The New Changes Due to Covid

Hi guys...I wasn't able to share anything on Monday as I am extremely busy making changes to my life due to Covid and its effect on my coaching business. My Business is now fully online so as a result, I no longer need or require a brick and mortar office. I have thus given up my office which means organising to dispose of all of my furniture and dealing with the ton of paperwork that I don't want to carry home where I will now be working.

I didn't realise how much paper one accumulates after 14 years in an office, especially as we didn't get rid of anything. So it's all about sorting through all of that paper, organising to have it shredded as most of it is confidential information on our many clients, then removing signs and art. I spent the entire day sorting through and separating paperwork....OMG!! It was exhausting. I have a headache now, but I was able to finish it and luckily I was able to sell off all of the furniture weeks before and clean up and remove the other odds and ends and despite that I still have quite a few boxes to take home and some kitchen items etc. OH! It was easy to set up this office but it's harder to break it down.

I must say there is a part of me that is a bit sad as I've been going to work there for the past 14 years and now I will no longer belong there. I was able to put my friend up to rent the space as my landlord was in a dire state due to losing my rental funds and his business is a Travel Agency and the borders are closed so his situation was bad, but now he has a renter again. I'm so glad for him. He has been very good to me and we had a great relationship. But change is never easy and it can be so sad. You feel as if something has changed and saying goodbye to the normal or what you're accustomed to is always difficult, but in this case very necessary. It is also a bit scary as you don't know what can change again, but life is all about change, it's how you handle it.

I feel a little uncomfortable with change initially even though I accept it easily but there is a part of me that feels the loss of the "usual" to move to the kinda unknown, which is very similar to the effect of Covid itself on all of our lives. I've been working from home for a while before this happened but my husband wasn't but now he is and he likes it but I had to move things around at home and that was little annoying at times but again it's getting into accepting the change even if you feel a bit "put out". But humans get used to change eventually some adjust faster than others so it's back to work as usual now that our home has been outfitted as an office. This is why you won’t receive my blogs as often as I used to send them out. So for now I can only do them once a month. I hope you continue to share and read my stories. But I’m trying to at least share and come up with some new ways to share what’s happening with me and in my life.

What changes do you now have to adjust to that aren't comfortable but you're getting there? Check you later guys...stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands, social distance...it's working for us in my country so it can work where you are as well but everyone has to do it not just some. Love to you all.

Regards,

Gail

I've Discovered Junk Journaling

Hi guys...I've dealt with journalling before because I did start a Bullet Journal in 2019 but now I've discovered Junk Journal and I went so far as to make my own. Yes people I made a tome... a large junk journal out of cast off pages and I must say it looks impressive. I plan to use it for my art ideas but it looks so good that I don't want to mess it up. Junk journalling has all these different things you can put in them called ephemerals...different pockets and charms and bands etc. Making Junk Journals/Folios helps make up for my lack of painting and I’ve also listed them on my website and on my Etsy page

It's fun simply making them and then you place them where you feel like in your junk journal. I started doing that and now as usual I'm hooked. So what is a junk Journal?

Junk diary

Junk journal is a handmade book made up of recycled items such as papers from magazines, brochures, patterned paper, music sheets, envelopes, packaging, brown paper bags, maps, greeting cards, post cards, doilies, to name a few. The book covers can be made from cereal boxes, old book covers or any hard card boards.

What is it used for?

Junk Journal: A book which is often made through found and recycled materials to be used as a way to collect and record memories, thoughts, ideas, and inspiration.

What's the difference between a diary and a journal?

A diary is a book to record events as they happen. A journal is a book used to explore ideas that take shape. In reality, the junk journal can have any purpose you want them to. Particularly if you’re creating one from scratch – as I did, you can therefore make it serve almost any purpose imaginable. Write a novel in it. Use it as a family budget book. Make it into a dream diary – it’s up to you!

Then there are the bullet journals which can help you get organised and track or keep track of all the tasks or goals you want to achieve. I tend to schedule all my appointments etc but doing it the Bujo way is more fun as I can decorate it and looking at the pages after make you feel good. It's also another way to use my creativity.

What's the Purpose of a Junk Journal?

What’s the purpose of a junk journal? It’s probably a question you’ve wondered, especially if you’ve never seen one before. I know it was my reaction when I first saw one. I was intrigued and thought they were beautiful, but I had no clue how you could use one.

So don’t feel guilty for wondering. Given how elaborate and intricate they often are, it’s not hard to wonder how they could be used functionally.  And honestly, sometimes they can’t be – but that’s okay! Junk journals can be gorgeous pieces of art.

In reality junk journals can have any purpose you want them to. Particularly if you’re creating one from scratch – you can make it serve almost any purpose imaginable. Write a novel in it. Use it as a family budget book. Make it into a dream diary – it’s up to you!

(Still learning how to create them? Check out this ultimate guide on how to make a junk journal with step by step instructions and videos!)

How to Use a Junk Journal?

All that said, there are some popular ways to use junk journals that range from incredibly practical to less than practical (but still entirely awesome).

