Sunday, May 20, 2012

My Journey to Kokoda


Notes from my journey


In the footsteps of heroes is what we were told the experience would be when trekking with Kokoda Spirit , along with a great team providing the history and the relevant information at distinct points along the track. I was so honoured to be part of this in April of 2012 and being able to attend the Anzac Day ceremony at Isurava was one of the big highlights. This year was the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Kokoda and it was an extraordinary experience and one I will never forget.

In this blog I have shared some of the experiences with you knowing it's really not going to give you a real feeling of what it was like, just a glimpse. I think it’s an experience you have to be there to really understand the emotion, the physical and the mental challenge that you go through from moment to moment.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank some very special people who kept me safe and made this experience so rich and rewarding, Bill Kelly our Trek Guide who kept us all motivated with his genuine care and consideration, thank you also for volunteering to be my toilet buddy (especially at Bombers Camp), Francis my Porter who looked after me day and night keeping me safe and always laughing at with me not at me, John our Trek leader always so serious, strong and a true leader and Sia our Trek Master who has an incredible presence about him and his soul is truly kind, thank you for carrying my day pack when I just couldn’t anymore. All these wonderful people were from Kokoda Spirit. Thank you to all the guys I trekked with you truly were gentleman and especially Phil who encouraged me all the way, it was a pleasure to meet you all.

I had been in Training for about 6 Months now and every week apart from 2weeks rest I had been working out 3 times a week and walking up Mt Majura. I had been walking with 10kg in my pack for the last month and had even walked Black Mt Tower, and I felt ready and that my fitness was pretty good. I rested two days before leaving for port Moresby and was excited to be able to have a break from work and experience something that I had been drawn to emotionally for many years.
I arrive at Port Moresby airport about 4pm on the 17th April to find Helen from Kokoda Spirit waiting to take me to the Gateway Hotel. We all meet up at 7pm to go over the plan and what has to happen in the morning. We also meet all trekkers and Bill Kelly the Trek guide from Kokoda Spirit. The reality of being the only girl in the group starts to sink in and I feel a little uncertain about what to expect. After the induction and safety brief I’m off to get a good night’s sleep ready for tomorrow.

Day 1 - Owers Corner to Uberi

Up bright and early making sure my pack is ready and I have a good breakfast as I wonder what we will eat for the next 8 days. I have done lots of preparation and think I have everything covered that I could possibly need. I was the first to hit reception at 7.30am ready to go. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Last night was like Christmas eve when you are a kid, you toss and turn and can’t sleep till 3am. We get into the bus with all our gear ready to head to Owers’ Corner. 
First we are given a tour of Port Moresby and it is a real eye opener to see the poverty and how many people just sit in the streets and you can tell by the bars on all the shops how it is also seems to be rid with crime. We head toward the Warf and then out to Bomana war cemetery where all the history stories began. When we arrived the feeling was one of amazement that so many were buried here and the other was of peacefulness as they had been laid to rest and Bomana is so beautifully kept.
We then headed off the McDonalds Corner and it was lovely to stop and see some local children and hear the history of what happened in the area 70 years ago. We drove for a bit longer and the further we got away from Port Moresby the nicer the landscape.
We arrived at Owers’ Corner and laid all our packs out on the ground and then we had lunch before were allocated our porters. My Porters name was Francis, and he was tall enough but so thin and I looked at my pack and thought “how on earth is he going to carry my pack”? Oh no I have got too much stuff in my pack, then Francis said he needed to repack to fit his stuff in. What an idiot I was, where on earth did I think he was going to put his things.
Here we are ready to get started on this amazing journey. We knew today would be pretty easy as it was only about 3 hours to camp, how hard could it be?
Well holly shit it was hot, and so humid you had sweat running down your face, my glasses fogged up in 2 minutes and the first sign of a hill and my heart was beating out of my chest, I started to wonder what the hell I was thinking walking up Mt Majura. Who on earth called that a mountain?
We walked into our first camp at Uberi and crossed a small river to set up tents, and get washed up before dark. Just as we were almost set up we had a huge downpour of rain that lasted an hour or so, another trekking group unfortunately were still walking in this.
The rain was heavy enough that the river soon became uncross able and the porters quickly went out to our tents and dug trenches around them so we could sleep in our tents. Some of the men’s tents were leaking already so they were put in one of the huts. Bill reminds me about how hard the first day is for everyone, this gives me hope!

