Hope and the Meaning of Mejma®

Hope and the Meaning of Mejma®

When faced with a significant change in our life it can bring with it feelings of unease from panic to excitement depending how we see our world. Surviving illness, failed relationships, career crisis, changes in family can lead to us giving up but with support and guidance the loss of motivation and direction can be overcome. 

Our character, life experience and the reality of current situation all play a part in our approach to moving forward sometimes being overwhelmed or motivated to take rash decisions that we may later regret.

There is also an increasing awareness of mental health with stress, anxiety and depression been talked about together with ideas on how to overcome these feelings that are real and affecting our health and well-being. These issues need to be explored but I fear that too often quick fix, sticking plaster solutions are what people seek rather than to face their reality and find meaningful and realistic futures.

My approach is to help people find “a future you really want”. This demands time to reflect on “where you are today” and then to explore what “you want to achieve”. Only then can we move forward and that where my Mejma® model helps you.

  

Your purpose, dreams, your life goals must be  MEJMA®

Meaningful – having real importance and purpose

Emotional – creating the feelings that support beliefs and values

Justifiable – the investment in time and effort reflects the benefit

Motivational – the driver to take action

Altruistic – a concern for the welfare of others

……..to contact Ian  please phone 01962 809554 or email ian@mejma.com

Say Hello To The Frog In Your Life

Frog Luck - Bringing Changes and Abundance to Life

When creating one of my programmes "Time to move ahead" I needed a photo to illustrate time and what better than a clock. I soon found one on Fotolia and bought it - a lovely clear picture with a cute frog in the top right. I used this thinking it was a bit of fun but was completely unaware that in many cultures frogs are lucky which I found out from a colleague who had an interest in American Native Indians.

A bit of research and I came across an article by Clarice of Animal World; Frog Luck, Bringing Changes and Abundance to Life

This is taken from that article and it just amazing how many cultures value the humble frog.

1. Good Luck

In Japan frogs are a symbol of Good Luck, and the Romans believed that to have a frog would bring good luck into the home. The Irish on the other hand, consider the frog as a close relative of the leprechaun, and thus very capable of playing tricks on you.

2. Fertility

The Greeks and Romans both associated frogs with fertility and harmony. To the Egyptians the frog is a symbol of life and fertility, as well as rebirth or resurrection. The frog was a creature born of the annual flooding of the Nile, which in turn made the otherwise barren lands fertile. Thus the frog-goddess of Fertility named Heget (meaning frog), came into their culture and mythology. In the Roman culture, the goddess Venus was also often depicted with a frog.

3. Abundance

Partly due to the very large number of eggs that a frog will lay, it became a symbol of abundance as well. For many cultures that depend on rain for rich and bountiful crops the frog is a good luck symbol, a sign of prosperous weather to come. In Native American tradition the frog is often seen as a rain maker. In Australia too, the native Aborigines believed frogs brought the thunder and rain to help plants to grow. To the Vietnamese the toad is the “uncle of the Sky”, and an ancient story tells that it will rain whenever toads grind their teeth.

4. Wealth

In ancient China the frog represented the lunar yin and the Frog spirit Ch’ing-Wa Sheng was associated with healing and good fortune in business. Tradition has it that the Chinese god of wealth, the immortal Liu Hai, kept a three-legged toad as a pet. It is a symbol for riches and often pictured with a gold coin in its mouth.

5. Health

In Native American culture, the frog is seen as a spirit animal or totem that is strongly associated with the water element and its cleansing attributes. This water connection brings emotions and feminine energies, but also cleanses physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

6. Friendship

In folklore the first frog of spring is said to bring you many friends if it does a “hop toad” jump in your direction.

I'm off to find my lucky frog and if you want to change your life hop over to  www.mejma.com and search for the frog on clock.

Ian

Middle Years Maelstrom (Destructive Force of Events)

In our Disneyfied view of the world where has the happy ever after gone?

