Magical Learning Club Newsletter

Competition Winners

We had some great responses to last month’s competition – thanks to everyone who took the time to share their dreams and hopes with us. Here are the winners:

This year, I aim to recognise my previous accomplishments. This has previously been a weakness of mine which may be blocking me from true success in my life. I am also focussing on paying off my mortgage by 2012 and have developed strategies which I believe will take me there. Lastly, but most importantly, I am focussing on developing my health. My intention is to have my body functioning to its optimum level - this includes having robust and dependable limbs which allow me to participate in physical activities which I previously have been unable to do. Marija

Finally, in my mid-40s, I know what I want to do! I want to teach cooking classes to adults and to children and my main aim in 2009 is to set the wheels in motion to have that as my main (if not sole) income by the end of 2009/10. In 2007, at a training course with Danette, I 'hatched' the idea of teaching cooking to children. Danette's enthusiastic encouragement had my mind racing! That cooking class turned into ‘Cooking for Blokes’, the first of which was successfully run last year. The course has since been featured in the Canberra Times and I feel that this is a fantastic opportunity that I have to build on. I am a positive person who likes to enjoy life and this feeds into my business 'ethic'. Michael

I have a travel goal, I would like to travel two weeks to Perth then Darwin. To do this I must hit the KPI targets set for me at work, as there is a financial reward in it if I do. I would also like to better my fitness and become the fittest I have been by Dec 09. This will be achieved by ensuring that each of my 3-4 times a week at the gym is always better than the last! Tania

I've accepted a new part-time job which should give me some time to catch up on things that I’ve been putting off for years. I have also started an editing and proof-reading course which I hope will open up more opportunities and allow me to work from home - or wherever I choose! I also hope to make the house I've just bought with my partner a real home for us. Overall, I'd like to spend less time working and more time enjoying! Joanne

puzzle

This Month's Competition

Our four lucky members above won movie tickets or book vouchers for daring to share - why don’t you join them?

This month we’re following the theme of our opening article. We want you to nominate your favourite charity and why they deserve our donation of $250 on your behalf.

Email your response to club@magicallearning.com. This competition closes Friday 24 April 2009.

Click here to download a PDF version of this newsletter

Issue 10, March 2009
Inside this Issue Learning to Give Competition Winners This Month's Competition Accredited Programs in April National Film and Sound Archive - ARC Cinema Meditation - LifeFirst What Are You Reading?		Be the change you wish to see in the world Gandhi

