Friday 03 February 2012 - 14:30:58
EQual Zeal® has started the year with lots of ZEALSOME news! With the launch of our new EQual Zeal® international office in the United Kingdom as the sister company to EQual Zeal® Africa now entering into its eighth year, we are expecting lots of expansion opportunties!  

Alongside this, we cannot wait to share our BRAND NEW toddler and baby programmes hot off the press!  At the end of January all EQual Zeal® Africa franchisees gathered in the Limpopo province for in-service training that is worthy of mention! With the theme of "Life is a song, sing it with Zeal!", the days were spent drumming, playing instruments, singing at "Saturday night fever Kareoke", writing songs, participating in "Battle of the Bands" and just good old humming in the shower. 

With our roll-out in February 2012, we cannot wait to introduce our Zeal for Life® 8-week extra mural programme to you.  Now for the first time available from babies all the way through to teens, we look forward to assisting you and your child in their happiness, motivation and inspiration!  The best news of all.....our prices have been halved from R1600 per term to R880 per term.  The motivation behind this is to encourge parents to sponsor another child to attend this workshop with their child.  Not only will this instil a sense of accountability in your child, but it will also help to entrench the skill of empathy.

We look forward to being of service to you. Remember, Team Zeal provides the building blocks for a positive life.  We are here waiting to give you unconditional support, alongside a team of therapists if need be, so that your family can build a solid foundation for future successes.

I look forward to hearing of your success stories, so please don't hesitate to share with us on -email- 

Regards with Zeal

Zelna (founder of EQual Zeal®)


[Posted by: zelna ]


Friday 02 December 2011 - 15:54:03
Isn't it amazing how quickly the year seemed to fly by.  Now is the time to take stock and to reflect on the year gone by. Did you achieve the goals you set out to achieve?  Have you taken time to develop yourself and nurture a healthy balanced lifestyle?  Are you ready for new challenges?  What about your family....have you donethem justice?
 
These are all cliched questions, that seem to pop up at this time of year, but they are all very applicable.  The truth is,that this time of year has the ability to bring on two emotions - either despondent despair, or smiling satisfaction. 
 
EQual Zeal is proud to say that we are entering the festive season with pride.  This year, we have expanded by 6 branches and in 2012, we are due to expand internationally.  Alongside this, we have launched our first Zeal Tunes CD which was nominated for the SAMA awards in the children's category. We have published one teen journal, one parent book and the next book in the Zeal the Zebra series is also due to be released in early 2012.  Meals4Zeal is now officially partnered with EQual Zeal to bring amazing allergen free cooking lessons to children with our pilot branch to be launched in Midrand.  Alongside this, we are launching our Camp Zeal Leadership programme in Gauteng and we are awaiting endorsement from the Gauteng Education Department as we speak! 
 
Our higlight however as we enter the New Year, is our expansion of our age groups to include Baby Zeal classes and Toddler Zeal classes!  Now you can join the EQual Zeal family with branches countrywide in South Africa for our Zeal for Life 8-week Wellness programme.  This programme has earned a sound reputation in our older age groups and now mothers will be able to attend classes withtheir babies and toddlers!  We are delighted to announce this amazing expansion! With so much going on, watch this space!!
 
If your children are staying home with not much else to do, why not enroll in one of our Zeal for the New Year workshops at a branch closest to you.  This workshop is amazing for age 8 – 18 year olds and certainly has proven to offer direction to our participants.  It is a known fact that we need to create a visible ZEAL board to put up within sight to ensure that our subconscious minds soak in the positive messages and assists in moving towards achieving our goals. 
 
Here is to you, your family and loved ones!  Team Zeal wishes you a spontaneous, stress free, fabulous festive season! Embrace this time knowing that you only havethis moment to laugh, love and live!
 
Regards with Zeal
 
Zelna
 

[Posted by: Daleen ]


Monday 31 October 2011 - 11:19:14
So how many of you have already started shifting your brain gears into holiday mode. I for one am excited to see Christmas decorations going up in the stores.  This to me is a sign that another successful year is coming to a close.  At this time of year, I always start planning for the following year and it amazea me when I look back and see just how much I have achieved in the past year.

The problem comes in when we look back and we are in the same position as we were in last year.  We have done nothing about anything and we feel stuck and still without direction. Now I am not going to lecture you on what needs to be done...because you all know the drill! Failing to plan is planning to fail has become my new mantra as procrastination can be the cause of many disappointments.

