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When Less Means More

30/11/2010

I had one of those weeks last week that puts everything into perspective.

Like many of you I am a 24/7 sort of person, always on the go – diary always full.

Every day brings a new commitment – if it’s in the diary, it gets seen to. It works better than a Swiss train timetable. Last week though the train came off the track.

My elderly mother took ill and needed an emergency operation. Her life was in the balance and obviously all my many commitments simply became one. Initially I fretted about what I had promised professionally and to whom. I even had the misguided belief that some things just couldn’t happen without me.
Although it’s not nice to let anyone down, in the end the world goes on, but in truth the world can do without any of us.
Thankfully it doesn’t have to do without my mum for a while yet. She came through the surgery, and although she is not out of the woods yet, she is heading in the right direction.
I was with her and my brothers all week and really valued and appreciated getting back all that time that normally is owed to others. I was able to take care of so much more by being involved in much less. Not sustainable I know, but an ideal to perhaps aim for.


Amongst all this something that really puzzled me though. I always believe that effort leads to reward. However I didn’t Tweet for a week – yet my followers rose by 2,000.

Does that then mean case proven for less leading to more? Let me know what you think.

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Comments

  • Hi Mr Holmes,I so love you and Ruth on this morning,I wait all week for friedays, xxxx
    wendy bedwell
  • Hi Mr Holmes,I so love you and Ruth on this morning,I wait all week for friedays, xxxx
    wendy bedwell
  • Hope your dear Mum is getting stronger by the day Eamonn. I will pray for her at the prayer group. She is clearly a good women to have raised a great son who can make so many people happy, what a women in the sight of God.
    Ann
  • Sorry to read about your mother Eamonn, but I'm glad she's improving, and my best wishes for her continued recovery. Times like these do force us to step back, as you've said, and they put everything else into perspective.

    Regard effort leading to reward, yes it is strange that sometimes things can happen without us actually doing anything, be it with the big things in life, or the smaller ones. In the case of Twitter, I've often found it the same for me (on a much smaller scale obviously), and that's without even being a famous name. With slightly 'bigger' things, and I'm thinking of a particular situation in my own life, though not a matter of critical importance, I've often found that relaxing about it helps enormously and I've often gotten more results than the people who've strived to achieve the same and yet they've only succeeded in cheesing people off. They say 'what's meant for you won't pass you' and whilst hard work is important, sometimes 'forcing' things can be coun
    Lorna Byrne
  • First and most importantly your mum is a little better. I can relate to that completely.
    Looking from the outside in "So to speak" I don't believe less interaction socially would necessarily mean an increase in your popularity,I noticed on Twitter that a lot of your friends and colleagues chatted about your time out in Belfast.
    Perhaps at a certain level of exposure to TV,Radio the general media and celeb functions a short "Sabbatical" might be a good thing.
    The guy 'on the street' who uses twitter for totally no work related issues is a different kettle of fish. What do I REALLY think about your twitter situation? I believe you love to be seen to be 'down to earth' Interact with the listeners and viewers. I think you will agree the Northern Irish fall out of love very quickly with anyone who dismisses their past.
    In a sporting example, take the late and great Joe Dunlop. He was totally adored by his fans,relations and fellow town folk because he never lost the connection and wou
    Leslie Calderwood
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