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A Strong Work Ethic - Working 9 to ...

A Strong Work Ethic - Working 9 to ...

Strong Work Ethic

With Labour day celebrated this weekend in the USA I reflect on some of my work experiences and work ethic.

Observing a strong Work Ethic in my early years

I grew up observing a strong work ethic. Hearing about how my grandfathers emigrated from India to East Africa in their early teens for the want of a better life and opportunities. They faced many hardships and challenges in a new country, culture, language and at the time not much of a community. They went into business at a young age. It was part of the cultural blood. Higher academic education was less of a priority at that time.

My father and his brothers were running business in Kenya while in their teens, being trained and taking over from my grandfather. Then having to restart in a different city before taking the step to emigrate to London in the early 70s and going through the same hardships and challenges of being in a new country, culture, language and at the time not much of a community with the added aspect of cold, wet, raining miserable weather for seasons of the year.

My mother followed 6 months later on her own travelling with 3 young children, the oldest 7 and the youngest, me only 1 years old. Imagine how the airflight was then going through luggage control to get and carry the luggage with a 1 year old in her arms. The cold of the December month and are then a quite racist environment - very distance from the now diverse, accepting, aware and cosmopolitan nation the UK is.

My working career - early days

In my youth I polished shoes and washed cars for family members to earn a little bit of money. Helped my brothers on their paper round. Worked in the holidays and some weekends in my uncle’s news agent shop as well as in another uncle’s jean shop. Mid teens around GCSEs (‘O’ Levels) and ‘A’ levels I had my first Saturday job. I would go to Oxford Street, London to work in Olympus Sport at Selfridges. Did the Christmas season there too.

image: Photo by Xin on Unsplash

6 month Review 2023

6 month Review 2023

Review

At various points in the year I look taking a moment to a review of the preceding time period. This is often at the end of the year with the Looking Back, Looking Forward workshop, the middle of the year and sometimes ad hoc too. This year I have had the mid year review in mind, thought about it in my head, made notes but not been able to write up and share till now.

Like journaling, writing and sharing the review helps me celebrate the wins, learn from the challenges, see growth and gratefully acknowledge the opportunities.

Every Day Happiness

Every Day Happiness

In addition to being a coach, speaker and trainer, I am now also an author of the ebook, “Every Day Happiness”.

‘Every Day Happiness’ provides understanding, tools and habits we can utilise to navigate a world with rising uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This increase makes more demands on our Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social and Spiritual Wellbeing. Everyday Happiness is a nonfiction book written for professionals, business owners, leaders and managers reminding them to choose to put Happiness and Positive Emotions at the heart of everything they do. Thereby they will have better happiness, mental and emotional wellbeing, productivity and life satisfaction in all areas of their life.