I had a really emotional experience the other day and I want to share with you, because it moved me deeply.
I was meeting a friend for a bite to eat on the busy tourist mecca that is The Royal Mile and walking down the street, dodging the crowds, I was able to observe the ‘performance’ of a homeless man. Wrapped in a blanket, his hat placed on the road in front of him, he asked almost everyone who passed for one of two very specific things, ‘some change’ or’ a light’ for his cigarette. He chose to ask me for a light; “Sorry, I don’t smoke” was my reply.
This man was very animated, very engaged with his audience and obviously skilled at managing the crowds to get some comfort for himself.
It was absolutely freezing cold and feeling the bite of the bitter wind, I decided to have a stroll round the tourist shops and warm myself as I waited for my friend to arrive.
As I passed another doorway, I saw another homeless person, this one curled in the corner of the doorway, no chat, no requests, no performing tricks for cash.
I was overcome with the need to speak to this man. I had no idea why or what I was going to say, but I took a lovely crisp £5 note from my purse and approached him.
“Hello” I said “I’m really cold out here.”
He just looked at me
“Can I get you something to heat you up, a coffee or something?”I offered.
He sat up, pulled his clean hat up over his face and his clean scarf down and a young, fresh faced lad looked back at me and said, “Thank you, but I don’t really like coffee”
“Neither do I, it’s just that I am feeling really cold and think you must be too, and I want to get you something warm”
“Thank you, maybe a cup of tea,” he responded.
As I looked around to find a place to buy a cup of tea, I had a better idea
“Why don’t I give you the £5 and you can go and sit somewhere to warm up while drinking the tea.”
“That’s too much,” he said. “It’s a lot of money, are you sure?”
“Yes, I would like you to have it. Are you homeless?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
He took the money and put it in his inside pocket.
“Are you OK?” I asked, not knowing what else I could do.
“Yes, I have a room in a hostel tonight, I don’t always get one but I am OK for tonight.”
“OK, go get your tea” I put my hand out to him and his gloved hand held mine for a while as we looked at each other, and I felt a deep connection with him, his heart to mine.
I walked back up the road to meet my friend and saw the first homeless man I had encountered that night, puffing away on his cigarette. He had gotten his light! All was well.
When my friend arrived we walked back to the young man I’d given money to; I wanted to do more even though I didn’t know what that might be.
He was gone. The doorway was empty. There was nothing more to do.
When I arrived home I was very appreciative of my comfortable home, my warm fire and my clean bed. I had a new perspective on my life.
I’ve often thought of him over the past couple of days and the desperation that homelessness can bring to a person’s life. How do you get a job without an address? What do you do all day when you have nowhere to go? How do you pull out of that downward spiral? Where do you begin?
This made me think about my work and yours too. Often, it’s just one thing that slips, almost without our noticing, and then something else goes awry and then something else and before we know it, we’re overwhelmed and battling to stay afloat anyway we can.
Business can survive without proper organisation for a long time but when the cracks start to appear, it’s time to pull it all apart and start over with a foundational structure that supports all you do. Otherwise, the consequences can be harsh.
The absolutely hardest part when you want something more, better or different is getting started, it’s doing that first thing differently that often makes us all stop and give up, and that’s where miworld helps you.
The core of our work is working directly with clients, one on one, to develop the structure and support necessary to maximise growth for your life and business goals. However, miworld offers something more for business people, at different levels of engagement so you can truly find what you need right now to help you move forward quickly and without fear.
If you want to experience miworld without making the commitment of one to one consultancy then you can opt for any of the following:
• Visionworks! A monthly gathering to focus on building your business and help keep you on track. Its brilliant, fast and laser focussed to get your business moving in the right direction with the right people all aligned to your vision.
• Mastersclass, a shorter three month intense, deep work based on what the successful people do right, designed to get your business foundations really strong and working for you
• The Big Wheel – a more relaxed Sunday afternoon event where we focus on bringing our whole life into balance, and share great food along with our personal needs and aims for life, business and the world. Its powerful, amazing and revelatory.
Avoid the downward spiral we can all get sucked into when we’re not paying attention.
Start paying attention to what’s happening in your business, your life, your world and ask for help to dig out of the ditch and start building the road to future success.
Make 2015 your year, and make sure it gets off to a great start.
Jane
Ps. You can find more information about all of our programmes here
Do Humble Hearts Give Us a New Appreciation For What We Have?
