March 2003

Beating March Madness

Last week I found myself making excuses for being unable to attend a superb day of training in conjunction with the Professional Speakers Association. I simply did not have the time to go along. Somehow the month of March seemed to have run away with me before it had even started. My friend Lesley Morrissey described how I was feeling in a very appropriate way:

‘You seem to have got into one of those 'busy rivers' - grab a tree branch as you whiz past and climb out!’ she advised.

As I talk to my fellow entrepreneurs it seems that a feeling of spring is definitely in the air. And all our rivers are picking up speed. And while few of us are singing in the moonlight like true March hares, we are all experiencing a touch of madness.

So how can we retain our sanity when it feels as if our lives are being conducted on one of those moving walkways that you find in airports? How can we find the time to watch for the chance to jump off, or find that metaphorical tree branch?

I have learned that the best way to achieve more is to take time off. Never is it more important that we give ourselves a breathing space than when we have too much to do.

Last week I indulged in my first Reiki massage. It was conducted by my friend Jacqui Tillyard. The session took just 45 minutes, but afterwards I felt so energised I could have conquered the world. Jacqui worked on my chakras and placed crystals on my chest and I’m pretty surprised it worked too, particularly when she hardly touched me. Yesterday I went for a two hour bike ride with my family and as a result of all that exertion and fresh air the day felt it had lengthened by two hours, not shortened.

My March looks like it will be the busiest month I have had for over a year. I’m off abroad later this week to run a writing course at The Tree House and then speak at the Expat Fair in The Netherlands (http://www.expatinfo.nl). Then I have to go away again the next week to speak to the Rural Women’s Network in the Lake District, which will take me away from home for another couple of days, and the week after that I’m away again, this time, down south to speak at Farnham Castle.

But let me explain that I also have two children to look after, countless clients to meet, a correspondence course to run and several articles to write. Am I mad? I don’t think so. On March 21st I’m off to a health spa for the day with a friend! I shall, again, take time in order to make time.

Jo Parfitt

What’s On

As I said, I’m off to Amsterdam to run my Writer’s Workshop Course on March 6th, at The Tree House before speaking about A Career in Your Suitcase at the expat fair. I am really looking forward to these events. You can see a full list of what I’m up to at the home page on my website http://www.career-in-your-suitcase.com.

And don’t forget that March 3rd sees the first lesson of my Expatriate Writer correspondence course beginning at Writing World. You can join it any time during the first week of the month if you have missed the sign up date. I will also run the same course again, independently, later on this year if you are interested.

March 26th
Birmingham
Come and hear Arline Wouterz, the President of the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs, speaking on ‘Women Who’ at this free, one-day event. I’ll be there. Find out more at http://www.bawe-uk.org.

April 8th
Leatherhead, Surrey
9.30-12.00 am
Come and hear me speak to the American Women of Surrey. Please contact me for more details.

April 15th
Basil Street Hotel, Knightsbridge, London
6.30 – 9.00 pm
Come and hear me speak on the topic ‘So, You Want to Write a Book?’ in association with the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs, price £10 for members and £12 for non-members. For more information and to book please contact Arline Wouterz on wouterz@aol.com.

May 16th
Diorama, London
9.30-3.15
Release the Book Within
Attend my full day workshop that will teach you how to write that book you have always known was inside you. £80 including lunch, please book via joparfitt@career-in-your-suitcase.com

JUST IN: Any of you living close to Frankfurt will be delighted to hear that ‘The Three Authors’ will be performing live in association with Expatica HR and Stadt Frankfurt Am Main on 9th October 2003. The three authors are: myself (surprise!) who will talk about careers, Robin Pascoe, author of Homeward Bound who will be talking about repatriation as well as the topic of her new book (watch http://www.expatexpert.com for a release date!) A Moveable Marriage and Hilly van Swol author of When Abroad do as the Local Children Do who will talk about family issues. The event costs just 30Euros so be sure to book your place now. More details from www.expatica.com.

What’s new on the web

Nigel Risner is on the site again with his piece entitled Start Now to Make Your Dreams Come True in the Make it Happen section.

Caroline McIntosh has written about how being a nanny can be a great way to see the world and you can find that in the Trailblazer section.

