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Do you ever have those moments when, while you believe you can generally deal with all the things you have on your plate, a little help is always welcomed. I’d been saying this to myself just this morning and just to be clear (because its best to be clear about what you’re asking for) I’d said to the universe that I’d welcome some friendly help to come along and give a bit of reassurance.
Of course you never know what form this will take so when I was sitting in my office this morning and glanced out at the trees and beautiful blue sky, I should not have been surprised when an ex-colleague from more than 4 years ago suddenly appeared in front of my ground floor window!
She was visiting with her husband and baby the zoo where I work and decided to look me up.
How lovely to see them all. We chatted about life and how it was all going and as she was leaving to take her daughter to see the elephants, she said gently that the work I’d done in my previous role was acknowledged and appreciated, even now.

I was really touched. As they left, I remembered my request to the universe this morning and, not for the first time, thought about how help and reassurance can come in the simplest of ways. Perhaps all I needed was a confidence boost and I received it in the most lovely, random and gentle way.

At my recent “Creating the Working Life you Love” workshops in Melbourne, we discussed the enormous growth of the not-for-profit or community sector in Australia and the commensurate need for skilled employees. Add to this the growing reporting requirements by stakeholders and everything is headed towards two things (at least!): A review of NFP salaries to attract skilled workers and the need for updated technology systems to enable improved communication to donors, supporters and the community about the progress our organisations are making.
It made us all comment on the increasing professionalisation of the sector and while this was in many ways a good thing it also represented the passing of the age of what I termed the ‘socks and sandal brigade’, those passionate individuals who were all about the cause, all about the passion, all about making a difference, whatever their skills.
While skills and talent are going to add hugely to the value and outcomes the sector can deliver, we don’t want to lose our passion.. after all, that’s what makes life worth living.
Yours passionately….

Do you live in Victoria, Australia? What do you think about Personal Development Workshops… I’d like your opinion.

Can you take a 5 minute survey?  Here’s the link: let me know what you think.

Survey

the flight from Melbourne and Abu Dhabi was very pleasant and positively uneventful. Would definately recommend Etihad… very polite staff, good food and good leg room. Thought we would get to see the bright concrete metropolis that is Abu Dhabi but only saw miles of sand, conga lines of construction trucks and building works. 

Arrival at Abu Dhabi was smooth and calm. Air conditioned air tunnels – those things that connect the plane with the terminal – funneled us to the transit area where the usual luxury brands beckoned – only the Maserati being raffled at a 100 dollars a ticket catches my eye but I      resist 🙂 In truth the airport is quite small compared with Singapore or Dubai but its quiet and its modesty is refreshing.

We only saw plantation trees from the plane window nothing much else survives in the heat; trees to be planted to keep the desert at bay. But nature has found a way to survive even here . As we sit in the plastic coated cafe chairs, a small bird flies around the ceiling rafters tweeting and calling. Its unexpected amongst so many efforts to keep nature – the heat, the sand – out.

We didnt see the city from the air but from the inflight promo showed it as a  glorification of concrete, glass, minerets and… golf! And yet at every point the desert waits to claim it all back. Those trees we saw will be planted on the edges of roads to try keep the dunes back.  Try being the operative word. Perhaps they hire teams of road sweepers to keep shovelling it all back into place! Anyway! We are on holiday!  The bird in the rafters sings again.  Next stop… paris…

It’s a brave new world… and its changing every minute. So i’m changing too.. here’s my first blog. Not very earth-shattering stuff but hopefully, i’ll improve with time. 

I’m in a new phase of life: no heavy MBA study til September so I’m taking a few pleasurable study activities instead. Tonight: Jazz and Blues singing…. in a couple of weeks: Interior Design.  Stimulating other parts of my brain…

Enjoy your life – its the only one you have.