Month: June 2017 Page 1 of 2

As we’re nearing the half-way point of 2017 and with the summer holidays approaching for many of us in the UK, it’s a good time for us to draw breath and reflect on the year to date. We can then decide what we would like to accomplish in the second half of the year.

A great way to do this is to ask ourselves some powerful questions. Our responses can be recorded in a notebook or journal. Posing some questions allows us to take stock, to review where we are in life at the present time and help us to get clarity on where we want to be. Questions allow us to straddle the space between our head and heart (i.e. our emotion and intellect) and inform the action steps to take.

Marilee Adams wrote about the power of questions in her book with a great title “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life.” In the book she introduces the concept of Question Thinking, an easy to use system for transforming thinking, action and results. Marilee claims that with new perspectives and alternatives, you can take powerful, practical steps to transform your work, relationships and life.

As Tony Robbins says “Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions and as a result they get better answers.”

An excellent way to get to know ourselves better and to increase our self –awareness is to ask ourselves some powerful questions. This enables us to delve more deeply into who we really are. If we ask the right questions we can gain valuable insights and clarity into what we truly wish to achieve and experience in life. It does require us to be truly honest with ourselves and express on the page what we truly feel.

Over the course of the next few weeks, why not take some time out and ask yourself some powerful questions and record your answers.

Here are a few suggested questions  (or you may wish to come up with your own):

• What have been the highlights of 2017 so far?
• What achievements this year are you most proud of?
• What are the biggest lessons and insights so far this year?
• What habits and behaviours would you like to change in the remainder of the year?
• What do you need to stop doing to save time?
• What are you most grateful for?
• What steps can you take to improve your health and fitness?
• What action will improve your financial position?
• What would you like to achieve by the end of the year?

Some optional questions to help build self-awareness:

• What are your core values?
• What brings you the greatest joy?
• What are you most passionate about?

This week’s quotation:

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” William S Burroughs.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

I have written a blog previously which mentioned the vital role that self-discipline plays in goal achievement. I’ve also promoted the value of small actions applied consistently and how they lead to outstanding results over time.

An example of how I used this approach to get a tangible benefit was writing my book, Be First Class. I set aside specific writing slots and targeted myself to write at least 500 words at these sessions. Little and often got the task completed within a deadline that I set myself. A goal that seemed large and a bit overwhelming at the beginning was achieved bit by bit and it felt good.

A few clients have asked me for some tips on how they can develop greater discipline. So I’ve shared some strategies and approaches below that have worked for me and numerous people that I have coached over the past 16 years:

Get clear on your why

In order to develop greater self-discipline and maintain motivation when pursuing a goal, it’s very important that you get honest with yourself and find clarity on your why i.e. why the goal is important to you and the benefits achieving it will bring you. Having this clarity also helps you to persevere when the going gets tough and you feel like you’re losing your discipline, motivation and drive. It also ensures that your time is used purposefully and on things that are important to you

Manage distractions and get focused

Calm a busy mind by regular use of quiet time. Even If you can only manage 10 minutes of meditation/stillness a day, it will have a positive influence on your life. Focus on your key result areas and most important priorities. Commit to finish what you start and avoid switching between tasks. Switch off e mail and social media notifications and have specific times to check your e mail and social media. Make a note of things as they come into your mind so you can refer back to them later. Journal daily to externalise thoughts and empty your mind

Effectively plan and avoid procrastination

Have clear and realistic to do lists each day. Periodically prepare a stop doing list to eradicate unhelpful and outdated habits and behaviours. Avoid leaving tasks until the last minute. This has the added benefit of reducing stress levels. To overcome procrastination break tasks down into manageable chunks, schedule specific time slots for these chunks and stick to your plan and milestones and the time slots you’ve allocated for tasks. This helps you to overcome any feelings of overwhelm.

Less is more

Focus on fewer things, goals and targets. It is better to be first class at a few things than mediocre at many. Be really honest with yourself and figure out what unproductive tasks and procedures you need to remove in order to increase your personal productivity and efficiency. Having fewer priorities helps you to keep on top of things and feel more in control. It also helps you to remain calm under pressure and feel less anxious.

Avoid people pleasing

Develop your assertiveness skills and get comfortable saying no when you are over- burdened or spread too thinly. Be honest and realistic about what you are able to achieve in the time you have available. Develop strong boundaries, be comfortable putting yourself and your priorities first more often. This may mean that you need to avoid the temptation to put your priorities and tasks to one side in order to please people and seek approval. It’s easy to get into the habit of meeting other people’s needs and ignore your own.

During the course of the week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider how disciplined you are. If you would like to develop your self-discipline what action will you take to get the ball rolling?

This week’s quotation:

“With self-discipline most anything is possible.” Theodore Roosevelt

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

It was amazing how quickly the One Love Manchester concert was arranged. It was pulled together in less than two weeks following the terrorist attack at the Manchester arena.

It was so fantastic to see so many pop stars come together and perform. It was an incredible display of strength and solidarity after a very sad and difficult time for families and friends affected and for the people of Manchester.

It was a great example of how extraordinary accomplishments can be made by human beings when we all work together for a common purpose. I was impressed by the strength displayed by Ariana Grande. It must have been very challenging and emotional for her to perform so soon after the tragic events in Manchester at the end of her concert in May.

It seems to me that the world can do with a little more kindness at the present time. Recently, I was inspired by a fantastic idea that a friend shared with me. They told me they had decided to spread a little more kindness in the world. In order to do this they had set a resolution to be consciously kinder for a month.

This involved them performing at least one act of kindness every day for a month. When they had completed the month, they said they had really enjoyed the experience. They felt happier, more energised and more positive as a result of being kinder.

They said that it felt really good to have surprised people and to have brought a little piece of joy to others. They had created a ripple of positivity as they had shared what they were doing with others and as a result some of their friends and family decided to do the same thing.

My friend’s findings about how they felt, validates some research in a study by researchers at Oxford University which claimed that helping others and performing good deeds helps to make us happier. They examined the results of 21 studies involving more than 2500 people that looked at the link between kindness and happiness. They revealed that helping others has a modest effect on happiness, around one point on a scale of one to ten.

If you would also like to perform some acts of kindness for a month, here are a few ideas:-

• Donate some time to a local charity or community project
• Give unwanted possessions to a worthy cause or charity
• Buy a hot drink/meal for a homeless person
• Take a snack or desert to share with your colleagues at work
• Smile at everyone you meet in a day
• Donate some blood
• Have a conversation with a friend and focus on listening more and speaking less. Be really present.

During the coming week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider if you would like to perform acts of kindness. If so, what ideas do you have to spread a little kindness, joy and happiness in your environments?

This week’s quotation:

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk