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Planning A 100th Birthday Celebration – A Centenarian’s Extra Special Gift

Becoming a centenarian is a significant milestone that calls for a celebration.  Kath looked forward to her 100th birthday and planned to celebrate this momentous occasion with family and friends.   At her 90th, 95th and 99th birthday parties, the family always displayed a photo board showing lots of pictures of her life and family and friends, but Kath said, “there’s very little time to talk about who everyone is”.   Explaining she said, “I’ve enjoyed a good and happy life, and they have all played an important part in it.  This time, I’d like to give something back”.

At her 100th birthday party she gave each of her guests a very special gift to show how much she valued their friendship over the years – an illustrated book of short stories capturing the defining moments of her life.  For Kath, the project was a labour of love – for her family and friends it is a personal treasure that has given them tremendous joy.   It was a privilege to work with Kath on this project to preserve her memories and honour her life.  Everyone’s life is unique and worthwhile.  Everyone has a story to tell.  It’s the greatest legacy you can leave your family and friends.  If you are interested in capturing your personal or family story and need a hand, contact me, Angela Robertson at  kiaora@angelarobertson.nz

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Returning to work under COVID-19 Alert Level 3

Change can be BIG – life altering events that rock your world, or small, the changes we encounter day-to-day when the unexpected happens and plans need to be rearranged. BIG or small, change is inevitable and unavoidable, and this includes changes in our work and workplace. Depending on your situation, whether you actively initiated the change, or whether the change was someone else’s decision, influences how you deal with it.

Regardless of the circumstances, COVID-19 has created HUGE change as every aspect of our lives has been impacted, an unnerving experience for many people. Most of us like certainty. We are comfortable with what is familiar and predictable to us. HUGE change creates uncertainty so it’s natural for people to feel derailed and apprehensive about what the future might bring. We tend to worry about what ‘might’ happen, the ‘what ifs’, and we’ve all had to discover ways to roll with this change during Alert Level 4.

Returning to work under Alert Level 3 will naturally create uncertainty in the workplace. There are likely to be changes in businesses priorities, cashflow, the nature of our work, the way in which we work together. Amidst this some will be juggling family commitments e.g. temporary child-care arrangements, and/or managing changes in relationships with family and friends.

For business owners and managers, it’s going to be important to try to keep a positive frame of mind, look after your own wellbeing and encourage others to do the same. Creating a high-level transition plan for you and your team, identifying and communicating the priorities ‘the what’, and being clear on ‘the how’, will help everyone settle back into the workplace, step up to the challenge and focus on moving forward, thus becoming productive as soon as possible.

Change can be frightening, but it always provides opportunities to learn new things, refine outdated processes, break old habits, set new goals, improve what we do and develop new ways of working. The only way to evolve and grow is to step outside our comfort zone, reframe and embrace change, focus on the options, decide what we want and take massive action.

Where are you and your team on this journey? If you want support to make this a successful transition for you and your team, reach out and let’s get started.

Dr Angela Robertson

Mobile 027 633 2821
E.mail Kiaora@angelaroberston.nz

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Reimagining Retirement

People over 60 today are surely the most active and adventurous ever.  The second half of life is a chance to:
• Enjoy the freedom to focus our time and energy on what we want to do
• Fulfil long nurtured ambitions
• Spend time with people we like, love and appreciate, who enrich our own lives
• Establish new routines
• Increase community connectedness and contribution
• Grow in ways that were not possible when life was filled with the full-time workday stressors and cares we had when we were raising our families

Many of us are:
• Working – 1:4 people over the age of 65 are currently in paid employment
• Starting businesses
• Volunteering
• Travelling
• Writing blogs
• Learning new things
• Retraining
• Starting new hobbies and activities
• Building the home, we’ve always dreamed of
• Teaching and mentoring others
• Helping others in a myriad of ways e.g. caring for elders or caring for grandchildren
• Renewing friendships
• Making new friends
• Starting and/or joining clubs
• Researching our family history
• Writing our memoirs or novels
• Working on legacy projects
• Simplifying our lives
• Exercising more

These are just a few examples – the list is infinite.

Later life offers us the opportunity to be ourselves and do what we want to do. It offers new possibilities for personal growth, a chance to expand our horizons, and the opportunity us the opportunity to utilise our skills and share our talent and expertise to our advantage.

It takes skill and planning to ensure that second half of our lives are as happy, healthy and secure as they can be. To minimise anxiety – start your planning early. Financial planning is a must – but a fulfilling second half of life is about so much more than money. It is up to us how we spend our days.  Life is not a dress rehearsal and as Carl Jung said –

“The greatest potential for growth & self-realization exists in the second half of life”

What’s your road map to retirement?  Would you like some assistance? Contact me kiaora@angelarobertson.nz

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Mid-life – a time for reflection, revisioning, and reigniting our lives

Mid-life is a time for reflection, revisioning, and reigniting our lives. In the past we may have been focused on learning, earning and raising our families. With so many responsibilities there may have been limited time to put our energy into the relationships and activities that matters most to us. Looking ahead, towards what we may traditionally call ‘retirement’, we have potentially only lived for two-thirds of our lives. Compulsory retirement is a thing of the past in the developed world. A new life-stage has been created for which we have no terminology. We are growing older, but we are not ‘over the hill’, ‘worn out’, ‘un-productive’, ‘old’ or ‘elderly’ at any pre-determined age. Age brings advantages that no previous generation has had. This is a cause for celebration as the potential to live longer and healthier lives creates new opportunities and exciting challenges for everyone.

What thoughts come to mind when you think ahead? On the same journey myself I wondered how others aged 60 + had approached this stage in their lives. What was their perspective on ageing? Had they planned ‘retirement’? How did they transition from one stage of life to another or was this a continuous journey? How were they spending their additional years? Like many people I read widely on the subject, but I wanted to hear personal stories from ordinary, everyday people, who were also on this life journey. I randomly asked people to share their stories with me in exchange for a pot of home-made jam. During our conversations I captured the context of their earlier lives, their plans and lifestyle choices. It was a humbling experience. These individuals are living fabulous, fulfilling lives, on their own terms. It’s with their permission that I can share their stories with you.

Let me introduce you to these remarkable individuals in my book ‘Life On Our Own Terms’.  This paperback edition is available in New Zealand from Paper Plus bookstores or directly from me at kiaora@angelarobertson.nz

Copies can also be purchased online from Amazon.com (kindle and paperback) and Barnes and Noble.com (ebook)

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Living a full life as we age

There has never been a better time. Globally the population is ageing. By 2025 there will be an estimated 1.25 billion people over the age of 60. Annually the number of centenarians is growing. Although there is no way of knowing how long we are going to live, with dramatic improvements in health care and notable increases in life expectancy, there is a good chance that many of us will live to 90 and beyond – a lot longer than our predecessors. Increased longevity provides us with so many opportunities, so why does society have such a pernicious view of ageing?  Let’s face it, many of us struggle with the reality of growing older. Few of us look forward to being 50, 60, 70 or 80 years of age. Nevertheless, ageing is inevitable. Whilst we have no control over our chronological age, if we proactively take care of our physical and mental wellbeing, we can influence our biological age. The chances of living a full, healthy, enjoyable life are higher than ever, when we make good lifestyle choices to maximise the benefits and minimise the drawbacks of getting older. While it is appreciated that we are all wired differently, how we age and how we feel about it influences our lifestyle choices.

Increased longevity offers so many opportunities. What choices are you making?

Looking for an inspirational speaker on Age and Opportunity? Contact me kiaora@angelarobertson.nz

 

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Celebrating International Day of Older Persons 1 October 2019

There has never been a better time. Globally the population is ageing. By 2025 it is estimated there will be 1.25 billion people over the age of 60. Centenarians, Semi-supercentenarians (105-109 years) and Supercentenarians (aged 110 +) are growing in numbers. By 2050 an incredible 2 billion people will be over 60.

Surveys suggest people in this age group are happier and healthier than the preceding generation. We are more informed than previous generations and can make lifestyle choices. We have an advantage no previous generation in history has had. We have a duty to age as well as we can. It’s a cause for celebration. Do not regret growing older. It’s a privilege denied to many. As Mark Twain said “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”.

