Lee Jackson - Online and Offline Motivational Speaker and Presentation Coach in organisations, businesses and education.

Lee Jackson is an Award-Winning Motivational Speaker and Presentation Coach working in organisations businesses and education to help people Get Good® - his style is engaging, authentic and jargon free.

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5 ways to really enjoy your Christmas holiday in 2021…

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5 ways to really enjoy your Christmas holiday in 2021…

Things I love about Christmas:

Turkey and cranberry sauce, slightly mad Christmas lights, food, seeing my family, food, time off work, great TV specials, food and a drop of Port with good friends, oh, and, err food!

Things I hate about Christmas:

People buying stuff they don’t need or can’t afford, presents that go straight to landfill, the over-hype of “the day”, hearing of people I know being on their own at Christmas, people who say it’s just for kids, Christmas pudding!

What do you love and hate about this time of year?

Sure, there are things that I love and hate about Christmas time like most people do – but I certainly wouldn’t ban it, like some have said that they would on Martin Lewis’s classic online poll.

He says: “…20,367 voted on whether they’d cancel Christmas if given the choice. Perhaps unsurprisingly, parents of school-age kids were most festive, with 64% of those mums and dads happy to celebrate. Of the rest of voters, 55% would choose to press the cancel Christmas button if they could. Bah humbug!”

People who want to ban it may well be in the majority, but why is that?

Maybe they are reacting to the over-hyped season of shopping?

Maybe they have a different religion, like my old neighbour who was a Jehovah’s Witness?

Maybe they have bad memories of certain events at Christmas time?

Maybe it’s an expense that they just can’t afford?

Or maybe they are just a bit grumpy?!

But for most semi-Scrooge’s, maybe they don’t realise the power of a celebration. Christmas is good for us, in fact any good holiday or celebration is good for us. But we in our British culture often just don’t celebrate very much. And some make not celebrating an art form! It always makes me laugh that anti-Christmas type people still go to Christmas parties but they sit there with a “Bah humbug” hat on while there! Or as I saw the other a few years ago at a posh hotel where a works party was taking place – everyone was wearing a Christmas jumper. I never saw the party as such as it was behind closed doors but one by one people were popping to the loo looking very sheepish wearing a really embarrassing jumper at a 5 star hotel! Their faces were a picture as they mumbled under their breath “please don’t see me please don’t see me” in their rush for the loo! I think they’d had an email from the boss to wear a light-up Christmas jumper, none of them were doing it by choice.

But amazingly it can be good for you…

5 reasons Christmas is good for you

(taken from a classic article in The Mirror newspaper)

1. You sing more at Christmas.

Singing is good for us, it lifts our spirits and makes us feel part of a community. Why not get to a carol service or start a sing-song at home? A study for the annual Sing for your Heart campaign by Heart Research UK found singing is a “great aerobic exercise, giving your heart and lungs a fantastic workout”.

2. You give and receive.

Studies show that when we give and receive gifts, the brain releases the feel-good chemical dopamine. Giving also releases the “cuddle” hormone oxytocin.

3. We spend more time together.

The average family manages just 36 minutes of quality time together a day, according to recent research, yet a separate poll reveals 95% of parents believe the key to happiness lies in spending quality family time together.

4. We make family traditions that will last.

“Whether it’s buying a new tree bauble every year, leaving a mince pie out for Santa or watching It’s A Wonderful Life, family traditions unite all generations”. We always watch National Lampoons Christmas vacation as our start to Christmas!

5. Err and lastly,

“The Christmas holidays are the most popular time to conceive, according to one US study, probably due to a combination of socialising more and the long, cold days of the Yuletide period when, for many, there isn’t the distraction of work! Condom sales also double in December, showing that sexual activity in general rises. And extra sex is good news for your health. As well as giving your heart a boost and relieving stress, its great for your self-esteem and wellbeing – and even makes you look younger!”

Here’s my 5 ways to really make the most of Christmas this year:

1. Take time to stop and think, reflect on the last year, write down the positives, learn from the negatives, then throw them away.

2. Don’t buy tit-for-tat presents for the sake of it, buy presents for those you want to, maybe even make a present or two yourself, a tin of homemade mince pies is much more meaningful than a bottle of talc! Or just send a text, have a video chat or send a card to someone you’ve lost touch with.

3. Write down a gratitude list. What are you thankful for this Christmas? It’s proven to make us feel better. Maybe also write down a task list for work too, so you can forget it and relax.

