Tag: meaning

Boxing Day

Posted on by philipdodson

boxing day

26th December is called Boxing Day in the UK, it originates from the 1800s, when the wealthy gave their servants and trades people a ‘Christmas box’ and allowed them time with their families.

Fast forward to 2015 and for many it is day of sheer uninhibited consumerism.

In 2015 we will spend approximately £3.74 Billion in one day on stuff we do not need, non-essential things to add to the pile of non-essential things we unwrapped only the day before.

If you took that money and spent it on something meaningful, like the homeless, the people flooded out in Cumbria, or extra nurses and the list can continue.

£3.74 bn = 160,000 nurses based on their current £22,875 annual salary. It could easily feed and house every single one of the approximate 112,000 homeless people and it would certainly ensure everyone in Cumbria was taken care of.

What would Boxing Day mean then? A day of kindness and meaning, that would change other people’s lives, perhaps for a lifetime.

You never know

Posted on by philipdodson

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When you first talk with someone, you never know at that point where that conversation may lead.

Yet all too often, we are pre-programmed to judge people and their potential worth to us.

We look at someone’s business card and title, then decide whether or not to talk with them. We ‘target’ people based on all sorts of judgements, and sure experience will give us a view on these things.

However, if we approach meetings and conversations with an open mind and a willingness to go with the flow, then it is amazing just what might come up. This is part of the magic of life, that too many are willing to forgo for a quick fix.

One of the biggest obstacles to this happening is the culture of instant gratification, where no one is prepared to wait for results to happen. Yet the most successful people, have a long-term thinking and know that small things, done regularly and well, build momentum and results come. They realise that a curious and open mind is more likely to unlock the best things in life.

Not only do things happen, but for the patient and committed, bigger results come, than for those who took the short cut, to instant and short-lived outcomes.

It takes hard work and time to create anything of substance and meaning, don’t be tempted by low hanging fruit.