Cultiv8 Recruitment Blog

They say that we, as humans, are the most resilient and innovative creatures on earth - that we possess the skills and qualities to overide any obstacles that come in our way; that we are the supermen and superwomen who have been born on earth to create legacies for the future!

Life is a game that we play by the rules that we feel are appropriate at the time...we try to achieve our goals and break through the barriers that we face in our physical lives with great gusto and a sense of purpose because that is the only way we can survive.

We have no other choice! Our emotions take over our sense of logic (most of the time!) without us even realising it, whether this is because of our families, work, friends or any other factor that forms the situations that place us in a position of vunerability - that has been my conclusion of this year.

There is great power in fighting for a cause, for what you believe in. But how many times do we forget our vision and get sucked into the day to day struggles that you face? How many times do you blame others for your own negative mindset - walking out of the house to cool off or you grab that bottle of wine so you can have a drink to forget all about it or sit in the living room with a face that could command thunder and lightning to reign on us all??

Or is that just me??

Its so hard to make a difference in your own little way - people who were once your trusted allies being to hate on you, jealously becomes the norm, complete strangers feel they have a right to dictate how you should conduct your life and those who you love the most often feel the brunt of your frustration. It is not fair yet we all can claim to be guilty of it...dont lie, you know that you have dark days too! Dont you??

But what i have come to realise, time and time again, is that nothing worth doing is ever easy!

In fact it is more easier to go and do the things that you want to do, to spare you from the pain, sacrifice and comittment to do the things that you don't what to do - however we sometimes seem to forget that what we dont want to do, will actually bring us closer to our goal and release the rays of sunshine that are often masked by the dark clouds of reality.

Without barriers and struggles, we fail to build character. We fail to build self-awareness. We fail to connect with ourselves. We fail to love ourselves enough to treat ourselves with the respect and care, that we so desperately want to inspire others to feel. We fail to dig deep and find the potential of power that lies within us. Without barriers and struggles, we can lose sight of the bigger picture and not realise that every little thing that irritates and frustrates us is actually a brush stroke in the beautiful painting of our lives and in the lives of others.

It is important to embrace reality, EVERY SECOND WE CAN, for that is when we are truly connected to the world - there is no escape nor opportunity to look for it, when we are fully aware and prepared to deal with whatever life says we must contend with.

2009....I feel this has been the year when i have awakened the giant of success that lies within me! I have realised that no matter the walls in my way, i will break them! No matter the pace of rivers that flow, i will cross them! No matter the height of the mountains, i will climb them!

Why...because every step that i take will force me to learn more about myself. To learn more about others. To find new ways that help me to navigate the treachery of the unknown challenges that i will face time and time and time again!!

As we move into 2010, i encourage you to reflect on 2009 and ask yourself these four questions:

- What have i learned about myself this year?
- What have i positively achieved for others?
- What are the things must i change?
- What is the legacy that i wish to leave behind?

The thin line between success and failure does not depend on finding out what the world can give you, but more on how you can use your uniqueness to give to the world.

Till the next time.....

Hi all,

To say that this year has been a rollercoaster is an understatement - from two personal award nominations for my two businesses, to having to find employment, to being asked to open a youth centre with the Lord Mayor, to discovering a whole new passion....crazy but character building shall we say?

Its funny, but as i reflect on the year, i realise that my passion for helping others has increased to a whole new level. It was as if my personal sacrifices were put there on purpose, to ensure that my vision for the future remains clear - a some kind of cleansing process to make me really understand and appreciate the difficulties of striving for excellence!

However, let me tell you about the highlight of this year which flags up exactly what i mean: late last year, i accepted the fact that the economic climate had really affected Cultiv8 Solutions and i needed to find employment, for the first time in 5 years, to cover all the bases.

I began working for an employer whilst running Cultiv8 Solutions in my spare time. However, the emotional transformation from being an entrepreneur / business owner to becoming an employee again was too much - i lost about two stone in 10 weeks, stopped socialising with friends and became really grumpy at home. Furthermore, poliTRICKS began to set in, affecting the impact that i wanted to create, making me even more stress out.

Then a colleague of mine stated that he de-stressing by playing Golf...one of the most elitist sports with a global reputation for not serving the needs of diverse communities...what a challenge! After a couple rounds as a guest at his golf club, i was hooked!! Totally and utterly hooked!!

Now im not saying that i get down on my knees every Sunday at the altar of my local church, but i do believe in God and have always tried to live a good and positive life but God DOES move in mysterious ways - within two months of my attending those golf rounds, i a) Found a new home based role in Golf b) negotiated terms that allows me to continue running my businesses c) Have the responsibility to change a whole sport!

In short: My remit is to increase the level of equality and diversity with Golf nationally within the UK - this includes helping the more 'traditional' golf clubs widen the level of diversity within their memberships and advising the national governing bodies of Golf on how to increase diversity throughout the Sport in line with the 2016 Olympics and beyond!!

So what does that mean for my clients: Nothing changes in terms of the quality service that i provide through Diversity Strategy consultancy and Executive Coaching - in fact, it enhances my service provision because it allows me to be more innovative and gain access to more funding streams!

So please contact me to discuss how we can make your business grow, become more sustainable and more profitable in 2010!

Right, Im off to get my golf handicap by 2 today....Till the next time, J