If you could do anything with your life, without worry of financial constraints or fear, what would you do? This is one of my favourite questions.  Ask it of yourself or someone you think you know, and either way you may be surprised at the answer.  So what is your dream?  Are you doing it now?  

Whether your ultimate dream is to become head of your HR department, start your very own company, or buy that winery pass on your way home from work each day, one thing is vital: Never Give Up!

Take, for instance, Nola Ochs of Kansas.  A 97-year-old grandmother, Nola is a university graduate.  She graduated in 1997, earning not only a degree but a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest person to graduate from university.  

Her ultimate dream?  To get a job on a cruise ship as a story teller.  And guess what?  She got the job, took the cruise, told the stories… then decided to go back to college to pursue her Master’s.  A perfect example that even achieving your dreams isn't the end of the ride.

Howard Stern drove an ice cream truck, Carrie Underwood worked in a gas station, Albert Einstein was a simple patent clerk, George Washington was a land surveyor, and he never even went to university!  You get the point – achieving your dreams doesn’t have anything to do with where you are now.  

But it has everything to do with the direction you’re facing. Feel a thousand miles away from your ultimate dream?  Well, we all know it starts with the first step.  Steve Carrell of “The Office” once held a 3rd shift job as a cashier in a 24-hour convenience store.  Johnny Depp?  Sold pens over the phone.  Ozzy Ozbourne worked in a slaughterhouse. (I can’t help the irony here – I’m just telling the story).  

Taking one small step every day is important.  If you want to buy that winery, read books on wine.  Visit wineries on the weekend.  Sample wine at every opportunity.  If you’re hoping to write the Great Australian Novel, write at least one page a day, and allow yourself to write absolute crap.  If you have to rewrite the whole page the next day, you’re still closer to your dream than if you never started at all.

Obstacles?  Yes, there are always those.  Sometimes we can walk over them and sometimes we have to learn to fly first; sometimes they take a day to overcome and sometimes we have to wait a long time, like Nola Ochs, to see our dreams come to fruition.  

Facebook and work. Generally these two terms are fraught with danger when they are placed in the same sentence. Not to mention the sometimes heated debates that occur in the workplace as to whether employees should be allowed to access Facebook at work. There are positives and negatives for each side of the debate, but whether you like it or not, Facebook is here to stay and for the moment it isn’t going anywhere!

Recently Amovita Consulting delivered our very popular two day SuperVISION for High Performance training presentation with 18 high level managers and senior executives. During the presentation we briefly discussed Facebook in the workplace. At the presentation we did a very quick ‘raise of hands’ survey and found that around 40% – 50% of the participants don’t have a social media policy; we also found that 60% – 70% of the group had also been involved in disciplinary discussions over Facebook in the workplace (either its use in the workplace or content employees post on Facebook.)

Whether or not your company is active on social media, your employees probably are.  So you should have a policy.  Over the course of the last few years Amovita Consulting has been involved in writing and reviewing social media polies and it is becoming clear that social media policies have some kind of anatomy. Of course, there is not a “one size fits all” solution since every company has its own needs and wants.  We would like to share with you what we have seen as best practice components in social media policies.

Here are the different sections one could have in a policy*:

1. Why do you have a social media policy? In general employees sometimes don’t like policies.  But protecting the reputation of your company is every employee’s duty and that is what a policy should attempt to achieve.  You can carve your policy in such a way that your employees are your ambassadors.

2. What is social media? Most of your employees have a limited view of what social media really is.  It is more than Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  A good definition of what you as company understand under social media will help you set the scene.

3. Which social media and networks are we talking about? It is good idea to name the major different social media platforms, what they are best used for and what the benefits and dangers are.

4. To whom does the policy apply? Different types of people are working in companies.  Of course you have employees of which some are spokespeople.  Many companies also employ contractors or free-lancers and you need to decide whether your policy will also apply to these people.  You might need a contract for them.

