Rosebank Skyline Dec 2009

Over the past 6 months the changes in South Africa cannot go unnoticed. Suburbs are emerging and although the green space is diminishing at an alarming rate,  it is one of the costs of developing and evolving cities.

Some may say that these changes will not remain once the 2010 World Cup is over. I believe that not only will the changes remain but in addition, we may find that a notable percentage of fans and visitors will be returning to SA to make new homes here and offer their contribution to the expansion of this part of the world.

I have begun taking photo’s of the skyline periodically so that I may keep a reminder of how it used to be… when the highveld was peppered with a few buildings and covered with open grounds…in less than 10 years, the new suburbs that have emerged are now the ones peppered with a few only a few open grounds.

Major visible changes to the landscape have taken place over the past 5 years but the images of the way things used to be and my beginnings in SA, only remain in my head. It would be great to have photo’s of those open lands between Joburg, Midrand, Centurion and Pretoria before the building started. So guys if you have any, please post them.

My new landmarks are now taken from Delta Park in the Northern suburbs, where I can see the skylines of

Sandton Skyline 22 Dec 2009

Sandton, Hyde Park, Rosebank and Yeoville.

And Sandton, with her twin towers when I first arrived now has four towers with a fifth on it’s way, which is of course will be bigger, better and taller than the previous ones.

Newtown is my favorite place of all in Jozi. It was one of the first places to begin it’s evolution early, starting with the market place and market theatre, with Moyo’s moving in next door (although the last time I went, Moyo’s was closed.)

I love the cluster of cafes and the bookstore “Xsaara” which supports African authors and holds frequent book launches to promote writers from around the continent. Then there is Sophiatown, which provides a great backdrop for networking, meeting friends and businesses acquaintances alike, whilst enjoying coffee, a glass of wine or a local dish.

The Bag Factory and The Electric Workshop harbour artists, whose creative works are found throughout Newtown and easily rival those of international artists. In terms of music, Baseline, offers a large space for the musical talent to entertain us. It’s a space that also promotes new talent and it is a space where it is impossible to keep seated once the beat gets going.

It is ironical that the Blue Crane is the national bird of South Africa, since we now see so many cranes of the metallic type dotting the skylines as we drive through the cities. Some may say it is a bad thing and others say it is good. It is certainly a sign of the times that cities are evolving in SA and I for one am happy and proud to be in SA at this time and also excited to be a part of her transformation whilst she makes her mark in the history books of all time. Stick around and be a part of her growth.

Joan Laine

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By taking time to carefully set tangible objectives, where the expected outcome has been determined either by the desire to achieve a set goal or through the results of accomplishing several predetermined small tasks, each of us should be able to easily keep any resolutions made at the beginning of the year… not so! Many of us make resolutions, which are to affect the next 12 months without any thought at all?

For those who took option 3, did you then take time to “see” what the outcome would look like or to put together an action plan that would ensure that you will achieve the results you are looking for or are you still sitting in the land of “Hopium” waiting for things to unfold the way you think they should?

How do you get the ROI then?

The first investment is time, a commodity that sometimes seems as scarce as gold. How much time is required in order to set the goals for 12 months of our lives? Sitting in the garden, relaxing by the pool, taking a walk or using some of the time spent in front of the TV are all moments of time – why not choose to use one of those moments to focus on the dream or the vision; then choose another of those moments to see what actions are required to get from where you are today to the dream; then choose another moment to set the dates – in “no” time, you have created an action plan, with clearly measurable goals, which will enable you to keep your commitments and your New Years resolutions.

The second investment is to be in action and in integrity; keep your promises and commitments! Where is the ROI when we sit and procrastinate about what we have promised to do, instead of just doing it right there and then? In fact there may be a lot to lose.

Lets say your resolution is to lose weight, when you do not stick to the diet or skip gym, you first lose your self-esteem, then your courage and then your confidence goes and with every 100grams gained and you lose out on your health – the sum total of all your losses, is the loss of your self-worth. AND… then you charge yourself with compounded interest, by the end of the year you are burdened with a few extra pounds of both guilt and the additional kilos of blubber.

