Obstacle#2  Working Alone

Working on your own can be incredibly lonely and isolating. It can be really hard to stay motivated and inspired without a team around you for encouragement and support. Whilst my family and friends are supportive, it is still incredibly difficult to stay motivated at times.

Whist working in Italy this year, I was reminded just how much I love to work as part of a team and subsequently, that I didn't want to go down this path without the support and energy of others along the way. I opened myself up to the idea of somebody else coming along to develop and grow Holistica's work.

Since then doors have opened and my friend and colleague Joanna Foster has taken up my invitation to become a part of Holistica's story. It is absolutely wonderful it is to be working with Jo again and we are both excited about the possibilities. We held our first planning workshop last month, 'Waving Our Magic Wands' to explore taking Holistica to the next level. Our current focus is on creating a healthy working relationship and then completing a series of workshops designed to move Holistica's work forward. 

Welcome Jo, you bring great talent and skills to our team. 

Watch this space to find our more about the exciting developments ahead.

See the photos page for more pics of the workshop

It was over 2 years ago that I first dreamt of creating an organisation where I could work creatively in the areas I am passionate about, in accordance with my personal values and vision.

Combining purpose and values with profit is certainly something I aspire to and believe in but it is challenging work. I have taken some big steps but recently things seemed to be stalling. The vision was still clear to me but the path to get there a little blurry.

So I decided to practice what I preach and take some time out to reflect on how things were going. I wish I had done it earlier because it has given me great insight into the limiting fears and beliefs that have been holding me back. This is the first (and in my mind the most crucial) of several key obstacles I identified.

#1 FACING UP TO YOUR OWN FEARS AND DOUBTS

I am generally a confident, out-going person who believes strongly in my abilities but I have to say, when the going gets tough that little devil still appears on my shoulder occasionally and screams 'this is never going to work, it's too hard - give it up and get a real job!' The time spent reflecting on my fears about getting this business going has helped me to confront some important things about myself. I realized that I have a strong attachment to being 'successful' in other peoples' eyes. I worry far too much about what others think and I am afraid of being judged. In the past this has stopped me from reaching out to people and telling them about myself. One thing is certain - you can't run a sustainable business if you aren't prepared to fully commit, to believe in yourself and to spread the word about what you have to offer.

So what am I going to do about it? I reckon these types of realizations are just another step in a life-long journey of learning to live with my own insecurities and quirks. For me it's not about conquering or overcoming my fears and doubts but about accepting them, even celebrating them, as a part of who I am and learning to live alongside them. Sure, doubts are going to creep in every now and then but I know there are ways that I can quiet them down and move forward. Instead of keeping silent and in effect hiding who I am, I intend to speak up and be honest about what I stand for and what I have to offer. One of the ways I am doing this is through this blog. I'm making a conscious effort to hand out my business cards and start conversations about what I do. I have created my first newsletter, which I am sending out to absolutely everyone that I know. I'm working on my meditation practice because it helps me to stay positive, grounded and confident in my abilities. And I am choosing to surround myself with friends and mentors that support and encourage me.

Facing a different kind of fear! Climbing Crib Goch (Wales) this April

I know that as we speak, there are thousands of people out there embarking on a similar journey to me, or thinking of it. They are choosing to make a big life change, to try a different career, leave a relationship, act on an idea they've had, or leave their job to strike out on their own and become a business or social entrepreneur. Theirs are the kind of stories that inspire me and keep me going. I hope that by sharing in my journey you may also find some inspiration, ideas, tools or perhaps even laughter to share in.

Read about the other obstacles to business success that I am grappling with in the next Holistica newsletter -  perhaps less profound and more practical, but useful all the same!

P.s. I am new to this writing stuff, If you enjoyed the newsletter and/or this entry please leave a comment to say so! Likewise if you have suggestions, ideas or feedback get in touch, I'd love to hear from you. 

For many of us this time of year heralds a series of heart-felt resolutions and goals for the New Year, all of which should be celebrated and voiced as we dream of the positive changes we would like to bring about in our lives.

Whether reflecting on relationships, family, careers, spirituality, health & balance or a myriad of the other aspects of our complex Self, we can be sure of one thing - change is and will continue to be a constant force in our lives.

Yes, the people that know me well have had most likely had an earful about Open Space Technology.....but I just can't help but get REALLY REALLY excited about this innovative approach to people meeting and connecting with each other. WHY? Because participating in an open space meeting feels inspiring and best of all, it 'tastes of freedom!'   

Click here to find out more about OST and read success stories

Garr Reynolds has created a wonderful blog and website with all the info and tips you need to create engaging presentations. No more excuses for boring powerpoint presentations!

Visit the Presentation Zen website for loads of tips on engaging presentations, slideshows, marketing and much more....

Do you deliver powerpoints at work?
I love this post by Australian facilitator Viv McWaters, read it if you are interested in creating more engaging (and therefore worthwhile) presentations at your workplace!

"I sit through a LOT of presentations. Not because I want to, usually because they are a part of a workshop I?m facilitating. The people giving these presentations have good things to say, interesting things. They are often passionate about their topic. So why is it OK to give a crappy presentation?

Since I discovered the great work of Garr Reynolds and bought his book Presentation Zen, I provide some guidelines for people doing a presentation in any of my workshops. I really do want them to do a great presentation. They usually are delivering information that is relevant and necessary for the rest of the workshop.