Day 2 – Uberi to Ioribaiwa

I slept well and we woke about 4.45 and headlamps on its time to pack up and get ready to move out after breakfast. Our Porters setup and pack our tents and thank goodness because he does a much better job than I could. At this point I now realise being a girls is not so good in the jungle and going to the toilet is nothing short of a strategic challenge. It’s about 6am and we are all ready to go. John our trek Leader gives us a big gee up and we all feel pumped and ready to go. We head out and its up, up and more up to Imita Ridge and we stop at a lovely creek for lunch and a swim. After lunch My porter and I were told to head off first, I knew I was a little slower on the hills and I had two porters with me so I felt safe. With the many river crossings it was boots off and wet shoes on, so a lot of stopping and starting which was good.

We got to Ioribaiwa and set up tents and got cleaned up, I was able to have a bit of a shower and that always made me feel a bit better, my spirits were good but I was really fatigued, I sat for a while and wrote in my  journal and watched the porters and the boys I was trekking with play footy (how on earth they had the energy) and after dinner I went to my tent to prepare for the morning. Our porters get our water for the next day so we are getting the good water and you need to make sure its purified, I was carrying about 4 litres on me a day. I then made a very big mistake and took salt tablets not realising they need to go in my water (yep a dumb moment) within minutes I am projectile vomiting. Note to self……Salt tablets go into the water bottles.
Today we cross the same river 14 times, it’s hard to imagine but there is so much water and beauty around us and that makes it so worth all the blood sweat and tears.

Day 3 – Ioribaiwa to Nauro

Waking up early seems to be so easy as you are excited about the day and the stories we hear from Bill about the Australian Soldiers is amazing. Each evening we go over the map and the stories about what took place where we stay and surrounding areas. I do miss hearing some of the stories in the evening as I go to be after dinner completely exhausted
Today is going to be our biggest day as we will trek for 10.5 hours before we make it into camp. It’s really hard to enjoy the view as you can’t take your eyes off where you are walking or you will fall. There is not a lot of opportunity to take photos because I am using both poles all the time so you try to capture each moment in your mind as best you can. As you walk you think about the Soldiers and wonder how they did it, they had guns and packs and very little food. They were sick and you can only imagine how exhausted they were fighting the Japanese day after day night after night.
The last stretch of today was through swamp and it was tough as you walk with so much mud on your boots your feet are so heavy. We walk for what seems like hours and when we finally get to Nauro it starts to rain. I went down to the creek which was breathtaking and sat in the water and couldn’t move, I ached so much it was incredible, yet I was still in good spirits and looked forward to the next day.

Day 4 - Nauro to Brigade Hill

Francis and I trek out early before the others so I can stay in front as we are told we have a big hill in front of us. As we started out it is still a little dark and because of the humidity I am unable to wear my glasses so it makes things that little bit more of a challenge. We are walking on mostly flat ground in what feels and looks like a rain forest. 30 minutes or so we start to climb and climb and climb and it’s not long before the rest of the group catch up. Half way up (seemed liked hours) I am a broken woman, I hurt I am emotion and crying, It was so hard. Mentally I am struggling and physically I am literally one step at a time and my muscles are burning. I felt a little panicked as my water bladder seemed to be blocked and I had run out of water in my bottles, I really had to re focus and Bill calmed me and said he would fix it at the top, “we are almost there” do you have any idea how sweet those words sounded.
When we reached the top of The Wall it was truly an amazing view but I was shattered and hurting (as you can see by the photo). It was a relief to hear Phil say that he was struggling just as much. I remember Phil telling me at one point “It’s about the journey not the destination” that was a great reminder to enjoy the journey and embrace the challenges one step at a time.
Walking through the Village of Menari was very peaceful as it was Saturday which is the day they go to church. As we walked into the village its beauty was stunning, and we came across the children singing. Yes again I cried with such joy and also felt like I was in another world. They grew vegetables and there were flowers everywhere, it was so tidy and calm. They had an airstrip and also a school that we were able to go into as we walked to sit and have morning tea. Because it was raining we were not able to get any water as the water is dirty and not good for drinking.
Later on in the day we walked up many more mountains (I am sure they call them hills) and we passed many trekkers coming the other way. I recall seeing one of the porters walking in front of an elderly man in his 70’s and the porter was walking with a large pack playing the guitar and singing to the trekkers. I remember my spirits lifting as they all said “well done, not far to go” even feeling as sore as I did I was still smiling and feeling so privileged to be here. As we were walking once again Sia our Trek Master had been nearby I feel he was just keeping an eye on me and he looked at me and in his soft but direct voice he told me to give him my day pack, this time I did, I was running out of steam and I then also ran out of water. I was stressed and tired and to run out of water was another challenge. Sai had some reserved of water from one of the other trekkers and he gave me some, this then allowed me to keep going. I was never giving up, not for one moment.
  