Finding Happiness can seem to be dream too far when our life, our security purpose and meaning seem to be falling apart. We have survived the challenges of growing up, achieved some maybe a lot of success in our careers and found someone to love and to have children.

Now we are in our middle years when for many, life begins to fall apart. Failing health, relationships and careers present themselves as challenges that most people are wholly unprepared for. In our Disneyfied view of the world where has the happy ever after gone? We are at risk of being overwhelmed by the chaos shown on the news and that together with our own foundations of life being shaken our future can look bleak with depression setting in with a feeling of hopelessness.

There is a real alternative when we accept that change will happen and that we can’t control that much of it. What we can do is change our perspective and take responsibility for our own wellbeing, our own happiness, adapt and to find new opportunities but how?

The How is a big problem as most people have never had to give a great deal of thought to their lives. They have lived within a process of education, career and family and suddenly they often find themselves alone with no obvious direction. Now in middle years many people need to seek new meaning in their work and relationships. There is a real fear of change and that of feeling very alone.

One solution is to work with a Life Coach who can help you establish a pathway to your future. Guiding and supporting you to achieve new ways of thinking that in turn enable you to create a New Life not re-invent the old that in many ways is no longer fit for purpose.

As a life coach I help people better understand their emotional as well as practical challenges. This together with a plan developed between us I support and enable those willing to take on new challenges to find new purpose and meaning in their life. For those who choose not to accept their reality and move forward they are destined to a life of disappointment and sadness. Missing the opportunity of happiness is just too great a loss and unnecessary when futures can be so fulfilling and exciting.

Ian Marshall
www.mejma.com.
ian@mejma.com
01962809554

January 2018

Wellbeing At Work & Home ; Employee – Employer – Business Owner

“What is essential is that we take responsibility for our own mental wellbeing and knowing when to ask for help.”

In 2018 the focus on Wellbeing at Work will increase largely driven by increased awareness on individual’s mental health and the fact too many people are not coping in their life.

There is a media frenzy adding to the hype and “mental health” is one of the great political footballs that adds to the problem of creating fear without practical resolution.

It is a fact that mental illnesses are a major concern and that overall the resources available to help are insufficient. However, for a large number of people experiencing anxiety, stress and depression their condition can be greatly improved by reflecting upon and changing the way we think and in turn how we behave.

Despite the fear spread we in the UK live in a secure country with a great education system and a national health system that overall provides a fantastic service. We do look after each other in the main, opportunities for work abound and for those who want to explore their entrepreneurial spirit there are many ways to create and develop new ideas and business.

Undoubtedly there are many problems in our bit of the world but I suggest that if individuals better understood the influences on their feelings and through learning how best to find happiness in their life then many of the issues surrounding negative emotions would disappear. What is essential is that we take responsibility for our own mental wellbeing and knowing when to ask for help.

This matters to all of us whether we are an employee, employer, business owner or for those keeping home or in retirement and for many those between stages of life in education or finding new work.

My work has taken me across many areas helping individuals in their personal or work life coping with “emotional challenges” including supporting people within organisations support their staff.

My concern, sometimes anger, is that too often the focus of help is aimed solely at getting people back to “their normal”. Not providing them with the knowledge and tools to take control of their own mental wellbeing and to take responsibility for their whole life and happiness.

Importantly people need help and support to get beyond this point and is the reason I have developed the Mejma Experience programmes to achieve this. As I have said before what is essential is that we take responsibility for our own mental wellbeing and knowing when to ask for help. My programmes achieve this by providing a foundation of knowledge for individuals to build upon.

To see how best I can help you as an individual or an organisation please do contact me when I can develop programmes around your specific needs – here are the outlines http://bit.ly/2inwGTy

Life coaching is a positive solution to coping with issues causing anxiety, stress and depression; enabling people to take control of their life and their happiness.

