Judith Kerr died but the inspiration lives.

Just a quick note to say that Judith Kerr died. She is the woman I talked about in my New Year’s Day post. She was interviewed about her creative work at the Savoy at the age of 95, by the Guardian.

I thought about looking to find out more about her life, but in the end I decided against that. I know enough. I know all I need to know to set my own goals and design my own path.

She said she worked every morning, so she didn’t feel the day was wasted. I respect that. Especially for an accomplished woman at her age. I want to be such a person. And I want to be interviewed at the Savoy at 95.

So all I have to do now is fill that space between now and then with something worthy of an interview. And I have to keep myself fit and strong to reach that age and be able to work and go to the Savoy.

Any ideas? What is your dream? What is your goal?

Goodbye Judith Kerr!

Happy Mother’s Day

So happy to be their mum

I am really happy to be their mum.

I wanted to have children ever since I remember myself. I wanted to be a model mum. The most loving mother ever. I still do.

Soon after the birth of my first one I realised that being ‘the most loving mum ever’ often means setting rules, defining boundaries, raising my voice and feeling clueless.

One day they will understand. Not now because now both are teenagers.

I only hope they always know I care. I try my best, and sometimes I make mistakes.

Sometimes I say too much and sometimes too little. I am never quite sure which is when.

In any case, I thought it might be a good idea to write a message to say that today – and every day – I am very happy to be a mum. No need to wish me ‘Happy Mother’s Day’.

Being a mother is no easy thing. It takes a lot more than love. You should know that. Everybody should know that. It comes with a lot of responsibility and self-doubt. At least in my case. Maybe you are one of the confident ones. Are you?

Are you maybe a mother that feels certain about all her answers? Do you feel confident about all your decisions? If you do, please send me a tip or two!

Many thanks

Inspiration needed – let’s try again

I was amazed to see how many people responded to my previous post about needing inspiration in order to try again. I guess a lot of people just need reassurance that it’s OK to fail and restart.

All the truly successful people admit it. You can read it in the small letters. Journalists will never publish a heading saying ‘He / She failed and failed again and finally did it’. We never read what happened behind the scenes. The effort, the hard work, the mistakes, the patience, the perseverance. Unless we look for it.

I decided to start looking for it. To keep looking for the real story, the whole story. The latest quote on my screen reads:

Your life isn’t about a big break. It’s about taking one significant life-transforming step at a time.

Oprah

And it is true. For Oprah and so many others. J. K. Rowling – the author of Harry Potter – is a personal favourite of mine. According to her own words, she was as poor as one can get in modern day Britain without being homeless. And then she wrote the first Harry Potter book and 12 publishing houses turned it down. The 13th decided to give it a try. You know what happened next.

Imagine having 12 professionals – in whatever field – telling you NO, the one after the other. And persevering. It is easy to say it was worth it looking back. Looking forward we are unable to see the end. The end is not there yet. The end is being written by us. It is being created by our actions.

Looking forward we cannot connect the dots. We just have to keep trying. Have faith. Never stop. Place the dots. And one day we can look back and connect them. See the path.

What do you think? Do let me know in a reply.

Thank you

Do you need inspiration to try again?

You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water

Quote by Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time!

Thomas A. Edison

So I guess, we just have to try one more time. It’s not over until we say it is. Do you agree? Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Reportedly he failed time and time again before arriving at a successful result.

I believe trying one more time is easy. Waiting patiently is difficult. What if it never happens? And so we arrive at the question of faith.

You must have faith it will happen. We all must have faith.

Thank you so much for giving me faith!

How happy are you with your sleep?

Enjoying a good night’s sleep is important. Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post has made it her mission to advocate sleeping better. Better quality sleep, more hours. She talks about actively showing more respect for our human needs. She has even created a website Thrive, dedicated to wisdom and well-being. She is very successful in the business world and is not afraid to speak about sleep, meditation, inspiration and personal purpose.

Are you happy with your sleep? I wish I could say yes. Moreover I wish I could do more and sleep more – both on the same day. Every day has 24 hours for all of us. We have to do our best with those hours. It is not often I feel very successful. More often than not, I do have a lot more to do on my list when the time comes to go to bed, when my body and mind stop cooperating with my list.

Here you will find four tips for sleeping better. Sleep helps your body and mind recover from the stress of everyday life. Better sleep is associated with a better mood and a better disposition, even with a better performance at work. For whichever reason, we should probably follow this advice and make the most of our sleep. We cant live without it anyway.

Turn off the lights

Even with our eyes closed, the lights can keep our nervous system alert. Let’s make sure all the lights in the room are off, even the small lights of the electrical devices.

Eat early

According to healthy diet advice it is best to avoid rich foods before bed. Eat something light and healthy preferably two to three hours before bed. This way food can get digested without putting a strain on the body overnight.

Tidy your bedroom

A clean and tidy room can be your haven, a space of peace and calm to recover from the strains of the day. Change your sheets and your sleepwear regularly. Make sure the temperature is comfortable and the air is fresh.

Manage stress

Meditation or breathing techniques can help you lower stress levels and prepare your body for sleeping. Stress should not be allowed in the bedroom, and it is best to avoid thinking about problems before going to bed. Try and concentrate on happy and purposeful thoughts and leave your mind free to dream and relax.

Are you happy with your sleep? Should we really do something about that? Let me know in your reply.

What do you think about Life Coaching?

