What's winning in your world - the good, the bad or the indifferent

I woke to this view this morning - what a fabulous start to the day. One shared with facebook friends and twitter followers. I then went to the BBC news app, as I do most mornings, and wondered why my mood changed:

• no-turn
• conflict
• unrest
• killed
• clash
• sacked
• rape victim
• kills
• crisis
• killed
• suicide
• arrested
• dead
• death suspicious
• in court
• dies
• abusive
• killed
• warning
• charged
• concern
• destroyed
• arrested

Of the remaining 13 news items (across 4 categories) I only found a two where the headlines use of words could be seen as any counter to the above list:

• progress made
• retains title (not even wins!)

So that's a 2:23:11 ratio or good/bad/indifferent.

No wonder I then went to a couple of the places on the web that I know do sustain and inspire me Pinterest and Alison Chisnell's wonderful newyearblog series from guest bloggers.

I know news isn't supposed to be sustaining or inspiring but it's certainly easy to forget the impact immersion in it can do as we go about our normal lives. As I said in a blog last year if we are reminded of the worse in people and look for it it's hard to remember that a larger percentage of the time there's so much good out there.

Please don't let the stacked odds get you down - and when you notice that feeling of negativity reach out and be inspired by the many wonderful things that are published. Just a pity they don't make it into the news more often.   

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Inspiring positive change inside and out

Get a life and reduce my carbon footprint

I know I can do it anytime of the year but I do love using the start of a sparkly new year to get myself organised. Cupboards get cleaned, clothes sent to the charity shop and To-do lists get written. I've got them organised across 4 colourfully and inspirationally decorated clip boards this year so let's see how long it lasts.

One of my goals for 2013 is to get a life (life balance that is). On reflection far too much of 2012 was spent travelling - if I wasn't driving 250 miles south I was letting planes and trains take the strain for even longer journey's. I even got quite blasé about leaving home at 1700 on a Sunday with no hotel booked to turn up at a hotel c2230 to book in for the night. If I didn't realise then the toll all of this travelling would have on me it was brought home when I started to plan January 2013. I'm able to work from home for much of it and so was busy planning joining a book club, going to the storytelling eves at the local centre, getting a block of yoga booked and getting dates in the diary with friends. These were all things I talked myself out of last year because I never knew where I'd be or how tired I'd be when I did get home. (Unfortunately I'm not one of those who can travel with no impact on energy and wellbeing levels.)

Of course as I travelled (mainly) south from my Fife based home other consultants and trainers were travelling north. Which had me wondering about what networks of associate consultants and trainers existed to make use of local resources and reduce the carbon footprint and enable us all to achieve life balance?

Any and all suggestions most welcome.

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring change inside and out

Planes, train and automobile picture source: kongvmax.deviantart.com via Alison on Pinterest

Festive update

What a year - the Purchasing Coach was set up and work has never been busier, I reached the 50 milestone and survived, had 3 holidays and saw much more of friends!

Lets start with work. As I struggled to explain what I did to Janet Torley she said in reply "aren't you The Purchasing Coach" and the rest as they say is history. This blog was born and so too a description that enables others to more easily understand what I do. After all I've always been very passionate about organisations taking their purchasing seriously and always encouraged purchasing departments to understand themselves and to communicate effectively with their internal stakeholders and stop the constant us/them/win/lose with suppliers. Why would I want to stop now?

Activity in 2012 has included: sourcing strategy implementation, category management project facilitation and coaching, purchasing team development, skills gap analysis & e-enabled category management implementation. 2013 starts with some procurement e-learning development - so never a dull moment.

The work has meant a lot of travelling and there will be another blog on the subject of trying to reduce the mileage for 2013. One upside of the travelling has been being able to: catch up with friends where ever I am, visiting the theatre or shops whilst in London and trips to Glastonbury and Castlerigg Stone Circle to name just 2 on route. I'm also more relaxed about turning up at a hotel @ 2230 when I haven't booked and being able to find a room for the night!!

I even managed to take holidays this year!! They started with a few days in Cumbria lambing - I loved it even if the arthritic knees didn't. I'm certainly hoping to go again in 2013. Nothing like lambing to take you back to basics and remind you what's important. My next holiday was at Findhorn to celebrate their 50th on the subject of Love Magic & Miracles (need I say more). The final break was a week in Bamburgh for my 50th starting with a girlie weekend. Blogs on learning from all these can be found here.

In other words a year spent doing what I enjoy, visiting places that inspire and ground me and laughing much with friends.

Sending you festive greetings as this year ends and wishing you and yours an abundant and laughter filled 2013.

With much love
Alison x

The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring change inside and out

PS if you get to read the blogs you'll also see there's been a lot going on to improve my health and wellbeing as the picture of breakfast on the beach demonstrates :-)