Living in Style event – panel discussion

You can now see the video of the panel discussion from the Living in Style event in June. Featuring: Clarke Peters, Mamta Bhatia, Pinkesh Patel and Rachelle Gaskell.

Thank you!

We had just over 100 people come yesterday (Sunday 7th June) to Living in Style:  A different perspective. Thanks to all of you who came – we hope you enjoyed it and took a valuable experience away. If you had a question for any of of our speakers and didn’t get a chance to put it forward, you can do so by leaving a comment on this blog and we’ll make sure we put a response up on this blog. We’d love for you to share any of your feedback and comments too – we’ll try and post some of the responses on our feedback form here too.

To those of you who couldn’t make it, don’t worry – we’re hoping to have videos from the event up on this blog soon.  If you like what you see, we’d love you to share the videos with your friends.

We’re going to have another Living in Style event in October and we’ll be giving more details about that as soon as it is fixed – it’s like to be at the Global Retreat Centre in Oxford.

The Living in Style event team

Curing the chaos in the mind

Hi, it’s Mamta here again. One of the things we’ll be addressing at the Living in Style event on 7th June is the issue of how dissolve the chaos that is in the mind at times of difficulty. It would be great to hear your experiences on the day.

For me, the first thing is to remember that I am a spiritual being.  So much time is spent on nurturing our bodies, pandering to a material world and generally focusing on things that are temporary.  Whatever happened to our spiritual values? Whatever happened to setting up any principles that we actually live by?!  Practicing Yoga or Pilates for an hour a week doesn’t quite get you there I’m afraid.

Do you know what you stand for, what you represent, what is your purpose?  You may think this doesn’t mean anything and couldn’t possibly help you.  However, it is a proven fact that, the more insight you have of yourself, the less likely you will be influenced by others and the more individualistic you will be.  The less influenced you are means more focus and time on what you actually want to achieve and get out of life and the more chance there is that you will achieve it.

Ask yourself where are you are heading and how close you are to your destination.  Try to step outside of yourself and observe what you have been doing, question yourself and think, are you happy?  Many people I coach are so far tangled by the ropes in their minds that they haven’t a clue where to start.  All is not lost, every second is a chance to turn it all around and the solution is simple.

Be in silence, alone, for a minimum of an hour.  Notice what is going on in your mind, what are you telling yourself.  Decide what you are going to do with the voices, split your thoughts (after writing them down) into two categories: positive – helpful to me, negative – unhelpful to me.  Focus your energy on the positive; make the most of these thoughts and the least on the negative.  Scrub them out and realise that they are like a disease, carrying pollution that will definitely impact and cloud your mind.

‘Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes’ -  Carl Gustav Jung 1875 – 1961

Hope to see on you on the 7th!

Choose, change…and become

Our friends at the International Youth Forum have a retreat taking place in New York a week after our Living in Style event in London on Sunday 7th June. They’ve done a nice video asking young people some interesting questions, which we’d like to share with you. How would you answer the questions posted? Leave a comment and tell us!

A Helping Hand Goes a Long Way

Hi there, it’s Rachelle here.  Hope to see you at the Living in Style event on 7th June! How many times have you thought if only there were more hours in the day, it is so easy to get caught up in checking the mobile or blackberry, running between meetings and social get-togethers, some days not even having the time to eat properly! Yes we have all been there, no time to stop and talk to the man or woman on the street with a clip board, no time, got to make the train or the tube just way too busy!

Lets just take a few moments out from that crazy schedule. Helping someone could be as easy as answering a number of questions or helping a lost tourist, such acts of kindness – however small you may feel that act is – could mean and make such a difference to the person receiving your help! Your kindness may just be the tonic needed to lift the spirit. Certainly when you have had a bad day or the chips are down, how great does it feel when someone shows you kindness? For me it is like a glimmer of hope that there is goodness out there in the world and it gives me faith!

I am sure you will agree in the statement “there is no education like adversity”.

We all experience adversity and this is where strength of character comes in, the need for real selflessness, a glass half full zest for life! There are many acts of kindness that we can create! Millions of people across the UK regularly support charities by sponsoring others, taking part themselves or working directly with people that are receiving help from a charity!

