Yesterday I attended the funeral of a lovely lady who at age 54 was diagnosed with cancer.  After one year of putting up a ‘good fight’ she passed away.  I was lucky enough to know Kate for a couple of years in her role as my daughter’s child care workers.

While sitting in the church listening to Kate’s friends, colleagues and family talk about her and her life I realised just how very touched I had become by this person in such a short period of time.  We moved to area when Mikaylea was 2-1/2.  She had never really taken to childcare when we lived in Melbourne, crying on leaving and pick up, which I’m told is normal, except she also cried throughout the day on an off.

Within weeks of being in the new centre under Kate’s care childcare what a fantastic, fun and welcoming place to be.  Mikaylea would run to Kate to tell her all about her latest news and Kate would listen with genuine interest.  Kate would say hi to the children before the parents and would always ask about their welfare when they were off sick.  Kate new my name long before I could remember hers and she also knew my husband’s name and soon knew Mikaylea’s aunties names and her grandparents.  She cared.

In my capacity as a life coach I often work with people who are struggling to identify how they want to leave their mark on the world.  They can’t figure out what they can do that is special enough to be remembered.  Kate’s passing broke this down for me and I hope that you too can benefit from her life and find some meaning in this message.

Be who you are, do what you love and that love and passion will be felt by everyone that in touched by you.  Kate was a childcare for worker, for most this is not a way to leave a mark on the world.  People are looking for greater, grander exploits and ways to ‘impact’ the world.  Well I can tell you that the church was packed with parents, and carers of our communitee precious children and everyone of them felt that Kate’s ‘impact’ was beyond explanation.

May God bless you Kate and may you find the peace in your moving on that I felt every time I happily left my child in your loving care.

We will miss you,
Naydeen.  xxoo

I went to a motivational speech recently by Tom O’Toole.  Tom is the founder of Beechworth Bakery, an establishment that succeeded when everyone said that it wouldn’t.  It is now a bakery chain consisting of 6 stores, 6 very successful stores.  He has written a wonderful easy to read book and travels the world giving a motivational speech based on his life, journey and road of pain and success.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is on a journey towards a success of their own.

My day today started with some wonderful news for my business.  I was feeling pumped, energised and ready to take on the world.  It took just one hour for this to all change.  One person who was not in a positive frame of mind, who I allowed to drain me and take my energy and before I knew it I was spiralling down with them.

This got me thinking about Tom O’Toole and one of his mantras “Beware of the dream takers, or the energy suckers”.  These are people who doubt you and your potential, they usually doubt anything positive, anything that has to do with change that ‘might’ turn bad and are plagued by ‘what ifs’. 

Be careful not to surround yourself with this negative vibe, it is sure to take you down if you stay there long enough.  Surround yourself with like minded, energised, positive minded people.  Reality is fine, we all need a dose to keep us grounded and thoughtful, but pessimism is something else entirely!

If you have a dream, an idea, a goal or something to aspire to, go and do it, and in your journey do as Tom suggests, “Beware of the dream takers and the energy suckers!”

Naydeen