Why not set your child up for success by enrolling them for our Zeal for the New Year workshop which is perfect for setting them up with tangible tools to embrace the new year ahead.  This workshop is amazing because it is aimed at all ages and it tailor-made according to each individual child's needs. So, every child achieves something unique in their small class of 15.  Mail -email- if you require information.

The highlight of November is our annual Family Fun Day held at branches countrywide on Sunday, 27 November.  This year our beneficiary is Reach for a Dream and to gain entry to our fabulous zeal fun, your family will be asked to donate a R99 Show you Care Bear to a child with a life threatening illness.  

I wish you a super second to last month of the year!  Go big and finish all those loose ends that need to be tied up.  You will be doing yourself a favour if you can get this done before the festive season kidnaps you!

Regards with Zeal 

Zelna 
 

[Posted by: zelna ]


Tuesday 27 September 2011 - 11:05:06
Isn't life amazing?  As you read this, babies are being born worldwide and at the same time, people are taking their last breath of earthly air, and maybe, just maybe...you are spending your time wisely....or not?

Birth and death are the two occassions that in my opinion require celebration.  In the last few months, I have experienced the loss of three family members due to illness and alongside this have seen the birth of my new niece in the United Kingdom!  The birth by far tipped the scales in celebration mode, but I could not help but spend time contemplating on the lives of my uncles and my ouma that have passed on.

Life is about leaving a legacy behind.  A legacy is our earthly tribute that we leave as a gift, to comfort those in a time of loss.  Everyday, I ask myself how I am making a difference to people on this earth and for me the answer is simple....EQual Zeal®.is a living and breathing entity that has taken on a "life" of its own.  We have 16 franchised branches locally in South Africa and we are expanding our footprint internationally at present.  When I am gone and our franchisees are gone...I know that the wheel will keep on turning and EQual Zeal® will continue to touch the lives of millions of children.  That is our shared legacy at EQual Zeal®...

What I have realised is that to leave a legacy, we all need people...people that love us, people that respect us, people that look up to us as role models.  As parents, it is especially hard to think that the possibility may be there that you could leave your children prematurely. Leaving a legacy behind for them, I hope would mean giving them a toolkit for leading a positive life and allowing them to follow in your footsteps.

The good news is that October is a month of many worthy celebrations such as Teacher Day on the 5th of October and World Food Day on 16 October. I urge you to embrace some of the October celebratory days (that 'speak' to you) and lay claim to the fact that life is about the moments where you make a decision to go the extra mile.

In light of going the extra mile, why not contact an EQual Zeal® branch closest to you to enrol your child and perhaps even yourself for one of our year end workshops such as Exam tips for frazzled nerves or Zeal for the New Year.  We would love to host you!

I wish you a super October ahead and my hope for you is that you embrace every day as a new and exciting challenge with the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy behind.

Regards with Zeal

Zelna

[Posted by: zelna ]


Sunday 28 August 2011 - 17:10:31
Can you believe that Spring is upon us! I am so excited that the birds are already humming as if they know, the bees are pollinating, blossoms are blooming...to me it always feels like a fresh new start when Spring arrives.  A chance to "spring clean" the home, toss all those clothes you avoided all winter long, plant some seedlings in your garden and begin eating fresh, light meals for dinner instead of those yummy heavy stews and casseroles or curries. 

What better time for EQual Zeal® to celebrate three new branches opening across South Africa!  We welcome on board, Izelle Van der Westhuizen who will be opening EQual Zeal® Rustenburg, Janene Laas who takes over EQual Zeal® Durban North and Lize Crous who will be opening EQual Zeal® Helderberg.  What excites me is that these three new franchisees are operating in three provinces! KZN, Western Cape and the North West Province. Our national footprint in South Africa now extends across six provinces in total and is still growing steadily with EQual Zeal® crossing the waters to open branches in the United Kingdom.  All this happening in Spring...I tell you, this is a brilliant time of year for us and we hope you may also have awesome opportunities that cross your path. 

Last month we paid heed to Mental Health Awareness Month, this month, we need to sit up and take notice of two amazing organisations that do amazing work as they celebrate days on their calendar. the first being SADAG www.sadag.org (South African Depression and Anxiety group) who leads us in World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th of September.  The second being ADHASA www.adhasa.co.za (Association for Attention Deficit and Hyperacticity Disorder).  We congratulate these two organisations for the amazing work they are doing in our communities and we urge you to support them in maintaining the good work they are doing by getting involved in one way or another in their fund raising schemes.

I would like to remind you that Spring is not the only time of year to make new beginnings. My wish for you is that you will make everyday your own personal Spring. 

