Be brave and dynamic

Sarah, an amazing lady who is currently a part of my Continuous Vibrancy program sent this to me. Thanks Sarah.

"It’s time to push myself a little further, to go again into the fearful unknown but I am reminded,

I would rather die in my dread . . . . than drink from a cup of mediocrity.

I would rather your buttons be pushed and your ideals or perspectives challenged, than to be dismissed.

I want to be brave and dynamic.

I want to be foolish and open.

Because that is passion and I want to live a passionate life.

Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone. Start to live the life you dream of.

Do you ever reach the dream, well I’d say not . . . but the journey is the best part isn’t it."

How to create your perfect day

Want to have some fun? Let’s create your perfect day!

 If you were given the opportunity to have the perfect day, what would it look like? You know the times when we tell ourselves, “If I didn’t have to work today I would.....”, “If I could just have one day on my own I would....” or “One day I want to be able to....” 

 I encourage you to write down 5 things you would do in your perfect day.

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 Now write down 5 reasons why you haven’t done these or feel you can’t do these.  

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 Lastly write down 5 actions you can take today to move you one step closer to creating your perfect day.

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 For me my perfect day has some exercise, family time, a little self indulgence like a massage, yummy food made for me, productive creative work and hanging out with inspiring people and speaking with my friends.  Not extravagant but my perfect day.  

 So if you were to see your perfect day come to life how would you do it?

 Let’s give ourselves permission to be optimistic that our perfect day is achievable. I recently set myself this target; to have a perfect day, my perfect day. I am happy to say I did it, and it was perfect.

 How to create your perfect day;

1. Do the 3 activities I wrote at the beginning.
2. Create your perfect day in your mind.
3. Create your perfect environment- This might be taking your computer to your favorite seaside cafe, or staying at home in your pjs until lunch time reading a book, go for a walk on the pathway that meanders through the park or organise to start working on a project with someone you enjoy working with.
4. Put the 5 actions you wrote into your to do list for tomorrow and start creating your perfect day. Lets make it more fun and set a “Perfect Day” date.

 Have fun! 

 Angela

A second chance

In our local newspaper today was the sad story of Lizzie Watkins, a WA star hockey player who tragically died after being hit in the head with a hockey ball.  

Reading this story brought vivid memories back to me, it is a story a little too close to home.  When I was 17 I too was hit in the head with a hockey ball, where I sustained a depressed fracture to the skull which followed with emergency surgery to alleviate the stress on my brain and associated injuries. My family was warned my ability to speak may be compromised following the surgery.  It is amazing to think that now I speak as a profession and have no side effects as a results of the head injury I had sustained.  I have been blessed.  My life was nearly taken from me but then given back to me in a moment.

In reading about Lizzie I thought about why one person is given a second chance and another is not and if given a second chance what would people do with it? 

Today I spoke to an amazing lady Nicky Gallas in my radio segment on Territory FM.  After living a life of horrific circumstances she found she was depressed and was so obese she was unable to walk.  After sustaining a heart attack whilst sitting in a chair she hoped that it was going to be her final night. However after waking the next morning to find she lived through the night she decided her life was meant for greater things, and so started her new story of inspiration, achievement and fulfillment. 

To be given a second chance in life is the ultimate gift. What if your life was to be taken from you and then a change of destiny gives you a second chance?  What would you do with your second chance?

If what you would do is different to what you are doing now then upon waking in the morning live like you have been given a second chance.  Life can be too short.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Watkins family and her team mates.

10 Lessons from Einstein

I recently read a blog post by Paulo Coelho called 10 Lessons from Einstein. I want to share these with you.  These are so fantastic and are still so applicable.  A pretty good guide for innovative practice.

1. Follow Your Curiosity- “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
2. Perseverance is Priceless- “It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
3. Focus on the Present- “Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”
4. The Imagination is Powerful- “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
5. Make Mistakes- “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
6. Live in the Moment -“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”
7. Create Value- “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
8. Don’t be repetitive- “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
9. Knowledge Comes From Experience- “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”
10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better- “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

Angela Lockwood 

Being vibrant

I love the word vibrant.  It means to 'pulsate with vigor and energy'.  Now before you get cheeky about the word, hear me out.  My days are spent working with people and business to become vibrant.  Through this I see that being vibrant operates on 3 levels;

 1. You feel it

2. You show it

3. Others feel it

 You need to feel the energy before you can show it and you need to feel and show it before other people feel it. whether on an individual level or a business and team level the same 3 states apply.  

 Here are a two scenarios to illustrate the point;

 1. If your staff  feel uninspired by their work, then they show this to their customers through looking bored, disinterested, doing the bare minimum, being frustrated with customers.  You can guarantee then the customers also feel this with your business; bored. disinterested, frustrated.  Not the perfect scenario for return customers.

 2. If your staff feel energised by their work, then they show this through coming up with new ideas, welcoming the customer, adding value , smiling, being available and promoting other in house services. Also a guarantee is that the customers smile, they communicate the value to others, they rave about the service.  Customers become drawn to you and your business.

 Being vibrant is a choice, you can choose to be dull and lifeless or you can choose to be energetic and alive. You can choose to deliver a service that is flat and uninspiring or you can choose to deliver a service that is dynamic and vibrant.

 I know what I choose!

 Angela Lockwood