One of my clients asked me how she could switch off her brain. We have decluttered her spare room and set it up as a home office. While she was excited about it, she felt she couldn’t enjoy it. Too many questions and thoughts were on her mind.
My client is a very clever lady who has a lot going on. In the midst of changing a high profile job,
Can you believe it? Time is flying. A number of my clients and friends vowed to make changes to their lifestyle at the beginning of the year. It’s now June and where are they with living a healthier and active life?
This week, I spoke at the 20th Compensation & Benefits Forum where you could see a clear trend of companies emphasising wellbeing initiatives and supporting their employees with their wellbeing goals. It was fantastic to hear companies are being more concerned about their employees’ wellbeing. What small and lasting changes can you make to your wellbeing? Here are some of the trends and tips:
In less than a week, the holy month of Ramadan will start. Muslims will bring daily sacrifices by fasting and will be rehearsing the Koran. It’s a time where friends and family come together. Regardless of their religions, Iftar meals are enjoyed throughout the country. The holy month is also a time for reflection which we so often neglect. This special month can also be a very busy one.
How can you prepare for Ramadan 2016?
This was a busy week for me. INDEX, the largest exhibition for interior design, took place in the DWTC. I couldn’t wait for its doors to open and being amazed by the beautiful designs, patterns and colours. This year, I also made it part of my own learning to attend a number of design talks.
I’m so happy to bring you the highlights of the most powerful presentations to you. Let they bring creativity, inspiration and peace of mind right to your home!
First of all, please let me apologise for not publishing on Monday, and then again, yesterday. It was a tough and frustrating decision to not publish a blog post this week.
As my loved ones say, I have a tendency to overcommit and want to do a good (note, not perfect!) job. Last weekend, I had to complete a couple of projects and I also had some engagements this week. Knowing that my energies were running low, I chose to not publish this week.
It was part of saying my approach of “Say No to say Yes”.
Have you ever experienced this? Your life is fine, you have a beautiful home and yet, there’s a room or an area which is just full of clutter. You feel it’s just too much to tackle. It’s so much easier to close the door or put a blind eye to the mess. In short, you’re overwhelmed!
Last week, a client felt overwhelmed with the question: “Where do I start?” She had a number of areas in her bedroom which she wanted to organise: The closet, the dresser and the en-suite bathroom. Yet, she didn’t know how to get there and became overwhelmed working on these 3 projects simultaneously. Since we started working together, we broke down her projects, removing the feeling of being overwhelmed and replacing it with the joy of quick successes!
For the 16th time, the Emirates Literature Festival took place again last week. What a great event it was this year! Filled with exciting and insightful presentations from John Torode, Julie Lewis to Michel Bussi, workshops and masterclasses and plenty of activities for kids, it was such a wonderful way of spending some time in an almost different world, the literary world.
One of my absolute favourites is Ian Rankin, the Scottish crime writer who created Inspector Rebus. While having heard Rankin speak before, this time was very special to me. He captured my attention for his entire presentation. Listening to his stories was so amazing that I forgot the exhaustion from my overnight flight and I was truly in the present. I was mindful!
It’s simple. I love my weekends and what better way to start it than by attending a concert with my friend? Simple Minds were playing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Wow! The stadium was packed, the band put on a great show and we were just soaking up the fun surrounding us.
As I looked at the stars during one song, I realised again how lucky I am. It’s late January and we were outside (I admit the 21C/70F did feel cold though). It was a Thursday night, last day of our working week, and we were being entertained by a fabulous band from my childhood. I was spending the evening with one of my closest friends. I was simply grateful for what life gave me.
Gratitude which is defined as “being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.” can be such a cool thing. What are you grateful for?
The festive season is almost over and the long weekend seems to be months away. It was such a wonderful time celebrating with my loved ones on the beach. But then, I was shocked seeing a Facebook post about my cousin in the US. She was hospitalised – suspected stroke! While she’s better and at now home now, it was terrible news.
It made me realise how important spending time with our loved ones really is. We’d expect something to happen to our parents, not to our cousins and friends.
We’re all so busy wrapping up outstanding projects at work, finalising that sale before year end, preparing for the Holidays, rushing from one party to another, getting the nails done and so on. There’s hardly any time for us to just breathe. Even at the hairdresser’s, it’s writing down what needs to be done next.
The last few weeks of a year always seem to be a mad rush. Last week, we had our company year end party which was such a great laugh. In less than 2 weeks, we’ll celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Christmas. For a lot of expats in Dubai, this will be time to travel to their home countries and many are also thinking how and where to spend New Year’s Eve. I’m so happy that all this is sorted and I’ve some peace of mind!
Yet, as we’re getting ready to celebrate, it’s also time to wrap up 2015. Nowadays, year end is almost forgotten and few people only use it to reflect. Instead, we’re already focusing on the next year. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s finish this year first. Here’s a list of activities to wrap up in 2015: