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Djanae

Issues I’m into: Living with a disability; Issues facing the elderly; Child abuse and neglect; Rural healthcare; Corporate social responsibility; Mental health; Young carers ; Deforestation; Sustainable energy sources; Homelessness in Australia;

Joined 9/24/2009 Views 4454 Blog Entries: 12 Last Blog Entry: 10/16/2010

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Name: J
I live: In Brisvegas! :)
Growing up in a large, close-knit family, you have an inbuilt sense of responsibility to serve the 'common good'. It’s all well and good to want to 'make a difference’ but where does one even begin??
 
As cliched as it sounds, the answer is to ActNow. "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." (Lao-tzu, Chinese Philosopher) however "It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” (Chinese proverb) so start small :)
 
If you've got an idea, write it down in your 'Ideas Journal', speak to someone about it, donate $1, join a club, start a blog...;) It might not feel like you're doing much but "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." (Mother Theresa)
 
And in those moments of stillness, revel in the knowledge that you're heading in the general direction of your dream because “To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
 
So "Don't let fear stop you from doing what you're supposed to do" and "Be the change you want to see in the world...there's no time like the present to start." (Mahatama Gandhi)
 
xoxo J

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Making the leap 16-10-2010 10:36

How do you react when your strategic plans are repeatedly met with umming and ahhing from your colleagues?

A. Feel annoyed

B. Take it personally

C. Provide more detail

D. Give up

I usually go with ‘A’, a hint of ‘B’, and finally ‘C’ because as a wise woman once told me, ‘Change = Roadblocks’ so if you’re shaking things up, be prepared for a wall of questions.

This year has been full of roadblocks. So much so that for the first time in a long time, I’m seriously considering ‘D’ (to give up) and that frustrates me—I’m not a quitter dangit!

But maybe it’s not quitting...deep down, I know that if I’m to achieve my ‘vision’, I need to move on. The question is, do I have the courage to make the leap from a secure job, all the way back to square one...?

To be continued...

PS Related Harvard Business Review article and video:

-- How to deal with resistance to change -- Source: http://hbr.org/1969/01/how-to-deal-with-resistance-to-change/ar/1

-- Buy-in: saving your good idea from getting shot down -- Source: http://hbr.org/product/buy-in-saving-your-good-idea-from-getting-shot-dow/an/12703-HBK-ENG?Ntt=idea%2520from%2520getting%2520shot%2520down

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'Switching Off' 101 25-09-2010 12:46

My challenge this week: yes, you can go full-ball and pull all-nighters to get work done. But the more you allow work to seep into your free-time, the harder it is to 'switch off'. The deadlines will keep a-comin but how do you expect to continue to deliver on time, under budget, and within scope, if you burn out your most crucial resource - you?

STOP. Take a deep breath.

Now reset those boundaries. The 'hell-to-the-no-to-after-hours-work' boundaries. And welcome back happier, healthier (and far more productive in the long run) you. Sometimes, you need to slow down to speed up. The end.

Or should I say: the (week)end. Get it? Cos it's the WEEK-end?! Muahahaha. It's official. My brain has successfully switched off. Any lingering sense of panic about loose ends and looming deadlines can be dealt with on Monday.

Adios Amigos :) xJ

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Vision 24-08-2010 09:03

Thanks for visiting! Make sure to drop in on other blogs...this site is brimming with wonderfully passionate writers. PS apologies in advance for any spelling/ grammatical errors - I wrote this on the way to work :s

In my brief hiatus, I've been busy (like you no doubt) fine-tuning my strategy towards my vision. Vision (in my opinion) being the person others talk about in your eulogy. Fortunately, I'm at a point in my life now where I'm content with my vision. Granted, it took me a few years to get here, and the journey to finding oneself can be awkward and painful at times - it was worth it.

What's my vision? It came to me, not in one succinct paragraph but bits and pieces; so that's how it exists - a patchwork of words relating to my relationships (with myself and others), career, community, business, and finance:

Sincere. Generous. Patient. Kind. Health sector. Consulting. Systems engineering (analysis & design). Sustainability. Corporate philanthropy. Endowment. Women, children, elderly, vulnerable groups.

Thanks again for dropping by. If you have a spare sec, I'd love to hear about your vision for the future.

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My Purpose 12-12-2009 11:03

Some say you’re the master of your destiny; that you choose your fate. I doubt I would’ve chosen this path but there are far worse fates than heartbreak...
 
In November of last year, I caught up with a close childhood mate. We laughed about how our conversations had changed over the years from who had the ‘maddest’ yoyo skills, to what uni you were going to, to what job you were up for, and most recently, the joys and challenges of parenting.
 
A month later, he passed away. 26 years old with his whole life ahead of him. So much potential. So much promise. Gone in an instant. For the first time in a long time - frustrated and angered by the unfairness of it all – a fire stirred within me. My inner super-hero had awoken. My purpose was clear.
 
 
Next blog: What unleashes my inner super-hero?

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Journey's end: old me, new perspective 06-12-2009 08:17

Life’s a journey with its fair share of forks in the road...it has a way of throwing challenges your way when you least expect. Sometimes you’re thrown a challenge that threatens your very existence..
 
...and then there are your everyday challenges, many of which depend on surpassing negative thoughts or feelings to reach a rational outcome. Having trouble moving past negativity? The following three-step-process often works for me:
 
1.       Write down the source/s of your frustration.
I’m having difficulty dealing with one of my work-mates. He/she’s so condescending!
 
Take a few deep breaths.
 
2.       Write down what you’re grateful for in this situation.
I am grateful to work for my organisation. I love being able to help others. It’s so rewarding. So worthwhile.
 
