How to Give Yourself a Helping Hand!

Our knowledge about how our brains work is increasing all the time. Recently some research into over eating was released which suggest that if we eat with our non dominant hand we can lose weight.

That’s because we’re doing something we do habitually in a different way and thus drawing our attention to it. Because we actually want to lose weight, being mindful of what we’re doing helps us control how much we eat (not to mention throwing a fair bit of food down our fronts!)

Be Different!

Habits are great; if we didn’t do things habitually life could be quite difficult. Knowing how to change gear while having our eyes on the road, avoiding a collision, and taking the right route would be quite difficult if we lost the habits associated with that!

But if we want a quick boost, a jump start in our lives then it’s time to do something differently! So have a do something different day! It may be using your non dominant hand for some mundane tasks, like cleaning your teeth. You may take a new route to a favoured destination. Catch a bus and leave the car behind. The possibilities are endless. Doing some things differently will sharpen your appreciation of life. I’m not promising that you’ll lose weight but you will have a different experience of life for one day!

Do share what you choose to do differently in your life!

Photo credit: Vivek Chugh

What’s Your Story?

We all have a story. I don’t mean that novel lurking within; I mean we all have a back story to our life which governs how we live our life.

Children

Much of our storyline will have been set in childhood. When I was working professionally with children life story work was a significant element in helping them come to terms with what had happened to them. Children are very good at creating a story to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Unfortunately, children who have had sorrow in their lives tend to make up a story where they are at fault in some way, in some way responsible for what had happened to them.

Adults and Stories

And what have I learned from experience and study is that we never really lose our childhood stories about ourselves. And those stories continue to have an impact on us and our experience of life. Which is fine if you were fortunate enough to have a good back story; if you had significant adults in your life who praised you and helped you develop a good sense of self.  If you didn’t have that experience it’s possible that you are still playing a character from your story that is stifling your potential.

I Want to Tell You a Story…

In a safe way, I lightly touch on this topic in my RenewYou course. I ask the women to think about labels they and others hold of them. And then I ask them to think about the labels they’d like to change. And then we think about making that change!

Your story isn’t finished. You are the author and it’s within you to write a new paragraph, bring in new characters, try a new location, focus on a new direction! So now you’re in charge of your story, what will you ‘write’?

Monday Morning Blues? Try this…

I am lucky enough to love what I do! I use the word ‘lucky advisedly’- I actually worked very hard to get to a place where I am doing work I really love, where work really doesn’t feel like working! (Which is almost the title of my book, as it happens!)

Some days I just plunge in and get going but other times I am a bit more reflective. On the days I am feeling reflective this is what I do:

First, I’ll cast my thoughts back over the previous week (see this post) and really give time to thinking about what worked for me. You may find yourself dwelling on what didn’t work but try very hard NOT to go there. It isn’t particularly helpful and will dampen your mood.

Three Things

Then I’ll make a quick list of three things I want to happen in the forthcoming week. I don’t necessarily mean tangible things like a ‘to do list’, although sometimes they feature. Often it’s to do with how I want to feel. And I remind myself that how I feel, how I manage my feelings about what happens is in my gift. Our thoughts are hugely powerful and choosing how we think about things can make us feel very powerful too.

And writing it down helps reinforce the intention to achieve those things. Just a few minutes of your time but it could have a powerful impact on the rest of your week and cure those Monday Morning blues!

How do you start your working week?

PS If Mondays really are a bad day for you then you are getting a powerful message about how you’re spending a lot of your life! Even in a recession it is possible to make changes, with care! It’s a common issue when coaching, women don’t like what they do but feel ‘frightened’ to change, or often don’t know what they want to do instead. If that sounds like you I wrote my book with you in mind! It’s a work book designed to help you get ‘unstuck’ and begin to make positive change in your life. You can read more about it here, and don’t forget the free audio download link on the same page! You can download it immediately and get started straight away!

Photo credit: Rose Ann

Answer One Question & Have a Good Week-end!

Well it’s Friday! For most of us it’s the end of the week (being married to a fire-fighter I’m very mindful that lots of you work all sorts of hours!)

However your week has been, good, bad or average, you are at the end of it. Woo Hoo!

In the spirit of appreciative inquiry (click the link to read more on this topic), take a few moments to review what has gone well for you this week.  Even in the worst of times something will have worked well for you. Make a quick list of those moments.

If you can, identify what actually caused those things to work well. Maybe you were particularly intuitive, or took the initiative? Maybe you had done some preparation or maybe you acted spontaneously? Perhaps you tried a very small change in your routine or stuck with your tried and tested methods? Or talked to someone new, or listened to advice?

Whatever it was, make a note of it and take all the good from this week into the next, and leave the less than wonderful stuff in the past!

Happy week end!

Photo Credit: Mohammed Karim

Do You Feel Lucky, Punk er…Punkette…?

I am lucky, or so my mate tells me.

‘You always win raffles’ she says.

Clearly I don’t or I’d have a house chock full of orphan cuddly toys and last year’s chocolates! But I do buy tickets at charity events and my friend was with me when I won a few times in a row. In her head I am lucky so she doesn’t notice the myriad times I don’t win a thing!

You Can Be Lucky Too!

Luck is a state of mind. Decide to be lucky and amazingly you will be!

Let me share an example with you. I had a pretty hard week last week for lots of reasons I won’t mention; most outwith my control. At the end of the week I was lucky enough (!) to get a trip down to Cornwall to visit friends which was a blessed relief and lovely (I even paddled in the sea!)

On the way home my darling husband’s car exhaust decided to make a bid for freedom and dropped off! How unlucky! I’d had a tiring week and just after a relaxing week end I get this and have to wait hours for recovery….sigh.

Well, no actually. Instead, I thought how lucky that we had such good friends who said come to us at a moment’s notice. How lucky that they live in such a brilliant part of the country. How lucky that we had the hottest October week end in years.

And most of all…

How lucky that we had stopped for a drink and a snack just before the exhaust disgraced itself and I had just been to the loo!There were no bushes for miles….

How lucky are you?

Have a look at Can You Make Yourself Lucky for a less tongue in cheek account!

PS Have you noticed what a strange word ‘lucky’ is. Try saying it out loud a few times! Quietly, or you’ll sound like Kylie Minogue! No bad thing actually!

Photo Credit: Dave Simmonds

When Did You Last Put a Toe in the Water?

No, I don’t mean a trip to your local swimming pool, or quick paddle on the beach!

I mean, when did you last try something new? When did you last challenge yourself and get your feet wet?

Are you playing too safe?

When did you last do something that really made the hairs on your neck stand up?  When did you last take a risk, push yourself a bit further than you really feel comfortable with?

It’s only by pushing ourselves from time to time that we develop and grow and learn. Next time an opportunity comes up if you feel yourself instinctively saying “no”, experiment and say YES!

You might find you quite like getting your feet wet again!