Dwindling confidence plays havoc with the human basic instincts. The Daily Mail carried a feature this week, about consumers cheating at checkouts, allegedly a third of us admit to this, and to me it is a sad symptom of a nation of people who are gripped with fear about the precarious economic climate.
Fear sadness, guilt and anger, being basic human emotions, can hold many of us back in life and are both nature and nurture within all of us.
As young children for example, if our Mother was frightened of spiders, then there is a good chance that so will you, or one of your siblings be.
If you had an angry father, then you are likely to have similar tendencies to fly off the handle, unless you are conscious about this particular trait, and you may have, perhaps through harrowing childhood experiences, at the mercy of an angry parental outburst, made positive steps to address what may be considered as a weak gene?
With economic restraint, fuelling human fear and enhancing the other basic human emotions, what tends to happen is that we revert to childlike behaviour: leaving the house ten minutes earlier so that you beat your colleague to the best parking space outside your office, pondering over your inbox so as to avoid your turn in team tea making duties and so on.
Time management is affected too, not helped by the multi hat wearing expectations lain upon you by your overstressed boss; the need to meet sales targets with fewer personnel to help you, noticing that you simply do not have enough hours in the day to return calls, or answer emails.
The hard economy ripples over us all and can be all consuming but with some small attitude tweaks, we can replenish our energy levels, which in themselves are perhaps the most damaging crosses we have to bare; drained energy leading to apathy, result: poor productivity both at work and home.
Start by siphoning those inner child qualities within you and draw upon the endearing qualities you had and still have when you were a child and the abundant sense of energy which is so empowering.
Do you remember sharing your packed lunch with Susan, the little girl with her sun kissed cheeks? The little girl who’s Mother regularly forgot to pack her sandwiches. How your kindness energised you and enhanced your sense of wellbeing?
Perhaps you remember Ben, the fantastic footballer at your local club. You felt sorry for him because he never did have the correct gear; you lent him yours often enough, because you admired his talent, his great humour and yet felt for him because his parents were so neglectful and his spirit drive and energy, shone over your whole team, fuelling you all with hope and possibility, uniting you in such a positively infectious way, that in 1989 your team represented your county!
Take ten minutes in your lunch break and reflect on your childhood memories, good or bad, focus on an event which fuelled you with energy, recall how positively people responded to its outcome then use that energy supply to gently shift your attitude in the week ahead.
I for instance was born with cerebral palsy and am so lucky that it’s mild, only affecting my right hand side. My childhood was difficult yet I found pleasure in talking to my pets and making up stories to read my siblings. I suppose in my case I drew comfort from fantasying because in real life, my childhood was challenging. I was also a victim of bullying and believe me; its affects are long lasting.
With my purpose being to help primary school children be kind to one another, I’ve written a book drawn from my own energy, the flight and fight attitude I learnt through my experiences as a frightened little girl, subjected to daily taunts, and from small acorns who knows, perhaps it will engage children, parents and teachers alike and help to educate them in the important anti- bullying message.
Emma Andrews www.dillysdog.co.uk www.thebusinesspromoter.co.uk
Our house is called The Firs because it has fir trees.
