Tag Archives: fulfilling work

Have you noticed how much the world is changing for the better?

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My daughter woke at 3:30am so my head is a bit cloudy. In addition to a lack of sleep I feel as if I have too much swirling around in my head. I just finished Anthony Peake’s latest book that discusses the most up-to-date theories on consciousness. The ‘Many Worlds’ theory freaks me out, but that’s what most scientists (including Hawkins) believe in.  The theory states that every time you make a decision a separate ‘you’ breaks off into a parallel universe. There’s lots more about the theory than that…but that alone is enough to make my head spin.

I’ve also been researching Homeopathy to help my daughter’s persistent cold and teething issues. I’m not going to go down the route of giving her antibiotics.  Did you know that when antibiotics first came out they were only prescribed as an absolute necessity…Now days you can get them with a simple phone call to your doctor!

Anyway..from a ‘keeping busy’ perspective, I’m trying to tie off all lose ends with officially leaving my employment at my companies in addition to writing this blog, updating my spa treatments website/experiment, helping mom with her Souper Spices company and creating a full-blown product based company website for a friend. In the back of my head is always, ‘What’s next for Kim?’

On a daily basis I’m getting offers to start up new companies, partner in existing organisations, consultancy work, writing work, become a speaker/presenter, and on and on. Many people seem to want what I have to offer…but I’m not sure what I really have to offer.

Oh yeah – that brings me onto my whole ‘sorting out my childhood’ experience. That’s still going on and will probably go on for a while (hopefully not the rest of my life!).  Last week was my most difficult session – I wrote an article on it relating to issues with intimacy (read article here).

I suppose I’m not one to sit back.  Heck, I had a baby and moved house in the same month so if I could handle that, I can handle anything.

I feel that I just need to trust the process and when the time is right something will happen and I’ll know that the time has come to focus my efforts in a particular direction. Right – enough about me…Onto my topic for today:

Have you noticed how much the world is changing for the better?

The one thing that really excites me currently is that I can see the world changing for the better.  Business models, sustainability, holistic care, and even new financial models are being discussed and rolled out.

Emerging companies are setting up models where profit is shared amongst all staff members rather than gobbled up by the owners/top mangers.  Companies are starting to realise that employee’s want to work…they want to be creative…they want to share…and they want to be a part of something larger.  (Of course they do!) Creativity and innovation will be the mark of a successful organisation – and to have creativity and innovation you need a happy team! (Read my article on the future of the workplace for more about this topic).

From a sustainability and green perspective I smiled massively when I heard about ‘Permaculture.’ And I smiled even more when I discovered that it’s growing globally.  If you haven’t heard of this yet, I’ve taken the following from the UK Permaculture Association website:

The word ‘permaculture’ comes from ‘permanent agriculture‘ and ‘permanent culture‘ – it is about living lightly on the planet, and making sure that we can sustain human activities for many generations to come, in harmony with nature. Permanence is not about everything staying the same. Its about stability, about deepening soils and cleaner water, thriving communities in self-reliant regions, biodiverse agriculture and social justice, peace and abundance. (source: http://www.permaculture.org.uk/knowledge-base/basics)

So…it’s not just about recycling or cutting down on our carbon footprint – it’s about designing our living space to work with (and enhance) the world around us.  On top of that throw in some peace and abundance!  It almost sounds too good to be true and it probably is for now, but the cool thing is that we’re aiming for it.  The human race is really starting to work together to make everything about life better and better.  Rather than storing up Nukes, we’re going to plant sustainable local crops – wooo wooo. (I’m going to be a hippie if I don’t watch out…)

As a side note…I’ve read that scientists are on the cusp of developing a way to harness dark matter.  I think it’s called dark matter – I just write off the top of my head, so correct me if I’m wrong.  Anyway, the stuff that is all around us is actually not empty.  It’s full of energy and scientist will soon harness the stuff and turn it into an energy source.  Goodbye oil issues!

As for the medical world many people think it’s getting worse but I see a light and that light is growing stronger and stronger.  Complementary therapies, and even the mainstream scientist, are offering ways to look at the body, mind and soul holistically rather than just looking at the symptoms.  Scientist are discovering ways to help people to heal themselves.  Preventative care, energy medicine, stress management and life balance will be the norm for the future. I’ve even read an excellent book about the biology of beliefs – it’s all fascinating stuff.

