7 Steps to Manage the Journey of Change

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“The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable” – John F Kennedy - Why don’t we want to make that journey of change? - Why can’t we trust that the journey will be exciting instead of fearful? - Why are we so scared of the unknown? If we really understood our resistance to change then we could do something about it, but unfortunately for some of us, we don’t even want to think about it, let alone do anything about it! For us to welcome change we need to change ourselves. Everything is changing so fast, moving forward at an ever-increasing speed, and we also know we are unable to do anything about it! 7 Steps on how to manage the change journey: 1.   Imagine change being a journey with a long and winding road 2.   Imagine yourself in the driver’s seat with your GPS in front

Are you an Over Thinker?

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Do you make situations difficult in your life? Do you go over details again and again? Do you think deeply about everything? Do you spend time analysing everything that happens? If you answered YES to 2 or more of the above, you are likely an over thinker!  Finding meaning in everything Thinking more than you need to Finding difficulty in letting things go Resisting change Wanting things to stay the same Wanting everything to be just SO perfect and correct! Recognise some of these???? We know the only constant is change, however, if it’s constant, and we experience this often, then surely none of us should be in a rut and overthink what ‘change’ might bring about. Try focusing on how you can relax, go with the flow and enjoy change – even go as far as saying taking a ‘chill pill’ and getting to ‘like the taste’ of bringing

Are you Hanging Onto The Familiar?

Are you hanging onto the familiar?

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Why do we hang onto things we are familiar with and accustomed to? I was reminded of a colleague who worked with me in local government during one of the many 4-yearly restructuring (in 1996), which would affect over 37,000 employees! Jean had worked in local government for over 20 years and told me how much she loved her job, her team, and her environment; how safe and comfortable she had felt, and without realising, had mapped out the rest of her career remaining the same, without change! I asked her about her last 20 years as first-line manager. She told me she had progressed from administration into management and over the years had taken on various roles, in different offices with changing teams! I asked her what she loved about her role and environment and she spoke with such passion about how she just loved her life and work

Opening the Envelope of Change

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When I ask people what they think of change, most think of it as a negative word rather than a positive word – why is this? Have you had bad experiences with change being imposed on you in an organisation you have worked for? Have you had to make changes in your work or home environment due to health or financial reasons? I’m sure many of us can think of many occasions where change has been a ‘hurdle’ we’ve had to jump, or a decision that’s been uncomfortable for us to make, but have you ever thought about why change itself gave us the bad feeling it does? More often than not, change makes us feel insecure, develop fear, fear of the unknown, scared of what might be to come. I would like you to share with you some strategies I have created for myself in the past and for

What do you see when you look out the window?

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What do you see when you look out the window? Do you see the past or the future? Do you dwell on mistakes made in the past or opportunities for the future? Do you reflect positively on what you’ve done and optimistically about the future? Do you see challenges or obstacles? You’ve no doubt heard the saying? Learn from the past Live in the moment Plan for the future How many of us spend our time dwelling on the past, the things that went wrong, the bad times, the mistakes we made and the opportunities we didn’t take advantage of? We all make mistakes and the fact is that sometimes the mistakes we make create obstacles in our minds and cause us to lose confidence in ourselves. Instead shouldn’t we learn from the past and see that the mistakes we make have taught us great lessons in life to take

Catch Your Super Hero Dreams

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I’m probably not alone when I say I’m guilty of letting my self-belief falter occasionally, letting self-doubt creep in, and then in the night what happens? These huge obstacles rear up like a big black monster blocking our way, leaving us with a waking feeling of negativity and impending pessimism! Instead we should be working on positive feelings morning, noon and night to keep our motivation motor running! But somehow, the motivation motor slows down and those night-time obstacles become more real preventing us from finding our motivation pedal! Our dreams which were caught up in our dream catchers seem to have gotten up and gone in the night! Why is this? I was reminded of a song I heard on the radio the other day by M People from 1995 – ‘Search for the Hero Inside Yourself’, and particularly the chorus which goes: “You've got to search for the

If Only I Had Longer Legs!

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If Only I Had Longer Legs! If only I had more money! If only I felt more positive! If only I was more successful! If only I could achieve my potential! If only I could achieve my goals! Are you guilty of being stuck in ‘if only’ conundrum? Whom do you blame? Others? Yourself? If you’re blaming others, then you’ll never overcome obstacles preventing you from accomplishing what you want. If you’re blaming yourself, perhaps you’re stuck in a rut, with diminishing self-belief, the result of which means you won’t achieve what your goals. I was reminded of this at the weekend when climbing Purple Peak. The tramp started off steeply downhill before a steady steep climb uphill! The view of Purple Peak was breath-taking, but my stamina was seeping, my faith in my ability futile. I felt like giving up, but couldn’t as I was walking with friends and

Letting Go…

let it go

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Do you find that you create road blocks in your life? As humans, our behaviour forms patterns, good and bad, creating good and bad habits; it’s the bad habits we want to lose, creating new good habits. We are wired to sway towards the negative rather than the positive, looking at the problem rather than the solution, putting roadblocks in our way, worst of all not letting go of things that worry us. What are these road blocks we often create in our minds that seem so insurmountable we let them build up, making it difficult to function properly? When the going gets tough, what do we do? Our self-belief decreases, self-doubt increases, we distrust our own abilities, allowing road blocks to grow so big we are unable to function properly. The definition of roadblock is a “temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road”, yet

Life is SO Complicated!

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Life is SO Complicated! I was reminded of the Kinks song – ‘Life is So Complicated’ whilst thinking about this month’s theme of Removing Obstacles. What do we think of when we think about obstacles other than those things or blocks that prevent or hinder us from our own personal or professional progress? Some of us may refer to obstacles as problems or difficulties that are a hindrance or barrier to getting things done, putting hurdles or obstructions in our way creating a blockage or stumbling block thus creating an obstruction preventing us achieving what we want in our personal or professional lives. How easy is it for us to remove those obstacles and stop our lives from being SO complicated? I believe we can overcome anything we want to. I recall as a child often saying, “I can’t do this”; my mum’s reply was “There is NO such word

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

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Where There's A Will There's a Way Do any of the following statements ring any bells for you? 1.   When a problem is on my mind I can’t sleep 2.   I worry about things all the time 3.   I feel bad when I don’t get done all the things I had on my daily list 4.   I worry about not being good enough Worry = concern / fear / apprehension / anxiety Worrying is probably one of the, if not the biggest time waster. Worrying drains us of energy, motivation, confidence and abilities. We end up having this argument with ourselves – on the one hand we have the willpower to get these things done, but our imagination completely takes over and not only leads the way but wins! Positive thinking articles and self-help books are plentiful, and yet clients tell me one constant is worry.. Worrying won’t make the