Mid-life and beyond is a time for reflection, revisioning, and reigniting our lives. How do you want to spend the rest of your life – your remaining years? Making life happen – living a fantastic, fulfilling life, on your own terms with no regrets – or letting life happen?

Want an opportunity to explore what’s next for you? Contact me for free no obligation information.

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Secrets of High Performing Teams

Forming a new team? Looking for ways to work more collaboratively together?
Want to take your Team’s development and performance to the next level?
To help prioritise your investment in your Team’s development consider the following:

1. Is there unity of purpose?
2. Are your Team’s goals are shared, meaningful and measurable?
3. Is there a mutually agreed upon approach as to how your Team functions?
4. Can your Team clearly articulate your Team’s shared Values, norms and expectations?
5. Is the atmosphere collaborative, respectful and constructive?
6. Do Team members trust one another?
7. Are your Team’s ideas for continuous improvement explored?
8. Does everyone know their own unique strengths and apply them on a day-to-day basis?
9. Do your Team members know and appreciate each other’s unique strengths and understand how they differ from their own?
10. Does the Team collaborate to leverage their collective strengths to achieve shared goals?
11. Are the Team’s strengths developed and maximised for best results?
12. Are Team members committed, carry their fair share, accountable and feel valued?
13. Are disagreements and real issues examined and resolved?
14. Does your Team celebrate success regularly?

Do you want more information on how best to develop your team to get the results you want to achieve? If so, let’s talk:

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Affordable Community Education Opportunities

I believe everyone potential to achieve their goals and aspirations and truly flourish. Sadly, few people recognise their own potential, and know how to develop it and without realising it may settle for less that they had hoped for. Often this insight occurs when we make a life or work transition. It’s when we take stock of our situation, contemplate the future and question ‘What’s Next?’

As a proud supporter of community education, I offered 2 affordable courses for adults at Tawa College. If you missed out – don’t worry, help is at hand. Reach out and we’ll get started.

Discover Your Strengths
Everyone has innate talents. Do you know what yours are – or are you focusing on your weaknesses? Join us to discover your strengths and learn how to develop and leverage them to your advantage. By focusing on what you do best you’ll gain confidence, achieve more, have more positive interactions with others, and experience a more productive and fulfilling life.

New Year – Fresh Start
What do you want to achieve in 2019 and beyond? Do you have a workable plan, or do you let life happen? This practical course is for those who want to take charge of their lives and are willing to make the effort to make it happen. You will explore the possibilities, clarify what you want, set seriously fabulous goals, and develop an action plan to accomplish them.

“Anything you really want, you can attain, if you really go after it” – Wayne Dyer

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Are you forming a new team, or looking for new ways of working collaboratively?

Wanting to take your team from good to great?

Research shows that managers who create environments where their staff can make the most of their innate talents on a daily basis and apply strengths-based management practices have:

  • more productive work units
  • less staff turnover
  • increased employee engagement, and
  • greater profitability.

Significant gains can be observed by individuals and teams that invest in their own strength’s development and feedback. Managers who know and intentionally apply their own strengths, recognise that everyone is wired differently. Managers who genuinely seek to discover the unique strengths of each team member, and consistently leads, manages and develops them, will optimise the individual and the collective potential of their team and spur them on to greater performance.

Team members who know and understand their own strengths find it is easier to engage in facilitated conversations and appreciate the strengths and the perspectives that their colleagues have as they have a common language to describe their talents.

Successful teams seek ways on how they can leverage their strengths by identifying complementary talents, collaborate rather than compete, have more positive than negative interactions with co-workers, treat customers better, and tell their friends they enjoy their work and their workplace – they have a sense of belonging and greater commitment.

Strengths-based development programmes are based on the principles of Positive Psychology – the scientific study of optimal human functioning. Successful strength-based development results in positive outcomes when this is supported with strengths-based management practices.

If you would like to stand out from the crowd, excel as a Manager and take your team’s development and performance to the next level, contact me to find out more.