Truck difficulties - Difficultés de camion
Originally uploaded by Vincent Meyer

We all know the feeling – when sometimes it seems that the whole world is out to get you. Be it for a day, a week, or months on end – we all go through periods where the bad outweighs the good and nothing seems to be going quite the way we would’ve hoped. While the types and extremities of adversity we experience in our lives will vary tremendously from person to person – we all face similar emotional reactions to these adverse situations; it is how we deal with these emotions that varies. Ultimately, we want to deal with our feelings in such a way that we can make it through the difficult times and come out with a more positive outlook, we want to overcome our weaknesses, avoid falling prey to adopting a victim mentality and come out as a stronger & and more supreme version of ourselves. We should take with us the tools we use to gain strength and the lessons we’ve learnt from making our way from emotional low times to high times.

One of the most important factors in overcoming any type of adversity is recognition. Recognising there is a better way to live, that there are people that have been through what you are going through or worse and finally, that you are a person worthy of experiencing the best possible life. Spend some time in your head going over what you need out of life and what you deserve to have in your life. Remind yourself of all your positive attributes, your skills, why you’re unique and decide that you deserve to have all those glowing, gleeful parts of you back – quite moping & moaning and reclaim yourself! Make the decision to shine, despite your hardships and not to suffer because of them. The power of positive thinking is not a new concept, it is a tried and true self help favourite, but it’s so classically spot on in it’s intent. You will attract what you put out- you put out glum and you’ll keep it coming – so start smiling and recognise the difference.

It may sound harsh – but you need to love & respect yourself before you can expect the same from others. People are drawn to those with a strong & positive sense of self – so decide to take the reins in your life and stop relying on other people to boost your ego! Surround yourself with support, if you have the privilege of a close group of friends or family, as it’s always nice to have loved ones to catch you when you fall – but if you feel as though, at this time, you don’t have anyone close by to support you & see you through, realise that you’ll always have yourself, no matter what. Be your own champion, stop relying on others to determine your self worth and enjoy the transition from adversity as a solo endeavour – you will gain emotional strength & character & come out the other side with positively renewed sense of love & respect for yourself.

Another important step in reclaiming positivity in the face of adversity is to not allow yourself to become the victim. When up against emotional or physical hardships it is so simple to allow yourself to become a victim of your circumstances; placing blame on someone or something that is disallowing you to prosper in your day to day. This is the easy road to a miserable rut – so break the mould and decide that you do not need someone elses permission to be happy. Decide that sometimes circumstances can not be helped, but misery and glum will certainly not assist in solving them. One fantastic way to overcome a bout of victim mentality is to throw yourself behind finding a solution. If someone close to you is ill, join in with a charity to fundraise for research into the illness. Be part of the solution. Choose to endure difficult times by focusing on big picture solutions rather than dwelling on your personal difficulties.

Overcoming personal misfortune makes way for happiness, look towards the light at the end of the tunnel and make the most of your experiences. Have you ever experiences unforeseen hardships - how did you deal with these hardships? How has adversity effected you?

Out of awareness grows positive change and a hugely important issue that has come to the forefront of international awareness as of recent years is that of environmental sustainability. While on the home front, initiatives such as recycling of plastics, papers and food waste may be well established routine, it is surprising how many work places have not jumped on the green bandwagon. The workplace can be the source of an enormous amount of waste, particularly office based businesses. Everyday countless reams of paper are used in photocopiers, envelopes, boxes and courier satchels are opened and thrown out, left over food tossed into kitchen waste receptacles and computers, lights and other electrical products left running or on standby.

With the support of local government and independent bodies, implementing environmentally friendly initiatives and creating a … need not be a difficult task

Ideas for workplace environmental plan:

Place a paper recycling / shredding bin by every photocopier/printer

Place recycling receptacles for plastics, cans, papers and food waste in your kitchen.

Make recycling easy by clearly marking bins with signs as to what is and is not acceptable ie. “THIS BIN IS FOR: Light cardboard, Paper NO plastics, heavy cardboards” etc.

Put small stickers/labels on all light switches in the building reading “Please switch off when not in use” or similar.

Implement a company policy to shut down all computers at COB, rather than just logging off. A reminder email could be forwarded to all employees at knock off time to ensure compliance.

If environmental initiatives seem difficult to introduce you could form an environmental committee to audit processes, offering rewards initially to best performing departments. This encourages employees to work together to create this positive change, no one likes to feel as though they are letting the team down.