5. How to get access to social media? In some companies you still need to ask permission to access the internet and/or social media. We tend to think that this practice is becoming extinct but still many companies block access to social media for the majority of their employees under the umbrella of "productivity loss."  That is what the social media policy is trying to address.

6. Definition of Terms In this section you will define the difference between policy and guideline, personal vs professional use, employee vs spokesperson, etc.

7. Social Media Policy It is clear that some items must be policy (use of logo’s, spokepeople, disclaimers, creation and ownership of accounts, etc.)

• For spokespeople
• For employees
• For contractors

8. Social Media guidelines The social media guideline will help your employees protect their own reputation and thus also the reputation of the company.  In this section you will find items such as authenticity, correct errors, honesty, suggestion of identity and email addresses, etc.

9. Where can you your company on social media? And how are you using it? Do not assume that your employees know what social media you are using as a company.  A lot of companies do not mention their accounts on website and leave it up to their employees to discover where they are.  This practice will make sure that all your employees know what the official accounts are. It is also a best practice to tell your employees what you are using these social media accounts for. 

10. How do you handle mentions (positive and negative)? We all know that companies and people are talked about.  Many companies have some kind of social media monitoring but many more do not.  So if your employees who can be your eyes and ears in social media (provided they are your ambassadors) see any message, they need to know what the procedure is to handle these mentions or posts.

11. Where do you get help for your Social Media As companies are gearing up for social media, it is also a good idea to setup a help desk or a social media help account (which could be any employee within the company).  Indicate in your policy who these people are and where you can get the necessary training.

12. Tips and tricks Nothing works better to create ambassadors than provide tips and trick so you should include examples with tips and tricks. We understand that including all these sections can lead to a long document that people might not read which brings me to a final point about a social media policy.  The key to success is the roll out phase. That’s the moment where you can create a simple hand-out or give-away that supports the introduction and announcement of the policy.  You can really get creative with this and get a lot of support for your policy.

Amovita Consulting can support your organisation in developing a social media policy and we can also provide supports to your Senior Managers and Human Resources team if you find yourself in a ‘Facebook Crisis’. Contact Amovita Consulting today to discuss how we can support you and your company’s social media approaches.

* Source: Social Media Policy, Social Media Today, March 2012

It is fair to say that most of us have to go to work. Without working we simply would not have the money to buy the stuff we need and want and pay those bills that never seem to stop coming in. Work however, comes in many different forms. We all make the choice to follow a particular line of employment at any given time during our lives, but have you ever wondered….is your job ruining your life?

The other day I received an email from a friend of mine who was so distressed at her current job that she was not only constantly unhappy but she was beginning to have trouble sleeping at night since her job was always on her mind. She had become so unhappy that her once positive nature had completely disappeared and was replaced by a continual stream of anxiety.

After reading her gloomy email I decided to phone her. The first thing I asked her was, “is your job ruining your life?” Yes, she screamed down the phone line. She told me her job was not just ruining her life but it had already ruined her life.

The obvious question was, “why don’t you look for another job?” I knew there was no way she would just quit; she is no quitter, just a very frustrated workaholic. For such an intelligent girl, her answer stunned me initially. She told me she could never quit this position she held because when she applied for the job there were over 200 hundred applicants for just the one position. She told me it was her dream job. I told her it seemed more like a nightmare.

With all of her experience I assumed she could walk into just about any job in her field and she agreed she probably could and after talking for about half an hour I could sense she was starting to come around. I told her it was a superhuman effort to win this highly sort after position within her company but if your job is ruining your life, is it worth it?

She explained to me how she had not taken a holiday in over two years and had weeks and weeks of leave up her sleeve. After a bit of convincing she promised me she would ask her employer if she could take a 2 week holiday. As it turned out, her boss thought she was in need of a break and approved her leave almost immediately. The rest of this story is amazing.

