Ch...Ch...Changes

It's sad I know, but I have got myself hooked on the Chris Evans show on Radio 2 - if you haven't listened its fab, and then this week I have discovered his blog - again very good. Check out www.bbc.co.uk/radio for full details.

Yet when I think back I was never really a big fan of his in the old days when he was on TV, in fact the programme used to really annoy me as I recall. So what's changed to have swapped me around?

I'm also hooked on all the cookery programmes on Sky, I happened to see a very old Delia Smith one the other day - it just looked so old and dated when you compare it with some of the really whacky food people around today. My absolute fave is Jamie - so inspiring, so passionate.

A lady I've been working with this week on her career transition said her friend had given her this advice - to do what she is passionate about and not consider anything else. Pretty good advice I'd say.

Maybe the reason I like both Chris and Jamie is they both have passion? There is a whole theory that says our passions in life are formed at a very young age - about 8 or 9, and the reason for this age is that we have some independence from our parents but haven't hit the scarey years of adolescence yet.

So to discover your passion - what were you doing at about that age?

I know from reading Jamies books he was already cooking in his parents pub in Essex, not sure about Chris need to do some research on that one.

For me, I was constantly moving furniture around in my bedroom to create a different look, writing short stories and driving my mother insane with the amount of mess I left in the kitchen after trying out the Blue Peter recipe of the week.

Do I still love moving furniture around? - you bet (I'm a very frustrated interior designer and keep all the housey magazines in business with the amount I purchase and drool over), am I still writing? - yes, and where is my favourite place - the kitchen!

In fact a friend invited us over for dinner not so long ago, not because she wanted company, but because she didn't have a huge amount of stuff in the fridge and couldn't be bothered to go shopping, she knew that if I turned up I would cook and be able to in her words "make something out of nothing that will be lovely". And I did, however, the kitchen looked pretty chaotic when I had finished!

Oh well, maybe things haven't changed that much at all.

Cool Man (& Woman)

Although its a bit cooler now, the early part of the week was still roasting hot. I was in London and it was lovely to see everyone laying out on the grass in Russell Square Gardens, even the dogs were sun bathing.

Its been so hot this summer that the TUC has called on employers to relax dress codes to help staff to deal with the heat, and apparently the Federation of Small Businesses has done the same.

The TUC goes even further by saying that employers who implement a relaxed dress code will get more out of their staff.

I was fascinated to read last week in the Times about a recent survey of 562 companies by Peninsula, the employment law, health and safety consultant, suggesting that abandoning traditional dress increased productivity in four out of five cases. The article went on to further say that dress down days are so successful that 73% of businesses have adopted the practice - amazing!

What the people laying on the grass in Russell Square gardens were wearing was even more amazing - I wouldn't have called it traditional nor would I have described it as relaxed. The words I would have used were "don't go there"! The translation of that is - flesh, lots of underwear on show, strappy tops etc.

So how can you look cool yet casual in business this summer?

My top tips are -

Make sure you look appropriate for the business you are in.

Start reading labels (not whether something is designer) but what the fabric is made of, the more natural the fabric the more it will keep you cool.

Wear short sleeved tops under suits.

Go for lighter colours.

Ensure your shoes co-ordinate with your outfit and you are not wearing winter shoes with a summer outfit, (if your feet are hot, you'll feel hot all over)

And if all else fails - make sure you have a spare deodorant handy!

Compliments & The Ring Of Confidence

On Sunday I was out at the front of my house when a young girl passed by, it was a gorgeous summer day and she had an equally gorgeous summer dress on. As she went by I complimented her on the dress, saying how nice it was. Her reaction was to immediately say thank you and then follow up by telling me how cheap it had been (£15).

This week I ran a workshop on the subject of assertiveness and during this we spent some time talking about confidence - what it was? where it came from? and how to get it? Confidence seems to be a very elusive quality and I really wish I had the capability to go to Woolworths and buy a bag of confidence, (a bit like you buy pick and mix sweets), I'd love to be able to sprinkle some on people.

Do you remember the very old toothpaste advert? It said use x toothpaste and you too will get the ring of confidence! It never ever ceases to amaze me how often people tell me they don't have confidence, and often seemingly very confident people.

Anyhow, our conversations on the workshop concluded that we actually felt a lot more confident when people either said thank you or even better paid us a compliment.

This led me to reflect about the girl on Sunday, how many of us when we do get a compliment, brush it aside, in her case by telling me how cheap the dress had been.

And also, my thought process led me even further - if we all feel more confident when we receive a compliment why don't we shower or sprinkle them out a bit more often?

This week I've had several compliments - people coming up at the end of my workshop and shaking my hand and saying thank you and how useful they had found it, another person emailing me to say well done. I like the young girl on Sunday, went to shrug my shoulders and say it's nothing, but managed to resist the temptation to do so.

So this week see how many genuine compliments you can distribute - and see what the response is. When you receive a compliment - just accept it in the spirit it was given and give yourself a pat on the back and add it to your confidence bank!