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Tips and stories to add value to you and your organisation

Valentine’s Day – Love Yourself This Year

13 February 2011

Once a year it seems that the whole world goes pink and fluffy in pursuit of passion, romance and at the very least, a happy home life.

People rush out and buy cards, cuddly toys and little love tokens. They book tables in restaurants, wear their brightest smiles, or bag the back row at their local cinema, for ninety minutes of Hollywood flavoured hugs.

They do all of this to celebrate the person they’re with, encouraged onwards by saccharine advertisements pushing perfume that will instantly transform us (with just one tiny puff) into either a bronzed hunk with a surfboard, or an elegant beauty sashaying our way into the Ritz.

Valentine’s day is clearly a commercial enterprise and yet it’s always fun to get a card, or a message, or to use the day as an opportunity to go out to dinner with someone special.

However…

We also need to love ourselves.

It’s fun to treat other people and it’s also really healthy and satisfying to treat ourselves too.

We all work hard, rob sleep to look after children, or rush off to work without a decent breakfast inside us. We all spend time thinking about the needs of others and can forget to put ourselves first.

This year I’d like to invite you to think about yourself and do one thing to say; ‘well done me, I’m lovely.’

You might choose to:

• Buy a treat at break time.
• Give yourself a quiet 30 minutes, to read a book perhaps, or just snooze.
• Have a second glass of sherry (is one ever enough?)
• Download some music for your iPod.
• Subscribe to a hobby or news magazine (this is a great way to have something interesting arrive in the post every month).
• Pamper yourself with a (you can fill in the blank here).
• Come home early from work.
• Indulge in your favourite pastime.
• Buy yourself something pink, fluffy or sparkly.

The choice is endless and the choice is yours. You can also take a minute to enjoy our special Valentine’s Day Video (feat Brian) which joins the other mini-masterpieces on the Tube of You. Brian’s great to work with; he always hits his marks and never fluffs a line. A real pro.

So, this year do keep yourself in your partner’s good books…and also do something for yourself too. Because:

You’re worth it.

By the way…I’m always interested in comments…so please share with us what you will being doing to be kind to yourself…

Tags: Brian, heart, love, Valentine, Valentine's Day

Crow Does… Calm

19 December 2010

Caw caw! It’s me Crow! And by ‘eck it’s reet cold out there! (Caw! I seem to have gone all Northern for a moment; that’s what sitting in a cold tree does to you!) I’m standing in for Richard, who says he’s writing some great book, but I think he’s secretly writing to Santa! Ha! What’s he like, getting me to do all this typing?

…And with my frozen beak too… I should have sub-contracted this gig to a pigeon. They’re too stupid to notice if they whittle away their beak on a keyboard.

Where was I? Oh yes, my thought for the week.

Well, I would say goodwill and peace to all birds, except pigeons. But that’s a bit obvious and since that total cheapskate Richard has spent the entire Christmas card budget on a seasonal video featuring Brian, I don’t have much goodwill to spare. Caw! You can click here to watch it. But personally I wouldn’t bother. Brian is such a poseur in those boots. And so wooden too!

The part should have gone to a bird of course; a crow would have been a good choice. But am I bitter? No. In fact I never talk about it.

Oh yes and before I forget, here’s my thought, which I think will help me to get over the Brian thing:

This week is going to be a busy one, with lots of stress and a busy schedule. Particularly if you’ve got the rookery coming over for lunch. Relatives eh! So I suggest you stop. At least one day this week give yourself 5 minutes off and sit quietly, or perch on a branch, with your eyes closed. Promise me you will?

Take a deep breath and then exhale gently and relax your arms (or wings). Just allow yourself to pause and feel grounded and peaceful.

And as you do this, think of one thing that you did well this year. Or perhaps think of a happy memory, or about some time you spent with a special person. If you want to have a 15 minute break you could do all three!

Relax and be calm and enjoy 5 minutes just for you. Stroke yourself for a year well done.

That’s my thought! Great isn’t it!

Oh and a Very Happy Christmas from me and Richard. Be good!

See you next week and thanks for reading the blog this year! Caw!

Tags: Brian, calm, Christmas, Crow