01 Nov

Is it Time to Be Mindful?

Is it Time to Be Mindful?

How mindful are you? Are you the type to plan out your day and week in advance or, does life seem frantic and you go from one task to the next in an unorganised manner? In this day and age, it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of productivity and to be swept along by the daily demands of life but do you end up working harder and for longer as a result? There’s something to be said for approaching tasks with care and attention but there has to be some flexibility if and when things go wrong.

It’s important to consider your priorities and this includes both your personal and professional life. Striking a balance between the two is paramount to health and well-being but there’s always the temptation to work harder and to extend your working hours just to keep up with the flow of work. This can impact the time spent with family and friends causing resentment and fatigue. Sometimes, we take on too much and if this sounds familiar, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself why.

Mindfulness may be the solution; it can change how you approach life in general, enabling you to be more focussed and to pay greater attention to detail. You will manage and complete tasks more efficiently and increase productivity. Importantly, it also helps you to streamline those thought processes which can serve to hamper your progress in life, a muddled mind after all will not aid any attempts to be more efficient. Think about why you are doing something and whether it is important and if it could wait. To be in control of your life, you need to be connected with your inner self; to consider your expectations and goals and to be mindful in your approach will pay dividends. .

In the first instance, it’s a good idea to consider your strengths and weaknesses and to identify areas of development. What areas cause you the most problems and what can you do to change this? Are you working productively or do you feel frustrated by your workload? Mindfulness enables you to work in a way that is true to yourself, to have greater clarity and intent and this can make a big difference to your productivity and to how you feel throughout the day. Many people find they are unable to reach their true potential because they don’t understand who they are or their true strengths. They struggle to be mindful, they struggle to achieve and they feel lost. Life dictates instead of life being enjoyable.

If life is stressful, you may feel overwhelmed, indecisive and uncertain how to make important changes. Sometimes it is as simple as managing your time in an effective manner or planning your day but being smart with the planning process, this can increase feelings of control. At other times, feelings of confusion can muddle the way forward and you may need a little help to smooth out the pathway before you. If so, consider the services of a business or life coach who can help you make sense of it all and make life less overwhelming. When you make the decision to be mindful and to take control of your life, you can stride forward with optimism, focus and intent.

Create more self awareness at our upcoming Wellness RetreatContact us for more info

18 Oct

The Power of Words

The Power of Words

We talk all the time but how effectively do we communicate? There may be many ways of communicating but nothing can dispute the power of words. If you find it difficult to present your findings or negotiate in business meetings or in sales discussions, then learning how to power up your words will be an instrument of worth and really could change your life.

Think about a professional speaker that you admire. What is it about their speech and delivery that you admire the most? Is it the vocabulary that they use? Is it the tone and pitch of their voice that is effective? Do they seem comfortable in front of an audience? You can learn a lot about effective communication simply through watching others and then considering those areas of communication that impressed you the most. Style of delivery is a very personal thing. If you have a presentation to prepare for, it’s important that you practice many times so that you can ascertain timings and also how you will present. You can guarantee a professional does not leave it to chance, they are word perfect when the presentation starts.

Some people have a natural ability to hold the audience’s attention. They might start with some humour or perhaps a shock statistic, but they will all slow down their voices to a commanding level and make eye contact. When presenting, there will be visual and auditory clues at least, so anyone listening will be engaged on several levels. The pace of the presentation will increase and decrease throughout, slides will be compelling but the presenter will not read from the slides. They are prompts only.

In a meeting or sales environment, responses have to be glib. The answers to questions need to be an instinctive response, after all, how much credence would you give to someone who had to think for several minutes before responding. The more you can study a professional speaker, the more you will understand the key components that make for powerful delivery. You can use the same skills to a certain degree in any arena where you need to talk from a position of authority. Evelyn Olivares, professional career coach states that ‘today’s business world runs on information and effective communication, it’s an essential component for success.’ Having trained hundreds of people in her coaching workshops, she knows the relevance of communication and how to guide attendees through all the techniques that can help them communicate freely and successfully.

