Month: September 2017 Page 1 of 2

We are now in autumn in the UK, the leaves on the trees have started to change colour and drop to the floor.

On my early morning walks I’ve noticed how lovely the autumnal trees look against a sunny clear morning sky. It has made me think that nature provides us with so many beautiful scenes and also gives us valuable insights if we take the time to notice.

Autumn can be a season of transformation for us. I, like many people consider it to be the perfect time to take some time to reflect, evaluate and plan. It’s a good time to consider how the year has been and how you have fared against goals and desires that you had for the year.

This enables you to decide if any outstanding personal and professional goals are still relevant. If they aren’t then you can decide to let them go. Alternatively if you feel that they’re still appropriate you can formulate a plan of action to meet them by the year end.

It’s also a good time to take stock and determine where you are in life. You can start to turn your attention to what you would like to create and experience in the New Year. This helps you to start your planning process and to start planting seeds for things to blossom in the spring.

You can think about how you can bring greater balance to your life and what will increase your happiness. Consider if there’s anything that needs to change with regard to your job or business, diet, general health and fitness, sleep or relationships?

Alternatively are there bad habits that you would like to let go of? Ask yourself “What am I no longer willing to tolerate in my life?” You can then turn your attention to what healthy habits you would like to create.

We may feel that we have mental clutter, feel overwhelmed or are simply spending too much time in our head. We may also feel like we have some physical clutter that we need to dispose of.

Clutter is defined in the Oxford dictionary “as a crowded and untidy collection of things.” That’s certainly part of it. For me clutter also relates to things that are no longer needed or used, disorganised and untidy or crammed into a small space. It’s also anything that is unfinished or incomplete

Like trees shedding their leaves, autumn is a good time for us shed anything that no longer serves us, weighs us down or that we no longer need. We can let go of things both mentally and physically. Letting go of some mental clutter allows clarity to enter our mind. When we purge physical clutter it helps to create some space in our life for new experiences and things.

The letting go process helps us to simplify our life and as one of my favourite quotes by Leonardo Da Vinci says “Simplicity Is the ultimate sophistication.”

When we decide to let go of things or commit to change, it requires some effort and determination. Letting go of things isn’t always easy to do. Taking the first step and beginning the process is often the hardest step and we can procrastinate. However once we have taken it, we can start to create some momentum.

This particularly applies if we are looking to change a long held habit or behaviour. However, it is good to remind ourselves what the long term benefits of the transformation will be and how it will be worth some sacrifice.

When I am undertaking a decluttering exercise, after filing and boxing things up that are to be kept and stored, I find it useful to put the physical clutter into various boxes or piles:

• Things to be thrown away
• Things to be sent for recycling
• Paperwork to be shredded
• Items to give to charity/others
• Possessions to be sold
• Articles that need to be repaired

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect. Ask yourself what you need to let go of and no longer need. What will be your first action step?

This week’s quotation:

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci.

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

Just prior to sitting down to write this week’s blog, I heard the song by Bobby McFerrin “Don’t worry, be happy.” It got me thinking that a wonderful piece of simple wisdom is contained within that song title.

To be happy is a great aspiration and hearing the song inspired me to write this piece.

I believe to be happy is a simple important goal to have in life. The Dalai Lama went a bit further than me when he said “The purpose of life is simple…to be happy.”

I accept that it isn’t always easy or possible to be happy when we suffer adversity. This particularly applies when we have to deal with sad situations such as the bereavement of a loved one or serious health issues. However, having a happy disposition and mindset may allow us to recover and bounce back from difficult and challenging experiences faster.

Having a foundation of happiness and gratitude within us, helps us to get things into perspective more quickly when difficult people and situations push our buttons. It allows us to move on if we temporarily feel angry, downhearted, frustrated or disappointed.

The good news is that being happy is within our control. It’s a choice as Abraham Lincoln said “Most people are about as happy as they make their mind up to be.”

