This weekend is the start of the half term (1-week school break) in the U.K. As a result, London is filled with young children with their parents visiting museums and other attractions. I adore children and we can learn from them at least the following aspects:
1) Curiosity – Children love to explore and have endless questions with “why, why, why”.
2) Enthusiasm – They are excited about the world around them.
3) Fearlessness – They tend not to be afraid of embarrassing themselves like most adults. They just want to have fun.
4) Loyalty: In particular to their parents that love them. Just look into their eyes, you will see the total trust and loyalty they have towards their parents.

Wake up that inner child of yours and have more fun in life :>

As the clock will be moved backward for an hour this weekend in the U.K., some people have started worrying about the fact that it will get dark earlier in the afternoon.
Well, a few thoughts from me.
1) We will gain an hour extra sleep this weekend (just once, not every day). That is a plus.
2) Enjoy autumn, winter, spring as well as summer. There are seasons for everything.
3) It is a cycle and it means there is light at the end of the tunnel if this period of the year is not your cup of tea.
4) After all, embrace it because it is going to happen regardless you like it or not.

Last week I had tea (yes, this is England) with a friend and he told me that he had read my book while he had been on vacation this summer. He mentioned, in particular, that he had similar experience in life (as a mature person) that he needed to persevere and bounce back from tough times. I could not agree more.

For better or worse, there are always difficult times in life, but keep your chin up and march on with your head holding high :>

Last Friday it was a rough day for me as it was one of those days that things were not working as “efficiently” as they should have been. Despite the fact that I still value efficiency and productivity, I decided to “retune my mind”, in particular, my concept of timeline. I reminded myself that different people have different concepts of timeline. As long as it is within “the big scheme of things” (meaning no major damage done), I should relax and enjoy the moment instead of letting it stress me out :>

I spoke to an instructor on presentation skills last night and she pointed out that it is very important for the speaker to believe that the subject you are presenting is INTERESTING to the audience. That mindset makes a huge difference on the effectiveness of conveying the message and its impact.

It makes perfect sense and echoes what I said in my book under the section “Make the subject as interesting as possible”. (p.39, “From Latecomers to Late-bloomers”).

Yesterday my Pilates instructor came back after her surgery. During her absence, we had a substitute instructor for 6 weeks. I realized that the class went much more smoothly (not just for me) with the regular instructor who returned. It suddenly dawned on me that one key difference is the quality and volume of the voice. The substitute instructor was very soft-spoken and did not come across as confident though I am sure she is as knowledgeable as the regular one.

A clear and confident voice (not overbearing) does make a difference in getting audience’s attention and helping them focused.

Sometimes we make causal comments (“careless whisper”) that can be destructive and discouraging to the listener unintentionally. For example, when I told a friend of mine that I had passed the interview to be a business mentor of a major UK charity, she casually said, “Ok, it is only just charity.” The response in itself was harmless, but it was not in particular encouraging.
My humble advice: Snap it and don’t dwell on it. Let the “careless whisper” go on its merry way. Anyway, I am very excited to be accepted as a business mentor for the UK charity helping the youth :>

Last week I attended an interesting seminar on the topic of applying creativity in coaching and brainstorming.
We did some hands-on workshops in the format of role-play. The results were astonishing.
For example, for practice, I was asked to express my issue (role play) to my coach by my choice of a famous quote or an object displayed on the table (there were many to choose from).
It is amazing how people can express themselves and see issues from a completely different perspective given the right creative stimulus.
I have already prepared some creative tools that I can use during my coaching session when the right opportunity arises.

Today I attended an inspiring talk given by Kate Adie, one of the first female journalists in the U.K. known for her news coverage in countries in conflicts among many of her achievements.
One excellent point she shared on the face of unfair treatment (she being the first high-profiled female journalist in a male-dominant field in the 70’s):
1) Stand your ground.
2) Work hard to show that you are equal (prove the prejudice wrong).
3) Don’t need to start a big fight each time when there is a conflict. There are other ways to make a statement and hold your ground without compromising.

In the coming year(s), I will be focusing more on my coaching work which is an extension of my keen interest in personal development. This very website will be enhanced with information on coaching and this blog will continue to be used for the sharing of my personal opinions on various topics (sometimes random – I know :>) but the core will be on coaching and personal development. Watch this space!