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GOOD LUCK
6:13 PM Sunday 10th August 2008
A great little book really worth a read is Good Luck by Alex Rovira and Fernando Trias de Bes. The blurb describes 'a simple yet powerful tale about how to seize opportunity and achieve success in one's life and work'.
It's a very easy read, a story within a story. I've just read it cover to cover. It gives you the 10 rules of Good Luck (as opposed to luck - no caps)
For copyright I won't list all 10 rules, here's the Fourth Rule of Good Luck:
Finding new conditions for Good Luck does not mean looking for our own benefit only. Creating conditions, helping others, makes Good Luck more likely to appear.
Lots of personal learning via this modern day fable.
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Inspiring others
5:40 PM Sunday 13th July 2008
Caroline’s African Appeal
Inspired by a discussion at the Edinburgh Festival on philanthropy, I decided to collect school bags for African children who otherwise couldn’t afford the clothes, stationary, toiletries and spoon (!) necessary for them to attend.
Scottish International Relief (www.sircharity.org) provide ‘Mary’s Meals’ worldwide to young children who attend school. The Backpack Appeal runs along side the school dinners enabling very poor children to get an education and hopefully lift themselves out of poverty.
I gave an enthusiastic talk to pupils at our school assembly and the equipment began to tumble in. Some children gave complete school bags, others brought items described above. What I liked about the Backpack Appeal was the fact that it required searching, asking, thoughtfulness from our pupils, not necessarily money. My classroom was bulging by the end of the winter appeal! As I sorted and filled bags, I realised we were short of sandals, soap and spoons. After a ‘final push’ 138 bags were complete.
I wanted these bags to go off to Malawi and Liberia with a BANG, so we organised an African Night of caberet. The tickets cost £5.30 each (the cost of school dinners for ONE YEAR in Malawi!!!) and folk gave their best songs, stories, poems, dances, jazz and drumming. Most memorable for me was a rendering of Nkosi Sikelele Africa by the Red Hot Cello Peppers – it was achingly beautiful. With colourful African-inspired food and a raffle we raised £1,500 for Mary’s Meals.
During the interval, a short film was shown depicting the journey of a backpack from a school in Scotland to a little girl’s arms in Malawi, capturing her delight at a pencil with a rubber on the end and her mother’s joy at the bar of soap. When the film had finished, I simply said “Let’s do it.” Everyone in the audience at our African Night came forward and picked up the full school bags and loaded them into the waiting S.I.R. truck – what a moment that was for me!
People in my local village heard about my backpack appeal and asked me to speak about it in the Sunday church service. In their ‘month of commitment’, our local parish filled another 40 school bags. The ripples go on ….
Caroline Glas,
Kindergarten Teacher,
Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner School.
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Will Smith's inspiring attitude
4:25 PM Friday 4th July 2008
It can be hard to put into words what we believe and how we know what we know.
Check out Will Smith beliefs for making something happen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hEoc7Cr-is&feature=related
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Look how they've made a difference
10:47 PM Tuesday 3rd June 2008
Challenge Day (15 mins) shows how change starts with the individual and what a powerful difference each individual can make.
www.transformationteam.net/video/challenge_day.php
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How should we make a difference?
12:46 PM Thursday 29th May 2008
Bjørn Lomborg is a Danish statistician who has organised a conference to discuss which global issues should be addressed by philanthropists. The Times carries an interesting article on it:
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3993299.ece
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Shine UnConference - take a tour
5:57 PM Monday 19th May 2008
Here you can access photos, videos, blogs, podcasts, that capture this amazing event.
shine.socialreporter.net/
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Shine UnConference
10:43 PM Sunday 18th May 2008
For those of you who came to the We Inspire Others workshop at the Shine UnConference for Social Entrepreneurs, THANK YOU for all you positive feedback:
"we inspire others by name and we inspire others by...well...more than nature, it is simply in everything that they are: a dynamic and intelligently emotional duo who do what it says on the tin, heck they do much more than that...invite them in to your life and be inspired"
Chris from Planet Liberty
And here's a link for a little snippet of the session on Entrepreneurs and Emotional Intelligence.
message2.myvideowebstream.com/view/?id=KVIM3NBL1GCRURH5QCU1
Contact me directly if you'd like to follow up any of the sessions.
Maureen
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Entrepreneurs and Emotional Intelligence
7:48 PM Wednesday 7th May 2008
Here are some notes for people who came along to my workshop at the SHINE UnConference (9 May 2008)
Being aware of the impact you have on others, how others impact on you and how to create ‘feel good’ for the people around you, is mega-important. Passion isn’t enough, you need people too. And so you need to know how to communicate with them in emotionally intelligent ways to get the best out of them, out of you and out of the situation.
See if you can identify your style, and the styles of the people you need to engage with, from these 4 basic ‘types’.
