March 2004

Inspiration on careers, networking and writing

In this issue:
Editorial: The wisdom of children
Let me introduce you to: Gary Courtenay and Expertsonline
Monthly Inspirer feedback:
New on the web: Dangerous Debbie Jenkins writes about The Pipeline,
Me on the dual career issue in the Weekly Telegraph
What’s on: March, April and May

“Where words speak louder than actions”

The wisdom of children
A month or so ago I told you about Dave Scarlett’s tremendous Thinking Bench newsletter. What I particularly like about it is the fact that he sometimes writes about his daughter, Bryony, in order to illustrate his insights. I like it for two reasons. Firstly, I know how hard it can be to admit that we have a normal life outside our professional one. To write about your own child in a public way, even a newsletter, takes us out of our comfort zones. Secondly, we can learn more than we think from our children. They are an inspiration.

So, in this newsletter, I want to tell you about my boys, 11 year old, Josh and my 12 year old, Sam.

Last November, when I attended the UK Professional Speakers’ Association convention, I was lucky enough to hear Mollie Harvey talk about the power of the storyboard. She explained how by sticking her own head onto Carol Vorderman’s body and fixing into onto the fridge door she dropped a dress size. Then, when she wanted to find a way to afford to go to a conference in the US, she stuck up brightly coloured notes inside her car sun-visor, on a pinboard in the office and all over the place, which held a symbol that represented her desire to go on this trip. One said, simply £2000, another said the name of the city she wanted to visit, and so on. Before long, she found the money to go on that trip.

On the Sunday afternoon, when I came back from the PSA convention, I told my children about the storyboard and how it could make some dreams come true. Then we made our own. I found a large cork board and planted a pile of old magazines, coloured paper, felt tip pens, scissors and pins on the table. Dividing the board into four, I said we’d each have our own corner and that we could do whatever we wanted, make up any pictures, write any words or cut out any mad shapes we liked, to represent our dreams, however wild or wonderful. We called our board The Dream Board.

Sam is no sportsman, but he put a pair of running shoes on his quarter of the board. ‘To make me better at sport,’ he said. And he put on a picture of an electric guitar: ‘To make me better at the guitar.’ He cut out a sofa and drew a stick man, representing himself, on it to make him have ‘more time to rest after homework’. And then there was a shiny bed, some strawberries and various other things.

Josh cut out a huge picture of a rugby champion. ‘Because I want to be a rugby champion,’ he said. He drew a musical note with a smiley face in it ‘because I want to start being happy about practising my saxophone’. Then his face went all serious. He started hunting about in all the kitchen drawers. Soon he found a photo of himself with his mates, all pulling silly faces and put that in his section.

‘I want to be a better friend, too,’ he said.

Before long the board was crammed with photos, words and symbols.

A few weeks later, Josh was practising his sax three times a week – a vast improvement on his previous best of once under duress. He got into the A team for rugby. Things were hotting up. Josh’s bedside lamp had been broken for about six months. Ian had never got round to fixing it. I thought it was a boy’s job and ignored it.

‘If you don’t fix my light this weekend I’m putting it on The Dream Board,’ hurrumphed Josh. Ian fixed his light.

Then two weeks ago, Josh sat a scholarship examination for the school he wants to go to in September. We had told him that we would really like him to try to win a few awards to help us with the school fees, otherwise it was not certain he could go. He already had a picture of the school badge on The Dream Board, but he wanted more. He had a music scholarship coming up. One of his sax pieces was the Sinatra song ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me.’ One evening I found the entire book, open at that page, balanced on top of The Dream Board.

Josh won an academic and a music award.

Last year Sam came 70th in the school cross country competition, out of 80. On Friday he came 49th. What a score!

But just before I leave my children and their achievements courtesy of The Dream Board, I would like to share with you something else Josh did last month.

His school were putting on a production of Peter Pan and Josh wanted the part of Hook. So did all the other boys. Boys who had been taking Speech and Drama lessons for six years. Josh has not had an acting lesson in his life.

This is what he did:

Firstly, he cut out the words Peter and Pan and stuck them on The Dream Board.

Secondly, he believed he had a chance of getting the part (his mother was not so confident).

Thirdly, he not only learned his lines for the audition, he learned everybody’s lines.

Fourthly, he made his mother rehearse with him five times a day for a week.

Fifthly, he telephoned our babysitter, Lucinda, aged seventeen, who is doing Theatre Studies for A level and asked her to come round and coach him for an hour.

Sixthly, Josh learned to project his voice so well, that he was convinced he was the best ‘projector’ in the audition.

Seventhly, he did the audition and believed he had the part (I didn’t!)

In June, Josh will be Hook in the school play. Lucinda and I will be in the audience.

Lessons learned?

That I should have more faith in my child’s determination for one. But also that if you want something you have to believe you have a chance, you need to go the extra mile and be not just the best, but better than the best. I learned that you need a support team and most importantly, it pays to get a coach.

Jo Parfitt
Believe in blue sky

Let me introduce you to

I first met Gary Courtenay a short while ago, when he asked me if it were possible to produce a book in just six weeks. He had a rather important deadline. But he did not have a manuscript. I agreed to help him with his book, using the transcript of a workshop he had run at Cranfield University as the outline. Well, to cut a long story short, ‘How to Write Sales Letters With Clout’ is now out. And terrific it is too. We all have to write letters that sell something. Whether we are selling ourselves for a contract position, persuading the bank manager to lend us money or attempting to tempt complete strangers to buy our products. Gary’s book shows you how in a straightforward, straight-talking style. To get your copy please email Gary at mailto:gary@mentors4business.com <mailto:gary@mentors4businesss.com> . Priced at £14.95 each copy entitles you to a free appraisal of your own sales copy, normally priced at £100. You also get a free marketing tips ezine.

