Category: Growth

Categories
consciousness Decision Making Growth Life Lessons Overwhelm Perspective Stress Success

Mental Pushing And Pulling – Thanks To Our Biology

Where to start?

How about with the name of the book I just finished reading, which shared pretty interesting insights. The book was called: ‘Why You’re Unhappy’ by Loretta Graziano Breuning, PhD.

I didn’t agree with everything she presented, but because she has a background in anthropology as well as psychology, it brought a nice perspective to her discussion on biology.

And the influence on our feelings and behaviours.

She spoke a lot about the individual roles of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins and cortisol; and how they are primarily used for survival (and reproduction of genes), as with all mammals.

I have talked before about the ‘mid’ brain, also called the limbic brain or mammalian brain.

It has a number of functions including regulation and generation of our emotions, which obviously affects us moment-to-moment and day-to-day.

I found a few things in this book especially fascinating.

Particularly the author’s overarching message.

We are not – biologically – designed to be ‘happy’ all the time.

It is not only okay, but “normal” to feel our emotions go up and go down throughout our day and life in general.

I think that is a great point.

If we EXPECT to be happy, all the time, or think there is something “wrong” with us if we aren’t, then we may be fighting reality.

What I also found fascinating was…

Continue reading “Mental Pushing And Pulling – Thanks To Our Biology”
Categories
Choice Growth Success

The Easy Way To Build Great Habits

I spoke about HABITS the other day.

Plus last week I spoke about the relationship between Goals and Process, as the authors of Tiny Habits and Atomic habits shared the same pint of view.

I also mentioned I would do a deeper overview of the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, which I read recently.

It really is a great book (strategically) plus ol’ BJ, who is a Standford professor, is not writing to impress people with his literary skills, but is actually passionate about serving other people. 

It is great to see an academic who is more interested in the impact of his work, than academic accolades.

Thanks BJ!!

Essentially, there are a few BIG points to takeaway from his book and decades of practical application.

Continue reading “The Easy Way To Build Great Habits”
Categories
Acceptance Doubt Emotional Growth Life Lessons Meditation Perspective Stress

How is Your Patience Going? Want More?

So…

How is your patience?

If you are anything like me, then at times it is crap.

I was just talking to my partner – Ferry – about ‘having patience’ the other night, as we transit between our farm and our ‘main’ house, waiting for the sale of our ‘main’ house, before we finish building our other ‘main’ house on our farm.

I don’t like mortgages, so I need to exercise the ‘patience’ to wait for the sale of our house, which is dragging on, and on and on…

So I have spent intimate time face-to-face with the thing called patience of late and I – as always – want to figure out how I can do it better.

At first I thought you can’t ‘force’ patience.

As in, you can’t DO stuff to make ‘more’ patience.

Because it is more about surrendering, letting go, and stepping back.

BUT…

Then I sat with and went deeper to understand patience from all angles and this is what I came up with.

Continue reading “How is Your Patience Going? Want More?”
Categories
Choice consciousness Decision Making Growth Optimum Health Success

Decision Making Mastery, Destiny, Convenience & Optimization

I have a sneaking suspicion you know where this is going.

And before we go there.

I want you to know this.

I care about you.

I want the very best for you.

I write because I love learning, teaching and sharing, but I also LOVE to help people have more joy, fun and happiness in their lives.

That’s pretty much my job.

Whether I am writing, presenting to an audience or coaching.

I want people to express their full potential in a way that is unique to them.

So, with that said, let’s see if we can get to where I want to take us.

When I was growing up in a country town in Australia, I would watch a show called ‘Playschool’.

And one of the tunes I can still hear in my head, 40+ years later is something like this…

Continue reading “Decision Making Mastery, Destiny, Convenience & Optimization”
Categories
Choice Feeling Growth Happiness Tips Life Purpose Perspective

Is Being Certain (all the time) What We REALLY Want?

I was listening to someone complain the other day.

It made me think of another person I had heard complaining recently.

Unfortunately, that some one was ME.

Bugger!

But it generated a great train of thought, as it lead me to this insight.

Something I sort of knew but glossed over in the whole living life thing.

The other person (who kicked off my thinking) was complaining about how something didn’t work out exactly as they planned.

And had the hump on because of that.

Something they ‘expected’ to happen, did not happen.

And their response was to get narky.

Fair enough.

But consider this…

If everything comes to pass that you expect to come to pass, HOW FRIGGIN BORING would your life be?

