The art of effective communication is, in my view, reaching a shared understanding of an issue or a situation. We don’t have to agree. Indeed, we can agree to disagree. However, if we have communicated effectively, I understand you and you understand me. We can each represent accurately what the other has said. Easy, isn’t […]
It’s today! Today A-Level results are released. A time of celebration for some. Less so for others. Crucially, a turning point for many. Those grades confirm university choices, job offers, the start of apprenticeships. Essentially, options open up. Conversely, for some, the choices become fewer. Whatever the outcome today, though, there are fifty years ahead
Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that NLP underpins all of the work that I do as a coach. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) as a concept has been with us since the 1970s, the work of John Grinder and Richard Bandler. And describing it as a concept is somewhat misleading. It is
While at times it may not feel like it, everything in life really is a choice. Obviously, not all of the options open to us are great, and at times it can feel like picking the lesser of two, or more, evils. Even in the darkest of moments when it feels like all is lost,
The human mind is an amazing thing. It does so much, from storing and organising our memories to running our bodies, protecting and preserving us at all times. And there is a massive difference between what we can do with our conscious and unconscious minds. The conscious mind, limited to our logical, rational thinking can
If you’re reading this blog on the day it’s published, schools are about to start the long summer break. Unless, of course, you’re in Scotland. In which case, the school holidays started a few weeks ago. It’s always a strange time. Traffic suddenly gets quieter in the mornings. Workplaces are less busy as parents juggle
Many of us have things from the past which cause us angst. Some park the issues and move on. Others get stuck, held back by what appears to be unresolvable. Most, I think, sit somewhere between the two; troubled by the past yet moving forward in some form or another. The past can, though, be
Many of us make decisions in our late teens and into our early twenties which have an effect on the next thirty, forty or even fifty years of our lives. For some, this works out well, and I know many who are reaping or have reaped the rewards of those early decisions. Others struggle to
People have many reasons for avoiding plans and goals. A recurring reason is the fear of failure. Some see setting a goal or making a plan as a commitment which you either achieve or you do not. You succeed or you fail. Success may be great. Failure, on the other hand, is a disaster, worthy
It surprises and troubles me that so many people, adults and children, experience recurring issues with anxiety. While a certain level of anxiety is perfectly natural, being so overwhelmed is certainly not. Anxiety for many is hugely debilitating. It stops people from living the life they want to live. Additionally, it reduces choices and options,