Any Women (or Men!) who need some inspiration, check...
It is full of interesting sound bites / video clips of some of the most influential women in history. My only question is when are they going to expand the scope to "Women Who Make the World"!?
Monday 31 March 2014
Sunday 30 March 2014
100 Happy Days
Check out this initiative:
Basically, the idea is to take a photo of something that makes you happy every day.
It is widely acknowledged that appreciating what you have is one of the key factors in being happy, and what better way to start encouraging yourself to look out for the good things in your life than this!
People who have done the challenge have noticed that they find they are in a better mood everyday, start noticing the things that make them happy and receive more compliments for the people around them!!
I am certainly going to give it a shot :)
Saturday 29 March 2014
The Power of Play - Portia Tung
Take a look at this presentation - it is about the importance of play and may have you changing your daily routine to include a play break for you as well as your kids!
If you want a good excuse to play, or instead want to release extra productivity, concentration and innovation, then you will find your answer there.
If you want a good excuse to play, or instead want to release extra productivity, concentration and innovation, then you will find your answer there.
Friday 28 March 2014
Thursday 27 March 2014
Unique London - Part 1
I have just been doing some investigating into what to do in London over the weekend. I have now lived in central London for over 4 years, have done most of the typical typical tourist things but feel I am missing out on some of the slightly less obvious attractions. Here are some things that have inspired me during my investigations that I am eager to visit:
1. Speakers' Corner - situated in the North East corner of Hyde Park anyone can bring a soap box, pitch up and speak on any subject they like. I am excited to go and hear some speakers, before maybe one weekend turning up to speak!
2. Postman's Park - located near St Paul's Cathedral, this walled garden is home to over 100 plaques in memorial to people who lost their lives whilst trying to save another. Looking forward to feeling humbled as I read these amazing tales of heroism.
3. Monument - Climb the monument to the Great Fire of London - it is over 62 metres tall and marks the place where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. What an interesting perspective of London you would get from the top of this historic landmark, that is now towered over by the likes of the Shard, the Gherkin, Tower 42 and Heron Towers.
More to follow later....
Wednesday 26 March 2014
Video Pick: We're all Hiding Something, Let's find the Courage to Open Up - Ash Beckham
I really enjoyed this TED talk, Ash is a great storyteller. Also love the uplifting reassuring message - this will make you smile :)
Tuesday 25 March 2014
Girl Rising - a global campaign for girls’ education
For international women's day my company screened the film 'Girl Rising' - hard hitting, interesting and educational, definitely worth watching.
"Girl Rising journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world. Viewers get to know nine unforgettable girls living in the developing world: ordinary girls who confront tremendous challenges and overcome nearly impossible odds to pursue their dreams."
- girlrising.com
Between each of the girls stories were some poignant statistics, for example:
- There are 33 million fewer girls than boys in primary school.
- A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.
- If India enrolled 1% more girls in secondary school, GDP would rise by $5.5 billion.
These, and the others in the film, clearly shows the gender gap, certainly prove that educating girls is morally the right thing to do and also demonstrates the economic benefits of providing this education.
Certainly something worth watching, guarantee it will move you to action - it did me.
Stand with her - Girl Rising.
Certainly something worth watching, guarantee it will move you to action - it did me.
Stand with her - Girl Rising.
Monday 24 March 2014
Word of the day: Boondoggle
I came across this word as a description of my colleagues trip to a work related conference... for a week... in Monaco... with a helicopter trip...
As defined by Google:
Boondoggle
noun
As defined by Google:
Boondoggle
noun
- 1.An unnecessary, wasteful, or fraudulent project."he characterized the defense program as an unworkable boondoggle"
verb
- 1.Spend money or time on unnecessary, wasteful, or fraudulent projects."the only guarantees are higher taxes and bureaucratic boondoggling"
Sunday 23 March 2014
Video Pick: The Surprising Science of Happiness - Dan Gilbert
An intro into natural v's synthetic happiness. Definitely worth the 20 minutes, absolutely fascinating!
Saturday 22 March 2014
Book Pick: Fish!
A remarkable way to boost morale and improve results
By Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen
In summary I would say that it is teaching the reader that no matter what job you are doing, you can change your attitude and that of the people around you in order to make a better working environment. This is done through a story, admittedly very cheesy, but it is a very quick read, as it is very short, and acts as great motivation.
Very empowering.
Friday 21 March 2014
Why Not to Push onto the Bus First
So that was embarrassing humiliating.
This morning, whilst getting onto the bus, someone pointed out how rude I was for not letting the people who had been waiting longer get on the bus first. ..
..."It's just that some people have been waiting here a long time".
I wont lie, my first feeling was not guilt or embarrassment. My first feeling was shock. This must be the second* time that someone has initiated dialog with me on public transport in 4.5 years of living in London. I was so unprepared for this early morning human interaction that the best I could muster was...
"OK".
I was caught off guard. Really, I should have apologised and let him, and the others pass me, but all I had was "OK".
For the whole journey I stared squarely at the floor. Even when multiple seats became free I didn't sit - I was undeserving. I felt so bad. I had to say something to the man who had pulled me up. I had to apologise. It would be a case of better late than never. But in order to do that I would have to:
a) disturb him (he was by now watching something on his non brand specific tablet, headphones in),
b) embarrass myself further by apologising in front of a bus load of people,
c) break the unwritten rule of not making eye contact with people on public transport**.