Have you heard the term Life Coach before? Apparently Life Coaching is a rapidly growing industry that brings an annual revenue of over $ 1 billion in the US only. People today want a Life Coach to help them do better and achieve more.

What does a Life Coach do?

Today people want to reach their biggest goals and dreams. They want to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. Life Coaching is about helping people take their life, career or business to the next level.

People today want to:

• Set clear goals and find a way to achieve them
• Manage their time more effectively
• Create momentum and see results
• Become better versions of themselves

What is Life Coaching then?

Life coaching is very different to psychological therapy, as it focuses on moving the individual forward and it has nothing to do with looking back at past issues and trying to resolve traumas. A Life Coach is a consultant, a friend, a motivator, a person that holds you accountable to your own decisions.

This doesn’t mean however, that anyone can do it. The successful Life Coach, needs to have both:

• the knowledge to identify the core issues
• the talent to energise and motivate the client to act

What do you think about Life Coaching?

Would you be interested? Would you try it? Personally, I would hesitate to allow someone so much into my life and into my thoughts and my dreams. This sort of thing seems far too personal to me to be hiring someone to help; no matter how skilled or talented they might be.

Would you be tempted to hire a Life Coach? Would you like to have a professional help you make your dreams come true? Send me a reply and share your thoughts.

On professional communication

My question is: How polite is too polite?

Having recently been submerged in a world of non-stop professional communication, I am wondering how polite is too polite? How many ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are enough?

Lets start with the main prerequisite: I want to be kind and polite and easy to work with and responsive to requests. However, I am beginning to realise that sometimes it might be better to NOT reply. Could it be better to just leave their Inbox short of yet another message? What is your answer to that? What do you prefer? One less message, or one more with yet another ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ and ‘kind regards’?

And what about when answering to a client? Is more than one ‘thank you’ in a message too much? Is it OK to show willingness like that or is it getting too much? I am concerned about creating an uncomfortable atmosphere when the recipient of my response simply doesn’t have the time or the energy to worry so much about politeness.

Please send me your thoughts and advice. I would also really welcome tips for handling professional communication and phrases you love to send or to receive.

Please send me your thoughts in a reply.

Thank you so much

Kind regards

Eve

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

10 shopping tips you need to know

Shopping is so much fun, isn’t it? With a friend or alone the prospect of finding the perfect outfit is such a pick-me-up! This post is about making sure we do it successfully, so the joy lasts longer! So there are no regrets when we open the bags at home. Here are the best – tried and tested – shopping tips you need to know!

1. Make a list. Before leaving home make sure everything you need is on a list. Write it down on paper and take it with you. It will save you. I’m amazed how often I’m in the store and do not remember what I came for. Everything looks so beautiful and useful and necessary. Until I go home and find out that this isn’t what I needed at all!
2. Make sure it’s right! Right for you right now! Right for your lifestyle and your body type. If it doesn’t look great on you and doesn’t reflect your personality, leave at the store.
3. Dress appropriately! When you go out on a shopping mission make sure you wear something that is easy to get in and out off. Your task is to try things on, so make it as easy as possible. Avoid shoes with laces and buttoned shirts.
4. Don’t be afraid to spend on classic items. A good coat, leather shoes and handbags, any material of good quality is worth the money. Consider it an investment.
5. Spread the cost of an expensive garment. How much is too much? Calculate cost per wear and consider how many years you might wear it. This is particularly applicable when considering the purchase of a coat, or a tailored suit.
6. Prefer shopping on a weekday, if possible. The stores are far less crowded and the salespeople far less distracted. They will be far more inclined to help you and accommodate your needs.
7. Don’t be afraid to mix and match! Even royals and celebrities do this today. Besides mixing pieces and styles can be great fun. Proceed with caution!
8. Be honest with yourself. Shop for your body the way you are now. Consider your body type and age and don’t be lured by the wonderful top you could enjoy wearing in another lifetime.
9. Avoid shopping when in distress. Shopping in a hurry never did any of us any favours. It’s best to wear something old and trusted than run to the stores at the last minute trying to find the perfect outfit. Most likely you’ll end up with something all wrong. And too expensive.
10. Play it safe. When not sure, go for basic colours like black, white and anything neutral. You can’t go too far off when you stick to the basic palette.

Photo by Moose Photos on Pexels.com

Event + Your action = Your life

It is a simple equation: E + R = O, meaning event plus reaction equals outcome.

Another simple truth that often we don’t realise. Events do happen. Good or bad inevitably they do happen. They happen like the stars in the sky, in haphazard ways. And you end up with an event in your lap and you have to decide. To decide how to react; what to do about it.

Three options you are really left with. A, to do nothing, just stare, remain idle and still, merely an observer. B, accept defeat which is also a reaction and a choice. C, react consciously and decisively. Make a deliberate choice on what to do about it; on how to respond and what to do next.

E + R = Our life

It’s our choices that will determine what happens next, what the outcome will be. The one thing we can control is how we react, what actions we take in response to any event good or bad. Some times even a good event can be diminished by an ill considered reaction. And clearly many bad events have been salvaged due to thoughtful and considerate actions.

We need to remember that A, B and C are all our choices. Doing nothing is also a choice that equally determines an outcome. I vote for thoughtful reaction every time. Paying attention to all the details, considering all the options, choosing a course of action that leads to a desired outcome. Wrong choices are also going to be a part of this process but still, making the effort is what counts. Any person in action mode will find it a lot easier to reconsider and adjust the strategy.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree? How do you perceive events? I’d love to read what you think about that. Share in a reply below.