It’s Not the Journey or the Destination… It’s the People…

American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted as saying “It’s the not the destination, It’s the journey” and over the years this has a been a useful reminder that the pathway to our goals is where we should be focussing our energy, celebrating and appreciating each step along the way.

Recently I’ve been thinking about pathways and goals and actually, I’m not sure if I 100% agree with Waldo!

Yes, the journey is important and, whilst it sounds cringey, life is a journey we need to embrace, however having goals is a key element to living a positive and emotionally fit life.

But the destination (AKA the goal) is super important. We need to know where we are headed, yet we also need to be super flexible about how we get there, or the journey we take.

Take for instance the thousands of students that received A-Level results this week. Many of them have goals, they want to be doctors, lawyers, vets or accountants. This is their goal, however, they may not have attained the grades they needed for first-choice universities.

This may be disappointing, but if they are flexible, they will find a place at another university and their goal is still strong, they are just taking a different pathway or journey to the destination. So in this instance, the destination is strong and the process to getting there is malleable.

But I want to add another possibility that really resonated with me after watching a recent episode of the Amazon series ‘All or Nothing’ which follows premiere league football club Arsenal.

In a team talk manager Mikel Arteta asks the team what is more important, the journey or the destination? The answer was neither – rather it was the company you kept along the way.

I love this and it’s got me really thinking since. In a world where we rely so heavily on tech it’s easy to forget the importance of people, but who we have on our team, who we share our goals with, who is by our side is the most important thing.

In order to be emotionally fit, in order to be healthy, in order to achieve we need to connect with others and gain support and be supportive, then the journey and destination are equally achievable and enjoyable.

So, who is in your team?

Much love,

Tabby xx

April

Hey my lovelies!

So that month went fast!

Lots of training, coaching, writing and a ton of university Masters research this end… how about you?

What have we been up to this month?

Tabby attended the Rebel Health & Fitness, Wild Soul Retreat at the beginning of the month. 3 days of good food, yoga teaching, cold water swimming & spending time reconnecting. There’ll be a blog coming soon on it and if you fancy it, they’re actually running another of 1-4 July – find out more details here

Tabby judged a small youth brass music festival for Carlton Crotchets, whilst taking the time to lead performers and audience in some wellness tips, breathing exercises and ways to reframe nerves as excitement.

Tabby returned to our Italian HQ….the first time since October and since the new kitchen has been in. The new kitchen was used, she caught up with friends, drank a few tipples and ate lots of good Italian food! As soon as she left, renovations began again with the new office being stripped and redecorated, ready for use on our next trip!

Tabby & Keri had a lovely catch up in the sunshine. Even the Mode for…dogs got involved!

Tabby spent more time with our amazing corporate clients Anderson Barrowcliffe, supporting their team with wellness reviews, monthly chats and bags of information.

We are delighted that this month, we trained another 14 Mental Health First Aiders in London, supporting their businesses and organisations with the knowledge to help others.
If you’d like to become a Mental Health First Aider, get in touch

What’s a bank holiday weekend without a trip to Cumbria & a weekend of good food hey?

And then it was back to reality with uni research, revision and even an exam this evening – wish Tabby luck!!

And finally, a good luck to all the bands competing in the European Brass Band Champs in Birmingham this weekend. Remember to breathe, and enjoy the performance!

Much Love

The Mode for… team xx

Fish!

When it comes to game changing short reads, ‘Fish!’ is up there with the best of them in my opinion.

It credits itself as ‘A proven way to boost morale and improve results,’ and it doesn’t lie. It totally does what it says on the tin.

Based on the Fish! Philosophy developed by John Christensen, this book (which is only 114 pages long so a quick easy read – we like that!) takes us on the journey in supervisor, Mary Jane Ramirez’s, life and her transformation of the department she manages which was referred to as a ‘toxic energy dump’ prior to her moving into the role to transform it.

Her learning takes place in the famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. In fact, the whole philosophy is based on the author, John Christensen’s, experience of this very market.

