In my garden the other evening we noticed and loved this amazing effect so, inspired, I captured the scene; it was a beautiful dry evening, no rain or moisture on the tree, purely the effects of the sunset rays transforming the tree so it looks as if it is full of golden lights against the evening sky - the ultimate natural resource.
Magical, entrancing, couldn’t stop gazing at its splendour of light.
magical light at sunset
Tony Buzan, Inventor of Mind Maps and author of 100 best-selling books
Chris Griffiths CEO of Think Buzan
We’ve used Mind Maps at ReSource since the very beginning - our first edition contained a hand drawn map of the contents, and Tony Buzan has been a regular contributor covering areas from business to creativity and poetry. In a brief preliminary interview for an upcoming ReSource feature, I asked Mind Maps® inventor Tony Buzan about his latest book, ‘Mind Maps for Business’, written with Chris Griffiths, recently appointed CEO of Think Buzan.
“Tony, what’s different about this book ‘Mind Maps for Business’? What differentiates it from ‘Mind Maps at Work’, for example?”
“There is a comprehensive difference - ‘Mind Maps at Work’ was a play on the word ‘work’ - it was a way of showing Mind Maps working, and how they are effective in people’s lives in a broad range of contexts, not just at work. It also served as an introductory text for people in any working situation, not only in business, which is completely different. In a way, it was a gentle preamble to Mind Maps for Business, and it certainly generated demand for the business book. People had read Mind Maps at Work, and other books, and this led to many requests for a book totally dedicated to the business world.
“The Mind Maps for Business Book has copious illustrations, there is full colour throughout, and there are inspiring stories and case studies gathered from around the world from major players using Mind Maps. Some examples are Nicky Oppenheimer, Chairman of de Beers diamond mines in South Africa, who describes Mind Maps as an ‘indispensable tool’, which he used to steer his senior management team during a time of refocusing to capture the essence of the organisation - where it had been and where it was heading.”
Mind Maps for Business
It’s true the book is packed with accounts of success in using Mind Maps for business from many different people. Stephen Lundin, author of the 5 million copy best selling FISH! says:
‘Mind Mapping uses the brain in the way it was designed, saves time, improves results and is fun. How can any business person be without this powerful tool?’
Masanori Kanda is known as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Japan today. He was named the top marketer in the November issue of GQ Japan (2006) and speaking of the radical reorganisation of his company to respond to change, says: ‘Mind mapping can play a pivotal role in the process of developing a sustainable organisation that is adaptable to rapid changes today. With open and transparent cross-functional communications in all directions, the organisation grows to become more fair, resilient and effective.’
The introduction in 2006 of iMindMap, the Buzan technology for computer generated Mind Maps, developed in conjunction with Chris Griffiths, has also given rise to many more business applications. Major corporations, including Boeing, have used the methodology to envision and manage the multiple stages of complex projects from conception to delivery.
Says Mike Stanley, of the Boeing Corporation, USA:
“The use of Mind Mapping is an integral part of my Quality Improvement Project at Boeing. This has provided savings of over $10 million for my organisation.”
iMindMap Running a Meeting example
Now is the time when this book from Tony and Chris is most needed - we live in a fiercely competitive world, where global choice is greater than ever before, and customers and clients have broader options and market intelligence readily (and instantly!) available through the Internet. Agility in spotting trends, organising and managing multiple ideas and strategies, and smart implementation are key to success, something to which the use of Mind Maps is eminently well-suited. They can help you sell, negotiate, plan, brainstorm, manage - and do so more effectively, saving you time and money.
Several people I’ve interviewed recently for ReSource (including top US business coach Marshall Goldsmith and New York Times bestselling author and consultant Marcus Buckingham) have suggested that ‘we’re all entrepreneurs now’. One unexpected current example in the UK is within the public sector, in tertiary education, where funding cuts are changing the landscape dramatically. Situations are arising where employees, some of whom have been in their jobs for ten or fifteen years, are now obliged to re-apply for their existing posts - and are consequently required to ’sell’ themselves again as the best possible candidate for the job. This requires the skill of knowing how to best position yourself, not something most public sector employees have previously had to consider. The ability to identify and promote your key assets, talents and expertise as benefits to your organisation thus become critical to successful job retention, and Mind Mapping can also assist with this.
In this age of the changing world of work, when everyone, whether employed or running their own business, needs to adopt a more intelligently entrepreneurial mindset, ‘Mind Maps for Business’ helps fill a need for ways to develop clarity of thinking and effective methods to manage complexity and diversity. Mind Maps have been proven to achieve this - over many years, across innumerable disciplines, and ‘Mind Maps for Business’ is an essential addition to the library of books we return to time and again for practical applications and guidance on being better in the business world - especially in the business of living productively and well.