On the contrary when you get up each day, despite the rain or the cold and get onto the treadmill, when you don’t take that extra slice of pizza, when you drink the glass of water instead of the fizzy soda, by the end of each month, you can see a tangible result, which others can also see making you feel so much more worthy to be amongst friends, colleagues and family. The outcome is an incredible increase in self-worth, a healthier life-style and an abundance of joy and laughter as you become more open to receive the gifts that the world has to offer.

To keep the resolutions it is not enough to just visualize strongly, or to believe and pray – action is required if a good ROI is to be expected. And setting clearly measurable goals in time and space whilst keeping your commitments is essential to achieving the outcome that you desire, breaking them down into bite-size pieces just makes them easier to reach.

So, only a few weeks into the New Year, how many of you can clearly see the outcome of the resolutions taken on January 01, 2010?

My invitation to you is to take a little time to think about those resolutions again, this time as powerful investments, then put together your plan of action to make sure you get the ROI you want, so that you have the freedom to create entirely new ones for 2011.

Joan Laine – Member of COMENSA

Transformational Life & Business Coach

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I decided to make it mine and feel that I have spent 2009 digging out the trenches, getting rid of the old and clearing the space for me to begin building solid foundations for the next few years. What are the three most significant changes will you either leave behind or take into take into 2010? Mine…

1) Trust

2) Allowing myself to be vulnerable

3) It’s okay if it doesn’t go to plan

Joan Laine

Transformational Life & Business Coach

via Facebook | Master I – The Awareness Process.

There is no half-pregnant – Marc Steinberg

And… I must be a glutton for pain because each time, rather than simply accept with gratefulness the gift of the rebirth and all that it offers, I choose time and time again to hold on to what no longer serves me until I am forced to literally choose between life or death. And, it is only from the animalistic, survival instinct that I emerge, reborn despite myself to the glory of the beauty on the other side. And then I wonder what all the fuss was about and why I put myself through so much pain!

Ah! To be the fool for the fool steps off the cliff, into the unknown with joy in his heart and a lightness of being that allows him to experience the world with childlike innocence.

Companions along the way

With knowledge comes the wisdom of what lies ahead and strangely enough, there is that part of me that still chooses to cling to stuff I no longer need and that I cannot take with me to the other side. There is that familiar friend – FEAR – he is a companion that I know so well – I must take him along! He reminds me that if he wasn’t there I would likely step out in front of a car because I would be unaware of the danger, – mmm… I am beginning to think that may not be reason enough to take him along next time.Oh and FEAR can’t go anywhere without DOUBT. They make a formidable pair of characters who are hard to ignore.

Ah! But what of these new companions – Courage – Love – Compassion – Forgiveness – Trust… well they are becoming more familiar to me each day but I see that when it comes to the birth canal, although present, they are eclipsed by old faithful- MR. FEAR HIMSELF and his side-kick MR. DUBIOUS DOUBT ! Mind you, this is understandable, between the two of them; they get obnoxiously loud with their…

… but what if..?

and you know the last time you almost…?

… better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t,

…but Joan, why do you want to leave your cushy job, comfy home, your cozy hubby____________________ (fill in the blank)…

… you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into…

… you do know that you’ll have to start all over again…

On and on and on, MR. FEAR and DUBIOUS DOUBT go and boy, can they nag or whine like children wanting an ice cream and persist in their quest to detract me from going where I need to go. In contrast, my new friends, Trust, Forgiveness, Love, Compassion and Courage are quiet, polite, unobtrusive and loving. They invite me to go through the birth canal with gentleness and a little movement of the hand, beckoning me to follow. There is no forcefulness unlike the bullying MR. FEAR and yet, I do not follow, why? Because these gentle companions are showing me a way, which is not yet familiar to me … and I know the other way so very well!

And so I remain stuck in the middle, undecided – should I stay or should I go?

Due Date

The time is getting closer for me to make a decision. But now, all of a sudden, whilst everything had been flowing and I was all aglow from all the wonderful activity of preparing for new opportunities, I start to feel a bit sluggish and become slightly disorientated. Where things were so clear before, I am not so sure any more and start to get a little confused. I become absent-minded and I struggle to remember what exactly it is I need to be doing, losing focus on the task at hand. Tiredness creeps in and I feel heavier and heavier by the day.