We walked into Brigade Hill and it was such a relief to be able to stop and take your boots and pack off. I also just wanted a shower (pvc pipe with water running out, it was beautiful) and because it was about 1415m high the water was like ice especially when your core was so hot.
After we freshened up and got our tents set up we had a ceremony at the top where we could show our respects to the lost soldiers on Brigade Hill. This was very emotional and we also had the porters sing the National Anthem and we sang ours to them, some poems were read by Tim and also names of the men whose lives were lost were read by Sam and Declan.   
We ended the evening with an hearty dinner and then sat around the camp fire reflecting on the time and for me it was about being proud of what we had achieved so far. I’m not really sure how everyone was feeling but we all seemed to be in great spirits and enjoying the time together.

I will post days 5-8 shortly so keep an eye out the best is yet to come. Thank you to those that want to read about the journey.

Donna Moulds

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Goal Setting for Success


Have you achieved every goal ever set?

Have you ever wondered why you achieve some goals and don’t achieve other goals?

You may think you don’t set goals but in one way or another we all set goals, they can be a small goals of getting somewhere on time if you are often late. It could be to get a pay rise or promotion. We set bigger goals for fitness, and exercise or to give up smoking or drinking for a Month, year or for good.
I have been setting goals since I was very young; however I am not sure that I knew I was setting goals. I would decide I wanted something or to go somewhere and then I would find a way to do it. As I have looked back over many years of doing this and also being a keen observer of others, I have noticed a few key facts that are fairly consistent.

So why do we achieve some and not others?

Let me see if I can shed some light on what I think are some of the reasons for success and failure to reach our goals.

If you fail to plan you plan to fail “Jim Rohn”

TRY and moving away from goals opposed to moving toward goals!

TRY – This word drives me crazy and is used so frequently when it is an excuse word. What I mean by that is, it lets you off the hook….. I will try to get there…..I will try to lose weight…….I will try to stop smoking…….I tried to call. Lets look at each one of these and break it down.
Someone asks you out and you say “I will try to get there” what they may have wanted to say is “I don’t want to go but if I say I will try and get there and don’t make it I know I tried
I will try and lose weight, really! How do you try, you either do lose weight by doing something differently, like walking round the block each day and eating smaller portions, or you don’t!
The last one is I tried to call…… What about, “I called and you didn’t answer” or “ I Did call and left a voicemail message”

You see I use this activity in my training…..I ask someone to try and pick up a chair, they pick it up and I say no I asked you to try, so they pretend its heavy and can’t lift it, again I say no now you didn’t pick up the chair. I often get looked at with frustration until it clicks…..You either pick up the chair or you don’t….NO TRYING! “Anthony Robbins”

Moving Away from Goals V Moving Toward Goals

If you don’t achieve your goals someone else will “Jim Rohn”

What do I mean by moving away from goals?

When you are moving away from something it is generally because you have a negative outcome where you are, so you want to move away from it. Take a heart attack for example, you may need to lose weight change your diet and exercise, which you were not doing before, hence why you have had a heart attack.

Set toward Goals with positive outcomes, let me give you an example;
I set a goal last year to walk the Kokoda track and I was specific about a number of reasons for setting this goal. I understand this is a big one however the same concept applies t small goals as well.
Smart format applied

Specific – To walk the Kokoda Track in 2012

Measurable – Researched the most reputable company to do the trek with, costed flights, trek gear and time frames that fitted in with my daughter being away on school holidays.

Achievable – A plan was required with a deadline and results focused to ensure I would be successful (it was truly achievable with a plan)

Relevant -   It was relevant in a number of ways both physically and emotionally and also one of my highest values is growth “I was definitely going to grow

Timely – I had a number of deadlines and it was the perfect time in my life to do this journey

Whilst a lot more in-depth planning and reasoning behind this goal, I am sure you can see the concept. Take the time to think of a small goal you want to achieve and use the SMART format to set the goal. 