I spent the next 15 minutes psyching myself up to 'just walk over there, say excuse me and then sorry, easy'. By the time we got to my stop, I had not succeeded, but i could not bring myself to get off the bus with the matter unresolved. I would give myself one more stop. By the next stop I still had not managed, but luckily he was getting off here. Now was my chance. I too got off the bus and as i did i tapped his arm, and said:
"Excuse me. I am so sorry about what happened before, and thank you for saying something".
The man: "Oh sorry, its just sometimes in the morning I get a bit touchy".
Me: "No no, not at all, I wasn't thinking, but you will see, it won't happen again".
("It wont happen again"!? Erch, now he probably feels like my parent.)
He lightly touched my elbow and said, "thank you".
Balance restored.
Authors Note: Whilst I do not want to make excuses for my behaviour, even if it was in the scheme of things a minor infraction, it did make me wonder why I had behaved like this. Selfishness, on whatever scale, is not a character trait I associate with myself, so why was it so easy for me to get to the front of the queue unjustly. It crossed my mind that when I first arrived in London this would never have happened, but I think over time, as you have other people barge past you and behave badly, you start to get cynical and jaded and believe that everyone is out for themselves - at least on their morning commute. It took this for me to realise that maybe this is not true, maybe just a small proportion of people make it seem that way and whatever the case, maybe it is not worth lowering the standards you would usually hold yourself to.
Henceforth, I would rather stand, or wait for the next bus, than diminish my moral worth. Will you join me in standing?
* The first time was a very friendly chap, who I managed to assess within the first second was from out of town. Not from the accent, no, but his general cheeriness.
** In London this rule is even more strictly adhered to than the "no talking in an elevator, even with people you know" rule. The only exception is if someone else is behaving badly e.g. talking too loudly on their phone. Then, it is acceptable to raise your eyes from your paper, glance at the person opposite you who has also witnessed the same indiscretion, share a knowing look, roll your eyes before continuing reading the days events.
This morning, whilst getting onto the bus, someone pointed out how rude I was for not letting the people who had been waiting longer get on the bus first. ..
..."It's just that some people have been waiting here a long time".
I wont lie, my first feeling was not guilt or embarrassment. My first feeling was shock. This must be the second* time that someone has initiated dialog with me on public transport in 4.5 years of living in London. I was so unprepared for this early morning human interaction that the best I could muster was...
"OK".
I was caught off guard. Really, I should have apologised and let him, and the others pass me, but all I had was "OK".
For the whole journey I stared squarely at the floor. Even when multiple seats became free I didn't sit - I was undeserving. I felt so bad. I had to say something to the man who had pulled me up. I had to apologise. It would be a case of better late than never. But in order to do that I would have to:
a) disturb him (he was by now watching something on his non brand specific tablet, headphones in),
b) embarrass myself further by apologising in front of a bus load of people,
c) break the unwritten rule of not making eye contact with people on public transport**.
I spent the next 15 minutes psyching myself up to 'just walk over there, say excuse me and then sorry, easy'. By the time we got to my stop, I had not succeeded, but i could not bring myself to get off the bus with the matter unresolved. I would give myself one more stop. By the next stop I still had not managed, but luckily he was getting off here. Now was my chance. I too got off the bus and as i did i tapped his arm, and said:
"Excuse me. I am so sorry about what happened before, and thank you for saying something".
The man: "Oh sorry, its just sometimes in the morning I get a bit touchy".
Me: "No no, not at all, I wasn't thinking, but you will see, it won't happen again".
("It wont happen again"!? Erch, now he probably feels like my parent.)
He lightly touched my elbow and said, "thank you".
Balance restored.
Authors Note: Whilst I do not want to make excuses for my behaviour, even if it was in the scheme of things a minor infraction, it did make me wonder why I had behaved like this. Selfishness, on whatever scale, is not a character trait I associate with myself, so why was it so easy for me to get to the front of the queue unjustly. It crossed my mind that when I first arrived in London this would never have happened, but I think over time, as you have other people barge past you and behave badly, you start to get cynical and jaded and believe that everyone is out for themselves - at least on their morning commute. It took this for me to realise that maybe this is not true, maybe just a small proportion of people make it seem that way and whatever the case, maybe it is not worth lowering the standards you would usually hold yourself to.
Henceforth, I would rather stand, or wait for the next bus, than diminish my moral worth. Will you join me in standing?
* The first time was a very friendly chap, who I managed to assess within the first second was from out of town. Not from the accent, no, but his general cheeriness.
** In London this rule is even more strictly adhered to than the "no talking in an elevator, even with people you know" rule. The only exception is if someone else is behaving badly e.g. talking too loudly on their phone. Then, it is acceptable to raise your eyes from your paper, glance at the person opposite you who has also witnessed the same indiscretion, share a knowing look, roll your eyes before continuing reading the days events.
Thursday 20 March 2014
Video Pick: Your body language shapes who you are - Amy Cuddy
Super interesting video. No time to write more about it though as I have to go and practice my power pose with a pencil between my teeth! Enjoy :)
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