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Welcome to all the new subscribers since last month.
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Volume 26 | Oct 2009 | Make Living Life To the Full Your Highest Priority |
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Contents
Part 1 - Welcome!
Part 2 - Recommended Read
Part 3 - Products / Special Offers
Part 4 - Feature Article - Make Living Life To The Full Your Highest Priority
Part 5 - Media Interest
Part 6 - Organizations - How Heavily Do You Rely On One Person for Key Activities?
Part 7 - Support for Partners of Workaholics
Part 8 - The SaVVy Club - FREE one month membership
[Back to Top]
Part 1 - Welcome!
Dear Recovering Workaholic,
Hi there.
My apologies for the break in Newsletters but it has been a challenging few months with both a close family bereavement and moving house.
There is no doubt that significant events in our lives gives us the opportunity to take stock and consider what our priorities are. There are positive lessons to be learned from the bleakest moments and there are opportunities for others to learn from the experience too.
However busy you are and I'm sure you are, please take a few moments out of your busy schedule to consider what your true priorities are, and whether your current actions in life actually bear this out.
The article this month Make Living Life To The Full Your Highest Priority will I hope give you pause for thought.
If you find there is a conflict between your life as it is and the way you want to live your life so that you support and protect your highest priorities why not give me a ring.
If you would like some help in dealing with any of the issues raised in this Newsletter and would like a free 30 minute coaching session please
phone me on 01708 703959 or
you can
email me on info@recoveringworkaholics.com
Take control of your future!
Recovering Workaholics is a growing concern.
We offer 1:1 coaching,
and training to facilitate those who want a truly satisfying life.
Understanding
what drives you to work to the point where love, happiness and fulfilment
have become the poor relation is the first step to creating a life you
truly love.
We can help you work towards achieving your "dream" life.
We provide support for those facing retirement or who have recently
retired, ideal for those who want to embrace a new stage in their lives.
Redundancy can be a very stressful time, let us help you make the most
of the opportunity it offers.
Call today and take the first step to work- life passion on (0)1708
703 959.
If
you know of anyone who would be interested in
working with us please let us know by contacting
us on info@recoveringworkaholics.com or phone on (0)1708 703 959.
Make
2009 the year when you took consistent action
to make a positive difference to the quality of
your own life and for those who live or work with you.
Call today to sign up for a free no obligation coaching session and take the first step to the future you deserve!
With
best wishes,
Gina
Gardiner
Helping you create a life you love!
Recovering
Workaholics
Tel in the UK: 01708 703 959
Tel International: +44 1708 703 959
Email: gina@recoveringworkaholics.com
[Back to Top]
Part 2 - Recommended Read
If you find yourself being frustrated and stressed by the little things in life then this is a book which can be incredibly helpful.
Richard Carlson offers lots of useful strategies to help you put life into perspective and to find inner calm in your turbulent and busy work day.
It's a really useful read.
This book offers lots of practical strategies for managers to help get
the very best of their staff as individuals and as a team.
Everything in the book has been tried and tested in a variety of organizations;
it is a distillation of over 30 years experience of developing leadership
at every level.
The book does not attempt to teach grandmothers or grandfathers to suck
eggs, but offers tried and tested principles, strategies and ideas which
have been proven to work.
Time, energy and money are all very precious resources and all three
seem to be in short supply for most busy managers.
How YOU Can Manage Your
Staff More Effectively (And Pave The Way To Your Next Promotion) can
help! Dip into it if you are facing specific issues or use the comprehensive
approach to underpin ongoing and sustained individual and team development.
It has relevance for experienced managers who want to share good practice
as well as for aspiring leaders who want to develop and deepen their
leadership skills.
The book covers a wide range of issues including
- Developing strategic vision
- Creating your dream team
- Creating a ‘Can Do’ culture
- Effective delegation
- Holding people to account
- Developing a solutions approach
- The power of anticipation
- Giving positive feedback
- Having those “hard conversations”
- Managing stress for you and your team
- Creating a good work life balance
How YOU Can Manage Your Staff More Effectively
(And Pave The Way To Your Next Promotion) will stand alone but you will find it useful to use
it in conjunction with the companion book Kick Start
Your Career.
This
book is designed for new initiates into the business
world and graduates who are ambitious and want
to create a successful career for themselves.
It is a no nonsense, jargon free manual, full
of practical ideas and strategies to support the
development of leadership from day one.
These
books can be ordered via our web site at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/booksandcds.php.
[Back to Top]
Part 3 - Products and Special Offers!
We have produced three CDs designed especially for you to tackle the
most common problems that seem to affect many of our members.
They are available now to buy as CDs or as downloadable MP3 files from www.recoveringworkaholics.com/booksandcds.php.