Use a junk journal as a memory and photo keeper – junk journals tend to borrow a lot of ideas and techniques from the scrapbooking world, so it’s natural that junk journals often become books for keeping memories, photos, cards, tags, and other bits of ephemera that remind you of friends, family and trips you might have taken.

Use a junk journal as a travel journal – speaking of trips, a junk journal can also serve as a travel journal. Junk journals frequently incorporate ephemera into their pages and travel often leaves you with tons of it. Use the rack cards and maps you collect as flip outs and slip them into pockets, use the tags and tickets you collect to create a collage page that will remind you of all the places you visited, and frame your travel photos and slip them into envelopes so you can look back on how much fun you had. (Travel junk journals might be my personal favourite if I’m honest!)

Use a junk journal as a coffee table book –  With all of its intricate details and designs, tuck spots, pockets and envelopes to explore a junk journal can make a perfect coffee table book. It gives an inquisitive visitor plenty of things to look at and explore while you go grab something to drink or snacks to serve.

Use a junk journal as wedding guest book – Another popular use for junk journals are to use them as wedding guest books. These versions tend to be toned down with fewer frills and pockets and lots more blank and tea dyed pages. For people who are having a historic or rustic theme to their wedding, this style of guest book can make for the perfect extra touch.

Use a junk journal as a gratitude or spiritual journal – I’ve seen lots of people using their junk journals as places to reflect  – on things their grateful for, on their religion, on how they want their future to go. The mixed media nature of a junk journal lets you include pieces from a page of a book or inspirational cards and photos, so it works great for this type of journal, too.

Use a junk journal as a piece of art – This is another one of my favourite ways to use a junk journal. Ultimately, a junk journal is a piece of mixed media art and you can treat it the exact same way you do any other kind of art – hang it up, display it, or even sell it.  If you have bare shelves in a living room or entry way, filling them with beautifully decorated books can make them extra gorgeous – and like with a coffee table book, it can be a conversation starter!

So, I hope you start one as it is also like therapy especially during these crazy times of lock down. If you do start one let me know how it is going and we can share what and how we do the different decorating techniques.



Later guys. Good to be back. Covid has brought more coaching work than anything and my husband's father died, (May he rest in peace. ), so a lot has been happening and there have been some major changes with my creativity.

We're Moving on from 2020. Welcome 2021!!!

December 31, 2020:

Hi guys….so we’re finally coming or at least approaching the end of 2020….very soon. WHAT A YEAR!!! This year anything crazy that could happen…did. From a major pandemic, to great people dying, to strange occurrences with the weather. But I must say that I learned a lot this year and experienced a lot and despite the negatives there were a lot of positives. As an Artist we need to be able to see the positives in everything as we are the ones who create the art that reflects these feelings and emotions and positives.

January 1, 2021:

It’s finally 2021 and we are on the path to new and better things. From Covid vaccines, to new ways of doing things. Online and Virtual is the way from now on….but can we adapt? Can we handle the change? Humans can adapt to anything if they want to, some are stubborn or afraid but eventually you have to move with the flow or get left behind. Just do it your way but the Online way and things will be fine.

I love technology, except when it glitches, then I get HELLA !! upset and frustrated, but technology has moved forward by leaps because of this Pandemic, I know this because as a Leadership Coach (my paying job, outside of my art), my clients wanted most of my programs manually and although they always asked when it would go digital, when it did they weren’t open to accepting it…then COVID came along and changed all of that. They had no choice, in fact they wanted it badly because handling that transition from face to face and being in the office to now working totally from home, meant a complete turn around for some of my clients who were strongly extraverts and needed that human encounter, so they wanted (even needed) my programs even more now to have someone to talk to and to help guide them through the confusing swarm of emotions and difficulties they encountered.

So it worked out for everyone. I was more in demand and they got help to manoeuvre through this extreme life change. My Art suffered, in that i didn’t or couldn’t paint due to the chaneg up in location and use of space within my home. But I found another outlet for my creativity…crafting junk folios. That got me through the need to create and soon became another of my passions, but it wasn’t the same and I soon felt that I was bursting to let out the feelings through my paint brush….but I still didn’t feel inspired or feel to put up with painting in the same space that was no longer totally mine. The feeling of freedom wasn’t there.

What did i d? I used one of the tricks I had read about and I knew would get me back on track…I signed up for a Udemy Abstract Course and WHALLA!!!. That did the trick. I had assignments and as a result I had to do them and that restarted my creative juices. I created 2 pieces in one day and it felt amazing to be back in the saddle…Lol.

What can you do to restart that painting flow? What can push you to create? Find it now and start back on that artistic journey..A journey that is beyond any kind of freedom you can find anywhere else. I hope you find it and for all you who follow me I wish you all the best for this New Year.. A year where there are many expectations for change and better times and days.

These are the 2 pieces I created:

Until next time guys, I promise to write more this year and I hope to send off little surprises to my followers, you all have been neglected for too long. Later guys, love you all.

