much on negative thoughts and each time you realise this, change what you are thinking about to thinking about something more positive and productive.
An example of changing thought patterns from negative, destructive thoughts to more positive thoughts would be if someone has been made redundant. In this situation it is clear that one will be worried (and rightly so) about how you are going to pay your bills, feed your family and maintain your home. You are not being asked not to be worried about this. However, when being worried stops you from taking positive steps to change things, this is a problem.
When you find yourself worrying, you can take this energy and re-channel it into doing something to improve things, such as applying for new jobs, reminding yourself of those things in your life that are good i.e. your loved ones, family and friends or doing some retraining to improve your employability.
One of the things I ask clients to do is to right a list of those things that they are grateful for in their lives; those things that are good; those things that make you happy and feel good. When you realise that you are worrying too much, start to focus on this list and change what you are thinking about.
It is a known fact that one cannot be fearful (have worrying thoughts) and be grateful at the same time. So when we refocus our thoughts on those things we are grateful and thankful for, this actually can help us, change our emotional state and give us a better reason to live. It can also be a useful way to begin to come up with more creative ways of dealing with your current situation and moving forward.
Practice makes perfect, as with all things, so the more we work at this the better. One of my personal treats is looking at pictures of my family and times when we have been on holiday and having a great time. I also remind myself of those things that I enjoy doing or that I am good at doing.
Failing this, I take myself for a walk - some mild or strenuous exercise can also improve your mood and your thoughts.
There are many ways to work on keeping a positive frame of mind. We all need to find ways that works for us as individuals. Hope this helps and that you find a way that works for you.
We each have specific things that set us off in any given direction of thought and emotion. The main point is understanding what this is for ourselves.
There are some things that are more difficult to rise above or that may take longer to move on from such as loosing a loved one or being made redundant when we are the main or only bread winner for our family. In the case of loosing a loved one, only time can make this less painful. With loosing a job, however, it may be all about what we choose to focus our minds on, on a regular basis.
If considering what you think about or actually keeping track of what you think about is something you have not seriously considered before, it can be hard, at the beginning to change your patterns of thinking, but this is not impossible. And being in a stressful situation will certainly not make this easy to do.
This is not to be confused with wishful thinking or being unrealistic or not facing the truth about your situation. This is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about is working with your own thoughts to strengthen your own abilities to deal with you are going through.
Taking control of your thoughts can have a huge impact on your emotional state; how happy you feel or make a difference to how quickly you overcome what you are going through. It can affect how easily you make positive progress moving from where you are now, on to where you want to be. All of this can be influenced by what you are thinking about. It can also help you with feeling and being in control.
The first step is making an effort to realise when you are focusing too much on negative thoughts and each time you realise this, change what you are thinking about to thinking about something more positive and productive.
An example of changing thought patterns from negative, destructive thoughts to more positive thoughts would be if someone has been made redundant. In this situation it is clear that one will be worried (and rightly so) about how you are going to pay your bills, feed your family and maintain your home. You are not being asked not to be worried about this. However, when being worried stops you from taking positive steps to change things, this is a problem.
When you find yourself worrying, you can take this energy and re-channel it into doing something to improve things, such as applying for new jobs, reminding yourself of those things in your life that are good i.e. your loved ones, family and friends or doing some retraining to improve your employability.
One of the things I ask clients to do is to right a list of those things that they are grateful for in their lives; those things that are good; those things that make you happy and feel good. When you realise that you are worrying too much, start to focus on this list and change what you are thinking about.
It is a known fact that one cannot be fearful (have worrying thoughts) and be grateful at the same time. So when we refocus our thoughts on those things we are grateful and thankful for, this actually can help us, change our emotional state and give us a better reason to live. It can also be a useful way to begin to come up with more creative ways of dealing with your current situation and moving forward.
Practice makes perfect, as with all things, so the more we work at this the better. One of my personal treats is looking at pictures of my family and times when we have been on holiday and having a great time. I also remind myself of those things that I enjoy doing or that I am good at doing.
Failing this, I take myself for a walk - some mild or strenuous exercise can also improve your mood and your thoughts.
There are many ways to work on keeping a positive frame of mind. We all need to find ways that works for us as individuals. Hope this helps and that you find a way that works for you.
Friday, 7 November 2008
Enterprise Week 2008
Did you know that 17 - 21 November 2008
is Enterprise Week across the UK?
You may well be wondering what enterprise week is all about. Well just an opportunity to celebrate British business and enterprise.
There are many activities taking place across the Country during this week and I dare say, some may continue during the week after as well.
emda (East Midlands Development Agency) are supporting quite a few events throughout the East Midlands Region. I will be involved in of a few of these myself. You can check the emda website as well as my own to pick a few ideas about events to attend.
The Government has been pushing the idea of business start up as a career option, in an effort to increase the industriousness (if that's a word) of our Nation. You may well have heard of Business Link, well this organisation is part of the Government machine to get people to start their own businesses. I will endeavour to provide some statistics on the amount of small to medium size business across the UK at a later date. However, it's easy to say that a large percentage of UK business are SME's (small and medium size enterprises).
Back to Enterprise Week then. Yes, you're already there ahead of me - this week is to support and celebrate enterprise and business start up.
Get Involved, Get Active In Enterprise Week 17th – 23rd November 2008 07/11/2008 emda launches campaign to inspire enterprise in
the East Midlands
This may be a link you can use if you want to find some more information directly from the emda website
Have a good Enterprise Week - Do get involved - Our Nation Needs YOU!
The Picture at the start of this piece is one of the new John Lewis store located in the brand new High Cross Shopping Centre in Leicester, England. I would recommend a visit.
Hello & Welcome
Welcome to my blog.
Not too sure what will be included or covered in this blog yet, but as the name indicates, I'm likely to be chatting about things of interest to me and sharing ideas and information.
I hope that you will be willing to pass on your comments, information and ideas too.
You will find about me and what I get up to, either through this blog or through my business website www.openmindcoaching.com.
I look forward to chatting with you.
Sandy
Not too sure what will be included or covered in this blog yet, but as the name indicates, I'm likely to be chatting about things of interest to me and sharing ideas and information.
I hope that you will be willing to pass on your comments, information and ideas too.
You will find about me and what I get up to, either through this blog or through my business website www.openmindcoaching.com.
I look forward to chatting with you.
Sandy
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