From a financial perspective, universities are creating think-tanks to discuss completely new financial systems. Innovative individuals are setting up ‘Time Banks’.  A time bank is where you offer your time in return for someone else’s.  If you’re a solicitor you can offer a few hours to one person and then use a few hours of that person’s talent/professional service or someone else in the Time Bank.  Talk about changing the financial system – if Time Banks take off there will be no need for money. It makes me chuckle when I think of a world of Time Banking – what about paying taxes? A friend mentioned earlier this week that Time Banking would eradicate quite a few tax liabilities.

Actually…if the government was part of the Time Banking system, perhaps the way that taxes could be collected would be through each of us giving X amount of time per year to helping the government succeed.  With a system like that everyone would be ‘forced’ (in a good way) to make sure that they’re putting in time to enhance the local and national programmes. Hmmmm.

Anyway…

And let’s not ignore the Arab Spring and other uprisings around the world. People have had enough dictatorship, poor leadership, suppression and crap living arrangements.  It’s time that we send the old school rulers to some desolate island (like they did with the lepers) and get on with creating a better world.  A world where we’re at peace working together to make sure we all can eat, thrive and enjoy life.

As a result of all these changes I can see that a sense of community will be coming back. Especially with Permaculture…we’ll need to gather in groups to discuss how we can take things forward to a better future.  What a great reason to bring back a sense of community. It’s much better than having a war to bring back the sense of closeness!

Everything I keep coming across points to a new world – a world where people can be happy and healthy from a mental, emotional, environmental and physical perspective.  Imagine doing the work you love, enjoying your family and friends, contributing to make the world a better place and feeling great about yourself. Yes please!

Right – if my writings interest you, please leave your email address on my website (top right-hand corner below the picture) and every time I write something I’ll email it to you.

Big smiles, Kim

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Learn how to stay calm, composed and maintain a positive attitude in today’s tough environment

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Avoid Negative Work Environment

Beware of the “dog eat dog” environment where everyone is fighting to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. You’ll find yourself working harder and longer only to be undervalued.  Stay away from this kind of environment as it will ruin your self-esteem. If you’re currently working in a negative work environment make plans to change jobs as soon as possible.  The longer you stay in a negative environment the worse you’re going to feel. There are plenty of employment opportunities where you will be valued…

Avoid Negative People

Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, people who are patronising… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self-esteem, as well as to darken your positive attitude.  If you feel worse after being around someone then make a clear decision to avoid them from now on!

Accept Change

Changes challenge our paradigms. They tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for a while, and they may cause stress but it will help us find ways to improve our selves. Keep in mind that during all changes things are only temporary – have confidence that life is taking you where you need to go!

Don’t Let Past Experiences Bog You Down

It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.  As the guru’s say, ‘there is no such thing as failure – only feedback!’

If You Have A Negative World View Get Rid Of It

Look at what you’re paying attention to. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building a positive attitude, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations. Rather than see the litter on the street, look at the 99% of the area that has no littler. Rather than watch the nasty man that is being rude, look at the 99% of people that are smiling and helpful!  You don’t have to focus on the negative – you have a choice on what you look at.

Determination Theory

The way you are and your behavioral traits is said to be a mixed end product of your inherited traits, your upbringing, and your environmental surroundings such as your spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.

Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building a positive attitude and drawing lines for your improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent.

Enjoying the journey will lead to a more positive life if we become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. It’s like a flame that should gradually spread like a brush fire from inside and out. When we develop a positive frame of mind, we take control of our mission, values and discipline….and that will enable us to enjoy our passage more and more.

Amen. x

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Enjoying my ‘work’ journey – I’ve decided what I’m not going to do!

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As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m interested in planning my life in a way that enables me to better enjoy the journey.  Things are going great with my family and social life…and I’m happy to announce that my ‘me’ time is excellent. I’m even sorting out my ‘inner child’! The one area, however, that I need to contemplate is my work life.  I’ve been giving this great consideration and I’ve been analysing what I don’t want.

In the past, one of the largest issues I’ve come up against is having to convince people that I know what I’m talking about.  Or…shall I say that my issue is having to educate people about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing (over and over again).

For example, thousands of studies and tests have shown that more often than not, long sales copy outperforms short sales copy (on a website).  In other words, if you have a website, you’re more likely to convert a viewer to purchase if you present a full (long) sales page and the length of the page doesn’t matter.

What matters is demonstrating that you can solve the viewer’s problem. 

You do this by highlighting the problem, explaining how horrible it is, explaining that you have the solution, outlining the benefits and then answering any questions and listing the features.  It’s good to throw in social proof (testimonials) and use some urgency tactics (order now before it’s too late)… but selling anything on the web is the same as selling over the phone or in person…You don’t get a telemarketer or sales clerk using a short sales pitch – do you? They use as long of a pitch that is necessary to sell their service/product!

