Bits and bobs

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale  

genistar.co,uk

An international bestseller with millions of copies in print, The Power of Positive Thinking has helped men and women around the world to achieve fulfilment in their lives through Norman Vincent Peale’s powerful message of faith and inspiration.

With the practical techniques outlined in this book (there are exercises to carry out) you can energise your life—and give yourself the initiative needed to carry out your ambitions and hopes. Each chapter of the book tackles different issues, such as worrying, creating happiness, having energy, etc. 

Know though, that there is a definite religious tone throughout the book, which could bother some. Peale was a preacher and he often cites bible passages.

The main points:

 Believe in yourself and in everything you do
· Build new power and determination
· Develop the power to reach your goals
· Break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life
· Improve your personal and professional relationships
· Assume control over your circumstances· Be kind to yourself

Positive thinking creates a positive life:
what we accomplish each day starts out as a thought, and each day, all day long, thoughts directly influence how we feel and what we do. 
So, if you spend your day thinking about negative things, expect to feel bad. 
On the other hand, if you spend your day concentrating on positive things, good things will happen. 
Such a simple and effective concept yet hard to do at times on its own is a good reason alone to read this book.

If you want to know if this actually works in practice, you will need read my blog tomorrow when I will cover the story of US Contest Queen, Helene Hadsell who used the principles in this book to win everything she ever wanted.

Bits and bobs

Pic from www.Amazon.co.uk

The Power to Shape your Destiny: 7 Strategies for Massive Results 
by Anthony Robbins ( set of 5 CDs)

The Power To Shape Your Destiny will become your best ally as you use it to realise what you really want from your life.

The first thing here is to have clear in your mind: what do you really really really want?

Then, whether you want to advance your career, lose weight, improve your relationships, see the world, or just have time to pursue your favourite hobby, this program will show you what has been holding you back in the past, and help you to achieve a break through.

Anthony Robbins understands the struggles and frustrations that can accompany any attempt to improve and grow.  He also knows the excitement and fulfillment that comes from actually reaching your goals and he can teach you how to shape your future through the power of purposeful goals by tapping into qualities that you already have inside of you.

What will you learn:

• How one simple exercise, when practiced for 20 minutes a day, can make you biggest dreams happen. This exercise can help you wiping out fear, procrastination, worry, anger, bad habit, or obstacle to achievement.
• How a certain quality you already possess can eliminate all your bad habits, and how that same quality can drive you to establish a new level of excellence for your life.
• How to identify the primary motivator in your life and modify it so it serves you.
• How to improve your decision-making system and your nervous system so you naturally attract and create a great destiny
• Powerful decision making skills that help your body and your mind actually create solutions

Pic from www.linkedin.com

Anthony Robbins will give you the skills and motivation you need to make your life extraordinary and this program will give you that extra boost to put you over the top. 

Remember though 2 very important things:

1. Like building muscles ( or becoming an athlete) you can't go to the gym once and except the muscles to suddenly appear, you need to do it regularly, the same is applicable here. Repetition is the key to mastery.
2. Knowledge is not power, is potential power. It is what you do with the knowledge that is important. Listen to the CDs and apply apply apply!!!

Bits and bobs

The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill 

Pic from Amazon.com

The Law of Success is Napoleon Hill's complete and original formula to achievement, is the book for everyone who wants to grasp the full range of Hill's ideas and tap their transformative power.

"The Law of Success" is a success manual course with fundamental 16 Lessons, examining the power of personal beliefs, and the role they play in personal success, the precursor as well as the hidden secret in Think and Grow Rich.

The introductory chapter, "The Master Mind," serves as a primer to Hill's overall philosophy. As Hill saw it, these lessons work as a "mind stimulant" that "will cause the student to organise and direct to a DEFINITE end the forces of his or her mind, thus harnessing the stupendous power which most people waste."

The 16 principles of success which you must absorb are:

1: The Master Mind - Telepathy, ether, vibration, and how it all is the basis for how the world functions. A master mind is the alliance of two minds joining in a harmonious way. The power that is formed from two or more minds coming together is more powerful than one alone. This is strictly for minds who trust each other and are interested in the good success of all parties involved.

2: Your Definite Chief Aim - You have to know what you want so that you can start receiving it.

3: Self Confidence - Believe that you are worthy of success and that you can attain it. Without this simple understanding you will probably get nowhere with most of your goals. 

4: The Habit of Saving - Stop trying to get a Porche if you feel more comfortable paying for a Panda. You are on the path to easily affording a Porche.

5: Initiative and Leadership - Leadership skills can be habituated and you don't have to be a born leader.  Hill acknowledges the penalties of leadership. Leaders are not always spoken of sweetly. This should not deter you from becoming a leader. Nobody bothers slandering a person who isn't somewhere near the upper rings of the ladder of success.