Expressive
Creative. fun spontaneity - Get attention
Qualities
Likes drama
Opportunistic
Dynamic
Enthusiastic
Energetic
Charismatic
Humorous
Flip side
Not interested in detail
Low on follow through
Short attention span
Speaks before thinking
Erratic
Driver
Task is king - Get it done
Qualities
Structured
Competitive
Goal & results oriented
State opinions forcefully
Serious
Focus on tasks
Concise
Flip side
Pushy
Dominating
Demanding
Poor listener
Insensitive
Dives in head first
Doesn’t hide frustration
Low on praise – high on criticism
Analytic
Quality approach Get it right
Qualities
Thorough
Patient
Calm
Organised
Systematic
Attention to detail
Flip Side
Nit-picking
Aloof
Impersonal
Perfectionist
Takes too long
Makes decisions in own time
Amiable
People person Get along
Qualities
Warm
Likeable
Friendly
Diplomatic
Pleasant
Supportive
Respectful
Flip side
Emotional
Easily hurt
Bears grudges
Sensitive
Indecisive – needs others to agree
Resists change
Hesitant
Why identify communication styles?
To achieve our communication goals, to improve social interactions, to resolve interpersonal differences.
Points to keep in mind
We all have some characteristics of each style and are likely to have a dominant or preferred style.
We tend to believe others do perceive, or should perceive, the world the same way as we do.
No style is better or worse than another – just different. Some of the differences are insignificant and have no effect on how we communicate; other differences have a significant effect on communication and the quality of our relationships.
Summary
Adapting your communication style establishes rapport.
Identifying and responding to other people’s communication needs and wants increases emotional capital – how good people feel about (doing business with) you.
Some preparation and / or reflection about who you are communicating with, and being flexible with your communication style will keep people engaged and wanting more – of you, your work, your product.
To find out more about emotional intelligence, visit http://www.peopleintelligence.com
Communication Styles Model adapted from David W. Merril and Roger H. Reid’s Personal Styles & Effective Performance CRC Press 1981 and
Tony Alessandra’s Relationship Strategies Nightingale Conant Corporation
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The Inspiring Happy List
10:57 PM Sunday 27th April 2008
Taken from the Independent:
"Today, 'The Sunday Times' produces its famous Rich List, an entire magazine devoted to the moneyed. About time, then, we thought, that someone produced an antidote. So here it is: the Happy List, celebrating those Britons who have given back, enhanced the lives of others and realised that in an acquisitive society there's a crying need for values other than mere materialism."
Here's the link to the complete happy list
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-ios-happy-list--the-100-816335.html
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Philanthrocapitalists read on....
10:27 AM Thursday 24th April 2008
An article in today's Telegraph promoting 'Britain's Rich List - Give it away' (ITV tonight 9.00) highlights how the rich are giving away their money to support causes of their choice.
It will be interesting to see how the natural cycle and evolution of attaining wealth and giving are featured, and in particular, levels of fulfilment.
We commend donation, and, we take it further at MAD Weekends, with an emphasis on authenticity - walking your talk.
So if you're wealthy, wanting to give back, wanting certainty, clarity and creative contribution, contact me:
Maureen Bowes
07906 321605
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Good news, bad news
10:55 AM Wednesday 16th April 2008
A fundamental influence in the MAD weekends concept is 'good news' and inspiring others with the results of how we are all making a difference through our MAD movies channel. This came about through feeling angry at the 'News'. So I wanted to share with you a couple of parags from Chris Anderson (Curator of the annual TED conference) in the book What are you optimistic about?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Are-You-Optimistic-About/dp/1847371000
"Paradoxically, one of the biggest reasons for being optimistic is that there are systemic flaws in the reported worldview. Certain types of news (for example, dramatic disasters and terrorist actions) are significantly overreported, others (such as scientific progress and meaningful statistical surveys of the state of the world) are significantly underreported. Although this imbalance leads to major problems - such as distortion of rational public policy and a perpetual gnawing fear of apocalypse - it is also reason to be optimistic. Once you realise you are being brainwashed to believe that things are worse than they are, you can, with a little courage, step out into the sunshine."
"So, for example, the publication of a report last year (2006) by the University of British Colombia's Human Security Center received little attention, despite the fact that it concluded that the numbers of armed conflicts in the world had fallen 40 per cent in lttle over a decade and that the number of fatalities per conflict had also fallen. Think about that. The entire news agenda for a decade, received as endless tales of wars, massacres, and bombings, actually missed the key point. Things are getting better."
On a much smaller scale, and prompted by yesterday's news, I was working in Berlin last week and travelled on a return flight to and from Terminal 5. Not one blip either way. It was a really smooth, pleasant and enjoyable experience.
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"I never knew doing good could feel so good."
8:06 PM Thursday 20th March 2008
BBC Newsbeat reported yesterday how Simon Cowell has paid off a US couple's mortgage, to help them look after their seriously ill daughter.
He promised to be three-year-old Madelaine Stoen's "guardian angel" after being shown footage of the family on Oprah Winfrey's US TV chat show.
Madelaine's parents were struggling to pay their £80,000 debt because they had to travel more than 100 miles every day for Madelaine's cancer treatment.
Cowell said: "I never knew doing good could feel so good."
Madelaine, from Claremont, Minnesota, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
She has already started losing her hair.
