Every time we adapt something to suit our needs, or do
something our way, we are putting our own stamp on things. This can help us to
feel creative, pleased, contented and fulfilled. It is something we can often
do in the workplace and many times we may have done it without even realising.
Those of us who work in rural environments are constantly adapting tools and resources
to be more appropriate for a rural context.
What does it mean?
Putting our own stamp
on things is about doing things our way, not the way others think we should do
them. It means being true to ourselves, acting according to our core values and
being an individual, and it may mean having the courage to stand out from the
crowd. It may also mean standing out form the ordinary and mediocre and
choosing to be different to others without disrespecting them. It definitely means
doing things in ways that support our growth as human beings.
The things we can put our own stamps onto
Some of the things that we can do our way include:
- Choosing how we dress, what we eat and how we live our lives
- Tweaking programs to fit our needs and the needs of those with
whom we are working
- Choosing the tools, resources and style of working with our
clients
- Choosing between options and how we choose to use advice from
others
- How we deal with challenges
- How we choose to react to situations and the perspectives we
choose to take
- How we carry out required tasks and the order in which we do
these
- Daily routines
- The kinds of movies and programs we watch, the books we read
and how we use our relaxation/ leisure time
- Putting our own spin on creative activities
Ways of encouraging ourselves to remember
Sometimes we need to work on believing in ourselves and building up our confidence and we can do this by reminding ourselves that we are allowed to do things our way, listening to our inner nurturing voices rather than the unhelpful voices of others and putting ourselves in the “driver’s seat” of our own life journey “cars” so that we can choose the direction and where our “car” is going to take us.
An exercise in putting our own stamp on things
In the Women’s Support Group that I used to facilitate we
would regularly take a base recipe and brainstorm ways that we could vary it to
suit our own needs. This was a practical way of encouraging the women to put their
own stamp onto something.
Quiche
- Pre-heat oven to 180
degrees (Centigrade)
- Beat together 4 eggs
and ½ cup milk (low fat is healthier) and add any flavouring herbs (dried
coriander is nice)
- Line a pie plate
with pastry (or leave this out and grease the plate to make frittata
instead)
- Fill the pastry
shell/ pie plate with a mixture of any of the following:
- Tuna or salmon and
dill
- Left-overs from
main meals
- Left over Chinese
(including rice)
- Chopped up hard
boiled eggs
- Tomato and basil
- Any chopped
vegetables e.g. carrots, peas, beans, corn, broccoli, cauliflower etc.
- Capsicum
- Spaghetti/ noodles
- Onion or garlic
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Ham, bacon or
salami or chopped sausages
- Cooked chicken or left-over
meat (chopped)
What else could be added?
- Top with grated
cheese and/ or paprika
- Bake for 50 mins or
until set
A smaller version could be made by halving the quantities
In the words of Fanny Brice: Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be,
because sooner or later if you are posing, you will forget the pose and then
where are you?
