female education

MINDFULNESS

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Being mindful helps us to keep things in perspective and our emotions under control.It is very easy to allow stress to overtake our usual reasoning.

By taking a day at a time and enjoying that day for what it is rather than worrying about the things that may or not even happen tomorrow enables us to lead a far more healthier and positive life.

Too often I talk to colleagues as they approach an important event or something which they have been working towards i.e. giving a presentation or sitting exams and suddenly it all seems so daunting.

The reality being what we tell ourselves we sadly listen to. So the thought for today is to tell yourself you can succeed and not only that you are going to enjoy doing so. Stress…what stress?

I will leave you with one of my Grandmother’s favourite sayings:-

‘If things don’t alter they stay as they are!’

Global Woman Summit 2016

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This weekend I attended the Global Woman Summit with my good friend and journalist Deborah Durbin.  As VIP guests we were treated with great hospitality from the Global Woman team and of course their founder and Editor Mirela Sula who had provided the delegates with an interesting mix of speakers.

Mirela is proactive in encouraging passion and empowerment of women and embracing working together for the greater good. She made every effort to speak personally to the members of the audience and genuinely believes in the value of spirituality.

I found many of the talks quite inspiring but by far the best was the keynote speaker Dr Evin Laszlo a scientist, humanist an amazing author and an ethics prize winner. He applied the theory of quantum physics to how the world needs to change and the place of the cosmic woman (the essence of the summit) in that change.  I could have listened to this brilliant man all day…here are a few gems from my pages of notes:-

He discussed how the system needs to change to gain sustainability, we cannot stay put, or go back but we must go forward and innovate. How it was vital that we regain our coherence with each other. Question: Who best to do that?…Answer: Women!

He feels the next stage of humanity and unconditional love will be through the age of leadership by women. This will be achieved by bringing family and feminine values into the world. He feels that there is no need to conquer but to create oneness.

Dr Laszlo calls the spirit of women the new paradigm.

I will be posting more comments throughout the week to share my experience and words of wisdom from the speakers with my followers.

Have a positive Monday fellow female bloggers and writers

 

 

Meeting our dreams head on

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Last week I had the privilege of minding my great nephew who is a joy. During our fun time he asked if I was the wishing tree. Good question. He then asked me what I would wish for. Keeping it child friendly my list included, a giant bar of chocolate, the biggest ice cream in the world and my own animal zoo. This was met with great laughter. Seriously, there are not many things I wish for aside of good health for me and mine. I am fully aware money doesn’t in itself bring happiness but it would enable me to have that zoo.

In life it is very hard to focus and remain positive when trying to pursue our own dreams whilst, keeping a home running, supporting our children, extended family and friends, running a business and sometimes receiving a rejection no when maybe we want to hear a ‘yes’.

Even the most positive of characters are allowed to feel down sometimes. I have to confess for me today was one of those rare times. I have just made a cup of coffee, eaten a few squares from a not so giant bar of chocolate and reminded myself to feel grateful.

However, I am a grateful person and try where possible to help people if not with practical help of a physical nature I certainly do spiritually,supporting my friends, sharing advice and hopefully through my writing.

I can hear the voice of a good friend who will remind me the latest ‘no‘ was not God’s plan.. Don’t you think it would be good if we could take a sneaky look at that plan and therefore avoid time wasting exercises? and…SMILE!

I have a really brilliant weekend planned with a great friend, perfect timing. Off to a Global Women’s event to re-feed my spiritual self and hear from and be inspired by talented speakers.

Blog done now to finish that bar of chocolate and re-focus on my dreams.

 

Acknowledging loss

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Today I am saluting H.R.H. Prince Harry for his candidness in sharing with others how he feels about the loss of his own mother. From what was shown on news reports yesterday he encouraged children who had lost their own parent to believe they will grow up normal.

Having lost a parent myself at a very early age I can say it is a tragic experience and in my day people were even less comfortable (if that’s possible) in talking about somebody that has died. To a child without the vocabulary to express their own feelings this makes life even more difficult.

One of my biggest bug bearers had always been that in not acknowledging somebody’s existence you are preventing them from grieving naturally especially a child. If anything when somebody loses a parent when they are young they never had the opportunity to get to know them so in denying their existence you are denying the bereaved that too.

My advice is to talk about their parent and share good experiences and allow them to keep their parent alive in their heart and in their memories, as my own Mother used to say ‘memories live longer than dreams’.

The few memories I have of my own father I cherish and I guess my love of music stemmed from listening to him and our Mother enjoying their record collection when we had gone to bed.

I hope to have my own story  ‘Dancing in my Dreams’ published soon.

Encouraging optimism

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Over the years I have had many a debate with colleagues about my optimistic nature and attitude towards life but I don’t know any other better way do you?

