I often speak about the difference between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’, usually in relation to conversations in a leadership context, but this week I am focusing on how to listen, really listen, (and what to listen to!) as a simple form of mindfulness to help relieve stress. Listening is sometimes called an art and a science. […]
If you live in or visit a rural area, you will be aware of the need to always close a gate. It’s to keep livestock safe and to keep humans safe from the livestock that like to escape and explore the world! ‘Closing the barn door after the horse has bolted’ is a common expression […]
One of the biggest challenges we face in building our confidence and resilience is… ourselves! Our negative self-talk is possibly the most disempowering aspect of our mind. It’s an extension of our survival instinct, honed over millions of years of evolution. Our mind is always watching out for danger. In today’s world actual life and death […]
How long did you celebrate your last big success? An hour? A day? With the demands of modern life we tend to quickly acknowledge a success and then move on to the next challenge, sometimes barely noticing what we have achieved. A large part of success comes down to your mindset – so how can […]
Busy people often don’t think they have time for coaching. But there’s coaching principle called ‘Pausing for Performance’… …and the best example of how it works is think how you’d feel if you worked all day and through the night. How productive would you be the following day? If you have ever woken up refreshed […]
There is plenty of guidance and advice for exam students at the moment online, but what about their worried parents, guardians, aunties, uncles, grandparents, and all who love them? I have created a video guide for anyone who has an exam student in their midst and it is available to view now in the new Parenting section […]
We all know that stress doesn’t feel good, but did you know what effects it has on your individual organs? Here is a tour of your body in the minutes after a stressful trigger… SKIN: pales as blood diverted to vital organs. HEART: begins to pound, sending blood around body carrying sugar (energy) and hormones […]
Silence isn’t an absence of noise. It’s a quality of mind. If you long for the peaceful vibe of this picture just look inside yourself. Mindfulness is the best way to do that, so download an app or go to a mindfulness practitioner. It has been proven to have really positive benefits on mental […]
Research has shown that if we tell ourselves we’re not going to do well, the result is that we in fact don’t do well. Conversely, in that study when the same people who thought they wouldn’t perform well were told to just give it a go and reassured that they will probably pass the benchmark […]
In last week’s blog we looked at making preparations for change – a change in behaviour or habit – maybe something that will form part of a New Year’s Resolution. This week I’m going to introduce you to a model for behaviour change that’s used in healthcare for people who need to overhaul their lifestyle […]