Think about those who are in your company leadership team and see if there is anyone employed who you feel struggles to command attention through the power of their words. The chances are there is not. They will use words in a skillful way and they target the words that will mean the most to you – the listener. They may not be trying to sell you something, but they want to impress their beliefs onto you and if they are exceptionally good with words, you may feel the urge to do so, even if your intrinsic belief is that they are wrong. The power of words are extraordinary when delivered with confidence and charisma. Change your thinking and change your life, just by becoming an effective communicator and believing.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat and explore you.

14 Sep

Perfect your Belief System with Neuro Linguistic Programming

Perfect your Belief System with NLP

Your mind is powerful and it can work for you or against you. If you choose to make positive changes in your own life using Neuro Linguistic Programming, it can enable you to approach life much more confidently, to be able to overcome problems and self-limitations and help you to live a much more productive and successful life.

Everyone has their own beliefs. These can occur through experiences accrued as far back as your childhood, in fact, every experience, every discussion; every self-belief that was acquired through observation or through direct participation can shape your mind. Those beliefs can be very strong. In fact, they can control how you relate to others, how you view the world, how you cope, whether you are successful in your goals or not. They can and do impact every relationship, both personal and professional. The brain acts as a sponge. You are taught to behave in certain ways by your parents in the first instance, then by those in authority as you grow up. You learn behaviours from your peers too. This is fine if you are surrounded by well-adjusted people, who are emotionally balanced and who provide you with only positive, fair and accurate examples. But this is real life; all those you trust to guide you in life will have had their own perceptions changed by those around them too. It does not take much to realise that perception’s can be greatly tainted through time and by example.

If you are wondering how much your beliefs could impact future successes or failures, the answer is simple, you trust instinctively in those who teach you the valuable lessons in life, you have no reason to question their interpretation of right and wrong, especially when young. But it’s not simply beliefs; it is your actions too. As an adult, you may have absorbed enough negative perceptions that taint your way of managing in life now, and as a result, actively self-sabotage your own opportunities. Negative actions are not necessarily carried out consciously either; you can become programmed to act in certain ways. So things that seem instinctively right, may not be.

The great thing about Neuro Linguistic Programming is that it enables you to re-program those beliefs. Imagine how successful your life could be if you could move beyond any self-doubt and brush off any self-limiting behaviours? There is a very powerful tool within the NLP toolkit, known as ‘Reframing,’ simply, it enables you to analyse and re-program certain behaviours and perceptions, changing them from negative to positive. NLP is a huge topic though, once you start learning, you will be able to improve all aspects of your life. This isn’t about brainwashing; this is self-development at its most powerful. Change those areas that need it. Professional NLP coaching would be advantageous; it allows you to gain all the benefits of this powerful resource and through guidance can enable you to strip away the negative areas and to re-frame all the aspects that you now realise are invalid.

In essence, it reprograms your brain, but in a good way. There are an abundance of NLP techniques at your disposal and all will help you to become more confident, to have increased communication skills, to overcome obstacles in life, to progress and be successful in any area you choose. Changing negative perceptions and behaviours for positive and productive ones makes sense. Think of Neuro Linguistic Programming as a set of stepping stones towards those goals you most covet, try it and see the difference in a very short space of time.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat and explore your goals, beliefs and values.

07 Sep

NLP – Master Your Own Communication and Emotions

NLP – Master Your Own Communication and Emotions

When you embark upon an NLP training program, you quickly learn that it is all about communication. Bandler and Grinder, the founders of NLP modelled their chosen strategies upon those communicators who were achieving within their chosen fields and began analysing those elements that made them successful. They also researched heavily into an individual’s inner processing methods, studying how perceptions, belief’s and experiences played a crucial part in the communications process.

It became evident that each person had their own ‘map of the world’ and how they interpreted the information was instrumental in their becoming successful in work, socially and within their own relationships. Through life’s experiences, it became ultra clear that perceptions also became tainted and this meant that one individual’s attempts to decode communications could be very different to another’s who received the same information.

