Aligning with my values. Oh and some other stuff.

Am getting re inspired today. When I started this blog, it was about aligning my life with my dreams. Well it still is, but lately I feel I have slightly lost my connection to green and simple living. To me a happy life is one that is aligned with your values. To think act and speak in the same direction. It started with the whole Barclays debacle that happened recently. I have heard quite a few stories about them mistreating their customers, but it's not something I have really thought about as being something I can do anything about. In fact I hadn't thought about my banking at all, a part from in terms of how much money I had or didn't have. Last week my husband told me about Take That being held to account for their tax avoidance tactics. All of them, that is, apart from Jason ORange. Who has all his money in the Co Op bank and always has done, and who pays all his tax as he should. Wow. Tropical style rain out there just now. And it got me thinking that I want to bank with the CO OP bank. It of all of the high street banks its the only one that really has any ethical stance. And so thats it. Tis week we are moving out our accounts out of Barlcays, who I signed up with as a student, and we are going to move to the coop. I moan about the banking system and watch films by Michael Moore and think I can't do anything about it. Well I can. Contact the Co-operative Bank on 08457212212 or www.co-operativebank.co.uk And further to that, I will be switching to Ecotricity for our electricity provision and signing up to a veg box scheme. Www.ecotricity.co.uk 08000 302302 And avoiding the supermarkets as much as I can, and going organic where I can. I figure with a bit of meal planning and avoiding over shopping at said supermarkets then it won't be more expensive. On another note, this week was a big work week, PWD hosted an away day for about 60 members of a clients team. I managed 2 workshops, both of which went well. And more importantly, I copresented the AP workshop. This is a milestone. I was meant to be leading it. But I was considered not good enough yet. This was part of a previous posts 'getting into the arena and taking the flak' post. Delivery of this productivity training is something I am learning to do, and have been working on for a long time. I had an assessment a while back and it didn't go well. I was very upset and well, gutted, to be honest by the negative feedback. But at the same time, it was valid, and I needed to pick myself up and carry on getting into the arena! And so with some more practice, particularly in the realm of speaking clearly, with a confident tone, and fewer ums, sort ofs, kind ofs and less shaking!! This week, was my first ever in front of paying clients experience. I was nervous to begin with but definately it got better. But it went well. At least, one of the people on it sent an email to say it was the best workshop she had ever ever done at channel 4 and that she had been there a long time, and she definitely knew others who would enjoy it. So as a whole it went down very well! I do believe it went well anyway! Mind you I had thought it had gone well the last time! So perhaps not? Ha! Either way, I did it, and the more I get out there and do it, the better I will get. So a week of firsts. First time teaching yoga, first time delivering to paying clients. Bring it on world. My year of getting out there, pushing past the limits of my comfort zone and expanding my universe. And to add to the whole bring it on vibe. Have just been reading Frugal Queens blog about losing weight. I have flirted with this issue a while. And am not entirely convinced I want to just lose weight as such. But keeping fit, doing more yoga practice and adding to my life things that will do me good, is definitely on the cards. Perhaps it's all to do with aligning myself to my purpose and values? But I feel a sense of reinvigorated drive to do so. And our 'productivity' workshop itself. It's not just about getting things done. But it's about working out what is important, and taking small steps towards our desired outcomes. And if what I want is to be a fit and healthy person, who teaches art, has a great job, can support her family, lives green, lives her values, then actions need to be taken. Small steps at a time. Anything is possible.