I believe that the first rule of happiness is to actually allow ourselves to be happy and to be happy in our own skin. This means that you feel at peace and at ease with yourself, relaxed and grounded with a mindset that you can cope with whatever life throws at you.

This also involves having a belief and attitude that when the going gets tough, “This too will pass.” As a result of adopting this philosophy you choose not to dwell too long in situations and proactively take action to change things.

In order to be happy we must:

• Feel that we deserve to be happy and give ourselves permission to be so
• Let go of the need to ensure everyone else is happy before we focus on our own happiness
• Give up a belief that we (and life) must be perfect before we can be happy
• Accept that we are human and will make mistakes
• Not put the key to our happiness in someone else’s pocket
• Release the thought that we have to earn the right to be happy
• Trust that it’s ok for us to be happy and that we don’t need the approval of others

Happiness can be a fuzzy concept. It means different things to different people. We all have our own unique happiness recipe. It’s important to spend time figuring out what makes up our personal and individual definition of happiness.

I have had many varied responses when I’ve asked clients the question “What makes you happy?”

Some say it’s seeing the family content, success at work, sporting triumph, listening to music, watching children enjoy themselves, spending time by the sea, reading a good book, going for a run, watching a film at the cinema etc.

This week why not take a few moments to reflect and consider what makes you happy. Decide what steps you can take to ensure that you choose to “Be happy.” Then commit to your first action step (which is often the hardest one to take).

This week’s quotation:

“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” William E Gladstone.

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

Today marks the 16^th anniversary of the awful 9/11 attacks on the United States. It was a devastating day for the world. The four co-ordinated attacks using passenger aircraft killed 2996 people and injured 6000. The attacks led to the collapse of the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre and cost $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.

I remember that day vividly and can recall the immense shock and sadness that I felt. It was hard to comprehend and take in what had happened. I recall thinking that the world would never be the same and that the attacks would lead to change and further conflict.

The day had added significance for me. Having just completed my Executive Coach training and gained a qualification, I undertook my first official client coaching session at 2pm that day (UK time). This was 9am in New York. The first attack happened 14 minutes before this and the second 3 minutes later.

On this significant day I have taken some time to reflect on the insights and lessons I’ve learned from the client coaching and other development work I’ve completed over the past 16 years.

I’m very grateful for all the present and previous clients who have engaged me to help them and take me into their confidence. I feel very privileged to get to do what I love to do and feel humbled that people trust me to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

It’s a real honour to get to do this and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction when I see people grow and overcome their fears and challenges.

16 insights and lessons gained from my coaching and development work:

1. Good health is our real wealth.
2. Quit comparing yourself to others as you will never find anyone exactly the same as you. Be yourself as everyone else is taken.
3. You learn more from listening than talking. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
4. Small actions applied consistently lead to outstanding results and it’s the smallest margins sometimes that create victories and successes.
5. Clarity is power. Taking the time to get clear on what you want in life is a very valuable use of time.
6. Be careful what you think about as our thoughts very often create our reality.
7. A simple act of kindness has the power to transform someone’s life and doesn’t have to cost much apart from the investment of time.
8. When people focus on their strengths rather their weaknesses they achieve amazing things.
9. Our biggest limitations are the ones we have in our own mind. We have 60,000 thoughts a day and most of them are negative and about our self!
10. A ship in a harbour is safe but that isn’t what ships were built for. Great treasure and discoveries lie outside the harbour and our comfort zone.
11. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (Leonardo Di Vinci). Less is more.
12. Happy teams are 12% more productive (Warwick University research).
13. An attitude of gratitude increases happiness by 25% (Emmons and McCullough research)
14. Each day is a gift and blessing. Never take it for granted.
15. When you encounter challenges in life know that “this too will pass.”
16. If you always do the same things, you will always get the same results. If you want different results, you need to do something different.

This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider what have been the biggest insights and lessons you have learned over the past 16 years. What has your work and life taught you?

This week’s quotation.

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” Brian Tracy.

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