6: Imagination - Dream, and use your imagination to help lead you to the attainment of your goals. The making good decisions comes with use, dreams and actions are closely related.

7: Enthusiasm - Mix enthusiasm with your work - do something you are enthusiastic about- and you will not get tired nearly as quickly. Hill explains the things that can contribute to enthusiasm, one being to wear nice clothes. The opposite is also true, and this is to be avoided. Feel good about your appearance, because it also affects the first impression of you on others who can be instrumental in your path to success.

8  Self Control - Auto suggestion is like reprogramming your subconscious mind to believe what you want it to believe - to replace your old beliefs with new ones that will serve you better. This takes self control. When you take control over the thoughts you are thinking, then you can take control of your success. Make these thoughts the ones you want to believe, and see yourself the way you want to see yourself. 

9  Habit Of Doing More Than Paid For - If you are going to complain about your work, then you are not going anywhere. Do the work you have in front of you, then ask what else you may do. By doing this, you make yourself valuable, and you will surely reach a point where you are being paid very well. Valuable employees are... valuable. This is also and especially true when you are working for yourself.

10  Pleasing Personality - "Have one. Don't point things out on people, don't hang your head and say "I'm tired". Mediocrity does not care if you are pleasant or not. Success does".

11  Accurate Thought - Sort "facts" from "information", and use auto-suggestion in conjunction with focused thoughts.

12  Concentration - "Concentration is the act of focusing the mind on a given desire until ways and means for its realisation have been worked out and successfully put into operation".

13  Cooperation - The implementing of cooperation between you and others who are going to help you get to your goal. Cooperation must also exist between your conscious and subconscious mind so that they may work harmoniously in your favour.

14  Failure - Failure is inevitable,  and be happy that it is bringing you one step closer to success. Replace "failure" with "temporary defeat".

15  Tolerance - Don't practice prejudice or racism. It is ignorance, and it is a barrier to success. Just see the best in people and situations, and focus only on your goal and the good for all. 

16  The Golden Rule - "Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you." Also, "Think of others as you wish them to think of you."

This is the beginning of the application of the Quantum Physics theory brought to the masses. 

Hill formulated the self-help "auto-suggestion" theory in bites that could be assimilated by everyone so as to get people to better themselves no matter what their background was.

Don't be put off that it was written by Napoleon Hill in 1928 (85 years ago!) as it teaches many lessons. At time some statements might no longer apply because of the lapse of time since written, but the basis on which this book lies is still relevant today.

I cannot imagine how revolutionary this must have been at the time. Now it is up to you to read it and, most importantly, apply the principles.

People stuff

Nudging in practice

Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein is a book that explains how prompting people to make minor changes without telling them directly can have amazing results.

Thaler and Sunstein argue that their approach offers an alternative to both state mandated paths on the one hand and complete laissez-faire on the other and they call this Libertarian Paternalism. 
Overall the book does provide quite a few ideas for how we could achieve some beneficial behavioural changes without being too heavy-handed.

The UK Government created a Behavioural Insights Team (the nudge unit) which has since launched a number of nudging initiative onto the British public following this principle.

Some practical ways of making nudging work for your business:

Pic from market community.com

• If you offer a subsidised canteen or your have an outsourced provider, you can consider providing information about calorie content, links to popular fitness apps etc
• Run informal fitness competition amongst your staff (counting steps for example)
• Arrange the office in a way that encourages mobility and casual encounters (this will also aid flow of information and relationships)
• Offer good coffee (or tea) so staff can avoid long queues at Costa (or Starbucks etc. etc.)
• Provide water stations to improve consumption, hydration and well-being

People stuff

Pic from www.mentalhealthy.co.uk

Pay Attention to Whistleblowing

Usually employees cannot lodge a claim for unfair dismissal until they have been with their employer for a qualifying period of two years. In cases where there is a "protected disclosure"though (whistleblowing) employees can claim for automatic unfair dismissal as soon as they need to.

In the case of Chemistree v Gahir, the Employment Appeal Tribunal had to consider whether or not the claimant (employee) had suffered detriment due to the respondent’s (employer) alleged failure to act upon the disclosures immediately and whether or not the tribunal should have considered each disclosure separately as opposed to them all being rolled up together.

Ms Gahir, was an employee of Chemistree. Her role involved making sure that the pharmacy was compliant with statutory requirements and guidance. Her start date was 16th August 2010, and she was dismissed 18 days later on 3rd September 2010. It was claimed that Ms Gahir was dismissed on the grounds of ‘mutual unsuitability.’ In these 18 days, Ms Gahir raised 17 separate concerns via two emails relating to health and safety and failure to comply with legal obligations. These included statutory and regulatory requirements linked to the storage and dispensing of controlled medicines. These were later claimed to be protected disclosures (whistleblowing).

