“Do not be content!”
Those ‘be discontent’ messages. Have you ever looked back at the range of messages-to-be-discontent we receive daily? That we are bombarded with, in fact? The messages are designed to make […]
Those ‘be discontent’ messages. Have you ever looked back at the range of messages-to-be-discontent we receive daily? That we are bombarded with, in fact? The messages are designed to make […]
Carry it with you…or Leave it by the River The missing barcode I was third in the supermarket queue when the cashier came across an item which wouldn’t scan. It
Carry it with you… or leave it by the river! More
Positive thinking… or maybe lazy thinking? Have you noticed that much of what’s promoted as ‘positive thinking’ is really lazy thinking or even, let’s face it, daft thinking? It’s something that’s
Positive thinking or Lazy Thinking? More
Habits can be useful and efficient… traps I like a cup of instant coffee first thing in the morning. It’s been a habit – every morning, without fail – and
When our ‘good habits’ trap us! More
Repetition makes a lie believable. The 3rd Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year… according to many British newspapers. This ‘scientific claim’ is the invention of
The Repeated Lie… is Believed More
The so-called ‘official’ day for feeling bad. A week ago on Monday 18 January 2011 it was ‘Blue Monday’, reputedly the most depressing day of the year, or so we’re
That “Blue Monday” myth… or lie More
The Incessant Talker – who goes on and on… As a young adult I had some difficulty with ‘the people side of things’. Yes, I did like being with people
“It was right here…!” It can be a terrifying moment. You return to where you’d parked your car. And it’s gone. ‘Where did I leave it? It was right here…!
First I discovered darts. We were chatting about the next day’s archery session during this week’s NLP Practitioner training and, as can often happen in such conversations, I had a personal insight
Improve relationships – through understanding them. It was during a coffee break on one of our courses. This was an advanced course so the group had quite a bit of
The most useful NLP ‘technique’? More
Take a break from the bad news… It was brought home to me on a Sunday evening in Dublin Airport, while waiting for my return flight to the UK. I’d not
Take a break from the bad news! More
‘The markets have lost confidence’. How the NLP Meta Model interprets the News Media. Yesterday the UK financial market briefly lost confidence in HBOS, Britain’s biggest mortgage lender. And HBOS
The NLP Meta Model and the ‘Shaky Markets’ More
Voice: one of the NLP ‘subtle skills’. One theme, which comes up again and again during our course is the importance of the ‘subtle skills’. These are the skills which
The NLP subtle skills: Voice More
The ‘people helpers’ who talk too much! One phenomenon that’s always fascinated me is the tendency for “people helpers” to talk too much… People helpers? They seem to think that
You’re not paid by the word! More
When a voice sound is a turn off. It was a BBC Radio 4 programme, announced as a comedy show – and within 60 seconds I had to switch it
Get it out of your head – and on to paper! Sometimes life can be confusing. Or overwhelming. Like when you have too much happening – lots of changes to
Use Free Writing to clear your thoughts More
‘Try’ undermines your impact and influence. I was doing some research for an article on stress and depression yesterday. So, I web-searched on a few terms. And I couldn’t believe
Do you encourage them – or not? More
Before you climb it, ensure your ladder is against the right wall? For years I’ve quoted Stephen Covey’s great metaphor: “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall,
Is your ladder leaning against the right wall? More
We just looked at one another. I was walking along the local high street. And I was approaching and about to pass a woman walking with her daughter of about
Children just say what they think More
(This article was originally posted on 13 June 2019 just over 9 months before our first pandemic lockdown here in the UK. I’m reposting it here because, in the light
How close to someone do you stand? More
A challenging question? On some of our courses, we used to introduce our Design Your Future exercise. It was a way of creating a practical action plan to create your
Are you planning for healthy ageing… or decrepitude? More
A 600-yr old tip! Have you ever noticed the great resolutions that we make when we’re unwell… You know, the promises such as: Once I’m feeling better again I’ll exercise
Simple advice for a healthy life… More
They need to look away to think. In conversation, lots of people need to look away to think. On the other hand, lots of other people get upset if their
That ‘look at me when I’m speaking to you’ rule More
NLP Anchors worked – even before NLP! Back in the late 1700’s the Scottish novelist-to-be, Walter Scott, was a student at Edinburgh High School. And he was always runner-up to
Those NLP anchors did work – before NLP! More
“How long will it take me make this a habit?” Well, the usual answer is 21 days and this is one of those myths-which-became-truth because it is so widely and
How long to develop a new habit? More
Walking – less fashionable than running, BUT… In recent years enlightened GPs around the UK have been setting up walking groups for patients in their practices – with good results
The amazing Nocebo Effect The Nocebo is what happens when we receive scary news which results in physical symptoms. The Nocebo is the opposite of the Placebo. With the Placebo,
The Nocebo – beliefs can harm our health More
Time for a break from The (Bad) News! Social-Distancing? Yep, got it! So, now how about ‘News-Distancing?” As I sat down to have my lunch one day last week, there
Time for a break from the News More
Wishing them well?? Shortly after the arrival of Covid-19 in the UK we began wishing each other well with “Stay Safe!” comments. It was a well-intended comment. Yet, in communication, and
Doom and Gloom Special (Part 1) Part 2 is here The end of the world is nigh (yet again) I was on my way back from London and was buying
The news media – spreading Doom & Gloom? More