Continue reading “Is Being Certain (all the time) What We REALLY Want?”
Categories
Choice Decision Making Growth Life Purpose Success

When Would Now Be A Great Time To Check In On What ‘Is’ Working And What ‘Is Not’

Yep.

It is check-in time.

And what a great time of the year to be doing it.

When you make a course correction at the start of the year, it can mean you are in an entirely new place, space and version of yourself, by the end of the year.

High ROI!!

Apparently prior preparation and planning prevents piss-poor performance, so let’s see if we can take some relatively easy steps NOW, to create an even better experience over the course of this year.

The area we are going to target is “HABITS“.

And what better way to start off this inner reflection, than with a quote by James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits.

“New goals don’t deliver new results. New lifestyles do. And a lifestyle is a process, not an outcome. For this reason, all of your energy should go into building better HABITS, not chasing better results.”

He’s talking my lingo.

The importance of creating a ‘lifestyle’, and that lifestyle being created, and greatly influenced by, the HABITS we adopt in our lives.

Continue reading “When Would Now Be A Great Time To Check In On What ‘Is’ Working And What ‘Is Not’”
Categories
Choice consciousness Goal Setting Tips Growth Joy Relationship Spirituality

My 5 Top Tips for Thriving in 2024

Firstly, Happy New Year!!

And welcome to whatever day you are at of the 366 we are gifted with this year.

After looking to the PAST for the top things I learned in 2023 (my last post of 2023), I am now switching to looking into the FUTURE and setting my intention and attention on what I think will be serve me (and you) in the year ahead.

So let’s jump straight in and see what we can do to help us THRIVE even more this year!

Continue reading “My 5 Top Tips for Thriving in 2024”
Categories
Choice Goal Setting Tips Growth Perspective

Meaningful Goals and Happiness

I am writing this in December, as we come towards the end of the year.

Staring down the barrel of 2024.

December is definitely a time to reflect on the year coming to a close.

Plus is a time to curiously contemplate what your Goals for 2024 might be.

I was talking with a client the other day about the degree of global disruption there is currently; economically, politically and with numerous wars/major conflicts (something like 20 worldwide).

All of these things, shocking as they are, pull our attention, energy and emotions towards them.

In metaphysical terms, and even in quantum physics, it is clear that where attention goes, energy flows.

So one of our greatest challenges is where we put our attention.

What are we creating in our life, as a result of where we are placing our attention?

Are we creating the future we wish to experience?

Continue reading “Meaningful Goals and Happiness”
Categories
Acceptance consciousness Emotional Growth Perspective

Struggling to Find Acceptance? Here’s a Solution.

WHEN YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND “ACCEPTANCE”, HERE’S WHAT TO DO

I think we all realise that it is more spiritual, saintly or virtuous, to be able to ACCEPT that which is.

There is also a difference between knowing this ‘principle’ and actually trying to apply it to real life.

Especially when life can be pretty horrendous at times.

Or people can be so ‘bad’ at times.

We are forever hearing of terrible things (personally or collectively), and the idea of Acceptance (of these horrible things) is a pretty bitter pill to swallow.

Again, we might know that Acceptance is a higher path, but boy oh boy can it be friggin hard to get to at times!

And again there is a difference between telling ourselves we have accepted something in our lives, and ACTUALLY accepting it all the way down into our bones.

When we intellectually accept things (“Yes, I accept X”), often our emotions and behaviours just don’t get the ‘Memo’.

So…

What to do?

Continue reading “Struggling to Find Acceptance? Here’s a Solution.”
Categories
consciousness Fear Feeling Growth Negative Emotions Perspective

When Pride is Not A Good Thing

Extract from 18 Ways We Make Life Way Harder Than It Needs To Be by Carl Massy (WAY 16)

“Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.”

Thomas Jefferson (US President and primary Author of US Declaration of Independence)

I think most of us were taught that ‘pride’ is a good thing. To feel proud for who and what we are. To take pride in what we do. To take pride in what we have achieved – be it over the course of our lives or over the last few weeks working on a new project at work, which we totally nailed!

So yes, pride can be a good thing. But like many things, there can be another side to it, when taken to extreme. It is like all great virtues. They are great when they are applied in a conscious self-aware way. Too much bravery and someone can become reckless. Too much loyalty and someone can be taken advantage of or stuck in something for longer than is healthy. Too much single-mindedness and someone can meander down the wrong path. Too much flexibility and someone can be all over the place.

Continue reading “When Pride is Not A Good Thing”

Search Blog