Columns

This ANGUILLA PRIDE™ discussion focuses on “Names” represented by the “N” in this acronym. The “N” reminds us to learn our customers’ Names and use them with warmth and courtesy. This is the second of the service quality standards that needs to be practised by all to ensure professional performance. In turn, every manager needs to model them to support the staff; to enable all to take pride in their work; earn greater gratuities where given; and benefit from “free” marketing and an unparalleled reputation.

Have you ever reached a point in your life when you just want to throw your hands in the air and say: “Why bother?” Well, you are not alone. We have all experienced that at one time or another in our lives. When certain expectations are not met we tend to become disappointed, which can lead to discouragement if not handled carefully.

What kind of emotional baggage(s) are you carrying, that seems to be holding you back? Think for a moment of the things that are wearing you down for they come in all sorts of packages. They have many faces. We carry them around; we store them in the remotest part of our brain; in the deepest chambers of our hearts. We have them in the extensive database of our memories. Some are so close to the heart, that they bring out tears at the slightest provocation.

Countless times and in many walks of life you hear the saying: ”Life is not fair.” How often have you heard someone make a statement like that or have said that yourself? Can you recall under what circumstances?

Do you believe the saying - “Everything happens for a reason?” What do you think? Can it really be true? Take a moment to reflect and think of some of the major or minor events or things that happened to you over the years. Can you truly say that everything happens for a reason?

Are you experiencing difficulties in forgiving others? Are you struggling with hurt, or holding a grudge against someone who has hurt you in the past and just don’t know what to do about it? Well here is the answer – forgiveness.

Amidst the financial downturn, the loss of jobs, the deductions in salaries, the mounting bills, the recurrent and frequent illnesses, do you believe God will provide? Whatever you are going through, whatever your needs, my friends, be assured that God will provide.
It is not that God might provide, or God probably will provide. It is without a shadow of a doubt that God will provide. Whenever you are tempted to doubt God’s provision, just think back for a moment on the many past experiences in your life when God provided for you.

“Let your conscience be your guide!” Have you ever heard that saying before? Where have you heard it? Much emphasis is not being placed on the conscience these days. So what is this conscience all about? What is the importance of having a good or clear conscience? And why is it necessary to pay attention to it?

Do you know your father? Some of you might be saying “of course!” or “what kind of question is that?” However, this question is not intended to insult or offend you in any way. What it is intended to do, is to bring about an awareness of how much you do know about him.

I will soon be completing my job as the Educational Psychologist. When my wife and I arrived in August 2008, we were asked to share our expertise in ways that would help the teachers, students, administrators and parents in Anguilla.

Articles for the month of June focused on the Adult Probation Section of the Department. It is important to end our month by giving a few of our past clients an opportunity to share their experiences with the community. These clients were asked to write briefly about their experiences whilst on Probation. Did Probation help them and if so in what way? What challenges did they face? And what could the Department do differently to improve the services offered? Submissions were not altered and names are only given by clients who chose to publish their names.

It is that time again when our thoughts, attention and focus are centered on one of the most significant persons in our lives - our fathers. Unfortunately many children as well as adults seem to have great difficulty identifying or relating with the father in their lives.

It is important for us to learn and practice making good decisions on a daily basis. Making good decisions can help prevent a person from committing criminal acts, being arrested and sent to prison or being sentenced to Probation. When a Probationer is given a Probation Order sometimes it states that he/she should receive counseling in decision-making.

Whose approval are you seeking? A sobering question isn’t it? When last have you stopped and asked yourself even one of these questions: - “Why am I doing what I am doing?” “Who am I doing it for?” “What is my real underlying motive for much of the apparently good stuff I do?” Well, if you have never asked yourself any of those questions, perhaps it is time to do so because it is extremely important for you to know the answer. It could be quite revealing.

For the past few articles, I have talked about renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, and the importance of adopting them in order to reduce our reliance on oil. With the current status of grid interactive systems legislation in Anguilla, there is presently no easy way to use renewable energy for the homeowner, leaving no renewable energy option for reducing energy bills. Hopefully we will see change in this area as the economic situation forces us to explore our alternatives.

What better time than now for us to stop, reflect, examine and reevaluate ourselves both individually and collectively as a people and answer the questions – “Who are you?”, “Where are you going?” as we celebrate yet another Anguilla Day.

I began writing this column back in 2008. My goal was to write a weekly column focusing on children, parents, teaching, learning, and schools…in essence, ‘all things educational’. While I didn’t succeed in publishing an article every week, I did cover quite a few topics including behavior management and discipline, reading instruction, critical thinking, classroom management, school reform, children’s mental health (depression, ADHD), dyslexia, learning disabilities, bullying, autism, children and grief, drug and alcohol use and more.

Excuses, Excuses! You hear them every day, don’t you? What excuses have you made or were given to you by someone this week? Here is a list of some that we usually hear from time to time:- The cost is too great. It’s too embarrassing. It’s too hard. People will laugh at me. I can’t do it. I’m too busy. I’m not that smart. He/she can do it better. I don’t have the time.

Rehabilitation deals with a wide range of problems, impairments and dysfunctional behaviours. The World Health Organization defines rehabilitation as "a progressive, dynamic, goal-oriented and often time-limited process, which enables an individual with an impairment to identify and reach his/her optimal mental, physical, cognitive and/or social functional level. Rehabilitation provides opportunities for the individual, the family and the community to accommodate a limitation or loss of function and aims to facilitate social integration and independence."

The statistics are indicating that in these modern times, fewer people are choosing marriage. Cohabitation has become an accepted lifestyle for many couples. However, it would not be accurate to say that marriages these days are a failure. Some marriages are incredibly successful. Some people find a way to heal rifts, settle conflicts and grow in their relationships.