Imagine someone trying to sell to you using only a paragraph or two of words?

Anyway, it’s good to test what works best.  The best way to do this is to create a page that has a tiny bit of text and then create another page that has loads of text.  There is software out there that will rotate the pages and after a bit of traffic comes to your site you can see for yourself what works best. But even after I’ve tested and proved that the longer text gets more conversions (to sales), I still get people coming back to me saying, “I think we should shorten the text!’

Anyhooooo, where am I going with this?  Well – what irritates the heck out of me is that quite a few things that work well (in marketing/lead generation) don’t look that great.  Having a page that scrolls for ages doesn’t look very good and most company owners think they need short, concise text that doesn’t scroll at all.  This is a massive mistake.

Also…many MD’s/company owners think that they need their logo big and in your face.  They think they need some catchy quotation application or flash game or whatever.  If a company is trying to generate leads or get business they must look at their site as a tool.  And when using that tool there are very specific things that you can do to generate leads.  Sadly, most MD’s/company owners are more concerned with the colour scheme or what looks best rather that what works.

So…I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever I do next is not going to involve me doing any sort of consultancy.  Enjoying my journey is about me doing what I know works and letting me get on with it.  End of story!

Therefore I’ve been contemplating a variety of options.  I could sell or create my own products.  I could become an affiliate of a company and set up marketing on my own terms (and just take a commission).  I could set up lead generation systems for an industry sector, get it working and then sell the system to the highest bidder…  Lots of opportunities!  I’m going to have to mull over this for a while me thinks, but at least I’m starting to narrow things down to the extent of what I don’t want to do!

Okay – rant over.  Thanks for listening.

Smiles, x

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The future workplace looks freaking awesome – are you ready for it?

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Last week I was invited to a series of talks put on by The Stress Management Society. The day was all about taking companies and individuals from stress to de-stress.

I envisioned hearing the usual stuff… like offering a gym membership, buying fruit, making sure that employees take time off when they’re sick and so forth.   Well…I was pleasantly surprised because the talks were far more enlightening than I expected.  After leaving I felt that the future workplace is destine to be far better than it has been in the past.

Overall, the people that presented explained that the top companies are now looking at employees as a whole – not just their work life.  Organisations like Google, FaceBook and Apple want employees to enjoy work, feel healthy and have a great home life.  One company offers flexible hours – work any 40 hours you want during the week.   Google has several ways for employees to burn off steam – they have something like 15 outdoor volleyball courts at the GooglePlex.

The best companies of the future will be ones that really care about the people – not just in their work hours, but also their outside life.

When I heard this I thought that it sounded not only logical…but the only true way to ensure bigger, brighter, more innovative companies.  With the Internet forcing prices to become standardised across brands, companies are going to have to survive through innovation and creativity.  And if you want creativity, you need people that are able to function to the best of their ability…that means that they need to have a clear mind, good stress, healthy bodies and a balance between work, home and ‘me’ time.  They need to be happy, empowered and eager to go to work…

Organisations that carry on thinking they can crack the whip, cajole people into working more than 40 hours/week, apply unhealthy competitive pressures and make people feel so bad that they come in when they’re sick are going to fall into decline.

I imagine the history books will note that in the 1990’s / early 2000’s the work ethic started to change.  The dictatorial MD would slowly be forced out to be replaced by inspirational leaders advocating work-home balance schemes and green initiatives.  Not only is it about making the lives of employees better but also looking after the world too!

Getting down to the individual level, the company ‘Inside 80’ presented a very compelling solution to declining energy levels. The presenter explained that over the course of a day/week/month/year we go through natural periods of work and recovery.  For example, during the course of the day you’ll work for a bit and then take a break (perhaps get up for a stretch) and then you’ll work some more and then take lunch and so forth.

The presenter explained that most of us fail to recover as much as we need to before going back into work mode.  And since we’re not recovering, our ability to work becomes more and more impaired.  By the end of the day, we’re exhausted rather than empowered.  (I know that feeling!!!!)

In contrast, when looking at how athletes train, we can learn a lot – they work at managing their energy.  They work to a peak and then take a well thought out rest and then work again to a peak and on it goes.

Visually, an athlete is on a trend where their energy goes up…they’re always getting better and better.  People like us (workers) are on a trend that goes down…we’re always burning the candle for too long and collapsing in exhaustion – either at the end of the day or when we finally take a holiday.

Inside 80 work with people to put them on a routine that is similar to an athlete – they figure out how long you should work (for example, short bursts of 20 minutes or long durations of 3 hours) and then work with you to determine what you need to do for the relaxation bit of your day/week/month/year.