I look forward to hearing about your goals and if you need any help to set goals feel free to contact Mantra Training & Development and we can help you not only set the goals, we can help you set a plan to achieve your goals.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Time Management = Success

If time runs away from you, this may me an interesting read!

Welcome to my Blog, it has been a while since posting and let me just say not because I have been on holidays or taking it easy, quite the contrary. This has been a very busy and tiring time with lots of physical activity included. This is a very personal story this time and not a personal opinion but an experience I wanted to share.

Do you feel like time is passing you by? Do you feel like you don't have enough hours in the day, days in a weeks or weeks in a month? well I know how you feel. Busy people tend to fit lot's into their days, weeks and moths. Have you ever asked yourself why that is, well I have, and recently more than ever. So i thought I would share some personal stuff with you in this blog about how much I have fitted in recently.

Ask yourself these questions and then please read on for my personal story:

  • Do you plan your day before it begins, plan your month before it begins?
  • Do you allow constant disruptions that take your focus away from the priorities?
  • The day before you go on holidays, reflect on how much you get done and how focused you are?
  • What could you do better to create more time in your day or even week?

School holidays are generally a time for me to recharge and put on a different hat. My Youngest daughter being the only child left at home generally goes to visit with her Dad and his family in Darwin. I miss her a lot but I use this time to recharge, work longer hours to catch up and also have some creative thinking time. Unfortunately this has not gone to plan these holidays, let me explain why.

In December I moved my business from one location to another, now if anyone has done an office fit-out before I am sure you can empathise with me and even more so as I am not very smart in the electrical area of an office. So doing an electrical plan was where I was at breaking point. When I say breaking point I mean my boundaries and comfort zone were certainly pushed. I can coordinate many different things and I enjoyed creating a new learning environment for Mantra Training & developments staff and students. Well…….5 weeks later and a few melt downs we are in the office and very happy with the outcome.

I am also very proud to say that my Son has been recovering in a Rehabilitation hospital since the beginning of January and has been doing exceptionally well. Driving to Sydney every week (6 hour round trip) to support him may be tiring, but again I find a way to use this to my advantage and University in the car has been very re energising for business and me personally. For the past 4 weeks I have been watching my Son recover from 8 years of addiction and self destruction. It has been an amazing process and he is working very hard to recover and get life on track. He has been supported by Nurses, Counselors and Support Workers who have helped him in his path to recovery. I am so very proud of him; this has not been an easy journey by any means.

For the past three months I have been training hard for my trip to Kokoda in April and I am getting fitter and stronger every week. As the time draws closer I start to wonder if I have done enough but with 11 weeks to go I am sure I still have time to up the anti and make sure I am fit and ready to take on the trek. I look forward to the history, meeting the people in the villages and the physical challenge. I can’t wait to experience the different cultures and see the scenery of the Kokoda Trek.

So I think when we have to step up we can achieve greatness and fit a lot into a short period of time. Now I don’t think for a minute it is sustainable long term without reflection and rejuvenation, and very achievable in the short term. I think it is soon time for a 4 day long weekend kayaking with my Daughter to slow down and recharge my batteries and brain.

Remember this...... we all have 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year, how we use those hours, days, months and years will provide varying levels of results. if you want to learn some great strategies for time management then contact Mantra Training & Development

Till next time, remember to set your Goals for 2012, Donna

Goal setting with purpose will be the next blog

Friday, February 3, 2012

It is amazing how much we can fit into a few short weeks!

Welcome to my Blog, it has been a while since posting and let me just say not because I have been on holidays or taking it easy, quite the contrary. This has been a very busy and tiring time with lots of physical activity included. This is a very personal story this time and not a personal opinion but an experience I wanted to share.

School holidays are generally a time for me to recharge and put on a different hat. My Youngest daughter being the only child left at home generally goes to visit with her Dad and his family in Darwin. I miss her a lot but I use this time to recharge, work longer hours to catch up and also have some creative thinking time. Unfortunately this has not gone to plan these holidays, let me explain why.