Working ungodly hours, in the cold, with lots of fish in a repetitive scenario is a job that would seem testing to most people and not a fun way to spend your working day, but the energy, drive and enthusiasm of the Pike Place Fish salesman is incredible.

The fishmongers may not enjoy every part of their job, but they chose to bring joy and fun to how they approached it. That is the crux of Fish! It’s not what you do but how you approach it which matters and gives results.

The most mundane job can be given a new lease of life if you approach it differently and this Fish! Philosophy has been introduced into businesses, cultures, schools and organisations the world over now.

The philosophy is based on four concepts:

1. Choose your attitude
2. Play
3. Make Someone’s Day
4. Be There

To give you an idea of what these mean:

1. Choose your attitude (choose to enjoy, it choose who you will be and how you act)
2. Play (Have fun whilst you work)
3. Make Someone’s Day (engage with others to make their day)
4. Be There (for your colleagues, customers, friends. Be present and focussed on what people need from you)

Really, it is a simple and straightforward concept but a philosophy we don’t always adhere to. If you’re wanting to re-energise yourself, your work place, organisation, school or community, Fish! Philosophy is an excellent way to live life and recommend to others and it’s totally worth a read.

Want to know more about Fish! Then buy the book or I’d love to come and chat to your business, organisation or school about implementing this kind of approach to help you improve morale and improve results. Just get in touch.

Tabby x

For a quick video that shows you the inspiration behind the Philosophy, check this out:

What a weekend!

At the weekend I visited the Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre at Conishead Priory in Ulverston, South Lake District to both decompress from a busy month so far and to also gain some insight on wellbeing to help and better support colleagues and clients.

This was a weekend meditation retreat with a focus on restoring wellbeing using Buddhist teachings and what a great weekend it was. 

Such an impressive and beautiful location where in the grounds of a 12^th Century Augustine priory a huge and inspiring Buddhist temple emerges from the landscape. Breathtaking!

Now, you could fully immerse yourself in these weekends and stay on campus, living a simple life and perhaps even completely detox nutritionally and digitally, but I chose to make it a hybrid experience, staying in the nearby town of Ulverston in a small house with friends who joined me in the retreat experience.

Over the course of the weekend we attended several meditation sessions and talks and whilst based on the Dharma (teachings of Buddha) this did not feel like a religious experience (personally not my bag) but words of total relevance and accuracy for how we need to think, feel and behave to increase our wellness and protect our mental health.

The consequence of the weekend (aside from another valuable lesson in red wine consumption!) was leaving feeling calmer, more open and a desire to implement simple daily practises for the benefit of myself and others. It was all so relevant.

Taking a few moments every day to meditate and to be more mindful about our thoughts, intentions and actions is incredibly beneficial for our overall health and wellness levels. The simple process (and granted simple does not always mean easy) of changing our thoughts to be more positive can help boost our mood and decrease levels of anxiety – in turn this helps us function better, be more productive and of course, increases our happiness levels.

If you need to gain a little more calm I thoroughly recommend you check out the meditation sessions at the centre and maybe even one of their retreats. Modestly priced and a great experience which you can either fully immerse yourself in or take the hybrid route like I did. 

It’s definitely an experience which will benefit myself and all those I work with and for. 🙏

Find out more at https://manjushri.org/

Much love

Tabby x

The Mode for… Notebook

Mode for… is a diverse portfolio business created in 2008 by husband and wife team Tabby and Simon Kerwin.

Since Simon’s death in 2018, Tabby has continued to develop Mode for… based on its original ethose of “doing what we love and loving what we do” and today it is the place where experience, performance and wellness meet through creativity and learning.

A diverse portfolio of six areas of business focussing on brass bands to weddings, publishing to Italian events and experiences and performance wellness coaching to training in mental health and suicide prevention.

Mode for… continues to develop organically in an exciting and diverse way with Tabby and her team being their for the needs of their clients and colleages.

Keep up to date with all that goes on and join the Mode for… story through our blog, The Mode for…Notebook