4. If you are not on call in the emergency services, then switch off your phone for a while (it’s so rare to do that these days) and put an autoresponder on your email too for a while, use it as your winter break.

5. And lastly, if you are able to go to a party or get-together – be in the moment, enjoy the random conversation, games or cheesy TV, you’ll enjoy things so much more. Just go with it. Work can and should wait every now and then.

Have a great Christmas holiday, however you chose to celebrate it.

2020 was tough but maybe in all this madness we got a taste of 20/20 vision after all?…

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2020 was tough, but maybe in all this madness, we got a taste of 20/20 vision after all?

As I sit here wrapping stuff up, in both senses (!), and having done my last speaking gig this year, I’ve been trying to find the right words to bring some meaning and understanding to 2020. Then I started to see some great Christmas decorations on Facebook, and they cheekily made me laugh.

Firstly, the more measured approach:

Then, the (ah-hem) more direct approach! 

These and similar are still for sale on Etsy by the way.

Ok, deep breath…..2020….

This time last year people were blogging and posting stuff about ‘2020 (or 20/20) vision’ in the year 2020 ?. I’ll be honest I thought it was a bit too easy and dull. Bloggers just trying to get better ratings on Google. There was so much of that talk around it became like noise and most people I know just rolled their eyes and didn’t read that stuff. There is always is a bit of jumping on the bandwagon from bloggers, journalists and speakers and yes, 2020 was a date that related to a phrase about clarity.

Geeky bit: It actually is a measurement used by opticians to state that you can see the bottom row of the eye chart from 20 yards away without specs. So you have ’20 yard’ vision – well that’s the simplified version. And over time through slang from Jazz musicians, it became a phrase that means – ‘I can see clearly’ or ‘the fog had lifted’ – ‘we can see the future now’. Perfect for business consultants and motivational speakers like me of course.

So at the beginning of March 2020 we were all ticking along, I was in New York celebrating my big 5-0 and then we started hearing about a virus, people were texting us, and in those few days in March – it got serious and by the time we had left New York the shops were emptying and Times Square was nearly deserted, except for me grabbing the last New York Knicks basketball bargains that I could find. When we landed back home, we were locked down. At that point, everything changed.

It has been a tough year for most, really tough for many, devastating for some.

But as we approach the end of 2020, for me personally through all the trials, worry and upheaval I feel like, in part, that 2020 has weirdly given me better vision and has helped me focus, at work and personally.

I have simplified my business, I am now offering a much more focused offering to my clients, I have focused my attention on what I do well and what solves peoples problems (the heart of any good speaking or training business).

Plus, even though I haven’t been able to see as many of my friends and family as I’d have liked in 2020, I have certainly realised how grateful I am for them, have kept in touch, and have already thought of ways to enjoy hanging out with them in 2021.

All that has happened in a strange sort of way, through tough times and frustration, but I do feel that I have gained some new vision and focus, for my business and for other things too. It’s been uncomfortable, boring and challenging at times but also a kind of a refining process.

Anyway, that’s just me thinking aloud. What about you?

We all want to leave 2020 behind asap. But what did you learn from it?

Where have you been better focused, or refined even?

Press pause for five minutes – have a think, write down some thoughts.

Don’t rush into 2021 without taking stock of 2020.

Then let’s move on into a year of recovery. 

TEDxLeeds – Lee Jackson – Riotonomics

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Lee’s TEDx talk based on his research on the London riots.

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In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

5 ways to really enjoy Christmas this year…

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Christmas – 5 ways to really enjoy Christmas this year…

christmas banner

Things I love about Christmas:
Turkey and cranberry sauce, slightly mad Christmas lights, food, seeing my family, food, time off work, great TV specials, food and a drop of Port with good friends, oh, and, err food!

Things I hate about Christmas:
People buying stuff they don’t need or can’t afford, presents that go straight to landfill, the over-hype of “the day”, hearing of people I know being on their own at Christmas, people who say it’s just for kids, Christmas pudding!

What do you love and hate about this time of year?

Sure, there are things that I love and hate about Christmas time like most people do – but I certainly wouldn’t ban it, like some have said that they would on Martin Lewis’s new online poll.

