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To the Rescue

/in /by
๐Œ๐ž๐ž๐ญ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฑ…
He is an energetic 2-year-old Jack Russell Terrier that belongs to my Dutch in laws โ€“ Simone & Guus.
Every now and again, I get to spend some time with Dex.
Yesterday was one of those days. ๐Ÿ™‚
Gleefully, we went on a little walk together.
After a few minutes on our walk, although I wanted to go in one direction, it was clear he wanted to go in another!
I relented, and off we went the way he wanted to go.
It turned out to be one of his favourite little fenced parks, dedicated to dogs, so that they can run freely.
Ball and thrower in hand, we commenced our afternoon of activity.
I was happy throwing, and he was very happy chasing.
Enthusiastically, this activity continued for around half an hour.
Then the fun really began!
Putting the ball and thrower away, it was time to depart for home.
He knew exactly what was happening, and certainly did not want to return home.
Off he raced, to hide in the woods!
For the next 45 minutes I tried every single trick in the book to entice him on to his lead.
Little treats, throwing the ball again, ignoring him, patiently trying to corner him near the fence, following him into the woods, then back to laying a trail of treats on the groundโ€ฆ.
The Result โ€“ Nothing! ๐™๐„๐‘๐Ž success!
My patience was wearing very thin!
โ€œTime to call Simoneโ€ I thoughtโ€ฆ
โ€œ๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ฉ!โ€ I declared.
She smiled and laughed.
10 minutes later, as Simone and Monic arrived in the park together, Dex ran to Simone!ย  Job done!
Moral of the story โ€“ sometimes you just have to admit defeat, call for help, have a little laugh and wait on others to come to the rescue!
Have you rescued anyone recently?

Is it for real?

/in /by
๐ƒ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐š๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ?
100 missionaries.
2 days of multi-zone conferences in Antwerp and Utrecht.
Inspiration galore.
Remarkable experiences.
Real joy.
Each afternoon, role play, after role play, after role play, after role play, with 4 different scenarios to consider.
The cheering each other on, the laughter, the glee and camaraderie was a joy to behold.
It had been a while since Iโ€™d been so involved, but once I dived in, I loved it!
So why spend so much time in role plays?
– It develops communication and language skills
– It creates opportunities to explore, scrutinize and experiment
– It allows everyone to act and make sense of real-life scenarios.
– It encourages creativity and imagination
– It motivates and engages everyone
– It inspires greater confidence
– It advances listening skills
– It promotes in the moment creative problem solving.
– It builds empathy by experiencing new perspectives
– It provides opportunities for feedback through critical observation from peers.
And above all โ€“ many new friendships were formed.
Yes – roleplay is more than just make believe.
Creating a safe space to explore scenarios together was a wonderful experience.
My personal learning takeaway was – through acting out a variety of situations, role-playing teaches that we can be ๐š๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฐ๐ž ๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž.
Yes, they always smile back at you!
Do you?
#learning

Tips!

/in /by

The problem with the word โ€œtipโ€ is that it has many definitions.

At a recent CIPD event, we had a few moments of miscommunication and hilarity, as we tried to contextualise a three-letter word into a definitive description!

For example, consider the following…..

– Leaving a tip for the waiter is good practice.
– Fly tipping is a problem around the country.
– It was on the tip of my tongue to say exactly what I thought.
– Tipping the glass of water over wasnโ€™t what Iโ€™d planned.
– The tip of the pencil needs to be sharpened.
– The goalkeeper tipped the ball over the crossbar.
– A good tip for the Grand National is Tiger Roll.

We were trying to get to a succinct definition of the word โ€œtipโ€! In our case it was about a good idea or more specifically a โ€œhelpful hintโ€.

And so, my tip (oops) helpful hint for today is simply this one life saving daily habit โ€“ have a talk with yourself and donโ€™t take life so seriously! โ€œIn all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just enduredโ€ said Gordon B. Hinckley.

A little craziness once in a while perpetuates sanity! Learn to laugh at the little things, and life will be easier. Laughter is the best form of therapy.

Remember, life isn’t all business, it can be mixed with fun & laughter too.

Look out for some laughter today!

Pranks!

/in /by
Siblings can be annoying at times, right? (I guess I can be too sometimes – LOL!) Challenging behaviour isn’t only limited to siblings, but work colleagues and others too. Here’s one solution that worked for me!
Visiting the beach in summertime was a regular occurrence in our family. It was a short train ride to the beach at Kinghorn. Arriving at the station, we’d walk down the steep slope and then create many fond childhood memories on the beach together, sandcastles, swimming, ice cream, games – the whole shebang.
I recall one particular trip, my big brother was even more annoying than usual with his pranks. As time passed by that day, in a moment of playfulness, I hatched a master-plan. Along the beachfront, I went hunting for a starfish (he didn’t like them). After finding one, I searched for my brother. I managed to sneak up on him, starfish in hand, yet at the last moment, he saw me coming and he took off! I took aim and threw the starfish at my brother. And then, the moment of real joy, with its strong glue like suction pads it fastened itself to my brothers back! The terror on my brothers face was a delight to behold!!
The moral of the story, well that’s debatable! I’m sure you’ll find your own. For me, sometimes its best to reprove with sharpness and show an increase of love afterwards! ๐Ÿ˜
What is your favourite prank?

Its time to laugh!

/in /by

Sometimes when it gets really tough, perhaps in a challenging situation or conversation, the best remedy is simply to add in a touch of humour and laugh!

A guest speaker at a Yale University devotional took as his text the four letters ‘Y-A-L-E.’

“Y” he said “means youth” and he talked about that for 15 minutes.

“A” he continued, “stands for ambition” and that took another 15 minutes.

“L is for life,” another 15 minutes.

“E is for enthusiasm”… another 15 minutes to fill the hour.

As soon as the lecture was finished the students rushed to their classes as fast as they could go, all except one.

She knelt, apparently in prayer.

The speaker was deeply touched that he had so influenced at least one listener. He went down into the seats, touched the student on the shoulder and enquired why she was praying so earnestly. She lifted her face and said “I’m giving thanks that this is not the Massachusetts Institute of Technology!” ๐Ÿ˜…

If it’s a tough day ahead don’t forget to stop and have some fun too! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Under pressure?

/in /by

When under ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž, I think I am a little strange, I seem to actually enjoy it! Is there something weird going on in my head?

Everyone has to deal with pressure, personally and professionally. Recently I have witnessed a surge in my workload. New clients bring their hopes, expectations and demands all at the same time! And yet, I actually love it! Maybe I am just downright weird?! Admittedly, as the years are passing by, I do get a little more tired and I am prone to nod off every now and again!

Over the years, I’ve learned a few lessons about dealing with pressure. I’d like to share my top tips.

– Have fun, be creative and take control.
– The imagined catastrophe in your head – never happens!
– Break tasks down and focus on one thing at a time.
– Slow down.
– Simplify, simplify, oh and yes – simplify!

Lastly, look after yourself. Spend time with family and friends, eat fresh healthy food (most of the time!), drink lots of water, sleep, take breaks, set aside time for exercise, go for walks and breathe the fresh air. Be spontaneous!

Like you, I am still learning, the key is to enjoy the journey and find happiness along the way.

Look out for the pressure rising again, just remember who you are and take control!