Regards,

Gafra

What Golf Can Teach you

Hi guys...I started taking a golf camp before Covid and then with Covid it stopped for 4 months and we only restarted last weekend. With this pandemic I've become very house happy in that I love being at home and I guess I've become accustomed to being at home and I enjoy my home , so when it's time to go out I'm very unwilling and I really don't feel to go anywhere but I know I should or I must but I find any reason not to. Once I do go out I'm fine and I enjoy myself but I really prefer to be at home.



This weekend I had to go to my golf class and I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot. The golf course is in Chaguaramas and you're surrounded by mountains, bamboo and wonderful breeze. I love it. You can sit in the club and just enjoy watching the cliffs or listening to the howler monkies or just enjoy watching the greenery and that's what I did when I arrived early for class and no one was there yet. I sat and I took in the birds and the view.

Golf has taught me to understand my body and that to make great or precise shots you have to recreate the correct positioning and swings every time and the slightest change of anything, such as, how you swing, or if you lift your head or if you raise up slightly versus staying low, can cause you to hit the ball incorrectly and it won't go where you want it to. Most of us don't understand ourselves very well and what triggers us to behave or respond in a particular way.

We fly off the handle with someone when they say something but we don't think about why we reacted that way when it really wasn't all that serious a statement, you didn't have to behave that way. That's because we have these inner feelings that got there due to things said to us or done to us in our earlier life and we internalise it , it makes us feel a particular way and to protect ourselves we may respond in a certain way that may not be a very nice way to react

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So like golf you have to understand yourself and what slight triggers can cause certain types of negative reactions from you then face whether or not that behaviour works well for you or does it cause a lot of conflict with others or does it make you come across in a way that you don't like. Golf made me more aware of my body, my thoughts or level of concentration and I realised certain things about myself. One is, when I get fed up with doing something to often, over and over, I get bored then I tend to not put much effort into it. So when I'm tired of practising the same shot ( which I know we're doing to build up muscle memory) I have to pull out more energy to not start becoming lazy or nonchalant about my shot, because if I don't my shots get really bad.

Golf or any type of sprt can teach you a lot about yourself if you're willng to look and learn. Aother sport I did that taught me alot about myself was horse back riding...but that's for another story.



Check you guys on Thursday where I'll start my exposes on the power of colour. And if you didn't see my Virtual Art Exhibition, check it below and please share with your friends. Bye for now.

Visit my art website www.gafra.org or check my Etsy Art Shop

My Virtual Art Tour of all of my pieces: https://bit.ly/gafravaexhibit
Google slides of all of my art: https://bit.ly/3g5nFKJ

Why Are Humans So Mean To Each Other?

Hi guys....as you know I'm an Executive Coach and I deal with Executives and Managers everyday and it's always amazing when I come across cases where you see from a distance how wicked humans can be to one another or how some bully others. Now the other side of that coin is that the person being bullied or treated badly could be falling short with their deliverables or performance and that is why they're receiving the bad treatment, but there are ways to deal with someone you don't respect or you're impatient with because they're not doing what is expected.

Instead of confronting the person and having a conversation with them to let them see what you're seeing, humans take the cowardly route and try to "bad talk" the person, or complain to their boss or poison the person's name with negative talk about them to everyone except the person themselves. Be brave and go to the person and have a serious conversation that gives everyone a win/win and not a win/lose. But that rarely happens. So what you have happening is a person is stressed because it seems as if everyone is coming down on them and the individual(s) who are either bullying or being negative are doing it because they're dissatisfied with the person's performance or lack of.

Communication is such a vital part of any organisation, relationship or family. People perceive things through their foggy lenses, so unless you explain and they can see where you are coming from they will treat you based on that perception. Of course there is also the other aspect that people are inadvertently selfish and want what they want. That is, everyone consciously or unconsciously has their own agenda, but some of us are able to put those agendas aside for the good of others or bend them or delay them for the good of others whereas some won't do that for anyone. I call that selfishness and we all have a level of selfishness...me very much included.

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I've had my times of doing what I wanted despite who it hurt because I wanted my satisfaction and didn't even think about who and how bad it would hurt someone else. But you learn from those situations and hopefully you never do that again but life and humans are strange and we can go into that selfish mode at any time. Within an organisation that selfish mode shows its head often by many and that is where the conflicts occur, but it can be prevented through communication...having the uncomfortable conversations is what helps.

So leas not be mean to each other or at least consider how what you do will hurt someone you acre about and make the decision not to do it or put it off for a better and safer less painful time.We are going through enough challenges at this time in our lives and outside of Covid, Economic trials, crime, internal government disputes, marches (BLM), now we're heading towards hurricane season....to me it feels like our planet's rotation has sped up and now everything is happening faster....who knows????

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I wanted to get that off my chest and say that we are all humans…whether black, white, indian, negro, mixed, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, we all bleed and we all bleed red, so maybe we should judge based on blood colour….maybe that might help us see everyone the same. Who know????We gotta get it right as humans, so I just wanted to share that.

Later guys, stay safe and be kind to one another, wear your mask, wash your hands, don’t touch your face and sanitise. Let’s fight a least one thing together…Covid.

