Success is a very sought after thing. It has been examined, debated and philosophised over because to master the ability to be successful is a phenomenal skill to possess. One of the first challenges we face when considering success, is what exactly is it? There are so many different definitions that is easy to...
Counterproductive Goal Setting
Goal setting. Goal setting. Goal setting… It sometimes seems like it’s all we ever hear people talking about. The problem has reached almost epidemic proportions with almost everything and anything that can be measured having goals and targets assigned to it. We see it everywhere. In our personal lives, at work, in sport, in local...
Expectations vs. Reality: how to create a better outlook.
Expect: to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of. I once ran a stress management course for managers and one of the delegates (a warehouse manager) had a particular issue with the way his systems were interfered with by other managers. When asked to describe the...
How to learn better and remember more.
Note taking has always played a key role in learning and development. With the boom in technology it is becoming increasing common for people to use laptops or smart pads to take notes in meetings and training sessions. Whilst this might seem an effective use of a device many scientists have speculated that it...
“You throw like a girl” and other insults that have impact.
“Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me” is a mantra that we’ve been encouraged to use from childhood when we’re on the wrong end of some name calling. After all, it’s only name calling. It can’t really hurt us, can it? Well, some new research has revealed that...
Increasing Engagement: The Power of Choice
How do you increase engagement in your team or your clients? How do you get people to commit more? How do you encourage people to put in more effort? These are the sort of concerns that have troubled managers, coaches and trainers from all sectors. The solutions have often been complex and time consuming...
Rethinking Stress: How Mindset Matters
What exactly is a stressful situation? Is it true that they are always debilitating or is it true that something that doesn’t kill you actually makes you stronger? We often find ourselves in situations that cause big emotional responses in us. It’s common for these moments to be given the catch-all description of “stressful”...
How To Overcome A Lack Of Confidence
Confidence is like a balloon, when it’s full you can float through a challenge with skill and poise but what happens if the balloon pops? When our level of confidence drops the cause is usually self-inflicted. There are a number of reasons we allow ourselves to lose confidence; setting ourselves unrealistic expectations, failing to...
An Essential Ingredient For Success: Keep Your Inner Fire Burning
There are many important elements that contribute to a person’s performance but without drive or motivation the chances of success, especially in a competitive or challenging situation, will be seriously impacted. Unfortunately it is very easy for people to lose the passion that fuels and drives a person to succeed. If that happens the...
A Simple Trick to Boost the Positive Mood Effect of Exercise
It’s well known that exercise can have a positive effective on your mood so how would you like to give that positive mood a boost? Well a new study has found a simple way to do just that. The trick is to use an enjoyable distraction. Distractions are quite commonly used to control focus...