Category Archives: motivational

doing nothing

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what does it take to think?

I have one speed and generally keep going until I run out of puff.  Every now and then, I stop.  I have to stop. And when I do, my first reaction is that I have wasted time.  An hour, a morning or perhaps occasionally for a whole day…  My initial reaction is annoyance for I feel I have wasted time, which once gone, can never be re-run.  Yet lately, what I’m noticing is that learning to do nothing, giving myself time to think does me good.  It gives my body and mind time to re-charge and at a sub-conscious level, I’m processing a wide range of things. The following day, I  have real clarity about key issues I need to address. 

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Sometimes, doing 'nothing'makes absolute sense!


 


 


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				Cleaning for the Cleaner?
			

										

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Obsessive? Never …


Long gone are the days of having the luxury of having a cleaner and that’s a good thing.  It’s good in that there’s pleasure to be taken in a simple job well done and giving it due time and attention. What I’ve come to re-appreciate is that I like an orderly home. I like to work with a clear space around me.  When I do, I can channel my energy into good work.  So why, when working away from home for a week, did I take so much stuff with me that I crowded my space and as a result, no concrete work at the laptop was done!  Instead, I took off to the great outdoors. What it did was to remind me of what’s important.  In getting outside to clear my head, I found myself surrounded by the staggering beauty of Valentia Island, off season.  Where the landscape is overwhelmingly beautiful.  Where I realised the value of simple being…  One of those lightbulb moments.  With the recognition of being happy in my own company – cats being the exception at the time – I was able to piece together a new workshop I’d been conceptualising.  Result, albeit inadvertently achieved.


As for the connection with cleaning for the cleaner, well, apart from the obsessive nature of having done that often in a previous life, house-sitting calls for a different skill-set.  Apart from the care you lavish on someone else’s home and their pets. you are there to care, simply care, for their home.   And most importantly, it is remembering to make sure everything is back in its place and there is no sign that you were ever there! The power of focus, not allowing an obsessive nature to take over and just letting things be.  Whether it is letting a cleaner do what they are meant to do or leaving someone’s home the way they left it.


‘Sure… ‘ as we say in Ireland, ‘I knew that anyway.’…


Love your day !!


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				3 ways to save time every day
			

										

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Three useful ways to improve your daily life !!!


Professional Self Smarter Tip


Only check your emails ….. first thing in the morning, at lunch-time and at the end of the day. Why only 3 times a day? If you’re distracted seeing what’s coming in, you lose sight of what’s really important


Unsubscribe from anything you don’t need now.  Be very selective.  It takes time to delete and scroll through stuff you’ll never go back to


Give yourself a break …  ignore or better still, don’t check emails after you finish working for the day. Knowing what’s come in and what you have facing you in the morning does not help you sleep any better ! Being always available is not good for you, not good for your clients, definitely not good for your personal life – and talking of your personal life, these little changes mean you can make more time for those who matter. When you’re with someone…… one to one…. really listen


1-2-1when you really listen… you’ll be amazed at the difference it will make….


Love your day, when it’s gone, it’s gone!


janie

					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				would you push for promotion?
			

										

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A recent study showed 4 out of 8 men would NOT push themselves forward for a job promotion for which they were more or less able to do, compared with 6 out of 8 women.  Combine this with the way in which women consistently under-estimate their skills and small wonder that there are so few women in leadership roles.  Time are changing, however, it is still food for thought…….

					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				Time to re-assess?
			

										

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Every now and then, I take a good hard look at what I’ve been doing, how productive I’ve been and most important of all, how satisfied I am with what I have spent my time on.


Too many things have happened in recent years in my little life and the clock’s ticking.  There’s only now and time spent is time gone.   So, if you feel like this goldfish (what a great image I saw on a card recently), then you owe it to yourself, to take time out and get re-focused. Get a grip on your life, do what you have to do to make each day matter more.  The clock’s ticking and good things beckon…


all a question of perspective

					

		
		
	


	

	

				

									

				25 women, 21 countries
			

										

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I recently read on-line about a recent Citizenship ceromony in New Zealand, where 25 women from 21 different countires were awarded their citizenship by NZ Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae. [quote align=”left” color=”#999999″]Before today, New Zealand was your home, but now it is your country[/quote]

This had me thinking about the question of belonging.  Where we are from, where we live and where we feel our loyalties lie.  And if, should the need ever arise, what lengths would we go to defend our country. I am an Irish Citizen. Whenever I travel, I take great pride in talking of the country that has been my home for some 20 years now. There are many other facets that form part of my identity.  The issue of belonging raises the real question of who I really am and how different we all are…


[quote align=”left” color=”#999999″]There are no difficult people, just people who are different, with whom we have yet to learn how best to communicate[/quote]

 221-121aClick to contact Janie for more on the 221:121 Workshops


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				Asset or Liability?
			

										

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With family on the other side of the world, I often read their national newspapers on line just to see what’s going on.  Quite often there are similarities in trends, research and events and it helps to get a different perspective on what are common human issues.  Take for example, a recent survey carried out by Ernst & Young on Productivity in the Workplace.  The New Zealand Herald reports (June 10th) that being treated badly in the workplace and poor communication were the biggest obstacles to increasing output.  Whilst some time was spent on social media during work hours, waiting on other people and time spent on unecessary emailing accounted for an average of one hour and nine minutes time being wasted daily. What workers want it appears to be universal.  Workers want more effective management, more motivation and more recognition.  The question is if what workers want is seemingly so simple, why is it so difficult to get it right?


					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				don’t copy, be inspired
			

										

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there’s so much stuff that you can sign up to and learn from for FREE.  So much that we’re in danger of not being able to think for ourselves.  Does it matter if you take an idea from somewhere else? There are some bloggers out there who inspire and write for people to take the germ of an idea and run with it.  There are others who want to frighten the pants off you, so you don’t take a single word from what they say.  It all comes down to choice.  You can control what you think, what you write, what ultimately bothers you. Everything in life is kickstarted by something someone else has done, or something that already exists. It may be in nature, it may be something that is there but doesn’t provide the solution sought and so inspires a new product or service.  Does it matter?   Take the learning and do not copy or imitate.  Make something better and then be proud of your work. Even if it is simply being inspired to do something that already exists and making it far better, go for it. Just do the right thing and don’t forget to respect, really respect the work of others. Edward de Bono says that thinking is a skill that ought to be developed, so let your imagination be fired and challenge yourself through thinking. You’ll amaze yourself!


 janie-says be inspired by what strikes a chord, follow your intuition and always, do the right thing.

					

		
		
	


	

				

									

				why what you do matters
			

										

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One of the women on a recent workshop was recovering from a serious brain injury.  Everyone has their story and though we were not party to hers, by the end of the morning, this woman who I’ll call Sarah, I believe had found her purpose.  This was one of my ‘Communicate with Greater Confidence’ workshops geared to providing understanding of how we communicate with others, the learning process, understanding personality types, how to connect.  Sarah has a gift and I believe that morning, through speaking from the heart, she came to realise through her own learning of how to deal with brain trauma, she could help others through public speaking. Helping others to cope with brain trauma and not be afraid.  Every time I teach, I learn.   I love what I do.  In giving someone the confidence to stand up and speak out, to shine a light on their potential and light that spark, I get a huge buzz.  Sarah’s accident was no accident, I feel it happened for a reason, so that she may now really live.