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Relaxation CD 1 - A Spanish Theme
PRICE: £10.00
Order CD
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Download MP3
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Relaxation CD 1 - A Spanish Theme
Take
time out of your busy and stressful day
to relax.
True
relaxation is known to reduce stress levels,
lower blood pressure, clear the mind and
leave you feeling alert, refreshed and ready
to tackle the rest of your day with renewed
energy and vigour.
"A
Spanish Theme" uses a mixture of guided
imagery and deep breathing exercises to
take you on an intensely relaxing journey.
Stress
is sited as the cause of over 500,000 days
of absence a year in the UK alone. It represents
a huge cost in both economic and personal
terms. In order to deal with it we must
first understand what it is and what causes
it.
Where
stress is detrimental people are often in
situations where they feel they have little
control. Sustained exposure to such negative
situations can have serious implications
for the health and well being of the individual
and ultimately for the organization as a
whole
Relaxation
is a powerful tool to combat stress. Learning
to take time out, to truly relax has been
proven to lower blood pressure, improve
mental acuity and reduce stress.
Our
Relaxation Tape with a Spanish theme is
the first in a series of relaxation tapes
created by Gina Gardiner associates.
Using
visualization, guided imagery and deep breathing
exercises take time out of your hectic day
to unwind, de-stress and relax!
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Beat Insomnia CD - Retrain Your Sleep Pattern Without Drugs
PRICE: £10.00
Order CD
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Download MP3
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Beat Insomnia CD - Retrain Your Sleep Pattern Without Drugs
Sleep is vital to our health and sense of wellbeing. We need it as much
as we need food and water and the air we breathe. It is during sleep that
the body rests and repairs itself. Good quality sleep leaves us feeling
refreshed, re-energized and ready to face the new day.
Insomnia affects most people at some time during their lives. For many
it is a passing phase caused because of a stressful event in their lives. For
chronic sufferers it becomes a way of life. Although it is not life-threatening
it can and does threaten the quality of life for many sufferers leaving
them frustrated, exhausted and feeling low.
"Beat Insomnia" uses deep trance techniques to help you retrain
your sleep pattern without drugs.
Use "Beat Insomnia" to get a great nights sleep and make Insomnia
a thing of the past.
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Confidence Building CD - Creating the Confident You
PRICE: £10.00
Order CD
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Download MP3
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Confidence Building CD - Creating the Confident You
We
all feel less confident in certain situations.
This CD is designed to help you feel confident
in any situation. It uses tried and tested
NLP techniques to help you develop the confidence
you need to tackle new social situations
or when giving an important presentation
or interview.
- How
often do you wish you felt more confident?
- Do
you worry about social events or standing
up to talk in front of work colleagues?
- Would
you like to live your life feeling that
you are in control?
- Do
you have butterflies in your stomach that
feel as if they are wearing hobnailed
boots when you have to go to an interview
or a meeting?
- Is
the voice in your head telling you - you
can't do it?
Developing
confidence is about much more than learning
to do an activity better.
It
is about changing how we feel about ourselves
and dealing with our thoughts and beliefs.
It is about facing the things we fear and
being curious about why we fear them.
Use "Creating the Confident You" to learn to
push through the fear and create a world
of limitless possibilities, where you
are in control of your own destiny.
We
expect the following titles to be available later
in the year.
- Relaxation CD 2 - A Country Theme
- Relaxation CD 3 - Sky
For
any further information or advice about CDs contact
info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or
phone 01708 703959
[Back to Top]
Part 4 - Feature Article
Make Living Life To The Full Your Highest Priority
On May 31st at 12 noon I received a telephone call which I found hard to comprehend. My brother aged 49 had died whilst on a training session preparing for the London To Brighton Cycle race. At first I simply couldnt take it in. I drove to Colchester hospital but have absolutely no recollection of the journey. I can only apologize to any motorists I may have irritated on the way.
David was my younger brother. He was a successful business man, who was so far as we all knew, extremely healthy. He had lots of energy, was always on the go, worked extremely hard and had a fantastic social life. He played full out in everything he did
That day was to mark a dramatic change in a number of people's lives. He left a wife and five children and three grand children. The youngest two from his second marriage, Harry the youngest is only ten.
He was in partnership with my sister's husband, a rapidly expanding business which employs a number of people in four separate units. The two Daves worked well together each bringing to the business their strengths, expertise and enthusiasms.
His many friends were devastated and everyone whose life he touched feels the gap.
Why do I share this story with you? There are I believe a number of lessons to be learned, particularly about how you define the priorities in your life and about the things which are really important.
Davids funeral was a terrible, wonderful affair. The church couldn't hold all those who wanted to share in the celebration of his life. All through the day people came up and shared what he meant to them, how he had supported or helped them, how they valued him. The talk was about him the person and how he had connected with them. There was nothing about how much money he'd made or how many contracts he'd won.
