NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!

Well the big day came and went..... for the physicists on the Swiss/French border. Their sub-atomic particle collision experiment was given a remote chance of creating enough black holes to lead to the end of civilisation as we know it. About 50 million to one if my sons are to be believed. Eight thirty am passed..... and nothing much happened.

What if the world had been about to end? Would you have been able to look back and think that you made the most of your time here? That you gave of your best and lived your life to the full? Or would you have had regrets? Things left undone or unsaid? Dreams unfulfilled?

Now that today's nearly over, why not use it as an opportunity to say thank you for the fact that you're still here? Use it as a chance to think about what you are really doing with your life. Are you really making the most of now? If not..... why not and what are you going to do to change that?

I'm particularly glad it didn't end today, or I'd have missed out on lunch with a friend of mine - and he was buying! I would also have missed out on reconnecting with the lovely bunch of people with whom I do a course every month in central London.

Mind you, getting home wasn't so easy. My train broke down in the station, making me over an hour late home and I had to postpone a coaching call. But I got home safely in the end, and do you know what?...... it wasn't the end of the world!

WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK?

What do you believe that is holding you back?
Maybe you think you're too old to achieve what you want to, or too young?
Perhaps you believe you don't deserve to be successful?

Have you ever thought where beliefs like this come from...... or of the restrictions they place upon you? If for example you believe that you don't deserve to be wealthy - your subconscious mind will spurn all sorts of opportunities to make money. This will stop you getting wealthy, but you "didn't think you deserved to" anyway.... and so it goes on.

These sort of beliefs are known as limiting beliefs. Ofetn they come from comments made by parents or teachers many years before. Authority figures who we regarded as "experts". Without realising it we may still be believing that we are "no good at maths"..... and what is worse - still acting accordingly.

What if you could change those beliefs, how would life be for you then?
Can you imagine how life would be if you just knew that you deserved to have abundance?
How would your life look? How would it feel? Not just now but in 5 or 10 years time?
Really let yourself bask in that great feeling!

Try adopting a new belief. For example - if you currently believe that you don't deserve to be wealthy - try restating this as a new positive belief eg. I deserve to have abundance in my life.
Feel as if that belief is already true for you. It might feel a bit awkward at first, but with practice it will get much easier. Then try acting as if it is already true for you. You'll be surprsied, it won't be long before others start acting in accordance with this to.

The key to change is you - remember, you'll never rise above your own opinion of yourself.
Start today, adopt a new positive belief and begin to create the life you know you deserve!

LIVING THE DREAM

As I write this, I'm watching "Socceraid". It's a televised football match involving a mix of celebrities and former players, in aid of UNICEF. It's on every two years and was the brain-child of singer Robbie Williams. He played last time round and when interviewed at half-time tonight talked about how wearing the England shirt and running out at Wembley was, for him, living the dream.

Regular readers will know I'm a huge football fan, so I can see where Robbie was coming from on this one. My playing days are long since over and my old team, Garston Ladies, weren't exactly Man Utd. even in my day! 

It made me think though - what's your dream and more importantly, what are you doing to ensure that it becomes reality?

We all need to have dreams. Some of these might be relatively small things, others might seem much bigger and less easy to attain. Don't let this put you off though. All it takes to achieve any dream is the will to succeed, a plan of action and the courage to take that first step. After that, you're on your way and if you keep taking steps, however small, in the right direction, you are going to get there. Remember, everything you do either takes you closer to, or further away from any goal.

What small step are you going to take tomorrow to move you closer to your dream?

SEIZE THE DAY!

Those of you who, like me, love the film "Dead Poets' Society", starring Robin Williams, may remember that this was his mantra for the students. He used it to inspire his initially reluctant class to great things. Remember how they all stood up on their desks one by one?

Today's post is not about clambering on your furniture - what you get up to in the privacy of your own home is none of my business! It is about really making the most of every opportunity that comes your way. 

I believe that we make our own luck. I don't accept that certain people are born lucky. I think they just get out there and make the most of everything that comes their way. It's all too easy to sit back and blame fate for dealing you a bad hand. Why not just get out there and play the best game that you can with what you've been given?

Joe Vitale has a lot to say about this in his various books. I especially like "The Attractor Factor". It's great to listen to on your I-pod in the gym. You feel as if you're stretching your mind as well as your body. One of his favourite sayings is "The Universe loves speed". Once an idea comes to you, whether you believe it's from God or the Divine or wherever - you need to act on it fast. Have you ever had a good idea, done nothing about it and then found soon afterwards that someone else has done the very thing that you didn't? I certainly have - and it's really annoying!

