Famous American singer-songwriter, Billy Joel once sang that honesty is such a lonely word, suggesting that honesty is a very rare quality in all kinds of relationships - personal, professional and social.
Hirsh Goldberg created this holiday as a way to encourage people to speak the truth and to "honour the honourable" and even though it's an American day, I believe its so important to acknowledge it every day.
I am sure most of us say that we are honest but are we really? Ask yourself a few questions..
Many people find it difficult to be honest about there true feeling for fear of upsetting others or causing conflict.
For others saying no and having strong boundaries is almost impossible.
Some people find they tell little ‘white lies’ as they think they are ok.
The reality is if we are dishonest whether that's taking a few pens and bits from work we think we are 'entitled too', or not being authentic it makes us feel a certain amount of dis-ease and ultimately that will affect our health.
So my message is simple...... don't beat yourself up just clean your act up! You might be surprised at how wonderful it can feel.
Very often when we have lots going on in life, our bodies become introverted and we tend to look down, as we concentrate on the amount we have on our ‘to do’ lists.
So when I came across this, ‘look up at the sky day’, I feel it encourages us to get out of our own thoughts for a moment, and look up at the bigger picture. The beauty all around us, that is always there, and helps us to just put life into perspective.
Some find it therapeutic just watching the clouds go past slowly, and enjoying the different light and shade as the day goes by.
Making it a daily practice to stop and look up opens up your mind, as well as your body as you give your lungs more space in your chest, as you breathe.
So don’t just think about looking up into the sky on just this one day of the year, think about making it part of your daily routine.
What a fantastic celebration, simple, easy, do-able. Something I support, getting outside, appreciating nature, at this beautiful time of year. The evenings are getting lighter, the blossom is forming on the trees, and I feel there is more beauty to observe.
We have all heard about the healthy 5-a-day option, when we think about healthy eating. I feel that getting outside should be included, as another healthy option.
There are amazing parks to be visited, especially some of our National Herritage sites, with manicured lawns, and symmetrical planting, enough to make most of us feel gratitude and appreciation for nature.
So go on, book a date, and visit your local park, or at the very least just get outside for some tree hugging!
One of the hardest things to do can be to think ahead and make plans, as life is so full on and busy, a lot of the time. Also, quite often our best-laid plans get disrupted by other priorities, something I have recently experienced when my son was in an accident in another country, and I flew out to be by his side. My meticulous plans went out of the window for 2 weeks, so you could say, why bother then?
Although that may be true in part, the reality is it is great to at least have a plan, but always bear in mind they are not set in stone, and you may need to be flexible.
Whilst I was by my son’s side, my plans were limited and, as always, my health was my priority, which gave me much more self-control and peace. Since I have returned there has been a backlog of work, and what has given me the most relief is having a realistic timetable of specific goals, which I am able to work through.
When we plan anything really carefully we can benefit from the best results.
I cannot believe that there is an international day called ‘Laugh and Get Rich’ day!, But I love it. And, anything is worth a try, who knows what the outcome might be. Let’s be honest, if people are really happy there is a draw to them, a sense of attraction which can only be a good thing. People that are really happy, for example, love their job and have a purpose, and come across as confident and enjoying life, are much more likely, to be successful, and ultimately more financially secure.
I once met someone who was so happy and excited about his work, articulate and animated, everyone around him seemed excited and curious about the product he was selling, flooring! Can you believe it, carpet and lino! He was as prosperous as he was charismatic, and ultimately people were buying the product he was selling.
So if its that easy, lets sit back and laugh and watch the pennies come in.
What a great title – Fun at Work Day – how fabulous to have an international day dedicated to having fun at work, but how sad that we only focus on it one day a year!
I would like to see people making sure they have aspects of fun in their working lives everyday, whether they are working at home, working and looking after their families, or going out to work. Having fun has an incredible affect on our health. It is a well known fact that children learn the most when they are having fun at the same time. And we are, after all, just big children!
Having fun boosts creativity, stimulates our imagination and gives us a sense of achievement. Releasing endorphins gives a natural feeling of euphoria and time seems to pass more quickly.
So I challenge you to make time for fun every day not just once a year, and notice how great you feel.
Very often, for inspiration I use ‘international days of the year’ as a prompt to encourage and motivate others. This time the whole month of January celebrates Life.
I liked the thought of celebrating life, the fact that we are alive and that we have choices over our lives is empowering. There are some who are not dealt the best ‘hand of cards’ but sometimes it is about how you manage those situations, than the situations themselves.
I recently attended a prison open day, where businesses who have something to offer offenders to help them stay away from re-offending.
I was approached by many, but one particular case left an impact upon me. As I met someone who I would say had been dealt a ‘bad hand’. Seemingly without malice or intent for the crime, the offender was serving a good number of years behind bars. Our conversation progressed and the offender talked about buying a plate, knife and fork to use when he was able to leave the prison, I was puzzled at first, until he explained that part of being a prisoner meant he hadn’t been able to use a proper knife and fork in years. As the conversation came to a close I finally asked and what do you really need to enable you to live successfully outside of the prison and, with emotion, the offender replied ‘I need to forgive myself, in order to move forward’.
In hindsight, our conversation brought into focus many things I take for granted, the furniture I sit on, knives and forks that are at my fingertips, to the choices I am able to make to live peacefully.
I think perhaps now is the time to celebrate life
Life Sucks
Do you feel like you are going round in circles, doing the same thing, without passion or drive. Pleasing others before yourself. Sometimes feeling ‘is life really worth living’, or ‘is this it’! Often at this time of year many people reflect on the previous year and think about what they want for the year to come. Perhaps now is the time to identify the route of your underlying feelings.
Try asking yourself what specifically you are unhappy with?
Your relationship with your partner
Your financial situation
Your body
Your health
A current situation
Work / job
Challenges with Children or dependents
Very often we undertake our lives on autopilot, without stopping to ask ourselves whether we are happy, or really thinking about what we are unhappy with.
Make some time for yourself, writing can be a great tool to uncover or connect with deep routed unhappiness. Talking to someone you trust, or investing in coaching, counselling or another therapy.
It is important to try to identify, acknowledge and accept what may be bothering you. What you may find when you are trying to avoid an issue is that it will keep rearing its ugly head, until you confront it head on!
Make 2016 your year.
So, did you think I was going to talk about how this might affect someone else?
But, what about how it affects you, inside?
Please remember, there are times when everyone is unavoidably late, and I am not talking about those times. I want to address the issue of bad time management!
Bad time management has a detrimental affect on our health:
Feelings of:
Guilt
Shame
Anxiety
Which can lead to:
Stress on our minds and bodies
Elevated blood-pressure
Stomach upset
Migraine
These types of feelings and symptoms can manifest themselves in different ways.
If you are someone who struggles with managing your time effectively and feel that you do suffer with the above on a regular basis ,here are some ideas which may help:
Don’t squeeze in that ‘extra’ job off your list, reassign it to a different place and where you have more time.
Allow more time than you need to.
Don’t schedule appointments back to back.
Be realistic in your planning
Plan some flexible time into your day
Get some help, and ask for help when you need it
Coaching can be a great tool for looking at time management
Remember:
You are a human being – not a human doing…