It could be as simple as taking more breaks – just getting up to get a glass of water more often…or phoning someone that gives you energy.

Each person works to a different pace and once you know how you work best, you can ensure you recover in a way that gives you more and more energy…so that by the end of the day you’re not too tired to play with the kids or take your partner out for a nice meal.

Sounds great to me!  Since hearing the talk I’ve made a mental note about what gives me energy (drinking water, eating good food, talking to a friend, doing yoga, mediation, taking a walk, etc) and I’m adding more and more of them to my daily routine.  I’ve also stopped sitting at the computer when I’m tired or ineffective. Making these changes has increased my energy massively!

Give it a go – start listening to your body and take more breaks!  When you do take breaks, do things that give you energy…

If you want more information on Inside 80, check them out at: http://www.inside80.co.uk

The Stress Management Society has some cool tests you can take and some good information on the site.  Check them out at:  http://www.stress.org.uk/

Right – that’s it for me today.  Remember – if you want to get my updates in your inbox, simply leave your email address on the form to the right (and up).  Every time I write something you’ll get a little notification letting you know.

Until next time, I hope you are enjoying your journey.

x

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I found the best book about how to do what you love and get paid for it!

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A book review on ‘Screw Work Let’s Play,’ by John Williams

Being a bookaholic it takes quite a bit for me to really rave about a book.  Not only do I think this book is amazing, I’ve already purchased a copy for a few friends and had it sent to them by Amazon.

If you are in a job you don’t really like OR run/manage a business where you’ve lost your passion, this really is a must read.

I don’t think that I can describe what makes it so fantastic – and I don’t want to come across as a cheese ball, but the author must have written this book from his heart.  Every word, sentence, paragraph and chapter seems to fit perfectly.

The great thing is that it’s written with a unique perspective – there’s loads of references to other people following their heart but the content, for once, doesn’t seem like a regurgitation of something else.

An issue I’ve had for years is that I know that I can do anything I want…but what the heck do I want?  John starts the reader off with an outline on how to work out what you really really want.  Most authors seem to assume that the reader knows that they are passionate about… that the reader has a clue about what they’re really good at and would enjoy doing.

The generations before me (and mine) were told that work is hard…and if you’re not miserable doing what you’re doing, you’re not really working.  And if you’re not really working you don’t deserve to get paid.  I don’t know where it came from or why it exists but things that come natural to us are pushed down and we’re told to ‘live in the real world’.  It’s nuts.

Anyway – if you can’t remember what you’re passionate about or what your next step in life should be, I totally urge you to get this book.  It will help you to realise what direction you might want to head in.

And if you do have the luxury of knowing where you’re your talents and passion lay, this book is still worth reading as it tells you how to take that passion and make money from it!

The author also discusses what to do next, how to get stared, how to guarantee success and then he brings together what you’re passionate about and how you can get paid to be passionate!  Woooo woo!  The book also includes practical information on getting your passion out there – sales and marketing.  It’s all good.

Seriously…if you need a kick in the butt to get you to enjoy your journey, get this book.  I promise you’ll get a return on your money (and time) invested.

 

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It’s okay to be a starter and not a finisher

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I’m not sure if you’re like me, but I love to learn new things and sometimes I start something and don’t really want to finish it.  Heck, I need to be honest with myself – I love to start things but finishing them causes me misery.  And what I mean by finishing…is to use or carry on using a new idea, skill, etc.  (Read on as it will make more sense below)

As a kid I was criticized by my family about my inability to want to stick to something.  I’d learn knitting and would knit one slipper and then never want to knit again. It’s not like I was going to wear them!

I learned how to crochet, quilt, make a teddy bear, sew an outfit and on and on.  I’d learn what I needed to know, then I’d make something and once I totally grasped the main idea I felt I could move on.  Once I made something (or even a part of something – like one slipper) I really didn’t want to do it again… It’s as if I just wanted to understand how something works and once that craving was satisfied I needed to find something else.

My behaviour followed on with work.  I’d join a company, learn everything I possibly could…and I’d like to believe that I made a difference and then once the challenge was gone, I moved on.  I’ve had over 35 jobs in my life – waitressing, telemarketing, cashier, sales clerk, manager, director, managing director.  I’ve worked in fashion, IT, finance, publishing, auto parts, basement waterproofing, hoovers, accounting, consultancy, property, web design, ice cream cones, and the list goes on…

Sadly – I did this with boyfriends too, but we won’t go there! (Hubby has been around for 13 years now so I’m proud to announce that I have the ability to stick with my happy marriage!).

