Do You Bad Mouth You?

Take five minutes to think of the worst things you say to yourself and the effect it has on you.

Examples might be:

‘I have no willpower’.

‘I’m always late – I can’t get anywhere on time’.

‘I always fail interviews’.

‘I am so unattractive’.

Once you’ve identified that critical inner voice try this; for one week silence it. As soon as you hear yourself start carping, stop immediately.

It will do two things:

It will show you just how much time you spend putting yourself down

and

It will show you how much better you can feel when you stop nagging yourself.

Next Step- Replace the moaning and quietly say something good about yourself!

Looking After You

‘When we’re well we want so many things, but when we’re sick we want only one’.

It’s so true, isn’t it? Like many of you, I suspect, I glibly talk about health and happiness being important yet consciously working to maintain my health is not one of my more obvious priorities. But without it all of my other goals will need revisiting.  It should be top of my list!

So I am resolved to take better care of my physical health from this moment on. I don’t want to lose it to know the value of it!

How about you?

The No Quiz!

How many times do say yes when you want to say no?

How many of these thoughts which stop you saying no assertively, do you hold in your head?

• If I say no, they’ll never help me when I need it.
• If I say no, they won’t like me.
• If people don’t like me I’ll feel worthless and get fewer opportunities.
• My needs are not as important as theirs. They must take priority. I can’t say no.
• I mustn’t be rude or unhelpful (particularly if to a senior manager or older person).
• How dare they ask me that (prompts an aggressive response).
• These people are taking me for granted-I’ll show them. (Aggressive again).

If you ticked just one of these, take a look at my article on How to Say No. And if you have some tips to share on being more assertive, or found something that works well for you, please do share them with us!

Boost Your Creativity in 3 Minutes!

Any time you’re feeling jaded and a bit lacklustre in your thinking, try this quick mental booster in creative thinking.

Look

Spend one minute looking at the pot of tulips opposite. Notice everything you can about that picture, the light playing on the boards behind, the various colours in the petals, the shades of the leaves, the type of fencing in the background. Really play close attention to the picture.

As you observe the details of the picture,  just be conscious of how you are breathing. Don’t do anything to your breathing, just notice it while looking at the gorgeous spring tulips.

Invent

Now for one minute invent a story to go behind the picture. Who put them there? Where are they? where did they come from? Amsterdam? By air? By sea? Home grown? Who picked them? Who planted them? Who took the photo?

Allow your imagination to wander where it will for one full minute.

Doodle

And for your final minute doodle your own bunch of tulips or any flower you care to imagine!

Three minutes to refresh your thinking!

Do let me know what techniques and tips you use to refresh your thinking!

Three Things for Friday!

No, I haven’t invented a new tongue twister (try saying it out loud!), just a quick exercise to maximise your learning from this week and help you realise how fabulous you are!

As you read this, follow the instructions.

Take a pen (or several coloured pens to boost your creativity) and without too much thinking write down:

1) Something new I learned this week.
(Examples- how to use a new IT programme, a piece of family history, how not to get cross when complaining…)

2) Someone new I met this week.
(Could be a new postie, a colleague on the phone, all sorts!)

3) Something I did really well this week.
(Don’t hide your light under any bushels! Did you help someone? Did you finish a tricky report? Did you cope well with a set back? Did you get some new business? Did you cheer up a friend?)

Now look down your list, give yourself an imaginary pat on the back and go off and enjoy you week end!

Swap Shoes Day!

Do you know the saying:

‘Grant that I may not criticise my neighbour until I have walked a mile in her moccasins’?

Try this for one day.

Next time someone is really driving you crazy at work or in your personal life, metaphorically swap shoes with them for one day.

Suspend your usual critical thoughts, voiced or not, and imagine the world from their viewpoint. Don’t put yourself under undue pressure to make changes; simply try and experience the world from their standpoint.

And see what the next day brings! You might find your empathy levels rising!