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Next Kindred Spirit Network Meeting!
The next meeting is set for
7.30pm WEDNESDAY
10th FEBRUARY
at the same venue as last time - the offices of
Click on the logo above to take you to their website and select the contact page to find address and location
PLEASE EMAIL ME TO CONFIRM YOU ARE COMING ALONG SO THAT I CAN CATER FOR THE CORRECT NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
The evening will be the usual mix of relaxed networking, some snacks and drinks and an open discussion.
Come along if you'd like to meet like minded people that feel that life has more to it than the daily grind!
We'd love to see you there and if you'd like to bring a friend - just let me know!
Paul
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Newsletter Archive!
Click the logo below to take you to the archive page where you can find all the previous newsletters - now with full details of each article included!
(This link now works)
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Greetings!
2010 has finallty stumbled into action with the snow clearing and businesses begining to trade, schools starting to teach and our lives finally picking up their pace.
Much is happening in the world too, with the tragedy in Haiti reminding us just how fragile we are as humans when confrotned with the power of the planet.
However, this issue of the newsletter contains much to raise your spirits, remind you that we are sharing our life experiences and to get you to stop for a moment during your busy day.
Therefore, grab a cup (or glass) of your favourite drink and give yourself a few precious minutes to read the articles below. For the first time, all the articles are provided or inspired by Kindred Sprits so do get in touch if you'd like to contribute to the newsletter.
And look out for details of the next get together in the side bar to the left - I look forward to seeing you if you can make it on 10th February.
In love and life
Paul
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P.S. Forward the newsletter to anyone you feel would enjoy the contents or be helped or uplifted be reading the articles.
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Lessons from the Snow
The recent
snow effected us all but a Kindred Spirit felt there was a lesson for us in a
situation in which he found himself during the worst of the snowfall. Mike Nolan picks up the story....
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"We awoke to a
couple of inches of fresh snow and my wife asked if I would brave the elements
and drive my daughter to school. She didn't feel confident given the
inhospitable conditions. I decided to avoid the motorway and take a short cut. The first
couple of miles were ok and then I got to a deep dip in the road where I encountered
several cars attempting to climb up to a junction ahead. The cars were spinning and slipping and
generally going nowhere, with only a few four-wheel drives making it to the
summit.
With a 5 year old and 3 year old in the back I turned around in a cul- de-sac to head home. However, I then realised I
was faced with the same situation in the opposite direction. The hill I had
driven down was much harder to go up!! I saw a woman in her vehicle trying
frantically for about 15 minutes to get going, but with her wheels spinning and the
vehicle weaving from side to side, she was simply stuck in the ice and snow.
Eventually I
tried to get past her, but in my Ford Focus I found the same problem. With the idea
of school now gone I just wanted the children home and safe. I was also cursing
my foolishness for taking a short cut rather than sticking to the main roads.
As time went on, I watched
the panic in front of me gradually clear as vehicles reversed then tried and
tried again until they got up that hill.
With the
coast clear, it was my turn... I drove up the hill cautiously, but then a
lorry appeared behind me and I thought 'please don't stop now'! With my eyes
firmly focussed on the road ahead, I found I had got to the summit and was back home in 5 minutes.
Now what has
this to do with life and business? I
saw it as a perfect analogy for life and especially so for those of us in
business.
What got me
to the top of the hill? It was belief
and momentum. We all need belief and momentum to climb to where we want to be. I believed my car could do it as I had seen
others get there ahead of me and I knew from others mistakes that I had to go back to the start to build
up the momentum to carry me.
Reflecting
later I thought that many of us might find ourselves half way up a hill weaving
from side to side but going nowhere? Frantically trying the same old thing, but
it simply not working. Sometimes we have to go back to the start, whether it be in employment,
business, relationships or driving! We have to watch and learn from the success of others. We have to recognise that taking a short cut to success often ends up causing more delays and difficulties. And we have to gain our inner belief, learn by our mistakes, and regain
the momentum needed to make it to the top of our hill...." Mike Nolan Click here to go to Mike's website(This link now works) |
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Kayaking Upstream
 A meeting with another Kindred Spirit this week includied a discussion about Kayaking! Sharon Bott explains...***"Esther and Jerry Hicks (co-authors of Ask and it is Given) tell a story about the time they went on a Kayaking trip with a large group of people that were much younger and fitter than they were but through the experience, they all learned a valuable lesson... As they gathered on the side of the river with the water flowing fast in front of them, Esther and Jerry were concerned that the force of the river could overpower them. The younger members were excited and looking forward to the challenge that the river posed to them. As the Kayaks were lowered into the fast flowing river, it was clear that the challenge was perhaps going to be too much for Esther and Jerry and they considered quitting the group and simply walking along the river bank further downstream. Some of the younger members climbed onto their Kayaks and paddled into the raging foam, battling to stay afloat. They rowed hard against the powerful flow of the river to try to gain some control and to find direction. Some were tumbled off their Kayaks into the river and floated down the river to be picked up by safety boats downstream. Esther looked on and could see that rowing against the river was exhausting and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay on course. She noticed that all the younger people were placing their Kayaks in the river facing upstream as they were worried that if they placed their Kayaks facing downstream, the Kayak may float away before they had time to adjust. Esther thought differently.