Strangely, I also have the clarity that is all is well and in only a couple of months this will be over. This “knowing” is what keeps me going. But as the ETA date approaches, I am more emotional, I feel like a wreck and lose my enthusiasm, my joy for life. I am impatient and all I can think of is

“Enough all ready – just let it be over NOW!!”

With anger and irritation, I retreat and become totally anti-social as the final days approach, I will literally bite your head off if you dare to so much as allude to anything being wrong. You best be on the other side of the room and have running shoes on because if I am close to you – I’ll likely have beheaded you with a lightening-quick power-swat of my right hand – my children have scars to prove this (Okay I’m exaggerating here)…

“hey Joan – you have a pimple on your chin!”

…Thwack!

… Thud!

Back to reality… Oh my! I have to now make a choice. Brain Freeze! But instead I hold my breathe and pretend the world has ceased to exist! This is the stage where I become lethargic, refuse to move and just want to die. The problem is two fold – 1. Life goes on! 2.This is usually the most critical time for me NOT to disappear because by now I have built my nest and everyone else is literally waiting for the baby to be born too ☺! Sigh…. Life is hard… I cant do this anymore… why me bladibladi bla etc… why can’t it just be finished already….?

Translation – procrastination, leading to paralysis!

The calm before and after the storm

There is stillness on both sides of the birth canal. As I approach the ETA, I often enter dark cave with an internal lake, where the waters are so still it appears as if I am looking at a gigantic obsidian mirror, the mirror of truth – Ouch! – No denial here! This dark cave only appears after the tumultuous and thunderous nights have driven me to seek shelter. I know when the delivery time is coming because shortly before that, I dream of the other lake, the one that is also still but out in the open, where the thin, wispy white clouds appear to swim in the azure sky, reflecting on the water and where the mountains and pine trees, stand like guardians, waiting to welcome me safely within their embrace.

On the other side of the birth canal, it is so bright, so sweet, so beautiful and once my eyes become adjusted, for some reason, I see not a lake but a beautiful carpet of emerald green, often with buttercups or daisy’s stretching far before me, or one of golden cornfields, waving gently in the breeze, with cornflowers sprinkled here and there. When I emerge, what awaits me are many, many blessings of things new and unknown and always, always bliss, pure bliss. And, with each re-birth, this feeling is amplified a hundred times more. It is serene, peaceful and quite. The air is still and now I can see the other lake as the dragonflies dance above the water and the butterflies ride the winds. In the real world, it translates into all that I desire being manifested. Life is smooth and so easy. The right partners are there, the cash is flowing, the children are happy and succeeding in their lives. Whatever I need or want is delivered to me without effort.

I must be crazy to choose to stay stuck in the middle!

Life Lessons?

And so why, do I choose to experience each rebirth with such pain? Here is some idle speculation…. Change and transformation is my passion and I guess it is one of my life lessons to integrate the knowledge that I no longer have to experience the transformations through fear, loss and grief. A few years ago, I made the conscious choice to experience lifes changes in joy, love and harmony. I am now learning how to trust, to truly let go and how to allow the process to unfold as it must and, these are some of my greatest life lessons.

Oh… and this year I was introduced to learning how to be vulnerable and allow others to see that so that they may give me support when I need it the most– now that really is a novelty and a tough lesson right there! Me? Weak? Need help?  Never!

But I also realized this year that I am always at my most vulnerable at this time of year (as are so many of us, I refused to see that I was just like many people). It is a painful period, where any hidden challenges that I could not or would not see or where any residual stuff I had not fully addressed, seems to be thrown full force into my face. It’s like a painful right of passage –

“jump these hurdles, crawl through that mud, jump off that cliff or else you ain’t moving on to the next year!”

And despite counting all my blessings, acknowledging where I have grown, knowing that the grass is greener on the other side (it’s spring!) – I still refuse to travel gracefully and with courage through that birth canal. So could it be simply that until I have learned to trust and let go, allow myself to be vulnerable and accept the loving support of others, that I will continue to remain stuck in the middle and forcibly ejected at each rebirth?

Mmm… now that’s a thought!

Top of the World

Instead, I say to myself,

“how many more times do I have to jump off the flipping mountain? I’m still terrified of heights!”

