First session
I always seek some opportunity to find the right time and the right space for myself. Being a nursing student is quite tough; there are always deadlines, exams and several priorities to juggle. I try to balance things between university work and social life, yet I tend to prioritise what my essential responsibilities are. However, I do love my course, being able to look after my patients and make a difference in their lives is a huge accomplishment for me.
I found the first session amazing with the new Wild Swans. During the session, we were able to learn more about what our own values and beliefs are. I particularly enjoyed and was truly inspired by hearing Justine Laymond’s story. Despite of having various conditions, she still continues to challenge and fight for her goals. She is such a miracle! After hearing her story, I learnt that having respect for yourself and believing that you can reach for your goals can certainly make you a stronger person. I believe that in order to become a good leader, you must believe in yourself first before you inspire others.
Having the meeting outside made me feel more relaxed and it definitely gave me the time that I needed for myself. By sharing our thoughts together around the campfire felt that I knew the girls for years.
The whole camping experience was fantastic, especially dessert time! It was my first time to taste a grilled banana with melted chocolate buttons in the middle and just by describing it makes me even want to have more! Of course, camping will not be complete without having marshmallows. Due to my obsession for them, I think that I probably ate more than ten in one night.
Second session
The second session was another great experience for me. We had a successful meeting and we were very blessed to have such a wonderful sunny day.
During midday, we had our own solo walk, which gave me time to reflect on what is happening with my life and focus on what has changed so far from the last session. Part of the task of the walk was to list as much as we can on what we could sense using our five senses. After choosing a perfect spot, I sat down for about 15 minutes. Once I sat down, I started breathing some fresh air and released any thoughts that were unnecessary. The calming part of this exercise was when I could hear the birds chirping, bees buzzing and trees swaying by the wind. It was such a peaceful moment for me and I wish I could do that everyday.
Also, we had another nature exercise where I had to lead and allow my partner to build her connection with nature. However, I thought that the fun part was when she had to be blindfolded. Initially, I was quite nervous whether she was going to trust me in leading her. However, after the task she thought that my voice made her at ease. The positive response made me confident, as I was able to gain her trust.
Later on, we had Jo as our speaker, who I thought was an absolutely inspirational. I listed a couple of qualities on what Jo believes is a good leader: confident, transparent and courageous. From her story, I was also able to learn that as a leader, you must be honest with your team members and give an opportunity to discuss challenges with them. Connecting with the team gives an opportunity for yourself to adapt and learn what their values, opinion or beliefs are.
Overall, everyone was very pleased to see each other again and it was just great to have another quiet time for myself as well. I just can’t wait for another inspirational session!
Session 3 Resilience – Aug 31, 2013
Yet again, we were extremely lucky to have a wonderful sunny day for our third session. We discussed about what exactly does resilience mean. Well actually, the night before our session, I was a little curious to find out what does the word itself really means. So I searched resilience on the Internet and it means it’s ‘the ability to recover quickly from change or difficulties.’ After finding out what the word meant, I thought that we would have another interesting session.
On the day of the session, we began with another relaxing solo walk for fifteen minutes. Whilst walking, I noticed that the grasses have turned greener and I could feel the cold breeze running through my skin. The feeling of being able to walk silently and have time for my self was very rewarding.
After the walk, we had various discussions about when was the last time we had to be strong and from the girls’ stories; I was able to learn how each of us handle our challenging moments in different ways. I believe that failing is part of our lives and the trials I went through had taught me to accept the difficulty in life.
One of the best parts of this day was when we had to do an activity based on resilience. My partner and I quite struggled in the beginning on how to move three crates from one point to another, along with carrying two heavy planks at the same time. However, I must say we had a good team effort! We both used effective communication skills, such as listening to each other’s opinions and strategies. Although the game was unexpected, I definitely enjoyed it!
Yet another best part of the session was listening to Jane Addison’s story, who was our inspirational speaker for that day. She told us that her ‘stubbornness’ made her resilient person. Though she failed a couple of times in her life, she never ceases to continue in fighting back. In fact, she is a breast cancer survivor, who was diagnosed five years ago. What I really like about her was that she was just being her self throughout her speech. Her great sense of humour, determination and her faith has shown how she survived her battles in life. She is truly an inspiration!
