Brenda Eckstein International

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148: Colour your life

January 15, 2014 by Brenda Leave a Comment

I have often written and spoken about the importance of ‘touchstones’ in enhancing our well-being.  ‘Touchstones’ are the experiences, aromas, tastes, sights, sounds, touches that bring out the best in us and make us feel really good?  In my Executive Coaching I help people to identify their touchstones and then consciously bring them into their ‘everyday lives’. 

This ties in with my insights a few years ago when reading ‘Care of the soul’ by Thomas Moore.  The subtitle is ‘A guide for cultivating depth and sacredness in everyday life’.  He says: ‘when you look at the image of soulfulness, you see that it is tied to life in all its particulars – good food, satisfying conversation, genuine friends, and experiences that stay in the memory and touch the heart.  

To demonstrate my message, let me share one of my own examples:  I’m passionate about sunrise and am privileged to live where I can experience the joy of sunrise from my bedroom window each morning.  This starts every day with great wonder and appreciation of my connectedness to the Universe.  I enjoy watching the light changing and going through different tones of pink, I love the sounds of the bird calls backed by the stillness of a world still half asleep. The busyness of the day has not yet begun.

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So, in addition to making sure I’m up every morning in time to experience sunrise, how else can I bring more of that touchstone into my life?  Let’s look at patterns - I enjoy the privilege of having my own garden where I can plant and grow flowers and I consciously plant those that will remind me of sunrise.  Yesterday I was excited to find that a rose I planted last year had come into flower.  Appropriately named, ‘African Dawn’ this rose has the most amazing range of colours.  In the photo you’ll see three flowers from the same bush.

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So I picked those roses and brought them into my home.  What do they remind me of?  You guessed it….. sunrise.  So this is one way in which I’m consciously creating a ‘golden thread’ running through various aspects of my life.  I placed the roses in my coaching room as a reminder that I need to help others to bring their touchstones into their lives on a daily basis.   

A good Executive Coach can help you to live life to the fullest.  The benefits are enormous – more energy, greater work/life balance, enhanced self-leadership and leadership of others.  Continuous improvement leads to sustainable growth and helps us to shift our ‘way of being’.  

What are your touchstones? 

How can you include them even more in your everyday lives?

For more information on coaching or keynote speaking please contact Brenda on brenda@146.66.90.172 or +27 82 4993311. 

135: Sunrise and sunset

October 6, 2013 by Brenda Leave a Comment

Life has many beginnings and many endings.  Yet, each is a transition from that which was ‘before’ to what comes ‘after’.  And we need to consciously embrace these changes but often there will be obstacles holding us back.  My job as an ‘Executive Coach’, using an integral approach, is to help individuals turn their ‘stumbling blocks’ into ‘stepping stones’.  And here another kind of stone, the ‘touchstone’ plays an important part, too. 

I have asked this question in many other articles:  what are your ‘touchstones’?  What are those smells, tastes, sights, sounds and feelings that bring out the best in you?  What are those experiences that make you feel really good?  Which are those situations which make you feel ‘whole’? And once you have identified those ‘touchstones’, what can you do to consciously incorporate more of these optimally every day of your life?  

Let me give you one of my own examples:  each day has a beginning and an ending.  And sunrise and sunset, mark the start and end of daylight.  And with their changing light sunrise and sunset are special ‘touchstones’ for me.  Another ‘touchstone’ is my family whom I value so highly. Today, October 1 2013, I was privileged to enjoy both a beautiful sunrise and a magnificent sunset and be with both my son and daughter and their families.  I started the day on an Alpaca farm at Broke in the Hunter Valley where I was ‘on holiday’ with my son and his family.  And I experienced sunset after I returned to Sydney and went for a walk with my daughter and her family in St Ives. 

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Sunrise at the Alpaca farm in Broke, Hunter Valley, NSW.

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Sunset in St Ives, Sydney, NSW.

We need to give priority to integrating our ‘touchstones’ into our lives wherever possible.  For example, if I don’t wake up in time and go outside, I’m not going to experience the magnificent changes that sunrise brings.  And the same applies at sunset.  And if I don’t spend as much time as possible with my family, I’m also going to miss out on one of life’s greatest gifts. Pausing to appreciate these strengthens the benefits.  The simple act of stopping to focus through the lense of a camera also adds a new dimension. 

