Remembering Helen

Although I am late by a couple of days, I had planned to post something in memory of my mother earlier this week. It would have been her 81st birthday. There isn't a day that I don't think of her and I feel very lucky both to have had her as a role model, and to have had all her support and love.

I choose a very simple epitaph for her - "open heart, open mind". She loved deeply, gave freely and was a voracious reader. After learning that she had MS, she fulfilled a life long dream of going to college and became a Social Worker. She continued to help others both professionally and in her personal life. There are so many quotes to choose from for her, but for the moment, here is one that fits:

"While we have the gift of life, it seems to me that the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die-whether it is our spirit, our creativity, or our uniqueness."
~Gilda Radner

Missing her,
Keltie Creed

When You Fall

I have been working with some colleagues on a workshop for people who are just starting their job search. We were looking for a stimulous, and I came across a video clip about a young man without limbs who is a motivational speaker. He dramatically demonstrated that if the effort to get back up is far more important than the fact that you fell.

There are a number of variations on the quote below from Confucius:

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall”.

Take a look at the clip from Nick Vujicic.
http://www.charliephillips.net/Video/Theater3/NickVujicic/tabid/866/Default.aspx


I bought one of his DVDs so that we can show short clips to stimulate discussion.

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed

Double meaning

"Whenever you fall, pick something up."

~Oswald Avery

The first thought that comes to me with this quote is how my partner was feeling depressed after major surgery and a need to change careers. To cheer herself up, she donated 50 bears to the Sick Children's Hospital. She did something for someone else.

The other interpretation is to learn something. From the fall it self, or about something unrelated just because you have a new perspective and perhaps the time.

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed

Attitude continued

"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right."
~ Henry Ford

This could be interpreted as accurate self - assessment, as realism, or as the power of attitude. There is some truth in all aspects. Part of the job of a counsellor is to ensure that the client has a realistic goal, but it is also important to en-courage them to stretch, to go beyond the comfort zone. We have to kindle their attitude, not dampen it.

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed

Attitude - barrier or boost?

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. "
~Winston Churchill

I think that this has been most evident to me while working with people with disabilities. Their attitudes spanned the full continuum from "I can do anything if given the chance and time to figure out the best way for me to do this" to "No one will let me do this so I won't try". Most people are midway between the two, but the ones who had confidence and willingness to try were the most successful. They also taught me the most!

I also have a button that reads "Attitudes are the real barriers." Attitudes of job seekers, of employers, of counsellors, of society and governments.

So I try to do a periodic attitude audit, and encourage others to do the same.

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed

In memory

It was 14 years ago today that my mother-in-law Marie Lemire died of cancer. So in her memory I will share one of my favourite quotes that I use for Bottles of Hope.

"When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful. "

~Barbara Bloom

Also included is a photo of some of the Bottles of Hope that my partner and I and members of the Vancouver Island Polymer Clay Guild made for the Relay for Life in 2008.

Windy day...

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
~ unknown

This may be a variation on:

"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship."
~Louisa May Alcott

With all the snow, rain and wind these days this is an apt reminder that we can still enjoy and maximize each day. These record snow falls are a business opportunity for anyone interested in snow removal, eaves trough and roof clearing, errand services, chauffeur services, snow tires etc.

Encouragemints

I have been using encouragemints for my clients (and sometimes my colleagues and friends if they are in need of one!) since taking a workshop from Emily Sylvester at NATCON in the mid 1990's. She gave them to the workshop participants, and I have been doing that ever since. She also gave the suggestion in her booklet, "A Book of Surprises: Games, Stories and Magic for Career Practitioners".

I love giving these out at the end of a workshop, or having them on my desk if I see clients one-to-one.

My encouragemints are wrapped chocolate mints placed in a 2"x2" ziplock baggie along with an appropriate quote. If I remember correctly, Emily used scotch mints.

So I decided to use this blog to post my growing collection of encouraging quotes. I also use a lot of these for polymer clay "Bottles of Hope" which are empty medicinal bottles decorated with coloured clay and filled with a quotes.

I hope to post regularly with a quote for the day. Enjoy.