When Expectations Aren't Met

Hi guys...I've been sitting here thinking, as I wait to start a coaching session and I felt a little disappointed with the fact that my virtual art exhibition launch didn't do as well as I expected. I did make some sales but not as many as I expected or wanted and I ask myself, is it because I didn't do enough? or I didn't have a good strategy? Well my son came up with the strategy as he used this for the launch of his book and he is now widely successful with his sales.

Or is it a case of the product being sold....ART..... isn't as popular? Not sure. I also feel that maybe I didn't do enough because I'm not savvy with social media and after his book launch he has been doing a lot of IG feeds and Live IG videos etc and I haven't. He told me that you have to be in front of people at least 7-8 times before they buy from you and that is so true. You basically have to become known via these mediums before people become comfortable enough to buy from you. That isn't easy and it takes a lot of work.

You have to put yourself out there as much as possible for people to get used to you, trust you and then they see you as a "friend" and then they buy. The sales I made were from people who know me and know my work...my "friends", so it's true....you have to build the trust and then you will get the attention and then the sales. UGH!!! For millennials that's easy because they do it all the time but for us older folks we aren't used to putting ourselves out there so publicly. We tend to be very private about ourselves and our lives but this generation shares everything, that's what they know.

So the reality is you have to be infront there as much as possible but I still feel good that I was able to avoid my discomfort with social media and do what I needed so people can find me. I want the owners of the different pieces to find their piece. It is over but I still need to do more. Will I do it again?....not sure...I guess if I have to maybe, but I am proud that I at least sold 1 piece abroad...YAY!!!!! Hopefully more of those will come.

Guys don't forget to check me at my youtube channel Gafra Smart Art....even though you may have seen most of the videos already. I hope things are going well with everyone despite the Covid and that no one is ill. See you guys soon. I'm going to start doing some blogs on the psychology of Art. So keep reading.

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What to Do When you're Afraid of your...Whatever

Hi guys...you know...fear is everywhere, but I think we do this to ourselves most of the time. Yes the stimulus might be external but we internalise it, build it and then we let it over take us and then it gets the better of us. Like everyone else, I've definitely been afraid of things I'm unsure of and when we don't understand something we grow afraid not of the task or thing itself but about who will see what we don't know or what we might mess up.

Can it be mainly a case of being afraid of failure, or is it that we're afraid of succeeding? We all have different issues that cause us to be afraid and they are normally based on how we were developed as kid, babies. Out environment determines what we are afraid of or become afraid of. To build up against that fear we have to build up our understanding of ourselves and accept what we or who we are and what we're capable of or not.

I always tell my clients that until you know who you are and you're happy with you no one and nothing can affect you. You don't need to follow anyone or have to try to live your life through someone else's life. You can be you and be happy with how it is. Acceptance. So get to know yourself, enjoy being with you and accept the good and bad parts of yourself. Self analysis is needed to overcome the things that prevent us from moving forward, so find out what restricts you, get rid of it and then move forward, grow and be a better you.

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Avoiding Social Media is similar to Avoiding Technology in the Workplace

Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Avoiding Social Media is similar to avoiding Technology in the Workplace https://anchor.fm/gail-francis/episodes/Avoiding-Social-Media-is-similar-to-avoiding-Technology-in-the-Workplace-egb7hs



Enjoy and on an aside if you need PRINTABLE PLANNERS click HERE

Working From Home and the Changes It Brings

Hi guys.....so due to Covid most of us were forced to work from home. I've been working from home for 2 years now and I love it but most people aren't used to this so it took some time to handle the transition. I too had to make some changes and one of them was to close my office. I've had an office for the past 15 years and although I work from home my husband didn't so he used the office the most. I like going to my clients versus having them come to me.



With Covid, it took us a while but as we got busier with our coaching sessions, and as more and more clients wanted and to some extent needed to keep their appointments so that they could vent or talk to someone or to just get help handling the transition of working at home, we knew deep down that things were changing and how we ran our business was changing. With that an office is not an expense that is necessary or even required because we can now do all of our sessions online from home, especially as our programs are already digital and our clients, who were once a bit tentative about doing online coaching, now had no choice.



Digital programs and learning was now the norm and clients were more comfortable with digital learning and although this was easy for me, working from home was a short transition for my husband. We were now thinking of giving up our office and so the journey begins. When you're making a change and part of you wants to and part doesn't then that battle can make you sad. You're making a change that changes your future. I took a while to start organsing to close the office but then I posted all of the office items on 2-3 Whatsapp groups that I'm on and I got such quick responses on the sale of the furniture, it was, surprising.

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What I realised is that others now had to work from home so they also had to set up an office space in their homes, they were quick to grasp the opportunity to buy the items for those new work from home spaces. The sales are going through and it seems so final and to a point it is. I'm sad but also excited about the future. Every change brings a level of trepidation, uncertainty and excitement. I went through all of those emotions from this simple change, so I know others are going through even more or worse, but we know that nothing lasts forever and change is constant.



By the end of the month the office will be no more. We've organised our perspective office corners in the different rooms and we've basically settled down without much difficulty. With the social distancing it makes more sense to do all of our interviews and sessions remotely. Thank God, technology has all that we need to run our businesses remotely and we are also looking to go paperless as well. That will mean doing my note taking digitally.