David did work very hard and at times he worked long hours yet he always found time to connect with his family and friends. He would often send a text saying "Thinking of you" or "Luv ya". He took time to phone and if he was busy the conversation was quick but it still made you feel valued.
When was the last time you took a minute or two out of your busy day to let the people you care about know? The amount of time is inconsequential; many of you can rattle off a long text in the twinkling of an eye (I still struggle with predictive text!) Yet the impact on the person receiving your loving thought is out of all proportion to the amount of time it takes.
The postmortem showed a condition that if known about, was entirely treatable. He may very well still be with us if he had followed through the full medical screening he kept threatening to book. He was always too busy doing something else. He loved his food and enjoyed a drink. He probably could have done with loosing a few pounds but looked in the pink. How many of you keep thinking or talking about making an appointment for a health screening or to deal with that niggling health issue? How long have you put off dealing with your diet or giving up smoking?
Have you got your priorities right?
What do you focus most of your time, energy and attention on? If all your time is spent working you may rationalize that you are doing so to provide for the loved ones, who are your most important priority.
Ask yourself what memories your partner or your children will have if you were no longer with them? Would they be able to think back to shared time, laughter and experiences?
Would your epitaph read "He worked incredibly hard"?
Lesson Number 1
Make the most of every day.
If living life to the full is your priority what would your ideal life contain? What would it look, sound and feel like?
Is the balance between your working and your personal life right?
If you arent living your perfect life what are you dong to change it?
Lesson Number 2
It is relationships which really count
What are the significant relationships in your life? Are they satisfying? What can you do to ensure that you have fulfilling, loving relationships?
If you have a relationship which is less than you would like or you have no one special in your life what are you doing about it?
Lesson Number 3
Tell those you care about that you do care, and do it often!
Thank those who help and support you and tell them how much you appreciate them and do it often!
All too often we assume others know that we appreciate them. We underestimate how powerful it is to hear that you are loved or valued. It doesnt have to take long but it can make a huge difference.
Text, phone, email or put a note where you know the other person will find it or even better tell them face to face.
Lesson Number 4
Your health is priceless
Without your health you run out of options. Take full responsibility for your health and get yourself checked out. If you need to change your life style diet, exercise, reduce drinking or give up smoking get some help.
Lesson Number 5
The choice is yours
What ever you do or say, or not is your choice. Deciding not to make a choice is your choice. How you live this life is up to you. Of course some choices are more difficult than others and what most of us do is stick with more of the same as it is easier to deal with the status quo rather than the uncertainty of change. Life has the habit of teaching us lessons often the hard way. You can of course choose to learn the lessons which other peoples lives offer to us.
What are you going to choose?
Living your life to the full and making every day count is important to each and every one of us.
Work is an important element of our lives but it doesnt need to define us.
Having a full and balanced life will not only enrich your time away from work but will bring even greater energy, creativity and breadth to your world of work.
If you want your life to be different it is entirely possible to change things for the better.
You dont have to wait you can take the first step today. Remember that every journey however long begins with the first step.
If
you need help,
why not work
with a coach to take control of your life and make it
outstanding!
If you would like a free 30 minute
coaching session to explore how you could improve
the relationship you have with yourself please
phone me on 07833 183 327 or 01708 703959 or
you can
email me on info@recoveringworkaholics.com
[Back to Top]
Part 5 - Media Interest
An article featuring Recovering Workaholics was published in The National this month and a further article looking at workaholicism and the recession is featured in the weekend Telegraph.
If you are aware of any articles, radio or TV Programmes featuring the issue of work life balance please let us know on info@recoveringworkaholics.com.
If you would like to hear the feature on Woman's Hour which focused
on the difficulties that living with a workaholic creates please visit
the BBC web site at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/03/2008_17_thu.shtml
Also,
if you see anything about
our organization in any publication not mentioned by us we would be
very much like to hear about it on info@recoveringworkaholics.com.
[Back to Top]
Part 6 - Organizations
How Heavily Do You Rely On One Person for Key Activities?
How much stress is your staff under because there is no one who can fulfill their function if they were to go on holiday or to be ill?
What contingency plans do you have in place for dealing with the sudden disappearance of one of your key players?
Do you actively plan to ensure that there are always people who have the expertise and training to undertake all the functions in your department or organization in the event of someone leaving for promotion or ill health?
What would be the net impact on your organization of your leaving your job in the short, medium and long term?
Consider
If your business success is dependent on key personnel who have very specialist skills or who are crucial because they pick up all the slack, you leave the individual involved and organisation extremely vulnerable.
Take some time to look at the organizational structure and consider the impact of one or more players being taken out of the equation.
Are key functions left vulnerable?
How quickly could you train others internally to undertake the role?
