June 2003

Inspiration on careers, networking and writing

Does your life have a theme tune?

Have you ever thought that your life has a theme tune? I recently asked this question to a group of writing students who were attending my Release the Book Within course and was delighted to see how easily they could answer. Papa, Don’t Preach, said a divorced mother of two with a wry smile. I am What I am, said a six foot stand up comedienne. I’m Still Standing said another who has been made redundant six times.

I have chosen the jazz song Summertime, as my theme tune. Though I have only picked it recently, after I realised I’d inadvertently been living by the wrong one for years. Summertime is perfect for me and the life I want to create. I am usually a positive, optimistic soul who tries to see the good in everyone. I do believe that the livin’ is easy, that my Daddy is rich and my Ma is good lookin’, for they are exactly that in my eyes, though not in their own I suspect. But the line in my theme tune that really does it for me is the one which goes One of these mornings I’m gonna rise up singing’. I’ll spread my wings and I’ll take to the skies.

Pick the right theme tune and it can be uplifting, empowering and inspiring, Pick the wrong one, and it can have an adverse effect.

More than 20 years ago I picked the wrong theme and it stuck with me until very recently. I was studying French at university and particularly loved the work of the surrealist poet, Guillaume Apollinaire. Although I adored one line that described how he ‘drank life in huge great gulps’, the one which persistently stuck with me was the one which said ‘I have only ever picked the hawthorn flower’. I adore the hawthorn flower, and as soon as the hedgerows become clouds of cream my heart lifts. But the hawthorn has an evil, sharp thorn hidden behind its delicate flowers. I would write the words ‘Je n’ai jamais cuelli que la fleur d’aubépine’ in the front of my diaries convincing myself that, as a writer, I would be destined to a life that was bitter sweet. And guess what, that’s what happened! Every time there was a silver lining I’d hunt around for the cloud! By clinging onto a negative theme tune I had been lugging a negative, damaging belief around with me. And a little earlier this year, I started to tell people about my hawthorn problem and sought advice to destroy it forever.

Helen Askey, who runs a company called Orange Pip (http://www.orange-pip.ltd.uk) and knows about NLP, suggested I create myself a new belief to live by. And that’s when I picked Summertime.

David Solomons of Culture Shock Consulting, (http://www.cultureshock.uk.com) who is an Avatar Master, suggested ways in which I might discreate my belief. Coincidentally, just a few weeks later, I found just what I had been looking for in Ben Schott’s Miscellany, a book that is packed with fascinating trivia. There I learned about The Hawthorn Effect, which says that something positive ALWAYS comes out of something negative. It took me about two minutes to banish Apollinaire’s curse forever. Now I can see that the hawthorn flower is more dominant and more attractive than those silly little thorns. But it had taken me 20 years to work it out.

Does your life have a theme tune? I hope it’s a positive one. If, like me, you realise you have subsconsciously adopted a negative one, promise yourself that you will find a way to discreate that belief and pick yourself a new theme today.

Jo Parfitt

Let me introduce to you to some generous people

During the last few weeks I have met some amazing people who are very generous with what they give for free. I would like to introduce them to you now.

Nancy Schlessinger is a talented communicator and trainer. She writes brilliantly on the subject of dealing with difficult people and you can download the chapter from her forthcoming book for free from her website http://www.mytipsbooks.com. Just click on Nancy’s Download and you can read all about how to identify and deal with the bullies in your life.

Keith Banfield is a professional speaker with a unique view of marketing. You can download his ebook ’67 Secrets of Success’ from his site at http://www.plusresults.com.

John Sealey has lots of ebooks available from his website, which also offers a free Red Hot Marketing Tips ezine. Go to http://www.yourmarketingmatters.co.uk for free stuff called ‘Discover How to Write Killer Ads’, ‘61 Sales-boosting, Stealable Articles’, ‘Totally Free Web Resources,’ ‘Ebook Submitter. ‘Unlimited Profits’ and ‘Magic Letters’.

And I’ve got some free ebooks too, which will shortly be available from my site, Nancy’s and John’s. They are called ‘So, You Want to be Inspired?’, ‘So, You Want a Portable Career?’ and ‘So, You Want to Write a Book?’.

What’s new and what’s on

I don’t think I’m going to bore you with lists of where I’ll be and what I’m doing this time. Instead, you can take a look at my website on http://ww.career-in-your-suitcase.com for that. It’s all on the home page after all.

Suffice to say that my Release the Book Within and Definite Articles workshops are available live and by correspondence, and also as ebooks. Prices start at £29 for the ebook. Watch the website for dates or contact me if you would like to arrange a more suitable time.

I would just like to add that there the 23rd annual Writer’s Conference is on in Winchester at the end of June and I’ll be there with a stand for Summertime Publishing Services alongside my colleague and good friend, Zoe Meyer. If anyone is interested (and local enough) to come along take a look at http://www.gmp.co.uk/writers/conference.

On the website

New pieces have been added to the site of course. Nigel Risner has written on Breaking Down the Barriers and Sue Froggatt has shared some marketing tips. Both of these can be found in the Making it Happen section. I’ve added some more writing resources too to the Getting Published section. Enjoy.

Future Inspiration

I know how busy you are and that many of you won’t have even reached this far down the Inspirer! So, from now on, as I get snippets of information, or post a new piece on the website I’ll send you the occasional bite sized piece of news. I think you’ll find my inspiration easier to digest this way.

See you soon.