I have already told most of you about the new website called Expertsonline, the brainchild of Steve Ireland and Phil Crowshaw.. Well, I have been thrilled to see how many of you went to the site to look at my interview. The site has only been live a few days, but has attracted the attention of thousands from all over the world already. If you haven’t been yet, and think you would like a quick look at http://www.expertsonline.tv <http://www.expertsonline.tv/> you can get a free ebook called ‘The Vision to Succeed’ too if you recommend a couple of friends.

Monthly Inspirer feedback

Last month I wrote about the effect moving my office had on my life:

Jo -- Ah, but what about proximity to the kitchen? I gained 15 pounds when I first started working at home...
Anne Copeland

Dear Jo,
Nice story! It happened to me too. I finished my first book when I moved my working area downstairs. I feel connected, now.
Agueda Garcia Irizar

Dear Jo,
Congratulations on another fine newsletter! When your newsletter arrives, I don't read it immediately. I do some unpleasant task that I've been putting off, then read the newsletter as a reward. Eating my peas so I can have pudding.
Resli Costabell

Jo,
I'm inspired, I'm inspired!!
Robin Pascoe

Thank you Joanna (or do prefer to be called Jo?). I read this from start to finish immediately (as I often do - a good sign for the quality of writing that makes me want to read on) when I 'should' be doing other things.
Kindest Regards
Kathryn Wallace

New on the web
Thanks to Dangerous Debbie Jenkins of Lean Marketing for giving us a great article on what is known as The Pipeline, a method for turning time wasters into clients. Read her article, click on the link and Debbie will send you the map you need to start converting now. Read it on:
http://career-in-your-suitcase.com/Articles/NET/pipeline.htm

Only today, one of my articles was posted on the Weekly Telegraph’s website called Expat.telegraph.co.uk. About the disparity between what dual career spouses REALLY want and what IHR THINKS they want, it has some wise words both from successful spouses and successful spouse employment experts. Read it on:
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2004/03/01/expt2.xml

What’s on in March, April and May

Thursday 4th March 2004
Institute of Global Mobility, London
6.30 pm
Here I am speaking about Out of the Box Dual Career Solutions. If you are interested in the institute and/or this event, please go to http://www.ey.com/uk/igm.

Tuesday 16th March 2004
Release the Book Within
Sue Warner’s House, Highbury and Islington, London
Full day course
£80 – includes lunch and notes.
Discover how to unlock that book you have always wanted to write. Find your writer’s voice, find your passion, plan your outline and kick start your muse today.

If you would like to attend one of my writing workshops and can get to North London fairly easily, this could be for you. Sue Warner is a professional speaker and Monthly Inspirer reader who likes to run courses, like mine, in her home. If you would like to book then please contact Sue on suewarner@speakingout.co.uk.

Saturday 20th March
‘Are You in Shape for Europe?’
Women in Management
10.00-15.30
£45+ VAT members/ £55+VAT non-members
Nottingham
Here I will be speaking about international networking and dual careers. If you are interested in attending please contact Susie Chambers on susie.chambers@loreley.force9.co.uk

Friday 26th March
Expat Fair
The Netherlands
Find me on the GlobalTMC stand where I will be assisting Mary van der Boon, selling my books and offering free advice. I hope to do a free seminar too. Contact me for details.

Wednesday 14th April
Release the Book Within and Definite Articles writing workshops
Dubai
Shortened versions of both courses, run back to back so you get to do one, or other, or both. Contact Tricia Evans for more details on mailto:tricia@emirates.net.ae. Or of course you can contact me directly.

Thursday 22nd April
Women in Management
Coventry
6.30 – 9.30 pm
£15 members, £20 non-members
Come and hear me speak on Publish for Profile and Profit. Contact Debbie Jenkins on mailto:debbie@debbiejenkins.com. Or of course you can contact me directly.

Thursday 6th May
American Women’s Club of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
11.15
I will be speaking at their monthly meeting. Please contact Ruth Higgins for more information on mailto:r.higgins@inter.nl.net. Or of course you can contact me directly.

Friday 7th May
Definite Articles
Den Haag, The Netherlands
Full day
Thanks to Jacinta Noonan, my plea for someone to organise this workshop was answered. The workshop will take place in the Treehut. Please liaise with her for further information on mailto:j.noonan@inter.nl.net. Or of course you can contact me directly.

Wednesday 12th May
Release the Book Within
Rye, Sussex
9.30 – 3.30
£80 including lunch and notes
Discover how to unlock that book you have always wanted to write. Find your writer’s voice, find your passion, plan your outline and kick start your muse today. For details and bookings please email Zoe Meyer at mailto:zoesbooks@sagepress.co.uk

Wednesday 19th May
Release the Book Within
Collyweston, nr Stamford, Lincs
9.30 – 3.30
£80 to include notes and lunch.
Come and learn how to turn everything and everyone you know already into articles that sell or give your business publicity.

For details and bookings please contact me at mailto:summertime@lineone.net