At Employment Tribunal, the tribunal held that the ‘principal,’ reason for Ms Gahir’s dismissal was that she had made a protected disclosure; it also held that Ms Gahir had suffered detriment as Chemistree had failed to quickly or adequately address her concerns. T

Pic from www.caerphilly.org.uk

Chemistree appealed to the EAT who concluded that Ms Gahir had not suffered detriment. The EAT upheld the claim for unfair dismissal but they found it difficult to see how she could have suffered such detriment between her dismissal and submission of her emails of complaint as she had been employed for such a short period of time. 

The EAT found that there had been no deliberate action or failure to act on behalf of the respondent AND concluded that the tribunal should originally have considered each disclosure separately and in detail taking a ‘systematic approach.’

There is no qualifying period of employment required to bring a claim of automatic unfair dismissal for whistleblowing ; it is recommended however that employers should investigate promptly and thoroughly as well as take specialist advice where concerns are raised regarding health and safety or legal obligations.

About Town

Welcome to Islington: Camden Passage   

Camden Passage has ranked alongside Portobello, Kensington Church Street and Spitalfields  since the 1950s as one of London’s leading antique locations,  and now the area has added also many new shops, restaurants, cafes and market stalls.

If you like something original you can certainly find it here: fashionable contemporary clothing, modern designer jewellery, Japanese art prints, together with specialist antique, silver ware, vintage clothing and retro shops which provide the backdrop for market stalls selling affordable collectables, vintage clothes and objets d’art that find their way into antique shops and homes all over the world.

Not to forget the various restaurant, café  where you can pause in between shopping and wondering around.

Camden Passage has four separate market areas - Annie's Antique & Vintage Market, Camden Passage Market, Charlton Place Market and Pierrepont Arcade Market. The market areas and market stalls each have different areas of expertise, so take your time to look around.

Recommended this week:

Food and drinks

The Elk in the Woods , bustling restaurant right in the middle of Camden Passage, offering freshly cooked seasonal food in a rustic style with plenty of modern European twists.

The Camden Head

The Camden Head, traditional pub in a Grade II listed building  and a nice beer garden where you can enjoy the sunshine and watching people go by whilst enjoying a nice pint.

The Camden Head is also London's only FREE professional comedy club, 7 nights a week with regular TV headliners (TimeOut)

Pistachio & Pickle Dairy, best of british and international artisan cheeses, pickles and breads

Shopping

Decandent Vintage , women's fashion from 1950s to 1980s with a lot of designers like Dior, Chanel and Ives-Saint Laurent.

Paul.A.Young, amazing artisanal chocolates at forefront of British chocolate scene, truly yummy.

About Town

Welcome to Islington: Exmouth Market, London EC1


Exmouth Market is a classic story of urban gentrification: a one time run-down area whose old warehouses and factories were colonised by publishing, design and architecture firms in the 1990s, now one of London’s most desirable streets, situated nearby the Sadler's Wells theatre, with a trendy vibe, as demonstrated by the variety of stylish independent businesses in the highly pedestrianised street, including some of the city’s most appealing restaurants and places to drink, too many for me to mention.

Which restaurant or bar you try will depend greatly on your personal taste and inclination on the day; whatever it is, you will be spoilt for choice and you can always come back and try something else next time. My recommendations are below.




Recommendations this week:

Food and drinks
Sweet Boulangerie & Patisserie brings the flavors of France to London in its fabulous sweet and savoury creations, Love, love, love...
La Ferme, french restaurant and delicatessen which offers a wide selection of the finest produces from France. Truly yummy rest.
Exmouth Arms, traditional pub (and cocktails).


Theatre
Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company — Patrias. Legendary flamenco guitarist Paco Peña brings new work to Sadler’s Wells, exploring through music and song the emotional, physical and cultural impact of the Spanish Civil War on his country’s history. Last show tonigth.

Shopping
Botanique , a lovely artisan store and flower shop

Borough Wines offering handpicked wide range of wines and a diverse selection of local and international craft beers and boutique spirits

About Town Re-post

Welcome to Islington  

 Welcome to Islington, the first in a series of blogs about my lovely borough with a bit of history thrown in, things to do and my recommendations for the week.

Islington lies to the north of the city centre and is the second smallest London borough although very densely populated. It started as an overcrowded London suburb transformed into a neighbourhood of high-class status, home to the vibrant Upper Street, Camden Passage and Chapel Market and the residential areas around Angel tube station.
Islington is home to approx 200,000 people, a vibrant and lively part of the world and benefits from a wealth of restaurants, clubs, fringe theatres and community events: buildings that began as inns and defunct social houses have since been re-emerged as fashionable gastropubs, wine bars, and boutiques all very well serviced by many bus lines and nearby tube stations.



