by Elisabet | Jul 1, 2010 | English Blog
Don’t get complacent. Don’t get bored and too comfortable.
Fire and re-hire yourself once in a while.
We all get into a rut at times, we maybe get a bit disengaged, not quite giving it our best and frankly also not then having much fun. But when we really have to, we tend to be able to be outstanding, to put in that extra effort, to go that extra mile. And we feel so good when we do it, we feel the flow, we feel the power, we experience the possibilities.
So fire yourself. Maybe even today. Do an “appraisal” with yourself – give yourself the constructive feedback, ask yourself to see the possibilities. Heighten your senses by firing yourself and then re-hiring the new, re-energised you. The you that can make your day more enjoyable, your results better, your peace of mind greater.
So fire yourself today. I just did. And I re-hired myself too – and I love my new job!
by Elisabet | Feb 23, 2010 | English Blog
OK, for all you non-Swedish people out there, please humour me on this one….
I’m a big fan of a comedy act called “After Shave and Galenskaparna”, and years ago they had a sort of hit with this song “Det ska va gött att leva, annars kan det kvitta”. It’s all about how life is supposed to be good and enjoyable. And I love the spirit of this song – of course it should be good, easy, fun to live, to go to work and everything else. Who says it can’t be like that!
I so often hear people say that life is tough, that we should be prepared for that. I SAY NO! If I think life is going to be tough, of course it will be tough. Because what I expect, I will then (mainly subconsciously) start looking for.
I’m not stupid though. I know as well as the next person that things aren’t always easy, that we meet tough challenges, disappointments and sorrows – I’ve had my fair share.
But I’m also more and more aware, on a daily basis, that we can impact our own situation – we can choose to have it good, to have fun, and thereby have it better and have more fun! It’s entirely down to our attitude. And you can choose your attitude.
You can choose to have more fun. Just look at your job. Most of us spend around 7-8 hours a day at work. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s not. We may get annoyed with people, circumstances and tasks.
BUT YOU ARE NOT AT THE MERCY OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
It is possible to choose to have fun, regardless of the circumstances. It all comes down to what you focus on. Before you go to work, think about how you want to feel while at work, how you want to feel about the people you meet at work – and remind yourself what it’s like to feel those feelings – tap into them. Really feel them.
And then when you get to work, focus on what it feels like when you are having fun – straighten your back, smile, laugh – and you can start to notice how it actually feels better. And how positively others respond when you are happy and constructive.
And if you’re doing something you find boring, tell yourself “I may as well do it with a smile”. Because you always have a choice of doing it the hard way or the easy way – why not make it easy? You’re worth it.
Don’t take things so seriously. We usually do our best work with a clear, easy mind, so try to take setbacks with a pinch of salt. Ask yourself how you can benefit from what’s happened, try to see things from a different perspective.
AND BANISH THE WORDS “FAILURE” AND “MISTAKE” FROM YOUR VOCABULARY. Try this instead – “there are no failures, only results”. Because it all comes down to how you CHOOSE to look at things.
And there may even be something to laugh about. Make sure you find something to laugh about every day! And discover how different everything feels:-)
by Elisabet | Feb 10, 2010 | English Blog
Last spring I enjoyed following “Britain’s got talent” on British TV. A fascinating TV-show where thousands of people are parading through with their varying degree of talent:-). I’m sure that some of the people that have chosen to audition just do it as a joke, as there were at times absolutely no talent what so ever, unless absurdity is a talent…..
Most people have read and heard about Susan Boyle, who the world took to their hearts. And who came second in the final.
Less known (at least outside Britain) is Stavros Flatley – a wonderful “father and son” act who do a sort of parody on Irish dancing. Absolutely wonderful!
Every time I watch them I am overcome by such a feeling of joy.
They made it all the way to the final and at times I was really wondering if they really belonged in the final, as they weren’t necessarily the best dancers.
But then finally I got it……their talent is to entertain, to make people happy. There can hardly be a worthier or more valuable talent!
Here they are in the final. Hope they make you happy:-)
by Elisabet | Aug 18, 2009 | English Blog
Every day is a new beginning.
Yesterday may have been good or maybe not. We can take from it what we need – learnings, experience, joy, inspiration. And then go on, into today.
We can start afresh every day. Every day we can give ourselves a chance to start again, to find new inspiration, to create our future.
Don’t look back in regret, wishing that things were different. They are what they are – or they were what they were. Look ahead instead and see what you can do with today, and tomorrow and the day after.
See what the day has to offer. Look for inspiration. Go into they day trusting that it will be a good day and that it will give you all that you need.
Shape your own future. Find solutions. Make decisions that are important to you. Find things to be grateful about, to be happy about, to be inspired by. There’s loads.
It starts today. Every day is a new, fresh start. What are you going to do with yours?
by Elisabet | May 6, 2009 | English Blog
About a month ago I attended the opening party of a new champagne bar in Stockholm – Brutbar, located beneath the famous restaurant Prinsen in Stockholm. Wonderful!
We were invited along side a number of celebrities who were all being photographed as we could quietly find a nice corner table, where we enjoyed champagne and oysters and 7 wonderful seafood dishes (well, not the desserts thankfully!)
Brutbar is one of those nice and relaxed places where you can go after work and just have a glass of champagne (note to self – I want to do that more often!) or satisfy your appetite for delicious offerings from the sea.
There’s something fantastically glamourous about champagne, isn’t there? It just feels festive and happy – an easy way to make the day a bit special. And some festivity and glamour can’t hurt now and then. Especially not with all the negativity currently around us.
So take the time to meet up with good friends, over a cup of coffee, a nice dinner, or even a glass of champagne. And enjoy. Life is good.
