Month: December 2023 Page 1 of 2

“I try to be grateful for the abundance of the blessings that I have, for the journey that I’m on and to relish each day as a gift.”
James McGreevey

Here we are on Christmas Day. A time for joy and celebration. Sadly, whilst we take time to celebrate today, there is some gloom and doom around in the world at present. I am referring to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.  It’s sad to see the loss and suffering of so many innocent people. As a result, watching news bulletins can make us feel quite miserable.

We can’t control the issues being reported on but we can control our reactions to them. Last week, I decided to consciously think in a more abundant way, in an effort to counter some of the negativity that we are all exposed to on a daily basis.

An abundant mindset is when you believe that there are enough resources for us all and you have greater appreciation for all that you have. When you think about life in this way, it takes on another meaning and has a different look and feel to it. I have noticed that my shift in thinking has made me feel lighter and more positive.

In life we have a choice about where we put our attention. We can focus on our weaknesses, our limitations, lack of opportunities and what’s missing in our life. We can have a lack of appreciation for our material possessions and what we’ve earned. This can be combined with not fully appreciating the people in our life and what they bring to us.

In contrast we can choose to focus our time and mind in an abundant way and appreciate all that we have including our possessions and the contributions people make to enrich our life. We can have gratitude for our natural strengths and talents, the opportunities and all the experiences that we have. In this state we will view any challenges we’ve encountered as a lesson or insight instead of a chance to see ourselves as a victim.

The mindset we choose to adopt will have an impact on our body and energy. When we think abundantly, we feel more optimistic and this helps us to feel lighter and more energised. As a result, we’re more likely to attract positive circumstances as our self-talk will be more empowering and drive positive behaviours which help to create great results.

Conversely, a scarcity mindset will have a negative impact on our mood and energy levels. Our bodies will feel heavy; our self-talk will be negative and create dis-empowering behaviours and poor results. This kind of mindset can be a self-fulfilling prophecy and create more results that reinforce a feeling of lack.

Thinking in an abundant way contributes to a feeling of security. It helps us to feel confident and have high self-worth levels. As a result, we feel secure when interacting with others. We form positive relationships, where we look to be collaborative rather than overly competitive and create “win/win” scenarios. Adopting this mindset doesn’t prevent us from feeling empathy for other people’s suffering and for those less fortunate than ourselves.

In contrast when we have feelings of lack, we may have difficulty sharing credit or recognising the contribution of others. The scarcity mentality is limiting and may mean that too much time and energy is wasted on conflict, negative thinking and repressing creativity. On the other hand, the abundant mentality is fearless; it’s free and immune to criticism.

In order to feel abundant, we need to get better at noticing and recognising what’s available to us in terms of opportunities, resources and choices. We aren’t wired to notice things or be particularly observant.

It doesn’t make us stupid if we fail to notice things, it just depends on what our brain has been primed to see.  If we focus on scarcity, we will find evidence to support this. If we want to notice abundance, we will find it.

As I said earlier, we can’t control all events. However, we can choose our reaction, the attitude we adopt in the present moment and where we place our attention. We get what we look for! What we choose to focus on grows.

I send my very best wishes to you and your family and wish you all a very joyous and happy Christmas period.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider which mindset you adopt the majority of the time. Are you thinking in an abundant way? Do you regularly notice things to appreciate?

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

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” Mario Andretti.

I’ve found that many people have goals and targets related to their jobs or business but don’t always have goals related to their personal life. I’m a big advocate of personal goal setting and the merits have been validated by lots of people I’ve worked with who have successfully set and achieved their personal goals.

Setting personal goals ensures that time and energy is focused on what really matters. It enables people to fulfil more of their potential, to grow, develop and experience new things. It provides balance to life and a sense of accomplishment.

Goals don’t have to be massive. They can relate to fitness and health, hobbies, personal development or leisure such as places to visit, concerts to attend or days out to be arranged. It’s easy to overlook these things in the busyness of modern-day life if we don’t plan.

