Tag: Personal Growth

How To Create #Memories

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A year ago I was wrapping presents for my Dad’s birthday. He was easy to please. His favourite aftershave (the one with the ship on the bottle) and some other small items would do.

Then the Coronavirus arrived.

Two months later (the first peak) I was wearing PPE and saying goodbye to him.

The one thing I regret not doing was recording his voice.   

There are photographs. There is even that unopened aftershave. What I didn’t get around to doing was recording one of his anecdotes about his life in the Caribbean. Even a familiar story about life in London would do. there was always going to be the chance to do it tomorrow.

Until there was no tomorrow.

Someone Looking At The Sun On The Horizon

2021 #Resolutions What Goals Will You Be Working On?

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This year has been brutal.

Looking back there have been highs, but the lows have been heart breaking. 

Work.

Money.

Health.

Where have you felt the impact of 2020?

The New Year won’t be a repeat of the last. I will be making some changes in 2021. Perhaps you will too?

If so, feel free to fill in the short survey below, say what you plan on changing and as a result influence the type of content which I create.

What Do Want From 2021?

I am looking forward to reading about your goals.

Meanwhile, Have a Great Christmas / Holiday Season and a Peaceful New Year. 

(Photo credit Joshua Earle on Unsplash )

Let’s Talk #InternationalMensDay

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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)

Creativity Connection Nourishment

World Mental Health Day means we #DoOneThing on 10 October – Look After Ourselves

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2020 has been a tough year. 

Twelve months ago, who knew we would have to deal with Furloughs, Social distancing, Funeral planning ? 

The Covid-19 era will end. But during this roller-coaster ride we owe it to ourselves to do one thing; look after ourselves. 

Luckily, looking after ourselves is the theme for World Mental Health Day. So on Saturday 10 October it makes sense to make time to look after number one. Doing this makes us better prepared to support other people.

How have you managed to keep it together in 2020? As I take stock this October my life isn’t perfect, but I have stayed mostly upbeat since March by:

  • Eating well.
  • Connecting to others.
  • Being creative. 

Obviously, there is more to looking after ourselves than that, but this is a start.

What are the actions you take to manage your wellbeing? Feel free to leave a comment and continue the conversation.

(Image credit Lean Leta at Pexels.com)

What Can We Do To Be Happier In #2021 ?

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2021 is getting closer – Picture credit Zac Durant at Unsplash.com

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

How To #Thrive In Tough Times

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Searching for the light – Photo by Dewang Gupta on Unsplash

There are 153 days left in 2020. I suspect I won’t be the only one glad to see the back of a year which has featured widespread: 

  • Health dilemmas 
  • Job insecurity 
  • Prejudice against minorities 

Fortunately, there have been desperately difficult times before (and sadly there will be more in the days ahead).

Nonetheless there is wisdom we can tap into to inspire ourselves and those around us. Wisdom which reminds us that the future is brighter than the present.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus, to see the light

Aristotle

In other words: it is the toughest times which test us most. Those are the times during which we need to look hard, to find the life lessons to keep us moving forward. 

What is the phrase you use to motivate yourself, or the people around you when the going gets tough? Share your thoughts in a comment, or by tweeting @RogerD_Said

Men Discussing Life

3 More Steps After #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

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So, here we are and MHAW has just ended and men have spoken up. However, the conversation about better mental health continues. Luckily, we have tools available to us to improve our health, as well as the support to help us keep going.

Here are three more steps to better mental health.

Ask ourselves what is going inside and how we feel about it. Is everything good? Or is there more anxiety and darkness than usual? The greater the disturbance the less successful our relationships and productivity.

Build up our personal networks, so we are connected to people – family, friends, professionals – who understand our situation and can support us when we need it. Being able to support them is a bonus!

Continue these conversations. It is important to keep having those conversations about positive mental health and to reduce the stigma sometimes associated with these conditions.

How do you address your mental health needs? Feel free to add your voice to the conversation with a comment below.

(Featured image credit – Nappy at Pexels.com)

3 Steps To Getting Stuff Done

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Nothing betas the feeling of getting stuff done – Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels

Wow.

We have made it to the end of January.

Blue Monday is behind us.

Eleven months lie ahead.

And that is a lot of space for completing goals.

To be fair I’ve accomplished one of my main 2020 goals already (there are plenty left on my list).

This was one I had put off, as there is some pain linked with it, which made it harder to deal with.

Anyway, my method to get even the painful stuff done is simple;

  • Clearly define what needs doing
  • Set a specific time aside to do it and
  • Line up a reward for afterwards

What works for you? You can share your secret to success on Twitter @RogerD_Said

What Should We Do To Enjoy A #Happy New Year?

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Inspiring image of a climber
Where Will Your Next Step Take You? – Photo Credit smswigart via Morguefile.com

We all want a happy new year.

Don’t we?

At the start of the year advertisers make the most of that fact. They tell us that:

  • If we join the gym we can be healthier.
  • Moving home will make us that much happier.
  • Our lives will be even better if we start a new job.

But investing in those changes means accepting there are happiness gaps in our life (affecting our Health, Comfort or Career) and that these gaps need to be tackled.

Gap filling tools include, self help books; trusted advice; even blog posts.

Speaking for myself I am going to make more time this year to keep score. By that I mean taking time to assess my life to work out where the happiness gaps are. If an area scores 5 out of 10, or less, then I have to move it up a notch. I will set a goal, agree some actions, relate the actions to dates and get started. I’ll write about the results here.

I hope this post helps nudge you to sit down with a cuppa and score the important parts of your life out of 10, to work out what you can change.

Feel free to comment on your goals here, or share your thoughts in a tweet @RogerD_Said

Here’s to a great 2020.