I am also delighted to announce that my good friend Bobby (Zoe) Meyer has joined me in my Summertime Publishing Services business. Like me, Bobby publishes her own books, she runs Sage Press and has a super series of books on trees that are fascinating and make perfect gifts. Her experience working for major publishing companies in the production department and her journalism and training experience mean that she too can offer the services provided by Summertime. So take a look at http://www.career-in-your-suitcase.com/summertime.htm to find out more about the manuscript appraisal, publishing consultancy and other services we offer for all you budding authors who want to get into print.

Let me introduce
As I’ve been talking about beating stress I wanted to share a few other tips I’ve discovered along the way that work for me. About a year ago I discovered magnetic insoles. I just put them in my shoes and they boost my energy levels. Apparently they help to eliminate toxins at the same time. If any of you are interested in finding out more about these or other energy boosting devices, then my friend Jacqui knows about them too. In fact she specialises in helping people to beat ‘busyness’ and the stress it causes, so feel free to ask her for more information.

I’d also like to tell you about a Norwegian body reflexologist, called Siv Harestad. Siv learned about this intense treatment, which is a kind of cross between acupuncture and reflexology, more than ten years ago when a bad back made it impossible for her to work in the sign making factory where she was employed. So convinced by the treatment that she qualified to practise herself and now lives in Heidelberg, Germany. However, she is committed to spreading the word worldwide and goes to England and Norway several times a year to see patients and train new students. Her therapy is conducted with a series of small plastic sticks and she works on the whole body, not just the feet. You will find that Siv’s work is explained in more detail in the Trailblazer section of the website.

What People say about the Monthly Inspirer
Your monthly email Inspirer is, as usual, a breath of fresh air. At times, I think you should have called it "Oxygen," but that would be plagiarising Oprah. We here in Stockholm are gearing up for the 36th biennial FAWCO conference March 27- April 1. Some really great speakers, including HM Queen Silvia of Sweden, Elisabeth Rehn (former Finnish Minister of Defense, who ran for President), and U.S. Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, who raised a million dollars for the last Presidential election, and recently inaugurated the Helsinki Women's Business Summit. Will send you some info. Please do keep sending those cards and letters, as Johnny Carson would have said. I anticipate your monthly mailings with great enthusiasm.
Best regards,
Charlotte DeWitt

Read all about it
First of all I must tell you about ‘Go it Alone’ by Geoff Burch and published by Capstone. Never have I read a book that is so unique in its approach to running your own business. Burch advocates that you drive a 2CV, park it four streets away but manage to drop your Jaguar key ring, when you are in the office. He advises that you don’t start a new business idea, but do an existing one – only better or differently. He suggests that if you can’t afford a Gucci suit and Prada shoes that you dress differently instead – he used to wear full leathers and turn up on a motorbike in his early days. A great book that will give you renewed hope and have you laughing out loud.

‘Coaching across Cultures’ is just out too. Published by Nicholas Brealey and written by Philippe Rosinski, this book is for any manager who wants to understand the impact of coaching and any coach who wants to learn about the impact of working in another culture. It is quite a tome and packed with examples, diagrams and charts, but is a must read for anyone who wants to work in the intercultural arena.

And then I got a copy of ‘Parenting Abroad’ sent to me. It is the latest offering from Aletheia Press and is written by multicultural Ngaire Jehle-Caitcheon. It is a great book for anyone who wants to understand how to bring up those Third Culture Kids of ours to the best of their ability. Each age and stage is covered and the author has a degree in psychology and a masters in sociology, so she must know what she is talking about.

A Career in Settling in Services
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could create a career based simply on what and whom you know where you are living now? I wrote about how this could the perfect job for any current or previous expatriate. Click here for more about this article, which appears on the Expat Living site.

Volunteers wanted
I am always keen to support Families in Global Transition. This great initiative now has its own brand new website, packed with resources and links. Every other year, the group runs a super expatriate conference for anyone who cares about families on the move. Take a look at the site at http://www.figt.org and please note that a number of very worthwhile and career enhancing volunteer opportunities currently exist. If you would like to know more please email Kevin McNulty at marketing@figt.org.