In December I moved my business from one location to another, now if anyone has done an office fit-out before I am sure you can empathise with me and even more so as I am not very smart in the electrical area of an office. So doing an electrical plan was where I was at breaking point. When I say breaking point I mean my boundaries and comfort zone were certainly pushed. I can coordinate many different things and I enjoyed creating a new learning environment for Mantra Training & developments staff and students. Well…….5 weeks later and a few melt downs we are in the office and very happy with the outcome.

I am also very proud to say that my Son has been recovering in a Rehabilitation hospital since the beginning of January and has been doing exceptionally well. Driving to Sydney every week (6 hour round trip) to support him may be tiring, but again I find a way to use this to my advantage and University in the car has been very re energizing for business and me personally. For the past 4 weeks I have been watching my Son recover from 8 years of addiction and self destruction. It has been an amazing process and he is working very hard to recover and get life on track. He has been supported by Nurses, Counselors and Support Workers who have helped him in his path to recovery. I am so very proud of him; this has not been an easy journey by any means.

For the past three months I have been training hard for my trip to Kokoda in April and I am getting fitter and stronger every week. As the time draws closer I start to wonder if I have done enough but with 11 weeks to go I am sure I still have time to up the anti and make sure I am fit and ready to take on the trek. I look forward to the history, meeting the people in the villages and the physical challenge. I can’t wait to experience the different cultures and see the scenery of the Kokoda Trek.

So I think when we have to step up we can achieve greatness and fit a lot into a short period of time. Now I don’t think for a minute it is sustainable long term but achievable in the short term. I think it is soon time for a 4 day long weekend kayaking with my Daughter to slow down and recharge my batteries and brain.

Till next time, remember to set your Goals for 2012, Donna

Goal setting with purpose will be the next blog

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Communication via social networks

You may read the heading and think "what would she know about this". Well I probably know as much or as little about the subject as most.

Here is what I do know. We are communicating less effectively than just 10 years ago. We are saying less and typing far to much.

Human beings have been communicating for centuries, since the dawn of time. Today we have more ways of communicating that we care to think about. The point to discussion is to get you thinking about how communication is taking place in your experience, and to ask the question "What is the most appropriate way to communicate what I need to say right now"?

You see, we need to be more conscious of this question and stop texting and start thinking first. When an email or a text has left your device, you can not take it back. Have you ever pressed send and regretted it?

Have you ever been guilty of communicating poorly and out of feeling frustrated. I know I have.... Have you sent a text when you should have called, have you left a voicemail when you needed to say it face to face? Are you playing an argument out on face book. Giving important news to your family via Twitter?

These are all questions you could ask yourself, and then think consciously the next time you are about to communicate a message to someone.

I think Texting is great, here are some things that are really suited for text
  • "We are out of Milk, Mum can you grab some"
  • "On my way just running late be 5 min"
  • "I'm in a meeting but wanted to let you know i am thinking of you"
Here are some things we should not text and need to say face to face and discuss, yet these things are being text or put on Face book. Cyber Bullying is out of control and we have many dedicated sites to support our teens and even some adults are being bullied.

Some of the conversation that should not be had via text;
  • "I don't love you anymore"
  • "Where would you like to go this weekend"
  • What you said last night really upset me and i think we need to resolve this now over text"
face book is another format that we are not thinking about. Employers are now looking at face book as a way to get insight into the people they may employ and i can tell you from experience, Many people have missed out on traineeships due to their face book posts and photo's.

I see everyday the great benefits to the social media for business and connecting with loved one's who are far away. However on the flip side the lack of thought about Facebook being around long after the disagreement has happened or the poor decision of a photo being posted that you never want to be reminded of, lurks around the corner for the rest of our life. Even when your profile is gone the information is in many hands or devices i should say.

So on reflection take the time to think about how you could communicate better and if the conversation needs to be Face to face where emotions are seen and understood and you can connect the way we were born to connect. Their is nothing like a hug to say your sorry to a loved one or a genuine handshake to mend broken relationships in business and friendship.

I would love to read your feedback and some examples of communication that could have been done differently providing a very different outcome.

Donna Moulds

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Welcome to my Blog……. I feel this subject is a very important subject, as the more resources we have the greater the opportunities we can create. However on the flip side of this I know someone that currently has all the resources, support and access to information at their fingertips, yet is declining into a state of destruction. This kind of behavior often leads me to a state of frustration (even though I know better).

