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
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
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 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?
This afternoon I was at my desk typing some edits onto my manuscript. Smoke was resting his damaged hip, snoozing on a cardboard box. I heard the noise, one cat-owners have likely heard at some point, and slowly walked towards Ember, and her fresh pile of vomit. I told my friend I would be right back because she’d been sick, and my friend suggested I give her a cuddle. … Read More »How To See Brokenness Through The Eyes of a Fearful Cat
For those who have taken a psychology class, you may have heard of something called “Miller’s Law” or just “the 7 (plus or minus 2) rule” about human nature. Today I’m going to apply this memory rule to those (big or little) life projects or self-development quests. Don’t worry if you hadn’t: I’d never heard of the first term until this week, and the second was a tiny part of… Read More »How To Use Psychology for Life Project Success
Progress in anything suggests that one of the key indicators of successful progression is tracking. Especially when looking at the number of day planners aimed at productivity or the neuroscience of habit formation. Almost like an obvious secret, having information on how things are going and what isn’t working is crucial to making the correct tweaks in the path forward. And yet, we’re often blocked from unlocking that information. We don’t… Read More »Why Tracking your Progress is a Crucial Life-Skill
I began studying the psychology of my own experiences in 2004 with a book on Psycholinguistics and one on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Since then, I’ve studied a bunch of qualifications, and have worked in social care, education, mental health and youth work fields. Yet, there are some ‘lessons’ you don’t fully comprehend until you’ve lived them. Mind-Training A few years ago, Christine Kane wrote an article about smiling after challenge, and… Read More »Happiness: The Truth about Self-help Tools
There is a culture of wanting ‘fresh starts’, usually focusing on making new choices. Most of us have experienced ourselves, or someone we know saying “oh, well I’ll start again tomorrow / next week / in the New Year” when that person has made a choice that does not fit in line with their overall goal. People have a few ways of describing behaviour, but today I want to think about ‘falling… Read More »The Myth of Fresh Starts: How to Stay ‘On Track’