Ah! Therein may lie the answer – but then again maybe not?

If I were to lie still and do nothing but sit contently when I reached the top of the world, then yes, I would have reached my destination but only if I were contented with that and felt I was fulfilled. However, after a while, once I had finished exploring all I felt I needed to explore, after meeting, all the animals, discovered all the plants and swam in all the rivers, brooks and streams on the top of that mountain – I would soon find myself saying – there’s got to be more to life than this and off I would go again – standing on the top of the mountain saying –

“Oh! Why do I have to do this again?”

Inhale, exhale… to hold it in the middle is to die

The basic human nature is to breathe in order to survive. Without the natural flow, we suffocate and the longer we hold our breath, the more excruciating the pain and so just at the point, where it feels that all the breathe has been squeezed out of us, nature will expulse us, forcing us to inhale again. Instead of starting our new journey in unburdened, reposed and serene, we begin again still clinging to some of the stuff that should have been left behind and looking over our shoulders fearfully for that thing we feel we have lost.

But maybe next year at this time, before making the leap, I would not have spent weeks stuck in the middle of the birth canal, waiting for the forces of nature to expel me – maybe next year, Trust, Compassion, Love, Courage and Forgiveness will be my best friends and we will take that leap of faith from the top of the mountain laughing, joyfully as we know that change and transformation is the natural breath of the Universe.

In love, joy and laughter, breathe the abundant blessings of the Universe

Joan Laine

Joan Laine on Linkedin

Consciousness Coach at CCI

Nurture Your Future is looking forward to our first Transformational Adventure Camp. In collaboration with outdoor-activity professionals, we will be providing a unique program, created to ensure that 2010 begins with a sprint.

Join us on our 3-day Transformational Adventure Camp from 06-08 January 2010 for 17-19 year olds.

Take advantage of this action-packed, adventure-filled workshop. Limited to those who really want to a make a huge difference to their lives in 2010 by moving into action towards achieving their grandest goals.

Use the first days of 2010 to sprint into action, through a series of fun activities and challenges, created by a team of professionals in life-skills development and professionals in outdoor-activities renowned for their team-building, family adventure packages and their love of ….. Harties nature….

Who’s it for?

Adolescents, looking for serious outcomes, whilst having loads of fun! This workshop is a wake-up call to get you sprinting into your future, through a series of thrilling activities such as diving, abseiling, elephant trails or finding your way through a gigantic maze.

To read full details go to Nurture Your Future’s Blog or email me

Joan Laine

Transformational Life and Business Coach

Findme on Linkedin

I thoroughly enjoyed both speakers and walked away with quite a few insights and some research to do. (And as usual came away with a couple more questions.)

First, I was surprised to discover that officially coaching as an industry is only approximately 10 years old and as a profession does not yet exist, which is why it is difficult to find any relevant information prior to that. Of course unofficially it has been around for centuries, with Socrates probably our first coach, but documentation and books on business, executive or any kind of specialized coaching have only recently become available for modern day coaching. It made me understand why when asked to choose a profession from drop-down boxes, coaching is only rarely listed.

It was also interesting to learn that currently there is no curricula available if a pre-matriculant should decide that they would want to go into coaching after passing their matric, although luckily this will be resolved by the time my 14 year old son leaves school, since the LDC is currently developing curriculum to cater to this emerging profession, where graduates are rewarded with a Business Executive Coaching Certificate (BECC) from WBS on completion of their training program, and in 2011 a Masters Degree in coaching will be available.

The program runs over a period of 6 months and includes 150 hours of classroom content and 40 hours of practical coaching, In addition to coaching competencies, the curriculum covers business acumen, handling change management and organizational theories as applied in a coaching environment.

For more details go to WBS is a member of GSAEC (Global School Alliance for Executive Coaching.)

In South Africa today, there appears to be only one coaching academy that has international accreditation and is also SETA accredited, which is the Consciousness Coaching International Training Academy (CCI). In fact the academy is one of only 50 academies worldwide to have received the ICF’ Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) certification. CCI is also currently looking at developing a coaching program specifically designed for teenagers and younger people, so my son has a double chance of pursing coaching as profession should he choose to do so.

