This book is not about changing anything but is about appreciating what you have right now. In the personal development space where change dominates- getting different and being different -this is a refreshing change.
How can it help
I have read this book a few times. I can say that it does what it says on the tin. Being grateful means that you are in a more happy and resourceful state. The simple act of moving from a place of scarcity to being grateful for what you have somehow by magic, this increases what you have now including your productivity. Try it and see!
In this video, Kelly McDonald looks at stress and drills down into how we might approach it in a more productive way. Kelly is a Health Psychologist. She is from a academic background but she is vey much interested In how science can help us improve our lives in a practical way. As she says in the video, she is interested in, ‘how science can make us happier and healthier’.
Why is this video different
Kelly presents some interesting evidence. She talks us through studies that show two groups with the same amount of stress. One group felt that stress was having a detrimental effect on them and another group did not. It is only the ones who felt that stress was ‘bad’ who had a shorter lifespan. The take home point from the study is, that the difference that makes the difference, is the belief about stress, the ’internal game’, rather than stress itself has an impact.
That was enough there for me in terms of new ideas. But Kelly goes on to tell us that under stress you release Oxytocin which urges you to seek support and love from others around you, as well urges you to give support to others. Oxytocin also protects the body from the effects stress. So not only is your body protected but you develop more courage and connection which, further supports your resilience.
How can it help me
Stress is a feature of everyday life. Exposure to large amounts on a regular basis is not seen as a good thing. But avoiding stress altogether is quite hard. This video helps you think about stress in a much more productive way. Which, according to Kelly can help you lead a a happier and healthier life.
This video is a personal account by Anne-Marrie about making tough choices between success in her career and success in her home life. This is a heartfelt video of personal insight in prioritising what is most important.
Why is this different
Anne- Marietakes the personal and makes it political and uses her own personal experiences to re-define for her, the feminist narrative.Anne-Marie challenges the notion of equality between men and women in the workplace as simply women accessing the same jobs as men. Don’t get me wrong, she values this as an important goal in its own right. However, she feels and, I must say I agree- real equality is wider than this. Real equality as she defines it is abouta range of choices weather its to work, be a home maker or be both. All choices should have equal value. She says and I also agree again, we need to ‘make caregiving cool for guys’. Men that stay at home, women that stay at home or those that go to work or all number of combination that is right for each family should hold equal weight. This is a worthy call to action.
How this will help
This video is thought provoking as it challenges us to conceptualise caregiving in a different way. She points out some interesting observations that are relevant and important in a modern high speed networked global workplace:
Individuals who are breadwinners and who are also caregivers are more resilient, have greater empath, greater creativity and have a wider range of contacts
Organisations with family friendly polices have more engaged employees at work, they are more loyal and have less stress
Economies that have the highest level of family friendly practices and infrastructure (e.g Norway, Sweden and Denmark) rank high on the OCED global competitiveness league tables
This is some interesting and important food for thought- enjoy!
Sharleene May Bibbings's Blog 