Happy Holidays – Bye 2018

Best wishes for the Festive Season

As my final blog for 2018, I want to wish you and those dear to you all the very best for the festive season.  I hope you have a fun start to 2019.

There always seems to be lots of frenetic energy at this time of the year.  I guess we all want to end the year feeling like we have achieved all that we had planned or wanted. 

My wish for you is that you also take some time to reflect on what has been positive for you in the year.  I hope you don’t have to dig too deeply and that the year has been kind to you.

The trap of the frenetic energy is that you can forget to take some important down time for just being.  You can pack your holiday time with too much and then it really isn’t a holiday.

Also, neuroscience is showing that our minds need spacing to allow disparate bits of information to be connected.  Down time provides this spacing.  It allows creativity to flow as well as achance to quiet the internal mind-chatter.  It allows us to step-back from the swirl of doing, doing and doing which our current modern society appears to value.

At this time of year, it’s always wonderful to spend time with the people that are special in your life sharing food, drink and camaraderie.  I hope that you find the words to acknowledge those people.  Everyone flourishes with acknowledgement and a sense of belonging. 

As I reflect on 2018 at a wider perspective, I’m glad that there have been many discussions this year around the important issues that impact women’s lives such as the Me Too Campaign, Domestic Violence in Australia and globally with UN Women’s campaign Orange the World.  It was also wonderful to see our women politicians acknowledge the challenges they experience in a patriarchal political system.

It takes great courage to speak out about a system that has been in place forever. 

I was thrilled to hear a story from a HR friend that three men had reported another man for inappropriate behaviour to women at a recent work Christmas function.  It allowed me to remember thatour current patriarchal system has silenced the good men too. 

Taking the courage to speak out, when your messages are that you need to control women, be strong, macho and emotionless and definitely not cry like a girl, cannot be easy.  So well done to all the men who speak out about bad behaviour from other people.

I’m sharing again the dare that I made earlier in the year because I believe it is appropriate to end 2018 with this dare.

I dare each and every one of us is to see that we are all human trying to make the best lives we can.  I dare each and every one of us to ensure that it is a fair and equitable life for all. I dare each and every one of us to inspire and motivate each other to be the best we can be throughout our life.

So, I hope we all continue to find our voice in 2019.  I also hope that in 2019 you find your voice to ask for what you need to live the best life you can.  I further hope that you will support as many people as you can to be the best they can be too.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Enjoy.  Look forward to chatting in 2019.