Learning to Give The Victorian bushfires have received enormous press coverage – and rightly so: the losses are staggering and have changed lives forever. But aside from the loss of life and property, the other consequence that resonated with me was the outpouring of charity, of *giving, by the rest of the nation. Less than 48 hours after the worst of the bushfires was known, one Canberra radio station began organising donations of goods: bedding, clothing – anything that may help those who had lost so much. The radio station approached a local freight company, hoping to get a shipping container to transport whatever was donated. 24 hours after broadcasting their appeal, there were ten shipping containers sitting outside the radio station. Every one of them was full of items donated by locals. Please don’t misunderstand me; I was so proud to be an Australian when I heard the scale of the response, it brought tears to my eyes. When we stop to not just think but feel* about other people, we can be truly magnificent creatures. Whatever mistakes we’ve made over the centuries (and there have been many) we remain capable of such beautiful care and love for our fellow human beings. But I also worry that it takes a tragedy like the bushfires to prompt us to stop and feel, for others. In 2004, the writer Morris West penned a book entitled Conspicuous Compassion: Why Sometimes it is Cruel to be Kind, in which he claims that these acts of ostentatious giving are doing more harm than good: “…such displays of empathy do not change the world for the better: they do not help the poor, diseased, dispossessed or bereaved. Our culture of ostentatious caring concerns, rather, projecting one’s ego, and informing others what a deeply caring individual you are. It is about feeling good, not doing good, and illustrates not how altruistic we have become, but how selfish.” It took me a long time to wake up to the fact that giving is the one act that will guarantee you getting what you need in life. I was well past 30 before the message finally sunk in: give first. I have no doubt the people who have lost so much are very grateful for everything being given to them – I know I would be. But what would it take for us to change the way we think about – and act upon – the need to give? How can we learn to make giving a proactive part of our lives, rather than a reaction to dire need? What would this country – the world – look like if we all just *gave, not because we needed to, but because we could? Grahame*
Competition Winners We had some great responses to last month’s competition – thanks to everyone who took the time to share their dreams and hopes with us. Here are the winners: This year, I aim to recognise my previous accomplishments. This has previously been a weakness of mine which may be blocking me from true success in my life. I am also focussing on paying off my mortgage by 2012 and have developed strategies which I believe will take me there. Lastly, but most importantly, I am focussing on developing my health. My intention is to have my body functioning to its optimum level - this includes having robust and dependable limbs which allow me to participate in physical activities which I previously have been unable to do. Marija Finally, in my mid-40s, I know what I want to do! I want to teach cooking classes to adults and to children and my main aim in 2009 is to set the wheels in motion to have that as my main (if not sole) income by the end of 2009/10. In 2007, at a training course with Danette, I 'hatched' the idea of teaching cooking to children. Danette's enthusiastic encouragement had my mind racing! That cooking class turned into ‘Cooking for Blokes’, the first of which was successfully run last year. The course has since been featured in the Canberra Times and I feel that this is a fantastic opportunity that I have to build on. I am a positive person who likes to enjoy life and this feeds into my business 'ethic'. Michael I have a travel goal, I would like to travel two weeks to Perth then Darwin. To do this I must hit the KPI targets set for me at work, as there is a financial reward in it if I do. I would also like to better my fitness and become the fittest I have been by Dec 09. This will be achieved by ensuring that each of my 3-4 times a week at the gym is always better than the last! Tania I've accepted a new part-time job which should give me some time to catch up on things that I’ve been putting off for years. I have also started an editing and proof-reading course which I hope will open up more opportunities and allow me to work from home - or wherever I choose! I also hope to make the house I've just bought with my partner a real home for us. Overall, I'd like to spend less time working and more time enjoying! Joanne This Month's Competition Our four lucky members above won movie tickets or book vouchers for daring to share - why don’t you join them? This month we’re following the theme of our opening article. We want you to nominate your favourite charity and why they deserve our donation of $250 on your behalf. Email your response to club@magicallearning.com. This competition closes Friday 24 April 2009.
Accredited Progams - April We have several nationally-accredited programs starting soon: Diploma of Government (Management) Starting Monday 6 April Advanced Diploma of Government (Financial Management) Starting Tuesday 7 April Certificate III in Government Starting Thursday 23 April Certificate IV in Government (Procurement) Starting Wednesday 29 April Diploma of Government (Financial Services) Starting Wednesday 29 April Advanced Diploma of Government (Human Resources) Starting Thursday 30 April For more information about these and our other programs, please visit magicallearning.com, email us at learn@magicallearning.com or telephone 02 6273 2221.		National Film and Sound Archive - ARC Cinema Enjoy cinema’s greatest experiences at Arc, the state-of-the-art venue at the National Film and Sound Archive. Arc’s sophisticated projection equipment screens movies in all formats, from cinema’s 19th century beginnings to its 21st century possibilities, and a unique pre-show program creates a special ambience with video art, soundscapes and lighting before every screening. (Source: Arc Calendar 2009) SCREENING SOON: Thurs 2 April 2009 7:30pm Claire’s Knee (PG) 105 mins France Starring: Laurence de Monaghan Director: Eric Rohmer Sat 4 April 2009 4.30pm La Strada (M) 108 mins Italy Starring: Anthony Quinn Director: Federico Fellini Thurs 9 April 2009 7:30pm Jailhouse Rock (PG) 96 mins USA Starring: Elvis Presley Director: Richard Thorpe
If we go down into ourselves we find that we possess exactly what we desire Simone Weil
Meditation - LifeFirst 8-week course commencing Wednesday 1 April 2009. 7 – 8pm Florey $90.00 per person Places limited so book early Email: lifefirst.bms@gmail.com Meditation has a proven record in its ability to improve health, awaken happiness and give a clear perspective on life. CALM ABIDING MEDITATION can help you become relaxed, focussed and peaceful. It enables you to identify the real causes of unhappiness and recover from stress, anxiety and tension. Meditation is a tool to help change undesirable habits, improve self-confidence and to add a touch of dignity and sacredness to your life. You will be able to integrate a sense of calmness into everyday activities, and transform negative situations into something positive. Come and enjoy learning a time-proven skill that will bring you lifelong happiness.		What Are You Reading? Every Saturday morning in “Panorama” magazine within The Canberra Times, many books are reviewed and readers are encouraged to go out and enjoy! RECENT RELEASES: FICTION In Other Rooms, Other Wonders. By Daniayal Mueenuddin $35 Bloomsbury The Rescue Man By Anthony Quinn $32.95 Jonathan Cape The Girl on the Landing By Paul Torday $32.99 Weidenfeld & Nicolson Of course, if you don’t have time to read and you would like to be more organised and enjoy proper ‘down time’, then take a look at our Effective Time Management learning event on 2 April 2009 or our Mastering Stress workshop on 9 April 2009. Visit magicallearning.com for more details. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing Theodore Roosevelt


Issue 10, March 2009
Magical Learning Pty Ltd. ACN 104 320 550. 45 Melbourne Avenue Forrest ACT 2603 AUSTRALIA Telephone: +61 2 6273 2221. www.magicallearning.com
You are receiving this email because you have registered to receive Magical Learning Club communications. If you think you have received this e-mail in error, or if you wish to unsubscribe, please follow this link. We invite you to learn more by reading our Privacy Statement.

If we go down into ourselves we find that we possess exactly what we desire

Simone Weil