Some interesting facts:

• The escalator at Angel station is the longest of all London stations, at 60m, with a vertical rise of 27.5m.
• Tony Blair, Colin Firth, George Orwell, Lily Allen and Boris Johnson have all lived in Islington.
• The licensees for the board game Monopoly used to meet for tea in the Lyon’s Corner House in Islington. That’s why The Angel, Islington has a spot in the game.
• Islington was the first London borough to receive fresh water via an aqueduct running from Hertfordshire to the New River Head reservoir. This is now the path of the New River Walk.
• Many suffragettes, including Emmeline Pankhurst and Emily Wilding Davison, spent time in jail at Holloway prison
• The Camden Passage antiques market has been supplying Londoners with collectibles and bric-a-brac for over 50 years, and is always busy with bargain hunters at weekends.
• The Islington Farmers’ Market, London’s oldest such market has some 30 stalls every Sunday on Chapel Market, selling a variety of fresh produce, local delicacies and organic foods. 

 

Recommended this week:
Food and drinks
Fredricks - family run restaurant since 1969, has a lovely conservatory and garden at the back, perfect to enjoy the nice weather and the delicious food.


Amorino Ice Cream Shop, 110 Upper St - delicious artisanal ice-cream. My favourite flavour - pistacchio.

The Bar with No Name, 69 Colebrooke Row, N1 8AA, has shed its previous mysterious reputation and is now packed out every night with people dying to sample the expertly crafted cocktails

Art
The Experience of Colour Astrazione Oggetiva - exhibition exploring a little-known movement in Italian painting, with colour as the focal point of the artistic practice, exploring its optical and perceptual effects. NOW CLOSED :-(
Imagine Islington - an exhibition or art inspired bu objects from Islington Museum

Theatre
Ugly Lovely by Ffion James, fringe theatre at its best, showing at the Old Red Lion in St John's Street.

 

About Town

Welcome to Islington: Upper Street 

Pic from bbc.co.uk

Islington is not just for the champagne socialists, whichever way you lean, it offers something for your weekend:
Welcome to Upper Street.



Upper Street is Islington's high street. There is an abundance of restaurants and bars, many fashionable shops, pubs, and theatres.

The hilltop village of Islington originally consisted of two streets in addition to the High Street: Upper Street and Lower Street, which diverged from the High Street at Islington Green and both date back to at least the 12th century.Henry VIII hunted duck in the ponds off Upper Street, while Walter Raleigh lived in Upper Street and owned a pub in Lower Street, since renamed Essex Road.

Pic from hospitalityandcateringnews.com

St. Mary's Church, Islington, was rebuilt in 1754 and dominates the Islington skyline and is still in full use today.
The Little Angel Theatre is a children's puppet theatre in a former Temperance hall, behind the church.
Directly opposite St. Mary's Church is the King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970, the first pub theatre in the UK, located in the back room behind the bar at the King's Head pub.

In the 18th century Upper Street started to be redeveloped from an agricultural to a residential area and it became later notorious (late ninetheen century) for its night-time entertainments. In 1870, Charles Dickens described the area as "amongst the noisiest and most disagreeable thoroughfares in London."

How things have changed; if I say so myself, Upper Street is now a vibrant cafe culture/art scene/entertainment island to rival the West End (did I say I love Islington?).

You must come and visit, what are you waiting for?

Recommended this week:
Food and drinks
Practically every other door in Upper Street is either a pub, a restaurant or some kind of eatery, a mix of well know chain-brands and smaller independents, too many to mention; there is certainly something for all tastes and price brackets.
A couple of gems worth mentioning for me:
Casa Manolo , a tiny bit of Spain in the heart of Islington, offering eating-in as well authentic products for sale ( jamon iberico, Yum :-p ).

Udderliscious Ice Cream, an independent ice-cream parlour toward the Highbury end of Upper Street, making utterly deliciously scrumptious ice cream; they often experiment and they even do flavour requests ( yes, that's right). You have to try it.




Entertainment

Pic from www.list.co.uk

Screen on the Green, love love love this "experience" cinema, offering a mix of independent, foreign language, culture, classics and the latest blockbusters movies (and you can drink a nice glass of red whilst enjoying the movie too, priceless). Star Trek Beyond is showing now.

The Kings Head with Noel Cowards and Friends live in Las Vegas (31st July) and Festival46.

The Little Angel Theatre , 3 Little Pigs currently on.

Shopping
Twentytwentyone , new and vintage meet in this design store beloved by architects, designers and other trendies (or people who want to be trendy). Quality, beautifully-designed homeware is carefully sourced and advice on investing in classic retro furniture available.
Little Paris, for the lovers of French home deco, Little Paris offers a time trip through an eclectic range of vintage and unique furniture, curiosities, contemporary fashion and home accessories directly sourced from France. The shop is constantly restocked, so it is worth popping in regurlalry.