He says: “…20,367 voted on whether they’d cancel Christmas if given the choice. Perhaps unsurprisingly, parents of school-age kids were most festive, with 64% of those mums and dads happy to celebrate. Of the rest of voters, 55% would choose to press the cancel Christmas button if they could. Bah humbug!” See the full results of the poll here: http://is.gd/jgjQ78

People who want to ban it may well be in the majority, but why is that?
Maybe they are reacting to the over-hyped season of shopping?
Maybe they have a different religion, like my old neighbour who was a Jehovah’s Witness?
Maybe they have bad memories of certain events at Christmas time?
Maybe it’s an expense that they just can’t afford?
Or maybe they are just a bit grumpy?!

But for most semi-Scrooge’s, maybe they don’t realise the power of a celebration. Christmas is good for us, in fact any good holiday or celebration is good for us. But we in our British culture often just don’t celebrate very much. And some make not celebrating an artform! It always makes me laugh that anti-Christmas type people still go to Christmas parties but they sit there with a “Bah humbug” hat on while there! Or as I saw the other day at a hotel where a works party was taking place – everyone was wearing a Christmas jumper. i never saw the party as it was behind closed doors but one by one people were popping to the loo looking very sheepish wearing a really embarrassing jumper at a 5 star hotel! Their faces were a picture as they mumbled under their breath “please don’t see me please don’t see me” in their rush for the loo! I think they’d had an email from the boss to wear a light-up Christmas jumper, none of them were doing it by choice.

But amazingly it can be good for you…

5 reasons Christmas is good for you
(taken from The Mirror’s article)

1. You sing more at Christmas.
Singing is good for us, it lifts our spirits and makes us feel part of a community. Why not get to a carol service or start a sing-song at home? A study for the annual Sing for your Heart campaign by Heart Research UK found singing is a “great aerobic exercise, giving your heart and lungs a fantastic workout”.

2. You give and receive.
Studies show that when we give and receive gifts, the brain releases the ­feel-good chemical dopamine. Giving also releases the “cuddle” hormone oxytocin.

3. We spend more time together.
The average family manages just 36 minutes of quality time together a day, according to recent research, yet a separate poll reveals 95% of parents believe the key to happiness lies in spending quality family time together.

4. We make family traditions that will last.
“Whether it’s buying a new tree bauble every year, leaving a mince pie out for Santa or watching It’s A Wonderful Life, family traditions unite all generations”. We always watch National Lampoons Christmas vacation as our start to Christmas!

5. Err and lastly,
“The Christmas holidays are the most popular time to conceive, according to one US study, probably due to a combination of socialising more and the long, cold days of the Yuletide period when, for many, there isn’t the distraction of work! Condom sales also double in December, showing that sexual activity in general rises. And extra sex is good news for your health. As well as giving your heart a boost and relieving stress, its great for your ­self-esteem and wellbeing – and even makes you look younger!”


Here’s my 5 ways to really make the most of Christmas this year:

1. Take time to stop and think, reflect on the last year, write down the positives, learn from the negatives, then throw them away.

2. Don’t buy tit-for-tat presents for the sake of it, buy presents for those you want to, maybe even make a present or two yourself, a tin of homemade mince pies is much more meaningful than a bottle of talc! Or just send a text, have a Skype chat or send a card to someone you’ve lost touch with.

3. Write down a gratitude list. What are you thankful for this Christmas? It’s proven to make us feel better. Maybe also write down a task list for work too, so you can forget it and relax.

4. If you are not in the emergency services, then switch off your phone for a while (it’s so rare to do that these days) and put an autoresponder on your email too for a while, use it as your winter break.

5. And lastly, when you are at a party or get-together – be in the moment, enjoy the random conversation, games or cheesy TV, you’ll enjoy things so much more. Just go with it. Work can and should wait every now and then.

Have a great Christmas holiday, however you chose to celebrate it.