I'm also setting up apps to be able to write my notes using a stylus, as I like to write versus typing, plus I don't type fast enough and I want to ensure I have notes for each client without having paper cluttering up my space. Having to set up notebooks for each client and store those took up a majority of our office space and as we will now be working from home, we don't have the space to archive anything, but I will no longer have to if everything is saved digitally. The only thing we will have to do is get larger cloud space for all the new digital notes.



I hope we can all accept change and develop a new way of thinking and working. The pandemic has certainly opened up our creativity and way of thinking and doing our work.

Regards,

Gail (Gafra)

Despite Covid - Let's Go To My Art Exhibition

Hi guys....during this time I've been keeping busy. I was also supposed to have my Art Party/Exhibition at the end of the month, but that's a no go due to Covid. So I did some research...you know me... and I tried to find other ways to maybe set up a Virtual Exhibition and guess what??!! TADA!!! I did it. I've designed a Virtual Art Exhibition using a site called Artsteps. So you are all invited to my Virtual Art Exhibition during this time of being house bound. I hope you enjoy it and please send your feedback as I want to share this locally and maybe even sell some art. I do ship if any of you are interested. Yes you can still buy things from abroad...

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE VIRTUAL ART TOUR.

I hope you enjoyed this and if you did I have an even Bigger Exhibition with most of my watercolours and acrylics. Let me know if you're interested by leaving a message here:

An Easy Dish to Make

Hi guys...I realised that I write a lifestyle blog but I don't really share a lot about the meals we eat here in Trinidad and during this pandemic, eating at home is a must so I've decided to share one of the local dishes we eat here i Trinidad all the time and it's the easiest thing to bring to a get together. Everyone in Trinidad has eaten "Pelau". In some countries, from watching different documentaries I've know some countries have similar dishes but it's called by a different name. Brazil, Venezuela and I think Spain has a similar dish.

So let's get started...please note that I myself have never had to cook this dish, but my husband cooks a mean Pelau and my kids all know how to make it. Don't forget...I HATE TO COOK!!!. I 'll clean up after you...

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2- 3 chicken pieces seasoned with salt, pepper, chives, thyme, garlic (chopped up small), parsley, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp ketchup (or any other season you have at hand)

2. 1 cups rice washed

3. 2 cups coconut milk or water

4. 1 large onion sliced

5. 1 sweet pepper, chopped

6. 1 cup pigeon peas or

7. 1 tin pigeon peas, drained

8. 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

9. quarter cup sugar

10. salt & pepper to taste

11. hot pepper sauce if desired

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a large iron pot or skillet

2. Add sugar and allow to burn until dark brown

3. Add the seasoned meat and stir until the pieces are well coated with the burnt sugar, let it mix in the browning for 5 minutes

4. Stir rice into the browned chicken and turn often till well blended, cook for 3 minutes more

5. Add onion, sweet peppers and peas and stir fry for a few seconds

6. Add salt, pepper, coconut milk and/or water, bring to the boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked and all the liquid has evaporated (about 25 minutes).

7. Add more liquid (water) if the rice is still hard and continue to cook longer. (Pelau can also be baked in a oven. Cover it with foil, place in oven and bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes)

So that's it guys...hope you get a chance to try it. If you don't have pigeon peas then try the lentils or mixed vegetables in the tin, it won't taste as good as it does with pigeon peas but at this time you might not be able to get the kind of peas you want so we have to improvise.

Have a good time cooking and I'll check you in my next blog.



Stay safe and stay home. Love you all

Regards

Gail (Gafra)

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PODCAST: Avoiding Social Media is Similar to avoiding Technology in the Workplace

Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Avoiding Social Media is similar to avoiding Technology in the Workplace https://anchor.fm/gail-francis/episodes/Avoiding-Social-Media-is-similar-to-avoiding-Technology-in-the-Workplace-egb7hs

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What Happens After Covid and BLM

Hi guys.....don't worry I'm not going into the whole Protesting things and the unfairness that Blacks encounter. My main question is what happens after all of these Big Situations? Will we go back to normal? Will we change and what will change specifically? Will we have new behaviours? I'm always curious as to do we understand the source of these issues whether it's why did Covid happen in the first place?

Yes we can't think about that right now while in the core of the virus killing humans but I hope someone out there is looking or delving into why did this happen and how do we prevent this from happening in the future, because it seems humans never learn and we tend to repeat the past over and over again. I'm concerned with that aspect. What is the true source of Covid? What is the source of the judemental/prejudice against blacks? I live in the Caribbean so the majority are black or mixed and even with that you will still encounter people making judegments but there are people who do things and behave in a way that gets them labelled and then eventually judged.

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If you are from an environment where to survive it's the norm or expected that you behave in a particular way but that behaviour is seen as miscreant or immoral or uncomfortable to the majority of society then you will be labelled and seen in a particular way. It's unfortunate but my question is how do you change that? It will take a lot of changes in many different ways and by many people. That will take time. Humans love but they love selectively sometimes. We don't really know how to love unconditionally. And we don't know how to stop categorising people. We seem to need to categorise or label people or things to be able to know how to organise society.

