WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO TELL

Yurra Yurra!

There are many interesting STROIES being spoken about by Fist Nations peoples leading up to the National conversation and deliberation on Constitutional Recognition. 

I have to wonder if White Australia is really aware of, let alone ready
to make a decision on this? I have noticed a space of silence around Constitutional Recognition by Mainstreamers and it is quite unsettling I must say...

Is the future of my Great Grannies in the hands of todays voting public?

Now White Australia might say they're willing to, and welcome the recognition of First Nations peoples within the Constitution. BUT are they able to collectively make the Mind Shift that interrupts the status quo? Are they capable of and prepared to take fair, appropriate and just ACTIONS which gives voice to a NEW Australian Story and Identity?

So far much attention again has been focused on the Indigenous peoples of Australia as a problem....it is a model of deficit that has been applied to us throughout history and continues to follow us around like a naughty lost puppy looking for a home and a good feed. Sure everyone knows it's there, it may get a few scraps from the table to fill its belly and the occasional pat on the head, but no one wants to own it really...its like everyone expects that someone else will take pity on it and either take it home, put it in the pound or if it's neglected long enough - for its own good it may die...

We as First Nations people need to talk Constitutional Recognition up with each other - no matter if we support it or not - it needs to be talked about! We also need to begin talking to our Non-Indigenous families and friends and communities....

Don't wait hoping someone else will do it...The future of your Great Grannies depends on the decisions and actions you take today.

Yurra Yurra
Wendy

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What is success - Leadership Development and Training

A very famous and very successful public figure in business once said, with not a trace of irony, that he had pushed his business to the very top having started with absolutely nothing – apart from the first “half million his father had given him to get his business going in the first place”.

Okay, that’s an amusing story but it does call into question quite how we all define success.

What does success mean to you?

At the Stars Institute's Youth Leadership Development, we wouldn’t presume to tell you what success should mean in your particular circumstances.  That is something that each of us as individuals must define for ourselves.

Even so, there are a few things that we think need to be thought of in this context.

·         Is someone who has a business worth $1,000,000 a success?  It may sound as though that is a no-brainer but what if their business was worth five million dollars a year ago?

·         Would you describe someone who has a team working for them of 50 people as an important and successful leader?  Maybe so but what if that person is loathed and detested by their team? 

·         Is the person who is phenomenally busy and with a reasonable income successful?  What about if that means that they never see their family?

Ultimately, there can be no universal definition of success.

At the Stars Institute, we’d like to see this in terms of the extent to which you as an individual are content and happy that you are utilising your potential to the maximum amount possible.   Leadership development and training in this context transcends ideas of status and income.

What this means is that it is important to define personal success criteria that are meaningful to you.  Surprisingly, not everyone who is a self-made millionaire is happy and content and some, by their own admission, will tell you that they do not consider themselves to be successful.

So, the question at the outset repeats itself - what do you think of as success in your context?

Frankly, we haven’t a clue to that in isolation and we can only help you to think about it further if you join us on one of our development sessions.

We’d love to see you there! 

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STARS with Powerful Australian Hands

"I AM POWERFUL"

Tonight I watched Q and A which was hosted live from the 2014 Garma Festival in Arnhem Land.

The panellists were community and political leaders - Djawa Yunupingu, Joe Morrison, Nova Peris, Dhanggal Gurruwiwi, Ken Wyatt and Noel Pearson.

To be honest before the program started I was feeling a little flat and tired and I started to question myself. "Is what I am doing enough, how can the work of the STARS Institute reach more people, what if , what if, what if...my internal critic was going off it's head for about 30 minutes before the program, focusing on everything that was wrong, bad and evil....

During the program I was reminded again that "I am powerful."

Each of the panellists were very different in many ways, but the one thing that struck me the most which they all had in common was their undying commitment and love for their people and their stand for what they believed to be right and just.

Watching Q and A quickly shut my internal critic up and I was again refocused and restored knowing and appreciating that we all have a role to play. True hay, it is my responsibility to fulfill on my role to the best of all my abilities.