Ian

Script from my 2017 talks on “Hope, Help & Happiness”

 Script from my 2017 talks on “Hope, Help & Happiness”

Ian Marshall – Introduction for event organiser

Ø  Ian says he knows himself well, although there are always surprises, and although his life is not as he thought it would be, he is overall “Happy” most of the time. What he must always have is a plan and activity to work on towards a goal

Ø  Ian wants to help people adapt themselves to become the people they want to be, to find hope and happiness and that doesn’t always come from changing the world – as Ian says “it often comes’ from changing their perception of it.”

Ø  Wanting more is human nature, better relationships, more money, excitement or just more peace and quiet – less stress.

Ø  Ian says that we are exposed to many guru’s, motivational speakers, money making experts and lifestyle specialists all saying “this is what you need to be happy”. But, not all of us want to seek fame and fortune and reality says most of us want to live a “normal” happy life– whatever that means to us.

Here is Ian on the topics of Hope, Help & Happiness

                 

I’m in the hope and happiness business, no not as an entertainer but as a coach helping people overcome life challenges and to find more happiness and success in their life.

My mantra is “Bringing your life to LIFE” Specifically, helping those people who have become overwhelmed stressed out and conversely for those who have become bored and the colour has gone out of their life. This applies to both the home and work.Or if you have avoided these feelings so far this will help you cope with them in the future.

It’s said that one in four of us will experience some form of mental illness each year.

Looking back over the last 1000 years, conditions of depression, melancholy, and suicide were then often considered a wrong, an embarrassment to others, something to be feared, a weakness dismissed by some as attention seeking and only recognised by a few as a real issue.Religions took their stance in the main blaming the individual for depression – this is life get on with, it will be better in the next world. 

Just over a 100 years ago psychology, as we know it today in the Western World, developed and has progressed dramatically. Mental illness and moods are much better understood today but with still a million miles to go to understand the complexities of the brain. For too many, mental illness has a stigma and low social acceptance and understanding.About the same time as modern psychology came along so did modern marketing and along with that we have created new problems;

We are sold unhappiness:

We are constantly told that we need more. The media and marketing industry is largely built upon making us dissatisfied with our life. We are constantly fed visions of disaster and fear – we are made to feel insecure.

In the UK we are by most measures a safe place to live most of the time so why this constant barrage of negativity. We are told we need a better car, bigger better home, exotic holidays, to improve our image with brands to support the perception that we have of who we are.

Now I am equally motivated by wanting more but along the way I have learned to find hope and happiness in what I have today and I believe that, wherever you are in life, regardless of your circumstances, you have the capacity to be happy.

I help people at that time in their life when they have come to a point where they can’t see a future that they want, some may not see a future at all. This can be the result of many things such as poor or broken relationship, job and career problems, health concerns or feelings of isolation and no longer having meaning or purpose in their life. Sometimes those that have ideas are frustrated about how to move forward and are in many ways disabled simply by their thought process.

Recognising these challenges can and do happen to all of us at some time but as we get older we can get worn down and we find it increasingly difficult to cope. The colour has gone from our life and finding happiness illusive.

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS

What I have learned from my life and the many people I have met and those I have helped is that happiness is never far away. Sure, horrible things happen and despite your best efforts to find and achieve goals you will get knocked of course.

Events and people cause you to change direction and yes there is luck in this world. Importantly we need to accept that things, jobs, relationships come and go and for the most part we have little control over them.

 Now let’s talk about a new kid on the block – 

Positive Psychology:

The field of Positive Psychology was formally explored and developed at the end of the last century, the 1990’s – still a baby but such an important approach. Already so much of what has come from that is scientifically validated.

One factor is that we are genetically programmed for a level of happiness (or being bloody miserable). Without intervention it means that good or bad things happen to us and within a period of time we revert to our old selves. Research suggests our norm is 50% of potential with day to day life moving us 10% either way but we can act and think in ways to heighten our happiness well beyond that 10%

Now with that knowledge what can we do is to improve our level of happiness. Happiness is a subjective state and means different things to different people so in the words in the philosopher Socrates some 2,500 years ago you need to “Know yourself”. This is something I spend a lot of time with people – finding what is right in their life and building upon that. And yes, in time you can change your base level of happiness by changing the way you think.

