Horizons Regained

Whilst on a hiking holiday in Austria last week, I came across a book “Out of the Head and into the Heart” by Franz X. Buhler which was full of inspiring thoughts, poems and quotes. Yes it snowed in Austria in August on one of the days (see below), so I had time to catch up on some reading! One of the poems which really stood out for me was “Take your time”. It really hit the spot during my holiday and I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy!

Snowy mountains - Saalbach / Hinterglemm, Austria

“Take your time” – Unknown

Take your time to work,
it is the price of success.
Take your time to think,
it is the source of power.
Take your time to play,
it is the secret of youth.
Take your time to read,
it is the fundamental of knowledge.
Take your time to be friendly,
it is the gate to being happy.
Take your time to dream,
it leads the way to the stars.
Take your time to love,
it is the real joie de vivre.
Take your time to be merry,
it is the music of the soul.
Take your time.

Photograph – by kind permission from Andy Brown, taken Aug 2010 - Saalbach / Hinterglemm, Austria

Horizons Regained helps and supports individuals to regain their horizons, a new sense of energy, enthusiasm and passion for life. We specialise in helping and supporting women to address major changes at different stages of their lives, to create a life they love. We especially love helping you when you are: facing redundancy (or been made redundant), considering a career change, planning your life “after retirement”. We are here to help and support you on your journey.

To find out more contact Joanna Puczkowski for a free consultation on Tel. 07855 369516 / Tel. 020 8505 2316 or visit the website Horizons Regained

Follow on Twitter

Why not download our FREE  e-book – “Horizons Regained – Discover 9 Ways to Inspire, Motivate and Support You in Achieving Your Goals” from our website

Bookmark It

“Perseverance opens up treasures which bring perennial joy.” Mohandas Gandhi

A few years ago, whilst on holiday in Kenya, I was lucky to be able to observe the local weaver bird at close quarters, in the grounds of the hotel. It was the mating season and the male birds were weaving nests to attract the females. I was amazed how much time, effort and determination went in to building each nest. The birds weave their nests on branches and it all starts with finding that first perfect blade of grass, to start the weaving process. As I observed, I noticed a bird could spend several hours flying backwards and forwards, looking for and trying out different blades of grass, in order to find that perfect one.

"Weaver bird"

Watching the birds in action, it made me think how often we decide on a goal we want to achieve but then all too quickly give up at the first hurdle because suddenly, it seems too difficult or something gets in the way.

So next time you start on your journey to achieve one of your goals, think about the weaver bird and don’t give up at the first hurdle. Remember, just like the weaver birds, you can change tact and do something differently, to help you achieve that goal in the end.

After all, if the weaver birds gave up that easily, the end result just wouldn’t be the same!

"Weaver bird nest"

Summary considerations

1. Don’t give up at the first hurdle
2. Make changes to your plan to help you on the way
3. If something is stopping you from moving forward, identify that something and take action to address it

Horizons Regained helps and supports individuals to regain their horizons, a new sense of energy, enthusiasm and passion for life. We specialise in helping and supporting women to address major changes at different stages of their lives, to create a life they love. We especially love helping you when you are: facing redundancy (or been made redundant), considering a career change, planning your life “after retirement”. We are here to help and support you on your journey.

To find out more contact Joanna Puczkowski for a free consultation on Tel. 07855 369516 / Tel. 020 8505 2316 or visit the website Horizons Regained

Follow on Twitter

Why not download our FREE  e-book – “Horizons Regained – Discover 9 Ways to Inspire, Motivate and Support You in Achieving Your Goals” from our website

Bookmark It

“If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two week’s vacation.” Dorothy Canfield Fisher

"View from Monte Baldo, Lake Garda"

The majority of us lead busy lives and go from one task to the next, cramming in as much as we can into each day. We rarely step back to consider if we’re really happy, what makes us happy, where we are in life and where we want to be. We let life happen to us. How often do you do what you think you should do and not what you really want to do?

My very special place of inspiration is Lake Garda, Italy where I love to reflect on my values and goals and plan for the future. The view from Monte Baldo is breathtaking and surrounded by a magical silence, I love taking time out to reflect on what I have achieved so far in my life / that year, the things I still want to achieve over the next few months / years and the things I want to change. Of course I can’t spend all my time in Lake Garda, so I look for places locally, where I can escape for an hour or so, every so often and take time to reflect.

Did you know? – “Almost half of UK workers think about changing jobs after returning from holiday, according to new research. The findings, from bookings website DirectHolidayBookings.co.uk, showed that 46% of workers considered quitting their jobs following a break, while 56% felt unsettled after a holiday.” 

1. Think about “you” – use your time out to think about yourself for a change  
2. Consider – “What do you really want to change?” Figure out which aspect of your life you “really want to change” (for example – spending quality time with family and friends, new career, work / life balance, learning a new skill, going back to work after a career break, becoming a parent, moving on after a break up, planning your life after retirement). Questions to ask yourself – “What change would really make the biggest positive impact to my life?” “What would really make me happy?”
3. Make a plan – write an achievable action plan ready for when you get home, otherwise good intentions on holiday often fall by the wayside when you get back home. Remember to break your actions into manageable chunks with realistic deadlines (make it SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound). It doesn’t have to be complicated – just a few simple steps to help you focus.
4. Take action when you get home - even if it’s a small one, just to get you started. Don’t delay or procrastinate, taking action will get you motivated and on your way.

How do you make use of your holiday time? Do you spend any time thinking about what you have achieved / want to achieve? Next time you go on holiday, spend a little time thinking about yourself, what you want and decide on a plan to achieve it. And remember to plan in some reflective time back home too.