Due to sheer exhaustion, she spent the first four days of her break mostly asleep but on day five she was feeling the best she had in ages but still a raging torrent of anxiety since she was not used to taking a break and felt uneasy just sitting around resting. She decided to jump online and peruse a few jobs vacant websites. Within hours she had sent a copy of her resume along with a number of job applications. The following day she was phoned by a consultancy firm in her field of expertise and asked to come in for an interview immediately. She was offered the job in a more senior position than her current job with more money, more flexibility and less hours.

After two weeks at the new job she rang me and said she had her life back in order and felt happy for the first time in years. I could tell by the sound of her voice she was a changed woman, back to the positive girl I used to know.

The moral to this story is, if your job is ruining your life, it is entirely your choice to stay there. It is also your choice to look elsewhere at an untold number of other options on any career path you see fit to pursue.

At Amovita we specialise in working positively with you so you are the best person you can be. We offer a range of services such as Change Management, employee and family assistance, professional supervision and executive coaching that are designed to support and empower you. So if you think your job is ruining your life, or if you would like to discuss some other options, the highly skilled and positive Amovita Consultants will support you.

Contact Amovita today via email or on 0420 234 638 to discuss how we can support you to be the best person you can be.

On New Year’s Eve I was trolling through Facebook, as you do, and was reading everyone’s NY resolutions and was wondering what mine would be. THEN I came across an interesting blog that really impacted on me. It was written by a nurse who for many years worked in the Palliative Care Unit, holding the hands of those who made their last breaths and supporting the families and friends of those that left us.

In this blog she reveals the top 5 Regrets that people have made on their deathbed. Now, I know you’re probably wondering why on earth I’m focusing on death so early in 2012; but it’s not the death part that impacted me; it was the re-realisation that life is meant for living!

So, what were the top 5 regrets….well, this is where it gets interesting:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

Click here to read the source blog

As I read the top 5 regrets and the rest of the blog I reviewed my 2012 NY Resolution list and realized that my list didn’t really contain anything of  true substance. So for about 30 minutes I made mental note, after mental note of what should be my NY Resolution given my recent readings.

Then I wondered, why on earth am I making lists???? Surely I’m being a tad premature???? Why don’t I just keep all those mental lists and put actions against each of the points to ensure they didn’t end up on my regrets list.

So that’s exactly what I did. I ditched my 2012 NY Resolution list and wrote my 2012 Reminders List, including my “permission” list (that’s the list that contains a list of things that I give myself the permission to do).  And here’s what I came up with:

1. If it’s meant to happen it will, even if you don’t think it will or if you think the circumstances aren’t right.
2. Try not to do things you don’t enjoy doing, life is too short.
3. You can never make the same mistake twice, because the second time it’s not a mistake, it’s a choice.
4. Whatever the decision you make, is the right one for that moment in time.
5. Appreciate your good health; you’ll miss it when it’s gone.
6. Sometimes blood isn’t thicker than water.
7. Plan a holiday; everyone needs something to look forward to.
8. Be happy with what you have; who you are and where you are…..if you’re not, then change it.
9. Sometimes, no matter what the research tell you, you should just go ahead and have that drink if it makes you feel more human.
10. It’s never too late to be who you wanted to be.

If you are now reviewing your 2012 NY Resolution list and realise that you would like some assistance in achieving your goals, Amovita can support you to do this. Our highly skilled and professional team works with and alongside you through our Executive and Management Coaching; our Professional Supervision; our brand new Activate Program and our brand new Engage Program; or check out our 2012 Training Presentations Calendar to see what professional development we are presenting throughout the year.

So why not contact us today; to help you get as much (both professionally and personally) out of 2012 as you can.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly and choose happiness.

I was torn between the desires to want to stay behind and help with the arranging of the exciting upcoming Amovita events eg Client Awards Night, while also balancing the reality that these two weeks out of the country was also about rebooting and recharging ready for a high end to 2011.

Heading up the Engage and Activate Programs for Amovita Consulting in 2012, will be a brilliant experience as together we move into our Blue Ocean framework for high performance service delivery in Queensland. So, in wanting to make the most of the holiday and also remaining connected to our Amovita readers, I hope this blog brings a smile to your face as I have enjoyed sharing it with you….