An ex-boyfriend who I sometimes accused of being negative if he threw too much water on my latest dream….would correct me and say he was just a realist.  However, on the other hand he so often congratulated me recognising that I was a great ideas person. He stood back in amazement at how in no time whatsoever I would be talking about a project and then doing it. I guess that can also be described as an ‘I can do’ ethos, maybe a  passion in believing in myself and my abilities to succeed. Then again others would say sounds like sheer madness.

Having said all this, I used to work within a legal environment so I also come from a position of preventative rather than cure… so what may appear to some as an instant decision, I will have been planning for some time and have really agonised about the risks.

So I believe what I am saying is we creative types are not completely crazy you know and more often than not our ideas do come to fruition and often help others in the process.

In life we have to sometimes just run with things and hope beyond even our own wildest dreams that things will work out. If we don’t at least try how will we ever know our own limitations? Being curious is what keeps us interesting after all isn’t it?

I strongly believe that things that are meant to be will be, however we can help our destiny along by being proactive and optimistic rather than sitting around waiting for life to happen and complaining when it doesn’t.

Life is… Absolutely Fabulous

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Life is as good as you make it according to my amazing mother and mentor. It is of course absolutely fabulous to those of a positive nature but not so good for those that struggle with depression.

I had a very interesting chat with a psychology student yesterday who had completed her first year and discussed with me the effects that having a mental illness has. She used a great example of how when one has a broken leg everyone can see the problem and how a child may be given longer to get around the school premises. However, a student that may be suffering from anxiety and feeling intimidated in a busy school environment will not be afforded such concessions.

I also remember my daughter coming home from school with the famous ‘plant drawing’ showing visibly what we see above and what is hidden below the surface. Reminding us all and, simply so, that people may be suffering in silence.

Thankfully mental illness and depression have started to get more media coverage and awareness.

The best any of us can do is to ask how somebody is and bear in mind things may actually  not be ‘fine’. Generally we know our friends and family well albeit many people are good at hiding their feelings…if you think something may be troubling them offer the opportunity to talk and share.

If you could do with a giggle and a lift of spirits you could do a lot worse than see the new Ab Fab film..we all are guilty of taking life too seriously and as my mentor used to say:-.

‘A laugh is as good as a tonic’  (without the Gin)

There was a great line delivered by Jennifer Saunder’s character who referred to be ‘doing mindlessness’  Brilliant!

 

 

Combating stress

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Throughout our lives we will meet stress head on and often without much notice. However, there are things in life which we do get an opportunity to prepare for and to help us keep stress levels down and sanity in tact.

I am surrounded by friends with children sitting exams and it is a very stressful time for students. Often those students who have a goal in life and their career options chosen apply so much self-inflicted pressure to do well. Whereas the student who may not know what they really want to do will appear to sail through their exams and many without a lot of revision…according to their parents.

However, there are things that can be done to help our children during these times by encouraging exercise and pleasure activities alongside. Even those mums that do yoga themselves could do a lot worse than teach their children simple breathing and relaxing techniques.

I know many exams are now drawing to a close this week but for the students the stress isn’t over as they tend to worry all summer until the results are announced. As I was discussing today with a colleague often what may appear a reluctant second choice may  turn out a better option. Indeed I remember blogging this concept last August with so many students  having to have remarks, but aside of the results many lost their first/preferred university options and were having to consider alternatives via clearing..for many this wasn’t the end of the world as they feared…it was a better option far beyond their imagination.

We know that worrying about things won’t change them and as parents we really feel for our children during exam period and the ultimate results day. Stay positive and open minded and try not to make yourself stressed worrying for them!

 

Friendships

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I hope I never take my close friends for granted and I try to be grateful on a regular basis. It is no secret that appreciating what we have in terms of valued friendships is what real worth is about.

Nothing better than having a brunch with a study buddy who ‘gets you’ and is as passionate about your ambitions and achievements as you are…that’s true friendship.

What a fab start to the week not one but two sessions with like-minded people. Salad dinner out with another over-achiever who understands the desire to continually self develop and learn more.

Life is good if you allow it to be and invest in your own life and your friendships.

The mind, as I often say is a brilliant piece of kit if we just take time to learn how it works and what it can do!

Thank God for fellow mature students!

Don’t worry

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For those of you worrying today a few statistics taken from one of my articles:-

40% Will never ever happen

30% Related to past events

12% Health issues which are unfounded

10% Tiny things too petty to even give mind space to

4% Matters which are really out of our control (somebody else’s)

Those of you reaching for your calculator…I make that a grand total of 96%

So let’s identify that remaining 4%!! Or have I covered it above?

Time for a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive (plain chocolate of course much healthier)

Now plan exciting things to do with your time instead of worrying unnecessarily.

 

Don’t worry be happy.