I've never understood why in America people are labelled as...black american, latino american, asian america....what is that. We don't do that here. You american, what's with the distinctions? Stop seeing colour, see character. OK!! I started to rant a bit but in a low keyed quiet way. Love you guys and I hope everyone is safe and not in any kind of pain. My last words are that I'm so glad that I never encountered racism here or even when I travelled abroad, because I'm not sure how I would deal with it and I tend to have a bad temper, I'm not a curser, but I will make a fuss.Caribbean people don't get on badly though, but we will speak up if we see something we feel is unfair, wrong or totally crazy.

How To Stop Procrastinating & More

Hi guys... I read this a few years ago and recently found it again so I decided to share this with you guys, because in these times it is something we really need to consider. We are at a point where we have to seriously think about what we want for ourselves for the rest of our life after Covid. So I hope this helps some of you and I do apologise for my late post, staying on top of posting twice a week is not easy so I will probably post just once a week or as I can. Here is the information by woman called Lisa Brown who send these out at least I used to get them but I haven't received these sharing in a few years. I hope they help you or make you think:

HOW TO STOP PROCRASTINATING

Here’s a great tip on how to stop procrastinating for real so you can take action on your goals and explode your success.To use this tip, we need to understand that our will power is strongest in the morning. In his time management program "Wake Up Productive", Eben Pagan says that we want to “routine-ize” our high value activities and do them at the same time every day.

There are two steps:

1. First, figure out which task will move the needle. Which task is most important? Which one will give you the most leverage?

For those of you not familiar with leverage, it is the one tiny action that gives you the 'biggest bang' for your buck.

Example: When it comes to investing money, the technique that will give you the biggest leverage is compound interest. Albert Einstein even called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world.

There was a study done by UNLV. Researchers asked, “What would happen if we went out in 1976 and we bought every stock Buffet buys and sell when Buffet sells?” The researchers stipulated that they we would buy the stock on the last day of the month on the worst price of the last day. They would not have any special information.

Well, here's what would have happened to you if you did that:

You would have beaten the market every year except for four years. Your overall rate of return would be 24.6% per year, which doubles your money every three years.

If you had invested $10,000 with Buffet 30 years ago, you would now have more than 7 million dollars. And if you got a rate of return of 26%, you would now have 14 million dollars.

That's leverage. 

This to me is an opportunity to do some introspection and plan out what you will have to do when this is over because there will be, in my mind, a lot of changes to not only who and what companies do but also how people will live their lives. There will be changes and although most people say they like change....most do not. I took this opportunity to develop a self improvement course for those who would like to start planning out what changes they will need to make not only with themselves but with how they pursue their lives. The course is free and I wanted to coach people during this period when we have nothing else to do.

CLICK HERE FOR THE COURSE

I WANT TO DO THE COURSE

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2. Once you've determined your highest leverage activity, do it FIRST thing in the morning. 

Why?

Because, says Pagan, when we procrastinate, all that’s happening is that we are resisting doing something DIFFERENT than our daily routine. He says, “You already do the same things at the same time, every day, automatically.”

By creating rituals that become a daily habit, we no longer need will power to be highly productive and effective. Our mind and body will automatically want to do our high value tasks, simply out of habit.

I personally learned the power of rituals when I became a parent.

From the first day of my daughter’s life, she has had the exact same bedtime ritual every night, ending with a 7:00 pm bedtime.

Her mind and body are so conditioned to go through this ritual and climb into bed at 7:00 pm that she will do it, even if she is not tired at all. (Of course, she doesn’t always go to sleep at 7:00 pm. Sometimes she has a ‘party for one’ that involves telling stories to her stuffed animals. But that’s her business, not mine.)

If you’ve ever seen a child’s intense desire to extend her bedtime, you can appreciate how powerful such a ritual can be.

"I can attest to this as well because from babies I got my kids into a routine and at first it isn't easy because they will scream their heads off to get their way, but when they realise that that doesn't work they eventually give up an conform as do most humans, but you have to be the strong one and not give in"...

Taking control of ourselves so we can explode our personal power, our career success, and our financial wealth is the formula for success and abundance.

FEARS

Want to achieve any goal in 30 days or less?

Then I suggest you cultivate extraordinary coaching power. People who achieve big goals fast understand that you cannot succeed alone. To accomplish anything worthwhile, you need to eliminate FEAR.

Eliminating fear is absolutely the KEY, because it is fear that holds us back from reaching our potential.

Fear is, and always has been, the great enemy of human achievement.

But...here’s the rub...there’s very little information out there on eliminating fear that actually works. I learned this myself first-hand years ago.

After testing virtually every self-help technique (cognitive therapy, NLP, hypnosis, meditation, positive thinking, energy medicine, goal-setting, journaling) I realized none of them work very well to eliminate fear and here is another tip:

In helping others, you also transform yourself. There's an old adage. "Who you are is shouting at me so loudly I can't hear a word you say."

To succeed and help others we need to walk the talk. That means mastering yourself first.Once you do that then you set the goals that you now understand what those are. Then start executing on those goals.