You would think that communicating would be simple after all; we communicate everyday verbally, in written format and through the power of body language. But when you think that we store all of the communicative signals and filter it in different ways, it’s easy to see how we can misinterpret or, fail to recognise important signals. The success and mastery of our communications and emotions rely quite heavily on examples shown to us at an early stage – think back to your parents or important members of your family as role models.  NLP at its core enables us to develop our language so that we can build rapport more readily with others by matching their language patterns. We can identify areas where we struggle and rebuild that map of the world so that any irregularities that currently make life difficult can instead become streamlined and a positive attribute instead.

Learning to master your own emotions, perceptions and internal processing is all a part of the life coaching and NLP practitioner course. Even with a basic understanding of NLP, it is plain to see how much more valuable the information is when as a direct result of professional NLP training. This is because the current experiences and emotions accrued to date, may muddy the significance of key elements and techniques but training with a qualified NLP and Life Coach Practitioner allows them to tap into their own communication expertise to ensure full comprehension and mastery of each technique.

It’s about self-development in its highest form. Only when you have gained mastery over these NLP techniques can you go on to coach others successfully. Re-educating your responses to familiar and formerly difficult situations can make a huge difference to your life and ultimately to others. It’s taking a look at your own internal hard wiring and reconnecting any loose elements so that everything functions more efficiently.

To communicate effectively, you have to learn to recognise the metaprogram patterns of others and of yourself and this enables you to not only make powerful decisions in life but to use these same skills to motivate yourself and others. This way you are in the perfect position to discover your own potential and to utilise it at the highest level.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat and explore you.

30 Aug

Stop Self-Loathing and Banish Ugly Thoughts

Stop Self-Loathing and Banish Ugly Thoughts

How often do you put yourself down? Probably more often than you realise. In fact, if you could take a slice of your thoughts and examine them on a daily basis, you might be surprised by just how many negative thoughts flood through your conscious and sub-conscious mind. Self-loathing – it’s something that none of us should entertain, these thoughts are ugly and unworthy and yet, millions of people worldwide do just that.

When you are young, the world is a wonderful place, filled with excitement and wonder and yet, as life passes, other people can make you feel inferior, unattractive and unworthy and that’s simply not fair. Equally, once those self-doubts set in, you start to question your thoughts, your actions and feelings. Negative reinforcement from those around you is really cruel. It stops you from seeing your true self-worth and instead, you focus only on your failings.

Once you recognise the slippery slope towards self-loathing, it’s possible to do something about it. Incorporating a few positive actions into your life on a daily basis will have you feeling much better about yourself and, rightly so. Negative self-talk is so damaging, far more than people realise. Self-loathing is often the end product and it’s a long road back to healthy self-esteem if it’s not dealt with quickly.

Most people will admit to having a few issues about their looks focusing only on the negative aspects of their features instead of seeing themselves as the person they are. But fortunately, it’s possible to train yourself to recognise all of the good features instead and to realise how lovely you are. Self-loathing can make you forget about all of your many accomplishments, but this is easily rectified, by making a note of all of your accomplishments. This could be anything from exam or career success to simply being a good friend or neighbour. You may find this a little difficult initially as we are all taught to be modest and not to shout successes from the rooftop but, it’s a great way to start appreciating your accomplishments large and small. Once you have written them down, spend time reviewing your notes and appreciate who you are really.

If your life is difficult and you are always juggling your daily tasks just to cope, then maybe it’s time to simplify your life. When you have so much to do in life, it’s easy to just jump on the treadmill of tasks and you might find it difficult to bring it to a stop. Taking a focussed approach to your life and making a list of all the priorities can enable you to strike a few tasks off the list. A simple way of life will put you back in control and when you feel less under pressure and overwhelmed, you’ll feel good about yourself and this is important.

It’s always good to set yourself goals or to learn new skills so why not invest in a course that not only boosts your confidence and eradicates self-loathing, but will enable you to communicate superbly and build rapport with others instinctively? The Enneagram is one self-improvement program you will love and it’s a perfect stepping stone towards a better life.

Are you surrounded by negative people? If you have people in your life that do not value you, it’s time to make the decision to make changes so determine to spend less time in their company. No-one should feel unappreciated or unvalued in life, and the secret is to spend time with others who are more positive and kindly.

