Ireland – What a Mess We’re In…

OK, let me make it clear from the start that I am not affiliated to any particular political party here in my chosen land, so what I’m about to say is spoken straight from the heart.

All the political parties agree that this country is in a mess. Indeed, they are quite vocal about it when they are speaking in Dail Eireann. However, it doesn’t matter which party is governing the country at the moment, the maths is still the same. The banks need to be bailed out (otherwise we go under or follow in the footsteps of Greece and suffer the indignity of having to accept handouts from the EU or the IMF) and the cost of this has to be borne by the taxpayers. On top of this, cuts in public spending are necessary but this is something that, I think, most sensible people have learnt to accept over the past couple of years.

However, I want to ask our politicians one thing:

PLEASE stop the bickering among yourselves and focus 100% of your attention to getting this country of ours back on its feet.

• Focus on ACTUAL job creation, not just spouting figures for the hell of it because you think it’s what we want to hear.
• Focus on WORKING TOGETHER. Yes, that’s right. I appreciate it may be hard for some of you to accept that you might have to agree with each other once in a while, but – right now – it’s completely and utterly necessary.
• Focus on TELLING US – the people and taxpayers of Ireland – THE TRUTH. Yes, we know it’s going to hurt, but there’s no point in us adopting the ostrich syndrome and burying our heads in the sand. It’s happening, we need to work on making things better and move on.

I realise that there are people out there who will think that I don’t know what I’m talking about and, I freely admit, I don’t. But let’s not forget that I started this by saying that I WAS SPEAKING FROM MY HEART.  I know very little about politics, but what I do know is that I love this country and it sickens me to see our politicians trying to outdo each other, when they should be working together to put right this mess.

Wake up and listen to the people of this country. Get out there, to the cities, the villages and the townlands, and ACTUALLY listen to us.

Go on, I dare you……

Related Articles

• Irish ‘Groundhog Day’ Leaves Lenihan Battling Deficit (businessweek.com)

Personal Development Courses

The other night I attended the first lesson of a personal development course being held in my local college and although I wasn’t relishing the thought of being lectured for two hours, I found that I actually quite enjoyed it.

There’s a mixed bunch of people, of different ages, and as I was sitting there listening to them telling their story, I realised that I had my own story too (that’s a subject for another post – if I ever decide to tell!). Now, for me anyway, the interesting thing was that you would never think that any of them had, errrm, issues. So I suppose that means that people look at me and think that I don’t have any “issues”. After all, I’m happily married (aren’t I?), nice home in a good neighbourhood, two cars and a dog. What issues could I possibly have?

Appearances can be deceiving. How many times have we heard that and said to ourselves, “yeah, right”. But I’m a living, breathing example of what-you-see-is-not-necessarily-what-you-get.

As interesting as the course is, I’m sure it will get more intriguing as the weeks progress and we delve deeper into each person’s psyche.

Monday evenings have suddenly become interesting!

Wayne Rooney Cheats on Colleen

I read this in the paper yesterday and couldn’t believe it. What is it with footballers who think they have a God-given right to cheat on their wives and girlfriends?  Is it because they have the money to “buy” the ….erm….affections of other women? Or should we blame the girls themselves.

If a so-called celebrity who is married hits on another girl, shouldn’t she back off? Perhaps it’s the attraction of a one-night stand, the sordid details of which they can sell to the tabloids for a few thousand when the attraction wears off. So many questions and I wish I had the answers but, unfortunately, I don’t.

I feel for Colleen, I really do. She’s a bright, intelligent woman who has been betrayed, yet again, by her husband. However, unless there’s a huge mental shift in the attitude of men towards their partners, I’m afraid that she won’t be the last.

I think that there’s a huge difference between men and women who cheat. When a man cheats, it’s a spur of the moment thing, he loses control of his brain and thinks it’s no big deal. But when a woman cheats, it’s usually pre-meditated, well-thought out and carefully planned. A woman knows how to be discreet, whereas a man doesn’t know the meaning of the word!

By the way, I am speaking from experience here, but it’s for the reader to figure out whether I’ve been cheated or I am the cheater!

Time to take a good look at your partner, my friends….you just never know!

Related Articles

• Coleen Rooney’s agony at Wayne’s prostitute romps (mirror.co.uk)

Confidence is King!

Cover of Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

I’ve begun to realise that making any kind of decision, whether it’s a career choice, relationship matters or even just the colour you paint your walls, you have to have the confidence believe in yourself. There’s no point in just thinking “oh well, I might try this”, or “I’ll give it a go”, because you’re dooming yourself and your project before you even start!

No, you have to be confident that your decision is the right thing for you to do at that moment and give it your full attention. I’ve never been very good at this confidence-thing, even though I have stacks of self-help books. I know what I should do, but then fear rears its ugly head and I get stopped in my tracks.

One of the first self-help books I ever read was “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers but that was years ago so perhaps now is a good time to get back on track and be courageous with my next move.

Confident..sometimes. Today..maybe not.