During the summer months, many of you will take a holiday. So whether you’re walking in the Lake District or daydreaming on an exotic beach, make the most of your positive feelings and inspiration.

Horizons Regained helps and supports individuals to regain their horizons, a new sense of energy, enthusiasm and passion for life. We specialise in helping and supporting women to address major changes at different stages of their lives, to create a life they love. We especially love helping you when you are: facing redundancy (or been made redundant), considering a career change, planning your life “after retirement”. We are here to help and support you on your journey.

To find out more contact Joanna Puczkowski for a free consultation on Tel. 07855 369516 / Tel. 020 8505 2316 or visit the website Horizons Regained

Follow on Twitter

Why not download our FREE  e-book – “Horizons Regained – Discover 9 Ways to Inspire, Motivate and Support You in Achieving Your Goals” from our website

Bookmark It

My usual blogs relate to managing change within organisations or by individuals, however, today I thought I would make a slight exception.

Reading various magazines, blogs and following various folk on Twitter, I have come across lots of references related to the importance of good customer service. But what exactly is good customer service?

I have come across different examples of good customer service over the years and thought I would share one that really sticks in my mind. In fact I often refer to it, so what better way than sharing it with you via social media.

A few years ago I had planned to cook a seafood platter for friends on New Year’s Eve and pre-ordered the seafood at my local Waitrose. Early on New Year’s Eve morning, I received a call from the store apologising, they wanted to let me know that the cooked lobster I had ordered hadn’t been delivered but they had some raw lobster tails I could have instead. I agreed and arranged to go down to the store to collect my order.

When I arrived at the store, my order was ready for collection, together with a copy of a recipe for cooking the lobster tails (in case I didn’t have one) and I wasn’t charged for the lobster because it wasn’t the one I ordered. 

What struck me about this was that someone from Waitrose:

1. called to apologise and let me know what had happened as soon as possible
2. they offered an alternative solution
3. they made sure that I was happy with the alternative solution and could still do my dinner as planned
4. they offered a goodwill gesture too

And the main thing was – I didn’t have to ask for any of these things because they just did it!

So that’s why I love my local Waitrose!

We can all learn from sharing different examples with each other.  

Do you have any examples of good customer service? Why not share them with us.

Horizons Regained helps and supports individuals and organisations to embrace change.

Follow us on Twitter

Visit our website

Why not download our FREE  e-book – “Horizons Regained – Discover 9 Ways to Inspire, Motivate and Support You in Achieving Your Goals” from our website

Bookmark It

Getting stuck in

Psychologies Magazine recently posted an article on their website by Rosamund Witcher “Why not acting your age is good for you” which really struck a chord because of an article I had written for my newsletter a few years ago.  

Then yesterday, on a gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk in the local forest and picked lots of blackberries. I ended up making a blackberry and apple crumble, a lovely treat after dinner. Yes, I always look forward to this time of year because we go and pick wild blackberries. We always plan in our blackberry picking weekend. Any blackberries we can’t use at the time, I freeze and then use them during the year, bringing back memories of those sunny, summer days. Making the crumble yesterday, again reminded me of the newsletter article I had written a few years ago and so I thought I would share it with you. So go on, have a read and hopefully it will bring back some of your childhood memories too.

Bringing back happy memories

A few years ago after I re-located, we were walking in the local forest when we came across wild blackberries. It was August and the blackberries were black, juicy and ready for picking. It brought back memories from my childhood. I used to spend lots of time at my dad’s allotment, especially during “harvest time”, when we would pick fresh strawberries, pick sweetcorn, eat fresh peas from a pod. My dad would dig up potatoes, build a bonfire, invite friends round and we would eat freshly baked potatoes in the garden. I particularly enjoyed picking blackberries because my mum would bake scrumptious crumbles, fruit pies and make blackberry juice. I still remember the smell of the freshly baked crumble.

It’s strange how as we get older, we move on in life and often forget how the very simple things used to bring us so much enjoyment. With so much technology around, we often surround ourselves with all kinds of gadgets, yet we forget about the simple things in life.

So why not think back to when you were growing up – how did you spend your free time? What did you enjoy doing with your family and friends? Perhaps walking on the beach, skimming stones, dancing, riding a bike, picnics, building sandcastles, looking for tadpoles, playing pooh sticks, camping, walks in the forest, baking cookies, making popcorn, painting, playing ball games, playing a musical instrument, amateur dramatics, star gazing, creative writing, hopskotch, watching the sunset, making daisy chains? I could go on.

There are so many things, you just need a gentle reminder to get you thinking – why not make your own list? Then ask yourself – “which ones really made me happy and why”? Are there any you might want to re-discover for yourself or perhaps with your own family? What’s stopping you? Make that decision today and bring back some happy memories.

4 steps to bringing back your happy memories 

1. Consider what brought you happiness and enjoyment when you were growing up?

2. Why did it make you feel happy?

3. What could you re-discover to re-capture those feelings? Or invent something new!

4. Now write down the feelings and things you want to re-discover and start today. Go on, have some fun!

Horizons Regained helps and supports individuals to regain their horizons, a new sense of energy, enthusiasm and passion for life. We specialise in helping and supporting women to address major changes at different stages of their lives, to create a life they love. We especially love helping you when you are: facing redundancy (or been made redundant), considering a career change, planning your life “after retirement”. We are here to help and support you on your journey.

To find out more contact Joanna Puczkowski for a free consultation on Tel. 07855 369516 / Tel. 020 8505 2316 or visit the website Horizons Regained

Follow on Twitter

Why not download our FREE  e-book – “Horizons Regained – Discover 9 Ways to Inspire, Motivate and Support You in Achieving Your Goals” from our website

Bookmark It