She trusted the river as she knew that it was heading downstream which was just where she intended to be. She knew that fighting against the flow of water would be exhausting so she placed her Kayak downstream, climbed in and quickly was heading downstream. The younger members realised that the wiser member of the group has decided to go with the flow, trusting that the river would take her where she wanted to go. They realised that being frightened of getting started was actually making them start off against the flow, which was exhausting and often ended up with them coming off their Kayaks all together." This story shows us that trusting
life and its flow, and not fighting against it when times are tough,
guarantees that we will emerge downstream safely, happily and with a
feeling of accomplishment. Sharon Bott Click here to go to Sharon's website |
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Affirmations - and the bucket...
 Many of us will have read about "affirmations" and how those that are successful use affirmations to help them achieve and maintain success.Affirmations are positive statements that describe a desired situation,
and which are repeated many times, in order to impress the subconscious
mind and trigger it into positive action. In order to ensure the
effectiveness of the affirmations, they have to be repeated with
attention, conviction, interest and desire.Many of us have tried using affirmations but you may have found that your intellect would often be fighting against an affirmation that you knew to be untrue at the time of using the affirmation. For instance, "I am wealthy" as an affirmation is very difficult to use when you have debt or financial difficulties. However, Chris Williams (another gifted and loving Kindred Spirit) outlined to me this week a simple way to accept an affirmation, even when the situation does not exist in your life right now. It is the theory of "displacement". This is how Chris explained the theory... ***
"Imagine your mind is like a large bucket that each day has a constantly dripping tap of negativity being fed into the bucket through the media, the moods of others and life itself. Generally speaking, our minds are fed negative thoughts and if you suddenly said to yourself "I am positive" - this may not replace all the negativity that exists in your mind. However, if we imagine the positive affirmation as a warm pebble of positive thought and we keep repeating this thought, we will, over time, begin to replace the water in the bucket with warm pebbles. Eventually, the warm pebbles will be greater in number than the negative water which will now just be in the small spaces between the pebbles. We will have in effect "displaced" the negative water with warm positive pebbles.Therefore, next time you begin an affirmation that doesn't feel real to you as you say it, remember that you are simply displacing a small amount of the thoughts and situations that may exist that you are trying to change. The repeated use of the affirmation will eventually replace the feeling that you are looking to displace."
Chris Williams
Click here to go to Chris's website |
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Books that Inspire Me
This is a book that a number of Kindred Spirits have read and felt it was helpful to them. I have not read it myself (but just ordered it from Amazon) but believe that the recommendations of others should also feature in our newsletter.
This is the blurb that describes the book:-
"The Jelly Effect offers simple, proven techniques for improving communication and selling ability.
Like throwing jelly at a wall, poor communication just doesn't stick.
But there are simple, memorable, and affordable ways to win more attention and more business. And anyone can learn them.
Every business can benefit from better communication. The Jelly Effect
introduces revolutionary communication and persuasion techniques that
will show you how to sell yourself, your ideas, and your products or
services to customers, prospects, and your colleagues. "
Click on the image above if you would like to purchase the book from Amazon
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Mystical Moments
 The telephone rang and it was a Kindred Spirit on the phone. She told me of a conversation with a man who had lost his job after working in the same place for nearly 30 years and he wasn't sure what to do next. During her conversation, with the man, my name and face kept coming into her mind. Understanding that this may be more than just a coincidence, she felt that the man should meet with me and asked if I'd meet up with him.
Three days later we met and discovered:-
- We recognised each other as soon as we met.
- We went to the same secondary school - just one year apart
- We went to the same infant and junior school.
- We went to the same church as children and our parents probably knew each other.
- We shared a love of training, helping and speaking.
- We both wanted to make a difference to the world.
At the end of our short meeting, we weren't sure how we could help each other but there were too many synchronicities and signposts for us to ignore. We agreed to meet again and talk more. Just a coincidence or part of a bigger plan that we can't comprehend but just need to trust? You decide.... |
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