Related Articles

• Confidence, or Lack of (socyberty.com)

A Question for “Mature” Folk…

Well, when I say mature, I mean those of us who are getting nearer to collecting our bus pass.

Now, I’m not even sure that there is a single soul out there reading this stuff but, just in case there are, I need to ask if you have ever felt totally useless and on the scrap heap of life? I hit that low the other day when my mailbox received yet another job application rejection. I find it totally frustrating when my many years of experience are dismissed so quickly.

Let me set the scene: new store opening – applied for job – got interview – hurrah! However, didn’t expect said interview to be carried out by two girls MUCH younger than me who didn’t seem to have a clue what they were doing and it all seemed like a huge joke to them. As soon as I saw them I had a feeling I was on to a loser but, hey, still gave it my best shot. Alas, my best was not good enough but this is their loss, not mine.

I’m going to take this as a good kick up the rear and re-assess my future, which probably won’t include being employed by someone else. Maybe it’s time to look after myself and get my own business together. What that will be remains to be seen. I’ve always fancied opening a cheese shop where I could indulge my passion for fine (and stinky!) cheeses….or then again, I could throw caution to the wind and  invest in a motor home so that me and the dog can sail off into the sunset and on to pastures new.

Sounds very tempting but I’m a coward at heart.

Confident..sometimes. Today..maybe not.

Onwards and Upwards!

It’s going to take some time before I can come up with any original stuff, but I was in a bit of a hurry to get going so I’ve borrowed some wise words from an expert on confidence.

I’ve been feeling stuck in a rut for a while now, unemployed and received yet another “sorry, but no thanks” email today, so I thought I needed a kick up the backside and reading this short article gave me a lift, so I thought I would share it. More on getting confident in days to come!

Will you join me in my journey to better things?

Are you fed up with doing the same thing day in and day out? Is the monotony of the daily grind getting you down?

If you answered ‘yes’ to these two questions, then you are surely stuck in a rut and are bursting to change that.

Routines can certainly take away your motivation and make you feel ‘down’. They even take away any enthusiasm you once had for a job you used to enjoy and home activities that were once exciting.

These sorts of feelings creep up on you, they are insidious and covert, until one day you wake and ask, “What is wrong with me?”

Some routines cannot be avoided, they are a fact of life, but it all depends on how you view them. Even making minute changes can help this strangle hold you feel.

For example, there is always another route that you can take to go to work, or you can take on the way home from work. Seeing a route from a different perspective is quite enlightening.

Just the other day I was a passenger in a car and we drove down a street from the opposite direction from which I normally drive it, and I saw buildings and gardens that I had never seen before. It became quite a talking point.

You might also find that the new route contains less traffic, has shops you find interesting, has another library you could visit. It’s like a breath of fresh air.

Instead of having your lunch indoors at work, go and sit in a park, and once you have eaten, walk around the park. It’s amazing what interesting people you meet who are doing the same thing – getting out of the workplace.

If you’ve been promising yourself that you will read a particular book and you have never got around to it, make a decision to use your ‘park time’ to start reading that book. This has a twofold advantage.

First of all you are actioning something that you had been putting off and that is good for your self-esteem, and secondly, you will inspire you mind with new material. You will return to work immensely more refreshed and motivated.

If you have always wanted to take up a new hobby, you could use this ‘park time’ to read up on it or go back a bit earlier to the office and make phone calls about where and when you could take up this hobby.

We often take the same foods to lunch everyday. Why not start planning different lunches for a four-week period. Every now and then, you could buy your lunch for variety.

If you had been promising yourself that you would join a gym, you could start that at lunch time. Many people use their lunch times to go jogging (when weather permits) and go to the gym. You could do it with friends if you need the extra motivation.

Such exercise during the day is excellent for oxygen flow to the brain and will help you be more productive in the afternoon which is notoriously when people are sluggish.

Once a month, totally spontaneously take a special person out for dinner or suggest going for an evening stroll. Leave the TV and go out in the evening air. You’ll find that this time away from routines sparks up new conversations and bonding.

If you have children, have them come as well sometimes, the change of routine will also be exciting for them. Your family pet will surely love this extra outing.

Rearrange some furniture or bench top areas both at home and at work. Even small changes are uplifting.Place fresh flowers, a pot plant or artificial plant on your desk to liven it up. Artificial flowers and plants look so lifelike nowadays.

The reality is that you got yourself into the rut and only you can get yourself out of it.

Get creative, become inspired again, life is full of wonders. We just need to look and be proactive.

Gloria M Hamilten has her own training business, and conducts courses for Businesses, Sporting groups and Educational Institutions. She empowers clients to design their Lifemap Blueprint©, a 7-Part System that helps them Discover their Purpose, Dreams, and Values, helps them Breakthrough Their Barriers, Design their Lifemap©, and Action and Implement the system

Her website, http://www.lifemappingmastery.com provides a wealth of informative articles, resources and sustainable, practical startegies to help you design the lifestyle you want.

Visit her website: http://www.lifemappingmastery.com for your free E-course: “7 Steps To Design Your Life In The New Economy”.