January 2018 Newsletter - The 4 Ps to a Happy 2018

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2018!

You’ve probably taken down the decorations already, but we must ask: did you all have a warm and fun-filled festive season? Did you take time out to share good times and create memories with family and friends? We sincerely hope you did, as recharging this way is essential before regrouping to press forward to your goals over the next year…and beyond.

We at WIH are always in awe of that special feeling that comes with the start of The New Year. For us, that feeling is all about ‘The 4 Ps’ – promise, endless possibilities, potential and progress. However one ends the old, the new always comes with this quadruplet of Ps. And as you can see, they are inextricably linked – you just need to work on one, then the others follow (doesn’t matter in what order) because the result is always progress.

January is the time to lay a plan, open your mind and capitalise on that special feeling to maximise the opportunities throughout the year. And you know what’s important? Tracking your progress as you go along. As you know, life is full of twists and turns and peaks and troughs, so when it gets a little tough, you need a little reminder that you’re moving forward.

Track Your Progress… In a Memory Jar

So, here’s one tip we will share with you to track your achievements in 2018 and that we hope will keep you driving towards The 4 Ps no matter the obstacles that come your way. It’s our version of the ‘Memory Jar’ that some of you may have heard of:

• Get a clear jar – any size will do – and store it in your chosen special place. You may want it visible or hidden away – it’s up to you.

• Each time you achieve something, anything that’s meaningful to you based on your own life plan (and remember, a life plan doesn’t have to be elaborate either), write it on a piece of paper, fold it and place it in the jar. You can use different coloured paper themed to family, personal, career, spiritual, etc.

• Over the next 12 months, if you ever feel adrift or question whether you’re getting anywhere, open the jar, grab any paper, read it out loud and when you remind yourself of what you’ve done, guaranteed, you’ll have picked yourself up and will keep on moving.

I remember one year, I went to my jar after a clash with my then 6 or 7-year-old that had left me feeling like a particularly rubbish mother (of course I didn’t show him that I felt that way). I unfolded one of the pieces of paper. In all honesty, I don’t remember what was written on that particular slip. However, I tend to have these very random thoughts and for some reason, whatever was written on that paper made me think back to a special moment. One year previously, on a stopover in Johannesburg, this 6/7-year-old simply gave me an impulsive hug as he shouted out – ‘Mummy you’re awesome!’ Granted I had just agreed to a purchase of some random item for him, but the size of said item was not commensurate with the intensity and spontaneity of the squeeze I got. All I knew was that I, and the woman behind us (judging by her squeal of delight) felt very tingly and quite good after that. Back to my jar, I then thought that maybe I wasn’t so rubbish after all, and so continued parenting as I had been, with the inevitable tweaks here and there that we all must make. When I think of it, had I been creating the memory jar then, that hug would have gone in…

We urge you to start filling your jars today!

What can WIH-UK do for you in 2018?

We thank all 534 of you for signing up to WIH in 2017, and it’s been a pleasure to meet some of you at our coffee mornings. This year, we want to continue serving you in the best way we can, and whilst we have some plans, we also want to hear from you on how we can do this. Please look out for a survey in the next couple of weeks asking you about what you would like more (or less!) of, so that we can make the platform truly work for you. There will be a prize draw for those taking part in the survey, so get ready with your ideas!

Upcoming Events

• How to Start a Nursing Agency: Healthcare Business Start-up and Scale-up

On Friday January 26th, we will be holding a workshop on the ins and outs of setting up a business in the healthcare sector, e.g., nursing recruitment agency, care home, etc. The event is free and details can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-to-attend-how-to-start-and-run-a-nursing-recruitment-agency-care-home-leeds-event-tickets-41233180553?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing

Time: 930am – 230pm

Venue: Weetwood Hall Hotel, Otley Road, Leeds, LS16 5PS

Coffee Mornings

Your coffee mornings will be back so follow us on Facebook and IG for details. These will be additional opportunities to network, share and push boundaries!

Once again, a happy, purpose-filled and progressive 2018 to you all!

The WIH-UK Team