“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 …
‘Beware of enterprises that require new clothes’
How to stop procrastinating. How we delay the beginning! One of the most subtle ways of doing this is to pretend to yourself that you’re actually getting things done – …
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 …
Is NLP just ‘a technique’?
‘The NLP Technique’. I’m amazed at the number of individuals, websites and blogs which describe NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming as a set of techniques or, even worse and from a …
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 …
Those ‘good eye contact’ myths
Those ‘good eye contact’ myths It would have been funny… .. if it weren’t so sad. He was trying really hard – the electrical goods salesman. He’d come through the one-size-fits-all …
The word ‘try’ – use it with caution
You can ‘try’ or you can ‘do’. If you’re going to do it you’ll say “Yes, I’ll do it!” If you don’t want to commit yourself, or you want to …
Closeness and carelessness in relationships
Carelessness can destroy relationships. The ‘people side of things’. Up until my early twenties, I did have trouble with the ‘people side of things’. Yes, I liked being with people …
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 …
Sulking: getting the silent treatment
Sulking: getting the Silent Treatment! Oh, he’s just having one of his sulks – best to ignore him. If she doesn’t get what she wants, she goes into a sulk …
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 …
What is NLP?
Just what is NLP? Many people have heard of NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming (or even Neurolinguistic Programming). And there are many versions of what it is – but finding a simple, straightforward and …
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 …
A litmus test for friendship?
Think about a few recent conversations… A social one, not a business or work conversation. Okay, now replay the conversation in your mind – and consider: who, not what, did …
“The Archers” – Jill’s wisdom!
I am prepared to admit that my favourite, and only, soap opera is The Archers on BBC Radio 4. (The programme has been on air since January 1951 though I’ve …
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 …
Are you getting the ‘not interested’ treatment!
How those ‘not interested’ messages work. There are lots of subtle messages hidden in everyday conversations – even in seemingly light-hearted chit-chat! Some of these are verbal. Some, most even, …
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 …