"A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King." - Emily Dickinson

Have fun with your children and work in the garden, visit garden nurseries, grow your own vegetables, let your children empty their unwanted toys out of their cupboards and donate them to an orphanage....the list is endless.  As a parent it is your choice as to how you approach special days in the year and to me Spring is one not to be missed!

Regards with Zeal

Zelna

[Posted by: zelna ]


Thursday 28 July 2011 - 14:48:09
How wonderful it felt to serve my 67 minutes alongside my business partner Daleen on Mandela Day.  Off we went after lunch dressed up in our clown suits to local pediatric wards to put SMILES on the kiddies faces.  We ended up meeting doctors, nurses, adult patients and admissions staff.  Our smiles were contagious and soon everybody in the hospital was sharing the Zeal!

The point I am trying to make is that it takes only one candle to light a million others.  Smiles cost nothing and they are understood in all universal languages.  Why not then pass them on!  How often do we stand in a queue or idle our cars in peak hour traffic with a grimace on our face?  Well, I tell you I've seen the rudeness between school park moms, traffic wardens and their 'victims', at call centres, shopping centres....it seems we are breeding a culture of indifference where it is 'me' first at the cost of others! 

Now let us talk about those people that do shine brightly and share their smiles and positivity with those around them unconditionally and with good favour....those are usually our entrepreneurs or those bound to succeed in life.

You see, your subconcious ®mind has a way of believing everything you tell it. The more you smile, the happier it thinks you are!  The happier it thinks you are, the more positive hormones are released into your body. The more positive hormones, the more you can achieve because you are strong and able to take on the world.

We keep it real at at EQual Zeal®. Some days we smile more than others, but not a day goes by where we forfeit the gratitude we have for being here and part of this wonderful mystery of life!  There are so many adventures awaiting you and so many exciting people to meet, not to mention the number of books I still need to read and the yummy exotic food dishes I would like to sample. 

With July being Mental Health Awareness Month and August the month of the Women, what better way than to start spreading our smiles. 

I look forward to greeting you in the supermarket, at the butcher, or in the traffic. If you see somebody dressed in a clown suit on the side of the road encouraging cops to smile...that's me. all it takes is one person to make meaningful change in the lives of others.

Regards with Zeal


Zelna

[Posted by: zelna ]


Saturday 25 June 2011 - 11:03:06
The winter weather is permeating my bones and my multitude of layered clothing doesn't seem to be helping much!  When I feel that I am frozen to the bone, I always spare a thought for those who do not have shelter, blankets and warm clothes.  I want to say well done to Just us 4 Children and The Guardian www.the-guardian.co.za for their successful Pajama Project recently completed.  Also, to those of you who have taken the time to donate blankets and warm clothing to those in need.  Well done!

The good news is that this winter weather is preparing Daleen (Co-owner & Franchise development manager) and I to expand our wings to the United Kingdom in September this year! Yes.....EQual Zea®l is going international!! This much dreamt of opportunity is finally a reality and we look forward to sharing our South African programmes and products with the people of England!

This brings me to my theme for this newsletter:  Dreaming BIG!  Often, we underestimate the power of our own minds in achieving success.  When our thoughts are trained to become positive, we begin to feel uplifted and capable of anything.  The truth is that your dream lays in your hands...so why not make it BIG!!  When I first started EQual Zeal® 6 years ago, I never once doubted that my work with young people would spread to international shores. It is our mission to reach 5 million children by 2015 and to have a branch of EQual Zeal® in every country in the world.

Now for some, this may seem presumptious, but for us working as a team with 16 branches countrywide in South Africa, we have a plan!  Our plan to achieve our BIG dream is goal-directed and supported with concrete details.  The going has not been smooth and last year could be construed as my own personal worst year yet.  This led to self doubt and negativity which impacted on the bigger picture....the BIG dream!!  The lessons I have learnt along the way are many, but the one which I would like to share with you is this:

"Thinking of ways we can be of greater service will enable us to grow intellectually and spiritually. It is our duty to serve and money is a reward we receive for that service. Money is a servant; the more you earn, the more you can help others."


So inevitably, your BIG dream may include making lots of money...which in this day and age is very handy....but it is your duty to employ your financial rewards into improving the lives of others in whatever way you deem possible.

I wish you luck in your journey as parent/spouse/friend/entrepreneur/employee/student of life...

DREAM big and no doubt you will achieve.  If your heart is in the right place, nothing can stop you!!!


Regards with Zeal

Zelna

 


[Posted by: zelna ]


Thursday 26 May 2011 - 13:56:18
How proud we are at EQual Zeal to have been acknowledged at this years SAMA (South African Music Awards) for our Zeal Tunes Volume 1 CD. The glitz and glamour was awesome and we were so proud of our talented CD producer Cathy del Mei as she walked the yellow MTN (red) carpet!!  Although we were not winners, we were still glowing with pride and we feel like winners anyway!