Are you guilty of thinking too much? If you spend a lot of time on your own, it’s easy to over think or to have a lot of negative thoughts, instead, get out and about and do something fun or challenging. Your thoughts can work for you or against you, so it’s up to you how you use them. Many people have damaging thoughts and can feel vulnerable and less than confident as a result. Self-loathing will become a thing of the past if you can learn to appreciate your own value and to be kind to yourself. If you start valuing yourself, others will do the same.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat and explore you.

21 Jul

Making Redundancy Work for You

Making Redundancy Work for You

The thought of redundancy may be terrifying, especially so if you are worried about starting over in a new company or that you might not get another job for some time. While some people relish the opportunity for change, others shrink away from it and do their utmost to hold onto their jobs even if they hate them. But the odds might be stacked against you and you have to move on because your particular role is well and truly over. But you are not alone, more and more people the world over have to rethink their careers.

Redundancy may be daunting for you, even voluntary redundancy brings certain issues to the fore. If there is a good financial redundancy package it’s less concerning because the finances will cover you for a period of time while you draw breath and think about the future. But, if the package is minimal, it’s important to get back out there and be seen, canvassing for new work prospects as soon as you can, especially if the company is making many people redundant. Depending on the time of year, you may be up against school leavers who are keen to slot into employment, so even if you bring a unique set of skills, it is still important to consider your options in case you lose out on the coveted role.

Being made redundant can bring you a whole host of new opportunities. It needn’t be a time of trepidation but to be seen as a chance to re-train and to try out new areas of work within the marketplace. But is there something you would like to do other than your existing job? Is there some secret desire to do something completely different? Maybe you would like to set up your own company, perhaps you would like to take your existing skills and re-train to enter the market at a much higher pay grade? Perhaps you lack in confidence or need better communication skills? What can stop you from progressing and making the most of your potential? You can make redundancy work for you by considering all of your options and then throwing yourself into an area of work that really excites you. There are numerous training possibilities out there but it’s worth seeking out the services of a life coach, or attending a business event. While events may not always be government funded, consider re-training an investment in yourself. You can polish up your qualifications, your confidence and your skill set and it looks great on your Resume. Make the most of your redundancy payments, contemplate the future with relish, create a list of goals so that you have a clear remit to the future and then get the training that you need. Redundancy needn’t be the end of your career; it could just be the springboard to a whole new, financially rewarding job that will make going to work a joy each day.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat or contact us if you have more questions

18 Jul

Increase Communication in the Workplace

Increase Communication in the Workplace

The business world can often seem an un-friendly and competitive place.  Everyone is vying for a secure and challenging role that pays a good wage. In fact, there has never been a more important time for you to increase communication in the workplace and to start networking with your colleagues and more senior managers- especially if you wish to develop your own career. 

The business world has changed, it has evolved.  Gone are the days where customer support and service were the most important elements of the business and long-time employees were promoted as a matter of course. These days, while service is important, increasing revenue is a much higher priority. If you have worked for a company for a long time, it is probably fair to say that you will have noticed changes.  The business looks out for up and coming employees who have leadership qualities and some of those long-term senior managers may have been replaced by younger, more dynamic employees.

Good communication in the workplace is important, but it is often not sufficient to the smooth running of the interdepartmental relationships.  It is who you know that is vital these days, and building strong relationships will enable you to stand head and shoulders above the rest. If you can talk the talk and show a steely determination to succeed, you will be noticed.  You don’t have to change your personality to become dynamic and to achieve success, but you do need to be driven.  And you do need to stand up and be counted.  These days, there is an emphasis on business values, persuasion and strong leadership, it is not surprising. Businesses in countries all over the globe have been experiencing some financial crisis, so there has to be new innovation and strong leaders at the top, who will take the business to greater heights.

If you want to be a part of a new leadership migration, then you have to learn the techniques of effective communication in the workplace.  You have to be eloquent, ready to stand up and have your say and to be politically aware.  Leadership qualities can be learned. Networking can be learned, effective communication can be learned. Whether your existing company has a vacancy for you, or whether you are looking to further your career within another organisation, it is good to consider your options.  The more qualified that you are, the greater potential for career success.  At one time training happened in the workplace, but now, with reduced training budgets, there is greater belief and approval in someone who goes out and gets their own training and development sorted.