Purchase paper that is created from renewable / sustainable sources, most larger stationery suppliers will have options ie. Office Max (NZ/AU) offers reams of paper made from 50%, 80% or even 100% from recycled fibre- all of which are suitable for office use in copiers/printers/faxes etc!

Rather than each employee having a bin for general rubbish at their desks, utilise one per department. This way people will be more likely to consider the best option for disposal before throwing out their waste.

Through banding together with your co-workers and creating these changes in your workplace you are not only improving your work environment but creating an awareness for every employee to continue practicing these newly learnt habits in their home too. What does your office do to keep in check with the environment?

Environmental sustainability has been a major buzz concept for the last few years and with good reason. If we don't start making small adjustments to our daily habits, it will be at the expense of the most important asset of all- our earth. We need to view our world in the same way we do our bodies. We respect and invest loads of our time, energy and money into our own well being and aesthetic and we need to be doing the same for our earth because it's the only one we've got!

Just about everything we do each day impacts on our environment and unfortunately, it is not often in a positive way. From what we do with empty coke cans or cereal boxes, how long we spend in the shower each morning right through to our choice to leave electrical products on standby and of course the way we get to and from the office everyday - all of these things contribute to the ecological footprint we leave behind.

The most important step towards adopting a clean & green lifestyle is to realise that it's not about making huge changes. Equally as important is realising that sustainability can only be achieved if we all do our part. Even the smallest changes, when combined with the efforts of others, become great results in the bigger picture.

So how do we start living with a great environmental consciousness? It's about breaking it down to a whole bunch of super simple little ideas. Start off with a few things and once they become habit, introduce a few more smart lifestyle choices and before you know it you'll be a living happy, healthy & green without even thinking about it!

Keeping in mind that there are tons of aspects to environmental sustainability such as transport, utilisation of renewable resources, water use, power consumption and so on, probably the simplest place to start is with recycling. It's something we can all do every single day, so lets get started:

Local Government Initiatives. Many local governments are focusing their efforts on putting into place initiatives and strategies for their town to tackle sustainability. From recyclable rubbish collection services to planting more tree's and creating cycle lanes on our roads. Be aware of what you're local government is doing for your area and take part where you can- your local government website is a great place to start.

When doing groceries try to buy fresh food with minimal packaging: eg. meat from the butcher tends to have less plastic packaging than that which you find in the supermarket, fruit from the fresh produce department or fruit store has little to no packaging. The other great thing about food with less packaging is that it tends to be healthier than the rest. With the products you do buy that have packaging, ensure you have a system in place in your home to recycle all your cardboard's, glass bottles, cans and plastics.

Composting food scraps is a great option is you have a yard, not so simple if you're an apartment dweller, though. A tip to note is that decomposing food tends to have a bit of an odour, so if you are composting, try the far corner of your yard!

Don't throw out old magazines. Call around local doctors surgeries, beauty salons or women's shelters. You will no doubt find someone more than happy to take them off your hands & with a smile and a thank you!

Recycle your plastics properly. Sometimes not all plastics can be recycled, for instance, some areas will take empty milk cartons but not the lid. Check with your local council (or the body that is responsible for recycle collection in your area) for specific guidelines. You don't want your effort going to waste, literally!

If like a lot of city dweller you're hooked on your daily caffeine habit, invest in a coffee flask. Most chain coffee shops like Starbucks or Gloria Jeans stock them in a whole range of colours, sizes and shapes to suit your lifestyle. Some places even offer a discount off the regular price of their coffee when you buy a coffee & have it in one of their branded flasks. Saving money & the environment: what's not to love?

Most offices use a ton of paper. See what is being done about recycling in your workplace. Do you have tubs for recycling in your lunch room? What about papers bins around photocopiers? Provision of shredders, labelled bins, photocopiers with ability to print double sided and a bit of positive encouragement from management can go a long way in preventing massive waste at work.

Give your old clothes a second lease of life. There is so much you can do with your old clothes that it's a sin to throw them out with general rubbish. You can pop them up on Ebay and make some coin or donate them to a local thrift store; hand them down to a younger sibling or get creative, cut them up & modify.

Remember that there is no time like the present to get started! Be sure to check back for more ideas on other means of contributing daily to environmental sustainability, coming soon to Tres Lola.