Anyway…I’ve recently realised that I’ve always had an immense desire to learn and grow – I like new challenges and I absolutely love to learn something, give it a go and then move on.  So – what’s the problem with that?  Well…there’s not job that will allow for that kind of behaviour.  Nor is there a traditional business that would operate on me being a starter and not someone that wants to carry on for the rest of my life… The idea of a career freaks me out – I’ve always wanted to learn whatever it is that interests me – whether it’s astronomy, reiki, spa treatments, internet marketing or astral projection (whatever that is)!

And because of my thirst to learn new things and experience new experiences I was told that:

- You’ll never be happy

- You’ll never settle

- You’ll never get anywhere

- You’ll never stick with anything long enough to make it work

Well…I proved them wrong.  With my last companies I stuck it out for 8 years – and boy, the last few years were long, boring and very frustrating, to say the least.  I forced myself to be someone I’m not and that’s never a good idea. Hindsight really annoys me sometimes!

So – does this mean that there’s no hope for people like me (and perhaps – you)?

I think not…I’ve discovered that:

- There are tonnes of starters out there and they are usually artists, journalists and/or entrepreneurs (and I’m sure there are starters in every profession)

- Those that know they’re starters can play to that strength and focus on projects rather than jobs/building businesses

- As long as starters know who they are, they can create projects and even businesses that allow them to constantly learn, grow and expand

The key wisdom here is that it’s totally possible to be a successful starter

Half the battle is to simply realise that you are, indeed, a starter.  The other half is to figure out what your next passion is and apply some commercial sense to it so that you can make money by learning, growing and experiencing!

This has been a total light bulb moment for me.  Not only have I realised who I am but I now know that it’s okay to be who I am (yippie)…and what’s even better is that this new knowledge will allow me to happily create a future doing what I want.

Lately I feel as if everything I learned when I was younger needs to be tossed out the window.  Life isn’t about working on your weaknesses – it’s all about doing what you’re good at and outsourcing your weaknesses!  Life isn’t about being someone your not…It’s about being YOU.

Hey-ho…with all this new knowledge I’m going to start a new project.  Let me get it up and running and then I’ll tell you what I’ve done!

Have a great day and enjoy your journey…if you don’t no one is going to do it for you.

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Finding a new journey that’s right!

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After spending 7 years concentrating on my businesses it’s weird to suddenly not have to think about them.  I must have spent 75% of my time considering human resources, legalities, marketing, operations, new partners, office politics, meetings and on and on.

What do I think about now?

I have this desire to jump into a work opportunity – any opportunity – just so that I simply have something solid to think about.  My website (www.EnjoyingTheJourney.co.uk) is great and I’m happy to write daily about my findings…but it’s so abstract and foreign.  I am finding that I actually like problems to solve.  I like to be busy.  I like something recognisable for my brain to work on.  It seems to be more comfortable to be busy and not-so-happy than the other way around.

But does busyness equate to fulfilment?  I’m sure the answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’.  It depends on what you’re filling your time with and whether or not it feels good.  I now have this massive hole in my thinking and my first reaction is to find something to fill it with!

Well…aside from helping a few friends with their companies and doing a wee bit of consulting, I’m not going to rush into any full-time opportunity.  And I’m not going to create another company just because I know how.  This new journey needs to be right.  It needs to be inspiring and I need to really think about what I like in addition to ensuring there’s enough variety to keep me interested.

Yikes!

Recently, I spent time doing a few new vision boards outlining how I want to feel and what I’d like to spend my time doing.  As for what to do with my time, I wrote down that I want to spend my days creating, writing, meeting similar people, growing something bigger than me, and feeling that I’m serving a purpose.  I’m not sure what form my desires will take – will it be a new business or perhaps just a portfolio of things to spend my time on?

Oh Kim…you need to have some patience and chill out.  The answers will come.

It’s just that I feel I have so much to give but I don’t know what outlet to express my gifts through.  Do you feel the same?  Or perhaps you went through a transition like this and made it to the other side.  Any help or direction would be appreciated!

I’m almost finished with reading the book, “The Business You Were Born To Create,” by Nick Williams.  All I can say is that I asked the universe for some help and this book has been an answer to my request.  It’s all about doing what you love in addition to creating a world that is authentic, ethical, enjoyable, inspiring, fair and fun.  I totally feel the world is changing for the better…and the fact that Nick Williams could write a book like this proves it.

Anyhooo, I have a section on EnjoyingTheJourney.co.uk for book reviews so once I finish it, I’ll write up a review so that you can determine if it’s something that can help your journey too!

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