'It's taken 48 years'
After seeing a video of the family, The X Factor judge, dubbed TV's 'Mr Nasty', said: "I didn't know what to do in this situation, other than to do something which I hope will help your situation.
"I know that you're having problems with your mortgage. As of this afternoon your mortgage has been paid off."
After writing the cheque, Cowell told Oprah he had only just realised how good it was to give, and added: "It's taken me 48 years. I credit you with this."
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The Best Executive Training Course in the World
7:39 PM Wednesday 19th March 2008
Read about how Ernst & Young (Manhattan) extended its social responsibility by sending some of its top-notch performers to South America to help companies meet their business goals.
www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?ARTICLEID=27101
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Thinking, feeling, being video
6:50 PM Friday 14th March 2008
TED is an amazing website for ideas and inspiration. I've just watched a very moving video talk (19 mins) presented by a brain scientist who seized the opportunity of studying from the inside her own stroke. Powerful account of body, mind, spirit, emotions, energy, I am questions and statements.
Highly recommended.
Watch it here. www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229
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STOP PRESS
12:20 PM Thursday 13th March 2008
Will Travers from the Born Free Foundation www.bornfree.org.uk/blog/ will be the after dinner speaker at the September MAD weekend.
Watch this space!
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Creativity
3:45 PM Wednesday 12th March 2008
‘Creating’ (and its relatives, ‘creativity’, and ‘creator’) are much overworked and, I suggest, much misunderstood. Strictly speaking to ‘create’ means to ‘make or produce’. This definition can be contrasted with the vaguer, and more recent one, of being ‘creative’ or ‘using imagination’. The contrast is important and telling. Imagination is powerful and having ideas is a vital part of making something. However, creating is about having ideas and realising them. Creating is much more challenging and ‘hard nosed’ than being creative. Make a Difference Weekends don’t just rise to the challenge but go one step further: we support people to find an idea that will be realised to the direct benefit of others. We believe that the skills which are exercised as a result are adaptable to a wide range of circumstances and benefit individuals as well as businesses.
We call the people who come to our courses ‘creators’ and we place particular emphasis on passion and support for creators to enable them to go from the big idea to the big reality.
The first part of a MAD weekend is about helping creators to connect with their passion. ‘Passion’ is another word that calls for careful handling. Originally it meant ‘suffering’ but soon also included ‘strong emotion’ and desire. The idea of suffering was linked to persistence in the face of difficulty and so indicated a strong desire that could deal with difficulty. Anyone who sets out to make a difference will confront difficulties, in the same way that anyone who creates must expect to solve problems along the way. We see ‘passion’ as similar to ‘calling’. It is that unique something that makes us go further than we would otherwise. It is compelling, but not from the outside. For some it is about soul or spirit. For others it is about character. For others again it is about authenticity and being completely true to themselves. Passion takes the focus away from the creation and toward the creator.
The second part of a MAD weekend is about support, both during and after the weekend. Support is not a luxury or an admission that the person being supported is somehow less able or capable. If anything, the reverse is true. Increasing numbers of highly effective people are making active use of life-coaches, mentors, peer supporters, blogs and other sources so as to develop more quickly, short cut mistakes, and overcome challenges. Why waste time to discover a technique that others know about and are willing to share? We provide specialist support including emotional intelligence, neuro-linguistic programming, healing, ideas coaching or whatever we believe will enable creators to find unique expression for their passion.
If you want to create a difference come and talk to us. We are happy for you to pick our brains and we’d love to see you at one of our weekends.
07906 321605
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10 Characteristics of Social Entrepreneurs
7:28 PM Tuesday 11th March 2008
The Director magazine (Feb 2008) features an extract from a new book by John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan The Power of Unreasonable People (their description for social entrepreneurs).
Are you a social entrepreneur at heart? Does this sound like you or someone you know:
they break the rules, seek outlandish goals, attack intractable problems, take huge risks, force the rest of us to look beyond the edge of what seems possible….In so doing, they disrupt established industries while creating new paths for the future.
1. Try to shrug off the constraints of ideology or discipline
2. Identify and apply practical solutions to social problems, combining innovation, resourcefulness, and opportunity
3. Innovate by finding a new product, a new service, or a new approach to a social problem
4. Focus – first and foremost – on social value creation and, in that spirit, are wiling to share their innovations and insights for others to replicate
5. Jump in before ensuring they are fully resourced
6. Have an unwavering belief in everyone’s innate capacity, often regardless of education, to contribute meaningfully to economic and social development
7. Show a dogged determination that pushes them to take risks that others wouldn’t dare
8. Balance their passion for change with a zeal to measure and monitor their impact
9. Have a great deal to teach change-makers in other sectors
10. Display a healthy impatience
If you, or someone you know, aspires to the above, Make a Difference weekends would be just the ticket. Check the calendar for the next one.
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WE INSPIRE OTHERS CAFE
7:24 PM Tuesday 11th March 2008
We love cafes.
It would delight us to know that we brought creative thinking and inspired moments to your day. Why not commit to some you-time, make a cuppa and sit down to be stirred and inspired, and, through your contributions, ideas, feelings and thoughts, inspire others.
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