So here I am in Thailand….I have been diving off Kho Tao Island (see if you can spot the giant sea slug beside my left hand)… cooking classes in a local’s home and sightseeing in Bangkok…

I had arrived in Phuket and the days are quickly rolling by, from sun up till sun down, so full of activity and so little time to rest….until now!!!

Funny how the world can slow you down when it needs to! 

While trying to maintain some form of fitness to counterbalance the daily buffet breakfasts and newfound obsession for banana pancakes, I took myself out for an early morning jog today along Patong Beach here in Phuket.

My iPod had my head filled with rhythmic beats that my feet seemed only too happy to keep time with.  The sun was already high in the sky and the humid air filled my lungs, while a cool breeze off the blue ocean seemed to gently push at my back. I smiled at the men, women and children setting up their beach stalls for the day’s trade, as I passed by at my own leisurely jogging pace.

While swept up the glory of the Monday morning and the freedom to be enjoying such a beautiful experience, I failed to see the uneven concrete path that lay before me…As my ankle rolled out to the right at a strange angle, my face contorted as I just swallowed a glass of lemon juice and I came down onto the ground in the most ungraceful form, in front of several local and tourist people. I think the shame level matched the pain levels for a few moments…. before I started to laugh. Sitting there on the side of the road in this idyllic setting….. all I could do was laugh at myself. This in inturn had the local Thai people all laughing with me as they helped me up onto my wobbly feet.

I hobbled back to the hotel and ordered a bucket of ice for my foot and sat down on the bed still laughing at myself for the spectacular visual display of unco-ordination demonstrated for the tourists with their cameras all ready this morning.  When my ice bucket arrived, the lovely housekeeping woman brought with it a magazine she joked I will now have plenty of time to read as I have to elevate my foot for the next few hours.

So I perched myself on the day bed overlooking the pool at the door to my room and with ice wrapped around my ankle and magazine in hand, I settled in for my “forced rest period”.  I was drawn straight away to an article that I want to share with you. It detailed the life of a local Thai gentleman named Dr At-ong Jumsai na Ayudhya, now in his 80’s. The article spoke to his diverse career, which had begun as an Engineer where he had worked with NASA on the Viking Project to MARS in 1975.  Dr At-ong had then progressed into Corporate Management during the early 1980’s before gravitating into politics in the early 1990’s. He was three times elected as a member in Parliament and once as a member of the Senate.

A respected man amongst his peers and the community Dr Art-ong did not surprise anyone who knew him, when he announced at almost the age of 60 that he wanted to return to university however this time his study was not in Engineering but in teaching as he wanted to take his knowledge of Science and Engineering and to pass this onto the next generation of young men and women in Thailand. 

Over the past 20 years teaching since completing his PHD in Education, Dr Art-ong has gone on to hold the following positions:

• Director of the Institute of Sathya Sai Education, Thailand
• Senior Lecture at the Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University
• Official Trainer of Teachers for the Ministry of Education in Human Values Education

To be awarded with:

• Philosopher of Thai Wisdom, Naresuan University, 2005
• Best Book of the Year – Path to Peace – for children age 12 to 18 years, 2007
• Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Elephant
• Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Thailand

When asked in the interview for the article, what he believed his secret to his ongoing successes across his diverse career, Dr Art-ong responded: `When purpose aligns with personality to serve the greater good, authentic power is created’.

As a member of the Amovita Consulting team, I am able to see daily how our purpose aligns with the personalities of our group and together, our unified values ensure we serve the greater good in the many workplaces with meet throughout the country. We are passionate about positive strength based approaches in our service delivery and are be delighted to speak with you further, regarding how we can bring ensure positive and healthy workplaces for your team in 2012. Click here to contact us.

Thank you for sharing with me this blog from Thailand and Thank you to Dr At-ong Jumsai na Ayudhya, for his inspiration to us all on never slowing down the quest for learning and sharing with others.