Several coaching bodies, institutes and academies are collaborating around the world to create a charter and a code of practice, which will clearly define the requirements for coaching to become recognized as an established profession In addition to regular interaction to discuss matters pertaining to this changing world, these professionals of the coaching world will be meeting at the Global Coaching Convention to be held in Cape Town in 2010.

I found it exciting to be a part of something that will change the way coaching is viewed and applied worldwide. And it is seems very strange to me that this had not be done previously so as Natalie continued to speak my mind idly conversed,

“So what happened between the coaches of ancient Greece and today? Did humanity fall asleep? Of course it did!”

Back to Ms Witthuhn, (I probably missed some of this since my mind was busy playing with ancient coaches) who addressed five critical points, highlighting some of the steps required in order for coaching to become a profession:

1- Accreditation – Currently provided by the ICF and GASCE who are recognized in the coaching field to provide norms, measures and guidelines for coaches to follow in order to provide high quality standards of service to the client;

2- Duration – A predefined number of accountable hours must be completed by the coach, with a period of integration and competency assessments provided by an accredited third party;

3- Theoretical – What methods, knowledge, skills and attitudes are acquired by the coach which will support their partnership with their client in a professional manner;

4- What do coaches need to know –
a. How people learn
b. Understand change and change management
c. They must have some understanding of psychological literacy
d. They must be eclectic in their background knowledge

5- Supervision – How is the industry currently monitored? What happens if the coach is no longer coached, mentored or stimulated to continue their own growth

The key to successful coaching, is having a full understanding of the coaching environment and the manner in which we must constantly evolve in order to provide the best service for clients… Ms. Witthuhn outlined succinctly the principal foundations from which professional coaches can create a solid context in order to do just that…

What questions do you have around coaching that has not been answered? Maybe some of those were also raised as the morning session continued? Look out for Part 2 in the next few days to find out.

Joan Laine

Transformational Life & Business Coach

Social Media has modified the way we communicate with each other in such a dramatic manner and it has actually revolutionized communication.

Previously, if I wanted to invite my family to my son’s wedding, I would have to spend a couple of months just getting everyone’s addresses, then a couple of days writing out the invites and then, spend a couple of months following up and making sure that I got my RSVP’s back in time so that I could confirm the number of guests attending.

Now, I could get onto Facebook, create a 200 word invite, invite all my guests and wait for them to get back to me, sending out a couple of reminders from time to time. The whole process would take me a few hours and the follow up a couple of minutes. I can send the invites 3 to 6 months before hand and final confirmations could be done two weeks prior to the wedding day. No matter where my family and friends are in the world, they would all get the invites at the same time and inform those that are not on FB.

I could begin building my own online album through Kodak online or Shutterfly and as my son leaves for his honeymoon, the whole world would have the video-clips of the wedding on You-Tube to watch immediately, in fact my family in the UK, France and Jamaica could participate in the wedding live, if we set up a webinar or a skype session☺.

With a simple click, I can then Tweet it and make sure that my blogs, personal and or business website is updated and Voila! Instant marriage, souvenirs and albums created all at once for the whole world to see.

The scenario that I have just projected is the reality of the changes that have happened so fast in the world of communications (though I am sure my son would be extremely unhappy if I did organize his wedding that way!). With a little Blackberry phone, I don’t even need to be anywhere close to my laptop or telephone line in order to share my world with you in an instant.

What are your thoughts on these changes? Do you like them, or do want to go back to the good old days? Well… actually, does it really matter if you do like it or not? I’d say yes! Best make friends with all this new technological stuff, because your kids use it, whether you want them to or not and it is far better to be conscious of what can and cannot be done using a communication platform such as MXIT, rather make the assumption that it must be this or it must be that only to find out later what your child has been up to with someone possibly halfway across the world.

By you choosing how to make the social media platforms work for you, you enter a world, where you are the owner and creator of your brand and your image. Understanding, how they work and to what great uses they can be used for, will make them your best friends, so you would be using MXIT to communicate with your kids when they were away from home instead of seeing it as something that has a mind of it’s own that can do all kinds of weird stuff! (Mmmmhhhh… sometimes I really wonder, when people blame objects for causing mischief!)