Would you have to look outside the organization?
How long would that take?
What are the likely costs not only to appoint someone new but in lost opportunities or revenue?
What happens now if someone is off sick or on holiday? Is your business left treading water? Or does someones absence put further pressure and stress on others who are trying to do their own full time job and cover someone else?
What is the impact on your client base? Do you expect them to wait longer or to receive a reduced service? In todays incredibly competitive market it is all too easy to lose clients who are disaffected or dissatisfied. They rarely return even when full service resumes.
You may argue that you cannot afford more staff and that may be true. Perhaps being creative with the staff you have, involving the staff in having a look at what is currently happening and unpicking what activities are essential and those busy activities which slurp up time but dont actually impact on your department or organizations success.
Do you ensure that the calls on your staff personal time are appropriate?
Do they take their full holiday entitlement?
Are they working far longer than their contractual hours and if so how much of your organizational success is based on the good will and unpaid working hours of your staff?
What do you do if you find out a member of staff is taking their lap top on holiday with them in order to keep in touch with work?
Do you applaud their commitment particularly as you do it yourself?
Do you question whether the culture of your organization is right?
Do you take active steps to help your staff have good work life balance?
In the short term ignoring these issues may feel like it is productive but in the longer term the costs in staff absence due to ill health or stress can be heavy. It is also important to consider the cost of appointing, training new staff and in lost momentum and revenue whist you replace and train someone new. There is also the personal cost on you and your managers in terms of stress and sleepless nights. Dealing with problems created because you have lost your key players can be incredibly costly.
The solution lies in strategic planning, succession planning and creating a culture which supports creating a balance between working and protecting personal time.
If
you would like to discuss any of the issues in this newsletter, or are interested in training on motivation and influence or would like to work with an Executive Coach please
phone me on 01708 703959 or contact us at
info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or through
info@graduatesolutions.co.uk
[Back to Top]
Part 7 - Support for Partners of Workaholics
We publish a monthly newsletter designed for the partners of Workaholics.
You can subscribe to this by going to
www.recoveringworkaholics.com/partners.php.
[Back to Top]
Part 8 - The SaVVy Club®
Special Offer
When was the last time you did something for the first time? If you are left wondering, then why not be embraced by a Club that prides itself on service focused quality and exclusive fun.
This is where The SaVVy Club comes into it's own. We can show you the way for every varying need and want in the world of events and leisure activities.
Every day we increase what we expect?
Been there, done that?
Its time to look for something new.
Good news for you, here comes The SaVVy Club!
The SaVVy Club is a membership exclusive club that brings together unique groups of people, to experience an exciting array of events.
- Do you like Champagne?
- Do you enjoy meeting NEW people in exclusive settings?
- Do you like music, theatre and other cultural events?
- Do you enjoy being treated like a VIP?
- Do you like fine dining and gourmet food?
Experience all this and more with your free one month membership to The SaVVy Club!
To enjoy this exclusive offer, contact Kim at The SaVVy Club mailto:kim@savvyclub.co.uk within 7 Days of receiving this message and she'll send you a code that allows you to sign up for your FREE one month membership.
Next time you’re heading to London for a volley of meetings, don’t spend
your evenings alone with only the remote control for company. Get out
there and enjoy what the City has to offer.
It couldn't be simpler.
So why not take the opportunity right now to take us up on our great offer.
Telephone Kim on 0208 989 4886 and quote Recovering Workaholics.
Kim Rix
Founder and CEO of The SaVVy Club®
London’s first boutique social events
club.
For more information, please visit
www.savvyclub.co.uk
or call 0870 005 6225.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
If
there are any topics you would like covered in
future issues please let me know on
info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or complete the feedback form at
www.recoveringworkaholics.com/enquiryform.php.
What do you think?
Warmest wishes,
Gina
Gardiner
Helping you create a life you love!
For
any further information or to discuss your coaching
needs contact
info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or
phone in the UK 01708 703959 (or International +44 1708 703959).
Gina Gardiner recognized by "Investors in
People" as creating an "innovative and
exemplary training program for emerging and
middle managers" and by Ofsted as an “inspirational
leader”. Her experience includes that of
“Change Management” and in supporting
organizational leaders in developing strategic
vision and creating a “can do” culture.
If
you aren't a subscriber already, please sign up
to receive the next issue of the free monthly
Recovering Workaholics newsletter at
www.recoveringworkaholics.com/freemonthlynewsletter.php.
You
may copy or distribute this newsletter,
provided
that full credit is given and the following copyright information
is included.
Copyright © 2009 Author : Gina Gardiner - www.ginagardiner.com
For
any further information or advice about Recovering
Workaholics contact info@recoveringworkaholics.com
or
phone in the UK 01708 703959 (or International +44 1708 703959). |