Importantly I find most people are capable of much more than they ever thought possible.

A client of mine was for all intents and purposes seen to be happy. Loving husband, children at university and she was living a good lifestyle – money wasn’t an issue but she had become unhappy. What is the point of me, my husband is away for most weeks at work and my children independent? She had in many ways lost her identity – she needed to re-invent herself and find new meaning and purpose in her life.

A love of hers was gardening and hers was beautiful, often commented upon by friends and neighbours. When we first met she was very down and unlike her garden the colour had drained out of her life. We discussed all the past successes in her life with an early career, her children and the lifestyle she had but what for the future?

The one thing obvious to me that she was bright and capable but needed direction, a goal to achieve – what better way forward than to do what she loved, gardening and in particular garden design. She decided to take a course in garden design and along the way created some gardens for her friends and by the end of her course has started a small business when her friends introduced their friends.

This took off into all sort of new experiences, from involvement in the local business community, to giving talks and to designing evermore ambitious projects. Within a year she had transformed and found happiness along the way.

An area that has been very close to me is helping people when they become redundant, sometimes necessary but in my view often not. It destroys many people, wastes talent and experience and so often doesn’t solve the organisation’s problems. I’ve worked a lot in this area over the years and in my early conversation I say to people that the only way forward is for you to see this as “an opportunity”.Now, this is hard to take on when often you feel you have been wronged. This message becomes very sour when those individuals who willingly took redundancy find some 6 months down the road they can’t find another job. The hard fact here is that if what you are doing isn’t working then you need to do something different – that applies to so many parts of our life.

Equally there are those who have brilliant ideas, are motivated and committed but it’s not working. Sometimes it is lack of skills and knowledge – sometimes it is because what they are trying to do is not aligned with who they are and what they really want out of life.

On my website www.mejma.com you can download my free decision wheel. I have some copies of the wheel here but you will have to go to the site to get the full guidance notes - you can each fill one out in a while, it’s a great place to start a conversation. What it does do is to provide you with a snapshot of how you see the broader aspects of your life today – you will undoubtedly change it when you give it more thought.

Another free thing on my site is your Strengths Survey. We all have 24 strengths with the top five dominating our daily lives, a few at the bottom we rarely use with the rest we use as and when we feel the need. The survey is online and if you chose you can let me have a copy to go through with you – there are no right or wrong answers.

Now, both of these tools are part of a much broader process to help you move forward and “Bring your life to LIFE”. Where we do have control is how we react to events and that is important. I’m not saying it is easy, why should it be, but we have to get up and find hope for the future. 

We need to find new goals, people to help and support us and then to take action on each new journey and find happiness along the way. As Taoists have said “The Journey Is The Reward”

Or as quoted from the essays of writer Robert Louis Stephenson  “to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive”.

Throughout my life I have found most people are interesting and that they have a good story to tell wherever they come from – importantly people can achieve much more than they think possible.

Although we, as a society, put celebrities on pedestals much real value is found in “normal” people, the 95% of us that live with integrity and purpose valuing their family, friends, work and our contribution within society.

I created the Mejma Experience programmes to help people when setting their own life goals: 
Make your life Mejma

Ø   Meaningful - having real importance and value to you

Ø  Emotional - creating the feelings that drive your beliefs and values

Ø Justifiable - a reason that makes you take action

Ø  Motivational - the reason that drives you to take action

Ø  Altruistic - a concern for the welfare of others.

Q & A.

I have one question for you – What Do You Really want?

You have the capacity to be happy – I can help you find the hope and happiness you deserve.

If you would like to know how I can help you please talk to me.

In closing:

Hope motivates us

Help is needed to give and receive

Happiness - it’s our goal for life

Thank you and I do hope this has helped those who need it to

“Bring your life to your LIFE”.

-Close-

For full information on the Mejma Experience please see www.mejma.com
To see how I can help you please contact me 01962 809554
email: ian@mejma.com