I had a really emotional experience the other day and I want to share with you, because it moved me deeply.
I was meeting a friend for a bite to eat on the busy tourist mecca that is The Royal Mile and walking down the street, dodging the crowds, I was able to observe the ‘performance’ of a homeless man. Wrapped in a blanket, his hat placed on the road in front of him, he asked almost everyone who passed for one of two very specific things, ‘some change’ or’ a light’ for his cigarette. He chose to ask me for a light; “Sorry, I don’t smoke” was my reply.
This man was very animated, very engaged with his audience and obviously skilled at managing the crowds to get some comfort for himself.
It was absolutely freezing cold and feeling the bite of the bitter wind, I decided to have a stroll round the tourist shops and warm myself as I waited for my friend to arrive.
As I passed another doorway, I saw another homeless person, this one curled in the corner of the doorway, no chat, no requests, no performing tricks for cash.
I was overcome with the need to speak to this man. I had no idea why or what I was going to say, but I took a lovely crisp £5 note from my purse and approached him.
“Hello” I said “I’m really cold out here.”
He just looked at me
“Can I get you something to heat you up, a coffee or something?”I offered.
He sat up, pulled his clean hat up over his face and his clean scarf down and a young, fresh faced lad looked back at me and said, “Thank you, but I don’t really like coffee”
“Neither do I, it’s just that I am feeling really cold and think you must be too, and I want to get you something warm”
“Thank you, maybe a cup of tea,” he responded.
As I looked around to find a place to buy a cup of tea, I had a better idea
“Why don’t I give you the £5 and you can go and sit somewhere to warm up while drinking the tea.”
“That’s too much,” he said. “It’s a lot of money, are you sure?”
“Yes, I would like you to have it. Are you homeless?”
“Yes,” he said simply.
He took the money and put it in his inside pocket.
“Are you OK?” I asked, not knowing what else I could do.
“Yes, I have a room in a hostel tonight, I don’t always get one but I am OK for tonight.”
“OK, go get your tea” I put my hand out to him and his gloved hand held mine for a while as we looked at each other, and I felt a deep connection with him, his heart to mine.
I walked back up the road to meet my friend and saw the first homeless man I had encountered that night, puffing away on his cigarette. He had gotten his light! All was well.
When my friend arrived we walked back to the young man I’d given money to; I wanted to do more even though I didn’t know what that might be.
He was gone. The doorway was empty. There was nothing more to do.
When I arrived home I was very appreciative of my comfortable home, my warm fire and my clean bed. I had a new perspective on my life.
I’ve often thought of him over the past couple of days and the desperation that homelessness can bring to a person’s life. How do you get a job without an address? What do you do all day when you have nowhere to go? How do you pull out of that downward spiral? Where do you begin?
This made me think about my work and yours too. Often, it’s just one thing that slips, almost without our noticing, and then something else goes awry and then something else and before we know it, we’re overwhelmed and battling to stay afloat anyway we can.
Business can survive without proper organisation for a long time but when the cracks start to appear, it’s time to pull it all apart and start over with a foundational structure that supports all you do. Otherwise, the consequences can be harsh.
The absolutely hardest part when you want something more, better or different is getting started, it’s doing that first thing differently that often makes us all stop and give up, and that’s where miworld helps you.
The core of our work is working directly with clients, one on one, to develop the structure and support necessary to maximise growth for your life and business goals. However, miworld offers something more for business people, at different levels of engagement so you can truly find what you need right now to help you move forward quickly and without fear.
If you want to experience miworld without making the commitment of one to one consultancy then you can opt for any of the following:
• Visionworks! A monthly gathering to focus on building your business and help keep you on track. Its brilliant, fast and laser focussed to get your business moving in the right direction with the right people all aligned to your vision.
• Mastersclass, a shorter three month intense, deep work based on what the successful people do right, designed to get your business foundations really strong and working for you
• The Big Wheel – a more relaxed Sunday afternoon event where we focus on bringing our whole life into balance, and share great food along with our personal needs and aims for life, business and the world. Its powerful, amazing and revelatory.
Avoid the downward spiral we can all get sucked into when we’re not paying attention.
Start paying attention to what’s happening in your business, your life, your world and ask for help to dig out of the ditch and start building the road to future success.
Make 2015 your year, and make sure it gets off to a great start.
Jane
Ps. You can find more information about all of our programmes here
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