Fear has always been the great enemy of human achievement. Abraham Maslow, the great psychologist, said that the the story of human race is the story of people selling themselves short.

One reason why fear is so difficult to master is because most people assume their fears are caused by external events.

You see a news story on the recession and you start worrying about money.

Your staff makes a mistake and your stress goes through the roof.

Your husband acts distant and you start a fight.

Convincing, isn't it?

The truth is, most fear does not come from external events at all.

It comes from deep inside.

I'm talking about our negative beliefs. 

What exactly is a 'negative belief'?

A negative belief is anything you think is true that is holding you back.

"I can't sell myself."

"Nobody listens to me."

"I'm too old to change careers."

"Starting a business is too risky."

"I can't get a raise."

Think of a negative belief like a wound.

Every time a person or situation touches your wound, it hurts and scares you a bit.

That's why we blame external events.

Now here's the tricky part.

Most beliefs are unconscious.

We don't even know about the belief.

All we know about is the fear, the procrastination, or the self-sabotage.

Where do negative beliefs come from?

Usually a failure or trauma from the past that's never healed.

I was a premature baby.

Born when my mother was seven months pregnant, I weighed just 4 pounds.

I was rushed into an incubator where I stayed four weeks.

My parents weren't allowed to hold or touch me for even a moment before I was whisked away.

My only human contact came days later when nurses were allowed to feed me.

It's a scenario filled with abandonment pain that can lead to beliefs like "I am alone," and "the world is a scary place."

Watch for this emotional wound in case it gets scratched.

This way don't over-react to people if they're cold, insensitive, or just plain pre-occupied.

Their birth story may be unusual.

But everyone suffers loss and disappointment.

We all start adulthood with a few negative beliefs. 

In fact I've discovered that most people share the same three self-destructive beliefs.

These Toxic beliefs create fear and self-doubt on a daily basis, holding you back from success. Figure out what are the beliefs you have that hold you back and analyse them, question them, and see if they are relevant or even true and if not them do an exeercise of writing them on a sheet of paper then either burn it or rip it apart, because that belief is NOT TRUE!!



So guys...I hope you found this interesting as i did when I first read them. See you soon and stay safe, stay well, wear your mask and social distance.



Regards,

Gail

As An Artist, and with this Pandemic, What Have I Learned?

Hi guys... so with this ongoing situation of being on lockdown here in Trinidad and all around the world, you tend to or have no choice but to learn things about yourself as well as about the people or person you're locked up with. Unfortunately for some, the situation has not been very nice and we have had a few cases of domestic violence but overall most people have been pretty low keyed. I knew a lot about my husband so that was fine, but as he now has to work from home....I don't know how his admin assistant handles it. He will call your name a hundred times. But I cut that down..especially based on the way I responded so it's not so bad now.



What did I learn about myself....that I'm very accommodating with any situation and I adapt quickly. I may not like change initially especially if t means I'm losing out on my freedom or independence but give me some time to think about it, then I will most likely be reasonable and go along, but don't tell me what to do. That won't work.

I also learned with this lockdown, that I accept the idea of death easily. Most people are afraid to die, I am not...my only issue with death is that I don't want to die painfully...so with all the news being about the large number of deaths, it doesn't bother me hearing this on a daily basis but my husband can't handle it for too long or if at all so we have to change the channel.

I hate to cook but i'll clean so thank God no one expected me to be suddenly the key chef. In fact everyone cooks on designated days and I am the chief washer upper and I'm great with that. When you have a house with millennials you have to set the expectations and roster or else they will do nothing, especially the boys. My boy does his part and so does everyone else so things are running pretty smoothly. I am so glad. I do hear some grumblings between the siblings because one is very fussy so every noise disturbs her but when she is making noise it's alright...sigh. I stay out of that.

I can stick to an exercise regime every day for 3 days without making excuses because as we're home we tend to eat more and the weight climbs on so you gotta do something about it. So people I've learned that I can stay positive through the worst of situations once I can keep busy doing something creative...like blogging and that despite all the bad going on around I can still see the good in it because it is brining families together, it's changing how we see our planet and each other, it's brining out the best in most people and it's teaching us that we can work from home and thereby cut down the amount of traffic and stress that we workers go through daily in trying to get to work and lastly that technology is our friend and not our enemy.



What have yu learned about yourself or your roommate(s)?

P.S. I'm still trying to decide if to merge this site with my art site and stay focused and a Lifestyle and art blog. Trying to figure out which is best to keep...the ".com" or the ".org" site...sigh. Later people

The Attitude is Everything Programme

Hi guys....as you know I am a Development Coach and I coach mainly managers, supervisors and executives. I am licensed by a company in the US and recently with the situation of this pandemic, they brought out a program caled Attitude is Everything. It's 4 sessions once a week, it's a digital programme and I coach you through it for the 4 weeks, helping you to get grounded, focus on what's next and I help you get a better handle on where you want to go in your life, especially to deal with the effects of this pandemic. Unfortunately they didn't offer this free, none of their programmes are free, but I decided to mention it on my blog in case anyone was interested.



