“Do not be content!”
Those ‘be discontent’ messages. Have you ever stepped back and looked at the range of messages-to-be-discontent that we receive daily? That we are bombarded with, in fact?. The messages designed …
Carry it with you… or leave it by the river!
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 …
Positive thinking or Lazy Thinking?
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 …
When our ‘good habits’ trap us!
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 …
The Repeated Lie… is Believed
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 …
That “Blue Monday” myth… or lie
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 …
The Incessant Talker
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 …
“I’ve lost the car!”
“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…! …
NLP, archery, and darts…
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 …
The most useful NLP ‘technique’?
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 …
Take a break from the bad news!
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 …
The NLP Meta Model and the ‘Shaky Markets’
‘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 subtle skills: Voice
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 …
You’re not paid by the word!
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 …
Listen to voices!
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 …
Use Free Writing to clear your thoughts
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 …
Do you encourage them – or not?
‘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 …
Is your ladder leaning against the right wall?
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, …
Children just say what they think
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 …
How close to someone do you stand?
(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 …
Are you planning for healthy ageing… or decrepitude?
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 …
Simple advice for a healthy life…
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 …
That ‘look at me when I’m speaking to you’ rule
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 …
Those NLP anchors did work – before NLP!
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 …
How long to develop a new habit?
“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 …
Walking for your health!
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 Nocebo – beliefs can harm our health
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, …
Time for a break from the News
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 …
“Stay safe!”
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 …
The news media – spreading Doom & Gloom?
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 …