Dr Martin Luther King Jr – picture credit Unsplash.com
Good leaders set the tone.
They are Selfless. Open. Honest.
They point the way to the future.
We pay attention to what they say because their vision is inspirational.
They don’t have to be on the finish line with us.
Because, with their help, we know we will get there.
At the end of 2020 I got my wires crossed when answering a friend’s text. She had asked how I was feeling, and she felt my answer didn’t say enough (I wondered if, maybe she was going through something herself).
Anyway, I let her know I was doing okay and would catch up with her after Christmas. I reckoned there would be a break in the lockdown in 2021 and we could meet for a drink or something.
That didn’t happen.
I don’t know whether my friend was feeling unwell in December 2020 when she texted, but she died with Covid mid-January 2021.
I felt numb when I got the news. Then I cried, because her death was so unfair, given her age.
This Christmas I’m thinking about her family and everyone else who has lost someone in 2021 (due to Covid or not).
I hope they are doing okay this Christmas.
I hope they will find the right words to celebrate their loved one’s life, even though they are absent from the table.
I hope they / we all have a happier new year.
Workplaces Should Be Nightmare Free – (Image by Pixabay at Pexels.Com)
We can’t always be liked or respected by colleagues. Bad atmospheres can give us sleepless nights. Do you have a workplace nightmare story, that one that still makes you cringe years later?
Here’s mine.
The 1990s Were Different
Back to the 1990s there was no anti-discrimination legislation in the workplace covering people perceived to be LGBTQ+ (whether we actually belonged to one of those communities, or maybe were an equality ally).
From what I remember, being seen as not one-of-the-lads (or necessarily straight) had consequences:
(Strategy. If there’s a whispering campaign against you, find out who started it and ask them to stop, because no one wants to be harassed).
(Strategy. You have no obligation to share your truth, if you don’t want to. Maybe there is a staff representative group or union you can be supported by).
(Strategy. Realistically it is time to find new friends, since no one wants to socialise with a judgemental set of people).
Some People Are Privileged
It is a privilege to be in the majority. The status of majority-member is a powerful one. You get to chose how well you treat others.
Back in the 1990s privilege meant excluding anyone who couldn’t say they were a zero on the Kinsey scale (a lot of us can’t).
The lads leading that strategy in the 1990s will be in men in their fifties now. These days law and good management practice limit the space for the kind of open discrimination. I hope they have learnt the right lessons over those twenty years.
I also hope the strategies above help improve the atmosphere where you work (you can always reply to this post to suggest your recipe to wake up from your workplace nightmare).
What Needs To Change? (Picture credit SHVETS Productions via Pexels.com)
So, what has September felt like to you?
Post-pandemic is it business as usual, once again?
Or, is it more like something from a science fiction film, complete with rapid testing and face coverings?
Happiness involves choice.
Making change happen starts with moving towards a goal.
Everyone choosing to follow a different path after lockdown has had to plan their way forward. Maybe that is something you want to do? If so there’s plenty of information in the posts here to get you started.
Check out the download section too, if you want some ideas on where to focus your attention.
The first step is to ask yourself, what do I want to change by the end of next month?
Then figure out what your next step looks like.
Then take it.
Leave a reply and let everyone know how you get on!
Step 4 in the Covid-19 recovery process means fewer restrictions.
Step 4 doesn’t mean everything is back to business as usual, workwise.
In fact, it could take a while for ‘usual’ to emerge.
Blended Working: Pros and Cons
How does a blended approach of 50:50 working from home and an office sound?
The Pros are obvious:
The Cons are less obvious:
What We Choose Affects Our Happiness
Our choices will affect our happiness.
A well-thought through choice will help build job satisfaction.
A casual one could cause damage.
So, it is worth taking time to figure out what we want from the work we do.
That reflection will help us form new work goals which help us deliver better results.
Why not have your say. What will you do differently, when you go back to work?
It has been another tough year.
The Coronavirus is still knocking people for six.
Relatives and friends looking after loved ones are feeling invisible and under-valued.
For instance, research shows more than 7 out 10 UK carers haven’t practiced self-care and had a break in 12 months (a link to the report is below).
Which mean thousands of people are exhausted. Which means tired relatives struggling to focus on caring for a loved one. Which leaves the cared for person with less than the full support they need.
Vaccination is making a difference. Society may look different before too long.
Hopefully, by June 2022, better support will be offered to carers and carers will be more visible and valued. If so, the cared for will feel the benefit.
‘Breaks or breakdown’, Carers Week 2021 report – Carers UK
Picture credit Madison Inouye on Pexels.com
Lockdown: how has it felt to you?
Did staring at the same four walls each day get you down?
If the answer is ‘sometimes’. join the club.
I’ve found staying indoors to avoid infection hard sometimes.
Safety has meant less
There are health benefits resulting from connecting with nature. That can mean raising a plant indoors or taking a walk outdoors. Follow the link if you want to know more:
Mental Health Awareness Week 2021
So, from this week on I am going to spend a bit more time taking care of my health, with help from Nature itself.
How about you?
Picture Credit Pok Rie at Pexels.com
So Many People Have Helped Us Get This Far During The Pandemic
(Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash )
Thank You.
Two very powerful words to express gratitude.
Do me a service (large or small) and expect a ‘thank you’.
After the year we have all survived, gratitude seems like the least we can express.
Over the past year I have thanked:
and so many others.
From what I can see ‘thank you’ goes a long way to showing we are all in this together.
So, who will you thank today?
Today is International Men’s Day.
The theme for 2020 is, Better Health For Men And Boys.
From my experience of life’s ups and downs (including depression in the early 2000s), I figure we can do better when it comes to mental health.
I haven’t known many people to take their own lives, but all those I’ve been aware of to die in this way were men.
In 2019 men accounted for 3 out of 4 UK suicides.
Men can bottle things up until the burden they are carrying seems too much to handle. That is when things can get grim.
Talking about the feelings we are carrying around helps.
Talking to a trusted family member, supportive friend, or skilled therapist.
Talking until the burden starts to get smaller.
Let’s talk more this year, so more men can enjoy better mental health and take the chance of inspiring the next generation to do the same.
(Picture credit Linkedin Sales Navigator at Unsplash)
2021 is roughly four months away. The next eight months have to be a happier than the last eight, don’t they?
I mean, how many happiness points out of 10 would you give 2020 so far?
7 out of 10? 6? 5?
Here’s a tip if your 2020 happiness score is 4 out of 10, or less.
Make the most of the people around you. After all:
Family.
Friends.
Neighbours.
Co-workers.
Are all good people to ask for support. It is legitimate to lean on others from time to time, just like they lean on you.
In my experience taking a deep breath and asking for help is the first step back towards happiness. Whoever you talk to will be able to help you reconnect with the qualities that make you smile, feel pride, enjoy your day.
Here’s a quote from Mahatma Gandhi which I like:
Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.
Hopefully 2021 will be full of those moments.
Meanwhile, who do you turn to when you need to get back into harmony? Leave a comment, or Tweet @RogerD_Said
Experience Your Life 