Closest to my heart are children’s charities. Over the years I have shaken collection tins, organised various fundraising events and children’s parties. What I enjoy most is meeting the children, parents and carers. Working with a charity that supports disabled and disadvantaged children, no matter the disability of the child or circumstances of what it means to come from a disadvantaged background. Every child I have met over the years has had a real zest for life, they live with constant health or social challenges and yet they have spirits that are full of fun, energy and love for everyone they meet!

Interacting with parents and carers that truly know adversity they have strengths of character that inspire me by just how kind and selfless they are as individuals, no matter the level of adversity there is no room for feeling sorry for themselves.  They embrace and celebrate life! Parents and carers are always so appreciative that their child has been invited to a party, for me though, I am in awe of these individuals. It is such a privilege to meet them, their selflessness and kindness inspires me more than they will ever know!

I recently came across this clip  “Physically challenged kids running race – Stalin” on You Tube. I am not going to give the story away, I’ll just let you watch and see for yourself how the kindness and selflessness of one boy empowered all those around him! Take a look at the faces of those in the crowd, this clip really highlights the ripple effect of positivity for everyone witnessing the actions of one little boy…we can all learn a lot from him!

Always try to remember just how good it feels when someone shows you kindness, despite crazy schedules and manic days if you can find the time show an act of kindness no matter how big or small it is, by helping someone out you will also be inspiring and empowering yourself! Give yourself the faith in forward that the race of life is so much easier when we are giving or receiving acts of kindness along the way!

Being your own best friend

Hi, it’s Mamta here.  Something I’ve been thinking about recently: Don’t take yourself too seriously and start being your own best friend rather then your own worst enemy. Listen to the positive voices in your mind, not negative. Negative thoughts that you create and listen to will pull you down and dampen your strength, these thoughts will push you towards self deprecation which is annoying for you and annoying for those around you. Know that you are the creator of your own feelings.

Ultimately, you choose how to feel. Make the most uplifting choice for you, build those buckets of strength and face the world with your head held high!

What’s YOUR experience? Come and share it and hear the experiences of others on the 7th June!

Clarke Peters on The One Show

If  you didn’t get a chance the first time around, here’s another chance to see Clarke Peters on The One Show a couple of weeks go. We’re very lucky to have Clarke on our panel and if you don’t know much about him, here’s you chance to get to know him a bit more! Got a question for Clarke? Let us know!

Living in Style 7th June 2009 – time to start registering!

It’s not long to go now before this year’s ‘Living in Style’ event – the team is meeting again this morning to talk more about logistics for the event on the day as well as finalising our content and marketing plans. Any help or ideas you have would be greatly appreciated!

You can register your attendance here.

There are lots of ways you can help us spread the message about the event: send this blog on to a friend, invite them to our Facebook event page, refer people to our online leaflet, send round our trailer video via your social networks, follow us (and re-tweet us) on Twitter (our username is living_in_style). And of course, you can always leave a comment on this blog.

Thanks very much!

Playing for Change

We recently came across this amazing video – ‘Stand By Me’ as you’ve never heard it sung before. And what’s even greater is the wonderful initiative behind it – “Playing for Change”.

Live for experience

Hi, I’m Reena – I’m helping out with a bit of the planning for this year’s Living in Style event. For me, style is a way of living. To many it is the kind of clothes we wear, the TV programmes we watch, the job we have and the car we drive.

Whilst these are conducive to a comfortable lifestyle, this is not, to me, Living in Style. Living is Style is being comfortable with who I am as a person, the values I uphold, and whether I can uphold them in the most pressurised environments at work or play. My self worth is not based on the job I have, the car I drive or the clothes I wear. It is based on what I hold dear to myself. My values.

Love
Happiness
Respect
Peace
Nuture
Integrity
Appreciation
Honesty
to name but a few.

I live for experience. Experience remains with us for a lifetime, whereas the last item of clothing I bought will be forgotten in a few weeks time. I want people to remember me for the experience I gave them and how I did it in a way different to those around them. Why, because I am true to myself, what I am and how I am. Those who have this integrity gain far greater respect than the person who has the latest handbag.

In my essence of the ramble above. Be you. Be unique. And rock the world in your own special way! YOU have the power to change how YOU see the world, and how the WORLD sees YOU. Hope to see you at this year’s event!