Social media has brought a change to the way we communicate in much the same way that the automobile changed the way we traveled. They both made people more accessible at a faster rate and allowed us to reach places that otherwise would have taken us so much longer to get to.

So what’s the next step. Since we can’t get rid of it, what do we do with it?

Have you decided to ignore it and be like those who pooh-poohed the noisy smelly automobile, and who were so sure that no-one in his right mind would every been seen dead in one of “dem darn contraptions”?

Or are you trying to figure out, how anyone can even get through all that information?

Maybe you are already using it in a positive, constructive manner to support your business or just to connect to friends around the world.

Please share how you are Consciously networking and how that is impacting on your life today.

Joan Laine
Transformational Life & Business Coach
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By consciously networking, I am in control of the information that I put out there myself. I am aware of the effect that my interactions could have now and in the future and I take responsibility and ownership for what I put out there.

I am building my brand as a person who is passionate about change and transformation in all areas of my life and the lives of those around me and I consciously chose to use the social media platforms to promote yourself and expand my networks – why? Well, because I was starting up my business and did not have the means to invest in media campaigns and so had to look at a way of doing things differently. Figuring out how kids could afford to communicate with each other all the time on their phones, was what got me to look at social media and how it works.

Being from the older generation, my privacy was very important, so becoming highly aware as to what information was out there and what impact it has on others made me look further into how I could use social media effectively without revealing too much about me.

Overview
In these constantly changing times, has your mind shifted to accept that social media is here to stay and is one of the most effective and powerful tools for the 21st century?

It is the ultimate in narcissism, since we can plaster ourselves unashamedly all over the world and invade other people’s homes and personal space with inane nonsense and bits of totally useless information. Ah! But, wait a minute! Is it totally useless? Actually not at all, since every piece of information out there can be and will be interpreted in a certain manner, with or without your consent!

Whatever you intended, can and is often misinterpreted to mean something different. Even one word can mean totally something totally different to the reader i.e. the word “Hello”

“Hello” – Is there anyone out there? To the person feeling a bit lonely and reaching out but not wanting to show that they are vulnerable

“Hello” – Are you mad – what are you talking about – the same person in response to a wild statement the other person has said

“Hello” – You dunce, idiot etc.. – to someone who misunderstood or didn’t get what the originator of the dialogue was saying

The list can go on for quite a while – the additional issue is that, the written text can be totally out of sync with the frame of mind in which the receiver finds themselves because there could be delays of up to 24 hours before a response is received, which can then cause further room for confusion and people getting the wrong message, leading to friends falling out with each other and worse.

Social media can be a very painful world, where innocent words and images can be taken out of context and used to either intentionally or more often than not, unintentionally degrade another persons image. So always be aware, when posting something, that others will be reading or watching what you have posted.

And that’s what social media is about – Image! So if you choose consciously to use it to brand your public and private images, the use of the social media platforms, then become powerful allies for you in all aspects of your life.

Some may say, that then we are giving a false image of ourselves? Is that true? Do you act in the same manner in front of your parents, your friends, your boss and your children?

We all have several private and public personas – so why should portraying ourselves differently via the social media platforms be so different? As long as we are not creating our alter-egos, it is perfectly fine to create profiles, which portray us in the best light for the platform that we have chosen.

I have several profiles – business, social, spiritual and general profiles that say very little about the private me. On Facebook, I have my private profile and I also have my fan pages, which I use for professional reasons only.
Generally anyone can access all of my profiles but they don’t – (Unless they are stalkers ☺). They see different aspects of me and they will connect to that part of me that they need to, they may say oh and by the way, I didn’t know you were Jamaican for example – but their curiosity does not go beyond that. They also will pick up the essence of who I am through the different profiles and even if I wanted to hide that, I could not!

I found that people are happy to know the other side of you, that gets silly drunk and does something wild from time to time – they are reassured that you are only human after all. They are empathic when someone says – “Get better soon”, without prying they will also wish you a swift recovery and move on. Knowing that outside of being a total workaholic, you enjoy walking with the dogs on a Sunday after builds rapport that would not occur otherwise.

So how do we use it to our advantage? Actually, how do you use social media to your advantage?

Joan Laine
Transformational Life & Business Coach

Find me on HEAD START PBS