You can get the book easily now at Amazon
Look out for a full article in the next edition of ReSource
Christopher Reid’s Costa Book Awards winning collection of poems arrived today - ‘A Scattering’.
Costa Book Award Winning Poetry "A Scattering"
The surprise winner of the important £30,000 literary prize, and only the fourth poet to achieve the accolade, Reid joins the ranks of Ted Hughes, Douglas Dunn and Seamus Heaney. The choice was supported by ‘a substantial majority’ of the judges, according to novelist Josephine Hart, chair of the judging panel. It seems a fitting further tribute to Christopher Reid’s stunningly beautiful tribute to his wife Lucinda Gane, who died in October 2005.
Christopher Reid has described this poetry as his way of surviving Lucinda’s final illness and his widower-hood. When I read a couple of extracts their intensity and emotion, delivered in a sparely evocative fashion, brought me to tears. You can see them here: Scribd. I found ‘Late’ especially powerful.
It’s a real joy that poetry triumphed - hopefully indicative of the more general recognition which is starting to build of the power of poems to eloquently express our inner and outer worlds.
I notice there is also a poetry event taking place in London this weekend at Central Hall Westminster, in support of Haiti, organised by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Poetry Live - details here.
http://www.poetryliveforhaiti.org/
A a rare treat for the soul for £10 and all for a good cause. See you there?
I met up last night with New York Times best selling author Dan Pink, whose latest book, Drive
launched this week in London, published by Canongate.
Dan is always a real treat to watch and listen to, and his talk at the RSA (www.thersa.org) on January 27th was no exception. Author of Free Agent Nation and Whole New Mind, and dedicated to exploring new business paradigms, Dan now turns his attention to what motivates us, and exposes 40 years of research from top academic institutions that reveals some surprising results.
In essence, the ‘carrot and stick’ approach only works in certain circumstances and contexts - money as a motivator doesn’t necessarily produce better results. In fact, it can make them worse….
The book explores how, for higher level rather than mechanical tasks, we humans need a different set of motivators, summed up as Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. Various companies (e.g. Google) who have used such ways of encouraging their staff have found great upsurges in creativity, the best ideas often emerging from unstructured or free time - with projects like Googlemail as exemplars.
Highly recommended read - and you can find Dan here to find out more about his ideas. More to come about our conversation soon…
I’ve had a lot of messages from people telling me they haven’t written anything for many years, or that they dry up when they pick up a pen, or that the blank paper/screen stares back at them like a mean teacher as if to say ‘who do you think you are, writing poetry, writing prose - writing anything!’
If you’ve ever had that feeling, here are a couple of ideas for getting started. Remember that writing words can easily be about play and enjoy yourself.
Pick a topic - any topic, the first thing that comes into your mind, everything is a possibility …..simply say to yourself “I want to write about…(in the instance of writing a Valentine’s verse, then Love rather naturally springs to mind) and start. It’s the same with most things in life - just begin. Getting started is (I know it sounds ridiculously simplistic) the key. Don’t edit your thoughts or words, let them spill out - you can come back and refine them later….
Pick some random words: for example, I’ve got a piece of paper near me which says ‘Identity Card’ and the words that catch my eye on the computer screen are ‘Save Draft’…. What could I do with those?
Here goes:
My identity as occasional bard
Is sending you a Valentine’s card.
I thought of you and sweetly drafted,
So cherish and save these words I crafted.
It doesn’t have to be a rhyme, it can be anything - just get started. You could say something like:
What do I think about identity Cards? Will they really make us more secure, and save us from possible terrorists attacks, stop illegal immigrants, will they help prevent extremist cells from drafting in new, impressionable recruits?
See if this gets your creative juices flowing - look at what’s around you and start writing about it - you may be surprised how easy it can be to get into the flow!
FOR YOUR FREE GUIDE TO WRITING SHORT POEMS, LEAVE A MESSAGE HERE OR EMAIL ME ON POETRYGUIDE AT GOOGLEMAIL.COM
Sharpen up your writing tools
Following on from yesterday’s post about my judging the Twitter Valentine’s poetry competition hosted by Hallmark, I’m delighted to announce that my special 6 page guide to writing short poems is now ready - it’s packed with great tips and will tell you how some famous poets (including the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy) compose their works! This guide is valued at £7.50, but it’s yours for free as a Valentine’s Special.
Leave a message here requesting a copy or send an email to poetryguide@googlemail.com giving me your full name and the email to which you want the guide sent.
When you’ve written your Tweet poem, post it at Hallmark and be sure to let us know and come back to post it here too!
A Valentine's Message
Hallmark Cards are running a great competition, of which I’m really delighted to be a judge, where you can win a £500 holiday - simply by composing a 140 character Valentine’s message - your verse can be any style you like - funny,witty, romantic, serious, light-hearted….whatever best captures the thoughts and sentiments you want to express to your Valentine. You can find out more here: Hallmark
Get your entry in by January 29th for a chance to win a £500 holiday for two in a romantic cottage…..