· I am sure you know someone that has all the resources at their fingertips yet is unable to get better results for themselves, they have addiction or are self destructive (we read about this daily)

· I am sure we all know or have read about someone who has had enormous trauma and challenges to deal with and yet they not only survive but flourish and contribute to other peoples causes or their own successful future in a positive way.

When times get tough we generally do one of two things,

1. Dig deep and find a solution

2. Brainstorm with other people to find strategies that can help, or solve the problems

3. Throw our hands in the air and give up.

At times throwing our hands in the air or giving up leads to things such as breakdown, bankruptcy or even suicide when things are overwhelming.

I often wonder about why some personalities can deal with adversity and others can not. I think this also relates to why some people can run their own business and others can not. This can relate to the responsibility or the ability to deal with pressure and people.

A number of years ago I recall being at a point of total agony, nothing was working I was a breaking point, I was also very fortunate to have a great support system around me, however at the end of the day all the resources in the world would not help me unless I took massive action in the form of baby steps.

Step 1 – Identify I need to change

Step 2 – Realisiation of what I can and can not change

The Serenity Prayer was a resource for me to tap into, even if you are not religious the message is still powerful.

Step 3 – Learn some strategies to help reduce the pressure I was feeling or lack of knowledge

Step 4 – Use the strategies consistently

Step 5 – Never give up

The reason I say MASSIVE action in BABY STEPS, is you need to make changes that are sustainable, and sometimes one step at a time so we can reinforce new habits and see progress.

I have experienced many people saying something doesn’t work and when you ask them if they tried this new strategy, they may say, “That wont work for me” I did it once and it didn’t work” you don’t know what its like for me”

I am a strong advocate of listening to TED Talks as one of my resources for learning and one I have listened to regularly and will do in the future is Anthony Robbins on “Why we do what we do, and how can we do it better”






You can lead a horse to water but you can not make it drink!

I have heard this saying all my life, well as far back as I can remember. It is so very true though, when you think about the advice you may have given people over the years or even the advice you have been given. Until you are ready to make a change nothing will change.

Why don’t we change?

In my experience it is because we get validated being a victim or we have secondary gain, and at times we don’t know what to do differently.

Why do we change?

In my experience it is when we are in enough pain, we change because we want a different result.

“If you keep doing what you have always done you will keep getting what you have always got”!

Till next time, live well and be good to yourself.

Donna

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Opportunity

When opportunity knocks make sure you open the door.

Recently I have been listening to Donald Trump’s program “Think Big and Kick Ass” and he often talks about opportunity and making sure you take every opportunity you can so long as it is for the right reasons. I would add my personal opinion of, “is it for the greater good”? The greater good for me comes from my values. When opportunity knocks for me it has to be for the greater good. This could relate to a number of things such as my Family or my Team or my Business. Sometimes we are presented an opportunity that will also push us into a place we didn’t think we could go. Think Big and kick Ass, has made me realise how small I was playing in Business and since realising this, I have been thinking bigger and greater opportunities have presented themselves.

We have all heard the statement that “everything happens for a reason”, well this can be a subject for great debate, as I have heard many times in the past from various opinions. As this is a blog and my personal opinion, I have to say though, from experience everything does happen for a reason and at times we don’t know till much later on or with great reflection why! I also strongly believe that adversity brings great opportunity, such as self development and personal growth. We may feel uncomfortable or stretched physically and/or emotionally, however their will be a reason behind what is happening.

Do I have lessons to learn?

Do I want different results, therefore need to change what I am doing?

Have circumstances changed, where I need to adjust?

Opportunity will look different to an Optimistic V pessimistic person

Is your glass half full or half empty?

In the program The Shift, Dr Wayne Dyer spoke of people at a radio station loosing their job and how devastated they were and he made a statement about it being time to move on, and if you weren’t ready you would be forced by change. What I have seen in the past is optimistic people will accept decisions and find a solution sooner than a pessimistic person, who may take longer to find a solution and they also make statements about how this will impact them negatively or other statements that may place them in a victim mentality. Now let me also say, I agree loosing your job can be very devastating especially with bills to pay and a family to feed….

Tips…..When a situation occurs that may push our comfort levels slightly or significantly, try to ask a number of questions before you take action.

What specifically has occurred here?

Can I change the situation?

What resources do I have that I can tap into?

Who could I call on for advice or support?

Then break the situation down into the facts and take appropriate action. This strategy can also provide you with the Opportunity mindset.

Till next time Bloggers

Donna Moulds