I would be your coach, you would get the digital programme sent to you, we would organise to meet every week and go through each lesson as I coach and facilitate you through the programme material. We would use zoom to interact and at the end you receive a certificate and you do an evaluation on the process. I don't know if this is of interest to anyone but I said let me at least give you my followers the option. Wth my clients they normally do these types of programmes for their staff so that is on a different level.

If you want to organise some coaching one on one without the use of the program or you're interested in my other programmes, give me a shout out via gfrancistt@gmail.com



ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING



Oh and in case anyone was thinking this, please note I'm not trying to sell a program....I'm not selling you on anything, it's all about if you feel you need something like this....You either do or you don't, if you don't not a problem but at least you know about it and you have choices because there are a lot of things out there that can help us but we don't know about them, that has happened to me many times and I find out afer the fact. In those cases then I pass on the info to others who I know might benefit, although I missed out. Let's share things we know can help each other. That's what the world is all about....

So, i'll check you guys next week and stay safe. Luv you all



Regards,

Gail (Gafra)

Making Changes During This Epic Period

Hi guys....how is everyone doing? I am great. in fact I love being at home and working from home. one thing that definitely happens is that you start to reconsider how you do things and what you do and what are the things you can do without and what you simply need to get rid of. So on considering all these different considerations I've looked at what has been the reason for me starting a blog and why? I've also started looking at how I spend my income on my different Online sites.

Basically, I started my blog to share my culture and my thoughts. I've leaned from the different Youtube videos that you can use t to teach and help others. I do that sometimes but my main focus is my Art, so I created another site called gafra-art.com for my art and there I share my present blog posts as well as all that I am experiencing in my art life, so I've been considering closing this site and shifting everything to that art site. i want to concentrate on sharing my life, thoughts, my art life, my art learnings and with such a change I know I may lose a few or maybe even all of my followers.

It will be like starting over and for some of us this can be a scary thing. Change is always scary and we will have lots of doubts and uncertainties as to whether or not we're doing the right thing, but I have no choice to some extent as with this pandemic we all have to watch our dollars and I presently run 3 sites and if you're not aware....in the caribbean our exchange rate is 7 to 1 so where you pay $100USD for your website that is equivalent to $700.00 TTD for me so with 3 sites that's a good bit of money.

Another reason i may cancel this site and move everything to my art site is that I don't get as much feedback or comments from this site as I do from the other. People let me know if you want me to keep this site and I will. If I don't hear much of a response then it will be a case of sitting and making that hard decision to close one. My next uncertainty is that in reading one article they say it's best to keep a ".org" Wordpress site versus a ".com" Wordpress site and I'm not sure what that means. An third, the other site has my new branded name whereas this site has my very very old brand. WAHT DO I DO PEOPLE? I love both sites but am I really losing out on anything if I close this one and revert everyone to my other site? SIGH!!!! Questions, questions????? Guys...help me here...What would you do?

some other changes that were pretty easy since this Pandemic are:

1. Working fully from home

2. Closing my office as an office, brick and mortar is no longer really needed

3. Changing exercise and eating habits that are now a routine

4. More involved in my Coaching business with the cash flow and budgeting (before i let my husband make all decisions now we do most together)

5. Paying bills online and doing most of our transfers etc online

So guys, ther are a few more changes that I've made...just can't think of them right now but I'm sure you've had to make some major changes and they probably will remain even after this pandemic is over.



People all the best, stay safe, stay at home, wash your hands and stay well.

Regards,

Gafra (Gail)

My Routine During This Pandemic

Hi guys.... so we've been on lock down for about 3 weeks now and as I mentioned i'm used to working from home but my husband isn't. But as time passes and we start to organise our separate spaces things are working out well. I have my little corner in my bedroom where I do all of my Coaching sessions and he does his meetings and sessions in our Library/art studio at his desk. It gets hot in there at a particular time of the day so he then moves into the bedroom with me...unfortunately that is when challenges occur but we've managed to work those out.

We used to go walking on a popular hill called Chancellor every afternoon but with Covid that has stopped, now we do a Pilates video called Winsor Pilates...I used to do her years ago via a CD but my husband borrowed it one day to try it and it got scraped and was useless, so it's great to see that now everything is accessible via Youtube. That is where we found her. We do her pilates 20 minute video then a 10 minute Kettlebell video. They might be short but...oooohhhh....they are killers.

So getting into a routine has really helped him. We also follow a pattern on getting up fairly early, have a bath, organise and have breakfast, organise for our sessions, conduct our sessions, take a break at lunch, restart our afternoon sessions then end at around 4pm, relax for an hour, exercise then bath, have dinner and relax via watching V or a movie. On the weekends we spend a lot of time in our garden and we tend to get up latter and we do any chores that are outstanding. Life is good despite what is happening all around.

How are you making out and what is your routine, I would love to hear about how you're doing. I'm even open to chatting online if you need some advice or coaching....I mean that's what I do so if you ned help with anything then contact me via my gmail and we can connect. I am here for you - gfrancistt@gmail.com

Stay safe guys until next post, love you all!