Shortly, I’ll be posting some tips on writing poetry to help you be inspired.
What’s more, it’s de rigueur in one corporation, NGenera, headed by Wikinomics author, Don Tapscott……..
Christine Miller interviews Don Tapscott
In my early morning London interview with Don, his most recent publication, Grown Up Digital, was up for discussion and we talked about the need for a different method of talent management, what’s happening in business education and how to engage the variously named ‘generation Y’ - the net generation, the Millenials, or the young people aged between 16 and 31, now entering the workforce and with very different ideas and values.
Here’s an under 3 minute audio clip (excuse my first slightly clunky efforts at editing!) which gives a tiny taste of our conversation…..full, fascinating interview is in the upcoming edition of ReSource Magazine.
I have two children born into this generation, and from my experience of them and their friends, they are different in terms of looking for and insisting on certain values being present in the organisations with whom they choose to work or align.
Gib Bulloch, head of Accenture’s Development Partnerships, which provides consultancy services to the Development sector on a non-profit basis, recently told me that there were more volunteers than placements for consultants willing to take large salary cuts in order to make a contribution, and says “Today’s consultants are increasingly interested in making a difference, and it’s a win for everyone when our clients benefit from getting our expertise and services at a fraction of the market rates”.
More clips to come….
A new friend, Steve Earle, sent me a couple of his poems the other day, he’s a really interesting guy who I’m learning about and I appreciate his writing.
One of the poems, called ‘The Sea’ reminded me of a W.B. Yeats favourite ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’. Steve’s poem is about a soulful returning to what he knows, to peace and a kind of innocence, a theme shared with ‘Innisfree’.
It’s one of Yeats’ earlier poems and as such, the critics don’t rate it as a work of real literary merit, yet it is beloved of the public and it is widely known and read, memorable, and taught in school. Yeats himself acknowledged that his style changed significantly as he matured and developed as a poet, as you will see in the quote from his autobiography below.
I’ve cherished this poem since childhood and it often springs to mind - even sometimes the parodied versions we chanted - things like:
“I must arise and go now, and go to Innisfree
I left my shoes and socks there, underneath a tree…”
I can feel Yeats’ turning in his grave right now…!!
What is represents is a retreat into peace and calm, from the hustle and bustle of city life - a return to simplicity and the opportunity for reflection. Finding an inner sanctum in which we can take refuge and rebuild our strength is something of great importance in these times of global chaos and concern, and I invite you to enjoy the poem and the pictures here, and find your own Inner Innisfree.
Then visit my events page here and decide to come along and find out how to Flourish in Challenging Times, so you’ll always have your place of peace to keep you calm and confident of your ability to thrive - no matter what.
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
buzzing bee
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
Glimmering midnight water
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
The lake aglow
Nobel Prize winning Irish dramatist, author and poet
First published in ‘The National Observer’ 13th December 1890
Innisfree is in County Sligo in Ireland, and was a place where Yeats spent holidays with his family in his youth.
Yeats commented on “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” in a passage in his autobiography about his London days:
“I had still the ambition, formed in Sligo in my teens, of living in imitation of Thoreau on Innisfree, a little island in Lough Gill, and when walking through Fleet Street very homesick I heard a little tinkle of water and saw a fountain in a shop-window which balanced a little ball upon its jet, and began to remember lake water.
From the sudden remembrance came my poem “Innisfree,” my first lyric with anything in its rhythm of my own music. I had begun to loosen rhythm as an escape from rhetoric and from that emotion of the crowd that rhetoric brings, but I only understood vaguely and occasionally that I must for my special purpose use nothing but the common syntax. A couple of years later I could not have written that first line with its conventional archaism — “Arise and go” — nor the inversion of the last stanza.”
Last year after a long illness which depleted my immune system and left me tired and lethargic, I decided to dramatically improve my health and fitness. Knowing I wanted a radical way of doing so I chose to follow a raw eating programme. Quite a few people I spoke to were worried that I was going to be consuming raw meat, existing on sticks of celery and wondered how I’d manage.
It was finding a book called Spiritual Nutrition by Gabriel Cousens that triggered me into taking action, and from this I devised my own programme which I followed for three months. During this time I dropped over two stone (28 pounds, 13 kilos) and within two weeks was feeling full of energy and brimming with life.
They say you shouldn’t suddenly go completely raw, that you should do it in increments, but I’m a bit ‘gung ho’ when it comes to these things and I went from a fully fledged carnivore to raw vegan in one fell swoop - with no side effects or challenges other than a rapid detox that meant I needed to stay close to the bathroom for a few days, as I shed what seemed like gallons of water!
