Encouraging Thoughts

It's not the day you have to manage, but the moment.
It's not the dragon you have to slay, but the fear.
And it's not the path you have to know, but the destination.

Mike Dooley http://www.tut.com/

Messages from the Universe

I was feeling a bit down in the dumps today.  As I reflected on the week with all of the shoulda, woulda, coulda my mind was filled with too many thoughts. 
The following song came on the radio.

When I shuffled my set of inspirational cards on my desk the following quote came up;

"You can accomplish anything

if you do not accept limitations

whatever you make up your mind to do

 you can do anything".

Definately messages I needed to hear.

Everyday Heros

This may be an unusual blog post but it is related to families in particular, my family.  My elder sister is approaching the milestone birthday of 60 and was considering ways to celebrate this special birthday. 

After much consideration and following many questions from family and friends as to how she would celebrate this momentous occasion, Linda decided to do something very drastic, Shave her head!!!

At her birthday party for all of her guests to see, Linda will shave her head to raise money to help OCRF (Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation) fund research into an early detection program for ovarian cancer.  So why is she doing this?  Our darling mum passed away 2 years ago from ovarian cancer and Linda has decided to shave her head to support this very worthwhile cause in memory of our mum.

If you would like to sponsor my sister, Linda, please click on the link below

Everyday Heros website

Thank you for your support.

New Horizons

As the New Year began I considered what I wanted to achieve.  Feeling like I needed a project or something creative to inspire me and build my enthusiasm, I pondered returning to study, becoming involved in some sort of youth outreach or doing something creative on the home front such as sewing or photography. 

Being time poor with regard to adding anything new to my already busy life, it suddenly dawned on me to extend my current volunteering role in ToughLove to a leadership role.  Having been a member of ToughLove for over a year now I felt that it was time to take on new challenges and assist at a group leadership and perhaps Queensland Management level.  I have now had the title of Public Relations Officer for Corinda group bestowed upon me.  It is a great honour and one which I take very seriously.  I have always been enthusiastic about marketing and public relations especially when it is for a cause which I am passionate about.   I am a true advocate of ToughLove, the support and information which it provides.  It does work!!!  As Public Relations Officer for the group I will be promoting our group and the ToughLove program to schools and the community at large.

When I first came to ToughLove I was desperate for a solution as many other parents are, when faced with such challenges as teenager turmoil, drug or alcohol related violence and mental health, psychotic episodes, to name just a few.  I remember sitting patiently listening to the information given at orientation, all the while wanting a quick fix, an instant solution to turn my feral teenager back to the beautiful innocent little blue eyed girl she once was. 

More Inspiring Teenagers

It is so easy to focus on the negative aspects of teenager behaviour. 

Today I attended the Queensland Synchronized Ice Skating Club’s Exhibition Skate, a fundraiser and performance opportunity for the teams representing their state at the Australian National Ice Skating competition to be held in Brisbane next month.  

I was fortunate to witness some very inspiring and talented ice skaters who brought passion, elegance and creativity to their performances. Over the past seven years that my own children have been ice skating, I have seen many of these children, develop their skating skills from tentative, awkward, beginning steps to the accomplished, dynamic, creative ice skaters that I see before me today.

I have also seen leadership skills emerge in teenagers as they in turn nurture and encourage the next generation of beginner ice skaters.  The synchronised ice skating club management realises that tomorrow’s national teams grow from the beginner skaters of today which is why they provide leadership opportunities to the more experienced skaters to inspire and encourage the beginner skaters.   

I would like to congratulate the organisers for the success of such a well, run event which provided an opportunity to showcase our talented ice skaters.  Immense pride exuded from ice skaters and the audience alike as the skaters concluded the exhibition with a victory lap of the ice rink to the music of “Queen”, “We are the champions”.  Congratulations to all of the ice skaters who performed today and best of luck to those who will be representing Queensland at the national competition next month.

Teenager/Parent Communication or Conflict?

People exhibit different behaviours in their communication with one another. Think of the last conflict that you had or that you witnessed and look at it from the perspective of a third party observing the situation.

Was there emotion, blame, finger pointing, raised voices, sarcasm, rigid stances?  These characteristics are often associated with aggressive behaviour.

If one person was meek, avoiding conflict and eye contact and apologising for things which were not their fault then this may indicate passive behaviour.

People using assertive behaviour tend to use a calm tone, be non-blaming and are able to clearly and honestly discuss the situation with careful consideration and respect.

It is very easy to get caught up in the emotion of the situation especially in parent/teenager communication.  By being aware that these behaviours exist we can look out for key words and non-verbal body language which are characteristic of these different behaviours.

If you need support in communicating with your teenager contact ToughLove by visiting their website to find a group near you.  http://www.toughlove.org.au/index.htm

In memory of a loving mum.

It has been a year to the day since my mother passed away.  My 16 year old daughter and I took time to remember an amazing lady, a mother and nana, teacher and friend.

Some tears shed, fond memories held.  We shared sadness for the loss of a caring, warm, generous, person and yet joy for having had her as part of our lives.

She will always remain in our hearts and in our memories.  I love you mum and I too am proud of all that you have said and done.  Thank you.