I have just completed our burnout fitness and food programme.
Over 12 days of training 15 mins per day, sticking to the diet they gave me, and taking food and nutrient supplements, here are my results:
Fat Loss 12.5lbs
Muscle Gain 2.5lbs
Waist Reduction 1.5 inches
Body Fat down from 30.4% to 24.4%
Energy Levels - at least doubled
Happiness at being able to achieve my targets - at least doubled
Well done to Jamie and he team at Educo in Baggott Street
It really does work !!
Paul
Tuesday 26 June 2007
Phoenix by D.H. Lawrence
My good fried Justin gave me these wonderful words on the phoenix - the logo of the alchemism foundation : I welcome any other contributions on this wonderful bird which saved my life
PAUL
Phoenix
Are you willing to be sponged out, erased, cancelled,
made nothing?
Are you willing to be made nothing?
dipped into oblivion?
If not, you will never really change.
The phoenix renews her youth
Only when she is burnt, burnt alive, burnt down
to hot and flocculent ash.
Then the small stirring of a new small bub in the nest
with strands of down like floating ash
shows that she is renewing her youth like the eagle,
immortal bird.
D. H. Lawrence
PAUL
Phoenix
Are you willing to be sponged out, erased, cancelled,
made nothing?
Are you willing to be made nothing?
dipped into oblivion?
If not, you will never really change.
The phoenix renews her youth
Only when she is burnt, burnt alive, burnt down
to hot and flocculent ash.
Then the small stirring of a new small bub in the nest
with strands of down like floating ash
shows that she is renewing her youth like the eagle,
immortal bird.
D. H. Lawrence
Friday 22 June 2007
Carmel Tuite has joined the faculty
Carmel Tuite has joined the faculty!
She trained as a registered nurse, then specialised in psychiatric nursing which she did in the UK for several years. She also trained as a counsellor, a reiki master, a massage therapist and most recently in the fields of domestic violence and suicidology.
Carmel will be involved in the LivingSix programme - designed to develop new and innovative ways to prevent, intervene in and provide post vention support services in the suicide field.
I know what being a lizard means now !
When I first went to buy a family crest, I was expecting a chivalrous, heroic design with arms, and shields and swords, but I was disappointed to discover that it was a lizard in a tree !!
But I found a book on Celtic animal spirits and here is what is says about lizards
"All lizards have a residential third eye....associated with psychic abilities. Greeks watched lizards as a form of divination. Native American Indians that the lizard guards the gate of dreams. The lizard is a sought after shemanic ally"
"For the Celts, the lizard was the animal of the sun, and in Celtic lore, this symbolises the soul's search for enlightenment. Lizards are also emblems of resurrection. Lizards shed their skin and grow a new one"
Lizards can see into the Otherworld and are masters of the arts of divination, teaching us how to shift consciousness just enough to see as the seer does. When a lizard is threatened, he can lose his tail to save himself, and so a sacrifice must be made"
"The path to knowledge demands sacrifices, wisdom is not won without a price"
When I compare this to what the phoenix has meant to me, the similarities are amazing and so I re-embrace my crest and know that I just did not understand it in the first place.
Thursday 21 June 2007
GDP - Greatly Damaged People
I was watching TV and Prof Michael Fitzgerald was on a current affairs programme. He stated in very simple terms, that the fixation with GDP has not been good for the welfare of the people of Ireland.
It struck me that all the clients that we see, who have been chasing GDP as defined by the neighbour's holidays, the brother in law's new car, that it has caused much burnout in this Celtic Tiger economy.
Sometimes, I think that GDP could equally stand for Greatly Damaged People.
Luckily, we are preparing now with programmes that will help and fill the gap that state services will find difficult to deliver on - in the workplace
That is where the alchemism foundation will truly change the way that workplaces are viewed - from places of stress to places of healing.
It has never been done before and it wont be easy, but that does not mean we are not going to try
Wish us luck - get involved !
Paul
It struck me that all the clients that we see, who have been chasing GDP as defined by the neighbour's holidays, the brother in law's new car, that it has caused much burnout in this Celtic Tiger economy.
