What’s Your Perfect Working Day?

One of the reasons I wrote ‘When Work isn’t Working’ was the number of coaching clients who came to me dissatisfied with their work. People were unhappy with the job they had, for all sorts of reasons, but just didn’t know what to do instead.

And so I wrote a creative visualisation especially for them, which is in the book, and is now available for you to listen to!

Free Download

Simply reading a visualisation doesn’t work as well as hearing it. Which is why I have recorded it and it is on the site, entirely free of charge for you! If you have the book already, you will find it enhances all the exercises you have already done. And if you don’t have the book, don’t worry – it works well on its own too!

Just simply click on the link to the right of your screen called ‘Your Perfect Day’. You don’t need to enter any details. You can either listen to it directly from your computer, or, (recommended) down load it to a player and take it somewhere calm and relaxing for you, where you won’t be interrupted.

I hope you enjoy listening to it and that it takes you closer to achieving your ideal job! Please do let me know what you think!

Create Your Own Visualisation

There are several ways of using visualisations: the common denominator is that they should help you in some way.

I use them a lot in my courses and coaching, sometimes for relaxation, sometimes to help achieve goals, and sometimes to get into touch with your inner wisdom or intuition.

D.I.Y. Relaxation

Often when I’m coaching I’ll design a personal visualisation for my client for them to use as they wish but you can easily do your own!

First decide what you want it to do for you. If it’s to relax and unwind then think about what unwinds and relaxes you best. For example, the imagery of sea and beaches is often used but if all you feel is gritty sand in places you don’t want gritty sand (!) it definitely won’t relax you! You may prefer to be indoors in the lap of luxury, or you may choose a real place where you were relaxed and at peace, and conjure up the memory.

Achieve Your Ambition

If you want to use the visualisation as an aid to helping you achieve your dreams  you need to be specific and honest with yourself about what achieving that dream means.

If it’s rising to the top in your organisation then see yourself in that role. The more detail the better: see how you’re dressed, who is with you, what your office is like, etc. When you feel dispirited just take yourself there for a few moments.

Or if you are trying to change your body shape, lose weight or get fit, imagine yourself exactly how you want to look and being happy with your new body.

If you can create a realistic  and inspiring scenario you can tap into into when your motivation is lacking.  Just close your eyes and take yourself there. It gets easier the more you practise!

But remember all visualisations work best if you ease yourself into them and allow your breathing to slow and relax first (There are some instructions for that in this post)

Write It Down

I suggest you write it down and rework it until you are happy with it, and then record it, speaking slowly and calmly. If you don’t like the sound of your own voice then maybe ask a friend – you could do one for each other! Load it onto your MP3 player and you have your own ready made motivation class at hand!

If you have used visualisations do let me know how they work for you! And if you have something that works better, please share that too!

Do Nothing!

Here’s an idea – do nothing! Yes, really. Sometimes the best thing we can do about a problem is to do nothing at all.

You may well have been told to ‘sleep on it’ by parents, friends etc and they are right. Haven’t you noticed how really good ideas seem to ‘just come to you’ in the moments before you drift off to sleep? Or the answer to a question that has been niggling you all day just suddenly comes to you? For example, ‘What was the name of that actor in that film, the name of which I can’t quite remember!’

Visualisation

The technique of visualisation also allows us to tap into our subconscious to find solutions and improve our performance. Sportsmen have been doing it for years. Good coaches will give their student an instruction like ‘Now close your eyes and see the golf ball soaring down the fairway and landing perfectly on the green’. They do this because it’s like a mental rehearsal.

If you get really good at relaxation and visualisation you can actually bring the body to that state of relaxation we reach just before sleep. You become very relaxed allowing your subconscious space to work, yet you are still mentally alert.

The reverse also works, so an unsporting player might point out all the potential obstacles: “Watch out for that particularly nasty bit of road on your run, everyone comes a cropper there” The person immediately starts to see themselves falling or tripping at that point giving their competitors a distinct advantage!

Relax

I use the techniques of relaxation in my seminars and books because it works.  In ‘When Work isn’t Working’ I have written one specifically to help readers tap into what they really want from a career, with a visualisation of your perfect day at work.

So if you find yourself stuck for an idea, stop trying. Allow yourself to relax, do nothing, but simply sit and stare for a while! Even Albert Einstein claimed he didn’t really have any special talent at all, other than the ability to visualise so you will be in good company.

A Short Creative Visualisation

A visualisation is thinking in pictures instead of words; to see ‘in your mind’s eye’. Combined with relaxation it can help you access parts of the brain you don’t usually use so can be really useful when you are trying to think differently, explore a problem, or simply relax and let the stresses of the day melt away. But remember that you are always in control. If thoughts come into your mind that make you sad or unhappy just let them go and focus on something positive. This is designed to be a good experience for you to help you begin to think differently.

Find a comfortable place to lie or sit down. Make sure you are well supported either in your chair or on the floor. Use a cushion if necessary. Don’t worry about any noises, yours or external ones. The aim is to go into your own space. Move your position if you need to and don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right for you.

Once you have read this a few times try it with your eyes closed. This slows the brain waves and removes all visual distractions. Give your body a silent instruction to RELAX

Notice your breathing. Just being aware of how we are breathing can change it. If you have any breathing problems then just breathe in a way that is comfortable for you. It is important not to feel stressed in any way. Notice the timing and depth of your breathing.

On the next convenient out breathe breath out a bit extra, perhaps 3 counts longer than normal. This will cause you to breathe in more deeply and naturally enhance your breathing. You don’t want to hyperventilate. Breathe normally for a couple of breaths, noticing how you are breathing. RELAX

Relax any tension that has accumulated in your shoulders. Let that feeling of relaxation flow down your arms into your fingertips. Feel it flowing along your trunk and into your legs making you feel relaxed and alert. RELAX

On the next out breath imagine all your old preconceived notions of how things are done flowing out of you, leaving you pure and unlimited in your thoughts. As you breathe out all the old notions are disappearing with your breath, dissolving into the atmosphere. You feel relaxed and open.

As you breathe in imagine that you are now open to all new vibrant, colourful thoughts and imaginings. In your mind’s eye see the breath travelling through your body, taking warmth and colour with it. You are filling up with a beautiful colour and energy that is filling you with inspiration and creativity. With each breathe you take in imagine it adding to your creativity and intuition until you have a beautiful fund of energy to draw on, in your hands, arms, trunk, legs and feet. You are full of a natural and positive radiance. RELAX

Bring your attention back to your breathing again. Notice how you are breathing. On the next appropriate out breath breathe out a little extra, causing your breathing to deepen naturally. Breathe normally for three breaths. (PAUSE)

Notice how relaxed yet full of energy your body feels. If you can, with eyes still closed, gently shrug your shoulders, rotate them and let them relax. Feel your feet on the floor. If you can, wiggle your toes within your shoes, feel the energy moving on up your legs, into your body and down your arms. Wiggle your fingers. You are now feeling alert and full of creative energy. In your own time, open your eyes and fix on something blue within the room. Stand and stretch if you wish and bring yourself fully back into the present.