The truth is that often, our children strive to do the best and be the best at everything.  At EQual Zeal we are seeing an influx of overachiever clients who never know when their "good enough" is actually "good enough".  The pressure to succeed and to win at all costs is only accentuated when you sit on the sidelines of the sports fields and you bear witness to how parents behave.  Pressure can be good as a driving force, but when undue pressure is placed onto our children prematurely, it adversely affects their self esteem in future life.  The message they are given is that "nothing they do is ever good enough!"

I was reminded once again about the increasing pressures on our children due to our modern lives with a Grade 1 mommy talking to me about the amount of homework her child is getting. What is it with all this pressure!  Let our kids just be kids and grow up at their own speed and pace just as nature intended!  I have come to realise that the importance of EQual Zeal is once again being highlighted in this regard with three articles in the media this past couple of months. 

We proudly welcome Izelle Van der Westhuizen on board who will be our new Rustenburg Franchisee and will be opening her branch on 1 September this year.  We are also opening a branch of EQual Zeal in the United Kingdom in September...so watch this space because we are going places.  Our mission is to touch the lives of 5 million children world wide!!

If you haven't yet signed up for our Zeal Kids Holiday programme, click on our facebook link to reserve your place.  We also have awesome Sibling Success workshops and The Zeal Challenge workshops coming up in the third term. 

I look forward to a chilly but productive June and my wish is for you to stand back and assess whether your life is too pressured.  Keeping it real with Zeal is our motto and if you are feeling out of breath...just stop and smell the roses...

Regards with Zeal

Zelna Lauwrens

[Posted by: zelna ]


Tuesday 10 May 2011 - 10:52:28
We were delighted to hear the news that our very talented Cathy del Mei who produced our Zeal Tunes Volume 1 CD based on our book Zeal the Zebra shows his true colours has been nominated in the Best Kiddies Album Category for 2010.  Our competition looks as follows:

Best Kiddies Album: English

  • African Treehouse – African Numbers
  • Cathy Del Mei – Angel Tunes
  • Cathy Del Mei/Additional Artists – Zeal tunes
  • Nedine Blom – Supercool 2- Partyhits
  • Wendy Oldfield – In the Womb

The awards will be held on 20 - 21 May and we will keep you posted of our WIN!! Cathy has also been nominated for her stunning CD Angel Tunes so congratulations to her!


[Posted by: zelna ]


Sunday 01 May 2011 - 13:52:26

Trumpets, crowds of tourists, red carpets, souveniers, bunting, street parties, high street fashion and the wedding of the century!  Here I am, sitting in the United Kingdom still high on the Will & Kate wedding fever!  Lucky enough to be visiting family, I find myself surrounded by two beautiful nieces and lots of spoiling from hubby's family!  On a few occassions as I catch up on much needed rest and relaxation, I find myself asking: "Is this what life is all about?"

In truth, no matter where in the world you are, your mind set will determine your enjoyment of any situation.  Some here in England, have hated the festivities associated with the Royal Wedding that has delved into tax payers money, whilst others (me included) have embraced the occasion as a chance to be part of History in the making!

With mothers day coming up in the month of May, we can't help but glance at the Queen Mother and wonder if she still gets breakfast in bed from her son Charles or if this is just another day for her.  When life takes on fairy tale proportions, reality takes on a life of its own. 

At EQual Zeal, our aim is always to stay as grounded as possible with our philosophy being "To keep it real with Zeal!"  We were all born to be perfect in our own way and it is up to us to use our talents to the maximum whether it is to be born into royalty like Prince William or to marry into royalty like Kate Middleton.

The one thing I have noticed whilst on holiday is that everything seems much crisper, invigorating and exciting.  This reminds me that I will soon be jetting back to reality, but that my reality too can take on this sense of excitement everyday. 

When we wake up in the morning, we do not know what awaits us.  Our job is to use every minute of everyday to celebrate.  Maybe not in Royal Wedding proportions, but in our own small way where we give thanks for the small things in life that sometimes are surpassed when we get swept up in the hustle and bustle of 21st century life!

So my wish for you this month is to stop and smell the flowers.  No more procrastinating!  We are almost half way into the year and there is no better time than now to contemplate how your life will benefit the lives of others.  Your children are your legacy and you owe it to them to look after yourself so that they get the best of you always!

Regards with Zeal

Zelna


[Posted by: zelna ]


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