In my immediate circle I am so fortunate to have talented professionals that are happy to part with knowledge and experience. Some may call this skill-swapping. My fabulous life coach pal Lorna Chiverton-Hunt (Time 4 You Coaching) and I try to meet once a month to chew the cud and impart of challenges we have overcome and still managed to meet clients’ evolving needs..and keep our sanity.

There are those that believe in not giving time or advice freely! While knowledge is power….  sharing is fun and longer term more productive in building business partnerships that last.

Like a lot of my fellow writers my projects or ‘my babies’ are on-going, being researched, being developed and more often than not being slightly neglected. It’s all about timing and life tends to get in the way…or does it?

Last year I took four counselling courses and read, and I read. Aside of the learning and being motivated by other writers telling their stories I have gathered a mass of material within my course work, exams and copious note taking attending lectures.

Apart from self-development, and adding credence to my writing I feel far more focused to channel my energies into producing hopefully what will be a series of books to help others. My advice now is not to give up but follow your dreams however long it takes.

Just read an interesting piece on collaboration in the class room.

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/industry-expert-articles/item/1351-eight-ways-to-assess-your-collaborative-learning-tasks.

Choosing your university is an exciting if not daunting process for students as is writing the type of personal statement to get that all important offer!  Innovate My School’s website is a brilliant procurement tool for anyone within the education sector. Please see my advice on personal statements

We are never too old to learn and update that life CV. I recommend having a study buddy though to share both the successes and stresses. Please read my recent article on Work Your Way’s website and be inspired!!

http://www.workyourway.co.uk/love-becoming-mature-student.

** Please visit my website http://www.anniemanning.com for further info and testimonials.

Hi fellow bloggers, I have recently been working alongside an innovative consultant who runs problem solving and idea generation workshops. Shelford Chandler, M.D. of Giant Steps has reminded me how valuable working collaboratively can be. Whilst we come from sightly different backgrounds we arrive at the same conclusions about innovation and customer engagement. He has also encouraged me to be more curious in my every day approach. See my article on Work Your Way’s Website.

http://linkis.com/workyourway.co.uk/aMYvA

Hello fellow writers and bloggers. At last I am blogging!! Instead of saving all my thoughts and rantings for my book on bereavement  ‘Dancing in my Dreams’ and my assignments and exams for various counselling courses -I am sharing. Writing is of course therapeutic but as I have quoted in my Spiritual Healing Exam I see my writing and sharing of experiences as distant healing.

 

Surviving bereavement is an on-going journey and not an overnight success -don’t let anybody tell you ‘you should be over it by now’ . We keep our loved ones alive in our hearts and it’s always been best to cry and best to talk about the deceased the body is like a balloon and that suppressed grief and stress has to go somewhere.

As part of my own self development I have read some truly amazing works this year and currently reading  ‘It’s not raining daddy it’s happy‘ by Benjamin Brooks-Dutton and anybody either studying counselling or recently bereaved should read this beautiful and honest book. It is an account of a young widower’s journey through bereavement and a father’s love and ability to channel his own grief into helping others.

I can also recommend ‘Proof of Heaven’ by Dr Eben Alexander which will certainly get the old grey matter working. Written by a man of science who personally experiences a near death experience turning his own prior beliefs in a different direction.

Please don’t tell me you don’t have time to read or write it’s as vital as breathing and eating chocolate.

Be healthy, be happy live one day at a time and really make it count.

 

Annie