If you know something is right for you, even if it seems a little different or a little risky right now - try just doing it. Don't delay and leave yourself open to the hollow, empty feeling of what might have been..... rather like Anthony Hopkins' character in "The Remains of the Day" - one of my favourite films of all time. Make sure you really seize the day!

BEING IN FLOW

Do you ever have days when everything just seems to work out? Of course you do. Days when, however busy you are.... you just manage to do everything that needs doing, easily and effortlessly. In NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming), this is called being in flow.

I had one of those days today, in fact, I've had one of those weeks! It's been an important week for me. My younger son started at secondary school and loves it..... and I've rearranged my working week to a pattern that feels fantastic. Instead of spreading my 3.5 days of GP work out over 5 days, I now work three full days in the surgery. This gives me two full weekdays to devote to coaching, writing, personal growth etc. 

It may only have been week one but what a week it's been. Despite being very busy in the surgery I have felt really enthused and energized there. Today was a classic example. Not only did I have two very sick patients this morning who both needed emergency ambulance transfer to hospital but we had a major computer failure this afternoon. It was also extremely busy with lots of patients needing to be seen before the weekend. It could have been chaotic, I could have really struggled..... but no. Not only did everyone get sorted out efficiently but it felt effortless and I really enjoyed myself. The whole team were fantastic today - and I made sure that they all knew it too.

Experiences like that are great. They nourish and sustain you through the tougher times, but how can we repeat them? In NLP this is called modelling - looking at what works well in a situation and repeating it. What were you thinking, feeling, doing in a successful situation.... and how can you make sure you replicate that when you need to perform like that again?

Think about a time when you've experienced a challenging situation and performed in a way you've been really proud of. Think back through it in detail - what was happening in you that made it so good? What were you saying to yourself? What were you thinking? How were you behaving? Think how you can get back into that positive, resourceful mindset for next time you need to be on top form.

Life is easy when you are in flow like this. Spend a few moments now thinking about how you can use your past experiences to create a better future. What are you waiting for?

WHAT ARE YOU TAKING FOR GRANTED?

What things in your life do you take for granted?
I've been thinking about that in the last week or so as I haven't any internet access - something that I definitely take for granted. Last week I was on holiday in Ireland. Our cottage didn't have broadband and the dial-up connection was slow and unreliable - hence not much in the way of blogging got done...... another thing I just assume that I can do whenever the mood grabs me.

Once back at home, I discovered that our broadband connection was down. Not only does that make it harder to keep in touch with people but the kids rely on it for homework etc. They still look at me vacantly when told that when I was their age, researching something meant reading a book, often having to cycle to the library to get it. Googling it just wasn't an option. According to them this dates me somewhere around the Jurassic period!

Challenging as that is, it's trivial in the grand scheme of things - but what really important things or people in our lives are we taking for granted right now? The food you eat, the water you drink, the clothes you wear, the money you earn..... who do you depend on for all of that? How about your friends, your colleagues, your family, your partner - what are they doing for you and when did you last really stop and think about that?

We all need eachother. However independent we might like to think we are, we are all connected in someway, all part of the greater whole. Spend some time today just noticing the other people and things in your life. Why not let them know how much you appreciate them? Next time someone does something nice for you, tell them - take that second and really make a difference to someone else's day too. When now will you start doing that?

HEALTH VALUES AND WELLNESS

Health and wellbeing is one of the key areas of our lives, but what does being healthy mean to you? In order to achieve goals in this area it is vital to give some thought to this.

Ask yourself the question - What does being healthy mean to me?

Write down the first answer that comes to mind - perhaps it might be, living longer

Then ask it again, noting down your answer - perhaps, feeling fitter or avoiding serious illness.

Keep going until no new repsonses come to mind.

Now look at your list. Which is the most important to you of the answers you have written? The aim is to rank your responses and achieve a list, in order, of your health values.

Does your list surprise you? Look at your highest values. Is this where you are putting your energy right now? If not..... why not?

For me, the concept of wellness encompasses much more then just physical health. It means achieving balance in the areas of emotional and spiritual wellbeing too. At the root of all of this is loving yourself - if you do this you will feed your body the right foods, nourish it with the right drinks, exercise it and look after it every way that you can.

You need to start doing this, you need a healthy body - where else are you going to live?