An Update from Jo

Can you believe it was this time only 12 months ago that we were devastated by Bushfires?

Then we had to contend with floods.

Then COVID-19 and all the fear, uncertainty, death, grief and community lockdowns that it created. 

If you are feeling a bit unsure, unsettled, or like the last year has been a giant blur then you are not alone. 

Just take a moment and find 3 things to be grateful for:

1.                                                              2.                                                    3.

A lot of people ask me how John (my husband) and I have gotten through this past year.  On top of all of these gut wrenching and devastating circumstances, both John and I have dealt with our own cancer diagnosis and treatment (yes we were BOTH diagnosed with cancer and have both been treated).  

I know for me, whenever setbacks, or horrible events occur, I have specific things I do that activate my resilience.  You see resilience is not a destination, it is a set of behaviours, skills and activities that we can use that will help activate being resilient.  And when we practice these skills and behaviours and understand how and why they help us, then we can call on them time and again when we need them. 

For me two of my resilience activators are:

1. Work;
2. Expressing gratitude.   

So in answer to the question, ‘how have you gotten through this year’, part of my answer is:

1. Being able to express gratitude, daily;
2. Being able to do good work.

Learning how to activate what makes us resilient is the core component of our 
Purpose for People program. The change in the lives of program participants is outstanding.  And this is a client population that may have been put in the ‘too hard’ pile of ‘I don’t know what to do here’. 

We know that the holiday season can be really difficult for our clients and the people we serve.  I don’t think we grasp just how difficult it may be this year given all we have had to face.  The isolation, the fear, the feeling of being completely out of control.  

If you have clients or people you are working with who would benefit from learning how to activate their own resilience, and be supported to do so then please let us know.  Purple Co’s consultants Kylie and Bec are ready and willing to start working with people now. 

Here’s a couple of things that program participants have had to say about the program:

And if you have opened this email to find out how I’m going, all is going as well as can be expected for someone who had major surgery 6 weeks ago and she who is impatient for this to all be over. 

Thank you for asking.  

Until next time – here’s to making work work well.