Sometimes, I think that GDP could equally stand for Greatly Damaged People.
Luckily, we are preparing now with programmes that will help and fill the gap that state services will find difficult to deliver on - in the workplace
That is where the alchemism foundation will truly change the way that workplaces are viewed - from places of stress to places of healing.
It has never been done before and it wont be easy, but that does not mean we are not going to try
Wish us luck - get involved !
Paul
Magda has joined the faculty
Magda Matwiecjuk, an education psychologist has joined the faculty. She is a polish national and came to Ireland to live with her husband and three year old son.
Magda will be working on relationship burnout and prevention and also on the translation of all of our programmes into Polish.
It is hoped that when she returns to Poland, she will establish the Alchemism Foundation in central Europe.
Welcome Aboard Magda!
Paul
sponsorships
I had a disappointing day yesteday, the grant funding that I was counting on has been moved to the end of the year.
In one way, it is good as the size of the grant is much bigger, but that will slow down the build process for some of the programmes.
I launched a sponsorship programme and within a few hours, I was offered advertising space and lots of ideas from good people.
It is very innovative having three components:
1. The donor sponsors a programme (we have 17 to choose from)
2. They then get €20,000 worth of training vouchers for any of the programmes
3. They can claim tax relief on the donation
many thanks to Liam Holland from the Irish Times who has graciously agreed to run us some ads to help us
If there is someone out there in the universe who is destined to help us, I am sure they will be reading the Irish Times when our ads are in.
Keep your fingers crossed
In one way, it is good as the size of the grant is much bigger, but that will slow down the build process for some of the programmes.
I launched a sponsorship programme and within a few hours, I was offered advertising space and lots of ideas from good people.
It is very innovative having three components:
1. The donor sponsors a programme (we have 17 to choose from)
2. They then get €20,000 worth of training vouchers for any of the programmes
3. They can claim tax relief on the donation
many thanks to Liam Holland from the Irish Times who has graciously agreed to run us some ads to help us
If there is someone out there in the universe who is destined to help us, I am sure they will be reading the Irish Times when our ads are in.
Keep your fingers crossed
Website now live!
The alchemism foundation website has just been launched.
While not every single link is live, it does show about 80% of what we are up to.
I am excited about the online booking facility that should be ready in a few weeks and we will soon be able to launch powerful marketing campaigns from the online server.
The online survey tool from key surveys is an excellent product and I would heartily recommend it
What the site for new developments and thanks to Bernie in paintbox (www.paintbox.ie) who has been doing a great job
Paul
While not every single link is live, it does show about 80% of what we are up to.
I am excited about the online booking facility that should be ready in a few weeks and we will soon be able to launch powerful marketing campaigns from the online server.
The online survey tool from key surveys is an excellent product and I would heartily recommend it
What the site for new developments and thanks to Bernie in paintbox (www.paintbox.ie) who has been doing a great job
Paul
Burnout Fitness and Food
I started a 12 day fitness and food programme with my good friend Jamie Myerscough who has just opened his Educo Gym.
It is 12 days of 20 minutes of weights per day and an "atkins" like diet. The results have been amazing !!
I have three days to go and when I started I was 17st 3lbs - and yesterday I was 16st 6lbs - an amazing loss of 11lbs.
On top of that my energy levels have gone up, my fitness is improving and it certainly seems like my own burnout could have been massively prevented if I had only been able to access such a service during my dark days.
Paul
It is 12 days of 20 minutes of weights per day and an "atkins" like diet. The results have been amazing !!
I have three days to go and when I started I was 17st 3lbs - and yesterday I was 16st 6lbs - an amazing loss of 11lbs.
On top of that my energy levels have gone up, my fitness is improving and it certainly seems like my own burnout could have been massively prevented if I had only been able to access such a service during my dark days.
Paul
Social Entrepreneur at last!
I have just been awarded a Level 1 award from the social entrepreneurs of Ireland fund. It is a fund that is trying to bring entrepreneurial skills into the social sector.
It is a real privelege and I am really looking forward to the networking opportunities and working with other social entrepreneurs
It is a real privelege and I am really looking forward to the networking opportunities and working with other social entrepreneurs
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