Its that time of year again (yes, Christmas already) when we get to look back on the last 12 months and reflect on what was good … and what was not-so-good. So get that crumpled piece of paper out from the back of your drawer with your New Year’s Resolutions neatly laid out for the year ahead (the year that now was). How did you go? Can you find the list? Did you even write one? If you’ve found your list and are rejoicing over how many of your resolutions you can tick off – then step up and give yourself a pat on the back. Then get out there and celebrate – because you’re out there achieving your goals and living your dreams – congratulations. If you’re looking at your list in disappointment (or scratching your head working out what you might have written down) then you may want to ask yourself the following questions: What got in your way? Did you fall back into old habits? Did you lose focus? Was it all too hard? Has something happened to completely change the direction of your l...

[Read entire post...]

Many people find it extremely difficult to say ‘No’ to people’s requests and demands. I personally struggled with this for most of my life.   Why do so many of us find it so difficult to say ‘No’? From analysing my own experiences and talking to other people I have found the following to be some of the causes.     1. Habit   2. Underestimating a task   3. Desire to rescue, serve and please others   4. Fear of rejection   5. Guilt   6. Poor self-esteem and self-confidence   7. Not knowing how to be assertive   8. Avoids confrontation   It is important to understand that always saying ‘YES’ can lead to overload and feelings of frustration, resentment, stress and can also steel you away from important activities in your life. I classify important activities in your life as activities that make you happy and healthy and that contribute ...

[Read entire post...]

When we are doing things we often do the same as last time, we have habits and often times this dictates our actions. This is being in auto pilot and we just go through our actions in an automatic way without really thinking about it. Another way of looking at this is going down the path of least resistance. We go there every time and our body has an express route to get there. When we are in this habitual trance as I like to call it, we are really not thinking about what we are doing, it just happens. For example exercise, your body is trained to go there in a certain sequence and it just does it when you go for a jog for example, or go cycling. Can be any sport, your body knows what to do. So when we stay on this road of least resistance, we do not learn new ways, we prefer the old way because it is effortless and well by now a natural way to do things. If you learn a new sport, example golf, then this is a whole new category and you need to breakdown the actual task and model of ...

[Read entire post...]

What I am going to write about has had a huge impact on my life within the last year and has moved me forwards to where I am right now. Being truly happy, playful, balanced and focused in my career and life. Corrr...just thinking how far I have come in such a short space of time is giving me a huge wave of excitement already! It was all down to one new belief I chose to take on board late last September that is making me smile. The power of choice. I believe the quality of life all boils down to the choices we make. Now I am not saying this is right or wrong, however I choose to think this way as it really works for me. My career and life is just booming with new opportunities. Wanna play? Ok, simply slide out of that overrated comfort zone into unfamiliarity land for a second and choose to think a little differently than usual. Just for today or this evening, focus on the way you are interpreting situations occurring around you. Of course, if you love the results then by all means...

[Read entire post...]

This was explained to me by our yoga teacher Paul. See your yoga practice as like dominos, one pose leads to the next and if you do these well then you get in a state of flow. The intention behind this yoga, (like many other forms of exercise) is to Struggle, Yes struggle he said. Allow me to explain. You see when you struggle you are building new building blocks in your body; it is a new thing, to struggle. This will strip away to your authentic self and eventually get to your essence. Powerful stuff I thought. So struggling is good YES, most definitely. When you struggle you get growth, your body is doing something different. That is why when you finish your class you feel a wonderful sense of completion. You have a sense of achievement because it was a struggle, not a walk in the park! So next time you embark on your exercise regime, remember these wise words, Struggling means you are going to make a breakthrough, so take a deep breathe and keep struggling. Success awaits those ...

[Read entire post...]

  Self-image is how your perceive yourself. It comprises of a number of self-impressions that have been built up over time. Your self-image has a direct impact on your identity, behaviour and results. A positive self-image is extremely important in aiding you to achieve the results that you want in your life and ultimately your level of happiness. It has been said that you will never out-perform your self-image. Your image of yourself can be distorted in comparison to how others see you. It is very important to understand this point. We can be over critical of ourselves or think too highly of ourselves. Either way it can be detrimental to us. It is important to have a realistic image of yourself. How do you see yourself? The way that you see yourself can manifest itself in how others end up seeing you. If you project a positive self-image others will more likely see you as a positive, capable person. It is easy to be fooled in thinking that an intelligent, attractive and fi...

[Read entire post...]

It is interesting how yoga reflects so many aspects of life, the parallels are always evident. Take last nights’ yoga class for example. Our yoga Teacher Paul, mentioned the 3‘s’ in a yoga practice: Support, space and stillness. I automatically took them one step further and applied them to personal development. Being your own support in making things happen, or perhaps getting external support like a Life Coach if you need assistance in this area, looking at getting support for your ideas, your creativity your growth. This is all about being resourceful. Coaching also brings to surface many things we may not have noticed before about ourselves, our relationships, our attitudes, our fears, our strengths. With this newfound knowledge what you may have seen as a flaw is now an attribute or what may have been scary is now exciting. Some people want to conquer the world, others want peace of mind, others still want to become more creative. Space: creating it with every activity you do, h...

[Read entire post...]

Don’t think of a red apple, no I said don’t think of a red apple! He he... What did you just think of? Give me a clap if you just thought of a red apple. Yipeeeee, thank you! No, I’m not a mind reader, however what I do know is this....... you can’t think about, what you don’t want to think about, without thinking about it. Think about that! Yep, I’ll say it again and I bet you’re saying it in your head slowly, right now..........you can’t think about, what you don’t want to think about, without thinking about it. Think about that! So........What’s this all about then? Why is it some people might say “I hope I don’t put on weight like I did last time I went on a diet? What are they really focused on telling themselves? Of course,.....putting on weight. What are they just as likely to do in the long run? Put on weight, right? Because that’s the image they have created in their mind. Think about it for a second, what happens when a person who wants to create a great relationship is...

[Read entire post...]

  Do you remember the last time you finally arrived at a decision to do or change something in your life, only to recognise few months later that you have done nothing (or very little) towards turning that decision into reality? Yes, most of us know that feeling of self-frustration, helplessness and under minded ego when yet again, we for some reason let ourselves down. At the same time, we all know someone in our lives who just seems to do whatever they set their minds to in all areas of their life. We must wonder, “What is it they do, have or are that makes them different from me”? Although there is no universal answer to this question, as an Life Coach, I often find that the main differences between the two groups of people are not their personality traits, intelligence or their social status, but the way they approach the goal at hand. The key to success for many people seems to be their motivation to achieve their goals and just as importantly their commitment and persistenc...

[Read entire post...]

  Fear is defined as a powerful biological feeling of unpleasant risk or danger, either real or imagined. It is believed that we are all born with an innate sense of fear and this is important as it helps us to remain safe and protects us from potential danger to our wellbeing. However, the fears that are learned can be a barrier to self-growth and self-betterment. Our experiences in our environment can unintentionally imprint fear and limitation in our minds. Phrases such as “Don’t do that or I’ll smack you!” or “Be careful, you will hurt yourself.” are heard from a young age and plant fear and thoughts of limitation in our minds and these fears tend to grow as we grow older and affect many areas of our lives. To succeed in life and get what you truly want you will need to overcome the fears that are limiting you. We all experience certain fears; fear of rejection, fear of loss, fear of criticism, fear of growing old, fear of change etc. The key is to overcome them and you...

[Read entire post...]