It is not uncommon in my world to be approached about being a woman who is bald. I can't be defensive, annoyed or upset about this. Lets be honest, I'm a woman in my mid-thirties, who happens to be completely hair-free. People will be intrigued and want to know why I don't have any hair, especially children who are naturally more inquisitive.
We need to allow our messages for a healthy and united society to be amplified by others; volunteering is the ultimate way to reinvent yourself and embrace the joy of giving. Even if at times volunteering is challenging, you will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make in your life.
We're all aware of the challenges faced by the NHS and its staff, and how savings have made life difficult for a lot of people working in Trusts across the UK, but what doesn't really help patients and their families - which is what the NHS is there to do - is flaming, berating, scaremongering and being straight-up inappropriate on places like Twitter.
In a moment of madness I decided to take on the challenge thrown down to us after last year's Funny Women Challenge to celebrate our 10th Anniversary by training up 10 business women to perform stand up, and take on the men! Sounds relatively simple, doesn't it? We'd done it several times before, albeit not on such a large scale, and the men seemed 'well up for it'...
I think it is true that the current economic climate poses challenges that are very different to those faced by the school and university leavers of previous generations. There might not be a queue of companies waiting to give graduates a job, but there are plenty of young people out there with the drive, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit to help themselves.
There is a role that we all have to play in responding to the changing skills needs that we will continue to face, and the diversity of the sector will mean that different organisations will need to reflect on these broader themes and identify priorities and appropriate solutions that work for them.
Currently, UK businesses (excluding banks) are hoarding cash to the tune of £318bn. As valuable as investing in expanding their own production is, whilst demand remains deflated businesses simply have no incentive to do so. Instead of stockpiling this cash for a rainy day that's already upon us, business should be investing in philanthropic ventures.
I know that one person cannot change the world. But if other graduating students follow my lead and pledge their graduation presents to charity, we can truly make a difference. If we look deep inside our hearts, I'm sure most of us will realize we do not necessarily need the tokens of appreciation brought by our families.