|
Dear Ann,
It hardly seems five minutes since I was
writing last year's Christmas newsletter.
2007 has been a busy year. I've done more
organisational development and transition
coaching and finished the Back on
Track book, which is now with the publisher
and will be out in late January or early
February.
Meanwhile it seems everyone's preparations
for Christmas are galloping on apace. Despite
the welcome higher profile of festivals like
Eid, Hanukkah and Diwali, I am still noticing
pockets of political correctness when it
comes to Christmas - what are people thinking
of? I watched the Liverpool Nativity live on
Saturday
evening with huge enjoyment. For me at
least, it was more bracing breeze than a mere
breath of fresh air!
So I wish you once again a happy and
peaceful Christmas holiday, and a new year
that allows you to be your very best in
everything you do.
Here is my Christmas
e-Card for this year - enjoy!
|
Getting Back on Track
|
|
The journey of writing a book
Writing the book has been a fascinating
exercise. It is richer for the contribution
of several colleagues and clients whose
stories bring it to life.
It has brought home to me very forcefully
that getting back on track is a journey of
discovery. To emerge stronger, you need to
get in touch with your core values, your key
strengths and the things that bring you
joy.
As people do this, and discover or remember
what they want to bring to the world, they
also find that they have all the resources
available to them already. That's when it
gets exciting, and when the pain of their
experience gives them the gift of greater
insight into their own and others'
motivations.
The revelation for me has been just how
cathartic and developmental it has been to
write it, and it is interesting that several
chapters have come to an end with its
completion.
I can't wait to see what next year brings,
and I wish the same to all of you.
|
|
We're on the move
|
|
From February 2008 we shall be
relocating to the Millbrook
Technology Campus in Southampton, within
easy reach of Southampton station, the M3,
the M27,
and Southampton Airport. My coaching clients
will be able to meet me there, as well as on
their own premises, or at the wonderful Hubworking
centre in the City of London.
I am really excited about the move, which
will extend our reach into central and
western England while maintaining easy access
to London.
While I had expected to be in
Brighton for a while longer, it will also,
and most importantly, mean that I get to live
with my other half all the time, not just at
weekends. And I can
still enjoy Brighton's uniqueness as a
visitor - I might even get to see more of its
wonderful arts festival when I leave.
|
|
Book Review
|
|
"Unstoppable" by Adrian Gilpin
I first came across Adrian Gilpin as I was
setting up Ann Lewis Coaching back in 2002.
He is a gifted, funny speaker whose
"organisation, The Institute of Human
Development (IHD) coaches people to be the
best they can possibly be.
Unstoppable" is now in its second edition, and
all the better for it. It remains one of my
favourite books on personal development, in
which Gilpin tells the story of his own
journey from catastrophic business failure to
finding his purpose in life and making it
happen.
One of the things I love is his ability to
laugh at himself, and to use his own
experiences as a jumping-off point for some
great insights. His vivid illustration of
the maxim that we create our reality through
our thoughts and words is hilarious and
sobering at the same time.
|
|
|