I followed the programme until I went to India, where it was more difficult to stay raw, and then when I came home and it was November and cold and dark, I found it harder to stay with it, and by Christmas had started eating meat again. I still yearned for the supremely energetic and healthy way I felt on the raw plan, and recently decided to adopt it again, after I had another bout of the chest infection that laid me low for so long in 2007 and 2008.
Because ”Raw’ had been on my radar for a couple of years, I’d been following some of the UK and US leading lights in the field. More about them in a later post…..
Someone who cropped up a few times, and who was referred to me by my friend Karin Ridgers, of Veggie Vision fame, was Russell James, aka The Raw Chef.
Yesterday I met Russell for the first time, at one of his dinner party experiences. We spent the day watching and helping Russell (well, a little bit!) prepare a mouthwatering lunch and dinner.
Christine Miller watches Raw Chef Russell James at work
All the while he was explaining the whys and wherefores of creating top class raw food, and the end results were astonishing. Really fabulous food prepared and served with style that would put many leading restaurants to shame….
The pics will give you an idea of the mouthwatering treats we enjoyed, ranging from canapés to caramelised onion and tomato tarts to lasagne and what for me was the pièce de resistance… chocolate torte with ginger cream and strawberry sauce…you’d never know this was raw, non-dairy, non-wheat, gluten-free, no sugar, pure organic food packed with nourishment for the body and soul…..heaven.
Christine Miller from ReSource enjoys Russell James's canapes
ReSource loves Russell's Tomato and Onion Tart
Heaven on a plate - favourite raw dish so far
In these troubled times, as much of what has traditionally been upheld as important starts to fall away,
many of us are questioning ourselves about what is really important in life.
There can be no question that knowing ourselves and recognising our strengths is crucial to our progress.
Until we look within, and find the means to self-leadership and awareness,
we cannot deal honestly and with integrity with the outer world.
In this workshop, you will experience recognising, acknowledging, and then peeling off your masks,
shedding your assumptions
and opening your eyes to the treasure within you.
You will emerge stronger, clearer and with a greater understanding of
who you truly are.
Then you can live a fulfilled life, regardless of the outside influences you encounter,
because your joy will emanate from your inner strengths,
your sense of self will be unassailable,
and you will experience whole-hearted happiness.
CONTACT: christine@resourcemagazine.co.uk
Christine is dedicated to helping others uncover and fulfil their true potential. She holds a Masters Degree in Psychology and is a poet, author, consultant and speaker at many conferences.
As the Visionary Founder editor of ReSource magazine, she enjoys many opportunities to share thoughts and ideas with world spiritual and personal growth leaders.
“Christine has a graceful presence, a calmness and a warmth which combined with her in-depth knowledge of her subject, and her dedication to her students’ learning, makes her a compelling and inspirational trainer.”
Alison Paterson, Kaizen Training
“People can feel your commanding energy presence as you walk on stage and they can feel your energy and passion, and know with certainty that you totally believe in what you’re delivering.”
Steve Ross, MD, Ross Associates, Bristol
“I have had the privilege of knowing Christine for some time, and I have been very blessed to hear her speak, to share her warm and heartfelt, powerful poetry, and to read her marvellous words in her world-class professional magazine. Not only well connected but someone who leads with her heart and soul first.
The word inspirational is over-used, but is entirely apposite here. Thank you for being a friend.
aloha nui loa (as they say in Hawaii)”
Gary Plunkett, Business Coach
“Christine Miller’s workshop was inventive, creative, fun, intimate, validating and insightful. The notion of masks were all useful reminders, to me, of how much we (I) can choose to stay hidden behind any of a number of facades and, worse, convince myself that it is neither my choice nor my responsibility i.e. if I’m hiding my light it’s because other people aren’t seeing my light! Yeah. Right! Thank you Christine.”
Michael Mallows; author, trainer, coach
“Christine Miller’s workshop was truly excellent.”
Hugh L’Estrange, Director, SEAL (Society for Effective Affective Learning)
“Christine is a wonderful and inspiring spirit, her natural gift to heal with her words and with her hands is tangible as you stand within her presence.
I am delighted to know Christine and have safely shared my personal story with her.
I highly recommend that you experience Christine’s beautiful and calming energy to create harmony in your life.”
Pauline Crawford, Founder, Corporate Heart
“Christine has not only quality in her work but every ounce of her being is designed to make human potential increase. Very few people have this gift. One in a million.”
Nigel Risner, CEO, Nigel Risner
“I spent an inspiring afternoon with Christine recently, and her magic for me is that her guidance appears effortless - to the point I felt that I was coming up with all these wonderful visions on my own. In fact, it was Christine’s caring and intuitive guidance gently taking me to a place I would never have reached without her. Those who know Christine already will understand me when I say that with Christine’s help I have seen a realistic vision of my own future. Thanks Christine - and I look forward to working with you for a long time to come.”
Richard Flewitt, Business Video Producer, New Edge