Sally Cooper; Senior Consultant (Engage & Activate Programs)

Click here to email Sally

Speaking first hand, I can say that it has been a very difficult time for those serving our country and it’s been equally hard for us his family and friends in Australia. Sometimes I will log onto Facebook and I see his status say “I’m OK”, whilst this is comforting, it’s also very disheartening as I’ve now learned that it means there has been another Digger wounded or killed and my thoughts turn from joy that he is ok to sorrow for the Diggers family.

I was excited (and VERY proud) recently when I received an email from a Townsville journalist letting me know that she had recently interviewed Simon, who has always been a very talented artist, in Afghanistan after this years Archibald prize winner Ben Quilty spotted some of my brothers artwork and the memorial has bought one of his sketches and is looking to purchase some more of his artworks. He previously painted a mural of a Bushmaster for the squadron and he hopes to one day show an exhibition of his military inspired works. Simon’s goal is to one day be able to do something with his art full time as an artist with the army….The article was front page of the Townsville Bulletin on Wednesday 8 November click here to view the article.

NOW, here’s where you come in…..

This year my brother along with thousands of other serving diggers will be away from their loved ones this Christmas season. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has established a FREE postage care package address for those of you who would like to send a care package this Christmas. You can include anything from magazines, chocolate, latest newspaper, DVD’s to Christmas decorations. Anything from home is so precious and means so much to the Diggers.

Fore more information and full details please visit the Christmas Care Packages website.

I have a saying in one of our training manuals, that a bunch of letters on their own is just a bunch of letters. A bunch of letters in some assemblance is the power of language. Do we really take the time to think about the assemblance of words we use.

What do we notice our family members saying, our manager, trainer or partner.

I was recently sent the attached You Tube video and it certainly made an impact on me. Video Clip: The Power of Words

What impacted?

Yes you guessed it, the assemblance of words and how when we say something one way it does not impact, however when we reassemble the words it can take on a whole new meaning.

There are times that we all catch ourselves using language that is a little less than effective or suitable. There are times when we feel tired, burnt out, frustrated and sick of the way things may be in our lives. This is often when the assemlance order is ‘out of order’.

1. Be honest with those around you. What as semblance of words is conducive to your positive self talk, feeling valued and supported. Use your own as semblance of words to ensure others impact on your positively.

2. Personal audit – look at those people in your life and those around you. Do they nurture your soul? Work hard to only hang around positive people who bring the best out in you.

3. Be a full glass person - think about your mindset, what you say to yourself and out aloud. What do you say to others.

4. Exercise and continue to exercise where you can. This is the best way to clear your mind and as a result the assemblance of words will be more positive.

I would love to hear what you think?

View Video Clip: The Assemblance of Words

As I commence my 30th trip around the sun, I’m reflecting on where I am now and how I got here; No, I don’t mean sitting in my lounge room, where Cranky the Wonder Cat is having his usual daytime nap and I’m surrounded by photo’s, objects and things that I’ve gathered over the years – I mean how did I become who I am?

As I sit and think of all the things I thought I’d be, have accomplished or be doing, I realised that I haven’t really ticked any of the virtual boxes that have floated around in my head.
 
I’m not married, I don’t have kids, I don’t own a house, I haven’t visited the UK or Europe, my butt is nowhere close to fitting into a size 10 pair of jeans, I haven’t invented something or seen a shooting star, I’ve never been a contestant on a TV show or been to New York, I’m not fluent in another language and I’ve never really understood politics.

So that’s a few of the things I thought I would have achieved, and as I was considering why I haven’t achieved those things, it dawned on me……

What have I done?

