If you know me, you’ll know a favourite mantra of mine is that ‘baby steps add up’. I don’t tend to succeed if I try to go for big shifts. Some people get a sense of momentum from big changes. Personally, they exhaust me. So if you’ve tried the new year’s resolution, the big “right that’s it” moment and created a grand plan to change your life… and it hasn’t… Read More »The One Reason you Should Commit to Taking Baby Steps
I spoke last time about how 2019 reduced me to a soup. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I want to talk about my reinvention for 2020. We’re two weeks in, and things are plodding along at a steady (and manageable!) pace. My 2020 Goals Plan Essentially, I have 3 ‘life projects’ that are split into 14 tasks. However, before you narrow your eyes, and my mind… Read More »Reflection on the Year: Part II – My Goals
In 2011, I began picking a word of the year. I’d researched it in 2009, and picked one for 2010. It felt good to have a way to turn from goals to a reflection at the end of the months. But 2011 was when it all came together for me. This gave a new approach toward resolutions and goal-setting. I chose “Strength” and three particular facets: Mind, Body and Spirit. I… Read More »Reflection on the Year: Part I
Back in September, my business coach Michelle asked me to define how I wanted to feel, how I want people to feel after working with me. We spoke for a while, I did some reflection, but the very first word I came up with on that call was “steadfast.” I wasn’t quite sure how I got there, but there was this very clear message in my mind that this is… Read More »Word for 2020 — Steadfast
One of the most common obstacles I hear from reinventors, is that of not having enough time. Now, to some extent, there may be a truth to how much free-time your specific situation allows you. You may be a carer or have two jobs in between meals and sleep: often the only pauses to breathe are those transitions between tasks. However, in many cases, this is a choice of prioritisation, where… Read More »How to Make Time out of Transitions
Delilah Dawson, whom I follow on twitter, had a set of tweets back in 2018 about being okay with emotional triggers and the thoughts which often follow them. On Being Okay She commented that when she is close to burnout, and does something which triggers her (certainly for me, triggers occur when I feel afraid, I am mentally taken back to a past negative event or a genuine sense of… Read More »Being Damn Fine as a Work in Progress
Although I no longer support people specifically with their mental health, one of the key lessons I picked up from teaching cognitive therapy tools was the differentiation between a Lapse and a Relapse; which is a concept that applies to any form of progress we’re looking to make. Let’s begin with some definitions. These are not necessarily the dictionary definitions, but they are how I have come to see progress… Read More »The Truth about Progress: Lapses and Relapses
When we want to make a change, we essentially want to ‘learn’ something. Learning is considered a “permanent change in behaviour which occurs as a function of experience.” But there is a force working against us. Nope, not aliens. Nor Nazis. Nope, no Jedis here… In the human body there is a state called Homeostasis. In Greek, it literally means “Staying similar.” This mechanism is entirely devoted to keeping… Read More »Why Change Is So Damn Hard
As humans, we are somewhat separated from other animals by our ability to plan ahead, to use forward thinking. By the fact we understand the concept of the future. Yet, it’s something we don’t utilise enough. This is not a new idea. We worry, “what if X happens?” and “how will I make that work?” But one of the most useful tools I use is considering the me-of-the-future and how… Read More »Secret Weapon #3: Consider Future You
When it comes to self development advice, we’re bombarded. One thread comments on the importance of setting actionable goals. Another strand emphasises the role of visualisation and acting ‘as if.’ A third route professes the strength behind gratitude and just letting things naturally form in their own way: finding the opportunities and just saying Yes. Today I want to talk about gratitude. It’s a big deal in the self-development and… Read More »Why Is Gratitude Such A Big Deal In The Self Help Realm?