My Ancestors once told me that "sometimes in life girl you are going to feel alone when you're doing the work you were sent here to do, but you will never be alone...we will always be here walking beside you, guiding you each step of the way."

YES I am POWERFUL! And Thank You for the reminder!

Yarra Yarra
Wendy

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Leadership for Indigenous People of Australia

BEING, BELIEVING, BELONGING...BECOMING!
Yarra Yarra...

This is a bit of a long post but I hope you will stay with it until the end it could be the game changer in your life and in your leadership?

My Spirit is so renewed after an empowering and deadly weekend walking on Country, eating my traditional foods, sharing stories and educating my sons Lawson and Archie about our lore. Even in the 21st Century I know there are basic principles and rituals we can practice daily which gives us who we are as First Nations peoples.

Walking my Ancestral Grounds powers me up to continue the work needed to de-colonizing my own mindset. It amazes me how quickly I am able to tap into the sacred knowledge that is encoded within my DNA...

And I got to tell you it is sooooo darn liberating to be able to think free from the constraints of the colonial fog & clutter which has invaded my mind.

Now I want to share with you that STARS Instituted is about to call for applications for 2nd Annual: DADA GANA NATIONAL INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM...

One of the many things which makes Dada Gana unique from other Indigenous Leadership programs and courses, is that we get that in order to have SUSTAINABILITY of any kind be it our own long term employment, career aspirations, workplace results, building healthy family's and strong community well-being and economic capacities...IT is dependent on us;

1. Recognizing that we are all continually impacted by inter-generational trauma, and institutional oppression. If trauma is left unresolved it becomes even more complex and wounds our DNA...make no mistake we are physically passing this trauma onto our children even whilst they are in the womb...

Now you might say "yeh I know all that!" BUT do you know how to begin really healing from the past so that it is out of your body, mind and spirit? 
Do you know how to run your own brain, decolonize your thinking, reduce your stress, build your wellbeing, and build up all your SUSTAINABILTY leadership muscles???

YOU are sure going to need them in this new political climate. 

You see nothing is sustainable if the very FOUNDATION of who you are is built on ROCKY grounds. Half the time we don't even know we are on rocky grounds until IT hits the fan...and then we still try and push on and EXHAUST ourselves rotten. Sound familiar!

If you're filled up with unconscious beliefs of "not being good enough," "you cant trust people," "white people are out to get you," "I am a hopeless..." AND the mother of them all "Blackfullas aren't as good as Whitefellas," then these are the toxic energies running your life and impacting your leadership.

Dada Gana is not like any other program or course you will experience on Leadership...as Dr Jackie Huggins said
"There is no other leadership organization in the country like STARS Institute doing this kind of work with our Mob, it's amazing...."

If we want a different result we have to start thinking and doing things differently...the future of our kids depend on the courage we have today to make the decisions which we know in our hearts and spirits need to be made.

So keep a close eye on our Website www.starsleadershipinstitute.com for the Application release dates,.

Please help us connect with Mob from right across the Nation and share this message around your networks, families, and communities.

In Unity and Spirit
Wendy

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Racism against Indigenous People of Australia

NO ROOM FOR RACISM - SO WHY IS IT ON THE RISE...?

In 2013 there was a 59% increase in racist hatred and vilification complaints to the Human Rights Commission according to Megan Mitchell National Children's Commissioner.
According to research;
*80% of students from non-Anglo backgrounds reported experiencing racial discrimination
*racism has a wide range of negative impacts on children's mental, physical & social well-being.
*schools are the main settings for racist behavior
* reasons for not reporting racism include fear the issue won't be dealt with properly, and fear of further bullying.

Megan was a speaker at the Generation Next Conference I attended last Friday on the Gold Coast.

In 2013 a survey on racism by the Lowitja Institute found almost every Aboriginal Victorian interviewed had experienced racism in the previous 12 months.

The Racism IT STOPS WITH me campaign hopes to ensure more Australians recognize that racism is unacceptable in our community.

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Make a Difference to the Aboriginal Community

"Life Can Be Really Confusing Sometimes" OR Can It?

Don't let illusions of confusion get in the way of listening to your inner wisdoms and doing what you know in your heart is true and right!

I stopped listening to my inner wisdoms once and as a result I shut down my heart and my capacity to connect with people...to be honest it literally almost killed me. 

As the acting deputy principal of a big school in Cairns at the time this had huge impact on the staff, the students and my family. Not to mention it crushed my self-esteem and bruised my "Being."

I was so confused and felt stuck...

I learnt that I was responsible for creating my own confusion so that I would not have to be 100% responsible for the direction my life was going in and the reckless decision I was making at the time.

I had to wake up and get real with myself..

If I can be that responsible and powerful for creating a life that sucked, then I can also be responsible and powerful for creating a life that thrived...

Don't use confusion as an excuse for staying stuck. 

Do what you know you are here to do...you were born to make a difference.

Have fun today.
Wendy and Vicki

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STARS - the only leadership organisation who does it right!

Consider that our minds have become entangled within inter-generational colonial belief systems which have us perpetuate variation of the past...

This is happening at the speed of light and off the radar of our consciousness...It does not empower us, rather it keeps or minds and our capacity to lead fully in a dormant state of crisis...

It has enabled Australia to not recognize the impacts of racisms and the Silent National Lie that continues to bubble and shape our National identity...

"Out of the Box Thinking on Indigenous Leadership" takes you on a personal journey on how to begin recognizing where you are blocked up by rubbish from the past, how to begin decolonizing your mind, taking back your spirit and determining your identity and the direction of your life and your leadership ...and much, much more....

STARS Institute is the only leadership organisation in the country doing this level of work...it is needed now ore than ever before!

Go to our website and PRE-ORDER "Out of the Box Thinking on Indigenous Leadership" and take advantage of the discount prices.

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HOW TO BECOME UNSTOPPABLE in LEADERSHIP AND LIFE!

The bottom line is if you become a master at handling the little problems and challenges as they arise, it stops them from becoming big ugly problems later in life...

You have to make time to build up your unstop-ability muscles. 

It means stepping outside your comfort zone, being uncomfortable and being prepared to go after what you really, really want.

BUT the most I important ingredient of Unstop-ability is what Vicki taught me. 

Always, always, always keep your eye on the VISION and your heart connected to the people who will most benefit from it.

Have a peaceful day.
Wendy and Vicki

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Procrastination - What is it?

Hi Peoples

How often do you Procrastinate? Did you know that it can cause serious illness and stress.

Here is our take on it. eg: Procrastination = Fear most of the time. 

You are scared of what people think of you so you avoid making decisions.

You are scared of failing, scared of succeeding, scared, scared, scared.

Have you noticed that often you make decisions based around making other people happy while you suffer in silence.

Delaying the action to make a decision can make you ill. There are many studies out there that back us up on this. 

Breathe deeply and just do it. You can always make another decision and take a different action.

So take a leaf out of Richard Bransons Book. Weigh up all the pros and cons on a piece of paper, and then take action. In other woords "Screw it ,just do it.!"

Just believe in yourself, seek advice and then take massive action. 

Happy Days
Wendy & Vicki

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS and FAILURE?

"Life if a game of inches!" Al Pacino

This statement has helped me so much as a leader. You see, leadership is not about hitting a home run and instantly becoming successful. It is a game of Inches...

It is about pulling each small success towards you, finding that right team member, training your team, making hard decisions, putting yourself in the firing line, in the knowledge that every hour, every day, every week, you are incrementally better than the day before. And when you look back over your shoulder, you will say to yourself "WOW, did I really do that?"

Is leadership in the 21st Century easy? 

Lets be honest, at times it can feel like we are in hell. But as leaders we also know that we can climb out of hell and bring ourselves and others back into the light, one inch at a time.

If you do not give up, if you believe in yourself, keep good company, and you keep moving inch, after inch taking small steps towards improvement, your life and your leadership will come "ALIVE"... you will receive the rewards and the results you can only dream about.

When you play the game of life and leadership inch by inch, failure is not an option...

What do you reckon?

See Ya on the playing field...

Wendy and Vicki

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