So, I’ll ask the questions again: 

  • What are your ‘touchstones’?
  • How are you consciously incorporating them in your life on an ongoing basis?
  • How often are you stopping so you can fully appreciate those things which make you feel really good?
  • What else are you doing to create ‘space’ in your life so you can recognise and optimise opportunities for embracing your unique ‘touchstones’?
  • How can you use your ‘touchstones’ to help you enjoy change?

For more information on ‘Executive Coaching’ or Keynote Speaking please contact Brenda on brenda@146.66.90.172 or +27 82 4993311.

130: My view

August 22, 2013 by Brenda Leave a Comment

The view from my bedroom window is exquisite and each morning, I can’t wait to look out and watch the sun rise.  Days with clouds are even more beautiful than the days with ‘clear skies’.  I find the quotation below (author unknown) inspiring. 

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  Smooth roads never make good drivers
Smooth sea never makes good sailors
Clear skies never makes good pilots.

Problem and hassle free Life NEVER makes a person strong
Be strong enough to accept the challenges of Life
Don’t ask Life, “Why Me ?
Instead say “Try Me!” 

For more information on Executive Coaching or keynote speaking please contact Brenda Eckstein on +27 82 4993311 or brenda@146.66.90.172

108: Navigating the future keynote

February 24, 2013 by Brenda Leave a Comment

I was delighted to be invited to present a motivational ‘keynote’ to a 1000 delegates at the TAFI (Travel Agents Federation of India) annual convention at the International Convention Centre in Durban.  This takes place from February 24 to 27, 2013.  The theme is ‘Navigating the Future’ and the topic given to me, ‘Golden Horizons’.  

I immediately linked my message to stays at the beautiful Oyster Box Hotel where the view of sunrise from my window is often magnificent.  The horizon appears ‘golden’.  Out at sea there are always ships waiting to enter Durban Harbour and the lighthouse outside the Oyster Box is a beacon to them, helping them with their navigation. 

A ‘Golden’ Sunrise from my window at the Oyster Box Hotel.

A ‘Golden’ Sunrise from my window at the Oyster Box Hotel.

My ‘brief’ for this keynote included ‘keep it light’ and this suits my style.  The tribute which I wrote in their honour and used as the introduction follows: 

‘Tourism’? – I’m not sure what it really means
But now I know it is not what it seems.
‘Free trips galore!’ I always thought with glee
‘That’s the industry where I want to be.’ 

I’ve never considered the lonely nights
Away from family and home delights.
The sacrifices you make are many and great
I know there is absolutely no debate. 

Upmarket Hotels can be sterile and cold
(Most of them fit into the jolly-same mold.)
Through glass you see the pulse of the city
But your feelings are numbed and that is a pity. 

You’d love to go out and meet the real nation
But alas you must work so you stay at your station.
How do you touch the soul of this place
When airport-venue-hotel are base? 

And when taxis take you from one to the other
You wind down the window and shout: ‘Hi, Brother!’
But no-one listens to your desperate cry
To them you are just another passer-by. 

Yet travelling alone is some-times a gift
Group travel takes you on a different  drift.
The challenges and issues of travelling fellows
Sound loud in your ears like a pair of bellows. 

You scream and shout inside your head
But calmly smile and serve instead.
‘Come to my Kingdom!’ the Big Voices say
And it doesn’t take much - you gladly obey. 

So you take up the challenge and come from afar
To learn from each other ‘cause that’s how you are.
You carefully build and plan for the future
Great things ahead you’ll continue to nurture. 

You truly are a remarkable bunch
And that is not just a presenter’s hunch
My tribute comes from deep down in my heart
And I hope it will give you a really good start. 

The ending summarised the content of the keynote: 

With the travel trade industry in turbulent transition
The last few years have been an ongoing mission
Strong partnerships like BRICS have effectively arisen
Now the future looks good on the ‘golden horizon’. 

So count the ships as you look out to sea
And ask yourself:  ‘How would I captain if it were me’?
Clear in our minds must be the stern talk
‘People follow a captain and not a cork’! 

For more information on ‘speaking’ tailored to suit the needs of your audiences, please contact Brenda on +27 82 4993311 or +27 33 3425432 – email brenda@146.66.90.172 or www.strategy-leadership.com

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