Who cares what you think?

Hmmmmm ... ??

You should!  In our fast-paced lives, personal reflection is a luxury that many of us just don't get to enjoy on a regular basis.  

When did you last think about your life, your work, your relationships, your health habits, your finances, in anything but a reactive manner?  Especially if you are juggling, multi-tasking, holding down 2 jobs, over-achieving, just trying to cope or striving for more.


Thinking drives action.  Action drives results.  Is your thinking getting you the things you want in your life?  If not, what could you do differently?  What you think really does matter.

The more people you influence
- work teams, business units, entire organisations, colleagues, friends, family, children, sports teams, social groups ... you get the idea -
the bigger the impact your thinking, your attitude and your behaviour have in the world.  Why would others want to follow your lead?  More importantly, why would you?  Are you leading anywhere interesting - for you or anyone else?

All great leadership starts with self-awareness and self-leadership.  What are you doing on a daily basis to be the very best you can be?  How are you getting clearer on your thinking?  How are you continuing to build your skills?

Try this: find a time each day for a week where you can think, and not be interrupted.  If you haven't done this for a while (or at all) start small.  Just 5 minutes will do.  When you first get to work, perhaps?  Or when you get in having dropped the kids at school?  Immediately before eating lunch?  The timing isn't important, you just need to do it every day for a week.

Consider this question - 'what's most important to me, and why?'  Just ruminate on the question while you sit quietly.  After the 5 minutes are up, jot down your thoughts.  Then put them to one side and don't look at them again until the end of the week.  [The idea is to have different thoughts each day, rather than prompt yourself to reconsider the ones you had yesterday by re-reading your notes :) ]

When the week is up, go back and read your entire collection of thoughts.  Are you getting clearer?  Or is the exercise bringing up more questions?  What picture is starting to form?  What initial action does it prompt?

After a week, feel free to keep the daily 5 minutes for mindful reflection.  And if you're lucky, with time, it just might become a habit.

How to be happy :)

When you're six, some blue hair gel will do the trick.  Simple!

As we get older and more discerning, we learn to want more.  "I can only be happy when (car, boat, relationship, promotion, holiday .......) happens."  How useful is this way of thinking?

I have a friend who, when faced with a situation where success is almost certain, will say (with a stern expression on his face) "Yes, it may happen, but I don't want to get excited about it."  If pushed about the likelihood, he may say, "OK, it is pretty certain, but I still don't want to get excited."  

Don't want to get excited?  Why?  

I, for one, will take all the excitement I can get :)

So why would you want to be happier?  Research shows that positive emotions have a beneficial impact on our creativity, our relationships, our health - not to mention the obvious ... that they make us feel good.  When we are happy, we make other people smile.  We are good to be around.  We can deal with setbacks more usefully.  In business, we encourage participation and help others to switch on the creative parts of their brain (will post more on this later).  We help to build co-operation.  

Ever worked directly with someone very grumpy and critical.  How was that?  What happened to your performance?  Your confidence?  Your feelings of wellbeing outside work?  For some, it can be debilitating.  Some invest emotional energy in being ok and limp along.  For others, it's a cue to move on.

Try this:

Consider the impact you have on the people around you?  Do you brighten the mood and help to make things possible?  Do you throw a bucket of cold water on others or their ideas?  Are you 'just neutral'?

What could you do, today, to have a greater positive impact on those around you ... friends, family, colleagues, the guy at the coffee shop, the bus driver ....?

Thanks to the academics studying Positive Psychology, there is now a wealth of research and information on what, specifically, we can do to be happier.  It isn't a magic pill, but it does adjust the way we look at the world.  If you adjust your thinking and take specific action, there are definite ways to improve your confidence, engagement, performance, resilience .................... there are proven ways to Be Happy.

Try this as a starter - for at least 2 weeks:

Every day, at the end of the day, write down 3 things that went well during the day.  It can be a good game to play around the dinner table, but you can also do it alone.  The next day you have to think of 3 new and different things to write down.  Then again the next day.

In a journal, write down your reflections on the process, how it changes during the 14 days, and any impact it has on you.

Or you could just put blue gel in your hair.

Enjoy!  I'd love to hear how you go.

Welcome

Do you need a boost to your motivation, performance and resilience at work and beyond?

Not sure how?

Much like a personal trainer to help with physical performance, HMP developed a 10-week group coaching program to help people clarify what they want out of life and take action towards it.

Pathway to Results

It is called 'Action on Purpose'.

So - the big question is:
How do you get the result you want?

In 10 years time, you will be 10 years older.  Will your life be where you'd like it to be?  On purpose?

It's not just about what you do (although taking action is critical).  It's mostly about what you think.  And how many of us take regular time out for personal reflection?  How do we improve our thinking?  Are we doing 'more of the same' yet expecting better results, even though we know this is madness?

The reason for this blog is to share useful, practical ideas and information - to give you 'food for thought' - and to help improve the results you are getting.  It is also to give you a flavour of the workshops, which run regularly in Sydney and Melbourne.  If you like what I have to say, I'd love to meet you in person.

So, welcome.  I hope you check back ... often.  And let me know what you think.