Allsorts

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary”

Jim Rohn

When I placed an A4 image of Louis Braille up in my office I wasn’t quite sure why I had. What I also wasn’t sure about was kissing the cheek of Louis with my pink trademark lipstick!  However – what I was sure about was that I was “going to Paris with a splash” which was the goal I had set with my coach to help me get to Paris for Louis Braille’s bi-centennial celebrations earlier this year in January, 2009.

The splash came from landing myself a spot on Campbell Live for the fund raising truffle-athon that was designed to raise awareness of funds for my trip as well as raising awareness of the beauty of braille too!

Still the laminated image of Louis with the kissed cheek sat in my office – cellotaped to my computer desk for everyone but me to see!

The tickets were booked – the day arrived to leave Dunedin and my partner Ron and I headed off for our Parisian blind adventure.

January 4 arrived – Louis Braille’s birthday but this one was a special one - the 200th anniversary of his birth. The international blind community commenced it’s celebrations with an “invitation only” affair at the Pantheon. Unable to read French or print it was easy for this blind woman to overlook this small point. So – bold and ignorant  - Ron, two friends and  I turned up to the Pantheon to pay our respects to Louis Braille’s tomb.

After much French celebration we headed down to the crypt to visit Louis Braille’s tomb. Down one lot of steps which lead to another and yet another – we finally ended up just outside his resting place. Just before we reached Louis, a sign, including information in braille, as well as a bust of Louis Braille appeared in front of us.

I said to Ron “take my photo of me hugging Louis would you?”

As Ron was getting into position to take the shoot I slipped my arms around Louis’s neck and before Ron had time to shoot – I had placed a kiss on Louis’s cheek – the pink kiss that I had given him all those months previous. I had now connected with my vision – the vision of kissing Louis Braille on the cheek.

I could see clearly the meaning behind this visioning exercise.

Thank you Louis for your legacy of braille and your great vision!

“Seeing clearly does not always happen at the beginning of a goal -  sometimes you have to have trust, faith and patience and wait until the very end for it to arrive”

Julie Woods
Professional speaker and coach
 

Action: Find yourself an image of the goal you are trying to achieve. Make your mark on
this image somehow (possibly through digital enhancement) and place it somewhere prominent so it will act as a constant reminder of where you are heading.

that blind woman
Julie Woods
julie@thatblindwoman.co.nz
www.thatblindwoman.co.nz