When I started this publication way back in - checks diary, gasps, double checks to make sure the old man’s brain isn’t playing tricks - November last year, I wasn’t totally sure what it would turn out to be.
I am almost/nearly/quite possibly certain I was going to write essays about each of the values covered in our Encouragement Manifesto … it was all going to happen pretty quickly, I imagined. Up to two a month (done and dusted in less than six months, easy).
How did that go, Barrie?
Okay, not quite as planned. I probably need to get myself back on track as I celebrate precisely one year of ‘Encourage Meant’. Yes, maybe I should do more of the things I ‘meant’ to do. Starting now.
The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Let’s focus a little, shall we?
Things To Do:
Gather up words about the values at the heart of the Encouragement Manifesto. Write more. Invite other folk to say what they want to say because they are their values too. Maybe you would like to write something? Consider yourself invited!
Open up a new season of Encouragement Sessions.
Tell us a little more about Number 2 - that sounds interesting.
It turns out that once your values are out there - and people can see that you are genuinely living by them, consistently, over time - folk seek you out.
In our case, it turns out that people head our way to grab an Encouragement Session, sometimes two … some folk head back for regular tastes of our handful of Tangfastics for the soul. What are these ‘Sessions’, you ask? Well, they’re like mentoring or coaching but free from structures and without expectations. A positive, upbeat free-for-all that - in its heart - seeks to find out what represents ‘joy’ to the participant and asks how to weave more of that thing into their life.
What Next?
In January 2024, I will be offering 24 Encouragement Sessions (weekdays from the 2nd to the 31st of January). That is 24 hours of enthusiasm, listening, positivity, discretion, sensitivity, ideas, energy and encouragement from me.
What do you need to do?
Well, invite yourself to one of the Sessions
(just e-mail Barrie at feastsandfables@gmail.com)
Maybe you’ll have something in mind that you want to turn from an idea into a *thing* … perhaps you need someone else to ‘give you permission’ to start a project you’ve always wanted to do … you could have an idea but you’re not quite sure about it … you might just need some energy to get 2024 off to the best possible start … or you need to narrow down what it is that brings you joy, and grab a reminder that you are allowed to do more of that.
Is there a catch?
Did I mention, it’s FREE. No catch, no selling, no pressure, no angle. It’s not a business. I am someone with 30+ years of ‘world of work’ experience, who created a successful small business, who then spent 2.5 years travelling in Europe before settling down to run a smallholding in France and to write. But I have discovered that my superpower is Encouragement and I have time, capacity and the inclination to help some folk.
What do people say about the Sessions?
People have been very kind … they seem to think the Encouragement Sessions are helpful in ways they never imagined. Let them tell you what they think.
Just one more thing, the Manifesto you keep mentioning, Barrie, what’s that all about?
Three years ago we closed our coffee shop/deli to make room for new ideas and adventures. To help us take stock of the experience, we wrote down the values we embedded at the heart of our small business in rural Wales. Some are more obvious than others … all try to avoid ‘marketing speak’. Values are about humanness, we think … our modest list sets out what was important to us, the things that folk could expect when they hung out with us:
The Encouragement Manifesto is not a template. Or an instruction manual. It is not a series of steps to follow … or a shopping list. It isn’t a rallying call for folk to gather around a shared set of intentions. It isn’t a promise of what will be delivered through a platform of power or control or influence.
It really is none of that.
It is a guide rail for us. It is a reminder, perhaps, of the need to give more than we take. A prompt to offer the things we have. We have time, energy, capacity and experience. We’ve worked in Corporate structures but we have also created a successful high street business focused on community, provenance and championing the talents of others.
The Encouragement Manifesto neatly draws together the lessons we learned along the way; it expresses the characteristics that allowed us to bring energy, optimism and positivity to our working lives. It offers a structure around which we can offer more of the same to the folk who need it; given freely, enthusiastically, without ‘angle’ or agenda.
The Manifesto is way more that the 10 ‘values’ on a graphic. It is a collection of meaningful essays and articles which strike a chord with readers; it is also a programme of ‘mentoring’, a framework for boundless enthusiasm and limitless possibilities. It is, we hope, an encouragement to us and others.
You Might Have Missed
We try to capture and share lessons from the Sessions
Although the Encouragement Manifesto has been part of us since 2020, we introduced it to
exactly one year ago, 8 November 2022. We quickly discovered that Substack is the perfect home for our style of encouragement.
What they say
“The encouragement sessions have been like a little window into my parallel life, the one that I yearn for, that is filled with energy, positivity, and creativity. Barrie - I’ve really enjoyed the meandering conversations, the extraordinary tangents, the recommendations, and the simplicity of the core messages you’ve shared. I’ve always gone away feeling energised and with more direction and purpose.” (@eatbetterwithbriony)
Well this is all very... encouraging, Barrie! I think we could all benefit from a little free encouragement once in a while.
Glad that I discovered you 🥺🫶🏾 thank you for caring and sharing