Well, I’ve packed up my life and moved to another city to start over (twice!), been black water rafting, sat with a wild tiger, had reconstruction surgery on my ankle, stayed up all night and watched the sunrise, been at work for 29hrs straight, had my drink come out my nose, been a bridesmaid, attended 3 funerals for family members within 3 months, shaved my head, swum with wild dolphins, spent many nights camping, played in the snow, been in a coma, giggled uncontrollably at the worst possible time, worked with the disabled, the homeless and the disadvantaged, crashed a car into a petrol bowser, quit a job after 4 hours, been so sunburnt I required hospitalisation (many times), gone 6 weeks without shaving my legs (probably longer), ridden a camel, been a juror, learnt how to tie a snake into a knot in my mouth, been fully ventilated on life support and given 24 hours to live, owned way to many kinder surprise toys, become an Aunty 3 times, seen the wiggles in concert, took over a photographers camera at a friend’s wedding, worn way to many fancy dress outfits, painted a Brisbane city council bus (legally and with their consent) and been to New Zealand, Thailand and the South Pacific Islands.

But most of all, I’ve been a willing participant in my life by generally and unknowingly (at the time) taking the long, hard, winding road. Don’t get me wrong, at times that long road was probably exactly what I needed to do because I thought it was the “best way” to do things, but now I know better.  

So, in finally realising this, I went searching for some simple mantra’s or a quote that I could look at everyday to remind me that change is possible, to not be too hard on myself when I don’t have to be and to make sure I’m aware of others and their needs – I wanted something that could really resonate with me and I stumbled across the Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz:

THE FOUR AGREEMENTS*

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life

4. Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

* Source: http://www.miguelruiz.com/index.php?p=Books

After reading these agreements everyday for months, I’ve finally realised…..it doesn’t matter what I did or didn’t do in the last 30 years, what matters most is how I go about my life; how I treat myself and others; how I speak to people and how important it is to be who you are and be prepared and willing to change if you don’t like who you are.

What’s really exciting now is wondering what I’m going to achieve and accomplish – either scripted or unscripted in the next 30 years….By the way, I cheated a little, I actually wrote this blog when I was 30…..and I’d like to think I’m still closer to 30 than I am 35

If you want to change the script of your life, then why not engage Amovita as YOUR OWN coach, or engage them in your workplace with one of our training presentations, or book Amovita for your next strategic planning day. And if life isn’t going as great as you would like, then contact us to discuss our mediation program or engage in our family and employee assistance program. It doesn’t matter how you change your script, what matters is that you start the change now!

Phone Amovita’s Managing Director Tracey Harris on 0420 234 638 or email: info@amovita.com.au

Trying to put back in your life all that’s missing is close to impossible. You’ve got to work your way back bit by bit.

So I started with my job. I wasn’t happy in my job and but I didn’t realize that until my boss asked me “Isn’t it time you let us go”……initially I was stunned at this comment. I was upset and wondered why I was asked that. After the initial shock and consultation with a few others, I decided, that YES, it was time I left my job.

And totally out of character for the “old me”, I didn’t look for another job, I decided that I didn’t want another job until I really, truly knew what I wanted to do. Tum…dee…dum…Now I was happier…..and I had created the perfect opportunity to reclaim my life.

I started by buying a new set of headphones – those noise blocking ones that could let me listen to music and dance around my house without the neighbours making noise complaints. I then began trolling the deal websites. You know the ones, Scoopon, My Deal, Living Social,etc, and bought heaps of discounted vouchers for pedicures, manicures, massages, hairdressing and meal deals. It was great, I was buying vouchers and my diary was filling up with pampering days…..hello pampering heaven!

I then decided to factor in the movies….going to the movies is great when most of the population is working). I began to enjoy the popcorn. I went for walks on the beach. I would spend entire days in my PJ’s. I started going to French lessons. Slowly but surely, I reclaimed my life.

After 6 months of reclaiming my life and with the bank account looking a bit lean, I started looking for a job. After days of searching, I couldn’t find a job that fitted in with my newfound lifestyle….so, I started my own business with one, yes ONE client. But it was a business that suited my skill set, that fitted in with me, my pampering days, movies and French lessons.

Hang on just a minute…..what on earth have I done?!? I started a business with 1 client….how would this keep the hungry bank account happy? Simple. I stayed true to my lifestyle and slowly clients appeared through referrals and word of mouth. My business is now ticking along with less effort and life is exactly how I want it to be. I have my perfect balance.

