Norq From Ork

‘Some people are radiators and some people are drains’

I first heard that lovely expression probably years ago when I was living in Cambridge and it was one of those sentences that stuck with me ever since.  I can remember where I was when I heard it and the person who said it, although I’ve lost touch with her now. Obviously this wasn’t meaning somewhere to dry your socks; she was describing how some people radiate warmth and energy whilst others drain you of it. This really resonated with me,  I always want to be a radiator.

In a recent post ‘A step in the right direction’ linked here I spoke about a step challenge I’d taken part in last week where I was aiming to increase my steps.  I did just that and most days managed to make it over the  recommended 10,000 mark, sometimes considerably more.  I was very pleased with my efforts until I began to see some of the figures my friends and colleagues had achieved. I instantly began berating myself  I hadn’t done as much as them, and commented as much on a friends Facebook post. Thankfully another mutual friend stepped in virtually straight away and turned my thinking around with this comment ‘No point comparing ourselves to others Sarah, as long as we did our best with the time we had available (not much!)’

It’s true, I am rather guilty of comparing myself to others in a negative light and its not good or healthy (and I’ll bet other people don’t do that do they?) I spoke to Orkney Beef about this and asked him to tell me the things he thought I was good at so I could list some of them here. We ended up with a mixed list of ‘who I am’ qualities and ‘what I can do’ qualities.  I’ve decided to list 5 of the best, based on feedback from friends and family, as a challenge to myself. This is tricky for me because the norm for me is to focus on the not so great but there’s enough haters in life pointing out what’s wrong with us, we don’t need to start agreeing with them. It’s merely an exercise in acknowledging that we ALL have strengths and none of us should compare our worst with another persons best.

1.  I can make people laugh.  I’ve always been able to do this in real life and judging by the response to the blog I can do it in written form too. I love making people smile and laugh and hope I continue to do it.
2. I’m an encourager.  Sort of like a middle aged cheerleader without the pom poms, acrobatics and mini skirt (thank God!) If you’re standing on the side of the cliff attached to a bungi cord wondering if you’re brave enough to jump, you can rely on me to give you a little shove in the right direction. (I’m speaking figuratively here obvs)
3. I’m very loyal. (I checked this one out with Orkney Beef and he agreed thankfully) ‘I got your back’
4. I’m kind and caring. This is from a ‘describe me in three words’ type thing I once did and the words kind and caring were most often used along with ‘bubbly’ (I’ve always thought that meant kind of in your face annoying but I guess I’m reverting to the comparing myself thing again.  Ho hum)  I have my moments when more practise in caring and kindness is needed but on the whole I hope it’s my default setting.
5. I have a PMA (positive mental attitude) I have a pretty positive outlook on life and attitude of gratitude. I’m definitely a ‘big picture’ person and this has enabled me to continually pick myself up when dealing with the knocks and bruises of life.

I’ve taken myself right out of my comfort zone with this blog.  If you asked me to list all the things wrong with myself I could do a whole lot more than 5 but that would take me right back to square one.  Now I challenge YOU to think about your qualities and let me know in the comments box or by email or message.  Don’t be shy, I’d LOVE to hear them.

Thanks again for reading and always remember if you want to be a radiator, to sparkle, shine and scatter joy.