Here?s what they say:

• I ran out of time
• I thought you were joking.
• You really were serious when you said no bullet points and no more than six words on a slide?
• I?ve given hundreds of presentations, some to really important people, and no-one has ever complained.
• Ha-ha!
• You do what you?re good at, and I?ll do what I?m good at. (OK, no-one has actually said this - yet - but I bet they think it.)

So here?s what happens. Let?s call the presenter Andy. Andy is an expert on his topic, no denying. He?s been working on his research and background information for months, if not years. He?s done LOTS of presentations. He?s been published in peer-reviewed journals. He?s well-regarded, and he?s likable, and he?s happy to talk about his topic.

So I send him some guidelines - then I have no idea what happens, or what he thinks.

Until the beginning of the workshop. Sheepishly, he apologises for his presentation. ?I didn?t have time to do it the way you wanted. But I?ve cut out lots of slides. There?s only 25 now.?

Groan.

And so everyone sits through yet another bullet-pointed slide show dense with words that Andy uses as his cues to talk about what?s already written on the screen.

Another lost opportunity to communicate.

I can understand why it?s hard for someone like Andy to change the way he does a slideshow. He?s put a lot of time and effort into creating the slides he already has, particularly the ones with diagrams and graphs. Story doesn?t mean much to him. He?s forgotten how to tell a story. And a lot of the advice about thinking in pictures and creating a story with a beginning, middle and end are not very helpful if you?re not attuned to story. And maybe he doesn?t want to stand out from the crowd by doing something differently.

What I don?t understand is why it?s OK? Why waste so much time and money? Why is it OK to politely sit in a (usually) darkened room while someone drones on?

So here?s my advice to would-be presenters who want to try and communicate their message even better.

10 Steps to a Better Presentation
(Forget story*, just improve the presentation at least)

Step 1: Prepare your presentation as you normally would. Use your ppt themes etc and make your slides.

Step 2: Print out your slides - four to a page - then cut them up and lay them on a table, or stick them on a wall, in order. Put a blank post-it note underneath each slide.

Step 3: Write the main message from each slide on the post-it note.

Step 4: Think of an image that would support the main message for each slide. If you can?t think of an image, go to google images and search for images around some key words. If you find something, great! If not, don?t worry.

Step 5: Look at the flow and move things around if you need to. Keep your original slide, the key message and any image ideas together

Step 6: Re-do your presentation. Make sure you select ?Slide layout - BLANK?. Put your key message in the bottom right-hand corner of each slide (about 48 point text). Put an image on the slide, if you have one. Most importantly - use your original slide (the one with bullet points and a lot more information) in the ?notes? section.

Step 7: Put all the information from your original slides into a word-document handout to give to people *after* your presentation.

Step 8: Get ideas from good presentation on the web, especially at Slideshare. Take a look at this one (below) winner of the 2008 competition:

Step 9: Buy Presentation Zen and create a better slide show every time.

Step 10: There is no Step 10 - just do it!!! Please." Viv McWaters 2008

The Full On Programme is all about helping folk discover more of their potential and get better results in their everyday life. The company is based in New Zealand but operates its unique personal development programme at five sites around the world - Australia, Wales, Italy and
our two sites in New Zealand.

Essentially, the programme is designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of the young people we work with, provoking thought and creating more questions than answers. Through the Full On experience the students are offered some pretty powerful tools and strategies aimed at supporting them to answer some of those questions.

Click here  to watch a YouTube video made by students that experienced Full On Assisi in 2008
For more info on FULL ON check out their website

What an amazing journey Sam and I have had over the last couple of months. We have just returned to London after 2 months in Changchun, China and I can't believe how quickly the time has disappeared. Sam was selected to attend a sculpture symposium in Changchun with 50 other artists from around the world. There are too many pics and stories to share here.....but there's all that and more on our China blog.

While we were in China, Masterton Mayor Gary Daniel and local counciller Jonathan Hooker came for a visit and to build on the sister city relationship between Masterton and Changchun. The official schedule was hectic but it was great fun tagging along and getting an insiders peek at the governing of an industrial Chinese city of seven million people. I reckon half of Mastertons 20 000 or so people would fit into the hotel we were staying in! The official Masterton delegation (yep, thats us too!) appeared in the local rag recently- read the article here.

"Sister city relationships strengthened"

Sam and I with Mayor Garry Daniels and Councillor Jonathan Hooker. On the far-left are ex-Mastertonians and Chinese residents Jan and Graham who came along to support the NZ delegation and translate

So...looks like it's J9 and Sam's London adventures from here on in....we'll keep you tuned.

Yes, back for my third season with Full On's Youth Development Programme. This contract is always incredibly rewarding and so much fun that I just can't say no. After two years working in Australia in Programme Coordinator and Site Manager positions, 2008 saw me heading to Assisi, Italy in the role of Programme Coordinator at our biggest site. I first visited Assisi 13 years ago on my big OE and always had an inkling I would be back there - and I am glad that did!

The highlight for 2008 was being a part of the management team delivering a new improved crew training that went down a treat with crew and management alike. We implemented lots of the recommendations and ideas from 2007 crew feedback and it was a huge improvement on previous years. A lot of fun was had and there was plenty of time for self-directed learning which worked well. To top it all off, we were all thrilled to be training, living and working in the ancient village of Assisi.