It’s time to reclaim your life.

If a lack of fun starts to wear down your work. Work no longer becomes fun and it no longer fits into your lifestyle. It’s just another thing to be done. Another dreary day of deadlines and stress. The only way out is to reclaim your life. Do it this week. Start with one thing. Something small. Bring a big smile back to your face. You look a lot happier when you’re ‘dancing.’

If you are like I was and need a bit of help remembering who you used to be, or need someone to point you in the right direction to achieving life balance, then contact Amovita today. Our services and programs are designed to inspire people and business excellence. You may find that our Executive Coaching, our Professional Supervision or our Team Development services are what you need; or you could decide that attending one of our presentations, such as How to Become a Lion Tamer or the Accidental Counsellor would suit you best.

We can also deliver tailor made services and programs that will support you in achieving your goals. So get going and contact Amovita today.

It never ceases to amaze me how resilient people are under extreme stress and post a traumatic experience. This is what I witnessed when travelling last week to Christchurch. Having family who live in the RED ZONE  we could not wait any longer to see how they were surviving. What an emotional experience.

Without realising it here in beautiful and relatively safe Australia, it was the first anniversary of the earthquake that gripped the city of Churches in September last year.

The facts:

• Christchurch has experienced over 8000 aftershocks in the last year
• 564 million hits on GeoNet in the 6 days post the earthquake
• 86 Heritage buildings have to be demolished
• 241 buildings to be demolished
• 54,000 tonnes of liquefaction silt had to be removed post the earthquake in Sept 2010
• 322,000 tonnes of liquefaction silt had to be removed post the 22nd Feb 2011 earthquake
• 5548 vehicles were removed from the Christchurch CBD
• 305,000 insurance claims since the Sept earthquake

This photo is of one of the homes we drove by in Sumner, teetering on the edge of a steep embankment that had collapsed under the wrath of the most recent earthquake.

Travelling through out the Red Zone where all properties large and small are to be demolished, about 6000 residents are to be displaced with having to find the energy and focus to find a new home.

Many suburbs old and newly constructed are almost deserted and many many people congregate in the streets still to talk about their experiences, grateful for surviving, taking comfort from each other, sharing their similar stories and finding a way to accept their street and community is never to be the same again as they are dispersed all over the Island.

On the day of the September quake our family tell us,  they walked to other family members in the same neighbourhood a couple of kms away, finding that because of the liquefaction it took hours to get there and back. They just needed to know the family was ok, giving up their own risks, concerns and shock to think of others. They were then without power, water or sewerage facilities for over 3 weeks. Can you imagine that! They lived in their caravan in the back yard too scared to enter the house to sleep for fear there would be another quake and the house would be at the mercy of mother nature.

We were told to sleep with our clothes and head torch at the ready in case of another aftershock or even worse earthquake  in the middle of the night as we slept peacefully unaware of what was happening beneath the  earth’s surface.

With one eye at the ready,  sleep came albeit with caution. Yes whilst there, we did  experience an aftershock as if a large giant was holding the large building we were  in and giving it a good shake just to ensure its habitants did not become too  comfortable and complacent and think the earth was finally at peace again.

Interestingly its participants merely looked at each other, breath stopping for a  moment in anticipation of the next large quake, looked at each other and said its ok, just a small one!!!

Shedding tears came so easily, yet with hesitation not really knowing what the community of Christchurch has really been through. Feeling guilty of not being able to do enough. Standing behind the temporary fencing peering up the deserted and lonely streets of Chistchurch CBD trying to understand how this could happen in modern society.

Their resilience, their sharing of stories, their ability to keep going day by day not knowing what is next is nothing short of heroic. The community is many ways is tired, unknowing of what lies ahead, wanting to create a hope for the future, a normal future.

Our very best wishes go out to the community of Christchurch.

This dedication is to you for your bravery, compassion, love and holding onto hope as you rebuild your community and your lives. To those we visited, our hearts go out to you and you will never be far from our thoughts and help.