Here are a few personal goal setting tips:

Be specific about what you want to achieve

What would you specifically like to achieve and by when? For instance, “to lose weight” is a goal. However, a better goal would be “to lose one stone in weight by June 30^th 2024.”

Get clarity on your why

Determine what’s driving and motivating you to want to achieve the goal and why it’s important to you. Getting clear on your motivations upfront helps you to maintain focus. It also reminds you why you must persevere when you feel like quitting.

Get clear on your current position

It helps to have an honest and objective assessment of your starting position and consider any action you have already taken or personal experience you can call upon. This helps you to quantify how realistic the goal is and what needs to be done.

Clarify any obstacles you need to overcome

Obstacles may be personal limitations or limiting beliefs or external factors such as a lack of time, money, knowledge or skills. By clarifying what needs to be overcome helps you to start to think about ideas and solutions.

Determine what support and resources you need

Do you need some help or support? What personal strengths, people or resources will help you to accomplish your goal? Would you find it helpful to be accountable to someone? Sharing your goals with others can establish an accountability mechanism. An accountability partner can check in on progress and provide encouragement or challenge if required.

Commit to action steps

Establish clear action steps which you are 100% committed to. You may find it useful to break large goals down into smaller chunks. This helps to prevent a big goal feeling overwhelming. Being in a state of overwhelm can lead to procrastination and could stop you from making a start.

How will you celebrate?

Determine at the start how you will celebrate and reward yourself when you achieve your goal. This provides added incentive and keeps you focused and motivated. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking about what you haven’t achieved and not take any time to celebrate and reward yourself when you complete something.

The following story contains my final tip

There was once a bunch of tiny frogs, who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began.

No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. They shouted, “Oh, way too difficult! They will NEVER make it to the top” and “Not a chance. The tower is too high.”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher….

The crowd continued to yell, “It’s too difficult! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up… But one continued higher and higher. This one wouldn’t give up! And he reached the top.

Everyone wanted to know how this one frog managed such a great feat.  What was his secret?

…This little frog was deaf!

So, my final tip is to ignore the pessimism of others who say that you can’t achieve your goals and dreams. Listening to them can take your dreams from you. Stay positive.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect and consider what will enable you to get better at setting and achieving your personal goals.

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

“There are three methods to gaining wisdom. The first is reflection, which is the highest. The second is limitation, which is the easiest. The third is experience, which is the bitterest.” Confucius.

As we’re rapidly approaching the end of the year, it’s a good time to take stock and think about the year and all that we’ve experienced. As we get immersed in the arrangements for the festive period it’s easy to neglect to take some time to reflect on the past year and to review our progress and growth.

The end of the year provides a great opportunity to celebrate our successes and achievements and to think about the things we can be grateful for.

Investing our precious time in this way helps to provide some positive energy to carry into the New Year. This reflection time is a great way to wrap up the current year before turning some attention to creating some plans and goals for the year ahead.

Review of 2023

Over the next few weeks, I recommend that you get yourself a notebook and dedicate some time to reflect on the year. I suggest you think about the following questions and record your thoughts:

• What has been great about 2023?
• What lessons have you learned this year?
• What have been your greatest challenges this year? What have they taught you?
• What are you grateful for in life?
• What has brought you the most happiness?
• What do you need to let go of?

 
Planning for a First Class 2024

Once you have completed the reflection, you can turn your attention to thinking about what you would like to accomplish and experience in the New Year. Completing the reflection will provide some clarity and great insights to use in this process. Here are some possible questions for you to use to do this:

• How would you like 2024 to be different?
• What would you like to celebrate at the end of next year?
• What are your main personal and professional goals for 2024?
• What are your financial goals for 2024?
• What steps do you need to take to improve/maintain your health and fitness?
• What can you do to improve your relationships?
• What steps can you take to increase your happiness?
• What plans do you have to grow, develop and learn?

I hope that you find the process and questions useful. Hopefully they will help you celebrate 2023 the best way you can (in the current circumstances) and prepare for a happy and healthy 2024.

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