There are numerous communication courses that come highly recommended, Evelyn Olivares, respected Life Coach, NLP Practitioner and Career Coach sees a wide variety of people at her workshops who are determined to invest in their own future, and says that these are the leaders of the future. They come, they interact and they learn the techniques that when utilised will enable businesses to sit up and take notice.

It is important to increase communication in the workplace, and vital that your voice is heard.  It’s about saying the right things, to the right people and promoting yourself in a professional manner.  There are opportunities out there, but these days it is about creating your own.

Create more self awareness at our upcoming Wellness Retreat. Contact us for more info

11 Mar

Crisis Management – Tap into Your Inner Strength Reserves

Crisis Management – Tap into Your Inner Strength Reserves

When life starts to go a little wrong, you can guarantee that there will be multiple stressors thrown into the mix all set to confuse and complicate the situation a little more. This is when it’s important to be able to retain your self-belief and to tap into your inner strength. But what happens when your inner strength is feeling weakened by a situation and fatigue and nervous energy starts to set in?

Although a crisis can seem very personal and it is possible to feel as if you are slipping into a black hole of despair, it’s important to note that every day people are all under pressure and feeling threatened or overwhelmed by a change in their circumstances too. Like them, you have to dig deep to find the power inside you to resolve any issues. Knowing that others share similar battles to change their lives may eradicate feelings of isolation but there is much that can be done to improve inner strength. Deep down you have to tap into your integral survival instincts and to adopt the realisation that you are able to transform your life irrespective of any situation – no matter how difficult.

Whatever the crisis – grief, relationship loss or redundancies etc, it’s important to focus beyond the current situation, not so as to bypass the feelings of the moment but to know that you are bigger than this moment. This gives you hope and the realisation that this is all just one part of the journey. Life does not stand still and eventually, in time, you will have progressed through the situation and have emerged out the other side – smarter, stronger and more emotionally aware.

During any crisis, don’t be afraid to seek out support from loyal friends and family members who will be there for you – if only to listen. Ask them for encouragement and for their understanding. Having caring individuals around you will naturally increase your sense of self irrespective of the situation and with support comes solutions.

Acceptance forms a big part of understanding, coping with and moving forward from any crisis and this forms an integral part of your inner strength and coping mechanism too. Fatigue often occurs when there is a crisis so it’s a good idea to spend time nurturing your self – go for a walk and clear the cobwebs from your mind. Or just find a quiet beauty spot and sit and contemplate nature and all that is life. Find the time to discover more about you as this will strengthen your self-belief,  try out The Enneagram as this will help you to discover your core attributes – useful at any time but even more so during times of stress when you need to cultivate your inner strength.

Life is a myriad of ups and downs and it is impossible to live without experiencing life fully – this means facing the good and bad times with equal resolve. Remember that the down times make the joys of life all the more vibrant and providing you can believe in your inner strength and power inside you, you will know that you can ride the fluctuating tides of life and survive any crisis.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat or contact us if you have more questions

07 Mar

Emotional Intimacy – Lower the Barriers

Emotional Intimacy – Lower the Barriers

It’s part of the human condition to need to forge deep connections with someone who is special. It’s a deeply rooted desire that drives us to continue searching for love even when we encounter those that are not worthy of our affections. Emotional intimacy is even more powerful than physical intimacy; it’s the energy that binds two people together and provides them with that intensely satisfying sense of well-being. It’s a connection that overcomes all other temptations.

As much as we strive for love, the pain of lost love and heartbreak can overshadow the prospect of a healthy, nurturing love. Instead of being able to accept that life is transient and that sometimes people enter our lives at a time when we are emotionally ready for them, we try to hold on to them or we reject them not fully understanding that they play an important part in our lives at that time. Eventually, if and when the connection is broken, they leave an element of that experience with us.

We carry baggage from one relationship to the next. Depending on our success in love and in relationships generally, we start to form opinions of new potential relationships against the pain of lost loves. Many people live in fear of being naturally open and loving in a new relationship because fear of emotional pain cripples their potential to be free and open going forward.

Closing down all emotions, trapping any previous hurts inside and freezing up any feelings of love will only serve for one purpose, to keep you feeling isolated and to shut out those in life who may add positive experiences to the collection. If you have emotional intimacy issues, it can make you unable to project your own feelings of love.

Take Amanda. Entering her later 30’s, she suddenly realised that she had never had a deeply fulfilling relationship, not even during her marriage of 5 years when she was in her 20’s. Boyfriends had come and gone since then and she felt the loss of each and every one of them, desperate for a relationship that was emotionally pure. Amanda took the decision to have relationship coaching recognising that something was preventing her from truly connecting with those she cared for. It soon became apparent that her experiences had created a powerful inner fear that had started when she had discovered her husband’s unfaithfulness. This caused deep emotional intimacy problems for her. The marriage break-up had been devastating but she had never really dealt with those feelings of betrayal and subconsciously, wouldn’t let anyone close afterwards.

Relationship coaching helped Amanda. As time when on, creating intimacy no longer became an issue. She learned to lower the barriers and to fully overcome her emotional intimacy problems.

Life and love is complex. It’s important to remember that barriers do not stop you from becoming hurt; rather they provide you only with the greater potential to remain alone. Only when you become truly balanced with your own experiences and emotions will you be able to open up to the right person and allow them to become a positive addition to your life.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat or contact us if you have more questions

03 Mar

How to Get Motivated for Work

How to Get Motivated for Work

When you are stuck in a rut work-wise, the last thing you may want to know is how to get motivated at work. You may be hoping to simply finish work dead on time and to not have to go back – ever. We all have times when we suffer from a distinct lack of motivation for our day to day jobs, sometimes we hate the work we do, at other times we feel stifled by the lack of development opportunities. Perhaps we feel that we deserve a higher paid job, a more satisfying or even demanding role or, we just have a dream job in mind.

Action is usually the way forward but sometimes, we can learn a lot by simply standing still and looking around the work-place. We can see how others fare and those departments that seem to retain their employees. We can learn a lot by studying the management team, noting those decisive individuals who make fast paced decisions without even blinking an eye.  There will be others who have earned the respect of their teams by working hard and leading by example. There may be some who in your eyes should not be within the management team; perhaps they lack some of the more important skills.

You may not wish to be in your current role but if you can learn while you earn through watching others, then you will naturally gravitate towards a more senior role just by opening up your awareness. It may be hard to boost motivation, but try to tap into the various motivation techniques that are available and stay positive.

Motivation can start the night before. If you plan your day, mapping out all of the important tasks you will feel more in control of yourself in a professional capacity, if you have a team to delegate to, then sort out those tasks that can be passed on, if you want to learn a new skill set, write this at the top of the list to remind you to do so. When you feel stale at work, it’s easy to become unresponsive and unwilling to do more than is absolutely necessary, but the opposite works in terms of motivation and if you get stuck in, work hard and plan your progression, your focus will be renewed and you will start to enjoy your work more.

Learning how to get motivated on a personal level may take time. You may feel negative about your job situation and dread the alarm going off in the morning. If you are not sleeping well or are anxious, you need to tackle that situation first. Getting a good night’s sleep will enable you to cope with the day ahead much more efficiently. Fall asleep by implanting positive thoughts about your future career. See yourself in your chosen line of work, visualise yourself receiving a healthy pay check, or earning that coveted promotion.

When you wake up in the morning, take time to review your plan. Set each task in stone in your mind, and commit yourself to achieving everything that is on your list. Congratulate yourself when you complete all of your workload satisfactorily.

If you have problems at work, face them head on don’t let the situation fester. If you feel overlooked and unappreciated, have a word with your line manager, be professional and explain that you are ready for more responsibility. Prove to them that you are good at your job. Ask for training or coaching, or take personal responsibility for your own career development and organise some high-end business training for yourself.

If you want to learn how to get motivated at work, ask yourself what do you really want to achieve? Once you know your future goals, consider the basic needs so that you can achieve the role of your choice, you will find motivation comes thick and fast when you start the ball rolling.

Join us at the upcoming Wellness Retreat or contact us if you have more questions