merry christmas lee jackson

#Mytop30 the full list…

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  1. Teardrop [LP Version] / Massive Attack
  2. Walking On The Moon / The Police
  3. Superstition / Stevie Wonder
  4. It Must Be Love / Madness
  5. One Love / Bob Marley
  6. Special Brew / Bad Manners
  7. Cissy Strut / The Meters
  8. Papa Don’t Take No Mess, Pt. 1 / James Brown
  9. Beats To The Rhyme / Run DMC
  10. Here Comes The Sun / The Beatles
  11. A touch of Jazz extended retouch / DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
  1. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes / Paul Simon
  2. Grace / U2
  3. Afrika Shox / Leftfield
  4. Melt / Leftfield
  5. Dooms Night (Timo Maas Remix) / Azzido da bass
  6. Ain’t Nobody / Rufus & Chaka Khan
  7. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough / Michael Jackson
  8. Magnificent / U2
  9. Clocks / Coldplay
  10. Bring the Noise / Public Enemy
  11. Lolas Theme / Shapeshifters
  12. Sweet child o’ mine / Guns n’ Roses
  13. Superman / Lazlo Bane
  14. Fly Like An Eagle / Steve Miller Ban
  15. Hem me in / Eden Burning
  16. So Fresh / Will Smith
  17. Everybody’s talkin’ / Nilsson
  18. Bed & Breakfast Man / Madness
  19. Giving Up The Ghost / DJ Shadow 6:31
Just outside the top 30…
Fear And Love / Morcheeba 
Lucky Man / The Verve 
Galvanize / The Chemical Brothers 
Gorecki / Lamb 
The Joker / Steve Miller Band 
Glory Box / Portishead 

Don’t be shy, open up your music collection, I have… http://leejackson.org/category/mytop30 #mytop30 #wartsandall

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Being a leader is all about stepping out and up.

Some people are reallty scared to say what music they really listen to. They are very secretive about their iTunes collection, fearing that the discovery of Abba’s greatest hits may leave them a little red-faced at work!

I decided to undertake this task with complete transparency… here is my top 30 – warts and all… http://leejackson.org/category/mytop30/ – have a laugh, find one of your favourites or find a gem you’ve never even heard of!

 

#1 of my top 30 songs of all time

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Drum roll please………

Here it is…

My favourite song of all time (well err probably at the moment anyway)

#1 Teardrop – Massive Attack

As you can imagine as a former DJ this wasn’t an easy task, 15,000 tracks down to this one, but this just shone out, i never get tired of it, it relaxing yet inspiring, it’s trip/hip hop based which i love, it’s sang beautifully, it ticks all my boxes.

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teardrop_(song)…

“Teardrop is a song by Massive Attack, which was first released on their 1998 album Mezzanine. It was released as a single on 27 April 1998. The song became another UK hit for the group, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song features vocals by Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. The song is also known for its use in numerous TV programs and movies, notably as the theme song, on American TV, of the medical television series ‘House’. The instrumental portions of the song at the beginning and the end which feature a bass drum beat reminiscent of a heartbeat are used in the opening theme.

The song’s music video featured a plastic fetus in the womb, singing the song. It was directed by Walter Stern.

“Teardrop” was first developed from a simple harpsichord riff picked out in the studio in April 1997. Vowles sent the demo to Madonna as he wanted her to record the vocals for the song (the band had previously worked with her on their 1995 reworking of the song “I Want You“). The two other band members Robert Del Naja and Grantley Marshall wanted Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins to record the vocals, feeling her ethereal style suited the mournful melody and feel of the piece. Madonna was very keen to record the vocals, and was disappointed when the two-to-one vote went in Fraser’s favour.[1]

Fraser wrote the song’s lyrics and was recording the song when she got the news of the death by drowning on 29 May 1997 of her once-close friend, Jeff Buckley. “That was so weird … I’d got letters out and I was thinking about him. That song’s kind of about him – that’s how it feels to me anyway.”[2] 

It’s amazing what a old group of break-dancers and DJ’s from the 80’s can produce 🙂

Live performance …

Honourable mention…

Protection – Massive Attack, another great song…

 

My blurb about #mytop30 …

I now have 15,906 songs in my iTunes collection. In my defence I am an ex-DJ, honest! So on a long train journey i started to add my favourites to a playlist. I was aiming to find my top 5, but ended up with my top 30.

Whats your top 5/10/20/30?

#2 of my top 30 songs of all time

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#2 Walking on the moon – The Police

Probably one of the worse videos ever made , shell suit included, but a fantastic track with some of the best drumming ever (not originally performed on the side of a rocket!). When new bands (and speakers) start they feel the need to fill every moment with sound, this is a pretty empty track with both sounds and silences. so whether you’re a speaker or a musician you don’t have to fill every moment, let your content breath. Bizarrely some tracks i love to play while driving at night – this is one of them, it somehow sounds better in the dark, i think the video is better in the dark too!

My blurb about #mytop30 …

I now have 15,906 songs in my iTunes collection. In my defence I am an ex-DJ, honest! So on a long train journey i started to add my favourites to a playlist. I was aiming to find my top 5, but ended up with my top 30.

Whats your top 5/10/20/30?