Take a few more deep breaths. Allow yourself to fully embrace the feeling of gratitude. Let it clear your mind of negative thoughts.
 
3.       Focus on the source of your gratitude and move forward objectively by writing down practical steps for dealing with the issue.
See how my next meeting with him / her goes. Acknowledge the role they play in the org. Be sincere. If their behaviour continues to bother me, speak with them in private about how I feel. Do what’s best for the organisation.
 
I’ll leave it there with the self-help advice - you’ve no doubt heard your fair share. Some you’ll identify with, others you won’t. It’s okay. It’s your journey and while our destinations are the same, our journeys are unique. Take my journey for instance. Life on cruise control. Crash. The Darkness. A new day. What’s next you ask? Good question. Up until 12 months ago, I had no idea.
 
 
The Desiderata poem by Max Ehrmann sometimes restores my inner-peace. What challenges do you face on a daily basis? How do you deal with them?
 
 
Next blog: My Purpose
 
PS Like you, my brain’s super-keen to slip into a Christmas coma so I’m very selfishly fast-tracking my next series of blogs. Wishing you a safe holiday season.

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Part 4: My Journey - A new day 17-11-2009 11:03

Shaking off depression: day one. Boy was I naive. My goals were sound but my motivation was flawed. Looking around at my mates with their degrees, jobs, and houses, I was eager to catch up but that kind of desire – powered by the achievements and opinions of others - is often short-lived. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I found myself back in a rut, wondering how on earth I’d wound up there again.
 
I desperately wanted things to ‘return to normal’.
 
It took months of dead-end epiphanies aboard an emotional roller-coaster for me to realise that to have a real shot at achieving long-lasting happiness, I needed to change my approach. My drive would need to come from within – mind, body, and soul. Herein lay the problem. My mind was fine, so too was my body-image. It was my soul that needed attention. My heart was still broken – it needed to heal.
 
So I stopped. No more desperate epiphanies. No more hours of soul-searching. Instead, I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I told myself it was okay to cry. To laugh. To love. To make mistakes. It was okay to be me. Being kind, gentle, patient and loving to myself brought about an inner peace which helped my heart to heal. Finally, my mind, body, and soul were intact. I was truly ready to move forward.
 
 
What personal battles have you faced and won? What tools help you to stay motivated? Be inspired at Empowered Online.
 
 
Next blog: Old me, new perspective

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Part 3: My Journey - The Darkness 19-10-2009 04:41

It’s a dark and scary place – not knowing who you are and what to do with your life – when your confidence is shaken and your self-esteem is dangerously low. Taking my own life was never an option but there were days when I would ask myself when it would end. The feeling of utter emptiness.
 
I knew that if I was to recover I had to help myself but my spirit was broken. I needed to grieve first and for the better part of a year, that’s all I did. I was a shadow. But time passed and I eventually grew tired of the tears and the sordid cloak of depression; the way it clung to me - suffocating my ability to feel and blocking every ray of hope and joy.
 
It was time to shake it off and move on with my life.
 
 
Have you ever experienced depression or know someone who has? You’re not alone. Depression is one of the most common of all mental health problems with one in five people experiencing it at some stage of their lives. Learn more at Beyond Blue.
 
 
Next blog: Part 4: The Journey - A new day

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Part 2: My Journey - Crash 14-10-2009 12:30

Falling in love for the first time is a magical experience – one I’ll always treasure – but if you allow it to take over your life you risk losing all sense of self like I did. Consumed by my relationship, I failed to react when other areas of my life began to suffer. Plummeting grades, withdrawal from sport, reluctance to spend time with family and friends. I should’ve done something but I didn’t. I was in way too deep. And then the relationship ended.

 

I’d experienced heart-ache before but not like this. This was heart-break. Bittersweet heart-break. No longer blinded by love I was able to think and see clearly again. The view before me was disheartening. Nevertheless I was back in the driver’s seat - ready to salvage what I could.

 

Raising my GPA, playing sport again, mending ties with family and friends – these were issues I could physically tackle. My greatest challenge was psychological. Years of abandoning my thoughts and feelings in favour of ‘us’ meant I no longer knew what I liked nor was I certain who ‘I’ was. Not only had I lost my best friend, I’d lost my identity.

 

 

Have you ever been in an unhealthy relationship or know someone currently in one? Understand how to achieve and maintain a healthy life-balance at Relationships Australia.

 

 

Next blog: Part 3: My Journey - The Darkness

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Part 1: My Journey - Life on Cruise Control 10-10-2009 03:02

Up until Uni I’d drifted along comfortably enough. The model student athlete, things were pretty cruisy but life has a way of throwing challenges your way when you least expect.
 
Falling pregnant in my second year of uni certainly wasn’t part of ‘the plan’. For weeks I was in denial, silently crying for hours in the bathroom, praying it wasn’t true. When I finally worked up the courage to tell my parents I was very fortunate that they along with my extended family were incredibly supportive. I had a beautiful baby girl, eventually returned to uni and life was able to go on fairly unchanged.
 
The second turning point was decidedly harder to navigate. Sometimes you’re thrown a challenge that threatens your very existence. For my best friend it was losing his father to a chronic illness. For one of my brothers it was being diagnosed with cancer in high school. For me it was a broken heart.
 
 
Have you ever had to cope with an unexpected development in your life? Help others deal with similar challenges at ReachOut.com
 
 
Next blog: Part 2: My Journey - Crash

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Greetings and Salutations 10-10-2009 02:45

I suppose your initial blog/s should set the scene…Who am I? What am I passionate about? Why ActNow?
 
Life’s a journey with its fair share of forks in the road. For me, there’ve been two major turning points so far. So as not to spend too much time delving in the past, I’ll try to sum these up in a four-part blog.

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