inspiration

“You are not in this world to be a Saint.  You are in this world to do some of the work of a Saint”.

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These were some of the words spoken to me last night by a man I’d never met before, happened upon by chance at a friend’s farewell, and who had a profound influence on me. Isn’t it strange how that happens sometimes?

I’ve been in what feels like a holding pattern since I finished a leadership course late last year.  It was an intense, life-transforming process that left me exhausted and with a whole new view of the world, and my place in it.

Since the course came to an end I’ve been a leaf in a current, patiently going along, waiting for something to reveal itself to me, some new life purpose, an exiting project, a mission.  I’m not known for my patience, and I have been. I trust that the next thing for me is out there, circling, sussing me out, waiting for us to meet each other.

Last night the man reiterated the need for patience.  He also said that thinking different, just being different is enough. It doesn’t have to be some enormous project for all the world to see – this work can be done quietly, with no-one else watching. He made me realise it’s OK to just be whatever it is I am now in the places that I’m already circulating, and that that in itself is change and newness. And he’s absolutely right.

“Some of the work of a Saint” can be done in every interaction with every living thing I come across.  I can try my best to do the work of a Saint as a mother, a partner, a friend, a sister and a workmate,

This man revealed himself to me in what was an unconventional, some would consider strange way and as though he’d intervened like this a million times before. This man who privately lives the life he feels bound to with all its eccentricities, brave enough to follow the most unconventional of thinking through to its completion, whether or not it works out in the end.

Juls Knows A Thing Or Two About….How to Write a Thank-you Note

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My first guest blogger…..and an international talent at that! (thanks Juls) x

Hi, I’m Juls. I’m a writer, brander, mom, yogi, runner, wife and friend. I believe that gratitude is the key to happiness, and the basis for most healthy relationships. I practice gratitude the way I’d practice at playing the guitar, if I were musical in any way, which I am not. Learning to express gratitude opens up an entirely new dimension in life, and I know a thing or two about writing a great thank you note.

  1. Handwritten is best. Written gratitude is becoming a lost art and people are truly touched to get a note of thanks in the mailbox. If you don’t have time to hand-write it, don’t skip it. Send an email or a text, or even an MP3 of yourself saying thank you.
  2. Start with how it made you feel. “Thanks for the flowers. They made me feel really loved.” Or “Thanks for the sports watch. Wearing it makes me feel like a true professional.” Or, “Thanks for taking the time for such a great lunch. It made me feel important in your life.”
  3. Mention how you’ll use it. “I’m going to wear my new sweater on my trip to New York.” Or, “Every time I see the flowers I’ll think of you and what a great time we had.” Or, “I’ll light the candle before bed to relax at night.”
  4. Skip the B.S. If it’s not true, don’t say it. Saying orange is your favorite color if it makes you look sick does not make you noble. Instead, find something you do specifically like about it. “I love the fabric. It’s so soft.” Or, find something you like about the gesture: “I love that you shopped for me. I feel so special.”
  5. Include why you’re grateful for the giver – not just the gift. “I’m so grateful to have a friend like you in my life.” Or, “I feel so lucky to have you looking out for me.” Or, “My days are so much nicer because you are in them.”

Thanks for letting me share this with you. It makes me feel like I’m really making a difference.  (and you are Juls!)

I Know A Thing or 2 About…

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I’ve been at a ‘brand acceleration’ seminar this morning, thanks to a good friend who’s about to blast onto the scene with her new business about detoxifying your home.  In the room were hundreds of people who all know some stuff about something.  Some were professionals who’d been hard at it for 20+ years, others are just damn good at the particular thing they do with not a clue how to get their message out there.

In the space of a few hours I heard from a man who makes art deco furniture and now has a partnership with Rolls Royce installing secret compartments, met a woman that paints Buddah and whose coffee table books are huge in Singapore and spent a lot of time marvelling at the fact that all of us know a thing or 2 about something that someone, somewhere in the world will find interesting – and could even change their life.

I got to thinking about how to harness all of those “thing or twos” into thousands or even millions of things that really could change the world- or at least give people a place to go for really good, practical advice about stuff.

Now, admittedly this is a very new idea that has only just started to bubble around….and, unlike me to dive right in and have a crack, I’m going to kick things off by inviting some of my known associates to contribute to a new feature section on chatterbrooke, called I Know A Thing or 2 About.

For example, I know people who Know A Thing or 2 About:
Helping kids read
Baking the perfect pizza dough
Getting invited to events without ever hosting one
Detoxifying your home
Making fitness fun
Cheese and perfect flavour combinations
Growing crops
Making gadgets work
Finding time for everything

I know a thing or 2 about some stuff too, and so I’ll start. But not right now.  I have to think of something I know a thing or 2 about first.